Monday, January 31, 2011

When you're open to doing good anywhere, you're able to do good everywhere.

Despite what you see on the news, there's a lot more good going on around the world. In small towns and villages, in homes and schools, there are all these amazing acts of kindness that just don't call out for media attention.

I suspect that deep inside you, there's all this good just burning to get out.

It's just that when you see all this craziness that's going on out there, you wonder if your good will ever make a difference. Will one little act really matter?

Yes.

It'll matter more than you know.

It may not mean anything to the editors and the pundits, but that's not really what it's about anyway.

But the world seems to be in so much need, it's hard to know just where to begin, right?

You want to know the right answer?

Right where you are.

Right now.

Just look around for a need and fill it. Doesn't matter how big or small, how random or organized. Doesn't matter if you're the leader or a follower; if you end up with the credit or not.

When you don't have conditions on who and when and where and how and if and only and maybe and some day... that's where your most goodness can do the most good.

When it doesn't matter, that's when it matters the most.

So be open and give openly. When you help anything, you will help everything.

And as always...

Keep the light on!
GuruStu

Friday, January 28, 2011

You are a gift but never let anyone put you in a box.

How many people 'get' you, really? I mean, really understand you?

Now how many people THINK they do?

How many people around you think they've got you all figured out? Or think they know you better than you know yourself? Or... Think they know what's BEST for you?

A lot more, huh?

People like to judge. Sometimes to make themselves feel better about themselves; sometimes it's their way of understanding others; and still others do it because you look or act differently than their idea of how the world is supposed to work.

But all too often, they don't wait for a jury before they lock you away in a box.

You don't have to get in.

You don't have to seal it up and put a bow on it and hope that someone else will come along and see you as a gift.

You're already a gift.

People want to open and discard the boxes as quickly as they can, to get to the gift inside. So why not save the time of not even confining yourself in the first place?

And besides, the boxes we carry around much of our lives... aren't real to begin with. We accept them because we want to hide, or think the box is better than we are, or put more value on someone else's judgment of us, rather than embrace our own.

You're amazing just the way you are. You don't need someone else to tell you that.

But if you think you do... If you're waiting for someone to unwrap you for all the world to see... Then here I am.

You're unwrapped.

Your box is gone.

And you're beautiful.

Keep the light on!
GuruStu

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Although They Look Alike At The Beginning, Never Confuse Charisma With Character

People love 'flashion'... The glitz and glamour that take your breath away and dream you were a 'better' person.

Admittedly, we like being impressed. If only for a little while, anyway.

We not only want the sparkle, we demand it... From our movie stars and politician and even some religious leaders. And it's all good, really. Charisma is attractive, even sexy sometimes... And if you've got IT, you've got it!

But...

It isn't the whole picture.

It's as special as a great paint job on your house. Good to have... But it just doesn't reveal what goes on inside those walls.

Like any good gift, it's what's inside that matters. It's Character that drives us, dictates our actions; gets our results.

Charisma might move others, but Character moves us.

As you travel along your growth path, think about who your role models are. Are they dynamic, or dramatic? And think about what you want to achieve out of life... Just make an impression, or actually mold the future?

So go forth and have character, instead of just trying to be one.

Keep the light on!
GuruStu

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Here comes another 'Now'... Did you catch it? OK, try again...

The present moment is so short, but the good news is, there are plenty of them!

I've known quite a lot of people who spend their present moment looking back at all the other wasted presents, or frozen in time, panicked over moments that haven't come.

When our minds are in one time and our bodies in another, that chasm is what separates us from the life we desire.

But it is SO EASY to get back to the present moment.

Just simply throw away both of the notions of past and future. Just get ready for the present to meet you... and don't even worry if you need this moment to prepare for the next one. Just let the moment rush to you and catch its wave.

It really is an amazing ride, being swept up in the moment. There's this surge of energy, this sense of rightness... all because you're IN the moment.

So stop everything that you're doing, and... wait, you're still reading this? OK, finish up and get ready... here comes another one!

Keep the light on!

GuruStu

Monday, January 17, 2011

Martin Luther King dreamt when people will be judged by character. I dream when people of character no longer judge.

Martin Luther King Jr wasn't blind to the chaotic world around him, but he chose to look beyond it, with hopeful eyes; believing that one day would be better.

As we look back today, some will think that we've made great progress; others will say it's not enough; while still others will complain we've gotten worse.

And they'd all be right (and maybe a little bit wrong too).

Just the other day my mother remarked about how things were better in the 1970's and I reminded her that her opinion back then didn't agree (cause back then, the 50's were much better).

Ah, the joys of a selective memory!

And yet, if you ask around today, we're either on the verge of a Great Illumination or a Great Annihilation.

You'd probably be right (and wrong) about that too.

In many ways the world hasn't changed at all; it's just has better coverage. Imagine the Nightly News with Attila the Hun coming over the hill or Dancing with the Saxons. What changes most is our perception of the world around us.

What you focus on, you will see. What you let in, you will experience.

It really is about you.

Do you want to see the world as a fearful, hate-driven catastrophy? You can find it. But would you rather see it as a loving, fascinating, joyous place to grow? You can find that too.

It's not about denying that bad things happen. It's believing that we can become better, in order to deny it from happening again.

To change the whole world takes time; to change your world only takes a moment.

So take that moment.

Keep the light on!

GuruStu

Friday, January 14, 2011

Winners do quit... They quit procrastinating, blaming others and making excuses.

I always liked the saying "Winners never quit and quitters never win" in context, because it encourages tenacity, persistence and a whole slew of other big words... but then when I've gotten to think about it, I realized that winners DO quit.. they just make better choices.

Quitters quit doing stuff because "It's hard" or "Too much work" or "They won't let me" (whoever those meanies are).

Winners just quit thinking that those are reasons to quit.

Guess what... it IS hard. Life IS unfair. There ARE people trying to stop you and the ARE tons of other people who don't want to help you.

Yuppers.

Guess what... it's also POSSIBLE to go to the moon, and climb the highest mountain and cure the "incurable" diseases. It's possible to find the love of your life in your final days. It's possible to do the very thing everyone else is telling you cannot be done.

Even though it's hard, and unfair, and a lonely uphill battle at times.

Yuppers. That too.

And guess what... it looks a lot easier to do once it's done.

So you have to decide WHAT you're going to quit...

Quit trying?

Quit dreaming altogether?

Or quit thinking that it can't be done?

Or quit thinking that you're not enough?

Or quit thinking that other people deserve it more than you do?

Just quit quitting already!!!

Keep the light on!

GuruStu

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Not everything's going to go as planned. So plan on it.

One of the biggest threats to success is sticking to the plan over the purpose. Plans are great for starting off, and for staying on track, but it's really the route, not the road. There are going to be bumps and detours along the way, that you simply can't plan for. However there ARE things you can plan to bring with you, so that you can handle anything that comes up along the way.

Plan on Focus
Things really go awry when you forget why you're doing this in the first place. All it takes is looking where you're at instead of looking at where you're going... And you'll be lost in no time! So no matter how crazy everything seems at the moment, keep looking at the end goal.

Plan on Determination
Throw in a pinch of disappointment and your dreams can burst like a balloon. Don't just reaffirm what you want, reaffirm your commitment to getting there.

Plan on Flexibility
You can't make it around the bend in the road if you insist on going straight. Staying loose and willing to try new things opens more roads toward your destination.

Plan on Patience
Everything's going to take its time, regardless if you're calm or crazy. Accepting that won't necessarily change the outcome, but it certainly will change your experience getting to it.

Plan on Fun
Laughter has the same power of Release as crying, except without the anxiety. Seeing the humor in every situation actually WILL change the outcome because you won't be making all your decisions based on fear and frustration.

Plan on Learning
Life isn't just about expression, it's also about experience. So don't just get to your destination. Arrive there a better person.

Keep the light on!
GuruStu

Monday, January 10, 2011

Not living your Self fully is just plain self-ish.

I see SELF as "Seeing Everything Live Fully" ... with every aspect of your Being finding Expression and your Passions bringing you Fulfillment.

Yet how often do we replace joy with a job and triumphs with tribulations?

Do you really think you're given all these wonderful talents and dreams only to realize just a tiny portion of it?

Do you really want to live a life that's smaller than you are?

You see, the farther we get away from our Self Center, the more isolated we feel... and the more isolated we feel, the more we feel the need to grasp at everything on the outside as a means to feel complete.

That's what makes us self-ish.

It's not about wanting more, but rather about wanting to balance this deepening sense of less.

And it's that sense of less that gives us the mistaken impression that we're empty inside.

In fact, we feel "nothing" because we have no feelings about the outside that we're looking at. "Meaning" doesn't come from outside things. Outside things get their meaning from what we project from the Inside; from our Selves.

To get it back, all we have to do is turn our attention inward, beyond the silence, until we hear the tiny whisper of Self waiting to shout out.... to find that little light that will ignite the Fire of Fulfillment.

Living a little life is self-ish.

So become more Self-Centered...

And leave that light on!

GuruStu

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Give Till it Works...

You all know the saying "Give and you shall receive" but how many of you actually know how that works? Or even believe that it does?

It has to do with Balance.

The Universe lives for that stuff.

Whenever it's not busy creating complete chaos, it's working overtime to balance it all out. Kind of like the ocean tides... in... out... high... low... lather... rinse... repeat.

Whenever something is taken from one place, it leaves a void... and that void has to be filled back up. It has to keep moving in order to 'live'.

When all you do is take, the void will often suck back the energy that you took. It won't be in the same form, but it will have the same value. This goes by a number of names... Cause & Effect... Karma... y'know.

Now the fun part is that the reverse balance is also true.

When you give, you also create a void... and that void must be filled with the same value that goes out.

You starting to catch my drift here?

Life rewards VALUE.

Just think about all the things you buy at the store... aren't you drawn to it because of its VALUE to you?

Value is Attractive.

So all this talk about goal setting and visualization are great, but they're just kindling. You ignite the fire by lighting up your VALUE.

Giving off that heat is what works.

So if you haven't been getting all you want in life, don't look around for what you can get... or hold on tight to what you have left... look around for what you can GIVE.

Do that, and you will definitely...

Keep that light on!

GuruStu

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Focusing on everyone else's business blurs your own.

All you have to do is spend a few minutes in a company lunchroom or read the peanut gallery comments of just about every online article and you'll quickly see... people love getting into everyone else's business. Reality shows and gossip magazines; Facebook Pix and the Twitterverse; everyone knows what's going on in someone else's life... but they have no clue what's going on in theirs.

Do you?

Minding other people's business is sometimes obvious, sometimes not. You might think that focusing on the competition is good business, but it can be distracting. Even if they're in your rear view mirror, you ought to spend more time looking ahead than behind.

And then there's your family's business... and your neighbor's business... and the Government's business... and some foreign country's business, even though you can't find them on the map... and... and... and...

When do you ever have any time for minding your own business?

You know that if you don't mind your own business that someone else might just mind it for you... (you know who they are already... they're the ones you want to scream at, "mind your own business!!")

Time is so precious. It's what our lives are made of. Do you really want to give all of yours away to someone else? Do you really think that minding their business is going to really make as big of a difference to them... as minding your own business will do for you?

So take your focus off of everyone else's business, and put it back onto your own dreams and aspirations.

I say this in all sincerity...

MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!

Because it matters.

Keep the light on!
GuruStu

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Set your goals beyond what you CAN do, not beyond what you CAN'T

So many people have such lofty goals; and they're all so wonderful. That is, until you ask them what they're going to do to get there. All of a sudden, you get this barrage of Ifs and Can'ts and Buts.

Why do that to yourself?

Why torment yourself with this ideal of amazing achievements only to label it a 'dream' and live a 'reality' full of disappointment, shame and blame?

'Realistic' is anything you bring into Life. Those people who've accomplished really, really big stuff weren't 'lucky'... they just believed in their dreams and didn't let up until their life matched.

Do you know why they can have that life and you can't?

Because you're putting all this distance between you and your dreams... with impossibilities and doubts. Instead of having goals in line with what you're good at, and passionate about, you put it behind everything you're NOT.

And you wonder why your dreams are NOT?

It's the new year... the time we look back at what we've done, and look forward with hope and expectations for a better year. Don't waste your time and effort on shoulda's and coulda's that you just know you're not going to finish.

Focus on what you CAN do... express all that you're good at.

You CAN achieve anything and everything you want... providing it's on the end of the right road.

Happy, successful journey to you.

Keep the light on!
GuruStu

Monday, January 03, 2011

Don't base your resolutions on what you're going to DO; base them on who you're going to BE!

Now that Resolutions are back in vogue, everybody's making them. Yet, all too often, they're made from flimsy material, so they fall apart by February.

The problem is not in your intention, or even your initial effort. The biggest thing that topples a good Resolution is your approach.

You're focusing on what you should DO.

"I need to go to the gym", "I need to stop smoking", "I need to blah blah blah" and "yadda yadda yadda"... "and, oh yeah, I need to do that too!"

We do what we are... so if you do something you aren't, then it's only a matter of time before you stop DO-ing it.

To have success, focus instead on WHO YOU WANT TO BE.

Instead of saying, "I need to lose ______ pounds", say "I am going to be _____ pounds." (The end result, not the path to it)

Then go about living the life of that person. A person who is ______ pounds doesn't eat that junk food, and they exercise... because they do what they are.

So, you... BE that, and DO that.

And you'll discover the secret to finding a real solution!

Have an awesome year, with the light on!
GuruStu