“When I’m trusting and being myself as fully as possible, everything in my life reflects this by falling into place easily, often miraculously.”–Shakti Gawain

Isn’t this so true? Think back and recall one of those days when the energy and good vibes was so powerful you could almost literally fly! We’ve all have days like this; when things just seem to get better and better and you feel happier and happier and your energy soars. If only we could bottle these days, right?

Well you don’t need to bottle them. They don’t come as a result of luck or circumstance. These sorts of days occur because of your thoughts. That’s right! Instead of trying to recapture the day event or time in your life when that memorable day and feeling occurred, why not try to remember the thoughts you repeated to yourself on that day and more importantly the days leading up to it. How did you envision it? Did you see yourself in the perfect outfit that made you feel fill in the blank? Did you day dream about walking into the room or down the aisle or throwing your flowers and laughing with your friends. I would be willing to bet that you spent a huge amount of time planning, thinking about and seeing exactly what you wanted to happen long before the actual magical day occurred.  Can you recall and write down 5 times in your life when the above occurred? A special memorable day that was as close to perfect as it gets?

Here is mine:

1.      My second wedding (I know, my first wedding was wonderful too but honestly, my mom actually planned it and I was way too young to appreciate the moment.)

2.      The birth of my daughter

3.      The day I nailed the interview and job for my first new home sales position (I really wanted this position and was determined to not leave the interview without it)

4.      My daughter’s wedding

5.      My granddaughter’s birth and the ensuing relationship I have with her.

Is your list similar to mine at all? Now I know what you’re thinking; it probably goes something like this – Well sure, that’s not rocket science, each of those events required long term planning. Of course they likely turned out right. And to this I say “EXACTLY!”

For each of these events I knew exactly the outcome I wanted.

I spent hours and hours of time thinking about, visualizing or daydreaming what every little detail would look like, feel like and how each fit into the puzzle of my desired outcome.

I was crystal clear about what I wanted and what I would do to make it happen. In those hours and hours of thinking and planning I can assure you I did not think about the “what if’s, but I don’t or I’m not’s. Instead I saw myself in the dress my best friend and I designed and wearing my other friends mother’s mink hat slightly cocked over one eye. I saw myself in my big black hat and feather boa cutting my perfect cake while laughing and smiling into the eyes of my new husband. I saw myself glowing with pride as I watched my daughter blossom into the beautiful accomplished woman she is today. I saw myself sitting in front of my future broker who saw me as completely competent and perfectly capable of learning the job, even though I had no new home experience.  I saw myself holding my beautiful granddaughter in my arms and becoming the Nini she often calls to ask if I can come over to play.

Positive attitude… you see you actually have the power to control your emotions if you choose to and you do it all the time without even realizing it. Now imagine going about every one of your days in this manner. What would your days and life look like? Will all your days be perfect; probably not? But I can assure you the good days, successes and happy outcomes will far outweigh the bad days.

So how do you go about creating the daily habit of thinking positively? Here are 5 steps to get you started:

What we consistently think about is truly powerful and shapes every aspect of our lives. Take some time to learn about and recognize what you’re thinking, why and how is it affecting your outcomes. Understanding how you think is the first step to changing your attitude. Make sure your desire to do so is sincere.

As you become aware of your thought patterns be willing and ready to alter your behaviors.

Think and daydream about the things you want occurring in the most favorable manner. There are often two outcomes pictured in your mind. Always choose to look at the one that most clearly depicts what you want. Be willing to allow that picture to change and expand.

When negative thoughts occur learn to be aware of it and consciously change that thought process to a more positive direction.

Understand that negative thinking is nothing more than a habit. Changing a habit is not difficult but does take time and consistent effort. Don’t allow yourself to become discouraged and revert back to your negative patterns. Stay with it and it will soon become your new habit of thinking positively!

You see it really is true… when you believe in yourself and your dreams as fully as possible they really do have a way of falling into place easily, effortlessly and often miraculously and it is the difference in a small safe life and a bigger grander experience!

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About the Author:
Deborah Hayes is a CTA Life Coach and mentor to women in transition who are ready for a new phase in life. Through her unique coaching programs she inspires and supports women to live a life without regrets that is their own unique version of the life they love. To subscribe to her FREE bi-monthly ezine and receive a complimentary Special Report; Conquering Change, Take the Scary Out of Transitions visit http://www.womenintransitiononline.com or http://www.positiveattitudeworkshop.com/serious-summer-sale/for a new system to revitalize your life!
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1. How to improve your motivation

You do your everyday job, but are you motivated enough? What is stopping you? Why do you think other people are better than you? The main problem is that you are not motivated enough. You can find the best way to motivate yourself. Some people want money, some people want respect, some people want to grow, learn new skills. But you are the only person that can say for yourself what is the main thing that can make you motivated. You should focus yourself, think about the ways to achieve your goals, what does is take to do the things properly. You should now that the main secret of successful people is that they have been motivated to accomplish their task. So you should do it yourself. Just think about the reward that is waiting for you after accomplishing the task. Don’t just think about the failure. If you think about the failure you can never get very far. You should get some courage. You should know that even if bad things happen you can always count on your friends and colleagues who can help you. Just make a plan, follow the plan carefully, and go slowly, don’t rush into things. As you slowly proceed you will see that you are learning new skills on the way and that you feel more confident about yourself.

2. Take The First Steps, I Know You Can Do It

Don’t be afraid to make a change in your life. You should look forward to a nice future, be positive. When you are positive, anything is easier to achieve, the people around you would feel happy with your presence. The next step is to motivate others, learn on your mistakes but also listen to other people’s advices. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, just learn from every situation. Thank you for reading this article. If you have any questions or suggestions please contact me.

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About the Author:
I am now living in China, improving my language skills. From my experience and career I have learned many things about human nature, how to overcome the difficulties and meet the different challenges. We can all together make this world a pleasant place to live. I spend a lot of time in learning foreign language, self improvement and environmental issues. I would be happy to share my experiences with you and I would be happy to hear your comments and suggestions. Thank you very much
Sasa Sijak
www.facebook.com/sasa.sijak
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The movie Eat, Pray, Love raises the issue of how people tend to lose themselves in relationships.

This is particularly true of romantic relationships. It’s also the case that many lose themselves whenever they go home to see their parents, around people they work with, and with friends.

It’s often said that if you are in a relationship that ends—a relationship of the kind in which you lost yourself—you should probably do some growing on your own before getting back into a relationship, lest you lose yourself all over again.

But does the kind of growth that’s necessary really happen this way? Do we grow in the way we need to when we are on our own?

If you observe carefully, you’ll perhaps find that people tend to do quite well on their own, seeming like they are becoming their own person—until they again get into a relationship.

And then they find they have barely moved forward in their ability to maintain their uniqueness while also being close to another person, if they have in fact moved forward at all.

This doesn’t mean that we can’t grow without a romantic partner—not at all. But it does suggest that we don’t really grow most of them unless there are situations in our life in which we are being pushed close to someone who challenges our sense of who we are. It could be someone in our home environment, someone at our place of worship, someone in a social organization of which we are a part, or someone at work.

Only to the degree that we allow ourselves to become close to others, whereby they are invited to press our buttons on a regular basis, do we get to do the kind of growing that’s needed.

The key isn’t to be on our own. They key is to be able to be our own person in close proximity to another.

How do you do this?

When someone presses your buttons, instead of reacting to them, you allow yourself to simply be with what you are feeling. You sit with it.

We have to be clear what we mean by “be with” what we are feeling. We don’t fume and vent. We don’t feel like a victim. We don’t tell ourselves a story in our head about what happened and how this person always treats us this way.

We sit, quietly, allowing thoughts and emotions to arise and then leave us.

We don’t deny what we are experiencing, but we don’t turn it into a saga either. We contain it.

Containment is neither acting out nor suppressing. It’s being present with.

When we quiet and calm ourselves in this way, our true self strengths, while at the same time our egoic false self and our pain-body diminish.

We become a person who can connect in a profoundly deep way because we are internally strong enough to do so.

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About the Author:
We invite you to check out David’s daily author blog -http://www.namastepublishing.com/blog/author/david-robert-ord.
David Robert Ord is author of Your Forgotten Self Mirrored in Jesus the Christ and the audio book Lessons in Loving–A Journey into the Heart, both from Namaste Publishing, publishers of Eckhart Tolle and other transformational authors. He writes The Compassionate Eye daily, together with his daily author blog The Sunday Blog, at www.namastepublishing.com
 
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Sometimes you may wonder why certain leaders’ regardless if it is about business; politics, civic, etc seem to excel exponentially in their chosen field above all others.  You may also wonder why you are not excelling in your chosen field as a leader, while others seem to propel themselves into the outer stratospheres of achievement and accomplishment in your field.  Why do these great leaders inspire action and behavior and you don’t to have that “X” factor?  After reading this article you may realize how to have that “X” factor that may be eluding you and take the necessary steps to take your place among the great leaders in your chosen field of endeavor.  The ideas in this article are not my original ideas; they are the ideas of Simon Sinek, a world renowned author and speaker.  I am merely serving as a conduit and advocate of his great teachings, and want to pass them on to you in the event you don’t know about him. His teachings and philosophy have benefited me greatly and they may also have a positive and beneficial effect on you as well.

Forget all about the “How” and the “What” for now.  Toss aside your would-be results.  Concentrate and focus like a laser beam on your “Why”.  Your “Why” is your purpose, your inner core beliefs, and it is a driven passion of yours.  Don’t focus on a particular product or service.  People don’t buy into what you do; they buy into why you do it.  People don’t buy into your “unique selling proposition” that does not mean a hill of beans to them.  People buy into why you do what you do.

You should have one top priority in your business or cause, which trumps any other business goals that you have.  The number one goal should be not to do business with people that want your product or service, but rather do business with people who believe what you believe.  It creates loyalty and trust.  If you talk about what you believe (your “Why”) you will naturally attract people who believe what you believe.  What you do exemplifies what you believe.  If you don’t really know why you do what you do, how will you get people to be loyal and be a part of what you do? 

In summary I suggest you read this article over and over again to comprehend the enormity of its message.  It is not what you do; it is why you do it, which will attract liked minded people, which will nurture loyalty, trust, and inspire action.  I strongly suggest you Google Simon Sinek and view some of his videos. I have given you a brief synopsis of Simon’s ideology.  You may also want to read his book titled “Start With Why”.  Remember if you want to inspire action, begin with your “Why”.

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About the Author:
.  Paul is also an experienced personal online marketing mentor. For more info visit http://www.entrepreneur2day.com  You can follow Paul on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PaullBrooks
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In all walks life there are winners, and there are losers, and there are those who always stick to the middle ground and never take a chance. The phenomenal growth of the internet has brought about a flurry of legal internet casino gambling sites which means that you can gamble at any time, night or day, from anywhere, even in the comfort of your own home. This has really opened up the opportunities and the chance for everyone to become a winner against players from across the globe. The real winners, however, are those who win twice – they win the hand of poker (if they’re lucky, or is it skill?) and they get paid to play (even if they’re neither lucky nor skilfull). You don’t have to be a professional gambler to be a winner on these sites; you can be a winner even if you only play for fun and don’t play for high stakes.

Let’s explain the situation. Every poker room takes a part of the pot, it’s their payment if you like for holding for holding the game in the first place, and it’s called the “rake”. Now here’s the difference between the real winners and those who only maybe win once, when you sign up to a select number of poker rooms you can actually have a refund of every dollar you throw into the pot, this is called “rake back”. Don’t just have the chance to win once, be a real winner and get a portion of your stake back to have more opportunities to win.

Some poker rooms pay your rake back automatically every week, twice a month or monthly, and just add it into your pot; you need to check the individual details of whichever room you choose to become a member of.

Another way that the real winners take advantage is by introducing their friends to some of the poker rooms. This can earn you a percentage of their rake back too, for as long as he plays in the poker room, and if your friend tells a friend, you get some of that too.

Fortunately there are some great sites which can now tell you all of the relevant information about a great number of these casino gambling sites, which ones offer rake back, which ones have bonuses and incentives for you to join, in effect, the best sites where the real winners go for a little excitement and the chance to win big money, over and over again. If you want to be a winner, take a little advice from the winners and follow their lead.

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About the Author:
Check out how to become a real winner on selected internet gambling sites. The real winners can win by more ways than their poker hand.
 
 
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Idleness makes life dull. One must indulge in whatever good work one can lay his hands upon. Blessed is he who has found work. He needs no more blessing. If one has no work in hand and feeling dull about it, one must write. Write whatever one can. If one cannot write anything, then even, he can write that he cannot write anything, and possibly with the reasons why he cannot write. That will do.

Reason to do work: Private or public.

Private reason is doing something because one has to, mainly to earn his livelihood, or at times, to get out of idleness.   

Public reason is doing something on the public sphere because one opts to improve one’s private function. Although someone may find their job or function disagreeable, the task must be completed for society to flow consistently.  

1. Intellect: It is a property of the mind that improves one’s overall ability to perform better. It involves understanding, communication, learning, learning from past experiences, planning, and problem solving.

2. Reasoning power: How one builds up his logic to draw conclusions or arrive at decisions. Such decisions must not be impulsive.

3. Wisdom: It is how one understands and realizes people, entities, things, events, happenings or situations in order to choose or act consistently and produce the optimum results by spending a reasonable period-of-time and amount-of-energy. Wisdom is the ability to effectively and efficiently apply perceptions and knowledge and produce the desired results. Wisdom also includes comprehension of what is true or right.   

These three will help one to ascertain what is a good work.   

Subjectively, Work may be divided into two basic parts,

Physical work and  mental work

Physical work involves our body more, while mental work involves our mind more. Too much emphasis on any one of the two is not good. Too much of physical work makes the body suffer. Too much of mental work makes the mind, and consequently the body, suffer. One must strike a balance between the two, as mind and body are highly interlinked.

Physical work improves one’s nervous system and precision power, which in turn helps the brain to think better and perform better. Balanced improvement of these two helps one to think more analytically and perform with greater precision. Knowledge goes a long way to help one in this regard.

One needs rest after work. Again, rest also may be either physical, or mental. Mental rest is best achieved through sleep. Some light entertainment can also bring mental rest. That improves the involuntary systems of one’s body, thereby improving one’s physical ability to perform better.

Driving a screw through the wood can be of great help to improve one’s involuntary systems. Mending a torn book may be another example. Writing is also a great exercise of the brain as well as of the hand. Writing improves one’s rhythm and poise. One must write at least two pages everyday. Taking dictations from someone and improving one’s writing speed does a world of good.

Positive Thinking: One must have the inner urge to take up a job. Then, one must think positively in so far as finishing the job successfully is concerned. Positive thinking will bring in courage. Courage will bring in faith. Faith, in turn, will bring in confidence in oneself. Confidence will boost up one’s overall skill and ability to perform better and better. One’s chances of success will improve dramatically.

Courage is the sum total of one’s intellect, reasoning power and wisdom. These three makes a person autonomous. Autonomy gives courage. When a person becomes autonomous, he attains maturity, and gets enlightened. One must also never get afraid to think about oneself. It is not selfishness in any way, as long as he thinks about other’s well-being also.

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About the Author:
I am a school teacher since 1998. I graduated from Presidency College. My son is doing an engineering course. I like to write, read books, and watch old movies. Favourite movies are Casablanca, Gone with the Wind. Favorite book: Pride and Prejudice by Jane AustenYour comments, suggestions and questions/queries are most valuable and welcome. Please feel free to contact me, if you wish. My email address is mgupta2365@gmail.com
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Happiness is no new thing. It at the reach of every man but what matters acutely is the attitude and the power to locate Happiness. The most crucial thing is to dip delve into the mind and coin the pearls from the very depth of it. It is better to be engaged in deep brooding how to find the way to happiness and analyze why I am bound to be unhappy. If I try to go to the root I think I may be satisfied to scale the peak of Perfect Happiness.

What actually we need a balanced view of life. We should try to make our life style easy and sober. We should try to follow the track of Virtue and honesty. It is not hard to be honest. If I think I can be Honest I can be then and there without doing any harm to anyone, without causing any harm to anyone, without bothering anyone can be Honest. We have to notice how we are leading our day to day life. If we feel we are satisfied the Sky of Happiness is at hand.

Let us view the Life from different angle. We may expect that the cavern of happiness is gradually being projected in a slow pace. A poor man wants to be rich. It is his only dream to amass enough money. If he fails in his target he is bound to be unhappy.

To achieve his target he toils hard, takes up so many disastrous measures, never stoops to be baffled. But if he, at any cost, peers into his mind and tries to find out the answer – Why am I toiling so hard? Am I not satisfied with the things that loom large at my small cottage? Isn’t what The Almighty has offered me as His Grace is enough for a commonplace man like me? If anyhow the answer flashes in the sky of mind we are sure to find out the Way to Happiness. Hence what will be will be.

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About the Author:
If you want to more about self helpandhappiness in life visit web health care.
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OK…so I have been struggling to fall asleep for the last couple of weeks now. But trust me, you will quickly understand why. 
 
On June 9, 2010 (and yes, it is that serious), I was coming home from a long day at the office. I carefully drove up to my house because the front porch light was off and my headlights were just not doing the job. Gathering all my things, I headed to the front door when I noticed something. What did I see? Well, it was just a long, black stick leaning against the house by the doorbell. “Why did Julien (my twin brother) leave his pellet rifle outside again?” I thought to myself. Believing I had solved the problem of the mysterious object, I quickly entered the house and turned on the porch light to confirm what I saw. “What The…SNAKE!,” I hollered. My roommate, Mark, did not truly believe it was that serious, but when he peeked his head outside the door, I soon realized that this might be one of his biggest phobias. He added some choice words that validated my discovery. To this day we still don’t know if it was a poisonous reptile (water moccasin, cottonmouth or gartersnake), but one thing is for certain: There was a SNAKE wrapped around our doorbell.

I know, I know. You are probably asking, “How can you mistake a snake for a pellet rifle?” Look, I’m still asking myself the same question. As a matter of fact, I need to talk to the optometrist who prescribed the glasses I was wearing that night.
 
I would describe the events that transpired after we discovered the snake, and some of the words that were said out of pure fear, but I really want to keep these newsletters PG-rated. Let’s just say the snake did not see his/her “tomorrow.”
 
After meditating on this event, repenting (smile), and talking with family and friends, I decided to ask this question…Do you know what is at your door when the lights are off? Things people say, information we encounter on radio, TV, the Internet or other media-people and things may be snakes lying quietly by our doors, waiting for an invitation to come into our lives. When the light is not shining, or even on, snakes can hide right by your family’s door. In other words, when the light is not shining, “snakes” can have easy access to our lives.
 
But there’s hope. Did you notice that a single porch light revealed the truth about the evil that was lurking just outside my door? Thank You God for the Light!  
 
John 10:9-10 says: “I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
 
I have to be honest with you. I have let some pop-culture snakes into my house and I am still trying to get rid of them. And it’s hard, I tell you. What about you…do you have snakes (thieves) at your door? More importantly, are you deciding to let them in?
 
Ever since the snake incident occurred, I sometimes “speed walk” to the front door to quickly insert my key and open the door, particularly when Julien forgets to leave the lights on. Knowing Julien, I think he can be more worried about saving on the electric bill than me getting bitten. (Some of you who know Julien know what I am talking about!) 
 
Now we know that it is our responsibility to keep the Light on so we can be aware of any evil trying to infiltrate our lives. So let’s “Keep the Lights On” because there may sometimes be snakes outside the door.
 
 
Prayer,
God, I thank You for Your everlasting Light. Please remove all the snakes that I have knowingly and unknowingly let into my life and into my home. Forgive me if I have ever allowed some of these snakes to affect my relationship with You, Your Son, and my loved ones. Father, give me the strength to seek righteousness daily. Amen.
 
 
By
Damien K. H. Nash, CEO
TNG Publishings, LLC
www.tngpublishings.com 
 
Author of…
How to Load Your Truck: One Box at a Time
Big Box, Little Box: How One Little Box Finds His Way

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About the Author:
Damien K.H. Nash is the author of How to Load Your Truck: One Box at a Time and Big Box, Little Box. How to Load Your Truck was written for those who find themselves stuck behind the door of life. However, Nash explains how to unlock someones destiny by providing the 4 keys he learned while working at a parcel company. Damien Nash has an uncanny gift for showing how everyday processes, such as package delivery systems, can be used in meaningful stories, as in Big Box, Little Box. His heart for family values and character is the cornerstone of his writings.
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Have you ever experienced a moment of quiet rage? One of those things that sneaks up on you and suddenly you find yourself shaking and wondering how something like this could happen?

I was heading to a petrol station to fill up my wife’s car. She works, and I don’t and that is another story for another time. Tonight’s tale deals with what happened when I got there. I was pulling into the station, at night, late at night and against my better judgment. I don’t live in a particularly dangerous neighborhood, but as any city dweller can tell you, crime is mobile.

I take the proper precautions as I get out of my vehicle. Check around me, two people in station, filling their vehicles, trying to look bored and nonchalant; so not working. They want to leap into their cars and drive away as fast as they are able but they don’t want to LOOK like that.

No obvious foot traffic. Check. Sign on the window says “open 24 hours.” Check. Car in park. Lights off. Check. Clearance on driver’s side. Check. Pump active. Check.
Get out of car. Look confident. Glance around. Take in the lay of the land, and project power. Check. As I am going through this checklist, I notice a man sitting on a the hood of a small SUV or covered flatbed truck. He is a tall man, kind of lean, unshaven, looks to be about fifty or so. He is holding a bright red gas can. His head is dipped forward as if he is engaged in some inner dialog.

As I am moving toward the front door of the gas station storefront, he sees me and jumps up. “Hey brother, could you spare some gas, a couple, maybe three gallons?” His voice is clear, he does not mumble, he does not sound intoxicated. He sounds like a man who is not used to asking for anything.

Not seeking confrontation, I scurry inside. I try not to look at the man but my inner Observer, something from my days as military personnel, objectively, dispassionately, gathers all of this information. I notice there is a woman sitting in the car behind him. She too appears to be about fifty years old. But it was not just the woman that I noticed. Behind her, I see materials that might be house furnishings; things that looked as if they were moving. I continue inside.

Now, my inner Observer challenges me. You can’t unsee that. “Can I get twenty dollars on six, please.”

“Will that be credit or ATM?” says the Persian gentleman behind the counter, wearing a crisp and new shirt and a mild musky cologne. His smile seems genuine and his tone friendly.

Don’t ignore me. You saw the man, you saw the woman, you saw their car. They have food wrappers on their dash and furniture in the back of their car. Observe, report, analyse. “Yes, that will be ATM.”

Did I mention I was an autistic? I have conversations with myself all the time. So don’t think I am crazy or become upset. This is normal for me. Anyway…

“What is the price of your gas here?” I asked the nice attendant. Yes, I drove past the sign coming in but unfortunately, that is something I have a mental block against, living in California. You just buy the gas, you don’t really want to know what it costs. It always costs a dollar more than anywhere else in the nation.

You have acknowledged his existence and have made a decision. Why prevaricate? You are going to spend enough to get three gallons of gasoline, enough to fill up that red container. Do it! How could you stand there, they are living out of their damn car…

Enough!

The Observer falls silent, his work done.

The attendant does not know what the price of the gas here is, which is not really surprising since he probably does not get paid enough for it to matter to him, either. At that point, I did not care what it cost. I walk to the door and wave to the man. Seeing me, he waves back and moves toward the pump next to my car.

I am self-conscious. I do not know why.

“Ten dollars on pump six, please.” The station agent looks at me quizzically since I just bought gasoline for pump five. He assumes I have made a mistake and looks out the window.

“Are you sure, sir?”

“Yes, I am buying it for that man right there.” I use the tone of command, to let him know I am aware of what I am doing and will only require his cooperation at this point. He complies.

When I walk out the store. The man is pumping his gas and as I approach him, he says to me “God Bless you, brother.” His voice is rich with emotional undertones and I am again unnerved. I am not a religious man, so his benedictions made me uncomfortable. I did not do it for God. I did it for… Who did I do it for? The Observer wisely stays silent.

“No problem. Will that get you where you need to be?” trying to sound casual.

He out-casuals me with “Hope so.”

As I get ready to pump my gas, he stops me. “My can is full. Let’s put the rest in yours. Don’t hang your pump up, I’m just going to finish what’s on this one. He smiles as he pumps the rest of the gas into my tank and then picks up his gas can and says “Thanks, again.”

I fill my tank. My thoughts are racing and the first thing that comes to me is, that could be me in a few months. I have no job and no income. For me unemployment ended this month. But this fellow looks like he has been living in his car for some time. I began to feel that burning, that anger, that frustration stirring in my chest, the feeling I spend my days suppressing and my nights sweating.

As I finish, I look over at their white flatbed, and the woman, possibly his wife, looks at me and waves. I wave back. I thought I would feel good doing this deed. No I didn’t. I thought I would absolve myself of any guilt I felt watching this man sit here at this station, waiting for some salvation, some humanity in an age where human kindness is in short supply, where no one but the rich or the lucky have money or a job. A man in a number of months who may be me. I wanted to do more for them.

But then I thought about it. I did not actually have any money with me, and I was doing something spending what I did not actually have. (My money was actually the stipend my wife gives me for doing housework during the week while I look for work.) I mostly don’t spend it. I found that as long as I don’t leave home, I don’t actually need money. And if I don’t carry cash, I absolutely won’t buy anything I don’t need. I had to settle myself with having done what I could do. I had been as much of a friend as I could afford to be.

As I was contemplating the feelings I was having, I realized what it was. I was in pain. I was uncomfortable. I was saddened and distressed by seeing these two people, forced by circumstances unknown to me, to be living in their vehicle. And for a moment, I was overwhelmed by that feeling. I normally pride myself on my dispassion. My ability to observe, with detachment.

The Observer, the part of my rational mind that sits outside of what I call me, remembers something I heard Jim Morrison say at an interview: “People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that’s bullshit. Love hurts. Feelings are disturbing. People are taught that pain is evil and dangerous. How can they deal with love if they’re afraid to feel? Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they’re wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio. You feel your strength in the experience of pain. It’s all in how you carry it. That’s what matters. Pain is a feeling. Your feelings are a part of you. Your own reality. If you feel ashamed of them, and hide them, you’re letting society destroy your reality. You should stand up for your right to feel your pain.”

Sometimes I hate the Observer. It is the part of me that makes me participate in all things human, even when I do not want to. Mostly, I don’t want to. My pain is uncomfortable, but for the first time in weeks, I am outside of myself; outside of my selfish desire to wallow in my misery, feeling sorry for myself. I had a chance to find myself again. To renew my opportunities, to find work worthy of my ability. It was not too late. I still had my home, my family, I still had some time.

As I pull away from the station, I pass the man putting his gas into his car, his actions precise and careful. He sees me as I drive by. He and his wife wave at me again, and I wave back. There was something in my eye and I needed to wipe it away.

At 11:35, August 25, 2010, two strangers passed in the night. One in need of a friend; the other, a friend, in need. We worked it out.

God Bless.

Thaddeus Howze © 2010, All Rights Reserved

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About the Author:
BlogTalkRadio’s Ebonstorm – Thaddeus Howze, is a writer, BTR host (Wavefront) and co-host (Afterthoughts with S. Denise Newton). Contact info: ebonstorm@gmail.com | (510) 397-8509
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When it comes to personal growth, at the very time life feels most threatening—as if it’s perhaps even about to sink our ship—instead of seeing it as our enemy, we need to trust it.

It may seem crazy, but I have seen over the years how there is an incredible wisdom in the way life has brought to the fore each of the aspects of my life that have asked me to grow.

It isn’t just that we rise to the challenge, no matter what life throws at us. Disaster always challenges us to re-personalize—to become more than we have known ourselves to be.

It’s that the very untrustworthiness of life, which may seem like caprice, can be trusted.

I use the word “trust” as a clearer way of saying “faith.” So often the word faith causes us to stray into the realm of beliefs, which tend to be mental concepts that are often of no more transformative value than their placebo effect.

Faith also conjures up for many of us images of faith “in” something, such as a “God out there somewhere.” In other words, it’s frequently associated with the so-called supernatural.

When whatever the current deal in our life situation may be doesn’t work anymore, the mystery at the heart of existence—which is the source of the essence of each of us—shakes things up.

In a sense, it’s us shaking our life up, because this mysterious Presence is that inner grower in us (often called the Holy Spirit) that’s at the core of our essential being.

I’ve come to see how, over and over, I have invited into my life the very situations I dreaded because something in me knew I had to go through these situations in order to become who I really am.

Whatever we try to avoid—whatever we dread—must ultimately be faced. Life will have none of us going our merry way fearfully, holding back, reining ourselves in, dodging the unpleasant.

On the contrary, life is in the game of stretching us. It seeks to expand our horizon, opening us up to our intrinsic greatness. This is what I mean by being forced by disaster, grief, pain, and the like, to re-personalize.

Our true person begins to emerge more and more in response to the massaging carried out by our life situation. And life knows just how to walk us into the precise situations we require.

We are pressed to dump our old ways of being, over and over, until all resistance on our part dies down and our essence is at last aligned with our existence.

Trust isn’t about some otherworldly state, but about a quiet confidence that life is seeking to tease out our greatness even when everything around us is falling apart.

Trust in the wisdom of life is the key to allowing ourselves to undergo transformation.

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About the Author:
David Robert Ord is Editorial Director for Namaste Publishing, publishers of Eckhart Tolle and other transformational authors. He writes The Compassionate Eye daily on the Namaste Publishing website, together with his daily author blog Consciousness Rising: http://www.namastepublishing.com/blog/author/david-robert-ord.

 
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