I keep
learning…
Whatever we learn to do, we learn by actually doing it; men come to be builders, for instance, by building, and harp players by playing the harp. In the same way, by doing just acts we come to be just; by doing self-controlled acts, we come to be self-controlled; and by doing brave acts, we become brave……
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Aristotle
Death is not the biggest fear we have; our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive and express what we really are.
– Miguel Angel Ruiz
Being present lets us experience each moment in our lives in a way that cannot be fully lived through memory or fantasy.
It can be easy for us to walk through the world and our lives without really being present. While dwelling on the past and living for the future are common pastimes, it is physically impossible to live anywhere but the present moment. We cannot step out our front door and take a left turn to May of last year, any more than we can take a right turn to December 2010. Nevertheless, we can easily miss the future we are waiting for as it becomes the now we are too busy to pay attention to. We then spend the rest of our time playing “catch up” to the moment that we just let pass by. During moments like these, it is important to remember that there is only Now.
In order to feel more at home in the present moment, it is important to try to stay aware, open, and receptive. Being in the present moment requires our full attention so that we are fully awake to experience it. When we are fully present, our minds do not wander. We are focused on what is going on right now, rather than thinking about what just happened or worrying about what is going to happen next. Being present lets us experience each moment in our lives in a way that cannot be fully lived through memory or fantasy.
When we begin to corral our attention into the present moment, it can be almost overwhelming to be here. There is a state of stillness that has to happen that can take some getting used to, and the mind chatter that so often gets us into our heads and out of the present moment doesn’t have as much to do. We may feel a lack of control because we aren’t busy planning our next move, assessing our current situation, or anticipating the future. Instead, being present requires that we be flexible, creative, attentive, and spontaneous. Each present moment is completely new, and nothing like it has happened or will ever happen again. As you move through your day, remember to stay present in each moment. In doing so, you will live your life without having to wait for the future or yearn for the past. Life happens to us when we happen to life in the Now.
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Daily Om
There is Only Now
Fresh and Unfixed
by Madisyn Taylor
THE SAFE PATH IS NOT ACTUALLY SAFE. Because what you might lose on the safe path is quite simply: everything. Everything that matters. Your individual essence, your treasure, your vitality, your purpose, your SELF. And that’s the most dangerous thing that can happen to you.
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From Elizabeth Gilbert
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photos found on facebook
Days of wine and focus
of hanging on
of staying strong
of keeping faith
of sitting still
of being silent
of thinking in beautiful
of standing in my own shoes
of letting go
of loving you through the distance
of letting you lead
of feeling the passion
of attempting not to burn up
of recognizing the spectacular
of allowing the mystery
of hearing the call
of accepting what is
of not crossing borders or boundaries
of opening and opening
of trusting the journey
of seeing the face of God
of surrender into something bigger than I can know
of making the daily commitment
of acknowledging the grace
of thanking for everything
of looking for the miracles
of talking to trees
of taking time to prepare
of expressing my love
of helping in time of need
of following my own path
of obedience rather than selfishness
of love and love and love
of all things love
AL
Photo sources found at www.pinterest.com/al513
Understanding Nothing
from The Power of Nothing
by Barbara Zerfoss
There are fundamental keys to unlocking the door to success. They are so simple that most people never discover the combination. Why is that?
As we grow, we often leave creativity and simplicity behind and start to look for answers in complexity. However, those who are most successful have discovered a foundational principle of success: there is no genius in complexity.
In fact, Abe Lincoln said this,
“I’m sorry I wrote such a long letter. I did not have the time to write a short one.”
History has proven that…the greatest discoveries often come from the simplest of forms. In fact, most breakthroughs come straight out of “nothing,” coming to light while the inventor was simply being present in the world.
In fact, most people naturally have a fear of “nothing” and feel most comfortable and safe holding on to what they already have or what they already know. No matter what the past holds for them—good or bad—it is where they are most at home. Their box is their security, and the walls around them give them plenty of opportunity to admire barriers.
This is why most people find it easier to stay put or simply change or add on to what exists, rather than creating what could be. It’s why people or businesses stay stuck or simply achieve incremental improvements, rather than breakthroughs. It’s what keeps people from discovering their unique purpose, from seeing a vision of the future and creating a life they were truly meant and desire to live. The past is a powerful force filled with stories. It is constantly working to draw us back into the comfort zone.
New experiences or going out on a limb can make us feel uneasy, often causing a type of paralysis within us. Yet, if we can form a new relationship with “nothing”—if we embrace a blank page as a wonderful opportunity to design what we want our future to be—we will have access to unlimited potential.
Most people are not apathetic fools—they are engaged and intelligent beyond measure. It’s just that they spend a shocking amount of time studying foolish things, and so they have gained great intelligence in the inconsequential. They know dozens of batting averages, celebrity baby names, and trivial anecdotes from the latest news alert. They know more about television characters than their coworkers; more about the freeway traffic ahead than their financial future; more about the new tech toy than what’s truly missing from their lives.
This of course, does not describe everyone. Yet we have the average American watching four hours of television per day. This amounts to around 13 years of his or her lifetime. Yes, that’s 13 years 24/7 in front of the boob tube. Those years slip by episode-to-episode, and often feel like rest and entertainment. But all research shows they amount to very little joy or meaning in one’s day or life.
The cost is immense: had those 13 years been used for vital and productive endeavor, they would amass to nearly $1,000,000 more in wages and over $2,000,000 in investment opportunity. Let’s not forget how those 13 years could have been used to deepen friendships, travel, create more art, learn languages, develop world-class expertise, contribute, enjoy love, or live life as a human rather than a gape-mouthed consumer of waste.
While television isn’t stealing everyone’s four hours, most of us now suffer from a sort of recurring “browser blackout” or “app amnesia,” losing hours of time each day on our computer or mobile devices without any recollection of what we saw or accomplished. Distraction reigns.
And so the outcome is we have tremendously engaged and intelligent people often tragically consuming and learning meaningless things. We are busy, but at what? We are smart, but at what? We are engaged, but with what?
Not everyone is so lost, but this might help explain the melancholy one feels in our society. For what could be worse than for smart, engaging people to finish their lifetimes without much to show for it but the ability to win a pop culture trivia contest?
Let us refocus our attentions now, for our dreams and our families are waiting on us and there is so much to be felt and enjoyed in life.
Brendon Burchard – Live. Love. Matter.
We have to go the “second mile” with God. Some of us get played out in the first ten yards, because God compels us to go where we cannot see the way, and we say – “I will wait till I get nearer the big crisis.” If we do not do the running steadily in the little ways, we shall do nothing in the crisis.
– Oswald Chambers
A seminary professor once asked his students, “What is the most important word in the New Testament?”
The students’ responses varied: “Love.” “Salvation.” “Redemption.” “Forgiveness.” The professor shook his head at each. He contended that the most important word is “let.” Three letters held together with an electrical charge.
“Let” is a word that pleads with us to throw open some door inside ourselves to what God wants to do in us and for us. “Let” is an invitation, an appeal to the heart, an appeal to the will. “Let” in Col. 3:16 doesn’t stand alone in the Greek; it is one word with “dwell”: letdwell. Allow the Word of Christ to dwell in you richly. Practice ‘surrender’.
Jean Fleming
Pursue the Intentional Life
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It is easier to be true to convictions formed in a vivid religious experience than to be true to Jesus Christ, because if we are going to be true to Jesus Christ our convictions have to be altered.
– Oswald Chambers
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oh this love
that will not let me go
oh this love
it heals and makes whole
oh this love
forever I will sing
of this love
of my redeemer
king
oh this love
this beauty I cannot deny
oh this love
it makes my spirit fly
oh this love
I live it every day
oh this love
it changes everything
and I give You
all the glory
every day in every way
and my life is not my own now
I belong to You alone
(all to Jesus I surrender)
AL 6/19/14
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Glorious Love,
I let it all go now,
I let myself go.
An old tree disappearing
into the forest floor.
A whole closet cleared out.
All that I cling to,
what I wanted to do and to be,
the very who of me
I let fall into your hands,
die into your glory,
breathe out.
All day long I will wait
for the life you will give me,
for the I you will have me become
to rise at your touch,
to emerge from your breathing in me,
created in the moment,
not by my choosing,
not the old way, but a new life,
Christ raised, whole, in me.
I breathe out.
I wait.
I breathe in.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
http://www.unfoldinglight.net
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For some time I thought there was time
and that there would always be time
for what I had a mind to do
and what I could imagine
going back to and finding it
as I had found it the first time
but by this time I do not know
what I thought when I thought back then
there is no time yet it grows less
there is the sound of rain at night
arriving unknown in the leaves
once without before or after
then I hear the thrush waking
at daybreak singing the new song
“The New Song” by W. S. Merwin
life: acoustic & amplified 