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I recently saw an incredibly inspiring video that brought me to tears. The video involves a remarkable example of sportsmanship that took place on a college softball field a few months ago. The video is listed below for you to check out – you don’t want to miss it:
As I watched this incredible video – one of the best examples of doing the right thing and the inter-connection we all have as human beings I have seen, I was reminded of the fact that life is much more than about winning and losing, it’s about us reaching out to and supporting one another as human beings.
In the course of competitive culture, we often lose touch with what is really important. The way we go about something is as important as the results we produce. I, for one, sometimes forget this in my pursuit to be “successful.” However, this video is a great reminder to me and all of us that it’s not so much about who wins or who loses, but how we play the game that truly matters.
Sometimes in the course of daily living we have a tendency to get very “serious,” have you noticed? It’s easy to get caught up in the perceived stresses of our lives, the things we worry about, the stuff we want to change, and the things (and people) that get on our nerves.
What if we had more fun? What if we made a commitment each day to find the good, to laugh as often as possible, and to have a great time doing whatever it is we’re doing? Regardless of what we do, we always have a choice about our attitude about it.
We don’t have to take ourselves or our lives too seriously. And, we can still remain committed to our families, our work, and all of the important things in our life that we’re passionate about. Bringing a sense of lightness and fun to what we do, our relationships, and all the aspects of our lives gives us energy, perspective, and freedom.
Things are not inherently “fun,” “stressful,” or “boring,” they are whatever we make them! Even when and if we’re dealing with some serious circumstances or situations in our lives, we can still bring a sense of genuine lightness and perspective to them, which almost always make them easier for us to deal with.
When we remember that the “fun” in our life is generated by us, not by others or even the specific activities we engage in, we’re empowered to make any situation, relationship, or activity enjoyable – if we choose to do so.
Enjoy this day and see if you can find different and creative ways to have fun. It’s up to you and if you make a conscious choice today (and any day) to have fun, it’s a pretty good bet you’ll have a good one!
Our thoughts, feelings, and intentions have a big impact on the results, experiences, and outcomes of our lives. Conventional wisdom tells us that we live in the world of cause and effect – that our thoughts and feelings are simply reactions to what happens.
However, as we’ve all experienced in various ways throughout life – what we expect and focus on has a lot to do with what actually happens in life.
Michelle and I had a powerful reminder of this recently. We found out a few weeks ago that the baby girl, Annarose, we are expecting (our second, due in mid-August) was in the breech position (feet down). This becomes a concern when you are getting closer to the due date. We both immediately were scared and upset upon hearing the news, although we pretended not to be.
We started talking about it and after expressing our fear and concern honestly to one another, we went into action – talking to people, doing research, and finding out all we could about getting babies to flip around. As we found out, there are many physical, mental, and meta-physical techniques out there for this specific situation. We began to talk to Annarose, ordered a hypnosis CD, had a session with an intuitive, and Michelle set up an appointment with a chiropractor who uses the “Webster Technique” which is designed to help breech babies turn around.
As all of this was going on, even though we were both still concerned about it, we did what we could to focus on what we wanted and visualize Annarose turning around easily. On Michelle’s drive home from the chiropractor, she called me to tell me how it went. In the middle of our conversation, she said, “Hey, something is happening – I think she is flipping around!” The next day she went to Kaiser to have another ultrasound and it was confirmed, Annarose is now in the proper, head-down position. How wonderful!
Notice if you’re focusing more of your awareness on what you don’t want to happen, what you’re worried about, or what you think would be “bad.” Sadly, this is what most of us do all the time – automatically and unconsciously.
If we can flip our attention to what we want and away from what we don’t want, we are more likely to create the positive results we truly desire.
Remember, we create our reality – life doesn’t just happen to us. When we remember this, we can no longer be victims of our circumstances and we’re empowered to be the author of the book of our lives.
Like millions of people around the world, my wife Michelle and I participated in the online class that Oprah Winfrey did with Eckhart Tolle that took place between March and May of this year (and is currently re-playing on Oprah.com each Monday night at 8:00 PM CDT – check it out).
We loved the class and are still getting so much out of it and Tolle’s book A New Earth. One powerful moment of the whole experience for me was the final moment of the final class. After Oprah and Eckhart said their goodbyes to each other, to all of us who had participated in the class, and as the out-going music was playing – she turned to him and gave him a “high ten.” It was a cute and sweet moment of excitement and connection between the two of them. From the look on her face you could see and feel her joy, enthusiasm, and genuine passion.
I turned to Michelle and said, “That’s why she is one of the most powerful, influential, and admired people on the planet.” Her passion was and is so real. Oprah gets excited about all kinds of things – books, cars, movies, growth, dogs, gratitude, helping people, and so much more. When she does, you can feel it – it is real and it runs deep.
This is not about Oprah, it is about our own ability (or inability) to feel and express our passion. For some of us, based on how we were raised, our personality, and the environments we find ourselves in, the people around us, and more – it might be easier to express our passion; while for others, more difficult.
When we get in touch with our passion and are willing to express it, not only do we come alive, we tap into one of the most powerful forces in the universe which can allow up to manifest what we want (not just things, but feelings and experiences as well) and in the process inspire others.
The key is that for passion to have real power, it has to be genuine…you can’t fake it.
What are you passionate about? What makes you come alive? How can you more fully express your passion today and every day?
I will close this post with one of my favorite quotes:
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ~Howard Thurman
Like many people – I have been engaging in the work of Eckhart Tolle and his book A New Earth recently. As you probably know, Oprah picked this book as her book of the month a few months back, recommended it highly, and has put together an incredible 10-week online class with Eckhart each Monday night (tonight is class #9).
This book (and all of Tolle’s work) is about being conscious and letting go of the destructive nature of our ego. He challenges us to move beyond the world of form and to go deep within ourselves, to connect with our true essence, and to awaken as spiritual beings. He pulls together some of the most important spiritual teachings in a way that is clear, accessible, and powerful. This is one of the most profound books I have ever read.
I am grateful and excited that Oprah has gotten behind this book and has introduced it to so many people around the world, myself included. Moving beyond ego and our “pain body” (as Tolle describes in the book – that place within us that reacts, judges, defends, and protects) really can create a whole “new world” for each of us personally and for the planet.
Imagine if we as individuals and as a society could move beyond our obsessions with our bodies, our possessions, our competition and comparison, our judgments and disagreements, and more. While I do understand and accept that much of this is all part of the human experience, I do believe it is possible for us to transcend some of the survival based, unconscious thinking and behavior that causes us and others so much pain. This book and the awareness it is creating is doing just that for me and so many others.
If you have not done so already, I highly recommend you check out the book and the class on Oprah’s website. Even though the 10-week class is almost over, you can download and watch or listen to all of the past classes from Oprah.com or iTunes. It is amazing stuff!!!
With Gratitude,
Mike