Crazy Dreams

“Don’t fear the next step. Just take it.” This is the thought I had tonight.

But what if I don’t know what the next step is? Then I’ll just keep running I guess.

Chasing dreams is a messy business. They can be elusive and distant, or so close you can feel them. Maybe they don’t want you to catch them because they would stop being a dream. What if their purpose is to keep you moving forward?

I don’t know. Sounds crazy to me. But then again a dose of crazy here and there is good for the soul. It reminds me I'm human after all. It reminds me that I need God.

Tonight’s lesson? Dreams would be no fun if they weren’t crazy. They also seem to come true when you have nothing left to turn to but them.

Here’s a song that resonates with this lesson. It’s from a “Rad” ‘80s clip. If you like the song it's "With You" by John Farnham.

Chasing Dreams Forever

Live Your Best Life

“This is a call to the living,
To those who refuse to make peace with evil,
with the suffering and the waste of the world.
This is a call to the human, not the perfect,
to those who know their own prejudices,
who have no intention of becoming prisoners of their own limitations.
This is a call to those who remember the dreams of their youth,
who know what it means to share food and shelter,
the care of children and those who are troubled,
to reach beyond barriers of the past,
bringing people to communion.
This is a call to the never ending spirit
of the common man, his essential decency and integrity,
his unending capacity to suffer and endure,
to face death and destruction and to rise again
and build from the ruins of life.
This is the greatest call of all,
The call to a faith in people.”

~ Algernon D. Black

Tonight's lesson? Search for and find that thing inside of you that seeks to make a positive difference in the world. Never, never, never stop doing this.

Here's a song to help you chase those dreams. It's also a great song to run to.

Uphill Battle

“Don’t ever quit on yourself.” That’s the thought I had today as I went for a long, mostly uphill, run.

Shortly into my run my lungs started burning like never before (it’s cold outside now). The hill in front of me looked like a mountain and the thought of stopping and walking was extraordinarily tempting. Then I realized running uphill is what makes me stronger. So I closed my eyes and just kept putting one foot in front of the other. As I reached the top of the hill I was reminded that in life it’s the uphill battles that define our resolve.

I also thought of my friend EVK. He’s a stroke survivor like my sister. And a hardcore runner and martial artist. His passion and story inspire me to run to my life. I hope it does the same for you. Here’s his blog if you’re curious.

Way of the Dove – Be the hope. Live the change.

Today’s lesson is to remember this. “The harder the breeze, the stronger the trees.”

Here is one of EVK’s videos which demonstrate his powerful ability to run inspite of ongoing physical challenges caused by his stroke. He has a running event coming up on April 24, 2011 if you’re interested.



In addition, here's the song that inspired me to push on today. I think this should be EVK's theme song. :-)

Show Some Love

I think the world needs more love. Usually I'm reserved about sharing deeply personal things. Tonight I'm going in a new direction. Here's a thought I wrote for my wife. I call it "Through it All I Love You".

The days blur into years,
And the experiences into memories.
Through it all I love you.

Times have been good and bad,
And we’ve shared them all.
Through it all I love you.

The past is written and the future unknown,
Here and now is all we have.
Through it all I love you.

I’ve committed my life to you,
For better or for worse.
Through it all I love you.

I am blessed to share today with you,
Then tomorrow and eternity.
Through it all I love you.

Thank you for being my wife,
And the gift of our children.
Through it all I love you.

Always know my heart is yours,
And my sun rises with your smile.
Through it all I love you.

The lesson? The world could use more expressions of love. Don't hold back.

Here's a song that captures this message. I dedicate it to my wife. I'm lucky to be in love with my best friend.

Learning to Listen

Into the mirror I stared
Wondering who the reflection I saw was
Those eyes… they look familiar
Could they be the ones I’ve looked through before?
Life… what exactly is it?
When did it become so complicated?
You there... In the mirror!
Answer me!
Who are you?
What are you?
Why are you here?
How did you become me?
Answer me. Now!
No answer…
No words to explain
I am you, you are me
Close your eyes
To see us clearly
Listen with you heart
All the answers are there.
They’ve always been there
Waiting for the day
You were finally ready to listen.

The lesson? "All I ever wanted, all I ever needed, is here in my arms."

Here's a song I feel connects with this lesson.

Learning Self-awareness

Do you have toxic people in your life? People who compliment and indirectly criticize in the same sentence? People who lack the courage to tell others their feelings and instead take their bad feelings out on the innocent? Are these people perpetually talking about themselves, their life, their feelings, and what they think about everything? Are they opinionated, self-righteous, and/or alarming? Do they like to scare others with their words then explain how they will resolve things? Are they convinced they're heroes? Are you convinced they're toxic?

In my own life, people like this mirror things in me I would prefer didn’t exist. Maybe that’s why they are in my life. They help teach me about me.

Toxic people also serve to help us see faults in ourselves that might be holding us back from a fuller life. Their toxic nature can help us purge attitudes and behaviors we don't need anymore.

Much self-help literature says a fuller life starts with self-awareness. You are at the root of the life you want or don’t want. You define you. So what are toxic people teaching you about you? This is tonight’s lesson and reflection.

Here’s a great video by Joyce Meyer on the subject of self-awareness.

Dealing with Energy Thieves

Do you know what an energy thief is? It’s a person who feels better by making others feel miserable. Many energy thieves aren’t aware of what they are doing. It’s just a natural behavior that has developed over the years.

In his book “The Celestine Prophecy”, James Redfield does a solid job of describing the phenomena behind energy thieves. He calls it the “four control dramas”. Control dramas refer to behaviors aimed at zapping the energy out of others so you can stop feeling bad. He argues your control dramas are largely determined by early care taker’s control dramas. Your control dramas developed as a defense mechanism against those attempting to steal your energy. By energy, I mean emotional well-being.

The first type of control drama is the “Interrogator”. They steal your energy by questioning you, drilling you, and making you feel like your under a microscope.

The second type of control drama is “Aloof”. The aloof person forces you to send energy their way by being mysterious and distant. In an effort to understand them, you focus all your attention on them and they withdraw to make you focus harder.

The third type of control drama is the “Intimidator”. They steal your energy by threatening, scarring, or abusing you. Intimidators are known to inflict physical harm on others thus making them the most dangerous type of control drama.

The fourth type of control drama is the “Poor Me”. They make you feel bad for them by complaining, twisting things around, and appearing like a victim.

At different times we all play out these control dramas. Each control dramas triggers an opposite control drama. For example, an “Interrogator” or “Intimidator” will trigger either an “Aloof” or “Poor Me’ response – or vice versa. The idea is to realize a control drama is at play and defeat it by calling it out or leaving the situation.

Adults need to be especially mindful to not impose control dramas on children who can’t do much about it. These children will grow up to be energy thieves themselves and continue the doom loop of control dramas.

With all this said is there a solution? Yes. Be an energy creator, not an energy taker. Do this by genuinely taking an interest in the pain of others. Send smiles not bad thoughts. Be realistic about your emotions and the emotions of others. Help them see when control dramas are at play. Show love instead of anger. All these things create energy and lift the spirit of others. This is tonight’s lesson.

Here's agreat video on the subject of control dramas.

Imagination, Action, Perseverance, and Fun!

This past weekend I watched Pixar's Toy Story 3 with my kids and loved it. Inspired by the film, I realized that imagination is one of my greatest gifts. With it life is full of possibilities and wonder. At the same time, imagination is one of my greatest weaknesses. It is sometimes an escape from the current reality of things that leads to inaction.

I’m realizing that many things in life are like this. They can be a positive or a negative depending on how you use them. Imagination inspires me. It fills my heart with joy at what can be. I love to dream. I love to imagine. At the same time, too much of this and I don’t get done what I need to get done to realize those dreams. In this world, everything requires contemplation plus action.

Sometimes it’s alright not to act. There is nothing wrong with being a dreamer. But if you want to eat, pay your bills, and be of service to others, action is required. I think the trick is to find balance between dreaming and acting. Too much of one or the other can push you in the wrong direction. This is tonight’s lesson. Dream and have fun, but act and manifest your dreams to the benefit of the world.

Toy Story 3 took over 9 years to make. Sometimes imagination also requires perseverance… and fun!

Here is a behind the scenes look at Pixar and the making of Toy Story 3. I love this place.

Mistake or Lesson?

We all stumble in life. Do and say things we later regret. The idea is to not let the mistakes define our life. But instead, use our mistakes to move towards a better life.

What are your mistakes telling you? Is there something wrong under the hood? Are emotions or thoughts out of balance? This is what I have been asking myself lately as I give into negative habits of the past I consider to be ongoing mistakes.

Maybe the mistake is not a mistake after all. Doesn’t everything in life serve a purpose? I think so but it doesn’t mean I need to almost drown to learn to swim. A swim lesson will do.

This last thought leads me to think it might be of value to document the lessons our mistakes teach us. Lesson are great, they help you move forward. Mistakes on the other hand can keep you stuck. I guess you have to figure this out for yourself.

Tonight’s lesson is to take time to study and learn from your mistakes. Don’t be quick to overlook them and don’t be quick to condemn yourself because of them. We put a lot of time into learning from the mistakes of others (and pointing them out I think). What can our own mistakes teach us?

Sometimes mistakes can be painful… and funny.

Is there a Plan?

Does God have a plan for my life?

I sure hope He does, because right now I could use a plan. A well laid out one with clear steps preferably. But that’s not how life works is it? You generally have to step out in faith and hope first. And when you do, God makes a way for you.

The problem is I’m tired. Tired of trying and not having much to show for my faith. At least not the things I had hoped to see. You know. Like being able to pay my bills without worry, the patience to not take offense at others, and the belief that no matter what happens life will work out alright.

What’s the lesson in all of this? To be honest I’d rather not hear it but it has something to do with trusting God’s timing. I’ve been told He doesn’t come too soon or too late. He shows up at the perfect time because He is perfect. I’m nowhere near perfect so I’ll bet on this promise.

Here’s a song that connects with the spirit of the message tonight.

R2ML: Resurrection

“I still have something to say.” That’s the thought I had as I ran tonight.

My intention was to complete my 10 mile running journey and put this blog to rest. The idea being the journey was over and I would not have anything more to say. Oddly enough, I’ve been having more thoughts than ever and I’m at a loss as to what to do with them other than write them down here. Also, I’ve been a mild funk since completing the Army 10-Mile and running and blogging help me clear my head.

On every journey there is always a return phase. Maybe this is my return. I’ll call it R2ML: Resurrection because I’m alive again and loving it. Guess I’ll need to come up with another adventure soon.

To keep in the spirit of my previous blog post structure, here is tonight’s lesson.

“If you’re livin’, if you’re breathin’… you’ve got something to say… and no one can say it like you do, God is love and love speaks through you…”

Here’s the song I pulled that lesson from.