I’m listening to Whisperings on ITUNES again. Whenever I’m in the mood to write, I click on the stream and listen. It’s solo piano music. It’s amazing the effect it has on me. Quickly I’m transported into the zone of deep thought in which I feel a stillness. Ideas seem to come to me. I’m grateful for all the wonderful people who allow me to touch them on such a deep level. It makes me so much more than I was before I got to know them and gives me so much more to give others.

It’s an expanding cycle that at this moment seems huge and endless. By giving to another we receive and have more to give to others. It fills us up. I know that we all have so much more potential for joy and goodness than we are currently experiencing. By embracing the expansion and natural unfolding in your life, you allow yourself to experience the mystery of life.

There will be challenges along the way usually in the form of changes to remind you that you are human. As you develop your ability to adapt to these changes you can look forward to these changes as opportunity, as adventure, as possibility. Yet with all the change and complexities in the world its essential to have a vision that embraces the rainbow of life with all its flavors, colors and textures. Here a few things to think about.

Have you really thought about what you stand you? Have you sat down and asked yourself how you want your life to be in five years. What is your vision for your life? What is one thing you can do today that will bring you closer to that vision?

Journey On

Mark

One of my favorite games is twenty questions. I remember playing it as a kid. So now instead of telling my wife something, I’ll say “guess who I saw?” It drives her nuts but what I realize with questions is that they definitely focus the conversation. They can be a powerful tool in creating the life you want and in changing your perspective as to how you view things.

So here we go!!! So what are your plans? What do you want to accomplish? What changes are you going to put into place? Quickly these questions help you focus your life. Questions are powerful and are probably the most effective way to shift your focus.

For example, if you are thinking about lack and limitation ask yourself what questions you are asking yourself. Usually you aren’t aware of what they are. For example if you have had a few disappointments in business you might be asking yourself how can things get worse….or what is the next thing that can go wrong.

When you are in a downward spiral create empowering questions to change the spiral. Let’s use the few disappointments scenario…an empowering question might be: I wonder who my next client will be or what my next project will be? How does it get better than this? i could go on and on.

How you frame your life determines your life because it is a fundamental law of the universe that what you focus on expands. I’m sure many of you have watched The Secret.There’s been a buzz about it because it’s all about focusing on what you want. Expressing gratitude also helps you shift your focus. When you express gratitude for what you have rather than focusing on what you don’t have, you have shifted your focus. And as we know what we focus on expands.

So what are some questions you can ask that will help you bring your life to the next level?

Journey On

Mark

I have dedicated this month to writing about life balance. Last night while sailing in SF bay watching the sunset and the moon rise I realized that sailing is the best metaphor to describe our lives.

We would all like to experience smooth sailing more often. For this to occur the winds have to hit the sail at the right angle which sailors call the beam reach. When the intensity of the wind changes we have to make adjustments to our sails to keep the boat sailing in the direction we want.

And that is our life…The winds are always going to change. There are going to be times when there is little or no wind…. and times when there are heavy winds. The wind is just what it is but it is how we adjust to the wind that matters. Creating balance is the ability to recognize when you are sailing off course and making the appropriate adjustments to what is constantly changing. We just need to be aware of these changes and adjust accordingly. Sailing can be looked at enjoying and playing in the elements . So can our lives.

The elements are always changing and so are our lives. It’s better to create the change you desire rather than react to it. Once you accept that things will always change, just like the seasons of the year, your ability to accept and adjust to these changes determines your level of happiness. Happiness is accepting what is. As I have stated in other blogs developing a morning program is the best thing you can do. There is a direct correlation between how you start your day and the quality of your life.

Journey On

Mark

I have often wondered how you create charisma in your life… Since charisma is a form of energy then the question is how do you go about creating energy.. And then there’s the question of what type of energy.

If you look at charisma as magnetism then charisma can be used in a good or bad way depending on the intention of the person.There are some people that are just plain charismatic no matter what they do. But let’s talk about what we can do to create it in our lives.To me charisma is a matter of creating more presence. So how do you do that?

1.Increase your energy by exercising and breathing fully….
2.Have a discipline like meditation,yoga or Tai Chi that creates prana or chi.
3.Be aware of the phrasing and cadence of your words
4.Eat lots of fruits and vegetables as they contain a lot of water which are body needs.
5.Be aware of your environment.
6.Notice how you move or dance.
7.Be a little unpredictable.
8. Have a style. It might be in the way you dress.
9. Be a little bit of a character.

These are just some of the ideas that come to me now. I am going to eventually have a top 10 list of ways to create more charisma in your life. Let me know what some of your ideas are.

Journey On

Mark

I feel best about myself when I am disciplined. That’s when I notice a difference in the quality of my life. I started to let my body slip away. For many years I was in pretty good shape from all of the sports I played. But it started catching up with me. I slowly noticed changes I didn’t like but didn’t make the commitment to change until recently. I have been going to the gym for the last few months and I feel good. I also meditate on a regular basis. My main work all of these years has been on how to turn off my mind from all its chatter…the teachers and the sages call it “monkey mind”. It’s great if we can suspend all our judgments or considerations about what is going on in our life or someone else’s. We then have a momentry respite from the world and all its forces. We create a stillness from all of our thoughts.

We can do this for part of the day if we take time to have a regular discipline…such as meditation…yoga…a martial art, a practice separate from the rest of your life. It could be running, playing music or dance…But something that fully engages you for a period of time on a regular basis. So it becomes a mental discipline.

Then once you develop the regularity you expand your ability to focus and to experience a oneness with what you are doing that is carried over into the rest of your life. Even though your practice might be for a brief period of time it has the potential to affect your entire life. But first you must be courageous and bold by beginning…Make a commitment. For a more in depth discussion of what is possible you might want to read Start Your Day on Your Terms which is in the Leadership section of my website, http://www.inspirepossibility.com

Journey On

Mark