Michael

Success often comes from not knowing your limitations. - Frank Tyger

Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm. - Author unknown

Success. For many it’s an elusive beast, always just out of reach, while others seem to exude success from every pore of their being.

Each of us defines success in different ways as our desires, passions and needs widely differ. Ultimately, to be successful, you have to view yourself as a limitless being. When we focus on what we don’t know, what we can’t currently do or what is lacking in our lives, success will always be stuck in the future. Many people throughout history have overcome huge limitations to ultimately be successful. Use their example as inspiration to get through tough and challenging times while on your way to the success you deserve.

“Never giving up” is a common thread that runs through successful people. Many have had failure after failure but the difference is that they tried just one more time. Make “just one more time” a mantra on your journey. When thinking about this, do it from a place of excitement, hope and passion. Look at failures or mistakes as fantastic opportunities for refining your plan or adjusting your approach.

Don’t give up. Life will support you if you let it.

Have a great day!

Michael

Make education a continuing, never-ending process. - Nido Qubein

I have an intense curiosity about the world, how things work and the meaning of everything. I am constantly and consistently striving to learn something new every day. I’m fascinated by many subjects and never seem to have a lack of something new to learn.

I think it’s important to learn something new on a regular basis. It keeps the mind fresh, puts new life into your curiosity, jumpstarts your creativity, enhances your logical thinking and gives you an appreciation for the diversity of our world.

You don’t have to be quite as obsessive (maybe that’s too strong a word) as me, but striving to learn new things on a regular basis; daily, weekly or monthly will go a long way towards promoting mental health which helps in sustaining your overall happiness level.

Nowadays there are a host of resources available at our disposal; regular schools, online resources, public libraries, continuing education, craft/music/art classes, social groups, clubs and etc. If you don’t know where to start, just pick something that sounds remotely interesting and try it out. If you don’t like it, drop that idea and try something else. You can’t make a mistake here. It’s all about trying something new, learning a new skill, fact, craft and etc. Have some fun while you are experimenting.

You may find that you will generate an interest that you didn’t know you had until you tried it.

Enjoy.

Michael

Take some time and really listen to your own inner wisdom. - From a fortune cookie

Our inner wisdom is more powerful than we may realize. It contains a wealth of specific knowledge tailored for our own lives. Most of us try to find our answers with outside or external methods, but those only go so far. There always seems to be something lacking. Additionally, looking for answers in the external cultivates a feeling of “I don’t have control over my own life.”

All of us hold the answers to our most pressing questions. We always have access to that information, but we either don’t listen or don’t know how to get in touch with our inner wisdom.

Here are some techniques that may help you get in touch with your own inner wisdom:

1. Learn to quiet the mind through regular meditation or other similar techniques.
2. Take solitary walks. Many times you will get in touch with yourself more when walking in nature.
3. Ask yourself out loud the question you need answering and then go do something else. Sometimes this frees up the mind to work on the problem, somewhat like a computer program running in the background.
4. Ask yourself the question out loud. The first answer you hear in your head is usually your inner self.
5. Learn to recognize your inner wisdom voice. It’s typically the quiet unobtrusive voice barely heard over all the mental rabble going on in your head. It can also come out in strong urges or feelings, ideas that pop into your head and etc.
6. Cultivate a belief that you have the answers to all your questions or problems. This in turn will generate self-trust which will allow you to hear your inner wisdom.

Getting in touch with you own inner wisdom will give you a sense of self-control over your life, open a world of creative solutions to your problems, give you access to wisdom that is designed just for you and in the end, help you to have a happier, more fulfilling life.

Have a great day!

Michael

Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime,
Therefore, we are saved by hope.
Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history;
Therefore, we are saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone.
Therefore, we are saved by love.
No virtuous act is quite a virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own;
Therefore, we are saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness. - Reinhold Niebuhr

I was in a deeply introspective mood today. So, I went looking for inspiration and found this wonderful piece by Reinhold Neibuhr.

It helped. Hope it helps you.

Michael

There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the infinite passion of life. - Federico Fellini

It’s easy to get so wrapped up in the details of life that we forget or miss the big picture. Our many responsibilities tie up our attention and distract us away from more enjoyment. We miss the the really important things that define our life. The passion for our life passes us by.

When things get overwhelming, it’s a good time to stop, step back and take in everything without judgment. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you doing some tasks because it’s easier than doing some other higher priority items?
• Have you taken on so much responsibility that it is practically impossible to complete them in a timely manner leaving you with a deep sense of anxiety?
• Are you doing anything for fun or is it work, work, work?
• Do you have a strong sense that you are missing something or not being true to your self?
• Do you have feelings of guilt because of things you are not doing?
• Do you feel like you don’t have a purpose in life or not know what your purpose is?
• Do you have the fundamental sense that there must be more to life?

The good news is that you can change RIGHT NOW. Think about the answers to the questions above. Write them down. Talk about them with a close friend. Be open and objective with yourself and with your answers. Practice no judgment. Consider this research into improving your life. Pick one thing to change at this very moment.

You can’t get it wrong. Seriously. Life is a continual movement. What most people call mistakes are really just points of transition or turns on your larger journey. A mistake is simply a realization you did something that you don’t want to do or did something against your desires. Now that you know, just do something different. It’s that simple. We make it a big issue when it’s not necessary or very helpful.

Have a great day!

Michael

The most exciting time of your life is right now. - Michael Thornton

The most exciting time of your life is right now. The past is over. Only memories should survive now. The future is still being decided and will only be exciting when it becomes the present.

If we look to the future as more exciting, then we miss being excited right now. This is the moment we are living. Your future’s template (hopes, dreams, desires and etc.) are formed by you from the present moment. The future will be exciting if you are excited right now.

The future is just another point on your life’s journey forward. It becomes special when it meets you in the present. The past is also another point on your life’s journey. The difference, obviously, is that it’s already happened. It’s over and done with. You can’t change it nor should you worry about it. All you can do is be what you want to be right now.

Right now is your most exciting time. Your most powerful moment. Your gateway to everything you desire. Make good use of it.

Have a great day!

Michael

And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise.  The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. - Sylvia Plath

I love being a writer. What I can’t stand is the paperwork. - Peter De Vries

Writing. If you had asked me 10 years ago if I would be writing regularly, I would have laughed. But, here I am writing my thoughts down every day on more than one blog. I’m writing a book with my friend and business partner Nat. I have other writing projects in the planning stages. It’s all quite surreal to me.

Sometimes for me, maybe more than most people realize, writing can be difficult or challenging. I may not know what I want to write about. I may not be able to express what I’m truly feeling or I can’t quite get my point across. I am my own worst critic. There are periods when I have a lot of self-doubt. When I’m in a down mood (yes, it happens sometimes), I find it hard to write. Nat says when you can’t think of anything to write, that’s when you should sit down and write.

Just like in life, writing has its ups and downs; its moments of elation; its periods of illumination. Many times there are surprises. Other times I know exactly where I am going.

But, generally, I don’t know what I’m going to write about until I sit down to write. That’s the writing journey for me; a parallel path right beside my life. It can be frustrating at times, but mostly it’s fine as I’ve been trying to make my life more about being in the moment anyway. My writing discipline should reflect that, I believe.

Bottom line……I’m not stopping. I find it too personally rewarding to stop now. So, when it’s hard like today, I’ll sit down and find something to put down in words.

Have a great day!

Michael

We need to internalize this idea of excellence. Not many folks spend a lot of time trying to be excellent. - Barack Obama

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. - Barack Obama

On Tuesday, November 4th, history was made as millions of people voted for the next president. Whether you agree with the outcome or not, no one can deny that history was unfolding before our very eyes. Our first African American president, record breaking voter turnout and states that typically vote Republican voted Democrat.

I couldn’t turn the television off. I had to watch the statistics as they changed over the course of the evening. This was one of those defining moments that have the potential to change everything. Potential is one thing and action is another, but millions of people have pinned their hopes and dreams on this election.

I agree with my friend Nat, John McCain’s acceptance speech was one of the best of his career. I was inspired as much by it as I was by Barack Obama’s acceptance speech. I thought the true character of both men came through clearly.

We’ll see what happens over the course of the next presidential term, but regardless, we were witness to one of the defining moments in our generation.

Michael

Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein. - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Where do you want to go in the next five years? What do you want to do? What do you want to become? Most of us have dreams, goals and desires for where we would like to take our lives. A common reason or excuse for not going there or doing those things you want to do is “I don’t have enough time.”

Is that really true? Would the better question to ask be, do you really want to do or be the things you state? I’m sure you’re looking at the quote and saying that some of those people were genius level intellects. Yes, I would say at least two, but the rest had the time and inclination to follow their hearts and do great things.

Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus were fired from their home improvement jobs. Three years later their company, Home Depot, had annual sales of $1 Billion. They had the time.

Jeff Bezos was living in a 500 square foot apartment at age 30. Five years later because of his company Amazon, he was worth $10 Billion. He had the time.

Over the course of her amazing life, Mother Teresa helped thousands of people and many had their own lives changed by her. She had the time.

Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel in less than 5 years. He had the time.

Over a period of five years, Columbus discovered the “New World”; the Bahamas, Cuba, North and South America. He had the time.

In less than two years, the mostly unknown Barack Obama became the 44th president of the United States. He had the time.

You have the time. Now, go use it for what you want.

Michael

Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind. - Seneca

Continued from yesterday.

My trip to the Copper Canyon in Mexico was one of my top 5 trips ever. The countryside was extraordinary. The people were wonderful. The food was great. And our tour guide, David Rico Olalde, was fantastic. Most of the tour group was a group of Americans living in Miguel de Allende and the rest came from various parts of the United States.

Day 5 - We really started to explore the amazing landscape that is the Copper Canyon. We left Cerocahui to take the second half of our train ride through the Canyon to the city of Creel. Most travel journals state that this particular ride is the most spectacular in North America. I have to wholeheartedly agree. I stayed on the observation deck almost the entire time. There were just too many sights to see. I didn’t want to miss a thing.

Read my original post for Day 5.

View my photos. (21 photos)

Day 6 - A whirlwind tour, nonstop until dark; Mirador del Rio Oteros, The Balancing Rock, the Divisadero Barrancas, Elephant Rock, Turtle Rock, Arareco Lake, Cusarare Falls, Cusarare Mission, Valley of the Frogs, Valley of the Mushrooms and a Tarahumara Cave Home. Phew! Needed a good night sleep after this day.

Read my original post for Day 6.

View my photos. (26 photos)

Day 7 - The road to Batopilas was a hair raising adventure along 43.5 miles (70 km) of curvy paved road, 40.4 miles (65 km) of mostly one lane bumpy dirt road and a drop of over 6000 feet (1829 m) of elevation. Once we made it to Batopilas, a small group of us toured the ruins of Hacienda San Miguel. Very cool.

Read my original post for Day 7.

View my photos. (18 photos)

Day 8 - We started our day by making a very bumpy 3.1 miles (5 km) ride to the Lost Cathedral of Satevo. Wow! It feels like you are in the middle of nowhere but here is this cathedral. We made the long trip back up to Creel with a little stop while they re-built part of the dirt road that was being widened. It was exciting for a while there.

Read my original post for Day 8.

View my photos. (12 photos)

Day 9 - It was with a mixture of emotions as we boarded the bus that would take us to Chihuahua for our fly to Toluca and then home. This trip was well beyond my expectations and I had some very high ones. David Olalde was a wonderful host, guide, organizer, problem solver and therapist :-). I hope to travel on another of his tours in the future.

Read my original post for Day 9.

This adventure is over, but the memories will last forever.

Michael