Honest wisdom, the power in not knowing

There is wisdom in not knowing, and it is a wise person who can say, “I don’t know.” For no one knows everything. There are many types of wisdom - from intellectual to emotional to physical intelligence. Yet, even deemed experts in their fields do not know all there is to know about mathematics, yoga, literature, psychology, or art. It is a true master who professes ignorance, for only an empty vessel can be filled. Read more

Birth of an angel: chapter 5

This is chapter 5 of a book that Manuel de leon wrote about his son Carlo and gives away for free to those he comes across in the Philippines, he has given us permission to reprint his story on MindBodySmile.com and we will publish weekly installments here.

Chapter 5: Recollections and Rest Read more

Some beautiful quotes to share

“Intuition and creativity are inseparable as we truly experience “inner” self expression…..”

The intuitive process is quite similar to  the creative process. We can decide to write a poem or draw a picture, but we need to be open to our creative impulse, following and expressing what wants to emerge. We intuitively recognize what sounds right in a poem, what looks right in the drawing or painting. For me, intuition is central to my creative process; it’s an inseparable aspect of my self-expression.
-An observation by Lynn V. Andrews, Author of “Medicine Woman” Read more

You are worthy

You are worthy of the best in life. It’s not because anyone tells you so or gives you permission to be, but because you know deep down that you are.

You have every reason to feel great about the good and valuable things you have done. You have the ability to expand on that goodness, on that value, on your own special gifts.

Where you are is a very good place to be. For you are in a position to truly make a difference by expressing and fulfilling your most deeply held values and dreams. Read more

Denise Kelly’s classroom intention - week #10

Below is Week 10 of my 2nd grade classroom’s Weekly Intention. We sometimes base it on one of Dr. Kiltz’s Intentions and other times create our own. Visit my Bio to read about how we began the Classroom Intention.

Good vs. Bad Read more

The ways we love

- Choosing to Have a Mate or Being Single

The way we choose to love can be as unique as the way we choose to make a living, maintain our health, or entertain ourselves. Some choose to seek out a mate and enter into a partnership with a special individual, while others find immense satisfaction in staying single. There is no right or wrong way to be in your life when it comes to deciding whether or not to be in a relationship, even though society tends to put an emphasis on romantic partnerships. Whether you choose to go through life as part of a romantic relationship or live as a single unit, there are benefits to both. Feel free to be comfortable with whatever choice is right for you. Read more

A lesson in dignity

Everyday as I drove through town, I saw a one-legged man going through ash cans for cigarette butts and trash cans outside of fast food restaurants looking for food.  It was only a month before Christmas, starting to get cold (I lived in a town that was over 6,000 ft. altitude) and I could not quit thinking about him.  It was a year where we didn’t have enough money to really have much in the way of presents but I figured what was too little for us would be a lot for someone who had nothing.

So I bought a brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, pack of cigarettes, cans of tuna, just little things that didn’t cost much and then I added a blanket and sweatshirts.  I made a box up like a present and went in search of this man.  I saw him hobble away from the dumpster next to McDonalds. Read more

Your strength can take you from good to great

Greatness lies, not in being strong, but in the right using of strength. –Henry Ward Beecher

From Good to Great:
Jim Collins, perhaps the most influential management expert alive today, has served as a teacher to senior executives and CEOs at more than a hundred corporations and non-profits worldwide. Collins’ 2001 book, “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others Don’t,” attained long-running positions. Read more

A “Seuss like” Smile-Therapy wish for you in 2009

May you be feeling fine, in 2009.
Good tidings and fortunes bear good fruit from your Vine.

May your dreams and your goals be in Line.
Some work, some play, be sure to get away … on an Airline.

May your bad habits Resign and your good ones Refine.
I think for you, ‘09 looks like a good Sign. Read more

13 lessons my customers taught ME this year by Scott Ginsberg

NOTE: If you say to yourself as you read this list, “Yeah, but I know that already,” I challenge you to ask yourself if you’re LIVING that already.

13 Lessons My Customers Taught ME This Year:

1. Become someone people can’t resist. Because you’re THAT interesting. Because you’re THAT good of a listener. Because you’re THAT creative. Because you’re THAT passionate. Because you’re THAT relaxed and calm and cool. Who wants to sit in your radius?

2. Believe that you are welcome everywhere. This is the kind of attitude people need to SEE on your face as you enter a room. As if to project, “I am excited to be here … I am going to meet cool people today … I am welcome wherever I go.” It’s about maintaining the belief that people will like you for the YOU that you are. And if they don’t, screw ‘em. Don’t take it personally. There’s no accounting for good taste. Where are you gently inviting yourself?

3. Consistency brings people back. It builds trust through emotional reliability. It builds predictability, Read more

Concentrate on this sentence

To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.’  When God takes something from your grasp, He’s not punishing you, but  merely opening your hands to receive something better.

Concentrate on this sentence:

“The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.”

Something good will happen to you today; something that you have been waiting to hear.

Spread the word…

Randall J Skates
www.RSkates1.successuniversity.com/new
www.randallskates.ws
Contact me via E-mail

The music of this world

The tool most commonly used to focus our minds in meditation is the breath. When we sit down to meditate, drawing our attention inward counteracts our habitual tendency to be scattered. Meditation on the breath helps us gather our energy into our bodies, centering and grounding us in the present moment. Almost as readily available as our breath are the sounds of the natural world. From rain to wind to the ocean and birds, meditating on these aural manifestations brings us not only a sense of peace, but also an experience of connection to the physical world. Read more

Birth of an Angel: chapter 3

This is chapter 3 of a book that Manuel de leon wrote about his son Carlo and gives away for free to those he comes across in the Philippines, he has given us permission to reprint his story on MindBodySmile.com and we will publish weekly installments here.

Chapter 3: Despair
When we got home, our house was ready to welcome him back. It was
well-lighted and the place for his casket was cleared and swept.
Chairs and tables had been set in order. My other sons did a good job
preparing everything necessary for this sad occasion.

Other close relatives volunteered to help. My son John Michael
manned the kitchen, and later my mother, my sisters Cornelia and Victoria
took charge over the wake. Immediate relatives of Nancy came over from
Pampanga to assist us. There was nothing left for me to do except to
wait for the arrival of his remains.

Despair was in total control of me as I groped for a chair inside the
room where we held the vigil. I had the urge to go back to the funeral
parlor to oversee the preparation and cleaning of his body. I feared that
the people at the mortuary would hurt him in the process. But he was
dead, he no longer felt anything. I then remembered the events leading
to the day of his death. Memories came alive with a childish tone
speaking passionately in my mind. Read more

What can we learn from a Pencil Maker?

Quite a bit …

Here is the Parable of the Pencil:

The pencil maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.

There are 5 things you need to know, he told the pencil, before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone’s hand. Read more

The energy of life

Some spiritual thoughts of the day
This beautiful day, this Saturday

The energy of life flows within
Within us all, connecting to the source
For we are one as we all began

We start with the question, of whom are we?
And who am I? Am I the center of all and thee?
Oh yes it seems to be me, and yet how can that be? Read more

Sharing community news, blog style

We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community. -Dorothy Day

The Biggest Neighborhood News Blog:
A woman in Philadelphia hypes an upcoming public knitting day. A man in Karachi, Pakistan, laments power outages that have become the norm for the frustrated residents there. And a concerned citizen in Bangalore, India, critiques racy advertising that recently went up in the city. These posts-aggregated at Metblogs, the largest city-specific blog network in the world-provide little glimpses of life in cities around the world. Read more

Share the Medicine of Love: the perfect holiday gift

Val cook and Jill Little invite readers to take their positive, powerful techniques to spread the medicine of love to heal the world. Their ceremonies, based on indigenous roots, celebrate joy and comfort the grieving. Readers are inspired to embrace these new traditions and other tools that can spread love to adults and children alike. The authors’ fresh approach invites everyone to change from their chaos and negativity to personal light and inner peace; to become the ‘medicine’ that makes the difference in our circle of love.

What people are saying:
“A must read for anyone who longs for warmth within their heart. Beautifully written with a message of hope
for the world. a spiritual awakening book, filled with personal stories and a river of love that ignites the Read more

Some words on beauty

True beauty is in all of us, in this life, always and again
The perfections within are given from where and when we all begin
The spirit, the soul, from the seed, all we need to do is think again
Tap into the universe of God within
There are no enemies but the mind, always and again
See all as love and live the beautiful life within
True beauty begins within, the dream of beauty again and again
Love thy self, love thy neighbor and love all in this life and win Read more

The world in a bright light, gratitude

Everyday is a blessing, and in each moment there are many things that we can be grateful for. The world opens up to us when we live in a space of gratitude. In essence, gratitude has a snowball effect. When we are appreciative and express that gratitude, the universe glows a bit brighter and showers us with even more blessings.

There is always something to be grateful for, even when life seems hard. When times are tough, whether we are having a bad day or stuck in what may feel like an endless rut, it can be difficult to take the time to feel grateful. Yet, that is when gratitude can be most important. If we can look at our lives, during periods of challenge, and find something to be grateful for, then we can transform our realities in an instant. Read more

Dr. Rob on worries

Dr. Rob created a audio memo to share his thoughts on worries. Listen below.

I asked for …

I asked for Strength
And God gave me Difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for Wisdom
And God gave me Problems to solve.

I asked for Prosperity
And God gave me Brain and Brawn to work.

I asked for Courage
And God gave me Danger to overcome. Read more

Wild wisdom, animals as teachers

Since prehistoric times, animals have acted as companions to humans on their journey toward enlightenment. Animals as disparate in character as house pets, birds, sea creatures, and insects have been our mentors, teachers, and guides. There is much we can learn from animals, as they offer us the unique opportunity to transcend the human perspective. Unlike human teachers, animals can only impart their wisdom by example, and we learn from them by observation. An animal teacher can be a beloved pet or an animal in the wild. You may even find yourself noticing the animals in your backyard. Even robins and bumblebees have lessons to share with you. Read more

Fully committed to now

-Why we are not shown the “Big Picture”

Sometimes, we may find ourselves wishing we knew what our lives are going to look like or what gifts and challenges are going to be presented to us in the coming months or years. We may want to know if the relationship we’re in now will go the distance or if our goals will be realized. Perhaps we feel like we need help making a decision and we want to know which choice will work out best. We may consult psychics, tarot cards, our dreams, and many other sources in the hopes of finding out what the future holds. Usually, at most, we may catch glimpses. And even though we think we would like to know the whole story in all its details, the truth is that we would probably be overwhelmed and exhausted if we knew everything that is going to happen to us. Read more

Video: Dr. Rob ’s Living a Positive Life

On December 4th Dr. Rob met with a group of people at the Creekside Cafe in Skaneateles to share thoughts and ideas on Living a Positive Life. Below are several videos from this event. It was a wonderful evening spent with wonderful positive people.

Laughter as medicine

At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities. -Jean Houston

Laughter as Medicine:
Laughter is the best medicine, a cliche to be sure, but a new study has shown that laughter yoga, a blend of playful laughter exercises coupled with gentle breathing and stretching, can significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood-pressure levels, as well as bring about significant reductions in the stress hormone cortisol. [Read more] Read more