I suppose saying that it has been a long strange trip would be a colossal understatement. Over these many years we have seen, heard and participated in more noteworthy events than I can recall. Despite the fact that of those events not all have provided fond memories, they all had one important element in common, they all contributed to what we are, and who we are today. The lessons of the past carry us ever onward towards the relentless pursuit of our best, who we wish to become.
That is the ways that it is. We do and we fail. We do it again and we fail again. We look at it differently the third time and something changes. Perhaps something so small it can’t be measured, but there is a change, an atom’s worth, an attitudinal shift, a spark. That flash in our head, from our heart or of our soul, is the stimulus holding the power to change everything. So we mash up what we know with what we have and where we are and we try it all over again, this time with that spark, that flash of cosmic possibility as the guiding light. I am convinced, after a lifetime’s worth of failures and disappointments, that success and victory will be mine, and yours, one day - as long as we continue to keep our poor heads above water and move in the direction of our dreams.
That my dear friend is how we learn. And how we learn is how we grow. There is no limit on our growth other than the one imposed upon us by the passage of time, a fact that I often refer to when I feel like playing the procrastination game. One day we will no longer be able to put it off till another day. Making time, this day, this minute, the most important ones of our lives.
Tough decisions, incredibly difficult choices, impossible situations, Catch-22 paradoxes await us at every turn. Our jobs, the responsibility of our nature as human beings is to be ready for them, because they will never end. We prep for these monumental challenges the same way we prepare for a game: through practice. Mindful practice. We strengthen our bodies, improve our weakness’, clear our visions, open our hearts and free our spirits. And then we intrepidly go out and face the demons. This is the path of the hero. We fight that good fight. The hero must have a worthy adversary, otherwise he is doomed to stay in the purgatory of mediocrity forever, and worse, live a life of fear, doubt and dread.
Rise up. Step up. Get up. Forget the past and forgive yourself - there is nothing you have done that hasn’t been done before by thousands of people just like yourself. But many of them, the great majority, never see that as part of the process, and they give up and allow shame and humiliation to run the show, instead of seeing the truth in the situation that the past doesn’t matter nearly as much as the present. And once the present is opened it becomes the gift of the future. YOUR future.
That starts now. Your future starts today. Let go of the pain of the past - that hurt exists only in your mind. Forgive yourself as you forgive others who may have contributed to it, myself included. Start a practice today that includes work in the the three vital areas: Mind, body and spirit. Pragmatically that translates into reading, breathing and presence. We learn, we walk and we become ever more and more aware (of the positive changes taking place as a result). Once can also listen, run and pray just as easy in the fulfillment of this universal quest. There are a thousand combinations. We like to say to just add your personality and character, like water.
Fear not my brother it will be OK. Find some flow, relax into calm. Like surfing, you have to find a state of relaxed focus to make it sizzle. Build your confidence through consistent, dedicated practice. Remember the words of Dan Millman, ‘There Are No Ordinary Moments.’
My favorite motivational quote these days I heard on a podcast while I was driving through Montana. 'Merge your awareness with reality.’ Stay present, hone your awareness, pay solid attention and then make sure that focus matches the reality of your circumstance. With enough gratitude and forgiveness you cannot miss!
Please know that I am forever on your side. If there is anything I can do to assist or help with as you open this new and exciting chapter of your biography, please call. I think you have my number.
And say hello to Debbie, CJL, Joey, Dianne and Darren for me.
Good luck amigo,
KML
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