Y'Think

I have so many thoughts outside the box, I need a box to keep them in.

Dealing With Unfinished Business

Leaving things undone, ignoring past messes or putting things off altogether does nothing to further our lives. In fact, it lingers over us like a rain cloud. It leaves us feeling as incomplete as the very thing we ignore. Facing the 'unfinished' head on and truly getting it done is the only real way for us to grow and move forward in Life.



What is unfinished?

We need to ask ourselves, 'What one thing would I really really regret if I left it undone?' We talk about living a life of no regret, but regrets happen anyway. So if we can't forget 'em, we might as well fix 'em.



Why is it unfinished?

Once we know what business we want to finish, it's important to look at why it's unfinished. Did we just give up? Did we lose interest? Did we say or do the wrong thing once, and became too proud to fix it? It's time to look for clues so we can turn it around to become our action plan.



What would it take to finish it?

Now let's get right down to the goals... what would it tale to finish it? Write it down. Step by little step. The focus here is on HOW we're going to get this thing done.



What does 'Finished' look like?

It's really important to know what 'Finished' looks like. Otherwise. how will we ever know we've arrived? Write it down as well; see it clearly. That's our end result. That's the whole reason for doing this.



Are other people involved?

Having other people involved means one of two things. Either it's going to take longer to finish or it'll happen much quicker than we ever imagined. It all depends on the desires and plans of those other people. If they want to finish it too, amazing things can happen.



What first step can I take to start the finishing process?

We're the ones who want to finish, so we have to be the one to start it. It's so easy to be prideful and either say 'they need to make the first move' or 'I can't do THAT!' Well, that foolishness needs to stop now. Finishing is more important than anything else we can dream of. And when it's all said and done, won't it feel even better to know that we started it?



If I can't finish it this time, am I willing to really let it go?

OK, let's face it. Sometimes no matter what we want, it's not going to happen. Can we face that 'reality' if it comes? If we're willing to accept that and let it go, in a way it IS finished, even if not in the way we wanted.

You lift up when you get up

A Moment Too Late...

We've all had those moments. The train just left, the phone stops ringing before we pick it up, whatever. In any case, we've just missed some sort of opportunity, Is it over? Is it really too late? Or is there something we can do to still succeed after all?



Some things truly are once-in-a-lifetime opportuntities and when they're gone, they're gone. However, most things in Life have a funny way of coming back around again; although often disguised as something completely different.



Learn from it

We're here to learn lessons. That's why there isn't just one thing to learn, in one single way. Events and people come into our lives over and over again until we "get it" so why not help it along? Pay attention. Ask "what went wrong to make me miss the opportunity in the first place?"



Is there any salvage?

Is there anything we can get from the "wake" of the opportunity? Just cause it passed us by doesn't mean it's absolutely too late. Perhaps the opportunity is still close enough that we can "catch it" if we hurry. It's like hitting "redial" on the phone while the number is still fresh in memory.



Fix the flaws

Knowing why we were late still doesn't bring back the opportunity. If there's something we can do to better ourselves, we ought to do it. That way, the next time (if there is one) we'll be more ready.



Move forward

Once we've figured out what went wrong, it's time to stop dwelling on the past. That event IS gone, so let it be gone. Seriously, all that talk about "crying over spilled milk" is right, "The one that got away" isn't ours. Let's put your focus on catching the next one.



Give it all you got

Live passionately and with purpose; otherwise, it's just a life of regrets.



For me...

I know in my life, I've missed a number of opportunities. "Gurustu" came and went a couple of time because of them. It's why I'm so focused on it right now. If there are second and third chances out there, I'm ready to grab them!

Shhh

Silence can be noisy

Time sure flies... do you?

I can't believe it's Friday already... I can't believe it's the weekend... can you believe it's already October?... can you believe it's almost the holidays?... The year's almost over, where'd the time go?

If you smiled and nodded at those statements, then you know how time flies. Sure seems to be moving faster than when we were kids, right?

Not really. Time's been moving at the same speed since it started... it just seems to be going faster. Why? because now we have so much more STUFF to do. The more stuff we have, the more stuff we have to do to keep the stuff... or get more stuff... or newer stuff... we're just stuffed!!

But if time feels like it's flying away from you, that means that you're not doing the right stuff.

Now there's two types of time flights... one where you're so busy engulfed by something you love that you don't notice the time (that's the good stuff)... and then there's the "other stuff" that just takes up time but doesn't quite leave you fulfilled when it's over (that's bad stuff).

So what to do... what to do?

Take a moment to think about it...

Take all the time you need...

Oh, right, I got it...

Do more good stuff!!

Spend the time doing what you love, with the people you love, for the world that you love.

Time's still going to fly by... but then again, so will you.

Keep the light on!

GuruStu

Sanitize for Sanity

Clutter messes up our lives. We can't find anything when we need it. We stub our toes on stuff. Our thinking gets as muddled as the space around us. The tangled web we weave often traps us the most.



It's time to "clean up."





Clean up your space, literally

It's not just 'cause it looks nice; it's so that you can get to the stuff you need to get to. You will save time and a lot of frustration. Follow the rules of file-forward-or-forget-it. Start at one end of your space and move to the other. Everything you see, ask yourself, "do I need to keep this?" (file it in a place you can find next time) or "would this be better off if I gave it to someone else?" (donate it to charity or gift it to a friend) or "does anyone really need this? (trash it). Have a legitimate reason for each and stick to it. By the time you reach the other side, you're whole world will be changed.



Clean up your thoughts

This isn't a message to "get your head out of the gutter." It's about organizing them; make lists of to do's (don't forget to do the file-forward-forget to each task as well). Keep a journal. Having to organize your thoughts on paper (or computer) can help clarify an awful lot of stuff.



Dream

Don't forget to do that. They're your thoughts and hopes played out. Write them down to and get them organized. Organized dreams turn into goals.



Clean up your actions

You act as you think, whether you think you do or not. Actions can give you very powerful insight into your thoughts (cluttered actions come from cluttered minds); and actions can also have a profound way of affecting thoughts.



Although changing your thought will change you actions, you don't always have to change the thought first. You can actually go "against" your thoughts and do actions of the way you'd like to be. With enough practice, your thoughts may change to "fit" better.



Just remember to be true to yourself

Removing clutter is meant to uncover the real you; not strip away all the qualities that make you special.

Tempting

It helps to have clear intentions

Deal with the Dark Side

Life isn't all light and fluffy. There's no guaranteed Hollywood ending and no one ever promised that it's going to be fair. There are going to be times when darkness surrounds us and is within us. To deny the darkness' existence is as dangerous as wallowing within it.



The dark doesn't matter; what matters is whether or not you choose to turn on the light.



Filter what comes in

Life just is. It can be as big or as small as you want. It can be all rosy, or all despair. You're not obligated to let it all in. Turn off the TV, select what you read. Life will go on outside you, even without you tuning in to find out what's next after the commercial break. Only let in what you want. It won't change the world one bit, but it will change your world in ways unimaginable.



Deal with what comes in

Stuff is gonna get in, no matter how hard we try... so we need to know what to do with it. Our strength is actually in what we do with what gets in.



Edit what goes out

Sure misery loves company, but just 'cause bad moods happen, we don't have to ruin everyone else's day. That will only come back to haunt us. It's better to let the light in, rather than let the dark out. Find things to brighten your day.



Do something light

Listen to music you like, go for a walk... anything that doesn't put more pressure on you.



Get rid of the Dark Makers

If there is a definite cause for all the darkness around you, work on getting rid of the source. Just doing that can save you most of the hassles.



Help someone else out of the darkness

We can't see our own problems, cause we're too close. Helping someone else out of their darkness can sometimes have amazing results for us. The advice you give to others is often the one you need to take the most.



Don't wait for someone else to light your fire

Waiting for someone else to do it is disempowering for yourself, and too much to ask from anyone else. You are the light; so shine.

What were we talking about?

All my memories have been recalled

Can you hear me?

Listen...

Get off your excuses

It's easy to fail... just do nothing. Better yet, make up an excuse. You know, there's always a million reasons why it can't be done, so pick one. Then you can just settle down to an unfulfilling life.



Of course, if you want something better than that, you're going to have to give up something to get something. Your excuses.



Want success

We actually have to want success. Seems pretty simple, but it's amazing just how many people are afraid of success. Will I be good enough? Will they expect too much? Will they see me as a fraud? Don't be one of those people. You have to want it to get it.



Take responsibility

Responsibility is the first step in empowerment. It's ownership. It's not taking the blame; it's taking charge of the situation and your own life. Looking for someone or something to blame is just a waste of time and energy. Time that could be spent working on getting it right.



Look for solutions

People often think they have to get to the root of the problem before they can solve it. That's not always the case. Some things don't need to be understood; they just need to be fixed, then forgotten. Focusing on solutions is also a more positive approach than searching for the problem.



Look forward

The past is over, we've heard that a million times; but we still look there. Maybe it's because we know the past, not the future; but where are you going to spend the rest of your life, hmm? Right, the future… so look there.



Learn from it

It's really only failure if we don't get anything out of it. Any lesson learned is valuable. So instead of using the past to explain away our mistakes, let's use it as our teacher. After all, that's why we're here.

Humble Beginnings

"Even the mighty ram bows its head before the blow."



One of the strongest positions we can take as we begin something new is humility. 'Humble' not in a way of thinking less of yourself, but rather from the sincerest form of pride.





Be thankful

All too often, if it's something we already have, we don't seem to think very much of it. We don't appreciate it until it's gone. Other times, we can become boastful because we think it makes us better than everyone else. In all cases, we're blind. Taking just a moment to say "thank you" opens our eyes to the gift called Life.



Be honest with yourself

You may actually be the best in the world at something; or you might actually be the worst. After all, someone has to be, right? More than likely, though, it isn’t you. You're somewhere in the middle in the world scale… but that should never stop you from becoming the best that you can be. You're the only one in the world who can do THAT.



See the greatness in yourself

Don't you see it? I mean, look deep inside. Get away from all your opinions and the opinions of others. Look at that spark inside you. That's greatness. Look!!!



See the greatness in others

I always say that true humility doesn't come with seeing yourself as less than others, but rather seeing how great everyone else is AS WELL as you.



Namaste

"Namaste" means "the spirit in me recognizes the spirit within you." There is no greater gift than to wholeheartedly acknowledge the existence of another.



Agape

Okay, maybe there is ONE thing that is greater than acknowledging another… it's LOVING them… unconditionally, without expectations or opinions.



The spirit in me loves the spirit in you. Nice.



Balance yourself out with greatness and you will have pride in what you do and who you are, without ego going off in a wrong direction.



It truly is a humbling experience.

Get in there

You gotta be in it to win it.

How to succeed by being lazy

How many times have you said "if I only had the time…"? Don't you just feel like a slacker? You don't? You feel tired, burned out and frantic all at once? You just feel too busy to be lazy, right? So why aren't you succeeding?



'Cause you're not lazy, that's why... At least, not in ways that matter…





Don't do more than you have to

If you're painting a picture and you just keep adding color after color after color, you know what? It turns muddy. It loses its value. There comes a time to stop.



There's got to be an easier way

Ask yourself, "Can I still get what I want in some easier way?" Sometimes the road you're on is just too long, and there are shortcuts everywhere. Find them.



Get more for less

A string of smaller successes can really add up over time, and take you farther than bigger success. If you do one "something" to get back three things, you'll have more than five "somethings" only getting you back ten.



Do I really need it?

Yeah, do you? Sure you may want it badly… but for how long? Take a closer look at it. Do without it for just a bit longer. If you don't really miss it, you can save time by not pursuing it.



Don't do all that "stuff"

We really have so much time on our hands, we really do. We just fill it in with so much "stuff" It actually takes a lot of work to be lazy enough to come up with solutions, but in the end, it gives you back enough time to get the really important stuff done.



Just get there

Results matter; not how much it took to get there. The one who comes in last can do just as much work as the one who comes in first. Success has a lot of other factors besides how much effort you put into it.



Now I'm not implying that you should cheat. Lazy people shouldn't cheat. That's just more "stuff" you don't need. What I'm saying is that you don't have to work so hard at getting success; you have to become lazy enough to let it happen.

Many Reasons for a One Track Mind

It's what I call "wide success" because there's nothing particularly wrong with that. It's just success that goes "sideways."



If you want "far success" however, you'll need to stay on a single track, if you want to go the distance. For that, you need a "one track mind."



It gives you focus

Not only is there a lot going on inside you, there's even more stuff going on outside. It can all be such a blur at times, but if you have a single purpose, you can pick out only what you need to.



It gives you a sense of definition

It also helps to define who you are. How you finish a sentence that starts with "I am..." is very powerful. "I am a writer" ... "I am a construction worker" ... "I am a mother/father" ... "I am rich" or "I am poor."



It gives you a sense of purpose

When you do a little bit of everything, you might get this sense that you don't really make much of a difference. With a one track mind, at least you feel like you're onto something.



You can map it out

When you know what you want, it makes it easier to get there. It's still not necessarily easier to get, but it easier to head in the direction of your desire.



You can see how far you've come

When you're on one track for some time, you can look back and see just hwo far you've travelled. It can be very encouraging to see your past successes lined up. It helps you want to go on.



You can say "no"

There's always going to be distractions along the way. Like small towns alongside the railroad, some will draw your attention. It's OK to take a break and rest a while, but if you have a one track mind, you must get back on it... no settling in and no switching tracks.



What happens when you get there?

There isn't really a destination. You may say I want to achieve this and you actually do, but that doesn't mean you're done with your journey. Could it be that you just didn't see that there are more tracks on the other side of your goal?



The journey continues!!

Neg Blocker

There's all this popular talk about blocking out carb-fat-calories-radiation these days. Wouldn't it be nice if we had something to block out the negativity that surrounds our lives?



Well, we do.



It just doesn't come in pill form.





Recognize the negativity

You may just be having a sense that something is wrong, but not actually know what it is. Go find out. Do some investigation; whether it's searching inside yourself or asking trusted people you know. Become aware of just what the negativity is, what it looks like and especially what it's doing to you.



See if you can stop it at its source

Once you can recognize the negativity, see if you can get rid of the cause. It could be a person, or an activity, or an old habit. Whatever it is, see if you can make it go away.



Fight fire with fire

In lieu of removing the source, you can always control its effect on you. Literally fight negativity with negativity… Say "NO" ... if not to the source, at least to yourself. You may not want to get too loud if you're in the library or on a crowded street, since people might look at you funny, but whenever you feel the negativity creeping in, say it. "NO!!!" can have a powerful way of stopping it from sinking in further.



Fill 'er up with the good stuff

If you're filled up with positivity… good thoughts, well wishes… it will be tougher for negativity to make room. After you say "NO"… immediately picture what you DO want (whatever that is, even if it's seemingly unrelated to the situation) Say "YES." For example, you might have an argument with a coworker or spouse and you picture a vacation home in southern France. Seems off-the-wall, but it shifts you towards a better state of being.



Stay true

All too often, we get into a revenge mode, or a "well, everyone else is doing it" mentality… and we let that justify our slip into a darker place. Don't do it. Just don't. If you truly want the world to be a better place, then you have to be the better person. Don't make "Everybody does it" a true statement… as long as you don't do it, the world is automatically a better place.



See how important you are?

How to be a Happy Pessimist

A Pessimist is not a Downer, just as an Optimist is not a Dreamer. Both just see the world differently. They expect different outcomes. The Pessimists like to fancy themselves "Realists" because they think they see the world as it really is, but actually they're only seeing half the picture.



Prepare, but don't expect

The really good thing about Pessimists is that they don't ignore the possibility of failure. That gives them a chance to explore the possibilities and have alternate plans ready. It's just really important not to EXPECT the worse to happen, because you may actually do subtle actions to ruin your chances of success.



Expect nothing, gain everything.





Enjoy the good times while they last

You believe that the good times won't last, right? But what are you doing while they're here? There's no law that says you can't enjoy the wonderful moments that life has to offer. So stop worrying that the worse is yet to come, and get to enjoying what's here now.





Don't make things worse

You create your own reality by every choice you make. If you believe that something is going to be bad, and you stop trying to make it better, it might actually get worse. You'll feel vindicated in that you expected it, but being in a worse situation won't make you feel any better, now will it? Be aware that you might be making the bad times happen.





You don't need to suffer

Yes, there is suffering in the world, and you should do something about it; just don't feel bad and believe you have to suffer yourself. Starving yourself is not going to feed a hungry child in a Third World Country (unless you mail them your sandwich). Feeling badly about a homeless person is not going to get them off the street any time soon. Don't feel guilty for having more than someone else, or just for having a good day.



By taking care of yourself, the world has one less person who's in pain.

Life's Play

William Shakespeare once wrote "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." There are going to be times in your life when those players come and those players go. It's up to you to direct the show, known as your life, if you ever expect to see a happy ending.





What's the story?

Like every play, your life has its own story. You don't really know how it's going to end, or even what's coming up next. The best thing you can do is keep up with what's going on and steer it in the direction you would like it to go. The rest will play out as it will.



Beginnings

Everything has its beginning. For it to be a good beginning, whatever came before had to prepare for that beginning. It may have been some other beginning, or it may have been some ending that started this beginning. Be prepared.



Beginnings usually take up more energy than something in the middle. It's the "ramp up" time… the "0 to 60" that gets you pushed in your direction. If you are beginning something, it's important to remember that, so you don't think it's always going to be tough or unfamiliar. It gets better as you get going.



Endings

What begins also has to end. It's part of the cycle of Life. If you can become accepting of this, and non-fearful of it, you'll have a chance to be braver during the lifespan of whatever it is you're doing. Don't live for the ending, but don't avoid it either.



Entrances

There are going to be people and things that come into the story of your Life. You need to make room for them, if you want them to be a part of your life. That means time and space. If you shift the direction of your life for another, it shows you care (and they should shift for you, or else it sets everything off balance, which is a bad thing).



Exits

Exits are the endings of others. People and things go away. You need to adjust to that as well, or else you just leave an empty space where they were. The adjustment is a form of grieving, and it's all natural. Think of it as filling up with new possibilities.



Final Bow

This is the big ending. The one that "caps" your life… puts the period at the end of your sentence. So what do you want that sentence to say?

Breaking the Downward Spiral

Sometimes you get into this downward spiral that you start to lose all control of your life. The only way seems to be down... and if you don't do anything it will be. It's time for drastic measures if you're going to prevent a crash. You have to regain control, if you ever want to fly again.





Realize the downward cycle

The first thing to do is realize that you're actually in a downward spiral. Everything is spinning out of control, so it's confusing. Recognizing that it's happening is the first part of gaining control. Gather up as much information as you can about your downward spiral. Where are you heading? How fast are you going? How close are you to disaster?



"I am in control"

You actually have to tell yourself that, or else you'll end up panicking and that'll only make matters worse. You CAN control it; you CAN get out of it. Once a downward spiral has actually started, there are a bunch of other factors now taking over. That can make you feel like you're helpless. You really aren't, but you rally aren't in control either. Now is the time to TAKE control.



Control the symptoms

Once you're in the downward spiral, the cause is irrelevant. Much like treating a runny nose and aching head of a cold, go after the symptoms and control it from there. In an every day life that's out-of-control, it could look like no time for yourself, a messy house, tons of arguments with those around you. You can clean up, get organized and stop trying to be "right" all the time… that will solve most of your downward problems right away.



Stop it!!

The spiral happens because the outside forces are now stronger than the inside forces. You literally have to apply the brakes to the outside. What that looks like in your personal life is saying "stop it" regardless of anyone outside hears it. You have to say it to stop the effect it has on you. Saying "NO" allows you to reach the "YES" that's inside you. It empowers you because you refuse to let yourself be controlled by outside.



Gently... Gently...

You can't just push in the opposite direction. That can make it worse. Being gentle, however odd that might feel at first is the only way to ease out of the problem.



Point away

When things star to ease up, you actually have to start moving away from the downward spiral. Once this happens though, you gain the control back, and can fly again.