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By Casey Grey
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Unless I have an early morning meeting, I always put time aside to read. I start the day off by putting some positive thoughts into my mind. I usually have a few books on the go and open up whichever one I feel most pulled to.
This morning I picked up The Success Principles by Jack Canfield. One of the things I love about Jack's writing is how he works humour into it. If you have not read the book, success principle number one is take 100% responsibility for your life. The comic strip below is a great example of what NOT to do but something we all come across (or potentially still do). If you complain or make excuses for ANYTHING, you are not following this principle. "I'm too busy" is something I often say. This is an excuse. It's a choice I have made. It's something I need to eliminate from my vocabulary. This truth is, if I'm too busy for something then it's not important enough to me or there is something more important in that moment. Choose your responses wisely. They will lead to actions and ultimately to your results.
"There is a principle of Mathematics, but none of error; there is a principle of health, but none of disease; there is a principle of truth, but none of dishonesty; there is a principle of light, but none of darkness, and there is a principle of abundance, but none of poverty."
-- from "The Master Key System" by Charles F. Haanel Principles work. If something is not working for you, perhaps you are not following the principles. When you lose a sense, your other senses become heightened.
Why is this? Could it be because you put more energy and focus into the other senses because you have to depend on them more? If this is the case, can we tap into these heightened senses whenever we want? Close your eyes and do a test. Actually, close your eyes, sit still and focus on your breath for 10 minutes. Or, if you think this is too hard... Turn your phone off for a day. Is there something you have become too dependant upon? Remember, you have other senses (and other ways of communicating). The world is full of labels.
Passive House, Energy Star, R-2000, LEED Certified, FSC Certified, CSA Approved and HVI Certified are ones that come up often for me in the construction world. Vegan, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Paleo, Raw and Flexitarian are all labels for different types of diets (and I know there's more). Mental disorders are a whole other game. There's a 3" thick book called the DSM-5 that explains all the shit that's "wrong" with us. I'm not a fan of labels but I understand and appreciate the importance they play in our society. As somebody who primarily eats a vegan and gluten-free diet, I appreciate seeing those labels. As somebody who builds healthy and sustainable homes, I see the value in having a third party certify a home and prove that it was built to a certain standard. When labeled with a mental disorder, it can be beneficial in the sense that the person may gain access to additional resources and realize that they are not alone. The issue is that most of us have no idea what the labels mean. If I were to show the general population the Passive House label, chances are they would not know what it meant. If I were to show people at a Green Building Show that same label, most people would likely recognise it but I guarantee you a lot of them would have no idea what was required to get that label. People who do not put a lot of attention into the food they put into their bodies won't necessarily know what vegan is or where gluten comes from or what foods contain what. Personally, I'm still not sure what a paleo diet is... Since I have no education in the mental disorder world, when I hear somebody is labeled with something specific I have to do research if I want to understand what that means (a.k.a. I ask my wife because she does have formal education here). The other important factor to understand is that labels often only account for one aspect. A Passive House does not mean it was built with healthy products (it puts the attention on performance). A LEED Certified house does not mean it is energy efficient (it puts a lot of attention on materials). A Vegan diet does not mean it's healthy (refined sugar and vegetable oil is vegan). A diagnosis of ADHD does not mean the person is not smart or can not focus (most entrepreneurs I know would fall under this category). Don't get caught up in the labels. Although they tell us important information, it's not the whole story. You remember Little Red Riding Hood, right? Do you remember the lesson at the end of the story?
[Sorry if I'm ruining this for anybody who has been living under a rock.] In the version I read to my son tonight, the book ends with this: "As long as I live," said Little Red Riding Hood to her mother, "I shall never again leave the forest path when you have warned me not to do so." Personally I think this is terrible advice. In fact, Little Red Riding Hood only met the Big Bad Wolf because she was on the path in the first place. When she ventured off the path after meeting the Big Bad Wolf, she realized that there was so much more. She noticed the birds, the light dancing through the trees and the pretty flowers on the ground. In life, if you stay on the path most travelled, the chances of running into a Big Bad Wolf are high. It may feel safer because you can see further ahead but so can the wolf. There is less beauty to take in and when you do find something beautiful, chances are there will be a crowd around it and it may even be gone by the time you get there. If you venture off the beaten path, yes, you may run into a Big Bad Wolf but there is also way more beauty to take in. It's your own path you are creating. When you find something, you will be able to take in all of it's beauty without the crowd. It's then up to you to decide whether or not you want to share it with the world. Create your own path in life and you may just end up with some followers. When things get tough (and they will get tough) there is one thing above all that is required.
A team. That team could be your family, friends or co-workers. Teams work together towards a common goal. The best teams work hard, challenge each other and support each other. They sweat together, laugh together, play together and cry together. They win together, loose together and learn together. They stick together. When you are on a team, you are never alone. As long as you are a team player. The picture below shows what I see every morning I turn on my computer. It's a reminder that life is too short to waste. Take in every moment and live your fullest life. Surround yourself with people you love and who love you. Go after your dreams. Flow with the events that life puts in front of you. Smile, laugh, cry and hug more. Take time for yourself. Find somebody to share with. And remember... "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end." I have a bad habit of interrupting people.
Why do I interrupt? Sometimes it may be required to break somebody's pattern but for the most part it's quite rude. In thinking about my own experience, it's usually because I'm thinking about what I need to say instead of listening to what the other person is saying. I get to a point where I feel like I understand what the other person and I'm ready to fire my comments or questions back at them. But what if I waited? Would I learn more? Would I have a new perspective? Would the other person be more open to hearing what I have to say? Would I become more connected with the other person? I believe so... Time to create a new habit! Why do we put so much time into worrying?
We worry about if we're working on the right thing today, who our children will grow up to become, if we made the right investments or if our spouse is happy. We worry about eating the right food and where the next client will come from or, if you are not an entrepreneur, whether or not we will have a job next week. We worry about if we said the right thing at the event yesterday or if we're going to say the right thing tomorrow. We worry about the clothes we wear, the weather and where we're going to be next year or in 10 years or in 25 years. I'm worrying about whether or not this is the right post to write today... What if instead of worrying we decided to trust. Replace the word "worry" with "trust" and watch the beauty of the universe unfold in front of you. Do everything in your power and trust that you are doing the best you can with what you know right now. Because you are. Trust that you are exactly where you are suppose to be, doing exactly what you are suppose to be doing, with the people you are suppose to be with. Trust that life is happening FOR you. I trust it's the right thing to do. "You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you mind find, you get what you need." There is a lot of truth and depth to these lyrics.
By wanting something you are acting as if you don't have it so the universe will continue to give you more "wanting" as opposed to the actual thing you want. You need to act as if you already have it. I know... It's confusing... Let's put it this way... You get what you think about most. The issue is that most of us think we need something else as opposed to appreciating what we already have. Does that mean we should not have high aspirations? Absolutely not! That's one of the things that keeps me going. The key is to not be set on how you're going to get there or when it's going to happen. The universe works faster than we think if we allow it to. Let go of the control, put the intention out there and let the energy flow. If you are always thinking about the negative things that "could" happen, then you will get more negative things because that is where your energy is going. If you spend most of your time thinking about the great things that "will" happen, great things will happen because that is now the energy you are putting out there. To some extent this is training the mind to always look on the bright side. I know it's cheesy and may seem like BS but how has the alternative been working for you? I would much rather surround myself with positive people and positive thoughts. But don't be fooled... Positivity does not mean naive. |
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