Viral Happiness

Tomorrow is 9-9-09. The symmetry & alliteration offer a moment of significance, a clear touchstone for planning and action.

And that special date offers you an opportunity to begin something special, something of real & lasting significance in your own life.

What have you been putting off?

What wonderful accomplishments are you planning when you say, “I’ll get around to it…someday.”

Well, friend, 9-9-09 could very well be that day.

I am using that particular date as my own personal touchstone, my own personal reference for some wonderful goals.

I have set specific goals to be reached in 2 months, in 6 months, in 8 months, & in 12 months…all dated from 9-9-09.

You may be thinking that this is nothing more than a gimmick…you may be saying that 9-9-09 holds no more significance than any other date. After all, they’re all just numbers on a calendar.

And, you know what? You would be absolutely correct.

There is nothing special about any date or any moment unless we make it so.

Allow me to repeat that, “…unless we make it so.”

There is nothing magic about a specific date. The key is in what we do. Success is always about what we do.

But couldn’t you use a little magic?

Why not conjure some now by using this unique date to start building something special in your life.

Use it as a springboard to greatness!

And when you have succeeded, when you have built that castle you know you deserve, when you have forged a golden link in the chain that is your life, when you are basking in the joy of your accomplishments, then you
can look back and say, “This seed of greatness was planted on 9-9-09.”

If you don’t do it now, when are you ever going to get around to it?

Today, I watched clouds.

I sat for an hour in my backyard, and stared up into the sky.

The clouds, full and white, drifted like majestic, shape-shifting islands across the deep blue of sky.

It was magnificent.

When I was young, I watched clouds. And I watched them again when my children were young. But I had not watched them with awareness in a long, long time – until today.

And that, I think, was the biggest gift…the gift of being aware.

We spend our time rushing through life, barely skimming the surface. We are caught up in a very narrow slice of this existence. We act as though so much of what we experience is ordinary, when, in actuality, our lives are miraculous.

Our perspective is mundane, not our journey.

We allow inanity to preoccupy our thinking: “Why is that jerk talking so loud on his cellphone? Is our landscaping as pretty as the neighbor’s? Why doesn’t my boss appreciate  me?” While underneath that surface, underneath everything we experience, there is a continuing miracle.

Try this. The next time you go shopping, make eye contact with the person at the checkout. See them as someone real, someone with the same hopes and dreams and feelings as you. Try understanding your coworkers. Spend time with your loved ones. Be open and loving and available. Don’t be guarded. Refuse to feel hurt. Let other people be themselves. Don’t judge them. Just be aware of them. Be aware of their hearts. Be aware of their souls. Don’t presuppose. Take heed of emotional needs. Give yourself away.

In your heart, you know you have an important part to play. The time has come for you to play it. Don’t be afraid. You are strong and wise, even when you feel weak and stupid. Be aware of your strength. Be aware of your wisdom. Be aware of the real you.

Just be aware.

Be aware that this creation is much more wonderful and complex than we can imagine. Be aware  of your own immensity. Be aware of the voice of God.

Turn off your TV, go outside, and watch the the clouds.

I know the exact moment that my mid-life crisis ended.

It ended when I realized that I wasn’t being the me that I really am. It ended when I realized that the weak, worried, struggling soul that I had seemingly become was not really me. So I simply decided to assume my true identity.

I had been improving for months, but that moment of perfect clarity and change happened in an instant. I became who I really am, a person I had been before, although now, this version was improved – this version was wiser.

I’ll tell you exactly what happened to spur my decision to finally say…”No More!”

It happened because of a bill.

Some company sent me a bill that, at first, made me say, “Crap! Another bill to pay. When will I ever get through paying these bills.” But, even as I stood looking at the bill and lamenting my fate, there came another thought…the thought that changed me and brought me back to my true identity. And it started with one word.

“NO!”

I had finally had enough of my personal victimhood. I had had enough of feeling like a loser. I had had enough of embracing a personae that was foreign to my true nature. And that’s when I began to win at life again, the minute I said “No” to a way of being that was not serving me.

All it took was a real decision to “be” who I wanted to be. When you change your “being,” your thinking must follow. When you change your thinking and resolve to take action, those actions are now the actions of the real you. They are positive, strong, loving, success actions.

If you make the decision to be a positive, strong, loving, and successful person, then those same actions and attitudes must follow.

Think about it this way: what makes a person loving? Loving thoughts and loving actions. So the way to be a loving person is to think and act with love. If you decide that you are a loving person, that love is a part of your true identity, then it must affect the way you think and act.

This may sound like circular reasoning, but it is the only way I know that works. Decide who you really are and then think and act in a way that is consistent with the kind of person you long to be and then you are that person.

That’s why I can boldly claim (as I did in my last blog post) that you are already the person you long to be because, if you long to be a certain way, that is proof that that is the real you. And the way you release the real you is to act and think in a way that is consistent with the real you.

If you want lasting change, the last few paragraphs are worth rereading and also worth your thoughtful contemplation.

If you need further insight, leave a comment or send an email, and I will  get back in touch with you.

Once I made the decision (and I will blog about decisions soon…you haven’t really made one if you don’t take action) to be who I really am, things began to change for me. Business improved and continues to improve. I ran for office and won. I feel more like myself than I ever have before.

I am convinced that when you make a conscious committed decision to take your proper place in the Universe, you flip a cosmic switch and your life begins to immediately change for the better.Consider this quote from Johann Wolfgang van Goethe.

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back– Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.

It’s time for you to cast of any hesitancy, weakness, and fear.

It’s time for you to make a committed decision to be who you really are.

(Please note:  this blog post is a continuation of my previous post, and this one will lead to another. If you haven’t read the past couple of posts, it might help to go back and read them. You can get good information from this post without doing so, but it will help you to know where I’ve come from and how I turned things around.)

Who are you?

We are so often stumped by that puzzling question. I know it stumped me, and I didn’t even realize that it WAS stumping me. I didn’t realize that I didn’t know who I really was.

So,  ask yourself…

Who is the REAL you?

In my last blog post, I told you that I changed my life by changing my thinking, and that is absolutely true. But, without delving a bit deeper, we just might miss the beginning point. We just might miss the true ground zero for change. We just might miss the center that creates the life changing thoughts.

And, to show you how to change your life at the speed of thought, we need to explore the very important question that begins this blog post.

Who are you?

Sadly enough, many never grasp the answer to this question. For many, it just seems so darned elusive.

But it’s not elusive when you know where to look.

And the place you look is in your heart.

Search your heart and tell me who you long to be. Search your dreams, your desires, your wishes. Who are you in your perfect daydream? Who are you in your secret, longing heart?

Here is the trick, but please read carefully, because it seems so simple; and I don’t want you to miss it.

Who you long to be is who you really are.

Stay with me for a minute; this concept may take just a moment to make sense.

Who you really want to be…that ‘fantasy you’ of your wildest dreams…that is who you really are.

During my mid-life crisis, I was indecisive…hesitant…worried, and I thought that was who I had become. I was not expecting the best. I had accepted a struggling lifestyle, and I was expecting hardship after hardship. But one day I realized that the way I was acting was not the real me. The real me was who I was in my dreams, that person who I aspired to be.

Does that make sense?

You are not some weak person struggling through life. That is not the real you. The you that you want to change is the you that years of improper instruction and erroneous influence has helped create. But that is NOT the person that you were born to be. That’s not who you really are.

You are longing to become something that you already are.

So the first step is to determine who you really are. I would suggest that you write a detailed description of the you that you long to be. Give specific details about your wishes and desires, what you long to do and where you’d love to live and what your life’s work should be. Detail desired  specifics about your relationships and list the qualities that  make up your dream personality.

Take a long look at the person you have described because that is the REAL you.

Once you determine who you really are, make decisions, take actions, and, most importantly, think thoughts consistent with that person.

That is where the change in thinking takes place. It begins with a change in being.

Just be who you really are.

(In my next post, the saga continues.)

It’s funny what gets to you sometimes.

I had just moved my family into a smaller home. My son’s girlfriend was visiting, and we were going to sit and watch TV. I had sold our sofa and could not afford to replace it. I had a couple of matching old armless easy chairs pushed together so it would seem kind of like  a sofa. There was one more (very uncomfortable) chair in the room. When we gathered in the den and she innocently asked, “Where do we all sit?” – I felt an empty pit in my stomach.

We didn’t have enough places to sit because I was a failure.

That was a few years ago, but it still hurts to remember.

—————–

I’ve been putting off publishing this post.

I’ve written and rewritten it for three weeks, wondering exactly what to share with you.

Recalling this part of my story is difficult. But it’s an important part of my personal development, and, if you ever have to deal with some of these same issues,  this information may help.

So, even though I’m somewhat  hesitant to spill my guts, here goes…

Approximately six years ago, I had what I now lovingly call my mid-life crisis.

And, as I consider it now, I find that this ‘crisis’ boils down to two issues… actually these issues are opposite sides of the same coin: abundance and lack.

And it’s not just about money. This is much more involved than money…even though money plays a part.

But it is definitely about more than just my economic condition because I’ve learned that our perspective of either abundance or lack  colors everything in our experience. Every challenge is an exercise in what we seem to lack.

My mid-life challenge was no different.

This type of challenge can be sneaky, because, even as the crisis was occurring, I was fervently studying self development. So, if you are pursuing your own self development, and if you continue to be confronted by difficult challenges, trust me,  you are not alone.

I had to downsize a retail business that had grown steadily for years. I had assumed that it would continue to grow and expand, but it began to slow and contract. This was not only devastating to my bottom line; it was also devastating to my sense of self-worth.

At the risk of sounding sexist, men are often judged by how well they provide for their families, and my provision began to falter.

As I was being forced to downsize my business, I also sold our family  home of 15 years and moved to a smaller house. The economic pressure was substantial, and I was navigating foreign waters.

I had to borrow money. I had to confront difficult situations. I had to continue going through the motions.

During that time, it seemed that my days consisted of shifting from crisis to crisis, and, for a while, there was very little relief. There never seemed to be enough…enough money, enough opportunity, enough time.

I felt stuck.

And that’s where the true sense of lack occurs. When you feel as though you face a dearth of choices – when you decide that you simply have no choice, that’s when you find yourself drowning in a deep perspective of lack. It’s acutely painful.

Have you ever felt trapped like that?

Have you ever felt like there is no good choice available to you?

Have you ever felt defeated?

If you have, you’ve come to the right place, because that is exactly how I felt.

I simply did not know what to do next. And that. for me, was the crux of the crisis.

But one day, everything changed.

It changed because I finally remembered a simple technique that I had used in the past when I faced other challenges. It’s the same technique I used when my doctor suggested that I might be suffering from depression (I relate that story fully in Mastering Your Power of Release).

It’s the ONLY tool I know of that works every time, and I’m not  sure why I allowed myself to get to a very low point before I used it in this situation. Maybe I had not thought about using it during my crisis because it just seems so darned simple. And when I share it with you now, you may be tempted to say, “Wait a minute…that’s it?”

But I promise, if you will master this technique, you will be on your way to conquering any challenge quickly and easily.

I simply changed my thinking.

That’s the most concise way of putting it. I  changed my thoughts. I refused to entertain any thoughts of defeat. I began thinking winning thoughts. I recaptured success in my mind.

And it worked.

I believe that’s enough to share at this time. This may not seem like a big deal to you, but admitting my shortcomings in such a public forum has not been easy for me. I’m a private person, and I share this part of my story now in hopes that something I say may be of help to you.

In my next blog entry, which will be posted much quicker than this one was, I will tell you exactly how I did it, and exactly how that change in my thinking eventually led to my thinking sabbatical and to my 28 day transformation experiment and how this  all ties in to my recent election victory and my business turnaround.

That’s a lot to relate, and it may take a couple of posts to get it all in. But this is good stuff. And, if you need some success suggestions in your own life, this may help you.

And, hey, it’s free information. All you have to do is come by and read it and see if it somehow relates to your own experience.

If it does relate, great! If it doesn’t relate, all it’s cost you is a little time.

I’ll offer my next entry very soon.

I have a personal story from my past that I want to share with you about my mid-life crisis, but I need to teach this important lesson first.

Are you happy? Are you successful? Are you moving toward the kind of life you want to live?

Where you are right now is ultimately the result of your choices.

We are often tempted to claim that life treats us poorly…throws us curves…complicates or hurts us in some way. But that’s not real; it’s fantasy. It’s the script we have in our heads. It’s the way we cope with failure and challenges.

But it’s not real.

Life seldom does anything to anyone. Instead, life presents us with choices – constant choices. And how we choose determines the quality of our experience.

If we are faced with a great challenge such as illness or calamity, how we choose to feel about it and what we choose to do about it dramatically determines our quality of life.

Choosing is everything.

We are constantly faced with choices that are so subtle and automatic, they don’t seem like choices at all. When this occurs, we call our choice a ‘reaction.’ But we never simply ‘react.’ We always get to choose.

Say that over and over until you accept it as truth: “We always get to choose…we always get to choose…we always get to choose.”

There are, of course, choices that we recognize and understand. I choose waffles for breakfast. I choose to turn left at an intersection. I choose to read a book instead of watch TV.

But there are less obvious choices that have a constant impact on life. I choose to get angry. I choose to feel hurt by someone. I choose to succumb to frustration.

These less obvious, subtle choices determine our quality of life, our level of success, and the depth and breadth of our relationships.

Consider this example: your spouse or close associate treats you poorly and your immediate inclination is to be angry, bitter, and hurt.

But do you have to feel like that? Is that your only choice? Is that the quality choice of the real you?

You may claim that their actions caused you reaction. But there is always a moment, even if it is fast and fleeting, when you make the decision to be reactive or proactive. When you are reactive, you defend your poor choice by saying, “Well, he made me so angry!”  When you are proactive, you know in your heart that you choose a calm, loving response because it is the best thing for the genuine you.

You have to decide that your life is worth the effort to live by concepts and not situations. You must determine the kind of person you want to be and be that person.

Who is the genuine you? You must make your choices with that ‘genuine you’ in mind.

Do you want to be more loving? Then make decisions that are congruent with love, and you will be.

Do you want to positively persevere through every challenge? Then make decisions that are congruent with your personal principle of never quitting, of always pushing through no matter what, and you will persevere in every situation.

Do you want to be healthy and fit? Then choose principles of proper rest, nutrition, and activity, and make choices that jive with those principles.

Simply put, you determine who you want to be, and then you live like that person.

Do you want to be loving?
Then choose to be loving.

Do you want to be peaceful?
Then choose to be peaceful.

Do you want to be happy?
Then choose to be happy.

Make your decisions based on your personal life principles of love, peace, and happiness.

Don’t misunderstand. Making the right choice is not always easy. It is simple, but it’s not easy. If it was easy, we would all make the right choices all of the time. And I confess that I have not always made the right choices.

I have been between the  mountain and the abyss, and I have chosen the abyss. I’m not proud to admit this, but I have chosen anger and hurt and depression. I have felt the allure of negativity, and I have succumbed. If I could not identify with that type of pain, I would not be able to honestly tell you how to find the better way.

But that is a part of my midlife crisis story that I referenced at the beginning of this post. And I will tell you that story in my next post. My life has not been perfect, and you need to know  that.

This lesson about choosing will make even more sense when you read the next post.

Until then, make choices that are congruent with who you really are.

I have a natural inclination to downplay my own success. It’s a trait leftover from my childhood, when I was taught not to brag. So, I tend to soften my successes.

But that won’t do you any good.

You need to know about my success. You need to know how I achieve it. You need to find the success clues and apply them in your own situation.

The time for downplaying success is over, because, if I am not successful, you need to move on and read someone else. If I haven’t figured out some basic principles for my own life, you don’t need my influence and teaching. If I am not willing to  stand up and say, “I’m more than just a nice guy; I’ve figured out some things that can help you live better,” then I’m not really worth your time. That’s simply the way it is.

You and I are not here to brag, that’s true. But we are here to learn, improve, and accomplish. Because, we can learn plenty of theory, but if the learning doesn’t lead to accomplishment, what good is that knowledge?

Consider these questions:

Why are you reading this blog?

Why do you read other blogs, articles and books?

What do you want to do with this information?

Even though we pursue information, we are not really after information as an end. We are after a better life. We are longing for more love, more money, more freedom, more fulfillment. We are longing for that elusive something that makes us say, “Ahhhh, here it is at last! Now, I have arrived!”

We are looking for  SUCCESS.

We long to live a successful life.

And that’s what I intend to discuss in my next few blog posts.

As we discuss success, please keep these three truths in mind:
1. SUCCESS leaves clues.
2. SUCCESS can be recreated.
3. SUCCESS occurs one success at a time.

If you think you’ve heard this all before…if you think you know what I’m going to share…you may be right. But you need to ask yourself one very important question: “Am I on a path to success?”

If you’re not, then pay attention. You either need knowledge, application, or action. And, over my next few blog posts, I intend to discuss all three.

But be forewarned -  the key is action!

And I’m not talking about taking action by buying something from me. I haven’t refined this information into a product yet. I’m not trying to sell you anything.

If you read these posts, you’ll be getting the real, raw, off-the-cuff deal. I’m teaching on the fly, strictly by the seat of my pants.

But the key for you is the willingness to take fearless action.

You’ve got to be willing to get up and do something. If you’re not willing, stop right now. Don’t read any further. You are wasting your time.

That may sound a little harsh coming from me. If you’ve read much of my teaching, you know that I am very open and loving. Love is the reason I do what I do.

But it’s time for a little tough love. If I really love you (which I do), I can’t be satisfied if you are living beneath your potential. It’s like the message of my favorite Mary Chapin Carpenter song,

“Why Walk When You Can Fly?”

Click on that link and listen to the words. Resolve that you are ready to fly. Refuse to  settle for less.

And be on the lookout for my next post.

Peace of  mind.

That’s it. That’s what everything else is about. The desire for love, the pursuit of abundance, the search for meaning. It’s all about peace of mind.

You have a gnawing feeling in your gut that there is more to life than you are experiencing. You think you need…well you’re not really sure…but you think it may be more money or love or some intangible something that you can’t quite realize.

But you know it’s out there, somewhere.

In truth, it’s not out there at all. It’s inside and more than inside.

It’s not just in you, it is you.

Take a moment right now to relax. Sit back, release the tension in your shoulders and concentrate on your breathing. Take deep, rythmic breaths. Inhale and exhale on purpose, not just as an afterthought.

Disengage your mind chatter. Release thoughts of the past and future, even the immediate past and future. Don’t consider what just happened or what may happen in  the next moment. There is no next moment. All we have is this moment. Focus on living in the now.

As chattering thoughts intrude, let them float through your thinking like clouds drifting across a deep blue sky. Don’t fret over them, just allow them to be.

Allow everything to be. Don’t engage in mind battles, mentally fighting people or situations and engaging in worry after worry, always wishing that this would change or that would change. Just allow it all to be, like a stream flowing past your feet. Just let it all drift by, without being swept up.

Know that in this present moment you are fine. If you are sick, know that the sickness is not in the real you. The you that is the real you is strong and eternal. If you are concerned about money or relationships, know that you can exchange this emotion of worry for peace of mind in this present moment.

Which is stronger: worry or peace? Which is proactive? Which is pleasant?

Refuse to think that you will acquire peace once all of the pieces fall into place. That’s not the way it works. Instead, it works like this:

Acquire peace, and then all of the pieces fall into place.

It begins with choosing the belief that this universe is a friendly place. Believe that God is not out to get you or play some kind of cosmic trick on you. Believe that God wants you to live an abundant life and to trust…simply trust.

Expect to prosper. Expect to excel. Expect to manifest.

You need action and a willingness to do, but that’s not as important as what takes place in your thinking. It all begins in your thoughts.

It all begins in choosing peace of mind in every present moment.

Be blessed!

Buz

P.S. These observations are part of what came out of my 28 Day Transformation Experiment. I promise to share more when my local election is over. The election is on May 5th (approximately one week away). There are a total of four people in my race, and I need over 50% of the vote to win without a runoff. So I’m asking anyone who might offer thoughts and prayers on my behalf to concentrate on me getting 50% plus. Fifty percent plus one vote will win it outright, but I would love a mandate, so fifty percent plus 100 votes (in this small community) would be huge. My local political pundits believe I will win, but they also think there will probably be a runoff. I would love for us to surprise them all!

It started as part of an experiment.

Now, it has grown into a daily practice.

And this practice is changing everything.

You may remember that I designed a ‘thinking sabbatical’ back in December to coincide with my 28 Day Transformation Experiment. It was all about transformation and manifestation, and the ‘thinking sabbatical’ aspect came about through a simple inner urge. The universe sang and I got up to dance.

I think I’m on to something big because everything has changed. My life has gone from ‘very good’ to ‘great,’ and I am enjoying more of the things we so often ‘work’ to get: more peace, more abundance, more passion, more zest, more joy, more happiness, more patience, more manifestation.

And it all started because I was willing to take carve out a specific time to simply be quiet and think. Now, my thinking sabbatical is an everyday habit. It is a joy to me.

I’m continuing to polish the process, and I will share it with you in the near future. First I have to get through my election in May (please see previous posts), and then I intend for my online life to get back to normal.

But, until I have the opportunity to share my process with you properly, why not start cultivating the habit now? Just take a few minutes to relax and breathe; quieten your mind and think. Just see what comes up.

Do you have specific questions?

If so, post them below or feel free to send an email to buz@viralhappiness.com.

You may know that I’m running for a position on the local governing board of my town. That’s why my blog posts have been scarce lately. Campaigning is time consuming work.

Part of my political approach involves knocking on every door in town, and, even though I live in a small town, that’s still a lot of people for one man to visit.

The experience has been amazing.

I’ve always had a heart for the well-being of others,  but this experience has increased those feelings.

In the past, I’ve wondered exactly what I could do to improve things in my community, and this experience has helped me discover real  needs community-wide.

It’s also helped me to discover the heart of this community. It has been my belief that most of the people in my small town are open and friendly and warm, and this experience has shown me that they are even more open and friendlier than I had ever imagined.

When this campaign is over, win or lose, I have received life lessons that have made the hard work worthwhile. It has been amazing.

As you go about your day, consider all of the people that you meet along your way. Take the time to say a prayer for them or to send them positive thoughts and energy. If you are open to the experience, smile as you pass…say hello…engage them in conversation.

There are opportunities for life lessons in each serendipitous connection.  If you pay attention and remain open, you will be amazed at what you can learn from each person you meet.