Snips – Thoughts from Jim

posted by Jim on Aug 2

Castles in the air

“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.”
- Henry David Thoreau

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
- St. Francis of Assisi

“After the final ‘no,’ there comes a ‘yes,’ and on that ‘yes’ the future world depends.”
- Wallace Stevens

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Anything you really want, you can attain, if you really go after it.”
Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

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YOU’VE GOT TO THINK BIG TO BE BIG

High achievement always takes place
in the framework of high expectation.

You’ll always hit what you aim for in the long run.

Why not aim high?

If you don’t have a dream,
how are you going to make it come true?

Have the courage to follow your dreams.

It’s the first step towards attaining your destiny.

Big thinking precedes big achievement.

Be true to yourself

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“In the final analysis, we count for something only because of the essential we embody, and if we do not embody that, life is wasted.”
– C.G. Jung

Where are you not being true to yourself?

All blocks arise when we’re not being authentic, when we’re not being true to ourselves. We know we’re not being authentic when we feel discomfort of any kind.

When our thoughts, feelings and actions align with our essence, we express the qualities of soul. Always trust that your soul knows what’s best for you.

Believe in yourself and act on your ideas. Give yourself permission to do what you want with your life. Take the initiative to set meaningful goals for yourself and achieve them. Begin to tell yourself why you CAN have what you want!

“A true knowledge of ourselves is knowledge of our power.”
– Mark Rutherford

posted by Jim on Jul 31

Some expectations are difficult to relinquish. We think of how it might have been if only the right person or career had come along, if only people had been the way we wanted them to be. Some of us are still so attached to these hopes that we have yet to begin to live our lives. We’re still waiting for the world to match our perfect picture before we start. How much longer can we wait?
Wayne Muller

We create our world through our beliefs.  If you believe – or expect – the worst, that is what you will receive.  But if you believe – or expect – that you will always receive the best, that is exactly what the universe will provide.
Jim Wilkins

The disciples asked, “When are things going to get better?  When will the world be at peace?  When will there be freedom from worry, fear, doubt and anxiety?”
Jesus answered, “What you expect has already come, but you do not perceive it.”
The Gnostic Gospels

Lesson 34
“I could see peace instead of this.”
A Course in Miracles

One of the most quoted lines from the Course – a favorite of Dyer’s for sure. What does this mean to me? If I am not seeing peace in the world I am looking at, I could! The choice is mine to make and mine alone. I can change my perception right now with but only a thought. What really is holding me back from doing that?

Or try it this way; I could see peace in this situation instead of what I now see in it.

Or try it this way;I can replace my feelings or my thoughts of depression, anxiety or worry with peace.

In other words, you always have a choice, and you can always choose Peace! Jesus is saying that what we need to create a better life is here – right now!

Peace
Jim

posted by Jim on Jul 28

If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen for you, to you and because of you.

T. Allan Armstrong

Passion and purpose go hand in hand. When you discover your purpose, you will normally find it’s something you’re tremendously passionate about.

Steve Pavlina

Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got to say, and say it hot.

D.H. Lawrence

posted by Jim on Jul 26

Multitudes of people are continually keeping away from them higher and better things because they are forever clinging to the old. If they would use and pass on the old, room would be made for new things to come. Hoarding always brings loss in one form or another. Using, wisely using, brings an ever-renewing gain.
Ralph Waldo Trine

You can get to where you want to be from wherever you are-but you must stop spending so much time noticing and talking about what you do not like about where you are. Be more of a selective sifter, and make lists of the positive things you are living. Look forward to where you want to be, and spend no time complaining about where you are. The responsive Universe makes no distinction between the thoughts you think about your current reality and the thoughts you think as you dream of your improved life. You are creating by virtue of what you are thinking about, and so there is no advantage whatsoever to pondering, or remembering, or observing, or speaking of things you do not want. Make your active vibration be about what you do want and notice how quickly your life changes to match your vibration. ”

The Vortex” by Esther and Jerry Hicks

You are like a human transmission tower, transmitting a frequency with your thoughts. If you want to change anything in your life, change the frequency by changing your thoughts.
~ The Secret

posted by Jim on Jul 26

There is a tree. At the downhill edge of a long, narrow field in the western foothills of the La Sal Mountains — southeastern Utah. A particular tree. A juniper. Large for its species — maybe twenty feet tall and two feet in diameter. For perhaps three hundred years this tree has stood its ground. Flourishing in good seasons, and holding on in bad times. “Beautiful” is not a word that comes to mind when one first sees it. No naturalist would photograph it as exemplary of its kind. Twisted by wind, split and charred by lightning, scarred by brush fires, chewed on by insects, and pecked by birds. Human beings have stripped long strings of bark from its trunk, stapled barbed wire to it in using it as a corner post for a fence line, and nailed signs on it on three sides: NO HUNTING; NO TRESPASSING; PLEASE CLOSE THE GATE. In commandeering this tree as a corner stake for claims of rights and property, miners and ranchers have hacked signs and symbols in its bark, and left Day-Glo orange survey tape tied to its branches. Now it serves as one side of a gate between an alfalfa field and open range. No matter what, in drought, flood heat and cold, it has continued. There is rot and death in it near the ground. But at the greening tips of its upper branches and in its berrylike seed cones, there is yet the outreach of life. I respect this old juniper tree. For its age, yes. And for its steadfastness in taking whatever is thrown at it. That it has been useful in a practical way beyond itself counts for much, as well. Most of all, I admire its capacity for self-healing beyond all accidents and assaults. There is a will in it — toward continuing to be, come what may.

Robert Fulghum

posted by Jim on Jul 25

“Paradoxically, a group of humans becomes healing and converting only after its members have learned to stop trying to heal and convert. Community is a safe place precisely because no one is attempting to heal or convert you, to fix you, to change you. Instead, the members accept you as you are. You are free to be you. And being so free, you are free to discard defenses, masks, disguises; free to seek your own psychological and spiritual health; free to become your whole and holy self.”
Scott Peck

“It’s almost impossible to be negative when you’re sincerely smiling.   Smile, and you’ll be tuning yourself into the positive possibilities of life.   Smile with sincerity, with your eyes and your face as well as your lips, and you’ll naturally bring out the best in the people around you.
Smile at the people who pass you on the freeway.   Smile as you talk on the phone. Even though the person on the other end cannot see your smile, it will still come across the line and inject a positive energy into the conversation.”
Ralph S. Marston

Hard times, stressful times, are not all there is to life, but they are part of life, growth, and moving forward. What we do with hard times, or hard energy, is our choice. We can use the energy of hard times to work through our issues. We can use it to fine-tune our skills and our spirituality. Or we can go through these situations suffering, storing up bitterness, and refusing to grow or change.Melody Beattie

If you want congenial companionship, if you want to be loved, you must first think thoughts of love and good-will. Emmet Fox

posted by Jim on May 29

“Pain happens, but suffering is optional. When pain comes, make use of the experience, but do not wallow in it. When you accidentally place your finger in a flame, it is supposed to hurt just long enough for you to pull it out. If you think there is value in keeping it there, you will be a crispy critter. Pain is a minor element of life, unless you are indulging it. Then it becomes suffering. Get the message and then get on with your life, which is far more about joy than sorrow.”
Alan Cohen

“Enjoy the journey, enjoy ever moment, and quit worrying about winning and losing.”
Matt Biondi

“Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.”
Earl Nightingale

posted by Jim on May 7

Often in this world and day we expect something to happen “right now!” or overnight, like at a fast food place. We pull up, place the order, drive thru and expect quick service. But we have learned fast is not exactly healthy for us. It takes practice, patience, work, and intent. So often when I have tried something new, I expected the same results. Now, I would recommend staying the course for at least 40 days. I choose 40 as a number for several reasons. It carries with it mystical qualities amongst others. Noah was a drift for 40 days, Jesus walked the desert for 40 days, and the list goes on. 40 is symbolic with an awakening of the inner spirit, and resurrection of self.

For instance many years ago, I had an opportunity to practice this. I was working with an employer that had a guard dog that was 3/4 German Shepherd and 1/4 wolf. He was trained as an attack dog but washed out of the school as uncontrollable. Being trained as a police attack dog, he was trained to go for the crotch of his target.  I was familiar with the dog but kept my distance, and he soon became MY teacher.

One day, I was talking with the project superintendent, and the dog came thru the door with the owner, and instantly launched himself at me, barking, growling, and teeth bared. He ripped my pants open from crotch to knee and left teeth marks along the tear on the left thigh. His teeth were dull, as he liked chewing rocks, so it was not a bad wound. The dog backed up and continued barking as I backed out of the area.

Then a couple of days later, it was a repeat performance. The owner was going to cage him, and instead I suggested that he tie him on a short lead and set up a picnic table just out of the chains reach. My goal was to become trusted by the dog, and to trust him. For the next 40 days, I ate my lunch at that table. I always packed a double lunch. I made 2 sandwiches, packed 2 cookies, and double on the snacks. My wife at the time thought I was a nuts, as she would just stay away from the dog. For the 1st week or two, the dog did more growling and barking than anything. I even made sure I came in on the weekends to maintain the contact. As the days melted away, I moved the table closer and eventually the dog was eating at my feet and allowing me to stroke his back.

Then I unchained him and he would greet me at the door and watch me work.  At break and lunch he would sit beside me at the table and even allow me into his kennel area.

I was just reading online about Shadow Animal Totems and how some are sent into our lives so that we can confront a fear. Several dogs had bitten me when I was a child, and I had developed a fear of large dogs. This dog being my teacher taught me to trust myself, stay the course, to give love and honor to all living creatures. The transformation was awesome to behold in the dog and myself.

And I have a great story to tell my grandchildren also.

posted by Jim on Mar 3

Or, Comparison: The Thief of Joy

All historical thinking involves tinkering with the lenses that shine the light of other days into our lives. ~ Richard F. Snow

We have been invited to a blog hop with the topic, Comparison; The Thief of Joy. We are linking this post  to the Comparison Blog Hop on Dangerous Linda and Everyday Gyaan.

Recently, looking for a picture to post with a quote on my website, I saw my dad standing beside a kayak – my kayak!  Only to realize that it was me, and not dad, I had developed the posture of standing just like him. IF, I had developed that stance, what other stuff was lurking that I was NOT seeing.

Bruce Lipton in his book, Spontaneous Evolution, writes that by the age of six, our unconscious mind and behaviors has already been programmed by our parents, teachers, babysitters, and the stories told us to respond a certain way. Part of that programming is comparing good vs. bad, beautiful vs. ugly, appropriate behavior vs. inappropriate behavior, chaos vs. peace, right vs. wrong, hot vs. cold to name a few common ones. We have been programmed to compare one thing to another from politics to diapers and look for safety in those comparisons with numbers. Kind of like calling in the marines to re-enforce our position, even if it is craziness, the more on our side, the more “right” we are.

We live and die by our stories. And we spend amazing amounts of money and pain/anguish to brand our story, change our story, and live our story. We are a story telling species; of myths with dragons turning into princesses, legends of mighty warriors sailing the seas, of sacred text with wisdom, laws, and stories of its people and journeys, ballads of mighty ships sinking at sea, poems of lost loves, and story tellers retelling their stories along with lacing stories of ancient times.

We are a meaning making species and the meaning we make becomes a part of our culture, belief systems, and life itself. There are winners and losers, of love lost and love won, battles fought and lost. The winners tell their stories because they won, and that story becomes the fabric of their land.  Spin doctors and elephant trainers trail through my mind as I contemplate this.

When a baby elephant is being trained, its leg is tied to a post with a very strong rope. No matter how hard, how often, or how long the baby elephant pulls, it is unable to break free or move the post. It soon learns that the weight of the rope around its leg is an all powerful unmoving force. When the elephant becomes an adult simply placing the rope around its leg causes the elephant to stay in its place as it has resigned itself to the all-powerfulness of the rope. Even though the elephant as an adult can move trees and uproot most any post, the mere weight around the leg secures the elephant in its place and renders it powerless.

Many of our stories have been around for millenniums, containing our truths, our beliefs, and our heritages. Woven into those stories are comparisons of every type known to man/woman. A friend saw the subject line, “Comparison; The Thief of Joy” and her 1^st comment was “Oh… SUCH a sad statement…”

In that light, I might ask, “Which stories and beliefs hold me in place, keeping me unconsciously tethered, dis-empowered, and thwarted from living my joy, my peace?”

And yet, it is not such a sad statement, for in that word “comparison” lies our survival, our sense of urgency, our sense of well being, and our “joy!” Without that comparison, we could not appreciate the moments of joy and sadness in our lives; farmers would not have a sense of urgency to gather in the crops before the storm’ or to seek shelter when the warning sirens blare, or Angie stands on the horn yelling to take cover. Just like Angie, our intuition raises red flags, warnings, while Spirit whispers of wiser choices to be made; the remembering of celebrations, community and joy from those events. Our whole lives are wrought with examples of the good, the bad, and the ugly.  We need to embrace the gifts in both good and the bad rather than choose only one.  For in both are gifts and opportunities to expand our thinking.

Comparison is not a thief of joy; it is a gift of awakening, of being aware, of remembering the possibilities that exist in each of us, the thought of creating a better life for ourselves, our families, and for generations to follow. And in that awakening we find that we are aware of the things that make us come alive, the fire in our bellies, the yearning of our soul to be who we are called to be. To be me and the chance to experience the joys, love, and being alive at this time.

I did a Thesaurus word search on comparison and this is what I found; Comparison means relationship; relationship means bond; bond means friendship; friendship means amity, amity means peace. In that comparing of comparison….we find peace…interesting. Can “joy” be far away?

What is stealing your joy? Maybe, just maybe, it is a ton of work around the house, a mortgage that forces you into a slavery to pay it, fancy cars, keeping up with the neighbors? Maybe downsizing, getting back to the basics, living smaller in harmony with nature is something to consider. Living in a tiny house, small home can give you the freedom to chase your dreams, pursue your passion, or just experience the joy of life.

I asked some close friends what they thought of the quote and here are their thoughts.

“Can you be in this world without comparison? Can you simply be and have no judgment? Comparison is certainly duality, but is duality joy? Joy – Peace – Love – is experience is moment of now – of no future thought – no past thought and no present thought. Any thought – ANY THOUGHT – is a judgment or comparison. Can you have a thought of Love – of Joy? No, only experience.” – Ron

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“Comparison, like many ideas and thought-processes, can be a double-edged sword.
On one hand, we look to people who embody qualities that we wish to embody in a greater way, and this reveals an aspiration within us, desire to experience more of a particular aspect of life. This is all well and good, and moves us towards a more complete experience of life.
Concurrently the act of comparison is accompanied by some underlying beliefs, beliefs that are often unconscious, and that undermine the very desire for more life that has been revealed.
When we say “I want to be like that”, we are also saying, consciously or unconsciously, “I don’t want to be like I am.”
We have lost sight of a much more important idea than comparison, and that is the idea of diversity, which is the nature of creation. We have forgotten that who we are, HOW we are, is exactly what we are created to be. Each person has unique gifts, gifts that cannot and will not be discovered and contributed to the world by trying to be like someone else. They must be discovered, uncovered perhaps, and shared in their own unique, individual way. There has never before been and never again will be the exact compilation of thoughts, ideas, experiences and talents that come together in each individual.
There will always be someone who has more, who is better at certain skills, who weighs less or knows more, but there will never again be another you. It is only by honoring our own individuality, celebrating what we each person brings that we will come to know our own gifts. And it is only by bringing those gifts, each in their own magnificently unique way, which we will create the kind of world that we are seeking to create.” – Rev Jeff

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“I think people can support or contribute to the feeling of “joy”, or they can discount, or discourage something that could reduce the feeling of “joy”, but I don’t have a sense that someone could actually “steal” joy….a feeling…..” – Shari

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“When I compare myself to others I always lose because I am doing my inside to their outside.  I know too much about me, or not enough.  Even when I think I’ve done better than the other guy I lose because I have to stay on top of it all the time and I can’t do that .  There will always be someone who is faster, smarter, better looking richer, cleverer, a better dancer, carpenter, lover, father, husband.  I just can’t win if I compare.”- Leif

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In much of my coaching work I focus on helping people hold two opposing truths in the same consideration. The word “and” is very pivotal to this work. Most of us are habituated into using the word “or” rather than “and”. Something can be both good AND bad. Useful AND not useful, Kind AND cruel. Holding paradox allows us to experience life outside of our limited ideas, opinions, perceptions, biases, etc. Truth changes when viewed in this light. Using the word “AND” broadens our world whereas the word “OR” often contracts it. – Stacy Kamala Waltman

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Taller, younger, thinner, smarter, richer, prettier…
more prestigious college, nicer car, bigger house, better looking husband…
smarter kids or impressive job…
The list could go on and on and on…
Nowadays, I’m so certain and sure…
Happy with what I have and all I am…
So…
There’s no need, really.
To compare.
No…
You be You…
and I’ll be Me…
Both of us, just as happy as we can be.
We are wonderfully and fearfully made. – Glory D

posted by Jim on Jan 8

Whistle Stop Tiny Locomotive time for telling of stories

If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive.
Barry Lopez, in Crow and Weasel

Those who do not have power over the story that dominates their lives, the power to retell it, rethink it, deconstruct it, joke about it, and change it as times change, truly are powerless, because they cannot think new thoughts.
Salman Rushdie

God made man because he loves stories.
Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlev (as quoted by Steve Sanfield)

I was showing a cabin that had a lot of ties to the past recently that involved a road trip. On the way there, coming down into Council Bluffs at 3AM, I hit a brush wolf/coyote. It was dark and it just appeared in front of the bumper in an instant. There was nothing to do, but hear and feel the bumps as it rolled under the truck and hit the cabin. I felt sorry for it and wondered what it would mean metaphysically. And lost track of that thought in the hum of the road until we got to our destination. In backing up the cabin, I saw that there was blood and tissue on the front of the cabin and the right rear wheel hub inside was coated red. No damage to the truck. Interesting and now I was really curious.

That got me to thinking and researching wolf meanings revealed some insights that made sense to me. Wolf comes with a warning that we are stuck in a rut, comfortable and have decided to sit on the sidelines. Wolf also calls us to expand our horizons, seek new adventures, learn a new skill, and put the past behind us.  Wolf is always telling us to seek the teachers and mentors to take our/my life to a new level. Lots of messages there for me!

Another name for a brush wolf is a coyote. And a coyote is a trickster, someone that cannot be trusted. Who will lure you in to spring a trap – to make you a captive. So, hitting the brush wolf/coyote was …well… symbolic of old thoughts and friends that had been part of my life. What this was saying to me was to close the door on the past, and yet be aware that the coyote lives, for it is a trickster and it can do some really comical things. The roadrunner cartoons of the coyote laying traps to catch the roadrunner for dinner to only get himself caught in them is running through my mind as I type this. There are 2 meanings to a coyote; from the front is one coyote meanings and when they approach you from the side, it is a contrary coyote. The one that I hit came from the left side.

This is what the book, “Medicine Cards” says about a contrary coyote.

“IF coyote appears in the reversed position, you can be assured that he is going to be contrary and a pain in your side. If coyote approaches you from the outside, beware of this master of illusion. Coyote may put you under his spell and take you to the brier patch to pick berries. It will be a painful lesson for you if you follow him. Coyote reversed can appear in your life as a supposed all-knowing teacher, a scam artist, a get rick quick business partner/planner, a rare coin door to door salesperson, a femme fatale, a movie producer, a television evangelist, a swamp land dealer, a politician, or anybody who wants you to follow their lead. Coyote is not a recommended business partner or lover.”

The coyote also shows us some of our comic foolishness; Coyote is you, me, booby traps, jet airplanes with toilets that don’t work, blind dates, and all the humorous and whimsical things we encounter along life’s way.

Snooze time is over if you have pulled a coyote medicine card or have a coyote dogging you. Be wary of the coyote and brush wolf, for they are cunning, devious and full of tricks. It pays to keep a fire lit and spirits love in your heart, for once encountered, they are always out there beyond the fire lights, lurking in the darkness thinking no one sees them, while we know their games of cunning. They seek out prey that is weak, and by surviving our encounters with them we become stronger.