SUFFERING IS OPTIONAL

“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”

― Haruki Murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

PEOPLE ARE ROOTING FOR YOU

ALLOW THE WORLD TO BE

STAND UP FOR YOURSELF

Stand up for yourself. Do not allow someone, just because they have had a few drinks, or because they are going through hard times, to take out their frustrations and anger on you. Require others to honor your space, and respect your dignity as a person of worth. Let the people in your life own their choices, and do not give them permission to dump their problems or crises on you. This includes your grown children, parents, relatives, people you work with or go to church with, and/or friends.

Refuse to buy into the guilt trips; pay for their consequences. Stop taking on their responsibilities. If you were not there, they would have to figure it out, and they would. Sometimes helping is actually hurting them, and keeping them from helping themselves. Take the time to focus on your own needs for a change, and let others do the same! You Deserve!


LES BROWN

YOU ARE STRONGER THAN YOU THINK YOU ARE

You are stronger than you think you are. It does not matter what you are facing...a lost relationship, job, bankruptcy, foreclosure, health challenge or financial situation. You have the power in you to create it all over again from scratch. It does not matter how old you are. Do not beat yourself up. It is natural to feel sorry for yourself or feel frightened and want to give up. It does not even matter if the people that you thought would have your back have deserted you. You are still breathing. You are still here and you have the power to win.

You are more powerful than you think you are. Remind yourself of this. Stand up within yourself. Gather your mental, emotional and spiritual strength. Speak from deep within your spirit and your soul. Take back your power Say..."I will survive. I will thrive. I am coming back. Giving up is not who I am. I will stay the course, and persist until I succeed." You might have to do this while down on your knees, praying, crying, screaming at the top of your lungs. Resist the feeling of being overwhelmed, powerless or being a victim. You will survive and thrive again!!! You have something special. You have GREATNESS within you!


LES BROWN

WALKING THE TIGHTROPE

Walking the Tightrope

We always have two voices in our heads.
The voice of the past says "Don't open. It's too scary.
Don't you remember what happened when...?"

The voice of the future says "This is taking so long,
why don't you just jump in and do it?"

The past tries to hold us back and the future tries to rush us.

Like it or not, you need to listen to both voices
and reassure them that they have been heard.

Then, you can rebalance and come back to center.
Then, you can find a pace that feels good for right now.

That is what the tightrope walker must do.
She can't worry about losing her balance in the past.
She can't dream about a perfect performance in the future.

She needs to focus on what's happening right now.
She needs to put one foot in front of the other.
Every step is an act of balance.
Every step is a spiritual act.


From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini
www.paulferrini.com

THE PRESENT MOMENT

The Present Moment

Happiness unfolds only in the present moment.
If you are concerned about whether you will be happy tomorrow
or even five minutes from now,
you won’t be able to be happy now.

All of the chaos and confusion in your mind
can be transcended through your simple decision
to be wholly present and attentive right now.
That is the miraculous truth.

From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini
www.paulferrini.com

CHOOSE WELL

Choose Well

Doing what’s best is not that difficult. It’s just a matter of making the choice.

Focus, discipline, commitment and persistence are all within reach. You just have to continue choosing them.

Even when the situation is disappointing or frustrating, you can take positive, effective action. All you have to do is make the choice, and follow through.

You can choose a life of quality and achievement. You can choose the most beneficial path rather than the path of least resistance.

There are people you love, ideals you value, dreams you treasure. Support them all with the choices you make every moment of your life.

Each time you’re faced with a choice, remind yourself of your opportunity and your obligation to make it the best one. Choose well, and let all of life benefit from the good choices you make.

— Ralph Marston

LIVE HONEST

Live Honest

Life is filled with great possibilities, right now, available to you. To live richly you don’t have to be perfect, just honest and authentic.

Admit your faults, admit your fears, admit you’re human. Nobody cares about how perfect everything is in your life, and anyway, it’s not, and that’s perfectly okay.

Don’t be afraid, or embarrassed, to be afraid. Don’t be too proud to ask for help when you could use it.

Life is uncertain, and that’s what makes the wonder so wonderful. Sometimes you’ll be uncomfortable, and those are the times you’ll grow stronger.

You have fears, quirks, little habits that annoy people, and a delightful, unique perspective no one can duplicate. Embrace all that, and enjoy every moment of being you.

Joy and richness are yours to live in the ups, the downs, the fears and the fun. Live real, live honest, and you’ll live very well.

— Ralph Marston

MAY YOU LIVE EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIFE

“May you live every day of your life.”

― Jonathan Swift

TAKE ACTION AND THE PATH WILL REVEAL ITSELF

DON'T LET ANYONE STEAL YOUR DREAM

Do not let anyone steal your dream! The world is full of dream killers - people whose sole mission in life is to sabotage you and your dream. They look for ways to crush your energy and deaden your life force by highlighting uncertainty, reminding you of what you don't have or what you may need. They point out weaknesses, mistakes, setbacks and past losses when you turn to them for encouragement.

Sometimes dream killers appear in the faces of people closest to you and other times they whisper and hide out in the deep recesses of your own mind. Safeguard your mind. Preserve your energy. Do not answer them or entertain their conversations. Leave them alone! Say to yourself over and over again...I got this! I was born to win. Keep moving toward your dream and imagine the feeling of having accomplished your dream. Remember above all, do not let anyone steal your dream. You can make it happen. You deserve to win. You have something special. You have GREATNESS within you!

LES BROWN

HEALING THE HEALER

Healing the Healer

No one can be a full-time healer.
It is too much to ask from any human being.

Every healer needs to take time off
to re-center and re-charge.

A healer’s first commitment must be
to do no harm to others.

If she is not vigilant about taking care of herself,
she will get sick or depleted.

Then she will have no energy to give
to anyone else.

Healers that don’t take time to nurture themselves
inevitably burn out.

From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini
www.paulferrini.com

BEAUTY

Beauty

See others not for their labels, but for their beauty. Pay attention not to the noisy false urgencies, but to the profound beauty surrounding you.

Live this day feasting your awareness on beauty in all its forms. Let your heart be filled with thanks for the many joys, simple and accessible, you can experience.

You don’t really have to know the latest news flash, for it is no different than the last one. Invest your life in living the beauty, and in making more.

Imagine that you could never again watch a cloud drift through the sky. Then go out and watch one, live and in person, brimming with gratitude for the chance to be.

You don’t need to control, acquire, or prove you’re right. Beauty calls, joy beckons, and you answer.

As real and serious as troubles may be, they are nothing compared to beauty. Live the beauty, share the beauty, and help to push the troubles away.


— Ralph Marston

BE YOURSELF

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

― Oscar Wilde

YOU ARE THE INTERPRETER OF YOUR LIFE

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RESPECT YOURSELF

RESPECT YOURSELF!! Listen to your own voice, the one in your heart that is the keeper of your dreams. Never let someone convince you that you can not do something ~ especially if they have not done it. Take the time to find your own path and trust your inner voice. Know what is true for you!

Respect yourself by limiting access to people who are negative and unhappy. Many times they project the anxiety and dissatisfaction with their own lives onto your life. One negative comment can be more damaging to you than one positive comment. Own the responsibility for your life and your journey. Give yourself the gifts of experiences and relationships that strengthen your deepest convictions about your dream and honor the calling on your life. You have something special. You have GREATNESS within you!


LES BROWN

GIVE YOUR DREAM A CHANCE TO LIVE

Give your dream a chance to live! Nurture it daily with the seeds of determination, inspiration, drive and creativity. Feed it with passion, faith, patience and positive expectation. Allow it to blossom by surrounding yourself with people who are doing things with their lives, and who believe in working hard to make things happen.

Many people allow their dream to die from negative conversations, procrastination, lack of preparation and most of all, from doubt and fear. Hold yourself to higher standards and build resiliency skills everyday that will allow you to overcome your next challenge. Keep your dream alive! You have GREATNESS within you!


LES BROWN

THE COMPULSION TO HEAL

The Compulsion to Heal

The compulsion to heal others
can be a major obstacle to your own healing.

Some people don’t need or want you to fix them.
Some people can’t be healed, no matter how you try.

Please step back, detach, and let go.
Give people the space to heal themselves.
It will be the best gift you could give to them
and to yourself.


From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini
www.paulferrini.com

ABUNDANCE AND BLISS

Abundance and Bliss

You experience scarcity and sadness
only when you find fault with the situation
you are presented with in the moment.

When you see the situation
and feel gratitude for it,
you experience only abundance and bliss.


From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferriniwww.paulferrini.com

SOME LITTLE SOMETHING

Some Little Something

Can you bring yourself to do one small thing that makes a positive difference? Then you can change the reality of life for the better.

Can you find it in yourself to smile for just a moment? Then you can feel a little better about everything.

Can you offer a few encouraging words to another? Then you can make the world a little brighter.

Even when you’re facing life’s most oppressive challenges, there’s something you can do to make a little improvement. And when you’ve made a little improvement, you can make a little more.

Even when life dishes out nothing but unfairness, pain and disappointment, you have an advantage. There’s some little something you can do, right now, to make it a little better.

Do that some little something, and feel your own positive power. Begin to improve reality in some small way, and discover for yourself that you never have to stop.

— Ralph Marston

TOMORROW IS A NEW DAY WITH NO MISTAKES

“Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”

― L.M. Montgomery

KEEP THE HORIZON OF A BETTER TOMORROW

NO GO AND STUN THE WORLD

I CAN DO HARD

It is hard. it's hard changing your life. It's hard picking up the pieces and starting all over again. It's hard getting your mind together after you have gone through a life shaking experience (being a primary caregiver for someone; hearing a diagnosis you didn't want; starting over again from a loss of any kind; being alone in a new place; wanting a friend.) But you can do hard. You can weather the storm. You will come through this.

Affirm to yourself every day ~ several times a day. No matter how hard it gets...I am going to make it!! Stand up and look yourself in the eyes..and say "I can do hard!!" Exercise, pray, seek solitude, allow for periods of sadness...but know that you will get through this. Keep the faith; continue to work; and expect to make it through. You may not be able to change your circumstances or situation...but you can change yourself! Hold on..You can do hard! You have GREATNESS within you!


LES BROWN

GUARANTEES

Guarantees

When love is present,
you don’t worry about the future.

Only when love is lacking
do you insist on guarantees.

From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini
www.paulferrini.com

SERVING OTHERS

Serving Others

You cannot serve others
if you are attached to what you offer
or how others receive it.

You must get out of the way
so that Spirit can work through you.

Service is an opportunity to love,
not a job description.

You cannot serve if you have
an identity or an agenda.
That just blocks the flow of energy
as it moves through you.

You need to be an empty vessel
and let the energy come and go as it pleases.

When you help someone else,
your help goes where it is needed.
You will never know all the people
who are touched by your loving actions,
nor do you need to know.


From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini
www.paulferrini.com

CHOOSING YOUR THOUGHTS

Choose Your Thoughts

What are you saying to yourself with your thoughts? Does your self-talk keep you stuck where you are, or does it push you forward?

You can choose each of the thousands of thoughts passing through your mind every day. You can choose thoughts to encourage, inspire, enable and energize yourself.

Every moment you have the opportunity to say something beneficial to yourself with your own thoughts. Whatever the situation, you can make use of that opportunity.

Moment by moment, what you do and the way you do it flow directly from what you think. Positive, empowering thoughts lead to effective actions and valuable results.

What you think does not have to be an impulsive reaction. Instead, make it an intentional choice.

Your thoughts have great power. Remember always that you have the ability to decide what they will be.

— Ralph Marston

CONNECTIONS ARE MADE WITH THE HEART

“You can talk with someone for years, every day, and still, it won't mean as much as what you can have when you sit in front of someone, not saying a word, yet you feel that person with your heart, you feel like you have known the person for forever.... connections are made with the heart, not the tongue.”

― C. JoyBell C.

KNOW YOUR DIRECTION AND STAY FOCUSED

PUT THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE

Regardless of what challenge you are facing right now, know that it has not come to stay. It has come to pass. During these times, do what you can with what you have, and ask for help if needed. Most importantly ~ never surrender. Put things in perspective. Take care of yourself. Find ways to replenish your energy, strengthen your faith, and fortify yourself from the inside out.

There is a power in you that is stronger than anything that you are facing. Go within. Tap into this power. Know that you will find courage, strength and resolve to go through any valley experiences. You have something special. You have GREATNESS within you!


LES BROWN

LOVE IS THE ASCENDING FORCE

Love is the Ascending Force

When you act in a loving way and speak loving words,
the Spirit dwells in you and is awakened in others.

At such times, physical reality
does not seem as dense as it seemed before.

When love is present, the body and the world are infused
with light, possibility and celebration of goodness.
The world you see when love is present in your heart
is not the same world that you see
when you are preoccupied with your ego needs.


From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini
www.paulferrini.com

SEEING WHERE IT IS

Seeing Where It Is

Persist, and you will find what you seek. But don’t expect it to be where you thought it would be.

There is a way to reach your goal, a way to get past your troubles. To see it, you must move beyond old assumptions.

If you keep looking where you’ve always looked, you’ll find only what you’ve already found. To create new, improved results, embrace a new, improved perspective.

Your past assumptions may have served you well, or not so well. In any case, on this new day, you have the opportunity to look at life in a new, more positive and empowering way.

Be thankful you don’t already know everything there is to know. That opens you to learn what you need to learn, to discover an effective way forward.

The rewarding path you seek is absolutely there. Stop thinking you know where it might be, and you’ll start seeing where it actually is.


— Ralph Marston

WHO CONTROLS THE PAST CONTROLS THE FUTURE

“He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.”

― George Orwell, 1984

DANCE WITH THE FLOW

10 THINGS I'VE LEARNED IN 40 YEARS

LES BROWN_10 THINGS I'VE LEARNED IN 40 YEARS

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DON'T ALLOW YOURSELF TO BECOME CAUSTIC

REALIZE HOW MUCH GRACE YOU HAVE IN LIVE

Never let what you want prevent you from appreciating what you have. The human condition can be a roller coaster. You will lose friends, relatives and jobs. That's life. However, we cannot lose self and not be thankful for what you have.

If you can wake up with the ability to breath, put one foot in front of the other, have faith, hope and use your voice, you can change your circumstances by realizing how much grace you truly have in your life. Use that as a stepping stone. Far too often, we take the simple things for granted. You Have GREATNESS within you. Be thankful.


LES BROWN

EMOTIONAL AND SEXUAL BETRAYAL

Emotional and Sexual Betrayal

When love is mutual and you and your partner
are surrendered to each other emotionally,
sex is uplifting and sacred.

But when communication in your relationship
becomes careless and shoddy,
when time is not taken for one-to-one intimacy,
your relationship becomes a shell
in which you both hide.

Energy and commitment disappear from your union,
and sex becomes an act of physical betrayal.

It is not surprising then that one or both of you
may look outside the relationship for satisfaction.

Infidelity is a symptom of your emotional disconnection
from each other.
Unfortunately, it involves another person in the dynamics
and makes it more difficult
for healing and reconciliation to take place.


From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini
www.paulferrini.com

SHAME ABOUT SEXUALITY

Shame about Sexuality

Lovemaking can and should be a joyful act,
an act of surrender to the divine
in yourself and your partner.

Physical love is no less beautiful
than other forms of love,
nor can it be separated from them.
If you view physical love as unholy,
you will probably experience it that way,
not because it is, but because you perceive it that way.


From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini
www.paulferrini.com

JOYFUL ATTITUDE

Joyful Attitude

Give this day, this world, this life the highest respect you can by being positive. Show appreciation for all you have, for all that is, by living with a joyful attitude.

Complaints and disparagements earn you nothing, no matter how well justified. They push away the goodness that could be yours in each moment.

Living with a positive perspective is not naive or unrealistic. Being positive raises your awareness, actions and results to a higher, more beneficial reality.

Faith in the future begins with faith in the present moment. And faith in the present moment is possible only with a positive outlook.

You don’t have to sugarcoat the world, or your situation, to be positive about it. You simply have to see it and live it from a place of love and gratitude.

Though life is never perfect it always carries an element of goodness with positive possibilities. See that goodness, joyfully build upon the possibilities, and give life the love and respect it deserves.


— Ralph Marston

"PROMISE YOURSELF"

“Promise Yourself

To be so strong that nothing

can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness, and prosperity

to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel

that there is something in them

To look at the sunny side of everything

and make your optimism come true.

To think only the best, to work only for the best,

and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others

as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past

and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times

and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself

that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear,

and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world,

not in loud words but great deeds.

To live in faith that the whole world is on your side

so long as you are true to the best that is in you.” 

― Christian D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them

YOU'LL BE SURPRISED HOW FAST YOU CAN GROW

LET GO OR BE DRAGGED

LET GO...or be dragged!! Decide to release the hold on what you have been hanging on to that has kept you stuck, frozen, ashamed, or indecisive. Let go of the clutter in your life, and decide not to do harm to yourself in your own mind. Give yourself permission to release any memories of experiences that keep you from creating your GREATEST life.

Look around the spaces of your life, and take the time to clean up, clear out, and throw out what does not serve you. Do you own the stuff in your life...or does it own you? Learn to live with less. The more you release...physically and mentally, the more space you will create for new energy, new relationships and friendships, and brand new perspectives on life. Sometimes ~ less is more! Free yourself to live a life you love! You Deserve!

LES BROWN

TWO WAYS YOU CAN DEAL WITH FEAR

There are two ways that you can deal with fear:

1. Deny your fear and pretend that you are not afraid.
2. Admit that you are afraid and face your fear.

The first way takes you round and around
in circles of avoidance and projection.
The second way leads you face to face with yourself.

From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini
www.paulferrini.com

NEW WORLDS OF POSSIBILITIES

New Worlds of Possibilities

Hiding in what’s comfortable robs you of your powerful ability to adapt, to explore, to wonder, to improve. Doing only what you’ve done before eats away at your options.

If you think only what you’ve already thought, that’s not really thinking at all. When your opinion cannot be changed by the facts, you’re deceiving yourself.

Give your life some fresh energy by taking on some new challenges. Make yourself stronger by testing your strength in unfamiliar situations.

New possibilities are born with every turn of events. Open yourself to some of them by venturing a little beyond the sure things you’ve grown dependent upon.

Be willing to change your perspective, and transform limitations into opportunities. Learn what you’ve never known and see new worlds of possibilities.

If you think there’s no hope for life to improve, think differently. Countless options will spring to life the moment you start to look in a new direction.


— Ralph Marston

DO WHAT'S RIGHT FOR YOU

“You can't live your life for other people. You've got to do what's right for you, even if it hurts some people you love.” 

― Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

LIFE'S GOLDEN TICKET

NOW IT'S TIME FOR A RADICAL CHANGE

You have something special. You have greatness within you. I recently had a close encounter with death. For several weeks I did not know who I was or where I was. During that time, my children and grandchildren prayed over me and around me. While fighting the medication that made me groggy I called friends to pray for me to get me through this experience. As I was going in and out of consciousness I had a glimpse of my past and my future.

This year I turned 72, they say seven and two equals nine which means a new chapter. I don't know about you but here is what I do know.... I'm creating a new chapter in my life. I don't know you, but here is what I know about you, based upon my own experience. I'm convinced that there is a presence and hunger in you that causes you to seek out the messages I post because they are in your heart. These messages speak to your soul, urging you to live the life that is awaiting you.

You have an assignment on your life to hold the vision you have in your heart. Don't look to the right or to the left. Turn a deaf ear to those who doubt you and criticize you. Separate yourself from the toxic relationships that compromise your power. You are here for a reason and your life has meaning and purpose. Now it is time for a radical change in your life. It might be people, circumstances, or going to another city, as I did, I don't know.

You don't have forever. We are only here for a limited amount of time. If you don't have the insight, courage, or desire to fulfill your earthly assignment, there will be consequences. Life will move on you as it did me because I was out of alignment with my purpose. I almost died and I am struggling to get out of a wheelchair I use every day. When just a few weeks ago, I was walking and speaking on stages all around the world, I now struggle with pain on a regular basis. God didn't slow me down, he stopped me. 

Take it from me, it is no accident that you are reading this. Take the time every day to discipline yourself to create a deep spiritual connection if you haven't. Go within, shut the world out, get still, and listen to the small voice within. Commit yourself to live full and die empty. You have something special. You have GREATNESS within you! That's my story and I am sticking to it.


LES BROWN

AFFIRMATIONS AS DENIAL OF FEELINGS

Affirmations as Denial of Feelings

Jesus said “Resist not Evil.”
If he were using today’s lingo,
he might say something like
“what you resist, persists.”

If you are angry at someone
and you try to replace your angry thoughts
with loving thoughts,
one of two things will happen.

Either you will be successful
at repressing the anger (a form of denial)
so that it continues to exist in your psyche
even though you pretend that it isn’t there.
Or you won’t be successful.
Actually, here it’s advantageous not to succeed,
because then you will have to deal with the anger,
acknowledge it, find out what triggered it.


From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini
www.paulferrini.com