The Glass Sentinel

“I’m looking for a job that will allow me to do what I want to do.”

-      Kyle Butterfield

The Glass Sentinel

I could smell the large trees that were surrounding me.  The fresh air seemed to be streaming right from their leaves into my nose.  It made me feel as if I was sitting in a forest in early spring and the feeling was exceptionally welcome since I had braved fog, snow and freezing cold air before I could enjoy it.  Just beyond the trees were sentinel glass barriers that kept all that gloomy winter stuff at bay.

This interior garden was enlivening to me and I needed it because the cloud darkened day was coming to a close and I still had two meetings left.  Luckily they were both in this spirit-refueling garden that was about to turn into something akin to a fortune teller.

There was a table for us to sit at during our conversation and there were two chairs that allowed us to look at each other as we talked.  The tête-à-tête was pleasant and revealing for both of us as we got to know each other better.  I learned about the other person’s business as well as his family.  I also learned about his life’s aspirations.  But, there was one curious thing.

“I am looking forward to retiring so I can do something of real value.” He said to me.

“Isn’t your working adding value to others now?” I asked.

“Yes.  But, it isn’t what I really want to do.”  He responded.

“But, if you really want to do it wouldn’t you be doing it?” I replied.

Sometimes we think that we can only do what we want to do if we are doing it as a medium of exchange for money.  Or, we think that since we spend time working for money that we’re unable to do what we really love to do.

My Nephew Kyle called me today.  He told me that he had recently graduated from college.  I know that he’s worked long and hard to get his degree!  He’s been searching for work so he can provide for his wife and their new baby.  He has an interview this coming week.

“It isn’t what I want to do.” He said.

“Why can’t you do what you want to do?” I replied.

“I haven’t found anyone who will pay me to be an illustrator!” He responded.

“Let me ask you a question,” I answered. “Do writers write?”

“Yes.”

“Do illustrators, illustrate?”

“Yes.”

“So, if you want to be an illustrator, illustrate!” I advocated.

It’s important that you become your own advocate, since we live in a world that’s cold & snowy and covered in fog.  You can look inside and illustrate our own interior garden; find what you love to do.  After all, that’s who you really are!  When you discover it, you’ll find that it’s enlivening.  It will act as your sentinel glass barrier that will keep you safe and warm even when the outer world is dark and threatening and you need to work for money do keep a roof over your head and food in your belly.

Take a walk in your garden today by discovering what it is that you really want to do and then go out and do it.  If you’re a writer, write.  If you’re a teacher, teach.  If you’re an artist, create art.  When you get in touch with your love, every other person will benefit.  There is no limit on what love can do!

How to Save Your Own Life

“Building this house saved my life!”

-      Richard Ure

How to Save Your Own Life

The room we were sitting in was new, fresh and beautiful.  There was a huge wooden desk in the corner, gleaming white wainscoting on the walls and plush carpet on the floor.  The newness of everything was also made obvious as a result of the custom pieces of art that were sitting on the floor and leaning against the white, high-gloss walls.  Within the wall in front of me, and to the right was a beautiful fireplace that matched the fire I could see in the eyes of my host, Richard.

It was good to see fire in Richard’s eyes again.  You see, he’s been struggling with his health for the past ten years or so.  Yet, he’s already out lived the predictions of his doctors.  That’s because they only look at the lab reports about the health of his heart.  They don’t look deeper into the heart of his soul.

“I love your new home!” I said.

“You know,” Richard replied, “building this house saved my life!”

How did taking on the task of designing and building a new house restore vigor and health to Richard’s life?  One would think that such a large and stressful project would be more than a person with an unhealthy heart could take on and be successful with.  But, looking more deeply into the building process reveals a universal secret for living vibrantly.

Before the plans were drawn and the building began to be constructed, Richard created everything within his mind.  He chose to create his new home in thought.  This essential, life giving action, is the first step to take when a person chooses to actively create their own future.  But it isn’t the last.  As you proceed, keep in mind that there are two other steps you need to take to bring your vision into the physical now.  It isn’t enough to hold your plan within your mind. 

When Richard built his house, the next step he took, after mental creation, was to put his vision on paper, or computer.  The point is that this next step must be copying the vision from your mind and putting it onto something that’s physical.  This is essential because it allows your mind to see that your vision is going to be real in the physical world.  It is literally a blueprint, containing all of the exact, small and large details that will allow you to follow a clear path to the fulfillment of your dream.  I call this the “it will be” phase.

The fulfillment of your dream is the final physical creation.  It’s when you look at the plans and follow them to completion.  This is the “it is phase.”  It is where the complete mental creation becomes fully physical in the now.  It’s when all the colors, materials, attributes or whatever you’ve imagined become one with you.  It is a blending of the past, present and future.   It is the truth of your creation process.

In truth, this essential creation process has the ability to create and change your life.  If you will follow its steps in perfect detail and never vary, it will absolutely work for you.  I’ve seen it happen over and over again.  It’s how you can save your own life, if you’re struggling, and it will make a good life turn into an amazing life if you apply it.  This is how you can live the life you’ve dreamed about; look deep into the heart of your own soul and live!

Exponential Living

Learning from a Teacher and Students at the same time.

Exponential Living

An instructor was standing in front of me and I was surrounded by other students as well.  I’m required to complete a large number of “continuing education” hours in order to have my professional license renewed every two years.  There is always a lot to learn and in this class’ particular case I was able to hit a double.

I use that baseball term because it is so instructive as to the receipt of benefits.  I like to say, “When you go up to bat, why hit a single when you can hit a double?  Whenever you can put forth the same or similar effort and get twice the benefit it’s a great opportunity!  And, when it’s a surprise extra benefit; all the better.  I realized this was one of those times during a break.

I was sitting next to my friends Linda and Todd when Todd asked Linda how things were going for her husband.

“We don’t really worry about anything except for now.” She replied.  “We can’t go back and change the past.  His cancer is here.  We don’t know what the future holds because we don’t know how the disease will progress, so we simply worry about each day as it comes and live it to its fullest!”

Her words alighted on my mind as quickly as they left my ears.  She was describing one of the important lessons life has taught her as a result of her husband’s illness.  I was hearing her deliver the same message to me in a different way.

 Life requires all of us to have continuing education.  But, life doesn’t require us to learn our lessons in the same way.  Recognizing important lessons, as taught to us by others, is a precious opportunity.  A person who can observe and then apply what she learns from the lives of others is able to live an exponential existence.

All of us can become the sum total of hundreds or thousands of other lives.  To do so only requires us to read, observe or listen to the wisdom learned by other persons and to then incorporate it into our being now.   While we can’t live in the past, we can learn and benefit from it right now.  And, while we can’t live in the future yet, wisdom applied now will open to a future full of promise.

We all live with the promise of a good single life.  But, why live a single when you can harvest the wisdom of a double, triple or thousands?  Life requires continual learning, but it allows and delivers the wonder of exponential lives learned.

 

Giver and Receiver

“I just want to tell him what I think of the way he’s treated me!”

Annie Butterfield

Giver and Receiver

There have been so many times in my life where I’ve benefited from the mercy of others.  I can remember one time in particular; I was in college and working full time.  The company I was working for discontinued operation and I found myself without the ability to pay rent and tuition or to buy food.  It was a distressful time for me to say the least.

When I explained the situation to my landlord they were so kind and generous!  They allowed me to stay for a month, accepted the deposit I had given as payment, and then spread the word that I needed assistance in finding a new job.  As a result, they were not the only ones who came to my aid.

Another friend of mine, Monica Carlsen, a woman with the most clear blue eyes I have ever seen, brought groceries to my door and gave them to me with a smile and sparkle in her eyes.   Without her kindness I would not have had any food for the coming month.  That same month brought me many more examples of how the tender mercies of others make all the difference to people like me who need to receive compassion.

Compassion is born from the heart of those who give it.  It is sympathy for the suffering of others and almost always includes a desire to reach out and help.  But it is the giving of mercy that teaches, through example, how to give to others when the dark night of a broken heart would have one do otherwise.

My daughter recently had her heart crushed by her best friend and I watched her reel from the disorienting experience.  She wanted to lash out and teach this offending person an angry lesson.  I understand her pain because I have felt it myself.  But, even while understanding it, the benefits of mercy continued to ring the bells of compassion loudly in my ears.

“There will come a time when you will need to receive mercy from others.” I explained to her.  “How can you expect to receive mercy when you need it if you are not willing to give it freely under all circumstances?”

She did give it!  And, even though it was mostly because of my coaxing, I could still see the relief it has already distilled upon her heart.  Doing the right thing, because you believe it is the right thing, pays huge dividends even when one does not completely understand it.

As I look through my aging eyes at the world around me I don’t understand why there is so much pain and suffering everywhere I look.  But, I do understand that showing compassion and offering mercy to others will act as the miracle medicine we all need to receive; because in all cases, every one of us must be mercy’s giver and receiver.

Living Without Regret

“Now I do my business in a way that will allow me to live my life without regrets.”

-      A Friend

Living Without Regret

I could hear the clicking of a keyboard as I approached the computer bay.  I was walking through an office work area toward another room where I was going to attend a meeting.  As I got closer, I was surprised to recognize the person tapping the keys.

“Hi Lynn,” my friend said when he looked up and saw me.

I could tell this was going to be a short detour now that I had seen this friend, but it didn’t matter because I was excited to speak with him.  We hadn’t talked for a few months and this chance encounter was a welcome respite from a harried day.  My friend’s smile was also a welcome site since I knew he hadn’t always felt like smiling over the past few years.

As we began our conversation his smile increased and it had the effect of a soothing rain as it washed the heat of the day from existence.

“Have you been spending enough time with your family the past few weeks?” He asked.

It was a common question from this particular friend.  He is always great about helping me to stay focused on what really matters.

“Always remember why you work!” He continued.  “We don’t work for money or for the work itself.  We work so we can spend time with our families and give them what they need.  Remember to work so you don’t have any regrets in your life!”

I listen intently to him because he is a man who knows what he’s talking about.  You see, his smile is just returning after he learned a bitter lesson.  His story is an important one for all of us.

A few years ago he was “living his work.”  Then one morning he got up as usual and left his home without even seeing another member of his family.  He and his wife had an arrangement where she would take their infant to day care in the morning and he would pick their child up at the end of the day.  This day began as every one of their other days, but it didn’t end as the other ones had ended.

Toward late afternoon he received a phone call that shook his world.  He raced to the day care center as soon as he hung up the telephone and when he arrived, it was as if a tsunami had wiped his life away.   His baby had died! 

As I looked at my friend’s bright face on this day, a flood of memory rushed through my body and his words from the past echoed in my ears. “I have always regretted not giving my baby a kiss before I left for work that morning!  Now I make sure I always put my family first.  I work without regret, because I know I the reason I work is so I can spend as much time with my family as possible!”

He has discovered the deeper meaning of his work and it has made all the difference in his life.  He truly lives each day without regret and we can too! Take some time to discover the deeper meaning of your work.  Only then will you be able to really live your life.  Living your life with true meaning will give significance to every aspect of your existence.  Live today.

 

Making Something Good of Yourself

“Didn’t you know that the most important thing you can do is to show up every day.”

-John Barlow

Making Something Good of Yourself

Have you ever had one of those weeks when it seems as if you’ve worked much harder than normal and yet it appears as if nothing good has come from it?  I have.  Yet, this week the exact opposite happened to me and I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it.  I can’t remember a time when so many loose ends seemed to be coming together after long struggle.

During my time of reflection, I remembered a conversation I had with my friend John Barlow a few years ago.  We were talking about creating success through work when he said, “Didn’t you know that the most important thing you can do is to show up every day?”

His comment caught me off guard.  It was something I knew, but at the same time I also knew, and still know, that showing up isn’t the only thing that creates success.  It must be used in combination with a good solid plan and self discipline to complete each step of the plan.  Still, showing up is a critical part of the success equation and it’s what I want to talk with you about today.

As I raised my daughters they would come to me and ask me if I liked a particular person after just meeting them.  My reply would always be the same, “I don’t know.  Time will tell.”  I would say that because I have discovered that it takes a great deal of time to be able to judge a person’s true character; especially my own.

Each one of us has times of smooth sailing through life and then we also have times of difficulty.  It is what we do during times of difficulty that reveals our true character.  I have known people that have crumbled when challenged and I have known people who have withstood their challenges and have become much stronger.  In many cases it is as if there are times when the world says, “You say you are honest, true, good, strong and successful.  Let’s see if you really are!”

When that occurs, I have observed that those who have risen to meet the challenge do so not knowing exactly what the outcome will be and when they have given their last ounce of strength, but still continue to persist, the tide turns and things mysteriously begin to turn their way again.  When that happens it doesn’t take them long to get back on their feet and feel renewed strength and confidence.

That’s what I want you to know.  My personal experience is that as I have worked on projects or goals for many years and have felt that there was no hope of success, but have kept going and making adjustments along my way, believing that if I just kept striving and changing internally that I would succeed in the long run.  Many times my success did not come in the form of my expectation.  It had morphed into something better than I had hoped.  In fact, I had changed in ways I could never have dreamed of.

That’s how I know that persistence creates character.  It’s a message we need to pass to all those around us.  If we will simply persist in changing inside so we can meet our challenges and overcome them, we will succeed.  Only then we will be the kind of people others want to spend their lives with.  We will have demonstrated our true character and we will be able to say, “I have made something good of myself.”