I keep reading media articles about the American "political elite."

I'd like to believe that we don't have "politically elite" people in this country.

In my experience, we have politically educated... and politically uneducated citizens in the United States of America.

Ironically, to be either one is a "nefarious privilege."

As we recover from taking two steps back in our progress towards forming a more perfect union, I humbly reMIND my friends and family members that we are voters... mere foot soldiers in a war of an ever-evolving democracy.

Yet, much like my time served on ships and submarines, we must strive to remember that we, ourselves, the voters, are not the destructive instruments of war.

That moniker potentially belongs to the politicians (as opposed to "elected officials").

You and I are neighbors, friends, family members, and grateful groups of community correspondents.

We may be a hodgepodge of Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and Green Party members, among others...

Let us not be the warring heads of the machines of which we have become unwitting-yet-willing co-conspirators. 

Indeed, despite our differences...

We are One.

​Aloha!

Our world is filled with a wealth of experience(s).

Some of those experiences occurred last week and last year.

Some of those experiences occurred hundreds of years ago. Sir Isaac Newton published notes on many of his brilliant and world-changing experiences, as did Plato, Socrates, Niccolò Machiavelli, Epicurus, and two of my personal favorites, Marcus Aurelius and Jesus of Nazareth.

Each of these great philosophers left a profound mark on the world by publicly stating and sharing their respective philosophies. Yet their published works often go unseen, unread, unappreciated, and unused by most people.

Despite having a prolific and terrific sense of seemingly supernatural wisdom, these philosophers and many of their teachings will go unnoticed by the vast majority of people.

Why?

Time and time again, I hear pessimistic people say, “There is no instruction book for life.”

Yet, these same people do not seek the instructions of some of the wisest people who ever walked the earth. In reality, the aforementioned philosophers were more than just wise men; they were mighty mentors; immensely informed intellectuals; and tremendously talented teachers. And, from my point of view, One of them not only gave us His solution to all of our problems, but He is also THEE Solution to all of our problems.

Indeed, the respective philosophies of the aforementioned philosophers changed the world.
 
But what is it about the word “philosophy” and its implied academic doctrine that turns so many of us away from proven, prudent instruction that can positively affect our lives?

The answer is usually rooted in fear.

As is the case with calculus, cooking, and constant change, many people fear what they don’t understand. Instead of investing a little time to seek and understand philosophy, many people prefer to waste valuable time denouncing the one thing that can change their lives: tested and tried philosophies.

And to be sure, we must be very careful when choosing, tasting, and nurturing ourselves on another person’s philosophy. Such tenuous tasting could be risky.

However, to change is to move from one state of existence to another, ultimately arriving at a different state of being.

And to move from your current intellectual spot to a whole new mental location, you must be exposed to new methods and manners of thinking, doing, and being.

These methods might be as old as Methuselah.

Yet, they might be new to you.

Make no mistake: We all have our own philosophy.

Some of your philosophy was handed down by your parents, ancestors, and extended family members.

Portions of your personal philosophy were developed when you learned from your previous mistakes.

And still, other parts of your philosophy were created by things you read in books, saw with your eyes, and felt with your heart.

Indeed, with vast differences in our respective experiences, we all have a different philosophy.

But what exactly is “philosophy”? And how can it help us?

The word “philosophy” comes from the Greek φιλοσοφία (philosophia), which literally means “love of wisdom.”

But what is wisdom?

Wisdom is the application (or use) of knowledge.

But what is knowledge?

Knowledge is simply retained information; this includes facts, figures, and everything in this series of 40 Days and Two Little Words.

To achieve an elevated state of being, we must learn to learn from others and ourselves.

I will re-state the previous sentence for clarity:

To achieve an elevated state of being, we must learn to learn from others and ourselves.

More importantly, we must do more than merely learn.

Yes, we must love the learning.

But most importantly, we must love learning how to apply what we have learned.

Our purpose is to:

Move from (merely) gaining and retaining information…

…to using and applying the information/knowledge that we gained…

…to loving the wisdom we have acquired by using the knowledge.

Re-stating the words above into fewer words below:

Our purpose is to move from simply learning; and then…

Move to being wise; and then…

Move (again) to using a whole new philosophy.

In the final analysis, loving wisdom is simply loving what is.

This is not to say that we have to love all of the horrible things that have happened or will happen at any time in our lengthy lives (or in the lives of our closest friends, nearest neighbors, and evil enemies).

Regardless of whether or not we like or agree with what “is…” sooner or later, we will have to accept that it has happened, and we will never be able to change it (whatever "it" may be).

By crossing the threshold from denial to acceptance, we can begin to adapt to almost any event.

To adapt is “to change.”

To successfully adapt, we must first accept and understand that change is inevitable.

And here is where things get amazingly simple:

...when something is inevitable, it is literally unstoppable.

And when something is unstoppable, it is also predictable.

Change will, indeed, occur.

If, then, you cannot successfully work to stop change, you must learn how to successfully make change work for you. Moreover, the likelihood of creating a successful change event increases exponentially when you focus on changing your S.E.L.F.

What’s one of the best ways to do this?

LOVE WISDOM.

How can you do this?

Discover your own philosophy.

And, if you have to, focus on finding and following a philosopher.

Don’t blindly follow, swallow, or hollow out your own life-learned knowledge.

After all, applied knowledge is the very definition of wisdom – the very thing we are hoping to acquire by following a philosopher.

However, once you find your philosopher, use his or her philosophy as a seed to grow your own philosophical garden.

By using other philosophies to grow your own viewpoint, you will quickly learn what may have taken years or even decades for other philosophers to yearn, learn, and discern.

More importantly, by considering other philosophies, you not only help shape your priorities and presentations, you also become a lover of wisdom.

In other words, you, yourself, become a true philosopher.

There is a very specific reason why I saved this particular post for Day #40 of 40 Days and Two Little Words.

In today’s world of near-infinite entertainment on the TV as well as on the phone in our hands, we, as a people, consume massive amounts of information. When we consume this much entertainment, we are actually at the receiving end of a one-way conversation.

Essentially, we are the very end of a one-way information superhighway, with our backs to the wall, facing massive quantities of wave after wave of gargantuan amounts of incoming, oncoming traffic.

What are we doing with all of this misovercommunication?

Indeed, we must also consider what we are permanently stamping into our minds, searing into our subconsciousness, and sending into the very depths of our individual and collective souls.

Think about it: when our vehicles need gas, we begin looking for a place to fuel up. [Period]

There’s no moaning or groaning; no screaming and yelling; no weeping and gnashing of teeth.

We simply stop and add fuel to our vehicle’s tank.

Likewise, when you are at your wit’s end… when you’ve had it and just can’t seem to take it anymore… you need to figuratively pull over and LITERALLY fill up. But (and this is a BIG “but”), just like the associated actions you initiate when your fuel tank is approaching empty, when you are mentally, spiritually, and physically empty, you first have to look for a good place to LITERALLY fill up.

Once you find it, you can then gorge on your own personal fuel.

Consume as much as you’d like.

The question is: On what are you filling up? 

On whom, on what, and specifically why are you purposefully drinking the Kool Aid?

Are you listening to friends and family members?

Are you seeking advice from (dead or alive) philosophers or finicky people who have no idea what they are talking about or who you really are?

​What are you feeding your mind, body, and soul?

​Is it the good high-octane "fuel" that keeps your spirits high and your attitude higher?  
 
Or is it that stinky, smelly, leaded gas that will sooner or later ruin your pipes and pipedreams… and the entire world in which we live?
 
You and I have the same type of circulatory, respiratory, immune, skeletal, and muscular systems.  

Though we share the same type of (human) system, your subsystems are completely different than mine.  

For example, we likely have the same number of ears, eyes, hands, and toes...

Thus, we are quite the same.
​
 And yet, we are totally different… yet somehow still connected.  
 
               How are we connected? 
 
You tell me: What is your connection to me?  
 
Better yet, what is your connection to the place where you fill up?  

​Sadly, some people put more thought into where and how much they pay for gas than what they are truly paying when they pay attention to divisive politicians, ill-informed illusionists, or just plain ol’ negative people.  
 
But not you; you’re smarter than that, yes?
 
For you see… you and I are now part of a system of positive information exchanges.  
 
We are part of a growing movement of people who dare to become their own superheroes.
 
You are one of the few people who understand that all information is simply data. 
 
The most important aspects of our lives are what data we choose to consume… and what we subsequently choose to do with the data that is now a part of who we are.
 
This particular post, Day #40 of “40 Days and Two Little Words” is a risky venture for me.
 
I have given you a part of me.  

Through all of the previous posts and especially with this one, I am giving you MY data.
 
This is who I am.
 
I consider myself a positive information exchange.
 
Today, I want YOU to understand that YOU, too, are potentially a positive information exchange. 
 
Please join me on this quest to grow our numbers.  

As we embrace yet another sunrise, sunset, and the days and nights in between, ask yourself...

​"What would I do if someone gave me $10,000 a day every single day... 

              ​...for the rest of my life?"

How would you spend it? 


Better yet, what would you do if someone gave you even more money... say, perhaps $50,000 a day for the rest of your life? 

Would that sizable gift change how you spend your everyday life? 

Let’s take it one step further...

To what would you pay your attention if someone gave you something even more valuable?

What if you were given $86,400... and you could always receive the exact same amount - $86,400 (every single day)... with one simple caveat:

...you have to spend all of the funds in the account by the end of the day... yet you will also have the same $86,400 replenished again and again on each successive day... for the rest of your life?

In other words...

What if you absolutely had to spend a daily gift of $86,400 every... single... day - and you could spend it any way you desired, albeit with two very specific limitations:

1. You simply cannot know when the gift of funds will end; and
2. You have to spend all of the funds by the end of the day, every day (no savings).

Would you spend the gift carefully?

Frivolously? Wisely? Judiciously?

Generously? Miserly? Gratefully? Hatefully? Hopefully?

Would you give it away freely and untroubled, despite knowing that the gift would someday stop? 

Beginning today, I challenge you to accept and understand one powerful fact:

​Your Life, in and of itself, is a gift. ​

You did absolutely nothing to earn it. ​

Your great gift of life is exactly 86,400 seconds short (or long, depending on your perspective) every… single… day. 
 
These gifted seconds may be yours tomorrow.  
 
On the other hand, this may be the last time you and I will ever read such ridiculously Truthful words.
 
Here’s the Deal:
- - - - - - - - - - - -
By paying attention to the gift of life, we become immediately wealthy. 
- - - - - - - - - - - -
 
Oh... and we (you and I) are the ones who decide/choose what’s important to us.

Your mission for today (or tomorrow, or sometime soon)...       

1. Look back at how you have spent your 86,400 seconds this past week.
2. Objectively review your perspective. How will you spend the next 86,400 seconds?
3. Ask yourself, “Do I have the proper perspective? Am I wealthy with all of this time?” 
4. Answer your self with an objective review of your perspective.

​​Amidst all of this misovercommunication *

​​Can you believe that four months of this year are already behind us? 

In exactly 258 days, we will once again celebrate the ending of an era, and the turning of a page. 

In 6,192 hours, we will reflect back on 2024 and all of its unique challenges.

For many of us, by the end of the year, we will have dealt with the entire spectrum of emotions... from joy to sorrow.

As the great poet Kahlil Gibran said "on Joy & Sorrow..."

​When you are joyous,
look deep into your heart,
and you shall find...
it is only that which has given you sorrow...
that is giving you joy.

When you are sorrowful,
look again in your heart,
and you shall see that, in truth,
you are weeping for that which has been your delight. 

Some of you say,
"Joy is greater than sorrow."

And others say,
"Nay, sorrow is the greater."

But I say unto you,
"They are inseparable."
​
Together they come,
​and when one sits alone with you at your board,
remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

As of the date and time of this post (Thursday, April 18th, 2024), in approximately 350,000 minutes, you, the rest of the world, and I will cross an imaginary threshold into another time, literally and figuratively. 

​In about 21,000,000 seconds, our time-obsessed culture will mark the date and time with yet another fireworks celebration.

Indeed, on December 31, 2024, we will likely look back as if 2024 was one of the worst years in recorded history. And we will probably act as if the year 2025 is ushering in much greater joy and far less sorrow than the year 2024.

Today’s e-note is simple and straightforward. Yet, like yesterday's post, it requires a leap of faith.

If you (and the rest of the world) can act as if seconds, minutes, and hours are real, you can probably act as if anything is real. 

In other words: in reality, there is no such thing as a second, minute, or hour. 

These are mere descriptors of a concept we have all agreed to refer to as "time". 

Truthfully, there is only one real time: now. Yet, we have all come to agree that microseconds, milliseconds, seconds, minutes, and hours unequivocally rule our days, months, years... and lives.

Actually… when it comes to running your life, your specific plan should rule the day.

Your specific plan is derived from your specific goals. 

And your specific goals are derived from your specific dreams.

Accordingly, every single day of your life should encompass at least one specific action that completes a specific part of your specific plan to reach your specific goals as you strive toward your specific dreams.

That's quite a bit of specificity! And, interestingly enough, specificity is the answer to the hundred-thousand-dollar question of HOW?

Exactly HOW do we successfully insert a goal-oriented action plan into our daily lives?

Answer: Create your very own signposts for the road ahead.

​If you were a driver in the picture accompanying this post, you would subconsciously and consciously note at least 4 specific things:

1. A sign demanding that you go only ONE WAY;
2. A sign telling you there is NO PARKING allowed at any time;
3. A STOP sign, telling other drivers to STOP; and
4. Street lights, illuminating your path, when necessary.

If you were driving along the streets in that picture, the signs would leave no doubt about what you could and could not do. You MUST stop. You can ONLY go one way. And, if the journey gets too dark, the path will be awash with The Light from Above (but only when necessary)… all specifically for you, the driver of your own specific vehicle.

Likewise, in the very real lives that you and I lead, we are the architects and engineers. 

We are the dream, the dreamer, the dream-catcher, the visionary, and (if all goes well) we (our future selves), will one day become the manifestation of the vision.

Accordingly, as architects and engineers of our very own lives, it is up to us to create our own signposts (goals). 

It is up to us to place periodic signs that tell us EXACTLY what to do. 

And, yes, it is up to you to live your life AS IF a pot of gold is awaiting your presence if and when you establish and achieve your straightforward, unambiguous goals.

And if you really want some added insight, here’s some additional awareness for you:

• Along the road in this life, you can only go ONE WAY. 
• Indeed, you cannot simply park in one spot. 
• You must keep moving, growing, changing, and arranging.
• You can move only ONE WAY --> forward.

And, if you remember nothing else from the previous 37 combination of Two Little Words, please remember this one, wonderfully wonderful fact:

Given all of the carnage that may have happened in your respective path's past, why is this (essentially pretending that all of your past life is and was a part of your initial plan) a good idea?

Because, in the final analysis, change, itself, is neither good nor bad… it’s all about your feelings, and how YOU feel about what has already happened. And the Truth is, since we can’t change the past, we might as well look back on life's history book AS IF we wanted things to happen that way all along.

Now… to be sure, some massively bad things have occurred to you, he, she, and me over the past 10, 15, 20 years and the lifetimes that preceded us. Actually,  

Truthfully, massively bad things happen to everyone.

So where does that leave our self-pity, shame, and self-doubt?

Of these things (self-pity, shame, and self-doubt), we are quite mindful. In fact, each of these three things is a mere creation of the mind. And if we are truly mindful of those things, then, by definition, our mind is full of those things. Again, truthfully...

A mind is a terrible thing to waste...
...on wishful thinking about the past.

​But how can we best navigate past our past when the present presents us with challenges of which nightmares and horror movies are made?
 
               How?

Though this may appear somewhat callous and incredibly dismissive, a good way to start is to act AS IF everything that happened is a part of the plan – your plan.  How?  Why?
 
As I referenced in yesterday's post (re-MIND Yourself)...

We need to get better at purposefully removing certain things from our minds… and then replacing those things with something entirely different.  As optimistically realistic people...
 
     Let's release the detrimental things in our minds...
 
          …and then install something totally and positively different.
 
As we begin to focus on our thoughts, thanks, and those things thereafter, let's at least try to re-MIND our mind (our respective ways of thinking) into something, somehow, and some way in which we have never previously thought possible.
 
Together, as optimistically realistic neighbors in this worldwide community of souls, let's serve each other as one another's personal re-MIND-er.
 
Think about it: There is only one way for us to go… and that is to move forward in time.

And, whatever the potentially horrific nature of the current state of affairs, we have to start somewhere.  

If the question is "Where do we start?"

The answer has to be "With the right mindset."
 
Accordingly, tonight, please invest time and thought-space jotting down those things that you need and want to accomplish most.  Remember how crazy things were during the pandemic? For all of us, the widespread inability to obtain some form of assurance regarding the most basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter took on a level of importance not seen since the time of America's Great Depression.  

Let me re-state the first part of the previous sentence: For all of us. 

Indeed, various industries, cities, states, and nations were affected differently, depending upon a multitude of factors (social, economic, political, etc).  Irrespective of our respective political, cultural, or industrial affiliation, we all knew that industries, cities, states, and nations are actually collections of people - real humans, grouped together into a particular characteristic or popular description.

Accordingly, now that we have made it through such a challenging time, I ask that we all do what we can for ourselves and (especially) for each other.  So...
 
Start your New Month's resolution today, April 18th, 2024 (or whenever you are reading this).
 
In exactly 258 days from the date of this post, you can tell yourself and, if you'd like, you can also tell everyone you know…
 
"I didn’t wait for some made-up thing called a year; I made a resolution to help change the world by ________ " (fill in the blank with your resolution on what you are doing to help yourself and others move forward.)

Your mission for today: 
 
1. Let go of the past... all of it.
2. Write out FOUR "New-Month Resolutions" (those "resolutions" are not just for the New Year!).
3. Thoughtfully write down the 10 most pressing things affecting your life right now.
4. Complete a list of 20 items for which you are thankful.
5. Meditate on how you and others can best resolve at least 3 of the items listed in (#3) above.

Oh - and act AS IF all of this was planned from the beginning.
 
Forgive. Focus. Find. Accept. Adapt. Achieve. ®  

P.S. - Three side notes:

1. * Misovercommunication is my own made-up word; 
2. In the accompanying picture, amidst all of the guidance and communication provided by the signs, there are two beautiful rainbows. As a veteran of the war in Iraq, I can tell you that "All sunshine and no rain is a recipe for a desert";
3. Rainbows like the ones in the picture cannot exist without the sun and the rain. Such is life.

​As we prepare to tidy up and enrich ourselves on these last 5 sets of Two Little Words, in today’s post, I am asking for you to take a very big leap of faith.
 
For you see, today’s short post is really more about tomorrow’s longer post.
 
However, tomorrow’s post is based on today’s post.
 
Got it?
 
Good.
 
Here’s the leap that I need you to take today:
 
At some point in your life, preferably now, I’d like for you to change the meaning of the word "reminder" for you, your family, your friends, and everyone we know.
 
After today, instead of thinking of the word “reminder” as a prompt, cue, recap, or helpful tool to help you remember something, I’d like for you to deconstruct and repurpose the word "reminder" and subsequently see it as “re-MIND-er”.
 
Expanding on this concept…
 
To help change the world into a community of optimistic realists, I sincerely need you and everyone we know to get better at purposefully removing certain things from our minds… and then replacing those things with something entirely different.
 
     I want to release what is there (in your mind)...
 
          …and then I want to install something different.
 
As we clear up our thoughts, thanks, and those things thereafter, I want to re-MIND your way of thinking into something, somehow, and some way in which you have never THOUGHT possible.
 
Yes… I want to serve as your re-MIND-er.
 
If you concur, please read on…
 
First, let’s preview and agree on this:

​It’s facts, figures, fibs, flagrant fabrications, and fantastic fantasies that are rarely ever true.

Interestingly enough, when people say bad things about other people, nothing really changes.  

​So why say bad things about other people?  

In fact, why say bad things about anything?  

Wouldn’t it be better to accept people for who they are… while making yourself better than you were?  

Better yet: Wouldn’t it be best to see the world from an optimistically realistic point of view?  

If we can, indeed, do this, we can plan for the worst, and hope for the best.

And as long as we have hope, we have the wealth of "we" and what "we" could be. This is The Ideal.
 
Secondly, if you have missed a few days in this series, I will soon post a page with all of the Two Little Word combinations, You can take your time, and read through them; relax.  
 
Lastly, I will reiterate the meaning and implication of the term re-MIND-er;
 
It’s all about setting and re-setting the mind… your mind… your mindset.
 
You, my friend, have an unlimited power to change your mind.
 
And as I have previously said, you are the most important person in the world… when it comes to you.
 
You are also the most powerful person in the world… when it comes to you.
 
The purpose of this particular post is to help you see a different point of view.  

However, this specific post is merely a request with a very specific guide.  

​On the path of life, you are the driver.  You control the direction, the speed, and the ultimate destination.  As you create and re-create your path ahead, please remember this:  When we increase the number and associated percentage of happy thoughts in our minds (when we set our MIND up with a full tank of happier thoughts and plans), we are much more likely to select a happy thought when we reach into the far recesses of our mind for a solid solution to an unhappy situation in our lives.  
 
                Re-MIND YOURSELF today…
 
You’re going to need a whole new mindset for tomorrow’s post.

Reaching back to my previous I DARE YOU series, today, I'd like to follow up on yesterday's Two Little Words to SLOW DOWN by referencing something we all need to do.

Have you ever coordinated a grand event like a spectacular wedding, an annual military ball, or a large regional or national conference?  Such an event takes massive planning, tremendous work… and, in the end, sometimes it takes sheer willpower and a whole lot of negotiating the right way with the right people to get the job done the way you originally planned.  In any event (that’s a pun), regardless of what happens – or what doesn’t happen – masterminding a major event requires an overall sense of commitment, communication, and, above all, an expert ability to focus intently on the issues… and yet quickly dial back your point of view, depending on the plan, the problem, and the people.
  
Today, I bring you twos words: STOP HERE.
 
For most people, the word “stop” simply means to cease the particular activity; to halt and discontinue all operations.  The two-word title of yesterday’s e-note was “Slow Down.”  And the main point of the e-note implied an almost fatalistic mentality.  In fact, I wrapped up the e-note with these words:
 
“We are where we need to be, when we need to be there.  We’ll get there when we get there.”
 
To be sure, those statements are true.  However, they are far from fatalistic.
 
Actually, I altered the e-note from Day 34 at the last minute (literally).  My original texts under the Slow Down title are more about judging others than speed.  In those writings, I discuss the ridiculous American tendency to judge people by their automobiles (this is not solely an American characteristic, but Americans have had a love affair with automobiles longer than any other country).  

Anyway, as the original writing on Slow Down states:
 
I am dumbfounded at the number of people who get hellaciously angry while driving along the highway.  It’s not just their anger; it’s the conversations I hear later.  I have heard people jump to a few startling conclusions when it comes to who they think was driving the vehicle in front of them on the highway.  Never mind the socio-economic and prejudiced overtones and underhanded remarks… What strikes me most is the sheer lunacy of “predicting” who the person is in the other car.
 
It’s a Lexus; thus she must be a rich snob.  

It’s an eight-year-old SUV, so they must be (__________ fill in a description here).  

It’s a gold Ford Pinto… so he is probably (blah, blah, blah).
 
I’ve actually overheard remarks like this at restaurants, cafés, car washes, and many places in between.  Worse yet, on top of the judgmental stereotyping, road rage continues to be a problem in some areas of the country… including my beloved Aloha State.  Just a couple years ago, shots rang out on the main highway here in Hawaii; someone was angry enough to shoot another driver.
 
               Wow.
 
As startling as this may sound, there are far worse things happening every day, right in your very own personal space.  All too often, we think we know people.  We look at them every day and surmise this and assume that.  We use the power of deduction to engage in acts of reduction… reducing our fellow soul mates to mere suppositions, beliefs, guesses, theories, and little hops of speculation until we can make the full jump to a conclusion. 
 
But like the vehicles on your highway and mine, this path we all walk is a mere freeway of forces far beyond our initial sensorial assessments. Indeed, there is so much than that which meets our blinded eyes.
 
Our bodies are merely the vehicles our souls use to navigate this stony path along the mantle of earth’s crust.  

And like the much-maligned speed demons on the literal highways here and there, there will always (yes… always) be people who cut you off – on purpose - or simply by mistake.  For some odd reason, we are most chagrined by those that do it on purpose.  We can’t seem to understand why someone would do that to us (whatever that may be).  

Well, count your blessings if you can’t comprehend such behavior.  

Why?

...because if you could understand their behavior… you would likely be capable of the same type of behavior.
 
As for those other people who slip into our lane accidentally (as well as those who really should speed up while in the fast lane), just remember that we have all fallen short of perfection… and we always will.  

And THIS, my friend, is the beauty of the highway of life: We are all going nowhere fast.  

But as fast as we try to get there… we will get there when we get there.  If this sounds like mumbo jumbo, please bear with me for just a few more lines.
 
Continuing with this sensationalistic allegory… may I politely remind you that, when you are driving your car, tuck, SUV, etc… no one else is driving that vehicle.  Likewise, in these earthbound vehicles that we see each other in every day, no one else can control our respective vehicles.  Actually, that last statement is not quite true; when driving your vehicle, there is actually a time when you can manipulate the direction of a vehicle that belongs to someone else.  In real-world terms, police call this (manipulation of another vehicle while in your own respective vehicle) a wreck, a collision, a clash, and perhaps an accident.
 
Accidents do happen.  

But when you try to control someone else’s life; that’s no accident.  

Of course, we can usually think of 312 reasons why we want someone else to do X, Y, or Z.  But to get us going in the right direction, other people are going to need far more reasons than that!
 
               So what’s my point?
 
Whenever you do something grand like coordinate a spectacular wedding, an annual military ball, or a large regional or national conference, you usually have a very specific plan.  Interestingly, the same thing applies for the smaller tasks in life as well.  Take, for example, a trip to the store.
 
When you get in and start you car, you usually know where you are going.  And, as such, there is absolutely no doubt that you will get to your destination.  Say, for instance, you are headed out to pick up a gallon of milk.  There is no uncertainty regarding the successful arrival at your destination.  But what happens if and when you glance at the gas gauge and see that your vehicle needs more fuel.  Does your milk run terminate?  I think not.  Moreover, what if, say, eight more side stops pop up along the way?  Is the successful milk run in jeopardy yet?  I think not.
 
I think you left your home with a purpose. 
 
Today, I offer you an idea regarding a home you left a long time ago.
 
You popped into your vehicle, left Home, and started travelling along this road in life.  Along The Way, a few people cut you off here and there.  Some people actually tried to run you off the road.  And then there were those who stopped to help you when you needed a lift.  There were those who filled you up when you need fuel for your soul.  And there were those who tailgated YOU when you driving too slowly or too fast to even think of looking in your rearview mirror.
 
Yes, for too long, you have been too busy driving, and too busy paying attention to traffic directors who really have no idea how to navigate the traffic around the soul that is within the vehicle called you.
 
Today, I want you to slow down… slow all the way down and… S.T.O.P.

I...
 
I am.
 
I am on purpose.
​
​As soon as you know your purpose, you will believe it.  

And as soon as you believe it, you will live it.  

And as soon as you live it, those other snarly drivers will have absolutely no control over you.  

​As soon as you discover, define, and declare your purpose, you will be able to focus on the finish line.
 
After considering who and what you are not, turn your total focus toward being the best that you are… and becoming the best that you can be.  Don’t waste time, energy, or effort avoiding this, that, and the other.  

​In case you haven't noticed,
​we are all headed to an eventual finish line.

​​And though you are probably not a racecar driver, you are definitely on a journey that has already begun, and you are undeniably speeding toward the finish line.  Accordingly, let’s re-design our lives with the end in mind.  Focus your life-design efforts on the four parts of self that, when properly nurtured and fed, will surely lead you to the victory lane.
 
Your mission for today: S.T.O.P. HERE!
 
    1. Watch this video and listen to the words
 
    2. Watch this video and relax:

​​What the world needs now... 

​A few years back, our twenty-something daughter ran back into the house to grab something before she jetted off to work in her sporty sedan.  “Be careful!” I cautioned, “And don’t speed.”  

She didn’t bat an eye and said, “I’ll get there when I get there.”


Ahhhh… so true, so true.  But, of course, whether or not she drove like a speed demon, the same would be true: she would get there when she got there.


​At any point along the equator, the earth is rotating at just over 1000 miles per hour.  Interestingly, as one travels north and south from the equator, the rotational speed decreases to the points at the poles, where the rotational speed is near zero.
 
I find the preceding fact to be a fascinating statement about life here on earth.  

In particular, sometimes it seems like we are all going nowhere… fast.
 
Some time ago, I caught a glimpse of a television program called “The Secret Millionaire.”  As the title implies, the hero of the hour-long show is an "undercover" millionaire who visits various non-profit organizations, and conducts extemporaneous research to see which, if any, of the organizations deserve a portion of his charitable donations.
 
In one sentimentally mushy part of one of the programs, one of the directors of a non-profit organization said, “We get up, come out here every day, work hard, go home, and then get back out here again the next day.”  She punctuated her lamentations with one final statement.  

“It’s hard!” she said (or words to that effect).
 
I was immediately struck by her fondness for pointing out the obvious.
 
Of course, most of us get up, go out every day, work hard, come home, and then get back out there again the next day…. and the next day… and the next day.  But I would not characterize day-in and day-out as “hard.”
 
Of course, I am not she, and she is not me.
 
But we both share a spot somewhere on this earth, where we are all going nowhere fast.  Now when I say “no where,“ I mean that in the geospatial sense.  Specifically, you and I started life on this planet, and I have high confidence that we (you and I) will end our lives somewhere within these vast oceans or miracle-laden continents.
 
So, in that sense, we are going nowhere… fast.
 
How fast?
 
I guess that all depends on where you live on the surface of the earth.
 
It also depends on how you view your self, the world, and exactly how the two entities relate together and one to another.  For example, if you believe you, your self, has what it takes to blow past any realistic goal you create, you are well on your way to creating a whole new world.  Moreover, if you believe the world is on your side, get ready to rock your dreams. 

Simplistic?  
 
No.  
 
Powerful?  
 
Yes.
​
But what I can say here that will absolutely, unequivocally absolve you of all doubt… and simultaneously launch your faith in S.E.L.F. beyond what you have ever thought possible?  
 
Should I offer a money-back guarantee?  Considering the cost basis of this e-course, I’d say, “Ok!”  
 
But that would not absolve you of all doubt… would it?
 
What if I gave you 34 two-word combinations that provide a solid foundation for dissolving doubt?  
 
Oh… wait; I’ve already done that.
 
What if I told you that people at the equator are rotating at 1000 miles per hour, while people in Iceland are rotating at speeds far less than that?  Would you believe me?
 
In reality, you have no more reason to believe me on one FACT more or less than the other.  

In fact, the only reason you believe anything is because you choose to believe it.  Yes, we’ve already discussed this concept of belief (faith)… and the impact that belief, commitment, and faith has on our lives.
 
But this is the e-note for Day 35 of “40 Days and Two Little Words.”
 
This is PRIME TIME.  
 
We are 5 days from the final e-note, and I need you to slow down and take a penetrating look at what we have discussed thus far.  I won’t provide a specific review of the previous e-notes.  However, I will, instead, offer you these morsels to chew on:
 
If we can so easily believe in the concepts of night, day, and time itself, why is it often difficult to believe in something we know far better than theory: our self (?)
 
I’ll tell you why:  
 
We need love.
 
And we need it on a scale that is truly incomprehensible.  
 
Do you know how much love we need?  
 
The scale is incomprehensible because it’s infinitely different for each of us.  
 
Only YOU know what fills you up, and only THEY know what makes THEM feel loved. 
 
However, in the grand scheme of things, I can tell you where we absolutely, unequivocally must start giving and simultaneously receiving the love…
 
…and that is with our self. 
 
We get up, go out every day, work hard, go home, and then get back out there again the next day…. and the next day… and the next day.  
 
For what?
 
I have my answer.  

               ...do you have yours?
 
Is it for the fun of it? 
 
Perhaps it’s for the hell of it?  
 
               I doubt it.
 
Some say “It’s for the money.”  

I say, “Millionaires likely have as many challenges as the rest of us… and, perhaps they have more.  After all, money can cause as many problems as it appears to solve.”  And on this path called life, we really need to slow down and ask ourselves why we think what we think; why we believe what we believe; and if we love ourselves as much as we could or should.  
 
I’m not talking about conceit or even confidence.
 
I am talking about a pure joy to be where you are.
 
Because as much as we would love to zip along the fast lane in life, we are where we need to be, when we need to be there. 
 
We’ll get there when we get there.
 
SLOW DOWN.
  
Why?

Lord willing, I'll tell you tomorrow.

Believe me!
 
Your mission for today: 
 
    1. Go for a 30-minute walk... and walk slowly.
    2. Say these words, "I love you, (your name here)"
    3. Repeat Step 2 more than 30 times.
    4.  Journal your thoughts about this experience.
  
Forgive. Focus. Find. Accept. Adapt. Achieve. ®      

​​If you have started this awesome journey at Day One...

...your new journey has truly begun.  

You are 33 Steps along The Path.  

You have moved from there to here, literally and figuratively.  

Maybe this e-course is a refresher; you may have heard of or read some of the concepts and ideals presented in the previous e-notes.  Or perhaps you have gleaned one or two new tidbits – things of which you never gave any real thought – or so you thought.

As I have presented my writings over the past 33 days, I have received feedback along the way. Many of you have provided feedback and appreciation for my venture into the lesser-appreciated realms everyday challenges and associated victories; thank you for sharing your various views.
 
Please know that my primary intent is not to garner a reaction.  

My intent is to offer an opportunity to look intently at how we interact with our self.

In other words, I am hoping we become more aware of how we choose to identify and represent our self to the world.  Because, as much as we would like to think we are the ones who have defined our own self, we actually choose to allow and empower so many other things to define and shape us.
 
On Day 27, I discussed fear, and the ironic fact that fear is created and destroyed within our mind.  Fear can also be a thunderously powerful architect in your life – if you create it and give it a home.   Notice I make the clear distinction that you are the one who creates fear and gives it a home.  In fact, in all of the last Seven Days, each two-word title is meant for you… no one else.
 
Yes, you are one lone vessel in a virtual sea of souls.  

There are billions of people in this world.  In addition to the earth's current living population, consider the billions of souls who have lived long before you, he, she, and me.  When we give the enormity of that fact some serious thought, we can begin to realize the significance of our insignificance – or the insignificance of our significance (take your pick). 
 
However, as big as the world may seem, and as small as we may appear, the Absolute Truth about you is that you are the most important person in the world -- to you.  You are the one who drives the vehicle that holds your soul along the path in life.  You are the only one who is ultimately responsible and accountable to chart the only path you will ever know – YOUR path. 
 
Yes… when it comes to wading through this vast sea of humanity, YOU are the one who sets your sail to the wind.  And like the little tyke that stands up and falls, only to stand, fall, and stand again… on his way to falling forward into one solid step – and then another… YOU are the only one who steps forward, once more, into the great unknown we call The Future.  

               You are the captain of your soul.  

Accordingly, you must be the one who makes your way.  Get overwhelmingly clear about your intentions.  Confront and conquer your real and imaginary fears.  You simply must make way along your charted course… one day at a time. 
 
And if you encounter that tempest of a storm, continue making (your) way.  "Make way," in this context, is a nautical term that describes a ship's travel and progress through water.  On the other hand...

Stopping "dead in the water" amidst a storm in life is the last thing you should do.  

"Dead in the water" is also a nautical term - one that describes a ship that is not going anywhere; it’s just sitting there, dead in the water.  And though being dead in the water is not necessarily always a bad thing, when we are there for an extended period of time, being DIW can be truly dead… in the water.
 
It’s not just the lack of movement that’s the imminent killer; it’s the constant tossing and battering caused by the wind, waves, and other weather.  Moreover, when the serious winds kick in, a ship not making way is likely to capsize, which is to say "turn upside down" and drown the occupants who do not escape the interior of the ship.
 
So what must we captains of our very own souls do in this vast sea of life?   Shall we just keep making way?  The easy answer is “Yes.”  

The two-word answer is “Yes, and…”

The best answer is...
 
“Yes, and continue making your way.” 
 
What’s my point?  

In our darkest nights, amidst the stormiest of circumstances, sometimes we think the best we can do is to keep our head above the swirling waters of life.  We begin paying more and more attention to the storm, and we begin to assimilate (yes… assimilate) into becoming part of the storm.  We become less concerned about our path, and we become more satisfied – and even happy - with the mere fact that we have not yet gone under.  We pat ourselves on the back for having made it this far.  But this far is not your intended course… and it’s certainly not your destination.  

So let’s rethink how we will choose to respond to the storm.
 
Continue making way… just make sure it’s your way. 
 
               How? 
 
First, review the last, past week of "Two Little Words."
 
And remember this:  A little bit of faith goes a long ways.  Why is this important?  Well, if we are going to set our sails to the wind, we are going to have to learn to either harness the wind, trust the wind, or both.  I suggest we opt for the third option: do both.

And trusting our soul's vessel to the Source is definitely not a bad thing.

               Trust me on this one.

Your mission for today: MAKE WAY!

How?

(1) Review your dreams, your goals, and your loosely made plans (chart your course)
​
(2) Meet yourself in the mirror and say:

• I am making way with My Way.
• My way is the way we will go.
• My dream is to (_____________ fill in your dream here)
• My goals are to (_____________ fill in your goals here)
• My plans are in the making.
• My dreams are on the horizon.         

Feel free to pray along...
 
Please don't just play along.  This is real life.

Just take the first step!

As the author of four fact-based books, I always forget how much work goes into writing a book... until I begin writing the next book.

​It's an uphill battle.  

​But, in the end, it's definitely worth it.

Likewise, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people tell me, “I’ve always wanted to write a book.”  Usually, that statement is followed by questions regarding my journey into the realm of the published.  And for every question I get, I always tell people, “Just start writing; don’t worry about the format – or even the content.”
 
Inevitably, the conversation takes a few turns regarding the reasons why they have not yet written their book… as well as reasons why they will never write their book.
 
I always listen in amazement.
 
Why am I amazed?
 
I am amazed at the fact that a person can tell me, “I’ve always wanted to write a book,” and within a few minutes, give me a list of reasons why they will never write said book.
 
               Sad, but true.  

But I am also amazed about good things.
 
For example, many years ago, I worked for a really great leader.  Let’s call him “Ted.”
 
Long after Ted and I parted ways, he developed a rare form of cancer, and doctors gave him a prognosis that would make most people cringe, cry, and crumple under the immense pressure of fact, fiction, and/or freakishly false medical advice.
 
What did Ted do?  

He launched a massive research effort and found a doctor on the other side of the world – and he went there, underwent surgery, and subsequently enjoyed many years of cancer-free life. 
 
Oh, by the way, he subsequently escorted his wife on a once-in-a-lifetime African expedition, deep within the African Safari.
 
               Amazing, but true.
 
Whether Ted knew it or not, he was one of my all-time favorite leaders.  Indeed, over the years following our working relationship, we somehow kept in touch with each other.  And during the lunches that we managed to work into our massively busy schedules, I expressed my gratitude for his leadership. 
 
Interestingly enough, as brilliant of a man as Ted is, I was most impressed with one particular act of passion, pride, and (good) paternalism.  
 
What was that one act?
 
Well… back when I was an unmarried workaholic, I attended a fundraiser where Ted and his wife were also in attendance.  The event was well-attended by the conservative crowd, with a mix of singles, young couples, and a small contingent of older-yet-still-youngish married couples.  Ted and his wife were part of the latter crowd.
 
And there in that cavernous room full of people, Ted sat with his wife close in front of him, her back to his chest, and his arm gently but confidently around her torso, her hand in his, and his hand lovingly holding hers.
 
To me, that one act conveyed so much Truth.
 
It said, “I love this woman, and everyone here should know it.”
 
It also said, “I love this woman, and I know she knows it.”
 
That one act also said, “I love this woman.”  (period)
 
Now, the other people in the room probably thought nothing of this simple act.  But, then again, I believe most people did not pay attention to Ted the way I did.  I liked Ted as a teacher, a leader, and a layperson.
 
               A layperson?
 
Yes… I liked Ted when he was being just plain ol’ Ted.
 
As a leader, he was a teacher.  As a teacher, he was a leader.  And as a layperson... a plain ol’ regular guy... he was still leading and teaching.  Such an integration of principles, politics, and practical preaching inspired me to do great things.
 
Politics?  Preaching?  Yes.  For you see, Ted’s politics were his principles (I never knew his particular American political association – it simply wasn’t relevant).  

And his preaching?
 
Well, as someone once said...
 
“Teach at all times. Use words when necessary."
 
And if you and I are really using this e-course to move forward, we will have to get a tad bit better at using our very own lives to teach others how to live.  

As difficult as other people may appear to be…  

As difficult as our everyday challenges may actually be, let’s skip the words and look forward to teaching, preaching, and leading by example. 
 
That brings us to this 33rd note titled LOOK FORWARD.
 
Notwithstanding all that we have read over these last 32 Days and Two Little Words, I’d like for us to begin the actual practice of looking forward.  Please note my use of the word practice.  To practice something is to engage in it habitually and almost religiously.  To practice something is to achieve an act through repetition.  To practice looking forward, we will have to start all over again, every single day, writing a brand-new chapter in our Book of Life.  

Ted understood this fact.  
 
You, too, have a very real opportunity to write a brand new chapter.

Regardless of what has happened over the last few weeks, and regardless of how daunting the stairs look as we climb each successive step, please recall the words of Dr. Martin Luther King when he said, "Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."

Together, we can take the next step in faith.

Indeed, I believe in you. I believe in us.
 
Our next new chapter is a not a re-write of the old stuff. 

Looking forward is all about the next first-edition.  

And even though we know life will likely throw us some pretty tough turns ahead, by now we should all know that a bend in the road is not the end of the road unless we fail to make the turn.
 
Looking back will not get us there.  Whether you are sick, shameful, or full of sorrow... positively looking forward, setting goals, making plans, and executing those plans are the best prescriptions for what ails us all.
 
I will close this e-note by sharing a powerful essay by Mr. James Allen.
 
Do with it what you will, but please consider it a gift from me to you.
  
Do it on purpose!   

Your mission for today: 

​                              LOOK FORWARD.
​

Forgive. Focus. Find. Accept. Adapt. Achieve. ®

​Read the letter essay by James Allen (CLICK HERE)

​​Going somewhere?

If you could go back and change one specific thing in this life of yours, what would it be?  

What ONE THING from your past would you change so you could positively change your life forever? 

               Nice try…    

               But that’s fiction.  

And it’s not even science fiction!  

As we shift gears, passing into the last 10 days of this 40-day conversation, today’s e-note, though a little longer than most, could possibly change how you view the middleman known as "The Apology."

It’s been said, “Men forget but never forgive. And women forgive but never forget.”  I am not a big fan of the words “always” and “never.”  And I certainly do not believe all men never forgive… or that all women never forget.  However, it seems to me that men often seek some sort of resolution… either via fisticuffs, brinkmanship, or all-out war.
 
Once the fight or war is over, most men can conduct themselves as if nothing ever happened.  But deep down inside, some men will never forgive the events that led up to the war.  And if given the opportunity to lob a mortar into the camp that once did the same to his, the thoughtless man will find a way “get justice.”
 
On the other hand, it seems like many women cross this stream of consciousness in a different way.  Women, the true and absolute bearers of life, are far more likely (than men) to forgive.  Yet, paradoxically, people, in general, refuse to forget the incidents that seem to have caused them irreparable harm at some point in their lives.
 
               Can these statements be true?
 
Well, perhaps we are further down the path than we need to be.  So let’s start with a few statements, and then move on (literally).
 
First of all, none of us ever really forgets anything.  Everything we have ever done, said, eaten, drink, drank, or drunk (literally of figuratively) is resident somewhere within the deep recesses of our minds.  
 
For some of us, however… the simple act of recalling those events is a difficult endeavor.  In other words, all of us have the information with which we grew up.  It’s just that some of us have a more difficult time recalling that old information.
 
Now forgiveness is similar in nature to forgetfulness, but not really.   You see, in accordance with the previous paragraph, coherent people can never forget something.  

But you can always forgive someone. 
 
Forgiveness is actually a matter of personal choice.  

And forgetting is a matter of creation.  (We know what we know)
 
Take for example, the little hiccup I mentioned in the e-note from Day 13 (On Purpose):  what would you do if someone stepped on your foot, and kept on walking as if nothing ever happened?  If it ends up ticking you off, it could turn into a really ugly and unforgettable event.

Or you could simple say, “No big deal.”
 
Let’s kick it up a notch… Worse yet, what if someone stole your heart?   What if they smashed your dreams?  What if they purposefully stole, smashed, or shattered your wonderful castle in the sky?

What would you do? Here’s what I recommend:  Recall our Four Little Questions:

1. What if it is true?
2. What can you do about it?
3. What will you do about it?
4. What are you doing about it?

But today’s e-note is not really about those Four Little Questions.  

Today’s e-note is all about fore-giving the apology.  

Hopefully, today ushers in an epiphany, a point of clarity, or a life-changing revelation.  

Today, I want you to think, know, and believe that, regardless of the wrongs brought upon you, there is a very real power in giving an apology before it is given to you. 
 
That’s right… let’s turn this around:

You, my friend, can ALWAYS fore-give the apology.  I want you to start giving the apology before the offender has a chance to tell you he or she "is sorry."  If and when you do this, you will immediately (and happily) lose the expectation to receive an apology. 

Give the apology, and you will lose all hate and discontent regarding the situation.  And once you have truly forgiven others, you can subsequently focus on things that are far more important in your life.
 
In fact, if you can muster up the faith, focus, and fortitude to stop looking in the rearview mirror… an amazing patchwork of micro-successes will begin to take shape within your life, quilting you within a vast sea of positivity.
 
Seriously… and here’s one little fact to get you going:
 
FACT: Two thoughts cannot occupy the same space in your mind.  And if you would be so kind as to trade in your negative thoughts regarding so-and-so who owes you an apology for this-and-that, you will soon have more thought space to let the good times roll.  In other words, every thought in your mind pays rent.  And only YOU decide what type of tenants you keep.
 
Now, to be sure… many, many (and yes many, many more) people will criticize this line of thinking.  Me?  I rarely, if ever, pay attention to the critics.  
 
               Why?  
 
Because, unlike the autoworkers, social workers, public servants, attorneys, bricklayers, and carpenters, critics don’t learn a trade or go to school, but they obviously have a rather narrow school of thought.  In fact, anyone can be a critic; it requires no special skills.  And, sadly, the longer a person remains a critic, the “better” they are at being judgmental and disparaging.  Their thought space is jam-packed with clear-cut examples of what NOT to have in or on your mind.  (But I digress…)
 
I sincerely hope that I have made a compelling case for fore-giveness today.  But if you’re not yet ready to somehow claim goodness out of those bad things that have occurred, please remember this:
 
When you refuse to fore-give, you are really refusing to look forward.  

​You are so focused on what HAS happened; you cannot see what IS happening, or what is about to happen, or what COULD happen.  And this is truly a tragedy.  We all have so much to offer and so much to give to the world.  And if we choose to continue looking backward, we actually continue to empower those people who have already hurt us somewhere in the now-gone past.  Refusing to fore-give is essentially a second tragedy…. chosen by you.  I realize these are strong words.  And I know this world is filled with some pretty miffed-up people. 
 
Nonetheless, it’s time to change how we view the apology.

​The apology is certainly nice to have.  
The middleman is always nice to have.  
But the middleman always takes a cut.  
And, to be sure...
if you are waiting on that middleman called an apology...
...it’s taking a serious toll on your life.

​                      Let it go.

My second-best saying in the whole wide world is six little words:
 
Forgive. Focus. Find.  Accept. Adapt. Achieve. ®
 
These six little words are one of two fundamental foundations to getting you started along the path of your dreams.  Since we are now 75% through this e-course titled 40 Days and Two Little Words, I will share the specifics regarding the collective power of the first three of these six little words.
 
Fore-give.  When you fore-give, you not only let bygones be bygones…  but you also claim value from that experience.  In other words, when you truly fore-give someone for something, you allow his or her actions to somehow add value to your life.  Now please understand… it is not necessarily your task to discover what that value could or should be.  Don’t waste your time trying to discover why bad things happen to good people.  You need your energy for the future… not the past. 
 
Focus.  Speaking of energy… As soon as you fore-give others for their apparently hurtful actions, you can immediately (yes… immediately) begin focusing on something real and tangible: today.  All of the money, talent, and time in the world cannot undo what was done.  And you can easily end up wasting all of your money, talent, and time investing in viciousness, vindictiveness, and vile… only to have all three V’s come back and smite you with your own spite.  It’s just not worth it.
 
Find.  Upon fore-giving “them” and discovering a renewed ability to focus on present-day activities, you will no longer have a shroud of expectation preceding all of your actions.  Believe me… if you are waiting for an apology from someone… there is an invisible-but-very-dark veil amidst your countenance.   Fore-giveness immediately renders your sight pristine and your mind abundantly clear.  Ironically, when you fore-give others and focus on YOUR purpose, you will not only find all of those good things that you previously couldn’t find… you will be amazed at all of the great things that will actually find you!
 
Please take a bold step forward and believe me when I re-state that last line:  When you fore-give others and focus on YOUR purpose, you will not only find all of those good things that you previously couldn’t find… you will be amazed at all of the great things that will actually find you!

In fact, much like the lowly caterpillar who can merely inch along upon the lowest of places, but then transforms into the most beautiful and lofty of nature's creatures, when we choose to fore-give the apology and let it go (whatever it may be), we, too, are transformed into something quite unlike we were before our own transformation; before holding onto something so bad, so hurtful, and so far in the past.

Lastly, I will say this:

I am not proposing that such a decision is easy.

Perhaps it seems simple; and maybe it is simple.

However, the human brain and its accompanying psyche are probably the most complex algorithmic pair in the universe. Accordingly, everything and, paradoxically, nothing we ever do is simple.  After all, we breathe without thinking about inhaling or exhaling; it simply comes naturally to us.  And yet, it is a very complex thing that our body does (extracting oxygen from the air that we breathe).

Likewise, transformation seems simple; and maybe it is simple.

But here is what is most interesting: We are ALWAYS in the midst of transforming.

The question remains: To what, my friend, are you transitioning to... and from (?)
   
Your mission for today: 
 
1. Say these 5 little words right now:
      “I fore-give everybody for everything.”
 
2.  Close your eyes, and say those 5 words again, but more slowly.
      “I... fore-give... everybody... for... everything.”
 
3.  If you are still having difficulty, write an extended letter to someone who has caused you harm.

• Read it several times, and then set it aside for a day or so.
• Read it again... and then tear it up,
• Indeed - destroy the letter and all of those bad thoughts with it.

 
4.  Continue with being grateful.  See if you can list 20 things (right now) for which you can be grateful. 
 
5.  Lastly, if you are still not sure about fore-giving everyone their apology, please read this short essay that I wrote about you (yes - YOU) by reading THIS POST from two years ago.

​​Time for an introspective retrospective...

As a father of adult children, I find myself putting greater effort to manage my social and (ahem( physical activities. Today, my body is not quite like the agile temple it was years ago. Back then, I did quite a bit of running... physically and mentally.

During those times, it seemed like all I wanted to focus on were the things I couldn't have.

In reality, there was a vast universe of things that I could, indeed, enjoy - unrestrained.

Likewise, as we all set and manage our respective goals, many of us are focusing on what we CAN'T do, instead of realizing and acknowledging the many things we CAN do. 

Accordingly, for Day 31 of this series on Two Little Words, I am sharing tidbits from a post from a related series I will delve into after this "40 Days and Two Little Words" is complete sometime next week. 

In a related post, I have previously discussed the fact that Facebook used to have a neat little hashtag feature called “Throwback Thursday,” or TBT. 
 
For those of you who have smartphones and social media, it's kinda nice to have photos pop up, awakening a memory or two; providing a nifty peek into the past - a sweet snapshot of what life was like for somebody, somewhere, at some point in time, long before today.  Facebook, in particular, has upgraded its software to automatically notify you of photos and posts that were placed on your timeline somewhere in the past year or so
 
For those of us with children, it’s great to be able to dip into the past and glean a glance at what once was.
 
For us older folks, as you and I know… those were the good ol’ days.

And yet, here we are, just on the other side of what will surely one day be described as the same period of what will never be again: the good ol’ days.

As I greet myself every morning, I find a maturing gentleman, full of life, yet somewhat less full of life than I once commanded of it. After shredding my meniscus somewhere in Iraq, blowing out a vertebrate disc somewhere in Hawaii, and gradually learning to shake hands with the wonderful winds of time, I find myself not just aching for the good ol’ days… but just plain ol’ aching!
 
And yet, I feel like the gentleman I see in the mirror has so much more to do… and so little time in which to get it done.
 
But where does most of my time and attention go?
 
Yes: I read many articles on LinkedIn.
 
And yes: I like to keep up with my friends and family via the photos, blips, and blurbs they post on Facebook.
 
And as a husband, father, son, brother, uncle, coach, teacher, mentor, and author, I have my fair share of duties to accomplish each and every day.
 
But… I still feel like I have MORE to give.
 
So today, I want to GIVE you something.
 
Today, I want to give you the most challenging Two-Little-Word mission thus far.
 
Today, I challenge you to consult your mirror.
 
Literally take a ten-minute expanse of time and consult the person in your mirror. 
 
Do you think you can do it? 
 
I know you can do it. 
 
Do you think this is a crazy idea?  
 
I believe it’s crazier NOT to do it!  
 
Do you think there is anyone more important than you when it comes to having an honest conversation about you?  
 
A-haaa! 
 
I have mentioned that small, operative phrase: honest conversation.
 
In the final analysis, it is only with ourselves that we need to have the most honest conversations. Accordingly, let’s leverage that formidable little fact.  Let’s take ten short minutes and find out what really makes us tick.  
 
Start by acknowledging the fact that you are a reSOURCE… an actual part of the Infinite, the Great I Am, the All-Powerful… and/or whatever else we seem to have created as a stand-in name for the Creator.
 
(You can actually do this even if you believe in the Big Bang Theory, which, by the way, could very well be the way the Creator did it - with a Big BANG!)
 
Then, acknowledge that there are really only two things we need to do: Love and fore-give (…as in GIVE ahead of - or before - the prescribed time.  Hence, fore-GIVE).
 
And when we love, we must do it unconditionally… in the agape sense (ä-gäp’-A).
 
Let’s not confuse “love” with “falling in love” or with some romanticized, Hollywood version of “a very strong like for a pastry, person, or puppy.” 
 
No… love in the agape sense is simply an appreciation for the FACT that we all originate from the same Source.  Thus we are all reSOURCEs that will someday return to the Source.  Accordingly, we will find answers to our greatest questions in our self and our absolute connection to (the) Source.
 
But all too often, we have simply unplugged our self from the one Place where we KNOW we can draw our greatest power. 
 
       Why?
 
Why do we do this to ourselves… our S.E.L.F.?
 
Moreover, why do we often refuse to fore-give the apology when someone has done this, that, and the other? The true meaning and application of fore-giveness is to be sincerely grateful for those events that have caused us some degree of harm. Regardless of how many times we read and re-read the previous sentence, many of us will refuse to believe the simple certainty behind this mysticalTruth. 
 
I characterize this Truth as “mystical” because forgiveness (gratefulness given by us, the offended) has a very real supernatural power behind it.
 
Actually, when you think about it… supernatural is actually not even SUPERnatural…
 
It’s just natural.
 
But we humans have a tendency to sensationalize those things we don’t quite understand.
 
And, to be sure, many of us simply don’t understand the very real and natural super power that is inherent in the act of fore-giveness.
 
And, as with most natural phenomena, we would all do better if we could just accept it, adapt to it, and achieve some degree of life-changing result because of it.  When you forgive someone, you literally create a whole new life by cutting the link that (only) you have been using as a pathway to the hurtful past.
 
But I digress…
 
Love and fore-giving (the apology) are the only two Rules.
 
After all, isn't this what we really want for us… individually, collectively, and respectively… for our self…our selves?
 
And remember: our duty is NOT to parse our agape love among those whom we feel are most deserving of it. 
 
Our duty is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  
 
(For if you only love those who love you, what does that love really cost you?) 
 
I have grown weary of the hatred for this race, these politicians, that religion, those people, and so on and so on.  In the truest sense, Love knows no boundary or restriction.  And yet, millions have been killed in the name of one religion or another, all of whom profess to know the way, the light, and the truth.
 
Well, the Truth is in that person in YOUR mirror.
 
And I believe the Truth wants you to focus on you.
 
Start by consulting your mirror.  
 
Ask that person in the mirror a series of questions, beginning with, “Why are you here?”
 
Not just “Why are you here” in the literal, geographical sense – but also “Why are you here in this business of being you?”
 
What makes you… you?
 
What makes you truly happy, passionate, and magically purposeful?
 
               Magically purposeful?
 
Yes… this one word “purposeful” is quite magical.
 
For you see: once YOU focus on YOUR purpose, all that “other stuff” falls by the wayside.  Once you focus on your God-given talents, amazing things begin to happen.
 
Best of all, once you focus on YOUR purpose, other peoples’ purposes do not matter… even when they do “stuff” to you on purpose.
 
But, alas… if we are to truly focus on our respective purpose, there is ultimately only one thing we have to do: We must confront the most powerful person in the world – the person in the mirror.
 
Accordingly, now is the time; today is the day to consult your mirror.
 
Ask yourself if this gift of today will be lived for someone else… or for you and your magical purpose (?)
 
Literally ask your self if all the good ol’ daysare already gone…
 
… if THIS, too, shall pass… (?)
 
… if YOU, too, will pass… (?)
 
… if you have done all you can to live, love, and let all of your talents press through this wall of noise that greets you every day… daring you to rise up, meet the challenge, and transform your ideas and ideals into goals, plans, actions, and dreams that have actually come true.
 
Ask your self: How much time do I have left?  
 
And, given this finite expanse of time, how do I want to spend it?  
 
How should I spend it? 
 
How will I spend it?
 
       Spend
 
Yes… that is what we do with this precious gift of time:  We spend it.
 
…on what?
 
I recently re-watched an interesting video from the movie “Network,” famous for a scene that has everyone declaring, "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!"  The movie was released in 1976.  Yet, it is an accurate rendering of what we, the people, have devolved into.
 
We rage on about current events, all while feeding the media beasts with our attention and very livelihood…
 
…all while neglecting the most important person in the whole wide world.  
 
Instead of getting mad and “refusing to take it anymore,” let’s LEARN and seek solutions in the one place where we know a quiet, viable solution exists.
 
If you can read this, no one else is stopping you from achieving a peaceful and purposeful journey through life… 
 
That is to say, no one else is stopping you… except that All-Powerful person in your mirror.
 
Today, I ask you to consult that magical...

                        ...​MIRROR MIRROR on the wall.

Remind yourself...

... this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.

Let it flow into the next moment; savor each and every moment as it is.
 
As indicated in the Two Little Words from Day 27 (FEAR NOT), I completed a tandem skydive on a Friday the 13th.  It was truly one of the most exhilarating experiences in my life.  The photo below was snapped at around 8500 feet above the North Shore of Hawaii.  To say that the free-fall and subsequent parachute ride down were “exhilarating” is a lot like saying “The Empire State Building is tall.”
 
If you have never jumped out of a perfectly good airplane, please allow me to share four fun facts regarding the event:

• Before suiting up for the jump, I had to sign several documents, many of which were waivers, if not contracts, releasing the skydive company from all liability regarding the jump.  Interestingly enough, at the bottom of some of the forms, the message was clear: YOU CAN DIE FROM SKYDIVING. 

 

• The airplane ride up to the 10,000-foot altitude was almost as exhilarating as the jump itself.  And on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii, the view from 10,000 feet is astoundingly beautiful.  The gorgeous green land is swept with coffee trees and pineapple crops, kissing the sweeping ocean at the soft shore, subsequently climbing slowly, then abruptly to heights well over 4000 feet.

 

• The plane ride up lasted about 20 minutes, with each anticipatory minute building on the previously powerful 60 seconds… until the jump door rolled open, providing an eerily unobstructed view of the tops of the clouds and the sprawling greenscape below.

​

• .As I rolled out of the aircraft, I was physically attached to an experienced, professional skydiver. These guys do this stuff for a living.  And yet, for all of their expertise and experience, I could not help but literally feel that tinge of OMG! as I rolled out of the aircraft and into the wild blue yonder.  The rush was amazing… In fact, it was so amazing… I literally forgot to breathe.  And, after about a thousand feet of near free-fall, I heard my heart screaming “Air!  Air!  I need air!”  So I breathed…. And in that instant, as fun and exhilarating as the jump had already been, it became 1000 times better.

So what’s my point?
 
Today’s note is not about fear; we discussed that made-up entity way back on Day 27.  

Today, my friend, is all about letting go of E V E R Y T H I N G.
 
Now, as always, I will be overwhelmingly honest with you here.
 
I am not entirely sure we can ALWAYS easily enter this state of perpetual letting go.  

I have capitalized the word ALWAYS because it’s one of the two no-no words in the Clark house (“NEVER” is the other no-no word).
 
Indeed, sometimes, it takes a herculean effort to get to the point of letting go.  But we CAN do it.
 
And just like that airplane ride up to 10,000 feet, we often know when we are headed for a point of no return.  Something inside of us simply knows what’s around the corner, up the street, or down the road.  That “something” is preparing us to stand up and take notice.  That “something” is also investing Its Own Vast Knowledge in the AWEsome being that you are.
 
Did you catch that?
 
"... BEING that you are."
 
You are not what you were.
 
You are not what you will be.
 
You are what you are.
 
And yet... the best indicator of who you can be is actually most related to what you are doing today… now.
 
And the truth is, you ARE reading this e-note on letting go.
 
You ARE gaining additional insight on how to let go and follow that voice inside you.
 
So let’s both accept a lesson from the wild, blue, yonder:
 
Right here, right now, take one big deep breath…
 
               And simply let go.
 
Let go of trying so hard; it will come.

We will get there when we get there.
 
Let go of trying to manage everything… or everything will manage you.
 
Let go of not letting go.
 
Remember:  Letting go is not an implication of loss.
 
Letting go is the initial act and preparation of new and exciting things to come.

Letting go is the preparation for transitioning FROM... and accepting something that will take you TO...
 
Letting go is gaining the understanding that you are the key that unlocks the door to your future – here and now.
 
We have all heard the saying, “When one door closes, another one opens.”  In reality, by the time that one door has closed, the other door has already been open for quite some time.
 
Take a breather today and look all around you.
 
There is a vast network of unseen connections.
 
There are physical bonds, yes.
 
But there are also emotional, spiritual, professional, familial, local, international, natural and, yes… supernatural attachments that link you with me, us with them, and everybody, everywhere on some level of interconnectedness that causes a seemingly remote action in one part of our world to affect the lives of people in an area geographically distant but supernaturally close.
 
Make it your priority to make it a habit to change your world … by finally letting go.
  
Do it on purpose!   
  
Your mission for today: 

Children find everything in nothing; 
​adults find nothing in everything.
​
~ Giacomo Leopardi

​I have two wonderful, college-age daughters who are rapidly growing into intelligent, creative, and talented young women.  Indeed, as the saying goes, “They grow up way too fast!”
 
Looking back over the years, it seems they have grown as fast as a bamboo plant!  I vividly recall the tasty tea parties and gleeful squeals on birthdays and Christmas mornings.  Of all the things I miss most, I miss watching them enthusiastically play.
 
Have you ever noticed how much love children give their playtime?  
 
They don't need many material things to have fun, and they have no concept of time.
 
It seems like they could go on playing days on end, stopping here and there only to eat and perhaps steal a quick hug and a kiss (at least that’s what my daughters do).
 
Like adults, children are in a constant state of learning.  Over the first few years of their life, they consume a massive expanse of information.  I purposefully use the word consume in this context primarily because they devour information at an incredibly fast rate... and then they creatively destroy some of that information as they process and sort through the data, forming their own thoughts, opinions, pseudo-facts, visions, dreams, and personal interests.
 
Like children, we adults are also in a constant state of learning.
 
However, unlike children, all too often, we are far less comfortable with the understanding that we are perpetually in a state of understanding.  
 
Many adults get too caught up in the “No-Know-Game.”
 
What is this common-but-unknown game?
 
It’s the curious game adults sometimes play when interacting with other adults.  And it usually covers three related responses:

• No! I don’t understand it; so, I won’t do it.
• No! I do NOT know what will happen; so, I won’t try.
• No! I DO know what will happen; so, I won’t try.

 
Ironically, the three responses above look more like something a child would say.
 
Why do we sometimes behave like children?  

Is it because we all still have that little boy or little girl deep down inside, not quite all grown up like the rest of society’s fully-grown adults (or… so it would seem to those adults who look at each other and see only the adult and not the child)?
 
Actually, most of our behavior is grounded in the act of holding on to things that we consider very important… and I’m not talking about material things like cars, trucks, and trinkets.
 
In addition to material things...

...beliefs, values, customs, traditions, and relationships are clear examples of things we consider important.  And our days are literally consumed by efforts related to not only getting and maintaining, but also changing those things we consider important. 
 
In our daily efforts to hold on to all this stuff that we THINK we need, we often resort to childish behaviors – and not the “good, cute” childish behaviors.
 
Moreover, our childish behaviors are usually related to matters involving self-esteem.  

In fact, of all the judgments we pass on people and things we encounter in life...

... none of those judgments is as important as the one we pass on to ourselves.
 
Having the wonderful blessing of youth, children are often far too shortsighted to doom their future activities to the undermining thoughts of today. In fact, for the most part, the entire concept of consequences is largely intangible and far too conceptual for children to truly understand.  And for this reason, children will often do the same things over and over again, not necessarily expecting the same result… but just because they want to.
 
Fascinating, yes?
 
Even more fascinating is the fact that adults do the exact same thing.
 
But here is the big difference, if not a perplexing paradox:
 
As adults, we know better.
 
               Or do we?
 
Perhaps we adults have it all wrong.
 
Perhaps we need to pay greater attention to that little person inside of us.
 
I’m not necessarily saying we should all regress to the point of tantrums, tricycles, and training wheels.
 
However, if we didn’t try so hard to hold on to so many things that we consider important, perhaps we could re-invoke that wonderful wandering spirit of the most questioning-yet-learned child.
 
If we could somehow need less, I believe we just might get more out of life.
  
Do it on purpose:
 
               PLAY MORE
 
...if only for a few minutes each day.
 
As we press forward through our collective social distancing, I humbly suggest a few adult “playtime” activities.  Accordingly, your mission for today: 
 
Treat your S.E.L.F. to one of your favorite childhood pastimes:

1. Eat more ice cream!
2. Purchase a small toy that invokes memories of your childhood (car, doll, construction set, etc.);
3. Take a visit to the museum;
4. Make a meandering view through all of those pictures on your phone/computer;
5. Call a childhood friend and reminisce for longer than 20 minutes.  For some odd reason, the 20-minute mark in a phone call is the “magical point” at which serious conversation begins.

 
Oh… and one more thing…
 
Forgive. Focus. Find. Accept. Adapt. Achieve. ®   

​​An infamous actor once said, "A grownup is a child with layers on."

Have you ever sat and watched children play?  Not just SEE them play… I mean… have you ever simply observed their playtime behavior from a distance for an extended period of time?   
 
If you haven’t done so lately, I highly encourage you to get lost in the seemingly bewildering world of the child.  
 
I describe it as “bewildering” because, for some of us, the concept of imagination is woefully undervalued. For many of us, a cardboard box is (obviously) trash.  But, as many parents will tell you, in an indescribable feat of unimaginable imagination and separation from “reality,” the most haughty, humble, and even horrific children can take a simple cardboard box and turn it into the most grandiose spaceship.  
 
Moreover, that imaginary but real spaceship can go places that you and I can only dream of (literally). 
 
Or can we?  
 
Can we still dream?  
 
Or, as many of us think, have we lost all reason to dream?
 
Remember when we were “kids”?  

Remember when we all talked about what we were going to be when we grew up?  

​For the boys, it was often some action-oriented public servant like a fireman or a police officer… or, in some rare cases, The Six Million Dollar Man (the new millennium edition).
 
Since I didn’t have a sister while growing up, I can’t really comment on what the girls talked about.  But I think I remember hearing something about weddings, Magnum P.I., Prince… and (oh, yes)… something about “pick your favorite color and/or number” on that little paper flip-flap origami thing that many of the girls spent their time inventing and conspiring… er… collaborating - to "tell the future."
 
When I was a little boy, I absolutely loved corn; I couldn’t get enough of it.  And I swore that I would have corn for dinner every single day of my life when I got older.
 
Of course, now that I am an adult, my daily meals are much more diversified.  

However, I **DO** go through about a bag and a half of Doritos CORN chips every week.  So, I guess I stayed true to my childhood plans.
 
               Childhood plans?
 
Hmmm… did you notice the subtle shift?
 
Somewhere along the way, from child to adult, we stopped dreaming and start planning.  

But, as children, we didn't have much experience at planning purposefully.  

So… we winged it (wung it?).  
 
And the next thing you know, we were stumbling into teenager territory.  And while I won’t dwell on the ups and downs of my own teenage years, you have to admit, regardless of who you are (or were), those were some rather interesting years.
 
Then, we shifted into young adulthood, still trying to figure out what the world had to offer… and what we could simultaneously offer to the world.  And, in the best-case scenario, we had to earn a salary while we were at it.
 
I grew up as the son of GM autoworker, who was also the son of a GM autoworker.  As a teenager, I initially thought my path was as sure as theirs.  I remember wrestling with thoughts of growing older in my hometown, but was constantly conflicted by my dreams of seeing the world and living on an island somewhere.  I remember asking my high-school girlfriend what she planned to do after high school.  I remember reading all those great and wonderful books about all those great and wonderful far-off places that I wanted - no... needed - to visit.
 
I read those books, and, ultimately, I visited almost every place I wanted to visit.

​I simply made the plans... and then did it.
 
I guess I’ve always been a planner.  But, more importantly, I’ve always been a dreamer.  And I sincerely believe that you, too, have always been a dreamer.  You, too, have probably made the subtle-but-significant shift from dreamer to planner.  

As adults, that’s what we do:
 
We plan...
 
...and then we execute the plan.  ​

​But if we plan too much, we also make the misstep of executing our dreams (“executing” as in killing).
 
And let’s be clear… I’m not talking about our nighttime dreams – those can be quite weird (please tell me that I’m not the only one who has some pretty far-out dreams).
 
Anyway…
 
Today I have but one simple question:  

What would you do if someone gave you all the resources you needed?  
 
In other words, what you would do for free, but for which you would gladly accept a salary?
 
Today, as we steer clear of the latest numbers and viral videos about the virus, I only ask that you take a trip down memory lane and reconsider some of your childhood dreams.  But instead of resurrecting those long-ago slayed aspirations, focus on what it felt like to be able to dream without penalty.  
 
               That’s right: without penalty.
 
For some strange, odd reason, many adults feel as though all of their dreams have to make sense – or be reasonably achievable.  
 
               Nonsense!
 
Every now and then, we should just let our mind go where our hearts are longing to take us.  
 
How do we get there?  Simply…
 
ENTHUSIASTICALLY FOCUS.
 
Enthusiastically focus on what if felt like to just dream – without penalty.
      
Your mission for today: 
 
1. Look up the origin of the word "enthusiasm" (it just might surprise you).
2. Try to remember and focus on what it felt like to dream as a young child.
3. Prepare for tomorrow's Two-Little-Word mission.  It's big!
 
Forgive. Focus. Find. Accept. Adapt. Achieve. ®  

P.S. Remember: look up the ORIGIN of the word "enthusiasm" - not the definition of the word.

True story… about 10 years ago, before I sat down to pen a few thoughts, there was a loud, jarring knock at the front door of the Clark Family home.  The loud knock alone was enough to startle me from my keyboard, sending me trotting down the stairs.  The fact that this loud knocking came at 8:30 on a Friday night was especially unsettling. 
 
As I shuttled down the stairs, turned on the porch light, and opened the front door, a rather unassuming man carrying a clipboard greeted me with a handshake and a smile.  He quickly introduced himself and casually mentioned that he was just across the street, talking to my neighbor, Scott. 
 
We chatted for about five minutes, and he repeatedly pressed me to explain why I did not want to consider purchasing a home security system.  I provided no such justification, and subsequently requested his business card, and suggested that he “have a good night.”
 
As I strolled back into the family room where my wife and daughters sat coloring, my wife asked, “What was he selling?”
 
         “Fear,” I said.  
 
          “He was selling fear.”
 
           And I was not in the market for fear.
 
In these challenging times, though, fear has made a roaring comeback.
 
To be sure, when assessing the risks associated with everyday life, one must make a clear distinction between paranoia (which is a type of irrational fear) and a realistic fear (a rational fear that has a generally accepted and solid foundation in Truth).
 
Hundreds of years ago, fear had a very real and very frequent place in the life of humans.   
 
When faced with wild animals, merciless men, and life-threatening weather, we kept the element of fear first and foremost sacred in our minds.  And for good reason!  In the Pleistocene period and as recent as the last time we walked (alone in a house) into a dark room, our minds created fear to assist our bodies in the preparation for an onslaught of life-threatening possibilities.
 
Yet, despite all of the very real and rationally fearful things that potentially threaten us every single day… 
 
 …fear, itself, has no valid home… unless we give it a home. 
 
Interestingly, before we give it a home, fear has to be created by us.
 
And there you have it. 
 
That is the reason why I politely directed the salesman off my porch that evening 5 years ago: I was not buying the fear that he was selling.
 
And neither should you.
 
As we have all likely witnessed at some point in our respective lives, a life fueled by fear is a crappy life.
 
Accordingly, today I ask you to dispense with fear.  
 
How? 
 
Let’s refer back to what I said above: before you give it a home,  fear has to be created by you . 
 
In a beautiful, if not tragic irony, fear is created AND destroyed by the EXACT… SAME… MIND.
 
And in the final analysis, if you focus on your fear, you will feed and nourish the ugliest weed in your proverbial garden.  
 
Or… you can simply make the choice to invest in the opposite of fear.  
 
[Do you know what “the opposite of fear” is?] *
 
So today, as you awake… please breathe, be thankful, be patient, and be encouraged.  

In fact, I empower you to be fear-less.  

That’s right, this electronic post henceforth empowers you to become fear-less.
 
Now fear-less is not the same thing as fearless.  
 
Huh?
 
Fear-less is simply being less full of fear (less fearful).
 
On the other hand, fearless is defined as being unafraid or devoid of all fear… also known as “stupid.”
 
In the photo above, I completed a tandem skydive on Friday the 13th.  It was one of the most exhilarating experiences in my life.  While I was boarding the aircraft and preparing to take off with a few friends who joined me, we all watched as another parachutist landed too quickly and subsequently broke his femur bone (the largest bone in the human body).  
 
How do you think he will view subsequent Fridays when those Fridays just happen to occur on the 13th day of the month?
 
After seeing the ambulance crew ease the man onto a stretcher and head down Farrington Highway on the way to the hospital, we all felt a tad bit more fearful.
 
But we were not full of fear.  

Accordingly, we went forward with our plans to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.
 
Indeed, for you and me, there are certain things of which we must be mindful and perhaps somewhat careful, if not fearful.  But to be fearful is not to be confused with “being full of fear.”
 
No… we can be concerned, careful, and cautious.  And we very well should be.
 
But we should also be hopeful, faithful, grateful, and purposeful.
 
In fact, the more time, energy, and effort we give to being hopeful, faithful, grateful, and purposeful, the less time, energy, and effort we have to give to being fearful.
 
Accordingly, today, I ask you:
 
                                           FEAR NOT.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
* BTW: The opposite of fear is not courage.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
The opposite of fear is an increased trust.
 
Trust your perfect imperfections.
 
Trust your uniqueness.
 
Trust your S.E.L.F.
 
You can do this! 
 
WE can do this!
 
You and me.
 
We.
 
~

As you encounter challenges, remember this:

Without a beginning, there is no end.

Without a beginning and an end, there is no path.

Without a path, there is no journey.

Without the journey, there is nothing.

You are, indeed, something.

You are...

                             ...THE JOURNEY.

​​Your past has helped to create you.

However, our past has almost nothing to do with who we can become.

Today, you are the intersection of yesterday and tomorrow.

In fact, today is the day I worried about yesterday.

Yet, today, yesterday is a figment of my imagination... never to return.

Tomorrow doesn't yet exist. 

So, what are we to do?

If you have to leave some people, places, and things where they belong...

Go ahead; leave them where they are...

                                                         IN THE PAST.

​A bend in the road is not the end of the road...

      ...unless you fail to make the turn.

Indeed, these are challenging times.

But please remember: we have never really known what was beyond the bend.

We have always required a little bit of faith to make it past where we currently are.

Today, navigating the bend just requires MORE faith.

We can do it.

You can do it.

See beyond...

                                         ...​THE BEND.

​​​Today, I offer you two simple words:

​Feel Good.

       Period.
 
If there were such things as fairy dust, magic potion, or enchanted spells, the two words "feel good" would be the bottom-line goal in anyone’s usage of that dust, potion, or spell.
 
Getting to the point of feeling good is unbelievably simple.
 
               Just do it.
 
Sound too simple?
 
Ha!
 
Try this…
 
For just five minutes, walk away from your troubles, and sit with the one person who can make you totally happy for five minutes: Your SELF.
 
Yes, I have prescribed meditation for (at least) twenty minutes.
 
Yes, I have asked you to contemplate fully on your purpose.
 
And, yes… I have requested that you connect to S.E.L.F.
 
Today, I want you to pull over and fill up on you.
 
I realize you, he, she, and me are overwhelmingly concerned about the latest news, numbers, and national emergency.  And when children, parents, friends, foe, family, and work insert themselves into our daily equation, we rarely have enough time to seek solace for twenty long minutes… especially if we are not accustomed to giving our S.E.L.F. top priority.
 
Please tell me you can spare five spectacularly special minutes for you.
 
Even if you have to go sit somewhere to flush more than just your troubles away… do it.
 
Close your eyes, focus on your beating heart, and think of how AWEsome it is to just be who you are.

I am not advocating lulling ourselves into a sense of denial regarding all of the hurt, harm, and horrendous things that are occurring today and, most likely, tomorrow.

But even if you and I were in the middle of the driest dessert... or floating amidst a thousand waves in the ocean, we can still take... yes... TAKE some time time and give ourselves a few minutes to FEEL GOOD.

Think back to a time when you loved what you were doing.

Think ahead to a time when we will all be in a different mindset.

Yes... set your mind there.

As I stated on Day 3 - Have Faith - prior to these past few weeks, it seems most people equated prosperity to economic wealth. To be sure, there is significant economic uncertainty in the world today. And there has been a recent decrease in the prosperity and wealth represented in the massive increase in the value of the stock market over the past eleven years.  

Yet, the phrase "health is wealth" has never been more accurate.
 
Interestingly, in Latin, the word “prosperity” has the root words of “fortune” and “hope.” 
 
So… to be prosperous is to be “fortunate and full of hope.”

So, in addition to maintaining a good supply of TP, please invest time today in keeping a good supply of hope.

Tell your S.E.L.F. to feel good.  Breathe deeply, softly, and slowly.  

Think quietly, purposefully, and effortlessly. 
 
For just five short minutes today…
 
Feel... good.
 
As the quote from Maya Angelou so eloquently implies, you will often forget what you said.  

You will often forget what you did.
 
But you will always remember how you made yourself feel.  
 
Do it on purpose!   
 
Your mission for today: 
 
Invest five short minutes to just...

Will Rogers once said, "Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.

That "there is some darn good advice, I tell ya!"

We are responsible for not only designing our very own lives... but also re-designing them as well.
 
You, above any and everybody else, define, design, and align all aspects of your life.
 
There are countless books on the market. 

Some of those books merely discuss problems of society. 

Many of those books may even touch on an issue that might be relevant to you or your specific issue.

However, this little e-course is all about you.
 
Books, magazines and media often talk about problems that other people face.

But in reality, you don’t need to read about the challenges of life. 

In reality, you, he, she, and me already know all about the challenges and the solutions of everyday day. 
 
And the Truth is… 

Here’s how you can solve your problems:  Regardless of what happens, you are (still) able to respond in any way you choose.  If and when you understand this little factoid, you will become the most powerful person in your world. 

However, on many days, most people struggle to prevail over the greedy Id, the evil Ego, or the simple hurt we feel in response to the treatment we receive from other people. 
 
If we can somehow remember that we ALWAYS have a vast array of choices on how we can potentially respond to a situation, we can (and will) overcome the Id, the Ego, and the pride within.  If we can somehow align the four aspects of SELF (Spiritual, Emotional, Logical, Finite), we can conquer almost any obstacle.

Let's take a look at the word align.

• a·lign (verb)

1. To arrange in a line or so as to be parallel
2. To adjust to produce a proper relationship

 
1. To arrange in a line or so as to be parallel...
Here we are at Day 22 of this 40-day challenge.  After another couple of weeks of sincere SELF-evaluation, the path toward (re)defining and (re)designing your self should begin to become abundantly clear.  In fact, if you invest the time and honestly answer the questions on the previous e-notes, you will have already created a rough outline on HOW to arrange and begin building your dream life. This rough blueprint is a beginning. However, you must do more than redefine and redesign.
 
2. To adjust to produce a proper relationship...
To achieve your dream life, simply follow the rhyme: Define·Design·Align.  These three steps help you adjust when necessary and continue building a healthy SELF-relationship.  As the photo above implies, even when we are on one track, we still receive and accept signals from locations near and far.  Please take an hour today (yes… a WHOLE HOUR) and really look at what signals you are accepting into your life.  (Stay up a little later if you have to)...
 
Align your resources and adjust your life accordingly.  Ask yourself what effect the following things are having on your life (?)

• Television shows
• Books
• Magazines
• Music
• People
• Processes
• E-mail
• Internet applications
• Any and ALL other applications

… all these things have the very real potential to have a direct input on what you do, how you act and react, and who you ultimately become.  Please, please, please take a long, hard look at the signals you are receiving.  Only YOU can turn these signals on and/or off. Only you can make the decision and take the necessary actions to get off the "wrong" track, and then get on the "right" track.
 
The question is:  Were do you stop? 
 
At what location do you get off?
 
And remember: "Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."
 
Don’t get stuck where you are.
 
And don’t purposefully stay on a course that will simply take you back to where you continuously seem to end up.
 
Remember:  Like the passing scenery we see as we traverse the tracks of life, everything changes. 
 
The remaining questions:
 
What are your two states of transition?
 
From what condition are you transitioning?
 
And, more importantly, to what condition are you currently headed?
  
Do it on purpose!   

Your mission for today: DESIGN LIFE!

How?
 
Start by journaling your very own personal thoughts on the answer to these three questions:
 
1.  Remember: Life is made up of whatever we pay our attention.  What are your TOP 5 PRIORITIES for today, tomorrow, and this week?
 
2.  Remember: The below items have a direct input on what you do, how you act and react, and who you ultimately become.  Accordingly, what actual, real value do you get from interacting with these items?

• Television shows
• Books
• Magazines
• Music
• People
• Processes
• E-mail
• Internet applications
• Any and ALL other applications

3.  What signals should you seek so that you may ensure you are on the “right” track to achieve the items listed in #1 above?

If you can continuously ask and successfully answer these questions, you will...

DESIGN LIFE on purpose.

​John Clark III says, “You will be amazed by what you don’t know.”
 

And it was the eminently brilliant Albert Einstein who once said, “The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible.”  Mr. Einstein was much smarter than I. And on "this" we agree.

His statement carries an implied double meaning.

Likewise, my opening statement is also a double entendre... a double-meaning statement.  

First of all… when you finally learn all the intricate miracles that occur from the point of your conception to the day of your birth, you will be amazed by the sheer power of The Force greater than we.  

In fact, whenever we slow down and renew our sense of discovery, we are likely to be amazed at the things on which we focus our attention.  

Secondly, as we learn more and more, our minds acquire the capability to achieve a reverent awe for the sheer magnitude of the things we just… don’t… know.  But what can we say about those things that we DO know?
 
Actually, I have discovered an easy way to achieve a greater sense of understanding within our often-bewildering world of inexplicable people, incomprehensible processes, and the perplexing puzzles of everyday life.
 
And just “How,” you ask, “may we achieve a greater sense of understanding” in this enigmatic world of wonderfully great and sorrowful things (?)
 
              HOW?
 
We can achieve a greater sense of understanding by the mere act of acceptance.
 
Many people have initially disagreed with me on this simple, straightforward, and super-powerful statement of (capital-‘T’) Truth.
 
I boldly call this a capital-‘T’ Truth because, despite the fact that many people believe understanding is most important, those same people soon understand that the simple act of acceptance is, indeed, superlative to everything… including and especially the much more complex activity of understanding.
 
In some of my public-speaking forums, certain disbelievers have challenged me on this topic of acceptance versus understanding.  Those disbelievers insist that we must understand something before we can accept something.
 
And every single time, the one example that quickly gains their respect while simultaneously changing their minds is my offering of these two little questions:

1. How, exactly, does your television remote work?
2. How, exactly, does your cellphone work?

When I ask the disbelievers these two little questions, the look on their faces is worth a small bucket of cash.  I can almost see the synapses firing in their brain as they frantically wrestle with theoretical thoughts, trying to answer the specific questions, but quickly gaining an understanding that their efforts are fruitless and simultaneously proving my capital-‘T’ Truth that the simple act of acceptance is superlative to everything… including and especially the much more complex activity of understanding.
 
You see… we choose to believe what we want to believe.  If you still disagree with me, think of the recent visitor to these parts... the Easter Bunny.

Or, as time goes on, think of Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and your lucky charm (whatever it might be).

Did you... or someone one you love... believe in any of the aforementioned things?

Behold... the Power of Belief.
 
And what is this thing called "belief?"  

Isn’t it simply acceptance, with or without understanding?
 
Of course, we love it when our beliefs align with our understanding; such an intersection speaks highly of our ability to incorporate and harness information for our own good.  

In other words, when our beliefs align with our understanding, we feel smarter… and we feel more in touch with the world.
 
But when understanding escapes us, we are left with the apparently difficult choice of choosing whether or not to believe in this or that.  And for many of us, the choice to choose our beliefs is woefully, um, misunderstood.  And, as such, we often undervalue and purposefully devalue this magnificent miracle of mankind.
 
Miracle?
 
Yes… a miracle!
 
Think back to those two questions above:

1. How, exactly, does your television remote work?
2. How, exactly, does your cellphone work?

Most people don’t exactly know how the remote-control device for the television works.  Yet they use them everyday to launch a portal that connects them (their self) to an electronic world of channels, networks, frequencies, cultures, philosophies, principles, and (dare I say) beliefs far beyond their own little living room, bedroom, kitchen, vehicle,, desk, or wherever they happen to watch "television" from a screen and/or device.
 
Similarly, most people don’t know how cellphones work.  

Yet they use an electronic portal that literally transports their voices, faces, and messages all over the world.
 
150 years ago, anyone and almost everyone would call televisions and cellphones miraculous.  

               Why?  

​Because those people would not have understood how those devices work.
 
In the context of today’s world of electronic gadgetry, we are much more inclined to accept what we do not understand.  And, going forward, I encourage you to draw back the curtain on more than just your agreement to engage in “miraculous” electronic gadgetry.  In fact, on Day Thirty One of this credible journey, I shall encourage you to achieve a greater sense of understanding by the mere act of acceptance.
 
Find time to ponder on this grand Truth, and I guarantee you will begin to understand that you do not have to understand everything.  And, yet, you will begin to understand that the mere act of acceptance can usher in a profundity of powerful understanding far beyond the capabilities of the most brilliant academics.  Indeed, the mere act of acceptance can invoke the Preeminent Power of which we have always known, but often choose to reject, forget, and otherwise refuse to interject into the daily drumbeat of our lives.
 
In fact, the opening quote by the eminently brilliant Albert Einstein is actually about a belief in a Superlative Force: The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible.
 
For most of us, the concept of an all-knowing, all-powerful Force is beyond our capability to understand.  So, despite our childhood and adult references to a Creative Force, we end up choosing to settle for an artist’s rendition of a finicky creator that has little, if any, interest in our total well-being.
 
In other words, for many of us, despite what Mommy, Daddy and those men in flowing robes taught us, God is simply incomprehensible.  And, as such, we say we believe in 'a' god, but, because we don’t fully understand the total concept of God, we freely and openly dismiss the Force that **is**God.

​Quite simply, sometimes...

And, unlike the use of a remote or a cellphone, in the case of God-like powers, we choose not to use what we don’t understand.  When, in reality, we must not seek to understand that we may accept… but instead... we must accept and choose to believe so that we may understand.
 
Today, I ask you to choose to believe in the power of acceptance.
 
Don’t try to understand my point… understanding will come later.
 
Today, I just want you to focus on the fact that your acceptance of inexplicable people, incomprehensible processes, and a perplexing past for whom and what they are is an empowering characteristic that knows no boundaries. 
 
Today, seek to understand by first accepting the fact that you and I have our very own learning lessons (some people refer to these lessons as mistakes; I call them life-long learning lessons).  But before you let me off the hook, accept your own previous travels and travails as an awesome walk along a powerful path that is now ordained with an awareness of all the Power you will ever need.
 
Tap into this Power.
         
In the meantime...
 
Here's a suggested mission for today: 
 
Journal your thoughts regarding the statement "We must not seek to understand that we may accept… but rather accept and choose to believe so that we may understand."  Invest a few minutes discussing how "seeking understanding" is more about acceptance and choosing to believe than it is about absolutely knowing something. For now...

SEEK UNDERSTANDING... via acceptance.

​Forgive. Focus. Find. Accept. Adapt. Achieve. ®

As many of you know, Easter Sunday is a major event in the Christian religion.

According to Wikipedia, Christianity is the most adhered to religion in the United States, with 65% of polled American adults identifying themselves as Christian in 2019. This is down from 85% in 1990, 81.6% in 2001, and 12% lower than the 78% reported for 2012.
 
Yet, when I invested a few hours one day asking self-professed Christians “What is the Greatest Commandment?” I was often met with blank stares and very few answers.
 
Likewise, when I asked about the Second Greatest Commandment, the same held true.
 
Some professing Christians confused my question with the 10 Commandments, which is kind of oddly ironic, given that the 10 Commandments are initially presented in the Old Testament, and not in the New Covenant of CHRISTianity.
 
               Please understand:
 
Today’s stated re-commitment to the second half of 40 Days and Two Little Words is not a diatribe against non-practicing-but-professing Christians.
 
It is, however, a small reminder that (I truly believe) the majority of us Americans DO truly love God, and for the most part, many of us are doing far more than merely taking advice from politicians on how to handle life.
 
Back on March 12th of this year, in this blog, I specifically mentioned that, over the next 40 days, I would share a potentially mind-altering foundation from which we can launch an expanding base of freedom from stress and strife… and perhaps alleviate some of the anxiety associated with everyday life.  
 
With daily reports on how the United States of America is progressing through the next chapter of its ever-evolving social, economic, and political history, the next few months could pose not only a nearly unprecedented challenge to our previous way(s) of living… but the ensuing months could also exact an emotional and spiritual toll on how we feel about ourselves, each other, and life in general.
 
Twenty days ago, on March 12th, I initiated the series of "Two  Little Words" to simply assist with everyday challenges by offering a small-but-potentially significant reprieve from the daily blitz of news and "social" media.
 
               Why?
 
Well, we have found ourselves in a bit of a dilemma.  
 
We want (and sometimes need) the latest news.  
 
Yet, too much of this steady stream of numbers, negativity, news, and naysaying can have a devastating effect on our emotional well-being. 
 
However, in the initial post, I did not fully explain the specific rationale for “40” days.
 
After all… why not a week’s worth of worthy reads?
 
Why not a month?
 
Why did I select “40 Days and Two Little Words,” as opposed to “60 Days and Two Little Words?”
 
Well, as is the case with many of the more popular world religions (including Christianity), much is misunderstood about the teachings of what and who I call “The Masters.”  If one were to research the original beginnings of Buddha, one would find some fascinating parallels to other world religions.
 
In fact, I will share one super-powerful parallelism among Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, and Jewish beliefs: 40 Days. 
 
               Yes… 40 Days.
 
The account of Jesus the Christ begins with His birth and early childhood.  Then, the accounts of Christ leap forward to when Jesus reached the age of thirty.  Likewise, Siddhartha Gautama, the first enlightened Buddha, began his ministry at the age of thirty.  
 
According to the Gospels, Jesus fasted in the desert for exactly 40 days and 40 nights, and was tempted by the devil.  

Buddha also fasted for exactly 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness and was tempted by a great evil spirit.  
 
Similarly, in the accounts of Islam, Muhammad is reported to have been praying and fasting in a cave for 40 days.  

In Judaism, rain fell for 40 days and 40 nights during the Great Flood.  

And Moses reportedly spent three consecutive periods of 40 days and 40 nights on Mount Sinai.
 
Please note: All these accounts appear to be about renewal amidst temptation... or temptation amidst renewal.
 
So please consider the possibility that 40 Days is a perfect timeframe in which to change your point of view.  Notwithstanding that last sentence, I must reiterate my intentions and goals for this e-course.
 
It is not my intention to try to change you; only you can do that.
 
It is my intention to offer you a different perspective.
 
And when we change how we view the world, we change our respective perspective...

...our perceived world literally changes right before our very own eyes.

Moreover... as a follow-on, associated consequence...
 
                  ...the world changes its view of us.  
 
                                   And when THAT happens…

...we will have changed the world!  ​

​​Let us now transition...

Oftentimes, it is a shift, crack, or break in our own respective lens that allows us to transition and see another person’s perspective.
 
Interestingly enough, this transition only occurs through the flowing of our very own tears.
 
Ironically, despite having a newly broken, cracked, or shifted lens, we begin to see things with much more clarity, compassion, and creativity. 
 
This is the great irony of our "little-t truths" that we live as individuals.
 
But it is the Capital-T Truth – that Truth under which we ALL live collectively – that allows us to shift from independence and indifference…to interdependence and making a difference… to sympathy… and ultimately to empathy.  

Through a new lens, we now have…

​Empathy: to understand with compassion;
 
Empathy: to accept another’s truth as the Capital-T Truth;
 
Empathy: to not only tolerate and accept, but to actually embrace and empower one another.

As we continue to press through some very challenging times, I ask that we all take a deep breath and consider a Great Philosopher’s admonition to do two things:

​When I think of the tremendous quantity of tears that have been shed throughout human history, I often wonder if that amount of pain-infused water would be enough to fill an entire ocean.  

​And as I think this seemingly terribly thought, I am miraculously reminded of a great human tendency…

​When we are overwhelmingly happy, we cry tears of joy.

​And as much as we cry for pain, it is also true that our historical oceans of emotions are filled with thousands of years of blissfully enriched Tears of Joy.
 
Aloha and continued blessings to you, your mother, father, brother, sister, cousin, uncle, auntie, family member, friend, and foe.  We have ALL had our share of misery.
 
Let us now begin to focus on not only what we CAN DO to add to our neighbors’ ocean of joyous tears.
 
Let us now transition and focus on what we ARE DOING to add to our neighbors’ Tears of Joy.
​

Today's quick post is a small reMINDer of how great the gift of life is... especially when that gift becomes threatened or when we begin to realize the finiteness of it all.

Here in the United States of America, today can be a reMINDer that the days between our respective birthdays are as special as the annual day we gather family and friends to eat cake, celebrate being born, and sing the "Happy Birthday Song."

It's true: every single day we wake up is a whole new day.

Thus, the day itself is a new day being born. 

Accordingly, everyday is potentially a "birth day" for the world we enter.

Today, reMIND yourself.

That is: remove what is currently in your mind, and replace it with something new...

...reMIND yourself that the present is a gift.

​                             Do it...

Indeed, this, too, shall pass (whatever "this" might be)...

Today's quick post is a small reMINDer that we often have so much more to be grateful for than we realize. Yet, all too often, we focus on what has happened to us.

It's true: we focus on the wrong things sometimes.

We cannot change the past, but we sometimes simmer on what has happened.

Today, reMIND yourself.

​That is: remove what is currently in your mind, and replace it with something new.

Only you know what needs to be replaced.