Life isn't about what you live WITH, but what you live FOR.

"Life isn't fair."

I hear that a lot.

Sometimes it's from jealousy of someone else's perceived good fortunes; or sympathetic anger at the suffering in the world.

And you're right, it isn't fair.
But it goes beyond common understanding; and doesn't fit neatly into our boxes of Right and Wrong.

It is what it is.

It's important to realize that everyone's got STUFF. For some, it's expensive luggage; for others, just costly baggage.

But whatever it is, it's just stuff that stays with us, as long as we carry it.

It isn't all there is.

Beyond all this 'humanity' that we get caught up in is something that's bigger than all of us combined.

It's PURPOSE.

It's not what you do, or have, or want. It's WHY you do, and have, and want.

It's what pulls you into the future.

And the stronger the force of your purpose, the farther into the future you will go.

So make it a good one... A big one... Bigger than your STUFF.

Only focus on WHAT if you want WHATever. Focus on what FOR if you want to reach FORever.

For you...
Keep the light on!
GuruStu

Every moment gives you 3 choices: Waste, Spend or Invest it. You can only choose one.

Give me a moment to compose myself...
...
...
...
Ahhh, that was good.

The most amazing thing just happened... And is happening again right now!

We're sharing a moment.

Isn't that amazing (when you think about it)?

I have a lot of great moments in my Time. How about you?

I know Time flies and all. Do you ever ride it?

Every moment we live, we have a choice as to what to do with it.

We can waste it or spend it or invest in it... but we can only do one per moment. That's all that'll fit.

But sometimes it's hard to know what we're doing with it. We think we were doing one thing, but then it turned out to be something else?

How do we know?

Simple...

By seeing what comes OUT of that moment.

For every 'unit' of effort you put into the moment, something comes back. If it's 'nothing' then the time was pretty much wasted.

If you get one for one, i.e. You get something out of whatever you're doing... then that's spending your time.

And if you get out more than you put in; well, that's an investment.

Examples of this would be: watching a TV show you don't like (waste!); watching a TV show that entertains or informs you (spend); and watching a TV show that educates you or motivates you into action (huge investment!)

Same Actions, but notice the difference in Results?

Once you pack up the moment, it gets shipped into the Past, so you can see how important it is to use it wisely, right?

If you don't get how important that is... then take another moment.

...

Keep the light on!
GuruStu

To find yourself, stop looking.

Hey, look over there! Did you just see yourself going by? No, maybe you can try looking someplace else.

Still no luck, maybe you should just pick up and move... Or quit everything you've been doing and start over.

You ever notice how that doesn't work very well? That you or someone you know keeps finding the same things over and over, no matter where you go, or who you're with?

Is it that some people are just luckier, smarter, richer, better looking?

Yeah, I know... 'If only' right?

Let me ask you this then... What do you think the chances are of you switching lives with someone else?

Not very likely?

Then why do you live by their standards?

Why do you think their opinions matter more than yours?

Why are you trying to find U in THEM?

Why not see U in UNIQUE?

In UNDENIABLE?

In UNSTOPPABLE?

In YOU?

Stop looking, and instead just BE.

Which, by the way, is the start of something BEAUTIFUL.

Keep the light on,
GuruStu

Inaction is better as two words

I was going to write this 'Seed' yesterday. Do you know why you didn't get it? Because I didn't write it.

That's how powerful inaction is. You do nothing, you get nothing. Amazingly simple, isn't it?

Too bad we don't want for nothing, because then we'd be happy for nothing at all. Unfortunately, when most people get nothing, it's nothing like what they really wanted.

In order to succeed, we need a disconnect. Having 'in' and 'action' together just adds up to nothing.

Turn them into 'in action' and then you're really on to something!

So when you're sitting there with all your pent-up desires, just doing nothing, take them out and put them in action.

Soon you'll discover that something in action is definitely better than nothing inaction!

Keep the light on!
GuruStu

Love is the answer. Any questions?

A lot of holidays are filled with Love, but nothing quite shouts it like Valentine's Day.

It's all about Love; and even if you don't have it around, it's certainly on your mind.

But just because Valentine's Day is all about Love, Love isn't just about Valentine's Day.

Love is so much more.

Love, and the absence of Love, has shaped worlds. It is so much a part of the Human Condition.

But if you were to ask a million people 'What is Love?' you'd end up with two million answers and three million more questions.

So keep the answer simple:

Love is.

It may come in the form of a lover, a parent, a child, a friend, a pet, a job or a meal; it'll look different to different people and at different times. But still...

Love is.

It is the answer to everything. That may seem like a cliche, but everything done with Love and in Love, just IS more.

Love may not be the Cure All, but it is the Endure All. It gets us through the rough times and can grow, even when everything else in life is shrinking away.

It is around us, and inside us... In more real ways than words can explain.

Just suffice it to say...

Love is.

And YOU are, too.

Start there.

Keep the light on!
GuruStu

If you can't find it, make it.

I once heard a quote that said 'Everything that can be invented has already been invented.' It was supposedly made in 1899.

Well, I verified on the internet, from my wireless cellphone, that both the quote, and the belief behind the quote, are both false. The quote never got said and, well, frankly, the world isn't done yet.

The world is constantly changing, so even if 1899 had everything it needed, today is very different. Tomorrow's going to be different too.

It's there, in the mystery of tomorrow's ever-changing needs, where the door of Opportunity is wide open for YOU.

Look around you... But not at what is THERE. Instead, look for what is NOT there, but should be.

Then go about finding a way to put it there.

Inventing something new, re-invents you. It makes you more valuable (and as I said in previous notes, the more value you give, the more success you can receive).

Now go make the most of today. Tomorrow's going to need it.

Keep the light on!
GuruStu

Work what works.

It's amazing how many times people keep doing what doesn't work, even when they know that it's obviously not working.

Some people are so superstitious that they think the one time they DON'T do something, would be the one time it actually WOULD work.

Yet some people don't know any better; while others believe that theirs is already the best way. Then there are those that fear change, and others who fear 'work'.

Then it plays out all over again.

'You look great! What's your secret?'
'Diet and Exercise.'
'Oh.'

You don't really need secrets to be successful. You can just follow in the footsteps of other successful people. The only 'secret' is that you actually have to WALK and not just TALK.

So if you're doing something that doesn't work, stop it! Sticking with it only turns it into 'Work'. And if all you get out of it are more excuses, don't just walk... RUN!

But...

If you've discover something that DOES work, either by you or someone else, then get out and 'work it!'

Working what works, works.

And I'm not just saying that.

Keep the light on!
GuruStu

Don't work for Success. Give Value instead.

My parents worked very hard to instill the virtues of working hard. It didn't work.

Not that they didn't instill that virtue, or that I didn't work hard; it's just that working harder didn't work.
Then I met some really smart people, who told me to 'Work Smarter, not Harder'. It was pretty clever, but it still felt like I was pushing myself out into the world, hoping that someone would really, really like me.

So I decided to look deeper... deeper within myself and deeper into the world. I discovered that the most success doesn't come from hard work or even well intended efforts. Success comes to those who provide the most VALUE to others.

It doesn't matter what you have to SELL; what matters is what others want to BUY.
Sounds pretty simple, huh?

It is... sort of.

It's not just about 'giving the people what they want' cause that's just an insincere form of selling.

It's really about connecting and understanding the needs of others.

It's also about digging deep within yourself, aligning your gifts with those need, and then giving it all you've got.

Become Value-able.

But then don't just give until you've got nothing left... Because then you'll lose that value.

Be open to replenishment. Receive the rewards so that you can come back tomorrow to give some more.

And that, dear one, is my gift to you.

Keep the light on!
GuruStu

Even if you have limited options, you always have choice.

A lot of people I know like to chat the mantra 'I have no choice' to which I often reply, 'you may have limited options, but you always have choice.'

You see, whenever we say 'I don't have a choice' we're really giving our power away to someone or something else. Some people are afraid to take responsibility, or want to be able to blame someone else later or genuinely believe they are powerless.

Now that doesn't mean that the choice is easy, or that there aren't huge risks associated with that choice. Life comes with consequences. But, but, but... We are still the ones who make the choice.

And yes, yes, yes... I know that thoughts of the criminally insane and hostile third world countries are dancing in your head right now. Sure THEY don't have a choice!

Yeah, sorry, they do.

Their choices may not make sense to us; or may violate the core of our moral being... But choices are made.

I'm not talking about Right vs Wrong, Good vs Evil; I'm talking about the Power of Choice... Something that we all have.

And let's face it, you're thinking about the insane and imprisoned so that you can justify not making your own choices, right?

If you're insane or imprisoned, you're probably not reading this, so I'm talking to YOU... The one who has a sense of Rightness and Goodness and can make Choices, even when others disagree.

So YOU, what's it gonna be? Are you going to continue choosing to not choose... Or are you going to take back your power?

I'll leave that choice up to you.

Keep the light on!
(Which is my choice!!)
GuruStu

Success comes when the dream of tomorrow outweighs the dread of today.

All you have to do is talk to you neighbor about finances or turn on the news for clips of the latest unrest, and you can see how truly dread-full Life can be. There hasn't been a moment in history that you couldn't find some reason to be unhappy.

There also hasn't been a moment in history that couldn't be considered the 'good ole days'.

Life changes when our perspectives change.

It not only changes how we sees things, it changes what we see... And it initiates actions, that eventually changes everything.

Most of Life's biggest changes came when people saw through the dread of the day, and dreamed of something better.

It's the same in our own lives. Whenever we look at our surroundings and our circumstances and think that this is IT, we simply stop trying to achieve a better tomorrow.

It's not something we can 'get over' or hide from. It's something we have to get THROUGH. For it is through today that we reach tomorrow, and it's through the dread that we learn to reach our dreams.

Keep the light on!
GuruStu

Regift You

This past holiday I played a lot of those 'White Elephant' games. You know the ones, where you try to get rid of all the junk you got the year before. I played it so much that I almost got a gift back!

But that's all in good fun, and not really what regifting is all about. Ideally, regifting is making sure that a gift is giving to someone who will get more meaning and enjoyment out of it.

So what about all those gifts you were given at birth?

Do you have talents that you've been giving to others? Or are you hiding them away, so that no one even knows?

You know that you have those gifts because you're supposed to give and give, then give some more, right?

You know that keeping them to yourself is kind of selfish, right?

And leaves you no room to receive the gifts of others, right?

And you do know that even though the Season of Giving is over, the Reason for Regiving is an every day thing? Right?

Of course you know all this.
Just consider this reminder as my gift.

Keep the light on!
GuruStu

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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