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A few weeks ago I was in the LAX airport and I saw a “Life is Good” store. You may be familiar with this brand, they make clothes, hats, mugs, and all sorts of products with the words “life is good” on them. I’d seen people wearing this stuff before, but I’d never seen where it was sold. I was so excited. I spent about thirty minutes in the store and bought some hats, shirts, mugs, and magnets for myself and my family. It felt good to buy this stuff and I was excited to give it to Michelle and Samantha, and wear it myself.
Life IS good and it is nice to acknowledge that. I think that many of us have a hard time saying that because for us to consider life to be good, we think it has to be “perfect.” Last night I was up late sending out some emails and doing some work. Michelle came into my office after she got Samantha down to bed and pulled me outside into the backyard. It was a warm, beautiful night and she said she wanted to show me something. I was curious, confused, and in all honesty a little annoyed because I was in the middle of something that seemed “important” to me. When we got out into the backyard Michelle said, “See what a beautiful night it is – the weather is just right, the sky is clear, and it feels peaceful out here. Life is good! We have a great life and since we have been here in this house so many incredible things have happened in our lives.” I stood there looking into her eyes and thinking to myself, embarrassingly, “What does she want?” It took me a few moments to realize she didn’t want anything and there wasn’t anything she was going to “show” me…she had brought me outside to remind me of the great life we had.
Even though I do my best to live my life in the present moment and to appreciate all of the “good stuff” around me, it is still a challenge for me in the midst of my daily experience to do this. I was grateful for Michelle pulling me out of my office last night and taking me into the backyard to figuratively “smell the roses.”
We have to do this all the time. Life is only good if we say it is and if we look at the good stuff in life. Truthfully, life is good, it is bad, and it is everything in between. It is not black and white, it is filled with color and complexity. The more we take the time to focus on the good stuff in our lives, in others, and in ourselves, the more we are able to appreciate the magic and miracle life is all the time.
I appreciate companies like the “Life is Good” clothing company. They are taking a positive message and creating a successful business that uplifts and inspires people. Their products remind us to pay attention to the good things around us and within us. If you are interested in their products, check out their website at https://www.lifeisgood.com
Today, see if you can notice some of the many places where it is obvious that “life is good.” We always find what we look for…so, look for the good stuff.
With Love and Peace,
Mike
Recently I have been listening to and reading a lot of great material from some of the authors, speakers, and teachers who most inspire me like Wayne Dyer, Richard Carlson, Harv Eker, Ram Dass, Werner Erhard, and others.
One theme that I continue to hear through the messages of these and other wonderful teachers is the power of our invisible world. Whether we are simply talking about thoughts and feelings, or we go a little deeper and talk about the subconscious mind, our beliefs, and our connection to spirit, it has become obvious and evident to me that everything in our visible world first comes from the invisible world.
However, most of us don’t spend all that much time on the invisible world. If you are anything like me, you probably work a lot, make lots of to-do lists, get up early-stay up late, and do everything you can to DO as much as possible to get things done, accomplish your goals, and be successful. While taking action and doing things are essential to success and many of us get stuck in places of inaction that keep us trapped, I think an even deeper trap is to not recognize or appreciate the power of the invisible world within our minds, our hearts, and our spirits.
Spiritual teacher Lazaris says that we have six “raw materials” for reality creation – beliefs and attitudes, thoughts and feelings, and decisions and choices. These six, as well as our awareness and connection to God, our desires, our imagination, our expectations, and many other things make up the magic and mystery of our inner world.
The key to success and fulfillment is to remember that it is this inner world is actually more “real” than the outer world we live in on a daily basis. We have the ability to process and to program internally (and in conjunction with Spirit) in a way that allows our physical reality to be exactly what we want it to be. This is what the law of attraction is all about. As we remember the power of the invisible world and we put more attention on cultivating the kind of inner environment that we want, we will see our lives, our relationships, and our results in the outer world transform.
This week, see if you can take a little more time in silence (prayer, meditation, or just thought) and connect with your inner, invisible world. How are you feeling?; What are you thinking?; What do you want?; and more…are all good questions to ask yourself. See it, believe it, know it and it will be so in your world. We have way more power than we give ourselves credit for…and, all of this power comes first from the invisible world.
With Love,
Mike
On July 11th 1998 I had a life-altering conversation with my Uncle Steve. I was in an incredibly vulnerable, open, and confused place in my life. With my baseball career over at the age of 24, I was terrified about the future and not sure what to do next. In my heart, I knew I had something to say, something to write, and something to teach. That day I called Steve in Texas, who had always been an incredible beam of light in my life – a male force of love, belief in me, and inspiration. I loved, trusted, and admired him. In the course of the conversation with Steve that day, I shared lots of my insecure feelings and fears about the future. I also shared this “far-fetched” dream of wanting to be an author and a teacher, even though at the time I had no real idea about that that meant or how I would do that. As we got further into the conversation, Steve pointed out that it didn’t sound like I really wanted to write, per se, it sounded more like I wanted to speak my truth and share my ideas, stories, and insights in a way that might help others. He said, “you don’t want to be a writer, you want to be a speaker.” I had never thought about that until he said it…and it resonated with me to my core.
Then Steve said the words that changed my life…he said, “Michael, it is time for you to STEP OUT. What can you do today to ‘step out’ into your life and into your truth?”
I was both inspired and terrified by his comment and question. But, what he said touched a deep place within my heart and soul. I felt alive, I felt seen, I felt supported, and I felt almost possessed by this notion of me truly “stepping out.”
Steve and I have grown even closer over the past nine years. He continues to love, support, and celebrate me. I appreciate him and am so grateful for his loving presence in my life. And, while my path to this moment has been somewhat hap-hazard, that conversation and the concept of me “stepping out” has been the motivation and inspiration for all of my work as a speaker, coach, and now author…and for my life these past nine years. It is not to say that I “step out” all the time. I don’t and sometimes it is painful for me to see and feel myself retreat, withhold, and not do or say what is true in my heart. But, this awareness and Steve’s influence have allowed me to understand this important phenomenon in my life and in life in general.
Enough about me…how does this relate to you and your life? Are you willing to step out, speak your truth, go for what you want, and be yourself? As Oscar Wilde so brilliantly said, “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.”
What would “stepping out” look like for you? What can you do today as a way to “step out?” When we do this, whatever it looks like for each of us, we are truly alive, in touch with our passion and purpose, and living life on our edge. In my opinion, that is what it is all about.
Now…go STEP OUT in your life today and everyday. Otherwise, what’s the point?!?
With Love, Passion, and Truth,
Mike
Samantha – looking for what she wants next
As todlers and young children, most of us are very comfortable (for better or worse) asking for what we want. Admittedly, some of the things we ask for and want we cannot have for a myriad of reasons. However, as we get older and become more “reasonable,” we make decisions about what we can and can’t ask for in life – from our parents, our friends, our co-workers, and people in general. By the time most of us are adults, many of us have a very hard time asking for what we want at all.
The problem is that the answer is always “NO” if we don’t ask. In other words, it’s very difficult to get what we want in life if we are too scared or uncomfortable to ask for it. Asking for what we want is not about being demanding, pushy, or selfish. It’s about making grown-up requests and taking responsibility for our lives and our desires.
Imagine if you could go through your life on a daily basis and not edit yourself as it relates to your requests. What if you felt comfortable to ask for exactly what you wanted all the time, and at the same time were not attached to the outcome. If each of us felt more comfortable and free with our requests and we actually made genuine requests of people (meaning that the other person could say “yes,” “no,” or make a “counter offer” without fear of repercussions) the world would be a very different place for us and those around us.
I know it can be scary and we can sometimes feel vulnerable putting ourselves out there, asking for what we want, and wondering if we are going to get turned down, hurt, or rejected. However, when we don’t ask for what we want, we set ourselves up for failure and disappointment. My challenge to you today is to make some bold requests – even if you feel uncomfortable. If you are willing to step through your fear, you may actually get exactly what you want – just like Samantha with the blue balloon.
Blessings,
Mike Robbins
Early last week I had a great conversation with my friend Sean. He was sensing some stress, fear, and pressure within me and asked me about it. At first, I was not all that open to the conversation – feeling a little judged and defensive (which for me is usually a sign someone has touched on something I really should listen to).
The essence of Sean’s feedback was that I did not seem to be enjoying all of the wonderful things happening in my life and my business right now. He felt that I was “pushing” to get everything done, instead of trusting that it would all work out and celebrating all that was going on. Ironically, his feedback is at the heart of my work. As they say, we often teach best what we most need to learn.
The morning after Sean and I had that conversation, I was listening to the audio version of Wayne Dyer’s book, Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling. In this program, Wayne says that our goal in life is to be “inspired” as often as possible. His definition for inspiration is to be “IN SPIRIT,” (connected to God/Spirit). As I listened to the program and thought about my conversation with Sean and his accurate assessment of how I had been feeling and acting recently, it hit me…I had been operating as if I were all alone.
Even though I have a beautiful, loving wife, an amazing little girl, family and friends who love me, clients whom I enjoy working with, and a relationship with God that is very important to me, I often feel as though it is all up to me to get the important things done in my life, especially my work. While there is some truth to this, especially due to the fact that I have set up my business as a “one-man-show,” I was forgetting about God/The Universe. Sean and Wayne both reminded me that the more I tap into my connection with God and the Universe, the more fun I will have, the easier it will be to do the things I am doing, and the less pressure and stress I will feel.
From Wednesday morning on, I have felt totally different. There is a lightness, a spirit, and a calm within me that I have not felt in a few months. Something subtle shifted, but it has been profound. As I have seen with this type of shift (in me and others) in the past, of course some wonderful things have been showing up around me – people, opportunities, and more.
I imagine you can relate to feeling stressed, pressured, or worried. I also imagine you have times in your life where you feel all alone or disconnected from God/Spirit. God is not an abstraction, a theory, or some old man in the sky who decides (like Santa Clause) if we have been good or bad. God is a universal force and energy that flows through us, around us, and everywhere. We are all pieces of God and we can tap into the energy and spirit of God at a moments notice.
When we think, as I sometimes do, that what happens is all up to us and that we have to do it all ourselves, we are forgetting who we really are – spiritual beings having a human experience (to use an overused expression).
What can you do today to remind yourself that you are not alone? What can you do to be “IN SPIRIT?” We all have things we do, practices, or people who help get us more connected to our hearts, to our passions, and to our spirits. I encourage you to surround yourself with people, things, and situations that will allow you to be in spirit as much as possible – today and everyday. Take some quiet time, meditate, pray, go for a walk, connect with your family, or do anything else that brings spirit into your life and love into your heart. When we do this, we remember that we are not alone and that our lives are guided and supported in a beautiful and spiritual way.
With Love and Peace,
Mike