Michael

There are those of us who are always about to live. We are waiting until things change, until there is more time, until we are less tired, until we get a promotion, until we settle down — until, until, until. It always seems as if there is some major event that must occur in our lives before we begin living. – George Sheehan

…focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it. – Greg Anderson

I’m sure you have heard the excuses that people use to justify why they are not really living or why they are not happy now. Most of the time the reasoning starts with something like, “If only I………..”, followed by the specific excuse.

I’m intimately familiar with this behavior because I spend years of my life using the “If only” reasoning. Each time I went through the major event or change, I always seemed to have another one. So, a happier life was constantly out of reach because I was “waiting” on some external thing to change. Putting your all happiness eggs in the external basket is a guarantee that you will never quite be as happy as you want.

Being happier right now is the secret to changing your life. Remember that all of our power and ability to change our life is in the present moment. Neither in the past nor the future, but right now. You don’t have to make large leaps either, nor does that really work. In other words, if you are feeling depressed, jumping to joy will be impossible. It would be easier to get to revenge. That is a smaller step. If you are angry, getting to frustration will make the most sense. The trick is to turn towards a happier thought or place in small steps.

As you practice and get better doing this, you’ll find that you will not have to wait anymore for things to change before you start living a happier life.

Have a great day!

Michael

Have fun! Misery is optional. – Jean Westcott

Tonight was a night of bantering back and worth, of throwing witty remarks at each other and generally a lot of laughter. It was a much needed change from my jet lagged induced, long day. My first day back from a long trip is usually an adjustment for me. I’m typically feeling “off” and it takes about 24 hours or so to get back to feeling “normal.”

So, it really is nice when you are with someone that helps to break up the run down feelings and generally take advatange of you at every turn.

But the message is clear: Don’t take anything too seriously. Laugh a lot. Relax. Have some fun.

Simple message today, but quite important in my opinion.

Michael

Chase down your passion like it’s the last bus of the night. – Glade Byron Addams

Follow your passion, and success will follow you. – Arthur Buddhold

Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. – Harold Whitman

What’s your passion? What thing gets you going so deeply inside that you can barely contain yourself? Following your passion or passions will send your level of happiness soaring, will make you want to wake up in the morning and has the potential of helping to change the world.

I have two passions. One is photography and the other is travel. Like Harold Whitman states, I come alive when I’m doing anything related to photography. When I’m out taking photographs, time stands still for me. I absolutely love capturing a moment that will never repeat itself again. For me, that’s exciting stuff.

Travel brings out the explorer in me and helps to feed my insatiable curiosity for what can be found around the next corner. I also love meeting new cultures. I find that my perspective expands just from the simple action of visiting another state or country. When I combine photography with travel, I can barely contain myself.

When I’ve gone through periods where I didn’t follow my passions, my life felt empty and without meaning. My level of happiness dropped and my creativity lost momentum. I became someone less than themselves. It’s not a great feeling and I’ve learned to not let that happen anymore.

What’s your passion? If you’re not sure, start searching inside. There’s one somewhere in there. We all have at least one I believe. As soon as you start following your passion, your soul will sing.

Have a great day!

Michael

The body travels more easily than the mind, and until we have limbered up our imagination we continue to think as though we had stayed home. We have not really budged a step until we take up residence in someone else’s point of view. – John Erskine

I was in Helsinki, Finland the latter part of this week for work. As I had a Saturday free, I took the SuperSeaCat ferry to Tallinn, Estonia across the Gulf of Finland. The fast ferry took about 100 minutes to arrive at our destination. There were a few swells today that made the boat pitch, but it wasn’t too bad.

As we got off the ferry, we could clearly see Old Town Tallinn ahead, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our first destination was St. Olav’s Church. It seemed to be the tallest non-modern building in the area. The photo to the left was taken from the top of the tower, which meant we had to climb 250+ steps on a small spiral staircase after paying 3 Euro. The effort was definitely worth it, as you could see for miles in all directions. It was a great way to get our bearings and decide where we wanted to meander next.

For the next three or four hours we walked up and down the narrow streets to get a feel of the city. The architecture was a mixture of medieval and modern, which gave the town a really personal but unique feeling to it.

Our next goal was the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, pictured to the right. The interior was exquisitely decorated from top to bottom with ornate images and a myriad of paintings, sculptures and etc. Unfortunately photography was not allowed inside. During our visit, there were simultaneous activities of confession, a funeral and choir practice. It made for an interesting but harmonious mixture of sounds.

We ate lunch in Raekoja plats, which was a large town square full of arts and crafts booths and a myriad of restaurants. The weather was perfect for eating outside under large umbrellas. We continued our exploration of the numerous shops up and down the many narrow, cobbled streets. Amber and linens seem to be the preferred items sold in just about every single store we saw. The amber is mined from the Baltic Sea and is a high quality. We saw one piece that had an ancient spider entombed. Very cool!

Overall, it was great day. My visit to Estonia marked my sixth new country for the year. My goal is 10. I’m almost there.

Have a great day!

Michael

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. – Leo F. Buscaglia

Too often we care for others to the neglect or detriment of ourselves. Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t care or give to others. My point is that we need to do the same for ourselves.

I liken it to a savings account. Most financial experts say that you should pay yourself first (i.e. deposit into your savings account) and then pay your bills. Paying yourself first gives you a savings plus financial peace of mind over time.

When we care for ourselves, we are giving ourselves the ability, energy, creativity and wherewithal to assist, care and give to others. The more we pay ourselves, the more we’ll have for others. The more we pay ourselves, the happier we will be.

What are you going to do today to care for yourself?

Michael

If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail. – Abraham Maslow

I’ve been dealing with a particularly aggravating work problem for the last week. I found myself constantly pushing on the problem to find a solution. I talked to others about it and spent many hours thinking and uncharacteristically fretting about it. I was so focused on the solution being something that apparently was not going to work, that I had blocked out all other possibilities.

Yesterday, I had enough, so I gave up on solving the problem. I let go the need to solve it and took a break from it. Almost like magic, the solution appeared. It had been right in front of my face the whole time. As I had been pushing so hard against the problem, I couldn’t see the simple solution sitting on my lap.

Today, I sat down to work on the solution. Not surprisingly, I was able to complete a previously daunting task (i.e. the problem) in less than two hours. It felt like it was just flowing through me like river. I couldn’t type fast enough. I reached out to a co-worker for some help and she was able to get her part done so fast that it made my head spin.

Okay! Lesson learned. Next.

Michael

If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk. – Raymond Inmon

A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. – Paul Dudley White

Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time. – Steven Wright

I had a very long day at work including traveling to Helsinki from Leipzig, Germany. By 8:30 p.m. I had enough and felt like getting outside for a walk and some fresh air.

Summer in Helsinki, Finland is quite nice. The days are very long in the summer and very short in the winter. It seems to me that people utilize every minute of sunlight during the summer and enjoy the outdoors. Many people ride bicycles, walk and run seemingly at all hours of the day and night.

I’m staying at the Hilton Strand, which is close to a number of sights, restaurants and parks. The Helsinki Cathedral is impressive and a short walk from the hotel. I recommend seeing this beautiful church.

I walked across a solid, arched, stone automobile bridge right by the hotel. The setting sun was lighting the water and the underside of the arch with golden light. It was a lovely sight. I could feel myself beginning to relax. I turned west and walked along the water watching the boats. I turned back east and followed the road around The Botanical Garden at Kaisaniemi where The Botanical Museum is located. It was closed, but I had previously walked around here. There are a myriad number of plants including a really nice palm house.

I turned back towards the hotel and witnessed a stunning sunset with some unusual C shaped clouds (turned on their sides). I was feeling better, my batteries were recharged and I was now ready for a good night’s sleep.

Michael

If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember this whole thing was started by a mouse. – Walt Disney

Contrary to what you may have previously believed, dreams do come true. The evidence is overwhelming.

The first step in making your dreams come true is having a clear definitive dream. It should be vivid, concrete and as specific as you can make it. Imagine yourself fulfilling your dream. Visualize how your world would be different if your dream had come true. Pretend that your dream has already manifested itself.

The second step is to realize and believe that we live in a world where God, the universal source, the creative intelligence or whatever you choose to call it turns the machinery of the universe and gives us our dreams.

The third step is allowing your dream to be born. How do you do this? All you have to do is to be okay with where you are right now. In other words, if you want more money, make sure that you are okay with not having that extra money now. Don’t focus on the lack of money, but on the dream of having more money. Find a way to be happier right now, even if it is just a little bit. In fact, getting happier a little bit at a time is much easier than jumping from unhappiness to intense joy.

Be happy in the moment you are living while clearly visualizing your dream. This is where magic can happen. When we learn to be as happy as we can be in our present moment while keeping our dreams in our sight, true change starts to happen.

I’ve been practicing these simple steps for several years now. I’ve never been the same. My life has completely changed. The third step is the hardest I’ve found, because we always are reacting to what we are seeing around us; i.e. the lack of something. Turning away from this habit may be a challenge. Keep persisting and practicing. Your efforts will be rewarded.

Have a great day!

Michael

Wow! The latest book by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was fantastic. This book has broken all previous records in sales for a first book. The first printing was over 12.5 million. The Harry Potter books have brought reading back to a generation that has been consumed with T.V., video games, movies and other forms of entertainment. Harry Potter has been quite the phenomenon.

I’ve read all the books and I just finished the seventh and final in the series last night on a plane to Germany. The story was so engaging that I read over 300 pages while flying through the night.

J.K. Rowling’s stories are engaging, interesting, full of intrigue, have complex twists and turns, fast paced action and are amazingly vivid in detail. She effectively blends multiple, basic human themes in her writing. This book deals with the hero, the quest, the problems associated with racism, the atrocities of war, fighting for what you believe in, one person sacrificing themselves for all others, the power of love, the enduring mystery of life and many spiritual/religious themes. As they say in the U.K., “Brilliant!”

My only complaint is that this was the last in the series which generates a small empty feeling. But at the same time I have such strong feelings of being enriched by the entire series. Mixed emotions for sure, but I’m happier for reading them.

If you haven’t read the books, I suggest you start now.

Michael

When we’re incomplete, we’re always searching for somebody to complete us. When, after a few years or a few months of a relationship, we find that we’re still unfulfilled, we blame our partners and take up with somebody more promising. This can go on and on–series polygamy–until we admit that while a partner can add sweet dimensions to our lives, we, each of us, are responsible for our own fulfillment. Nobody else can provide it for us, and to believe otherwise is to delude ourselves dangerously and to program for eventual failure every relationship we enter. – Tom Robbins

Back in the late 1980’s I had a mentor/teacher that fundamentally changed my view of relationships. She was a very independent person. So much so, that I could not for the life of me understand why she would be in a relationship. What was the point?

So, one day I asked her why she was married and in a serious relationship? She looked at me quizzically and said that there was only one reason for two people to be in a relationship. I leaned over the table at her with questioning eyes. I said, “What is the reason?”

She said, “We have fun together!” My mouth hung open. “That’s the reason?” I said, with shock in my eyes. She simply said, “Yes.” The point being that they chose to be together because they had fun. That was it! At the time, I could not even relate to what she was saying, but her answer stuck with me.

That began many years of introspection, counseling, thinking, learning self-fulfillment and developing independence. I went through several relationships, some big, some small. But each one was an improvement over the prior. As I learned to feel great about whom I was, I became more self-sufficient and learned to love myself in entirety (both negative and positive aspects), I grew closer to having a meaningful and mature relationship.

I met a wonderful person on Father’s day. We’ve been seeing each other for almost two months now. We are both independent and self-sufficient. We have many similar interests. We have done six months worth of activities in two months. We like each other for who we are, not for who we want each other to be. We enjoy each other’s company but don’t need to be together. We choose to be together. Bottom line, we are having fun.

This is new ground for me and I plan on seeing where it leads without expectations, anxiety or impatience. We are living in the moment and having great fun. The relationships is progressing at it’s own pace. What more can we ask for?

Michael