Universe Show Me a Model T?

During the last few weeks of 2015, I was dealing with some family, health, and financial challenges that at times felt difficult to overcome. In fact, if you had been a fly on the wall in my home, you would have seen me on some nights curled up in bed in the fetal position, sobbing.

I prayed and meditated and went inward as much as possible desperate to find some vestige of inner strength and faith that I was certain was still in me. Some days, I just plain shouted at the universe, God, the angels. When none of this seemed to get me back to calm, I decided to seek out some external motivation, something to push me to keep going. Well, I found it in a YouTube video posted by a motivational speaker I never heard of before who suggested that if you simply ask the universe to show you something beautiful, it will. First, as a reminder that you are not alone as the universe always hears and supports you. Second, as a way to reset your focus on the beauty that is around you.

Every morning, beginning just a few days before Christmas, I've asked the universe to show me something beautiful and unexpected. Every day, it's delivered: A treetop angel with multi-colored wings, a lovely picture of an angel a friend painted for her mother, yellow tulips in winter, a rainbow outside the window of the bus I was riding. There were so many things, I wish I'd written them down.

My New Year's Day Model T Sighting

So, on the first day of 2016, I decided to up the ante and ask to see something extraordinary and unexpected—something that I would know without a doubt the universe sent for me—because, quite frankly, I still really needed the boost. I never would have guessed an ordinary trip to the 7-Eleven for coffee would be the place where I'd find my extraordinary surprise. Yet, there it sat in the little parking lot right in front of me and several equally startled onlookers—A Model T Ford. How wonderfully awesome!

And why do I think the universe delivered this "just for me?" First, it was my second trip to the 7-Eleven that day when I had only intended to go once. Second, seeing a functioning Model T in my neighborhood is not an every day occurrence (seeing a broken down one is not even an every day occurrence). In fact, I can't recall the last time I spotted an authentic Model T being driven along the streets. Third, I used to collect miniatures of old cars—among them a Model T, of course—that I hoped to give to my son one day. I gave part of the collection to my dad; the other to my grand nephew. Finally, one of the first things I see every morning when I awake is a quote by Henry Ford, the Model T's creator, posted on my closet door: "I want it; I'll have it." (Maybe this should be my mantra for 2016.)

While I don't agree with his politics or personal prejudices, I do appreciate Ford's "never give up" spirit after having read a number of biographies about him. Despite the failure of his first two companies, Ford remained determined to follow his passion to create an automobile that would transform the then very new industry, and he did exactly that. More than a century later, the company he founded is still thriving and he is considered one of America's foremost industrialists.

In his book, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill tells the story of how the Ford Motor Company created the V8 engine. When Ford presented his idea for the new engine to his engineers, they informed him it would be impossible to build. After he told them to "produce it anyway," they worked on making the engine for a year and were still not able to produce what Ford wanted. When informed of their failed efforts, his response was, "Go right ahead. I want it; I'll have it." So the engineers continued with their work and, as if by magic, the V8 engine was born.

“Failure is simply an opportunity to begin again; this time more intelligently,” Ford is quoted as having once said.

Begin again, more intelligently. Sounds like the perfect plan for moving forward into 2016—more determined and more focused to follow my own bliss and live the life of my dreams even if it requires me to shed a few more tears. After all, if Henry Ford had given up, I might never have experienced the joy of riding around in my SUV singing "I'm in love with car, oh yeah."

Here are a few more of my favorite quotes from Henry Ford:

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty." (This deserves its own blog post!)

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't—you're right. Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right."

_______________

Remember, whatever it is you are seeking is seeking you. Keep moving forward and you're sure to meet somewhere in the middle.

If a Tree Falls...

Have you heard this question before... "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to here it, does it make a sound?"

Well, how about this one... "If you voluntarily do kind, helpful acts for someone and other people aren't around to see them, did the acts happen?"

I'm just curious as I've been struggling with this conundrum for a few days now. I have some people in my life who have become quite skilled at pointing out my many mistakes and failings, yet strain to acknowledge that I have also done many thoughtful and kind things for the people I care about and even some I didn't know.

Should it even matter whether anyone recognizes the ways in which I help others, save the recipients of such help. Can I simply be content in receiving a smile or "Thank you" from the recipient of my acts of kindness? And even if my actions are never acknowledged by anyone or they seem unappreciated, can I still find joy in knowing that in some way I may have helped to make another person's life a little better or easier, or that I offered a bit of hope, comfort, or encouragement to someone who needed it?

Hmmmm....


"and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly." Matthew 6:4

Handling Negativity

Dealing with negativity, whether your own or others, can feel life draining. It will suck the energy right out of you if you let it by holding onto it.

Remaining stuck in negative moods such as anger, frustration, resentment, depression, etc. is not only unproductive—it inhibits your ability to think and act clearly—it can also be unhealthy. There are numerous studies that show stress and unreleased negative emotions can contribute to long-term health problems from obesity to cardiovascular disease.

The best thing you can do for yourself and those close to you is to find constructive ways to quickly clear negativity/negative emotions from your mind and body.

To help set you on that path, I thought I would share this video on dealing with negativity published on YouTube by The Elephant Journal. Although the tips offered are from a practicing Buddhist, anyone can use them and they are quite simple. I used all four tips to help me quickly release the negative emotions I was feeling after dealing with a family member.

One other tip that has worked for me is to call up a friend or family member who you know will listen without judgment and openly share what you're feeling. My mother used to call this "telling out on the devil." After you're done sharing, just let it all go—forgive yourself, forgive the other person (if someone else is involved)—and go do something positive like write an inspiring blog article.

Be blessed.

Releasing Old Thoughts of Pain and Finding a Song of Hope

I decided to spend today doing a bit of advanced prep for 2016. After spending several weeks, examining my life and my current state of affairs, I have decided I'm in need of a makeover in body, mind and spirit, beginning with mind because I believe that all things begin in the mind (our thoughts).

I've long held the beliefs based on Biblical teachings that words—both spoken and written—have creative power. To paraphrase Jesus, you shall have what you say. Like most people, I presume, I haven't always chosen my words judiciously. I especially recall a time in life, during my late teens to mid-20s, when I let the negative thoughts and emotions flow freely not only from my mouth where they could disappear into the wind, but also preserved them on paper. I spent a lot of time chronicling my pain, frustration, hurt, etc., in prose and poetry, not realizing that in so doing, I was opening myself up to more pain, frustration and hurt. (What you focus on, grows.)

The beauty and danger in words is there ability to reach far into the future, fulfilling themselves. Spoken to self or others, they act upon our subconscious, which will do it's damnedest to direct our actions so the words become true since our minds cannot handle major disconnects between what we think and what we experience. This phenomenon of our words seeming to create our future is what Carl Jung called a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I don't know about you, but I've never really been a fan much of pain, hurt, and frustration. So, energized by my recent reading of works by meta-physicists and inspired teachers like Neville Goddard and Joseph Murphy and even Joel Osteen to embark on a lovelier path, I've decided to take more care with my words going forward—to complain less and speak only that which I want to have in my life.

To that same end, I decided to free myself from the negative thoughts, ideas, and feelings of my past by going through my old writings and discarding anything that wasn't inspiring or uplifting. I pulled out my old notebooks and folders filled with my dark "life's a bitch" thoughts and began tearing up the pages, which I later plan to burn as a sign that I refuse to be bound by negative words spoken in my past. (Actually, I refuse to be bound by my past, period.) Almost immediately, I began to feel lighter, more at peace, stronger—FREE!

And surprisingly, I found a few gems among those dark works—words of hope, faith, love, and inspiration. I've included one below that was written during my senior year of high school, apparently for a class project (I received a B+ for it!). While I certainly don't expect anyone, except my mom, to think that my words rise to the level of Shakespeare, Keats, Paul Lawrence Dunbar or Maya Angelou, I do hope you'll enjoy a "song" from my 17-year old self.

A Song of Innocence—My Gift to You

Friends and family gather 'round, I have a song to sing.
Sit right here, my loved ones dear, good news and cheer I bring.
Let all the children sit up front and in their mothers' care.
And you with heavy, hate-filled hearts, come closer if you dare.
My song I sing for everyone. I want the world to listen.
And for those who cannot hear, my motion will express it.
I'll say it once and not again, so give your full attention.
To all of you—please let me speak!—I'd really like to mention:
This life comes once and it can pass before hardly your eyes will see it.
But if you do what's in your heart, you need not fear you'll miss it.

__________________

And in the spirit of Christmas...

Life is wonderful gift—the best one you'll ever get. Live every day with passion. Live every day on purpose.

I Am Infinite

"All that you behold, though it appears without, it is within, in your imagination of which this world of mortality is but a shadow.” (William Blake).

I am an infinite being. I am a part of God, the Source of All That Is, and so possess all the characteristics of Source. There are no limits to what is possible for me except those which I impose upon myself. My thoughts matter, so I choose them wisely. My words have creative power, so I speak them judiciously. I am solely responsible for my life and my experiences and have power at any moment in time to change them according to my will. I am not my body. I am not ancestry. I am not race or skin color. I am not gender. I am not economic status. I am not present circumstances. 

I AM an infinite being. And, so are you.

A Teacher Hears and Changes a Future

It’s four days out from the very lovely weekend evening I spent with my nephew, and I’m still contemplating the lesson I learned about the importance of offering a listening ear without judgment. I remember when I was just a year younger than my nephew is now and struggling with the feeling that I was speaking but not being heard, and hence, not being seen. So, I began hiding myself. That same year my 10th grade English teacher, Mrs. B, gave me an invaluable gift, likely unbeknownst to her, in the form of an assignment to write a poem about anything that mattered deeply to us. It could be about family, friends, school, or it could be an expression of how we feel about our lives or the world. It simply had to follow some type of poetic form that I can’t fully recall and was restricted to 20 lines or less.

This is what my 15-year old self wrote:

The Eyes
Able to see all the wrong in the world; 
unable to see anything right. 
Only looking at the darkness in life; 
never discerning the light. 
Constantly searching for others’ faults;
never the things they do best. 
Able to see all of the sorrows in life; 
unable to perceive anything else. 
Only able to see a reflection 
of the most critical judge of others. 
The eyes, so critical of everyone else,
they forget to examine the owner. 

Not exactly Keats or Shakespeare, but I received an A+. Mrs. B wrote that my poem revealed “profound insight and wisdom” from one “so young.” She also suggested I pursue writing as an opportunity to continue expressing my thoughts and ideas and to potentially help others.

Through a simple class assignment, Mrs. B had not only given me the gift of being heard and understood, but also opened a door for me to communicate in a way that felt safe. And in that moment—albeit unknown to either of us—the path of my future was set.

A Listening Ear and Loving Words to Ease a Teen's Anxiety

Today, I experienced the all too rare treat of spending the evening with my 16-year-old nephew. He’s been experiencing some difficult moments at school and home lately as he goes through that awkward period we all do of transitioning from child to adult. Sometimes, I feel like I’m still in it. That stage where you’re trying to figure out who you are and who you want to be while the well-meaning adults in your life start demanding that you be more responsible and independent, think for yourself, make your own decisions, etc., etc., until, of course, your thoughts, choices, and acts of independence conflict with what they believe you should think, choose or do.

I enjoyed spending the evening with my nephew. I enjoyed simply listening to him—hearing what he thought, how he felt, seeing through his eyes why he has made some of the choices he’s made. I enjoyed hearing him share about school, his classes and friends, and the things he likes to do and would like to do. I also enjoyed helping him to come up with his own solutions to his problems, and offering to run interference for him, if necessary, with the other well-meaning adults in his life. He, like me, and most others, I imagine, sometimes simply want to be heard by the well-meaning people in our lives, not counseled and especially not judged—just heard.

I believe most of us want to act in ways that truly benefit ourselves and others, but sometimes we screw up. Sometimes, we act or make choices in the moment without fully thinking through potential outcomes. Sometimes we act in ways that are simply not in our best interests. And sometimes our actions and choices may even put us or others in harm’s way. I suspect most of us are so much better at beating ourselves up when these things happen that having someone else do it for us just isn’t helpful. A kind, supportive word or listening ear, on the other hand, can quickly turn an unfortunate decision into an opportunity of learning how to make fortunate ones. It can also keep someone from getting stuck in their mistakes, believing wrongly that these define who they are.

At the beginning of the evening, my nephew seemed a little disappointed that he was “forced” to hang out with his aunt rather than his friends on a Saturday night (he’s grounded and his grandparents decided he should help me around the house as part of his punishment. Not quite sure how I should take that, but, oh well!). By the time my nephew left to go home, he and I both were happy to have spent the time together. He actually promised to hang out with me again some evening of his own decision. 

Good choices and not-so-good ones aside, my nephew has within him the potential to be an amazing young man. It was within in him the moment he arrived here 16 years ago.

Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. - Proverbs 12:25