Friday, April 29, 2011

I Wish You Enough

I never really thought that I'd spend as much time in airports as I do. I don't know why. I always wanted to be famous and that would mean lots of travel. But I'm not famous, yet I do see more than my share of airports.
I love them and I hate them. I love them because of the people I get to watch. But they are also the same reason why I hate airports. It all comes down to "hello" and "goodbye." I must have mentioned this a few times while writing my stories.
I have great difficulties with saying goodbye. Even as I write this I am experiencing that pounding sensation in my heart. If I am watching such a scene in a movie I am affected so much that I need to sit up and take a few deep breaths. So when faced with a challenge in my life I have been known to go to our local airport and watch people say goodbye. I figure nothing that is happening to me at the time could be as bad as having to say goodbye.
Watching people cling to each other, crying, and holding each other in that last embrace makes me appreciate what I have even more. Seeing them finally pull apart, extending their arms until the tips of their fingers are the last to let go, is an image that stays forefront in my mind throughout the day.
On one of my recent business trips, when I arrived at the counter to check in, the woman said, "How are you today?" I replied, "I am missing my wife already and I haven't even said goodbye."
She then looked at my ticket and began to ask, "How long will you...Oh, my God. You will only be gone three days!" We all laughed. My problem was I still had to say goodbye.
But I learn from goodbye moments, too.
Recently I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her departure and standing near the security gate, they hugged and he said, "I love you. I wish you enough." She in turn said, "Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Daddy."
They kissed and she left. He walked over toward the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say goodbye to someone knowing it would be forever?"
"Yes, I have," I replied. Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love and appreciation for all my Dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were limited, I took the time to tell him face to face how much he meant to me.
So I knew what this man was experiencing.
"Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever goodbye?" I asked.
"I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, the next trip back would be for my funeral," he said.
"When you were saying goodbye I heard you say, "I wish you enough." May I ask what that means?"
He began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." He paused for a moment and looking up as if trying to remember it in detail, he smiled even more."When we said 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them," he continued and then turning toward me he shared the following as if he
were reciting it from memory.
I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Goodbye."
He then began to sob and walked away.
My friends, I wish you enough!

Bob Perks

Life's Biggest Con

What scares you? What stories do you make up to con yourself into holding back? What would you do if you didn't con yourself into being scared?
I've done something that scared the heck out of me. But it also turned out to be the best thing I've ever done!
Two years ago, I discovered that my Dad needed a kidney and as soon as I realized I might be the answer he needed, the voices in my head began to resist and shout!
"NO WAY can I give up a kidney! Are you kidding me!? I need both kidneys! I can't do it!"
Fear struck me down in an instant. I had never given up a body part. For that matter, I had never even stayed in hospital.
Despite the fear, I mentally considered the idea ... and I the more I thought about it, the more terrified I became. What if I had kidney failure in the future? Would I be able to have kids? What if something went wrong and I had impaired health for the rest of my life? Don't we need both kidneys?
All the while, Dad never asked me or any other member of our family for a kidney. I decided to get tested on my own. I was the only one in my family that got tested and I felt isolated. I felt like Dad's health was my responsibility alone. The fear held an even firmer grip on my mind.
And to accelerate the mental spin I was already in, there were plenty of well-meaning people ready to offer up their unsolicited opinion to help build and fortify my "wall of fear."
These were just a few of the fantastic and ridiculous comments I heard:
• "I know someone who donated a kidney and they got really fat as a result. You might get really fat". (A young woman's worst fear!)
• "Will you be able to have children?"
• "You'll have to give up alcohol."
• "You'll have to change your diet, become a vegetarian."
• "What happens if your kidney fails and you don't have a spare?"
• "What if you're in a car accident and your remaining kidney gets hurt?"
• "What about the yin and yang and flow through your body that they refer to in Chinese medicine? Losing a kidney will interrupt that and ruin your health!"
In the midst of all that, I decided to move forward. Dad told me I could pull out at anytime and he wouldn't think the worst of me. But I had made up my mind and I began to rise above the fear, rise above my own con job.
By the time the day of the operation arrived, I was actually calm.
When I awoke from the surgery, the doctors had me on a drip line and added 7kg of fluid to my body - even my chicken legs were fat! And they had pumped my body cavity full of gas. My surgeons joked that I looked like I should be in the maternity ward!
But, guess what? That was the worst of it. Despite my fears and the warnings of well-meaning friends, there were no complications and my recovery was quick. I was only in the hospital for 4 days. It only took a week for the fluid to leave my body and a few short months for the swelling to deflate completely. I was dancing - albeit somewhat carefully - after just 2 weeks, and returned to work after 4 weeks.
Now, giving up a kidney should be pretty scary for anyone, right? It's an important body part and you can't get it back once it's gone. It certainly was a scary prospect for me! But I did it, and the truth is that it wasn't a big deal. It wasn't a big deal at all! It was only my thinking that made it so. It's sort of like bungy jumping. The scariest part is the fear you con yourself into believing before you jump. After you jump, it's exhilarating.
I realized that I was incredibly fortunate to have been given an opportunity to donate my kidney. With that realization, though, came an insightful question that stopped me in my tracks:
If I could give up a kidney ... if it really wasn't such a big deal ... then what else could I have done if I hadn't let fear get in the way?
I could ... I CAN ... do so much more! I got it! I wasn't living up to my potential and I was 100% responsible. The only thing holding me back was me! I have since decided that I am not going to waste another minute. I LIVE, not exist. I've got massive goals and thoroughly ENJOY every moment of my life.
It's been over two years now and I'm delighted to report that Dad hasn't rejected the kidney. My gift has given Dad a far superior quality of life, has had zero adverse effects on my health, and the whole experience has undoubtedly brought Dad & I closer. I have realized that the joy is truly in the giving.
And I understand that fear is simply a con game we play on ourselves. It is all in our mind.
By acting in the face of fear and giving up my kidney, I received the greatest gift imaginable. I feel fantastic! My life is utterly different now, I LOVE it! From this experience, I've acquired a massive desire to wake people up, to let them know that they should never let fear hold them back, to inspire them to live NOW ...and to make the world a better place.
I'm up for big stuff ... and I'm going for it.
What are you up for? You'll only discover what you're capable of doing if you are willing to do it afraid!
Adrienne Rich

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

62-Year-Old Reaches North Pole

Ever struggle to achieve a goal?
I'm about to remove your excuses -forever.
Raymond Aaron, at the age of 62, heard about a crazy thing called the Polar Race.
This is a race where a handful of extreme athletes travel 350 miles across arctic ice-fields to reach the Magnetic North Pole.
Using only skis and sleds. Under their own power. No motors. No kidding.
And Raymond did what many don't ever do - he finished the race. Alive.
So what's your excuse for not achieving your goals?
Raymond pushed himself beyond human limits - and did something well beyond the abilities of most people half his age.
"The Polar Race is by far the toughest thing I've ever done," says Raymond. "I would never do it again."
Then he smiles. "But I highly recommend doing it once."
So how tough was it, really?
Raymond spent April in the Arctic, racing to the Pole with competitors half his age, pulling a 100-pound sled, skiing the equivalent of a marathon every day.
He lost a pound of body weight every day.
At times, he thought he might die.
At times, he wanted to quit.
But quitting the Polar Race is not an option. If you want to live, you keep moving.
Raymond endured the hardships of the subzero temperatures, fields of ice rubble, and dragging that hundred pound sled behind him. He suffered frostbite on his face.
One night, Raymond lay in his sleeping bag listening to a polar bear rummage around his campsite.
The coldest day of the race came just four days into the three-week ordeal. The race teams forced themselves to move through a bone shattering -68°day.
"It's hard to describe because it's so shocking. Cold wind instantly freezes you. It's just so frightening." Says Raymond.
While it was the most difficult thing Raymond had ever done, it also turned out to be the most rewarding.
Completing the race was a triumph few people will ever know.
"I learned that I could go beyond what I thought were my limits," says Raymond. "We are capable of much more than we believe we are capable of."
Fitting, because Raymond's job back in the "everyday world" is teaching people how to achieve their life's goals.
"Anyone can do just about anything they set their mind to," Raymond says. "And I'm living proof."
Raymond offers a free video course on how to set and achieve your goals.
He has a totally unique spin on this subject: "There is a way to write your goals so that you always achieve them, every single time," Raymond says.
Every time?
"Really," he smiles. "Every time. It's almost like the goals achieve themselves. It's quite elegant."

Courtesy of:

Bob Proctor

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

This is Good

The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!"

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation, the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!"

To which the king replied - "No, this is not good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake.

As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend.

"You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off." And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened." And so, I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this."

"No," his friend replied, "This is good!"

"What do you mean, 'This is good'? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"

"If I had not been in jail, I would have been with you, and not here with you right now."

In a very unusual way, the message here unfolds into exposing the following principle about life.

"Absolutely everything happens for a purpose; and out of what seems like adversity at the time; always comes good".

I'm sure that if any of us care to reflect back on the tragedy's, the heartaches, the 'bad times' in our lives, that we discover that we have really grown or developed during that period of time:even though the reflection may still cause us discomfort in some way.

It is in this way that we slowly gather experience and wisdom, and even though we may think or feel that it is unfair, that's the way it is.

"This is good". Many of our life's experiences have saved us from some form of cannibals; it's just that we often don't know that they have at the time.

So, for a simple example to help with awareness: next time you may begin to feel you are being 'wronged' by being stuck in a traffic jam, think about the cannibals that could be lurking down the road a bit,but will be gone by the time you get there.
Now that's a bit different, but worth trying: "this is good" - despite the circumstances.
Remember: "What others do or say is their stuff; how we react, or not, is our stuff"!
And: "True Happiness in life isn't having what you want, but wanting what you have"!
© Phil Evans
www.peoplestuff.com.au

Monday, April 25, 2011

Why Is This Person in My Life?

Many people believe that the Law of Attraction says that if someone shows up in their lives, it's because they attracted that person. I know that when I'm in a lousy mood and I get into my car, it sure seems that every bad driver and tailgater in the vicinity is in my lane. I'm irritated, they're aggressive, and we are all resonating together. If you could "hear" our vibration, it would sound like a head-banging, heavy-metal rock song called "Get Out of My Way!"
But on that same road there are drivers who are tuned in to a different frequency. They've got "Take It Easy" playing on the car stereo. They're smiling as all the angry drivers zip through the lanes and wear out their accelerators. These travelers let the others pass and give them no energy or attention.
The Law of Attraction has been misinterpreted by some to mean that we are actually acting as magnets, drawing in and repelling people and situations that perfectly match up with our vibration. This is a mechanistic view of how attraction and resonance works.
Like attracts like, so you will notice, approach, and interact with those you feel a connection to. However, you're not personally responsible for everyone who is on the freeway today just because you chose to go for a drive. You, like everyone else, will always be surrounded by people who are angry and intense, and others who are calmly enjoying the ride. The Law of Attraction simply ensures that you'll notice those vibrating at your level and overlook everyone else. So which song are you going to tune in to?
Colette Baron-Reid

The Lesson of the Morning Glory!

I planted seeds in my little garden this year.

I have never planted seeds before, because I am not a very patient person, and waiting for the little green shoots to rise above the ground, was just too much for me. But this year, I thought I would give it a try. I thought it would be a good metaphor for me, to plant something and watch it grow, much as I have many times, planted thoughts, dreams and affirmations and watched many of them become a reality.

And so, in the Spring of this year, I planted my garden. I chose many types of flowers and among them, Morning Glories. Within a month, many of the other flowers were bursting through the earth, but not the Morning Glories.

Each morning, I would run outside to check on them, and nothing, nothing for several weeks more. I was about to give up on them. I was sure that they just did not 'take' so to speak. But finally, it happened! They had broken through the earth, and were starting to climb. And climb, and climb, and climb, they did....with their big, beautiful, heart shaped leaves.

And so, the saga continued, nothing for weeks and weeks and weeks but more and more beautiful leaves. And I thought to myself, "Well, leaves are nice, but that is all I will probably get at this point." And then, one fine and glorious morning, there it was, the most beautiful sky-blue morning glory I have ever seen!!! It seemed like a miracle to me. I had waited over 3 months for this one delicate, funnel-shaped flower to show up and now here it was, in all its splendor.

It reminded me of just how many times I had waited in life for something I had longed for, and how incredible it felt when it finally arrived, and also, how many times, that I had wanted to throw in the towel, and just give up.

But I wasn't prepared for what was to happen next, with these little flowers, and I was surprised and deeply saddened by it.

Roses and geraniums and daisies and most other flowers bloom and stay around for a while, but not Morning Glories. Morning Glories open themselves up to the world, in the morning, in all of their glory, hence the name, Morning Glory.

And if you look closely at them, you will see how extraordinary they are, both in colour and texture, and that in their centre, is a kind of golden light that shines from within.

But here is the hard part...
At the end of the day, they turn a most beautiful shade of lavender, and then close up, wither and die. They live for only one day, and then they are gone. I cannot tell you how much this saddened me, and what a profound effect this little flower had upon my life. I kept thinking how sad to be so beautiful and live for only one day. And then, I suddenly realized what a gift they were.

You see, it doesn't matter how long your life is. It only matters that you were here, in all your glory, that you opened up completely, and let your light shine, and that you brought joy to those who came into contact with you. That's what matters to the morning glory, and that's what really matters to all of us.

The morning glories make me appreciate every new day now, in a way I didn't before. Each evening, I go and visit with them, knowing those particular ones won't be here tomorrow, new ones will take their place. If we knew when we woke up in the morning, that we only had that one day to really live, life would be very different indeed for many of us.

Now, each morning, I give thanks that I have been given the gift of another day, in all its glory. We can learn from all of life, if we remain open to the beauty that is all around us. And nature can be one of our greatest teachers.

What a profound lesson from such a simple flower.

Thank you, my sweet little morning glories!

Veronica Hay