Showdown: with Doubt, Fear, and Anxiety

Today, I come to a showdown with a few old foes who try to block my path.

At first, I reel in my saddle... unsure if I can move one inch forward. I know this feeling and can say it stopped me many times before. I gird myself with my strength, step down from my horse, and place my hand by my side, next to my firearm colt revolver ready to blast away at my foes with their sick laughter.

Yes, they stand laughing at me with ridiculous gestures.

I stand undettered by these faceless ghouls.

They once acted as if they were friends; well, they are friends no more: they betrayed my trust and led me astray. I ponder for just one moment, much like Rodin said about his "Thinker" back in 1904 "I thought not only with my brain, with my knitted brow, my distended nostrils and compressed lips, but with every muscle of my arms, back, and legs, and with clenched fist and gripping toes" I meet my enemy and stare them down.

Like Clint Eastwood in a Spaghetti Western, I stare unblinking with my blue-green eyes glinting in the sunlight and make out the shadowy form of my opponents: doubt, fear, and anxiety.

Like Tom Waits sings in "Down in the Hole", I will stomp them into the earth and flush them out and push these devils deep down in a hole. These three bastards stopped me from finding the gold in life for the last time.

But today, I gun them down and singlehandedly destroy them: twisting and moaning, grasping body parts as the blood oozes forth from their heart, and runs from their appendages and the center of their forehead. My spurs make special music as I walk, in swaggering confidence, and assure myself of the death of these idiots.... they will not sway me as fear and failure has no place in the spirit or path of THIS man.

For these things mean nothing when FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE, which armed from the spirit of life that runs within me, are the bullets in my holster. I have no want. My blessings pour forth and the blocks shatter like weak glass before me. God is smiling upon me. This is my moment.

Like Neo in the first Matrix, time slows, I can actually see the bullets as they chase me, and I can grab them, stare at them for the worthless pieces of flak they are, and toss them down to claim my triumphant victory.

For today is the moment I came to this Earth to prepare for - to live in this NOW - to be THIS man.

There is only one time that matters: NOW.

And, in this NOW, I claim what is rightfully mine. My spirit deems it so. I am ready. I am no longer afraid of my own greatness, of my own abilities, or of the incredible calling before me. I push through the doors, which open before me and swing behind my back, and fulfill my destiny.

I know that none of this happens without LOVE. None of this happens without aligning myself with God within me. None of this happens without the KNOWING; the absolute quickening of time where I realize that my spirit self and my physical worldy self are ONE and the SAME.

Time stops.

Your presence... your love... your understanding... your support... are all here with me. I invite you to come along... to be my friend... but most of all to love me as I love you.

There is only love that matters. In the end, what we give determines what we get.

So I will give, and give, and give some more. I give without expectation or attachment. I give for the simple pleasure of giving. I give and draw upon the eternal spring within me and pour forth from this decanter the beautiful words, music, and spiraling flow of ideas into the world and very presence as it requests of me.

Now is the time.

It is before us. I see it all now, like a cinema in my mind.

The journey begins now...

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Ending Destructive Cycles and Patterns

Have you figured out that you're recreating patterns in your life? Whether a relationship that ends or has components we've seen before, or a job pattern history that seems to keep repeating, or friendships doing the same things, struggles to get in shape, or other struggles, these patterns often seem to dig into our persona and not only chase but haunt us, in spite of our best efforts to do our best in breaking free.

Can you identify that you'd like to end the destructive cycles stopping you from getting what you want?

1. Identifying a cycle is a start!

Well, the first step is identifying the fact that you're IN a cycle! If you're reading this and saying, "Yep, I'm in a cycle going back years - or even to my childhood" well, then this is a chance to learn and grow.

What can you do to begin ending destructive cycles?

2. Break it down. Beyond identification, the next step is to break down the elements of how we are failing.

Is it an expectation?
Does the concern include doing the same kinds of things in behavior to resolve issues that subsequently don't go away?

See, if that's what's happening, we may be focused on what we want to manifest, but failing to put the right things first: correct thought, correct feelings and judgements, and actions that will produce the fruit we seek.

3. Think different. The first step to change a pattern is to think different. We must change our thinking if we are to break free from destructive cycles. If we think the same way we've thought in the past, we're likely to repeat. So, change thinking. How can we change thinking? Through affirmations, and spotting opposite thoughts to what we've thought before.

4. Feel different. Next, we have to build correct feelings. Yes, this means we must FEEL different, too. I once dated someone who seemed fond of saying "I have a right to how I feel. You're telling me my feelings aren't okay." Well, the truth of the matter was that her feelings were not based upon real events and they were distorting her ability to judge correctly. It created situations with unrealistic expectations and weird behavior. It started with funky thought patterns and then manifested uglier when feelings of negativity were attached to thoughts.

See, we must be very careful about how and what we judge in processing feelings. The very act of calling a thought a positive thought is a judgment about the thought. So, be alert to the words you use to describe your thoughts, and then the subsequent feelings you attach to those thoughts. It is the "feeling" stage that will either ensure we break free of a pattern or keep us in it. It is up to us to feel differently. Can we change our feelings? Yes, we can! Set out to feel good, happy, and start with that BEFORE you get the result of the circumstance.

5. Act different. Last, our actions must match our thoughts and feelings. So, we must ACT different, as well. If we can align our thoughts, feelings, and actions with what we most want to manifest, then our success will naturally come in a result we initially hope to realize. Actions speak loud. We need to make sure our actions and feelings match. Put it all out there, don't be shy, and live large in each action. Be strong, humble, and act from integrity with your deepest desires.

If you desire deep communication in your relationship, then communicate deeply. Don't repress your thoughts and don't dominate your partner. If you desire to feel happier about how you eat and reach your ideal weight, then be happy about what you eat and eat in a healthy way (match the feeling with the action). If you desire to feel excited about your job and manifest financial abundance through your work, then act from excitement in a way most desirable of people who win in that career and learn from all results. You'll see the success follow.

Seek balance in actions that match your thoughts and feelings, and you will be happier and fulfilled.

You will notice that through each of these suggestions to break free from cycles, the word "different" keeps popping up in my advice. Why? Because, if we keep thinking, feeling, and acting in ways we've done before, how can we possibly expect anything different? We must think, feel, and act different to break free and define the life we truly want to live.
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Live In The Moment

In a chat with my brother yesterday, we were discussing the value of living in the moment.

It is so easy to get caught up worrying about tomorrow, the future, with concerns that face us in life: the mortgage, relationship success/failure, career challenges, health issues, our children's safety, and more. How many of these do you worry about? How about FINANCES? That's the biggie for most people.

The problem for many people is their desire for instant gratification when shopping. So, they buy things they don't really need. Then they get into credit card debt. That spirals to include other debts when things like the car transmission go out. Then unexpected events occur. Health problems crop up. The career goes sideways, and debt problems build.

Is this you?

I've been there. The key is to spot how we cope with stress, and find better ways to cope with it. This is what AA is all about. It isn't about helping you quit drinking alcohol. Of course you want to do that or you'd never go to a meeting. What AA really does is help you cope with YOU. Your thoughts, your reality, your stresses you carry around when you are SOBER. Let's face it, booze is probably the #1 drug of choice to "deaden" our senses so that we can deal with the voices in our head. I have a good friend who told me that's why he drinks. I told him he needs to quit drinking so he can listen to the voices and decide if they're full of bull or not. If the voices are wrong, find new friends! Ha!

Other people get into financial trouble because their method of coping with reality is to go shopping whenever they face stress. Then they buy things they don't need. My solution to that problem is to find a different method of coping, something more natural, like going for a bicycle ride or a walk in a nature environment. I've been doing that and it works quite well for me. One other way to cope with spending too much when out shopping is to ask the following four questions: (1) Do I need it? (2) Do I LOVE it? (3) Can I afford it right now? and (4) Do I really want to own it? (Are the caring costs higher than I want to spend?) When I ask myself these questions, I can almost always walk away from anything in front of me. These questions also take me to the resolution of the challenge: it's about being present with right now.

Well, the challenge as I see it is to BE HERE NOW. That's partly what AspireNow is all about. It is about living your aspirations in the now. If you don't realize what I mean, consider how you set your daily "to-do" list. Do you write it all out on a long paper? Is it on your computer? Do you have more than 3 - 5 items on the list each day? Do they carry over, week to week to week? If that is the case, you are not serious about your to-do list. Not only that, you're not focused on what you need to do now.

One of my mentors is the former Notre Dame coach, Lou Holtz. I remember an inspiring film I saw about Lou while I worked at DecisionOne. He was telling his players on his football team that what matters most is to WIN. And to WIN, you must do What's Important Now. What a brilliant saying! I've been using it ever since (thanks, Lou!) You see, Lou understood that you don't win football games in the Fall and Winter if you don't workout and condition your body for success in the Spring and Summer. When a player is working out during the Spring they are implementing WIN - what's important now - in their attitude towards success in their endeavor.

The last point I want to make about Being Here Now is to point out that worry is often just that: most of what people worry about never comes to pass. That's right, most of your worries are for NOTHING. Considering that, why worry at all? A question I like to ask myself is, "Will it matter a year from now?" whenever I am upset or worried about anything. About 98% of the time, the answer is no. I then can choose to focus on the 2% and deal with that. It's a lot easy dealing with two things than 98 things, don't you agree?

A simple life is an easier life. Don't over-complicate your life with unnecessary worry. Keep it simple. Keep it focused on What Is Important Now. The rest can take care of itself.
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A Childhood Hero: Daredevil Evel Knievel Dies

According to a family member, the legendary daredevil, Evel Knievel, died at the age of 69 today.

Sad news. As a kid, I was inspired by the daring feats Evel Knievel would try to accomplish.

The biggest dare I recall Evel going after was jumping the Snake River on his motorcycle. At the time, this was a big deal. I remember the crazy stunts Evel would do, and also remember that in many of these stunts, he failed. I recall seeing him with broken legs in casts. It wasn't pretty.

Yes, there he was, in all his glory, dressing like an American flag, ready to jump the next Guiness record into history.

At the time of his death, this article reports that he had 40 broken bones in his body. What sacrifice to live his purpose!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7122258.stm

If you think about your own life, what have you sacrificed to live your dreams? Do you have ANY broken bones over it? I don't. I may have experienced other aches and pains, but not those.

Imagine if, every time you were going to go for your next big challenge, you know you could end up in the hospital -- or even worse, dead! That was the fear that Evel Knievel had to overcome. And that was why he was an American hero.

Who were your childhood heroes? What did they sacrifice? I love hearing stories of people who've faced their fears and recovered. Evel Knievel was a hero who showed us all how it could be done.
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This article is written by Scott Andrews, Founder of AspireNow. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.

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