"All great changes are preceded by chaos". Deepak Chopra

Really, if change were easy, everyone would be doing it instead of staying in jobs they hate and dysfunctional,crazy relationships that bring them down and severely injure their souls.

"Happiness for a reason is a form a misery because the reason can be taken away from you at any time. To be happy for no reason is the happiness you want to experience". Vedanta teachings

It's about choice. Choosing to be happy in any given situation even during tough, emotional times being grateful for those feelings. Finding happiness knowing we're alive. Always seeking some form of gratitude.

"When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your objective. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm". Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it". Michelangelo

Finding one's personal success can be a hard road to travel, fear can play a part in our choosing to reach low. It's our job to determine, if in fact, that's the case. Self-analysis and reflection combined with a bit of professional therapy can go along way in helping us to figure ourselves out.

"It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly, than to live an imitation of someone else's life with perfection". From the Bhagavad Gina

"With forgiveness, your victim identity dissolves and your true power emerges - the power of presence. Instead of blaming the darkness, you bring in the light". Eckhart Tolle

"Think of what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap". Barbara Jordan

I mean, really, wouldn't that be a great thing? As adults, we get caught up in career, friends, family as if our lives were running on spin cycle. Taking time to kickback for just a little while, mid-day, to have a little cookies and mile, would soften us up leading, hopefully, to a less harsh world. Taking care of self paves the way to taking care of others.

"My mother said to me,"If you become a soldier, you'll be a general"; "If you become a monk, you'll end up as the pope"; Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso". Pablo Picasso

In other words, be an individual. Listen to your inner voice. Not everyone can be Pablo Picasso, but we can be the best and brightest version of ourselves.

"There is nothing more genuine than breaking away from the chorus to learn the sound of your own voice". Po Bronson

Finding one's own voice, connecting with our spirit, learning who we are and what we can accomplish in loving and honoring who we are. Gee, what a concept!

"Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute". Josh Billings

"It's not who you think you are that holds you back; it's who you think you're not". Anonymous

Can you say self-confidence? Mhm, I knew you could. In order to accomplish a goal, we need to believe we can do it and to believe we can do it, we need to believe in ourselves above all else. Go head, take the risk, you have nothing to lose but yourself.

"True friends stab you in the front". Oscar Wilde

Friends who tell you the truth, WHAT A CONCEPT! I'm so tired of being stabbed in the back by wacko, crazy people who haven't a clue about themselves much less what makes me tick. Using me to feed their lack of self-esteem. And it's not that I don't care about them, and it's not that I don't wish them well - I just don't want to be abused.

Friends who hit me up with the truth, are people whom I know I can hit up with the truth as well making for healthy, loving, caring relationships that enrich my life on a daily basis and help keep me safe from those who wish me harm.

"The purpose of life, is a life of purpose". Robert Byrne

"You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist". Indira Gandi

I wish everyone would go to therapy because, really, for most people,that's the only way they're going to learn to open their hearts, minds and hands, and it's not about opening up a checkbook in support of a cause, but the ability to really look deeply into the eyes of others and feel their pain, joy and sorrows that keeps the fists open.

Fortunate or unfortunate, I have had the "right" people come into my life who have helped me to learn a lot about who I am and in doing so, helped to create someone who is not afraid of what others might to do to him. A little pissed off, maybe, when people treat me poorly, but definitely not someone who is afraid of them knowing they can only do to me what I have allowed. I am in charge and in the end, I usually end up feeling sorry for them because their behavior usually means they are the ones who are afraid and feel lashing out at others somehow protects them and makes them strong; however, compassion, understanding and love make us powerful.

"It's not your job to like me; it's mine". Byron Katie

Watch my lips; they never leave my face! Loving one's self is not selfish. Not loving others for who and what they are is the selfish part.

Diagnose your soul. Who are you? What makes you tick? This is loving one's self. You'll be surprised - learning what makes you tick leads to learning what makes others tick bringing you closer not only to them but to yourself as well.

Don't be afraid. There's a wonderful person in there waiting for love!

"Income tax has made a liar out of more Americans than golf". Will Rogers

"In the book of life, the answers aren't in the back". Charlie Brown

And that's because they're right there in front of you, next to you, beside you - everywhere! All we need do is keep our hearts and minds open. The greatest lesson to learn is love yourself first. Truly, learning to love one's self and deeply care for one's self is the path to an overwhelmingly, beautiful life. Once we learn we're all that and a bag of chips based on the obstacles we've met and maneuvered through, we realize others have had to do the same if not more so.

Life is a precious valuable gift. Throw the book away and make up your own answers!

"The best way to predict your future is to create it". Peter Drucker

There's no such thing as doing the wrong thing. Get over that idea! On any given day, you, along with everyone around you is doing the best they can. Find joy in this, find joy in yourself, find joy in others. You have the power to create each day and make it what you want it to be. If you don't want to do something, then don't do it especially if you're going to beat yourself up later for doing so.

Taking care of self first is not only a good thing it's MANDATORY!

Of course, it's impossible to be "up" all the time, and it would be really, really strange if you were, because that would mean you aren't in touch with reality. People get ill, people die, tragedies happen - feel them, log them in your heart and soul and take the time if only for a moment to be grateful.

Now, get out there and create a beautiful life for yourself. It's waiting there for you!

"One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency". Arnold H. Glasgow

Alas, the reason I like self-employment. So many managers out there who think they're doing a good job badgering and abusing employees.

Dear Managers,
You are a leader. Leaders inspire, encourage and support their team. If you don't get that, then get a different job or educate yourself. And that doesn't necessarily mean you need to go to school. Pay a visit to Amazon.com and read! You know how to do that; don't you? I ask, because I know a number of you who lack the ability to formulate a grammatically correct sentence when composing an email. You might wanna read-up on that too!

Thanks!
Larry

"The greatest mistake a man can ever make is to be afraid of making one". Elbert Hubbard

How sad to watch people who are afraid to try something new or take take their life in an uncharted direction. Although I'm prone to getting distracted, I try each day to be grateful for new opportunities and experiences. For being crazy enough or smart enough to not live my life in the norm. There is so much to experience - so much to learn - so much to enjoy!

Get out there and make a whole lotta mistakes, folks, cuz that's livin'!

"A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith; sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities". William Arthur Ward

"Thought is action in rehearsal". Sigmund Freud

And the thing about it is those thoughts can be negative or positive, and it's still rehearsal. All depends on what kind of show you're putting on.

"Trouble creates a capacity to handle it". Oliver W. Holmes

I truly can't imagine life without trouble; I mean, really, it would be so boring otherwise. It's not that I go looking for it or crave it, and I could definitely do without war, hatred and mans inhumanity to man, but there's something to be said for relationship difficulties, career/work impurities and everyday toils and troubles that help build character and show us exactly what we're made of and able to withstand.

For me, life is all about getting to know ourselves and in doing so, bringing ourselves closer to others. It's about building inner strength, understanding and respect. No matter where I've traveled, people are all trying to do the same thing - have a roof over their head and food to eat.

If we can come to understand our own basic needs and what we'd do to obtain them if push came to shove and we didn't have them, we'd be a lot closer to humanity.

"What Do Yuh Know I'm Psychic!"

Yes,I know, hard to believe, but it's true; I was born with THE gift and before you ask, no, I don't do weddings, birthdays, confirmations or Bar Mitzvahs; however, I wouldn't turn down Oprah if she came uh callin'.

And don't ask me for lottery numbers or when you're going to meet the man or girl of your dreams; there's no cheapening of my talent happening here!

For the most part,sorry, but ye laymen don't understand. Serving a higher purpose is far more difficult than it appears. The ability to see the future ascends from the deepest recesses of my soul.

There's no turning my "gift" on and off, and there's no telling when it will appear.

Last week, for example, I was in line at the grocery store and had just loaded all my groceries on to the conveyor belt, when the cashier gave the man ahead of me his total. The man then reached into his pocket for his wallet and WHAM! it hit me - out of nowhere really, this overwhelming sense of "knowing" came upon me, and I knew, I just knew in that moment, I'd known before him that he'd come to Ralph's to buy groceries because why else would he be standing there without money or ATM card in-hand as his items were scanned and bagged?

Hard to believe, amazing even, that I knew before him but, obviously, there's no denying I have the "gift".

And then just the other day, I was on the freeway headed to work when the drivers ahead of me, like Moses parting the Red Sea, were changing lanes. As I came up behind the much slower, moving car, once again, WHAM! It hit me, and I just knew the driver was talking on the phone and, sure enough, I was right!

Good thing for me, when I have one of my higher consciousness moments, my eyes don't roll into the back of my head, because then my "gift" would be far more noticeable to the general public and then reality TV would be beggin' me to do a show and then I'd become this mega-celebrity who could no longer casually go into Ralph's and be wowed by my own, magnificent gift.

I'm a humble man.

"There are some people who live in a dream world,and there are some who face reality, and then there are those who turn one into the other". Douglas H. Everett

Turning dreams into reality, now there's a concept! And, might I add, not necessarily an easy one. It takes a lot of hard work to follow our dreams and put ourselves out there in the real world holding our heads high and believing in where we want to go, but that's just it we do need to go!

Many of us get caught up in what we believe we're supposed to do as opposed to what we really WANT to do.

Recently, I had a conversation with a young man who works at my bank. How we got on the subject, I don't know, but we were talking about living and loving life and what he really wanted to do was to be a martial arts instructor instead of a bank employee; however, he didn't feel he could earn enough money as an instructor to some day buy a house.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH, is what goes on inside my head when I hear things like that - I just scream it! A house is a house is a house - a life is so far more important!

My suggestion to him, how about teaching martial arts leading to your own studio, leading to hiring others to teach as well leading to a chain of studios leading to buying a house. In other words, the best of both worlds by turning a dream into a reality.

Voila!

"Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance toward the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point". Harold B. Melchart

In other words, live in the moment. And, yep, I know this is a hard thing to do, but we must try. There's so much to be missed if we live our lives worried about what happened yesterday or about what's going to happen tomorrow. The past is in the past, and there's nothing we can do about it other than using it to guide our future and tomorrow's not yet here and, who knows, it may never get here; there are no guarantees so do your best to live now!

Get lost in your life, absorb it, feel it and believe in it; it's the only one you have.

"When all's said and done, all roads lead to the same end. So it's not so much which road you take, as how you take it". Charles de Lint

"What do you mean do you don't believe in homosexuality? It's not like the Easter Bunny, your belief isn't necessary". Lea DeLaria

"The most ancient and natural way to acquire skills and knowledge is by hanging out with someone who's got them - watching, asking, helping". Barbara Sher


My writer friend, Karen, you know, the one whose life I've thus far spared, turned me on to Barbara Sher's book "Wishcraft" (How to get what you really want). It's an amazing, real, no-fluff guide to attaining one's goals.

Over the years, I've learned a lot reading books by Anthony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Gary Zukov and Melody Beattie, among others, having found them incredibly enlightening; I can now add Barbara Sher to the list.


Ms. Sher's advice is pretty straight forward. I especially like chapter two "The Environment That Creates Winners". Without laying blame,she pretty much says the environment we grew up in helps decide whether our lives from the get-go will be winning ones. She offers up a series of questions that are really hard to answer. Well, not exactly hard to answer but definitely hard to hear yourself answer.

With respect to our upbringing, she asks:

1. Were you treated as though you had a unique kind of genius that was loved and respected?
2. Were you told that you could do and be anything you wanted -- and that you'd be loved and admired no matter hat it was?
3. Were you given real help and encouragement in finding out what you wanted to do -- and how to do it?
4. Were you encouraged to explore all your own talents and interests, even if the changed from day to day?
5. Were you allowed to complain when the going got rough, and given sympathy instead of being told to quit?
6. Were you bailed out when you got in over your head -- without reproach?
7. Were you surrounded by winners who were pleased when you won?

Sad as it may seem, I answered no to all of these questions.

At this stage of the game, I lay no blame; however, there was a time in my life when I did. Somewhere in my 30s, I realized I needed to stop blaming my parents for what they lacked and began to understand, like I, they, too, were human and couldn't teach what they didn't know.

Enter the notion of cyclical behavior and how it affects individuals and families. Enter the world of self-care and, guess what?, it's okay!

"It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious". Oscar Wilde

Ain't it the truth. And they can rapidly move from one to the other, usually, toward tedious! And one would think the older we get, the more quickly we'd be able to spot someone who's gonna make the jump to tedious but, alas, not so much so. I've come to find those who are most charming, tend to be the most dishonest; not in a thievery kind of way but they're not honest with themselves and if they're not honest with themselves, then how can they be honest with others?

Lack of honesty - very tedious.

Like Mr. Wilde, I try really hard not to judge people as either good or bad choosing instead, to see their behavior as either appropriate or inappropriate. Why? Because I hope for the same in return.

Surprise, I'm not perfect. Yes,I know, that comes as a shock to most of you, but I've done a few not so good things, here and there along the way. Okay, well, maybe more than just a few - I have had 51 years to play around with after all!

Here's the thing. We're all inherently good. We all have different life experiences. We all make mistakes. We all have the potential to learn and grow. We all want to be validated. We all want compassion. We all want to be loved; yet, we don't necessarily know how to get this accomplished so I'll go ahead and tell yuh.

The way to get 'er done, is to start with yourself. Learn from your mistakes; forgive yourself; validate and believe in who you are and want to become; treat yourself with compassion (and respect) and, above all, love yourself!

In doing so, you'll be amazed at how wonderful the world truly is. Like begets like; love begets love...pretty amazing concept.