Posted on

Daily Hotline Message

by

Message 339

“Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.”
JOHN BARRYMORE

I may have talked about this before but in reviewing the year, I ran across this concept again.

I hope that you copy this quote and put it somewhere that’s easily accessible. read it every day.

All too often we’re feeling despair when something isn’t going the way we want it to. We have blinders on and can’t see anything but the discouraging event and “possible” consequences. I put possible in quotes because they are really imagined consequences because they haven’t happened yet.

Because of the blinders, we don’t look around the room (at the rest of our life) to see the good things that are there right in front of us – if we took the blinders off.

Nothing is all bad.

Here’s what I could have focused on the race in Tennessee which ended up with a fractured clavicle:

I had to stop the race so I didn’t finish it.

I am a failure for not finishing.

I am too old or I wouldn’t have tripped on that asphalt lip.

I shouldn’t ever do any races again.

I had to give in and go to an ER (gasp).

I won’t going to be able to do anything with my right arm for at least 6 weeks.

I can’t continue writing my book or doing my podcast interviews.

And on and on.

So, what was hiding in the corners beyond where I could see if I kept the blinders on?

The love and concern other people showed me.

The true friendship of someone who gave up 3-4 days of his life to come drive me home.

The fun I had conquering doing everything with my left arm.

The rest I’m was going to get since I couldn’t do much else.

Enjoying watching the healing process which is fascinating.

Reading more since I had more time.

Those things that crept in through the door I left open far outweighed the “bad” things I could only see if I kept my blinders on. I’m sure you have similar examples in your life IF you’d simply look for the breadcrumbs leading to the door you left open.

Why don’t you try to follow the clues and let us know.

Posted on

Daily Gratitude

by

Daily Gratitude: It’s nice of this feeling comes at the end of the year so you can feel the magic of the new beginning at the beginning of a new year. But did you ever wonder why this arbitrary number or date has become so powerful in our lives? Why do we all have to have something new and special at exactly the same time?

Why can’t any and every day be the new beginning we want and cherish? It’s sad if we feel so indoctrinated that all good projects have to be put off for “6 more months until the first”. That’s now a lot of people think so they’re always waiting.

Isn’t NOW the best time to begin something you’re excited about? I think it is. That way we cultivate the beautiful feeling of starting something new.

Can you try to revise not only your thinking on this but also your practice? Can you make any day New Year’s Day?

Posted on

Daily Hotline Message

by

Message 338

Encapsulate and evaluate your year

What better way to evaluate your growth than by encapsulating your year.

By that I mean listing all the things that happened to you or that you did.

What good came from each even if at the time it didn’t seem so good.

Then assessing each one to see

- Perhaps what was different about this event

– what you learned,

- what you could do differently if it happened again and

- what you thought was a good strategy.

Ultimately single out ONE particular point that made the most impact in your life.

Here’s a glimpse of my year. It’s just the highlights to show you how the universe works and how you can benefit from the review :
⁃ i finished my January 6 day race with at least 200 miles. What was different and what I learned was the same: I went in without out any goal other than to get 5 hours of sleep every 24 hours. There was little stress and yet I ended up with the same number of miles I get when I endure all the stress
⁃ I started the hotline. Discussing that will take an entire call.
⁃ I became an end of life doula. There’s so much I can say about that but surprisingly the best that came from that was amazing new and rich friendships
⁃ I began to volunteer at a home for the dying. Again I learned much more than taking care of people. I discovered that I need to take care of myself more and not get spun up in an organization where I have no direct impact. Self care is key
⁃ I finished vol state despite the trials and tribulations. More in a minute
⁃ I broke my clavicle. I learned that it’s ok to ask for help and people want to help. I learned that I can do things (like using my left arm) even without extensive preparation.
⁃ I had to have an ablation (burning) of a large part of my esophagus. I learned that swallowing and digesting things is an area i need to work on. Isn’t interesting how physical symptoms can represent so much of what we have to work on with our inner selves?

Here is the single most powerful quote of my year because of what it represents:

“The amazing thing is how powerful one on phone call can be for all of us!”
Dr Rob Gilbert

Dr Gilbert changed my life completely during Vol State. He was always there. He always brought you guys my progress and he never once lectured me. He was the epitome of support. He got me to the rock, one phone call at a time. It’s only fitting that the book I’m writing about this race be dedicated to him.

Who can you call to make a powerful impact on that person? Who can you be there for so they know they are not alone? I can personally tell you that having at least one person you can reach makes all the difference in the world.

Why not begin your 2025 review.