In The Thick Of It!

Shared from The Daily Om.com

"When you feel you are in the thick of things, tapping into your own inner resources will help bring strength."

When we are “in the thick of it,” overwhelmed by too many things that need our attention, it’s important to remember that we are never given more than we can handle. When life’s challenges make us question this, our best coping mechanism is to follow the reliable and well-known course to our calm center and anchor ourselves there. It is for these times that we have been practicing regularly, so that our mind, body, and spirit will know how to find the peace within. Even in the midst of seeming chaos, a deep breath can help us turn within to find the space to work from, the calm at the center of the storm.

Tapping into our inner resources we begin again, bringing our focus to the needs of the present moment. Asking “why?” shifts our energy away from the task at hand. We can seek answers to those questions once we get to the other side of the present challenge. For now, we accept what is. Once we have collected scattered energy and created space, inspiration will strike, help will arrive, and what seemed impossible will either become possible or we will find it has become unnecessary. The flow of the universe and its perfect order has room to move in our lives when we get ourselves and our extraneous thoughts out of the way.

After the thick has become thin again, we have the opportunity to learn from the situation with a better idea of our true capabilities. We can now ask ourselves the “why” questions with the goal of fine-tuning our lives. Perhaps we have taken on more than is ours to do or made commitments out of obligation rather than insight. It could just be the ebb and flow and life, or we may be receiving life lessons on a fast track in preparation for something wonderful to come. But when we have a chance to make new choices, we know the best ones are made when we work from center.

A Life of Learning!

Taken from The Daily OM.com

"Earth school provides us with an education of the heart and the soul."

Life is the province of learning, and the wisdom we acquire throughout our lives is the reward of existence. As we traverse the winding roads that lead from birth to death, experience is our patient teacher. We exist, bound to human bodies as we are, to evolve, enrolled by the universe in earth school, an informal and individualized academy of living, being, and changing. Life’s lessons can take many forms and present us with many challenges. There are scores of mundane lessons that help us learn to navigate with grace, poise, and tolerance in this world. And there are those once-in-a-lifetime lessons that touch us so deeply that they change the course of our lives. The latter can be heartrending, and we may wander through life as unwilling students for a time. But the quality of our lives is based almost entirely on what we derive from our experiences. 

Earth school provides us with an education of the heart and the soul, as well as the intellect. The scope of our instruction is dependent on our ability and readiness to accept the lesson laid out before us in the circumstances we face. When we find ourselves blindsided by life, we are free to choose to close our minds or to view the inbuilt lesson in a narrow-minded way. The notion that existence is a never-ending lesson can be dismaying at times. The courses we undertake in earth school can be painful as well as pleasurable, and as taxing as they are eventually rewarding. However, in every situation, relationship, or encounter, a range of lessons can be unearthed. When we choose to consciously take advantage of each of the lessons we are confronted with, we gradually discover that our previous ideas about love, compassion, resilience, grief, fear, trust, and generosity could have been half-formed.

Ultimately, when we acknowledge that growth is an integral part of life and that attending earth school is the responsibility of every individual, the concept of "life as lesson" no longer chafes. We can openly and joyfully look for the blessing buried in the difficulties we face without feeling that we are trapped in a roller-coaster ride of forced learning. Though we cannot always know when we are experiencing a life lesson, the wisdom we accrue will bless us with the keenest hindsight.

Take Back Your Power!

Taken from Mastin at The Daily Love.com

"Every great work, every great accomplishment, has been brought into manifestation through holding to the vision, and often just before the big achievement comes apparent failure and discouragement.  The game of life is a game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later with astounding accuracy."  - Florence Scovel Shinn

You know, every day we get up and try to "make things happen" - especially with the Western mindset. There is nothing wrong with this per se, but many times we can push ourselves so hard that we are just tired, worn out and feeling empty.

This is not a thriving life.

As we step out further onto The Path, we Seekers are asking for more than just the rat race. We are sick and tired of letting "the economy", the "stock market", the "Government", the "Media" and all other kinds of things "out there" determine how we feel. None of these things are bad. But the way they are going has a lot of us asking, "There HAS to be a another way, right?"

Yes, the reality is, our global economy is in a certain state right now that doesn't promote the perception of widespread abundance. Yes, the stock market is up and down and all over the place. Yes, it feels like many folks in the Government are fighting just to fight instead of having our best interest in mind. Yes, the Media seems to be full of all kinds of negative things to say about the world.

But what of it?

Everything that is happening in the world today is a reflection of our collective inner state of being. We are not victims to these things or anything "out there". And problems "out there" cannot be initially solved "out there", but "in here". Which means that rules, laws, regulations and more policies cannot change the world. The only thing that can change the world is each and every one of us waking up and changing ourselves.

It's so easy to get caught in the outward drama of the world, because it helps us stay distracted from ourselves. But, it is ourselves, far more than the world, which we must change.

How do we do that? By remembering that the outside world of form is but an affect of our inner world of thought. To change the forms we see, we must change our thoughts about the form.

Which is why these questions from "A Course In Miracles" are so powerful. Instead of asking, "What is wrong with the world today? What can I make happen today? How can I just get by?", let us ask these questions of The Uni-verse. Let us open up and allow ourselves to be guided, to let Love from within make new decision, new choices and, as a result, create new outcomes.

Let us step out of blaming all the things in life that can be blamed, and take responsibility. If you are concerned about the economy, make it your intention to buck the trend and be a living example of abundance in the midst of "lack".  If you're mad at the Government, get out and do something about it. Be a Love Activist. Try to make change at a local level, one step at a time. If the news is soooo depressing, TURN IT OFF!

I haven't watched "the News" since 2004. Instead of watching the effects, I decided to make new causes - to let my Internal Guide guide me, instead of the fear-fueled media.

The economy, the Government and the media will change WHEN WE DO. The people in these fields are doing the best they know how to do with what they have. We need an economy and we need you to participate in turning it around. We need Government and we need you to participate and take responsibility for your role in electing the people that get elected and being active citizens in the process. The media is run by numbers, if we demand different content, we will get different content.

We, the People, truly have the power and it is up to us to realize it.

Do not let your day start by being ruled by these outside forces. Let your answers come from within and know that you have the power to change the world. I am just one guy and I have co-created TDL to reach almost 600,000 people from Starbucks. You can do this and more! But you have to realize and act on your power. Step out of blame and step into responsibility.

And remember, as John Lennon said, "A dream we dream together is reality".

So, instead of letting the outside world run your life, ask The Uni-verse, "Where would You have me go? What would You have me do? What would You have me say, and to whom?"

 

Things We Can't Control

We develop grace as we learn with the guiding hand of the universe, life will unfold exactly the way it should.

The idea of trusting the universe is a popular one these days, but many of us don’t know what this really means and we often have a hard time doing it. This is partly because the story of humankind is most often presented as a story about struggle, control, and survival, instead of one of trust and collaboration with the universe. Yet, in truth, we need to adhere to both ideas in this life.

On the one hand, there is much to be said about exerting control over our environment. We created shelter to protect ourselves from the elements. We hunted for animals and invented agriculture to feed ourselves. We built social infrastructures to protect ourselves and create community. This is how we survive and grow as a civilization. However, it is also clear that there are plenty of things that we cannot control, no matter how hard we try, and we often receive support from an unseen force – a universe that provides us with what we cannot provide for ourselves.

It is a good idea to take responsibility for the things in life that we can control or create. We work so we can feed, clothe, and shelter our loved ones and ourselves. We manifest our dreams and visions in physical form with hard work and forethought. But at a certain point, when we have done all that we can, we must let go and allow the universe to take over. This requires trust. It requires a trust that runs deeper than just expecting things to turn out the way we want them to. Sometimes they will, and sometimes they won’t. We develop equanimity and grace as we learn to trust that, with the guiding hand of the universe, life will unfold exactly the way it should. We are engaged in an ongoing relationship with a universe that responds to our thoughts and actions.

Bring The Love...

To be a loving person we must learn to hold a loving space for people we are in relationships with at all times. This means when they are doing things we agree with and when they are doing things we don't like.

This is where compassion comes in. When we are approaching a situation from a place of lack and someone we are in relationship with is doing something we don't like, we blame him or her for not meeting our needs. But when we enter a relationship from a place of fullness, we see that the other person is doing the best they can with what they have.

This means that whatever they are doing has no effect on our happiness because we are already full from within and, as we bring that fullness to the situation, our resentment or anger transforms into compassion and gratitude. And from this place of fullness we can BRING the love to the relationship, instead of trying to extract it.

And when we BRING the love, we create a space in our relationships where not only do WE transform as people, but we create a space for the other person to transform and to feel safe instead of judged. And when we feel safe and accepted we feel loved, and when we feel loved we let our heart out to play much more often.

This is one of the major benefits of bringing the love instead of trying to extract it. The strong person brings the love, knowing they are already full. The strong person holds a space of love and compassion for anyone they are in relationship with when the other person is not acting how we would like and in this way transforms fear into love within the relationship.

This is what we are called to do: bring the love.

Are you bringing it today?

Love,

Mastin

 

Containers for Growth

Taken from Mastin at The Daily Love.com

"Every desire you have at its core exists because you think attaining it will make you happy; but happiness can only be attained in the present moment. Therefore any desire you have to be happy in the future is blocking your ability to be happy now. Only when you are at peace with what is now, will you ever find happiness now."   - Jackson Kiddard


The most difficult relationships in our lives come bearing wonderful fruit. Relationships are containers for our growth. Some people come into our lives only for a moment, some for a longer period of time and some for our entire life.

Whatever the duration, it matters not, each person is sent by The Uni-verse for our education and edification.

It is easy and normal to enjoy the great relationships in our lives. Our best friends, our lover, our family (well for some of us) provide wonderful experiences for us. It is easy to be grateful and see how mostly positive relationships benefit us.

But our focus today isn't on those relationships. Our focus today is on the negative and "toxic" relationships that we have. There is soooo much for us to learn in these circumstances. When we do not experience love, it is because we are not bringing love the situation.

Wait, what? You might be thinking that you bring all kinds of love to certain people and all they do is treat you poorly. Three things are inaccurate about this statement.

1. You are not bringing love to yourself if you are tolerating unhealthy
relationships in your life.
2. Your judgment of other people prevents you from loving them.
3. When you show up to only take from someone, rather than give, you are not
truly loving him/her or yourself.

Knowing these three inaccuracies in our perception can greatly assist us in making better and healthier choices. Let us intentionally decide today to correct our perception of these inaccuracies.

Let us love ourselves enough to choose to be in only healthy relationships. Let us drop our judgments of others and thank difficult people for showing us how to love them more and judge less. Let us decide to show up in our relationships from a place of fullness rather than from emptiness - so that we may give, instead of just take.

So, what are the difficult people in your life teaching you today?

Love,

Mastin

 

The Power of "No"!

Taken from Mastin at The Daily Love.com

"If the Uni-verse always supported a life lived towards achieving dreams, how big would you dream?"   - Jackson Kiddard

I've written a lot about how important it is to say YES to your dreams. But part of saying YES to your dreams is learning how to say NO to what doesn't fit into your vision.

My life coach, Laurie Gerber at The Handel Group, has been teaching me a lot about this. Recently she told me "The more powerful the no, the more powerful the yes." This is a powerful statement.

I like saying yes and I don't like letting people down. But TDL has grown to a point where it's impossible for me to say yes to everything. In working with Laurie we're really focusing on what my top priorities are and then weeding out the rest.

Its sooooo hard for me to say no, 'cuz I get excited, I love life and I have a curious mind. But when I remember my dream and get clear about the priorities of what I have to do to manifest that dream, and get real with myself about how much time all those priorities take, it becomes obvious that the word 'no' will be used more in my life.

This is along the same lines as yesterday's blog, which was all about saying no to the good to leave room for the great.

As we move along The Path, we will come across all kinds of fun and fancy distractions that will seem cool, but ultimately take us away from our goals. So today, I want you to really think about and get clear about what you want and why you want it. Then, make a list of the 10 things you have to do next to achieve the things you want. Then, look at all your other commitments and start looking for opportunities to say no to things that don't fit into your dream.

If you're like me, you really don't like saying no, especially to people you love and care about. But alas, this is the Seeker's predicament: how long do we want to put off our dreams? Let's not wait another day! Today let's celebrate saying no! Not because we are selfish, not because we don't care, but because it's time for us to get about the business of making our dreams a reality.

So, what can you say no to today?

Lots of love,

Mastin

 

Go for GREAT!

Taken from Mastin at The Daily Love.com

"Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Since changing our lives means stepping into new behaviors, patterns and ways of being, it means we are going to have to get used to new habits.

Our old habits and our old standards weren't working, so we've decided to change.

The key though to lasting change is to stay consistent with your new habits and behaviors. We may step into these new habits and see results, and then sit back on our laurels thinking we did enough, but that isn't true. We must persist; we must push and follow through on a whole new level.

I am learning through my work with my life coach, Laurie Gerber, at The Handel Group, about keeping commitments to myself. For me to live my dreams I have to keep commitments. Which means I have to do stuff I don't really want to do - everyday. The fruit of this new action is wonderful. But my goal is to stay consistent with these new patterns - this is the magic and the hard part.

So this is where making promises and commitments to ourselves comes in. We make new promises of a higher standard of living that we wouldn't have done before and we promise to stay consistent with this action over time - but remembering to take this one day at a time. We can only live life one day at a time, so it's vital that we not get wrapped up in the confused and sometimes overwhelming future when we consider all of it, all at once.

So are we are taking our lives to a new level and incorporating these newer and sometimes more challenging habits - let us make promises to consistently keep these new habits. Not for a day, not for a week, but from now on. If we mess up a day here or there, let's not beat ourselves up, but rather pick ourselves back up and start again. The idea here is to raise your standards, not for a temporary moment, but for your life. This is not a dress rehearsal, this is real life and we only live it once.

We want to get to the end of our lives used up and worn out, having lived a life well lived. Today, let's go to the next level with our habits and make the promise to keep this new level in our lives. It may hurt a little, but the fruit will be well worth it.

Are you ready to sacrifice the good habits and go for the great? Let's do it today!

Lots of love,

Mastin

 

Reflections of you...

"People you feel drawn to reflect your inner self back at you, and you act as a mirror for them as well."

When we look at other people, we see many of their qualities in innumerable and seemingly random combinations. However, the qualities that we see in the people around us are directly related to the traits that exist in us. “Like attracts like” is one of the spiritual laws of the universe. We attract individuals into our lives that mirror who we are. Those you feel drawn to reflect your inner self back at you, and you act as a mirror for them. Simply put, when you look at others, you will likely see what exists in you. When you see beauty, divinity, sweetness, or light in the soul of another, you are seeing the goodness that resides in your soul. When you see traits in others that evoke feelings of anger, annoyance, or hatred, you may be seeing reflected back at you those parts of yourself that you have disowned or do not like.

Because we are all mirrors for each other, looking at the people in your life can tell you a lot about yourself. Who you are can be laid bare to you through what you see in others. It is easy to see the traits you do not like in others. It is much more difficult to realize that you possess those same traits. Often, the habits, attitudes, and behaviors of others are closely linked to our unconscious and unresolved issues.

When you come into contact with someone you admire, search your soul for similarly admirable traits. Likewise, when you meet someone exhibiting traits that you dislike, accept that you are looking at your reflection. Looking at yourself through your perception of others can be a humbling and eye-opening experience. You can also cultivate in you the traits and behaviors that you do like. Be loving and respectful to all people, and you will attract individuals that will love and respect you back. Nurture compassion and empathy and let the goodness you see in others be your mirror.

 

It's All In Your Dreams...

"There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of the people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age."   - Sophia Loren

Taken from Mastin at The Daily Love.com

When we start contemplating living our dreams, we first bask in the possibility of what could be; we sit back and daydream about a better kind of life, a life of creative freedom, of starting our own business and being able to do what we want when we want. We see how big our ideas can be and then we come back to reality.

As we actually start to consider taking actions TOWARDS our dreams, that is where the fears, insecurities and doubts come up. And the biggest block of all is the need for security and certainty.

You see, you can't been a Seeker on The Path and value certainty over the adventure of creating yourself. We have to learn to let go of our attachment to what's comfortable, easy and safe and learn to become strong enough in our Faith to not avoid or prevent uncertainty, but to be solid within uncertainty.

The Path is one of uncertainty, of stepping out into the unknown and of being able to remain solid even when we don't know what the next moment will bring.

So many people will never realize their dreams because they place certainty so high in their lives that they never break free and dive deep into the unknown. It's a rare individual who feels the fear and does it anyway. It's an uncommon person who steps out into the unknown and goes ALL IN with their dreams.

I've come to believe that when I personally take risks on behalf of my dreams that there is great certainty, not through facts, figures, metrics or physical proof, but through the faith I place in The Uni-verse. I have come to know that no matter what I will be taken care of, I will meet the perfect people at the perfect time and that right before huge breakthroughs are moments of big time doubt.

The goal for us is not to shy away, no, our goal is to step out even though we are terrified of the unknown. We are journeyers, we are travelers, we are Seekers on a Path into our own Highest Potential. We are not promised certainty from the world, but rather from our Faith. It takes a strong person to step out into the unknown, day in and day out, to risk being wrong, to risk making huge mistakes when the stakes are even bigger and to be willing to fail. It takes an even stronger person to fail and then to pick themselves back up and realize that failure is only failure if we give up. Instead, this strong person sees failure as a lesson, as an education and as a test of how much we truly believe in ourselves.

You see, success on The Path comes in two forms: the first is being able to keep going when you would normally quit (this is a HUGE win), the second being  self-realized enough to be free from or at least understand your fear. These two things do not guarantee a huge financial pay off, but once you have these two things it makes it much easier to be a savvy entrepreneur because
you will not only be fearless, you will choose a path that is based on the right livelihood. As Russell Simmons says, "Money doesn't make you happy, but happy can make you money".

The key is to not give up, but to keep going.

Do you have what it takes?

Love,

Mastin