Without a Shell

Life is filled with many shells. Turtles have shells. Acorns have shells. Even people have a soft shell, that we call "skin." It's there for our protection… to protect the more vulnerable insides. However, shells don't let us grow very much (an extra five pounds from Holiday stuffing notwithstanding).

An acorn can only become a mighty oak until after it has let go of its shell. We need to let go in order to become who we truly are meant to be.


There's pain under there

If you've ever cut yourself, you know how painful it is just beneath the surface. That's often why we become afraid to let anything get under our skin.

When we start to care about someone else, we let them in under our skin… that opens us up to be hurt. That's why after a hurt, we often regrow that shell even harder and refuse to let anyone else do that again.

There's pleasure below that

That's why we get into love in the first place, because underneath the layer of pain is great joy. It's closer to our core… and at our core is the purest form of energy…

There's Love below that

Our inner most being, the center that makes us what we are, is Love. A very real Energy=Mega-C2 power that we witness when two people get close enough to send the sparks between them; a light that we see when we're brave enough to go deeper than our fear will let us.

It is dangerous, but...

To let go of the shell can be pretty scary… to live without it might seem absurd… but to truly have Love; to truly BE Love… we must live without it.

We're actually stronger without it

Living with a shell allows us to grow weaker inside. When the weakest part of us is strong enough to withstand anything; we're invincible to take on an endless future.

Just… let… go.

Can I get a transfer?

The greatest gift you can share, is you..

Better late...

Don't wait for Life to be there later.

The Power of Pause

In this world of go-go-go, we've lost the valuable time between our moments. It's easy to become overloaded, overwhelmed and overworked.

We don't really live in the moments, but rather in between... and if we don't take the time to pause, we'll never really take the time to live.


Catch our breath
Breathing is an essential part of life. It's when we take a moment to let the life force enter into us; giving us the energy to meet the next moment. If we don't take the time to catch our breath, we'll quickly become unable to do anything.

Let the dust settle
Many times we kick up a lot of dirt, figuratively speaking. It gets so chaotic around us, that we just can't see anything clearly. Taking a pause will allow everything to settle into what it is meant to be.

Look back
A pause is an excellent tim eof reflection. There's time between us now and what we did before. Hopefully there's insight in there as well. Since hindsight is 20/20, using the pause to learn more about ourselves is one of the best uses of the moment.

Think ahead
We also have the chance to dream... to take what we've learned and apply it to our plans now. We have a chance to change our lives by looking ahead, seeing where we want to be and making those adjustments in this very moment.

Start anew
A pause also allows us to let go of everything that's weighing us down. After all, the past is the past. Even if we could change it, why bother? It's better to pick it up from here. Make the next moment the one we want to live in; not the last moment that's already gone.

The next moment is right around the corner. When it's time to leave this pause, will you be ready?

You know it!

Passion not only heats up your life, it enlightens it too.

Easy does it

It's as easy as you say it is.

Do It!

Dreams without action are just words... They are empty words… Words that can't be trusted.


It's only when we take action that we get what we dream of. Things get done when we do them.

Do it when you want to
So often we just put our passions into overdrive, and sit there in neutral. We want it 'til it burns deeper into our souls… yet we do nothing about it. All we're left with are burnt out souls. Doing something when we want it is the only way to even get a chance at having it. Maybe we'll get it; maybe we won't, but going for it will get us closer… and it might even get us things we never even dreamed of.

Do it when you don't want to
Then there are the things that we just HAVE to do, but HATE doing them. They're our responsibility and if we don't do them, then our lives will only get worse. It takes a lot to recognize when we are the only ones to do something, and that something has to be done. It takes even more to be the one who gets it done.

Do it when someone else wants you to
Service to others is divinity in action. It not only helps out someone else, but it makes the entire world a better place. Fulfilling someone else's needs also helps to get ourselves out of our heads, so we don't focus on our own problems so much.

Do it when someone else doesn't want you to
There's also going to be times when we have to choose what is right for us over what someone else thinks is right. It comes down to being true to ourselves, no matter how much resistance, no matter how much pain… the reward on the other side of the pain is worth the effort.

Do it!
Again, it is action that counts; action that changes everything… so it's time to stop thinking about it, talking about it, reading about it. Go out and do it now!

Now, now...

You've got to begin it to win it.

It's Elementary - Lessons from the Elements (Air)

Life is comprised of four elements – Air, Water, Earth and Fire. They intertwine and compliment one another. Each one has a little something to teach us, if we open ourselves up to lessons it has to offer.

Our first Guru is Air.

Be Present
Air is ever present. It surrounds us and moves through us. With every single breath we take, it comes in and travels through our entire being in the tiniest of moments. To be like Air is to be everywhere in this moment. Live in the Total Here-and-Now. Realize that even though we are like a single breath, we are also a part of the Greater Whole.

Be Still
One of Air’s special qualities is its stillness. It doesn’t have to be or do anything in order to be Air. It just is.

In stillness, air carries the sweet sounds of nature. It lets light and all creatures pass through undisturbed. Within its stillness is Peace.

Be Gentle
Air can be gentle. It’s calm and subtle force is what helps move Life from one place to another. It teaches us that we don’t have to be forceful just to get things going.

Within its gentleness, Air calms and soothes our souls. We can be as equally gentle to ourselves as Air.

Be Supportive
Air is also very strong. After all, how can something we can’t see, or which lets us pass through so easily, be able to hold up giant airplanes?

Air teaches us how to be supportive of others, just by being itself.

Be Powerful
When wind picks up, it can level entire landscapes. It becomes a force to be reckoned with; and reminds us of the true power of its strength.

Through its strength, Air teaches us that by unleashing our power within, there’s nothing we can’t overcome.

What's wrong?

If you think you're wrong, you're wrong.

Positively No...

You attitude affects your altitude

It's the Little Things

Even the mightiest of oaks starts as the tiniest of acorns. Neither one is greater than the other; they’re just merely different forms of the same thing. And yet, we often look around our lives and see things from only today’s perspective. We look up at the oak, but down at the acorn. Sometimes we fail to realize that it’s really the acorn that makes all the difference.

We can control the little things
It’s far easier to take that acorn and do something with it, than it is to conquer the oak. If we look around our lives, we’ll see many, many acorns. Now is the time to grab the ones we want to plant, not later when they grow beyond us.

We can nurture the little things
Bigger trees need more stuff… more sunlight, more water. Little things just need a little bit of nurturing to get them started.

We can dedicate ourselves to the little things
Sometimes dedicating yourself to big things just seems to be overwhelming. Tat alone can stop us from even trying. If what we’re trying to do, or trying to get, seems small; then it makes us “go for it” where other times we wouldn’t even try.

We can change the course of the little things
Pivotal moments are actually tiny moments. They just have a HUGE impact on everything from that moment onward. It’s in those tiny moments that we have the most power; we control the direction of where it’s going. Better to be aware, and to be in control, of those pivotal moments; so that we can adjust as we go.

We can love the little things
Love is big, regardless of size. Love isn’t earned by how much something grows, or how big it is. It simply is; and it’s loved or not loved for what it is. Let’s not wait for something to grow before we decide to love it or not. It needs more love at the beginning anyway… so love freely and often.

Can you see it?

You'll see it when you believe it.

Body for a Lifetime

The wedding vows say “'Til Death do us part” but we all know that that statement is true only about half the time. The one place where it’s true all the time is between you and your body. For better or worse, you two will be together ‘til death steps in.

The goal is to make sure that relationship stays intact until the end.

Some of it is going to sound like common sense and other parts will sound like sales pitches, but the concepts behind taking care of your body are fundamentally important. You’re in it for life. Hopefully that’s a long term commitment; filled with a lot of happiness and very little pain.

Now this won’t guarantee any of that, but improving your chances is E-Z…

Exercise
I know a number of people who don’t exercise because they’re tired; and a lot of people who exercise who aren’t tired. I know for a fact that the more intense I exercise, the less intense everything else in life becomes. There IS a correlation.

Eat Right
Unfortunately, in today’s society eating wrong is easier. We don’t think we have enough time and then we think that this junk is better than nothing. Our bodies can only keep itself running smoothly with the nutrition we provide. Garbage in, garbage out. Not today, so we won’t notice it… but eventually it’ll become too late. Invest IN yourself.

Easy does it
We also need a break from all the stress we put on ourselves. Rest is really important to regenerate our bodies. A change of scenery is really good to refresh our brains. Constant stress wears us down. “Easy” doesn’t mean slacking; it means releasing tension.

Equalize
Life’s about balance. Work, play, rest. If you find yourself doing too much of one, take some time to do the other stuff.

Energize!
Whether you believe in a Spiritual Being, or a Life Force or a Sub-Atomic Energy Cycle, energy is what keeps us going. What that energy is has been the most misunderstood and misrepresented thing on the planet. What matters though is that we’re connected to it. It is the fuel that is within us as well as around us. It IS us, whatever you call it… so reach out and connect!

If it fits...

Do you have it together?

Shhh!

Slice off a peace

Daydream Believer

We have a lot of power at our disposal. We can tap into it at any time and no special equipment is needed. It’s misunderstood and under-used by millions. A lot of other people see it as a bad thing, even though they’ve probably been caught doing it too. It’s called “daydreaming.”



Daydreams aren’t for losers or people out to waste their time. Daydreams are amazing tools of creativity, which can unlock our deepest potential and create the life we’re meant to live.



Dream of the Impossible

Our minds are not tethered by any the laws of nature, so we can go ahead and dream up anything we want. By freeing our thoughts we can uncover our deepest wishes… some we may not have even imagined we had.



Dream of the Possible

The next thing to do is to pull out of our dreams all those elements that could actually become real for us. Now we mustn’t get caught up in low self-esteem and the limited ideals that often keep us trapped away from success. We just need to ask ourselves “is it possible” not whether it’s easy or whether it’ll take a lot of other people to make it happen. Just “is it possible?”



Dream of the Day-to-Day

The next thing to do is to picture what our dream would look like on a daily basis. Don’t say “massage in the morning and golf at noon” because those are benefits, but rather picture what it would be like to do the daily things of a successful life.



Wake up!

Now stop dreaming and start planning. The bigger the dream, the more effort that’s got to go into it. Map it out. Set out little goals to head in the right direction. Take it upon yourself to make it happen.





Guru-cise It



Start small, with something that might need just a little attention. For example, a problem that needs to be solved at work or at home. Begin by thinking of the ultimate solution, free of any boundaries. Let your imagination soar. Then go through the steps of picking out the possible and see if there’s anything that can actually make it better.

You know you want it...

It's easier to see when it's clear.

Now's the time to make New Year's Real Solutions.

New Year's Resolutions are getting a bad rap. Just because a number of other people have made promises that they know they can't or won't keep doesn't mean that you shouldn't make promises to yourself.

Lately it's gotten so hip to put down resolutions... everyone explaining why they don't work, or why they'll never make them for themselves, yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah... but nevertheless, "resolution" means to commit to a something, a determination to follow through. How is that a bad thing?

The transition from an old to a new year is an excellent time to reflect upon the achievements and lessons of the past, and then to set a new course for the future. Sure it can be done on any other day of the year, but the world's made it a habit to do it at the "New Year"... so take advantage of it.

Make one (or two)

Then, all you have to do is stick to it and show everyone else how it's done.

Keep the light on!
GuruStu

Don't be an Old Dog in the New Year

Life is full of contradictions. As we get older, we're supposed to be getting wiser. Wisdom means learning new things, and yet we buy into the old excuse that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks." Well, my dear puppies, I'm here to tell you that you can.

Being that the New Year is on its way; and resolutions are flying everywhere, there's no time like the present to learn.


Forget that you "can’t"
That’s the only thing really holds us back; that we believe we can’t do something. Whether it’s situational ("the job takes up all my time"), relational ("the kids! the kids!") or motivational ("I just don’t want to do that...") it all comes down to an excuse not to go after what we want. It seems easier not to do something now, but in the long run, it actually holds us back. Believing in "I can" is the first and most important step. The rest just becomes a matter of "how."

Forget everything you know now
The more set in our ways we become, the harder it is to learn. That' why children learn so much faster than us, because they're more open to everything that comes in. We mustn’t let what-we-know get in the way of what-we-can-become.

Don’t fight contradictions
There are multiple sides to everything in Life… and we only see it from one angle at a time. The opposite angle can really look like it negates the first angle. That's not true; both sides are true. It’s how we look at it that makes the difference. By being open to the fact that contradictions exist, we won’t get stuck on the narrow side.

Try it
Change happens by doing. We learn so much more by experiencing it first hand. Remember, we always have the option of not doing it again, or going back to our old way. Getting out of our comfort zone actually makes us stronger. Even if it's only a tiny toe out into the bigger world, stick your toe out!

But wait, there's more!
It took a long time for us to get the way we are. There was also a lot of other things that helped support our old tricks. Doing something new won't feel right, unless other things in our lives support them. Don't just try one new thing; try all the stuff that goes with it too. That’s the only real way to make a new life for yourself in the new year.

Guru-cise it!

DON'T make a resolution …

Resolutions are just empty promises with built in escape clauses in February. Stay away from the generalized commitments like "going to the gym" or "eating right" but rather focus on a specific TASK or ACTIVITY that you want to add into your life. "Learn to ski" fits right into "getting more exercise" without being "exercise."It has a fun factor built into it, which makes it more likely to happen. It's easier to reach a task that a resolution, so this year focus on the thing itself!