Gunderson Perspective

The following is a personal observation with shared insight that Hannah Nydam sent to me in an email. Hannah, a dear personal friend and mentor, granted me permission to post this. From my perspective, it is truly profound. Enjoy:

 I have watched with dismay as the nation’s arena has unleashed itself in fury encompassing all the aspects of negativity. Some of our so-called leaders continually heap abuse on one another all the while giving themselves another raise or bonus and showing disdain for any moral code, TV talk show hosts stir the pot of fear and use language that indicate a lack of imagination, while school children bully their classmates to the point that suicides result. As much as I would like to sit them all in a corner, that isn’t within my power, so I came up with a few suggestions for MYSELF and if they resonate with you, then please join me in striving to live at a higher level. I do believe sanity might ensue, at lease in a few areas.

 1. Some of the latest research indicates that molecules arrange themselves in our bodies based on the pattern of our intentions, so–Start each day with a prayer, an affirmation or a happy thought. Include a positive thought for my enemies, for in someone’s eyes I am that person..

2. Show kindness to each person in my path whether by thought, word, or deed. I must remember that people do not change with criticism, but with Love. Practice BEING a random act of kindness. 

3. Walk away from all those who denigrate another, and delete all Emails or TV programs expressing negativity. A critical Spirit will grow in toxicity to poison the person giving it refuge.  

4. Laugh as much as possible–at myself. Humor at the perceived lack of another shows an absence of compassion. 

5.Work towards change and improvement with respect–for myself and with those I interact. Positive energy is fertile soil for growth. I may not be able to change THE world for good, but I can change MY world. 

6. Allow for the fact that the picture and purpose for each of us is larger than I can see–just do my part in this play of Life to the best of my ability. 

7. Live in gratitude for who I am becoming and what I am creating. If there is lack in an area, vow to improve it. To have more, give more. 

8. Review the day. Notice where I have fallen short, and set out to improve my consciousness on the playground tomorrow. Give thanks for the opportunity to have lived on this magical Earth. 

9. Do this for 20 days, or until my nature no longer requires a reminder. The nation is in dire need of a hero–be one in my own life.

Wishing you many blessings, Hannah

A wonderful video.  A brilliant lecturer with a profound message about the lack of imagination and creativity in our educational system today.  The length is approximately 20 minutes but well worth your time to view.  Treat yourself to an enlightening moment of truth.

Repeatedly most all of us have heard the phrase: Don’t cry over spilled milk. We understand this concept well. Don’t waste time or emotion on accidents or other unpleasant events. Clean up, forget, move on. This is a simple statement that offers profound wisdom if applied.

Recently a personal acquaintance expressed understanding of the importance to keep negative thoughts and images out of his mind but emphasized that it was easier said than done. Said he: “I can’t seem to do it as hard as I try.”

Granted, life does not always appear to flow smoothly; sometimes we struggle with seemingly heavy obstacles. Yet wisdom dictates that the accomplishment of any outstanding feat requires concentrated time and effort. To coin another common phrase: Rome was not built in a day.

The important concept is language. The spoken or written word has tremendous impact. We read in the book of Genesis:

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

However we wish to interpret this biblical passage, the important concept to consider is that word or language ignites the creative process. The written or spoken word bursts the flames of creation.

Whatever it is that we assign to language we create. Therefore it is crucial to be aware of the words that we write or speak.

If we desire something in our lives, grant it energy; think it, dream it, write it, speak it, imagine it.  Devote all energy to it.

Whatever it is that we do not desire, remove the energy; cease all communication, internal, as well as external.  In other words, do not think it, feel it, speak it, or write it.  Stop believing it, expecting it.  Put it to rest.

Now let’s return to this spilled milk concept.  Don’t cry when it happens.  Give as little energy to whatever it is that you do not want or what disturbs you in any way. Stop entertaining thoughts or emotions in anything if it makes you distraught.

Focus only on what you desire.  Keep all energy there.  Master your internal world.

Let me state this another way:

Focus only on what you want, never on what you do not want.

But wait a minute, how do you do that?

You just do. Want some help?  Here’s a suggestion: Stop thinking about a pink elephant.

What?

Stop thinking about pink elephants.

That’s absurd.

Yes, it is absurd, so why are you thinking about pink elephants?  Because the more you concentrate on not thinking of something, the more the concept or idea appears in your mind.  The more you think about it, the more energy you provide for its creation.

Okay, so you can’t get the idea of a pink elephant out of your head.  A jet plane rapidly falls from the sky. In just a matter of seconds it might crash upon you. Are you thinking about that pink elephant?

Of course not.  You are only thinking about your survival.  Your mind is distracted onto a far more crucial matter at hand (your survival) over a nonsensical, nonexistent concept that had incessantly woven its way into your mind.

So this is the key.  If you don’t like thinking about something, distract yourself to something else.  There are plenty of ways to do that.  Consciously establish a place in your mind that appeals to you.  Let it be a dream, something that entices you. When disturbing circumstances appear in the outer world learn to focus on that special place within you, that place you have reserved just for you.

A most common error we learn to make early within our vulnerable mortality is to become disturbed over outer events in our lives.  What we fail to understand is that the more energy that we invest in anything, the more we attract that to ourselves, whether or not it is something that we desire or disdain.

Imagine residing in a special control booth where the planet earth only projects itself on a special screen. 

The world is light years away from you, but with the controls at hand, you can manipulate that planet anywhere and anyway you desire.  You have no attachment to outcome.  Every action you take has a profound effect.  You are calm and serene through the entire process.  After extensive practice, you sharpen your skills into manipulating that planet into a beautiful place that you can observe upon that screen.  You mastered the world.

This concept is not so farfetched.  The control booth is within you; it is your mind, your inner world, your internal kingdom, that special place reserved only for you. 

Without your permission, no one else can enter within.  It is your sacred temple.  You sit at the helm with controls in hand.  The outer world, all external conditions, is malleable, responding and therefore manifesting in form and motion to whatever you determine from within your being.

Your imagination is the key.

Yes, I will repeat that.  Your imagination is the key.  Creating images from within, that is what imagination means.  You “image in”  or set “in” to “image” within the mind.

So the question is: Do you allow the festering of your mind to control you, or do you choose to control the mind?  You can always replace unwanted feelings and images with distraction.  You deliberately design more pleasant distractions to consider when internal storms suddenly appear.

Don’t stay out in the storm dangerously exposed to the elements.  Go inside.  Go within to your safe and pleasant refuge.  It is waiting.  You built this place.  You created it.  You imagined it.  Now it is yours to enjoy.

Keep your refuge swept and garnished, beautifully decorated to enjoy.  Anything that disrupts your internal peace, discard.  Anything.

This same person whom I previously noted specifically referred to forgiveness when he stated that “it was easier said than done.”  He plagued himself with a grudge toward his father over the past eighteen years.  When this man was a vulnerable teenager his father reportedly placed him in a dangerous situation that could have taken his life.  Fortunately he survived, but he would never allow himself to forget the mental “image” that his father never valued him sufficiently.  From that time forth their relationship suffered.

Today this same individual endures serious depression.  Surely the cause does not stem solely from this one incident with his father, but it is a major factor, nonetheless.  Through his unwillingness to forgive or discard a negative image within his mind, he set a precedent for other circumstances in his life where he failed to release the negative images, as well.  In other words he had a pattern of unreleased grudges freely residing in his psyche.  He was tormented, festered by the internal naggings of his mind.

He chose to live outside within the storm, as though that was his normal way of life.  He was angry with unresolved issues tucked away into his dusty mental crevices that most often expressed as depression (unexpressed anger or anger with a lid on it) and at times rage when the volcano would eventually disrupt.

In truth, his problems were hardly different from many of ours.  Can you identify?

This man is now into the early years of middle age.  He wasted half his life away with unresolved issues that could dissipate with one firm resolve.  Granted he enjoyed good experiences, as well, so his life is certainly no entire waste, but so many of his day to day events were buried in the dooming outcast of darkened clouds.

The sun is ever shining behind those clouds.  Part them. 

From your internal place of refuge, call out and demand: Peace, be still.

He insisted that forgiveness was no easy concept.

Running for your life when a crashed jet plane is about to explode is no easy concept.  But we understand the consequences of explosions where the aftereffects might well take our lives or maim us over remaining mortal years.

A major reason we fail to forgive is that we fail to comprehend the long-term consequences of holding grudges.  A lack of forgiveness is far more damaging to the one failing to release this mental chain of bondage over another person.  The unforgiven might well experience ramifications of another person’s failure to forgive, but it is only secondary to the damage the person failing to forgive places upon self.  This negative energy has a devastating effect that will indeed maim us for life or at least until we choose to release this other person from emotional bondage.

Incidentally, after some resolve, this person chose to contact his father and establish peace.  He determined to take a major first step in cleaning up his inner world to ensure a lasting state of peace and to dissipate that cloud of gloom always hanging over him.

I emphasized before the importance of language.  If we want to change a habit, write out our dreams, not night dreams, but daydreams, those dreams that are closest to our hearts.

Is there one soul in all existence that fails to desire personal peace and contentment at the deepest levels?

We all seek peace. And peace is our divine birthright. Claim it.  Invest no energy into anything that disrupts this internal solace.

Make a list of everything you truly want in your life.  Place it into written form.  Speak it as though it is your reality now.  Because in truth, it is.

Remember you are in that control booth.  The designing instrument (pen) is in your hand.  Imagine (image in) what you desire and limit yourself to nothing within your dreams.  Establish it firmly in your psyche; speak it, let the word come forth, and thus creation begins.  Review this list from time to time. More than all else, know that the truest desires of your heart placed into language (verbal and written form) have already appeared.  It is just a matter of your external world catching up to the internal creative process.  At some point, you will recognize (re-know) the outer images, the external circumstances manifested from within your imagination.

Hold onto your dreams and dream big.  Doubt not, fear not, discard all negativity.  Run powerfully for your survival whenever any potential crash or explosion is about to occur.  Run hard from potential damage that can destroy your internal being.  To coin another phrase: Avoid it like the plague.

So whenever any problem plagues you, walk away. Trust your intuition will discover all solutions that you require. It is out of your hands, and for the sake of internal peace, keep it that way.

Easier said than done?  You still have all that spilled milk to clean up?

Just allow those pink elephants to devour it.  Trust me; they will never let you down.

Victimization is merely an attitude, never reality.

Do you agree? 

A child is kidnapped and abused. 

A man is held at gunpoint and robbed of his possessions and then shot to death. 

A young college girl is beaten, raped, and left in the desert to die. 

An elderly couple loses their entire retirement savings from an unscrupulous business operation designed for that purpose.

Victimization is merely an attitude?

Why did I state that in a previous blog?  Have I come around full circle now to amend my statement and offer what only common sense could convey?  

Victimization is an unfortunate occurrence that can happen to anyone.

Is this more in line with truth?

I acknowledge that I offered an absolute statement before.

Surely I am not blind to unfortunate events that can occur anywhere.  Day after day people with less than loving ways bring less than fortunate circumstances into our lives.  So why did I offer that previous statement? 

Because I learned to develop and thereby apply a positive mental attitude, focused solely on the path ahead.  This was my means to survival. 

I could write volumes on my past perceptions how certain people hurt, offended, and nearly destroyed my life.  Years ago I invested valuable time and energy in total futility.  With deliberate mental focus, I could have used those same resources instead to construct a powerful future.  Repeatedly and incessantly, I recounted my story to anyone willing to listen.  This negativity only offered feeble excuses to waste a productive life loathing in self pity. 

Eventually I concluded that my story provided me no productive results.  Not only was I boring willing listeners, but the negativity only created more of the same within my inner world.  Thus my personal experiences with external circumstances became even bleaker. 

At last I discovered that no one ever was my enemy.  I do not deny even today that certain acts others directed toward me were far from kind and noble.  At the same time during my most introspective moments, I am also aware of instances throughout my life where I had been less than noble and kind toward others.

We can waste our time fabricating excuses and expounding pointless and truly self destructive stories to audiences, or we can invest those same moments picking up ourselves and focusing on what is of greater importance, which of course is to value our divine worth.

Life is always willing to create greater opportunities.  Every event will teach us something and most often something about ourselves.  From the worst of circumstances, we possess grand new possibilities to gain the greatest insight and wisdom. 

Life is a beautiful journey.  Along our path, we experience inevitable storms.  Yet without the thunder, rain, winds, sleet, and snow, we would dwell in lands that simply would not flourish from the constant radiance of a brilliant sun alone.  Everything has purpose.  The key is always to ask ourselves what lesson we can learn.  How will this new event teach something to enable us advancement to a higher plateau?

Many years ago during college days, I acquired sales positions to supplement income while attempting to raise a young family.  Often I would be in other people’s homes for product demonstrations or sales.  My most memorable event was observing a female child probably no more than four years of age.  Truthfully I do not recall today what I was trying to sell, and I could not tell you if I made the sale to that household.

As I conversed with the parents, suddenly this little girl burst into the room with a disposition as happy as anything I ever encountered.  She did not run or even walk for that matter, but she moved at incredible speed.  She possessed no legs, and I have no idea why.  What I distinctly recall, however, was that she maneuvered her trunk at a rapid and enthusiastic rate in synchronicity with the motions of her hands as though they were her feet. 

At such a young age, she learned to survive and even excel with serious personal limitations.

I suppose by age four a child with that labeled “disability” would probably comprehend her life might be different from the norm.  Her parents were both completely mobile, as were siblings in the home.  None of that seemed to matter even slightly, at least from what I observed that evening. 

Today that child would be an adult, and I would not know if she is still alive.  I never saw this family again, and I do not know what became of this child.  I remember at that moment of her life, she chose happiness. Truthfully, I cannot recall another human being whom I have since met that would surpass her enthusiasm of life.

Whatever occurs is soon a past event.  Granted, we may experience circumstances throughout the rest of our lives because of trauma.  However, we always have the option to determine our attitudes that greatly affect our future course.

Life is a journey, and it is an incredibly wonderful journey.  That is an attitude, but it is also our reality if we choose to retain the attitude and hold to the accompanying expectation and belief. 

From personal experiences, I truthfully communicate that my most joyous moments were those exact instances when I chose to perceive life from a positive perspective.  Likewise, my most miserable experiences occurred when I stubbornly and foolishly believed myself a victim.

The Master Teacher stated it well: Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

To obtain the most from life, it is important to lose ourselves in the process.  Be aware that life is never about us personally.  It is a composite of everything in all Creation.  A grain of sand, though certainly marvelous, is never as grand and glorious as an entire beach.  Likewise a droplet of sea water is never as mighty as the ocean.  The key is to conduct ourselves as a whole.  Individual beings, though surely splendid, are never as brilliant as humanity.

To find the greatest of joy is to discover the joy of service.

The late world renowned existential philosopher, Viktor Frankl, contributed milestones of insight both to the fields of psychiatry and psychology.  He was a holocaust survivor, spending three years of his life in concentration camps.  Dr. Frankl refused to see himself as a victim.  Instead he devoted his life to service, lifting up the downtrodden.  You can imagine the percentage of Jewish inhabitants in German concentration camps that would be downtrodden.  He assumed the role of a servant to encourage his fellow sufferers to feel better about their circumstances.  Surely this would seem no easy task.  Based on the fact that he was one of the seeming unfortunate masses, he was a positive, powerful force especially as others observed that he allowed nothing to rob his inner state of happiness and peace.  In other words, he claimed his divine birthright.

Amazingly he avoided execution to live numerous years thereafter to reveal his story laced with valuable insight.  His book, Man’s Search for Meaning, offers his personal account of day to day experiences during incarceration, as well as his philosophy about discovering the greatest meaning from life even during the most dreadful of events.  Dr. Frankl was not a victim only because he chose not to perceive himself as such.

Not long ago, I was frustrated over a perception that another person violated my trust.  Truthfully, it was a minor issue, but for a brief duration, I allowed myself to believe this person deliberately devalued me.  Even at the time, I was aware that the negative emotions would harm me if I chose to retain them.  I comprehended well the power of choice, an awareness I have retained for years.  Yet, this particular event disturbed me more than I realized. 

Hours later I reminisced on the original event reviewing other negative circumstances that followed.  They were not really even connected except through an emotional negative thread within my psyche.  It was a domino effect.

My negative mind frame continued to invite more negative energy that created repeated undesirable experiences.  Do I sound superstitious?  It is not superstition at all.  It is reality.  Our internal world invites like energy to create circumstances and events in our finite external surroundings.  I am acutely aware of this energy today that makes it possible for me to observe quickly how cause within creates outer effect.

This was an excellent personal experience, because once awareness clearly focused, I released the internal pain or humiliation or belief that someone wronged me.  With that switch in perception alone, I established greater clarity concerning what really transpired.  It was not the person’s intention to betray.  I had misread the event from the onset and created a domino effect of negativity from the original fear. 

Let’s take a moment for a commercial break for a clearer picture of the domino effect:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-274981837129821058

Keep in mind neither Diet Coke nor Mentos sponsors this site.  Neither am I promoting either product.  I simply discovered this impressive video on the Internet that demonstrates cause and effect especially how even with minimal effort results magnify.

Our energy within creates the outer world.  We have more power, certainly far more potential, than we possibly realize.

Our inner world is a sacred temple.  Therein, only the most beautiful, peaceful, holy, and reverent energy should exist.  It is our sanctuary wherein the Spirit of God resides.  This means we allow no thoughts, emotions, attitudes, expectations, or beliefs of less than the most positive and glorious nature to dwell within.

Am I realistic?  Do I imply perfection that is never ours to achieve? 

I am not professing to be a master.  I am on this journey with the rest of my mortal travelers.  But I have discovered through countless experiences, many of which have been painfully negative, that happiness, peace, and internal joy are my birthright, and only I prevent myself from possessing these sacred gifts of God.

Is victimization reality? 

From personal perspective in retrospect of my life, I never have been a victim. 

That is my choice of perception.  It is the attitude I wish to retain to ensure I experience the greatest of circumstances, seizing every priceless opportunity.

My internal world cannot afford the presence of a negative belief.  My outer world deserves creation from an internal state of peace.

You see, as soon as I choose to own the “victim” label, my life retrogresses.  If I want momentum, I relinquish possession of that title.

Am I superstitious?  No, but I am astutely aware.

Let’s pretend you just received a cut on your arm.  How do you heal once discovering the wound and feeling the pain? 

Nature offers its remedy.  If you clean and bandage the wound, your chances for success are phenomenal.  You heal.  You rely on that power within that is ever willing to work for your benefit.

On the contrary, if you defy this healing power by allowing dirt and grime to fester the wound, this healing process severely diminishes.  The wound becomes infected, and if totally ignored, you might lose the limb if not even your life.

You either work with this Power, or you work against it. 

Within each of us is this natural healing energy greater than what we are, yet a perfect truth about our Identity.  We are that Power when we choose to align ourselves to it.  When we separate and work against what is natural and real to us we suffer consequences.

Our personal power tool is choice.   We choose.   Every second of our lives we make choices; if not always consciously, we choose at a deeper level.  The choice to heal is ours whether it is to heal from a cut, bruise, or other physical wound or to heal our emotional traumas, mental ills, and spiritual infirmities.

We are what we believe ourselves to be.  Better stated, we are what we choose to believe about ourselves.  Again, our power is choice.  Our power is choice either to rely on our internal healing energy or to defy it with ignorance, lack of acknowledgement, and inattention.

This internal healing energy or spiritual power is willing to heal anything if we choose to accept it.

All things are first created spiritually.  Creation is always spiritual.  Think about it.  What corpse has created anything? 

Often people confuse spirituality with religion.  Surely religion and spirituality work highly effectively together, but spirituality is the key.  Religion without spirituality is mere dogma and control.  Religion with spirituality seeks opportunities to serve humanity without drawing attention to itself. 

The point of this communication today is to examine the innate base of spirituality within each individual creation.  We are all spiritual beings.  In fact, spirituality is all we are, because it is the eternal expression of our true Identity.

To obtain lasting results in overcoming difficulties, resolving personal issues, and obtaining the most ultimate of guidance through our lives, focused spirituality is our key.

Spirituality is first acknowledging that we are Spirit and that a Power greater than we resides within us ever willing to work to our advantage if we choose to tap into that internal and eternal Resource greater than all. 

Some people call this God or at least the power of God.  Others refer to it as the Universe or its accompanying spiritual energy. Some say it is the Holy Spirit.  Others explain it as highly attuned intuition or a well developed sixth sense.  Whatever it is that we choose to use as a means of reference or identification, it is ever present within all living beings whether from plant, animal, or mineral world.

Spirit is who we are. It works with us when we yield or surrender and thereby acknowledge it for what it is.  If we work against it, the Power remains in the wings ready to take center stage anytime we choose to return to this Source of everything that is.  In the same way that we allow a physical wound to heal, every other problem or challenge will dissipate from our lives if we are willing to trust this Power implicitly.

With physical healing we readily see results from the onset of our births.  As children we innately know this Power works for everything.  With sophistication and loss of innocence, eventual doubts and fears cloud our spiritual vision.  It might now seem this Power really was never available.  Those learning to trust their spiritual roots again see abundance everywhere.

In our spiritual world, intangible treasures are infinite and willing to express themselves if we choose to apply them in our lives.  These include but are not limited to love, forgiveness, kindness, service, seeking and living truth, being honest, and living with integrity.

Seek completely after these principles or spiritual treasures and then bring any problem before the Divine Source and trust that the solution will reveal itself.  In other words, live at the highest spiritual level, and the material world molds to our innermost desires.  Thus we are in tune with the Divine and readily receive guidance and inspiration.  Messages begin to come to us from anywhere.  Flashes of inspiration may suddenly appear.  A friend or perfect stranger might speak and unwittingly inspire us.  We might gain insight from mere observation or from a message in a dream.  Obviously the methods of revelation are innumerable.

It is not necessary to devote ourselves completely to spiritual principles to experience the goodness of the Source but our lives flow better that way.  As Jesus of Nazareth stated: The sun is ever willing to shine and the rain will fall on everybody and everything.  By devoting ourselves to living a spiritual life, however, we gain greater confidence in ourselves, and self-confidence is our key to overcoming any other obstacle.

Let’s return to your recent physical wound.  If you keep it clean from possible infection, it will heal faster.  The important truth to remember is that the healing power is always available but severely limited without our devoted cooperation to maintaining cleanliness.

A sure way to retard the effectiveness of spiritual healing is with a lack of belief.  Just as dirt and grime fester a physical wound, the negative emotions of doubt, fear, anger, malice, and even depression retard spiritual healing. 

The key is an unwavering belief, an undying expectation that what we desire is what we shall receive, as long as it is in alignment with Divine Truth.  From a scriptural perspective, this is nothing more than devoted faith. 

Faith is a choice. We either choose to believe or disbelieve.

The blessings of God are abundantly everywhere.

We want to overcome obstacles?  Those who believe in their natural spiritual healing ability overcome their difficulties and resolve their issues; those disbelieving do not.

What is your choice?

Be aware: As Jesus Christ eloquently stated, 

The Kingdom of God is within you. 

The outer world is your creation from within.  Choose to keep it alive with positive choices of thoughts emotions, attitudes, expectations, and beliefs.

Through this process, the windows of heaven open and abundant blessings pour.

In less than a year, the United States will have a new president.  The four year mark is here again and becomes as consistent as knowing that with each new day we experience another sunrise.  We have watched over the past year or more a series of presidential hopefuls seeking what has come to be known as the “nation’s highest office.” 

What motivates people to run for president?  Are these the most qualified individuals that our country has to offer?  Whatever the motive, we experience a diversity of people who eventually arrive in this position.  This year the Democratic Party remains with two options, neither of which fits our traditional status quo of a white male protestant.

Those who know me most intimately are aware of my political leanings, but it is not my motive to use this blog or website to market my political agenda.  I consider myself open-minded and seek diverse perspective.  I also yearn to see diversity play a far greater role in our nation throughout the future.  Granted, the white male protestant initially founded this nation, establishing a Constitution that only allowed the white male property owner to vote.  Fortunately that changed over time, and we as a nation and a world have experienced considerable growth since.  It is amazing to me that 200 years ago, we openly accepted slavery.  Granted everyone did not share that perspective, but fortunately today through our spiritual evolution we have come to deplore such a practice, certainly on a large scale.  Unfortunately some people on this planet still harbor primitive views, but we are making progress with humanity.

Throughout all remaining years of mortality, my quest is to encourage humanity to greater heights.  To fulfill that passion requires my undying commitment to living the highest truths.  Over the years, I have experienced many circumstances that at times painfully instructed me in life’s journey.  To a great extent, I learned to change selfish motives.

As a child, I used to dream about being president of the United States.  I admired John F. Kennedy.  He was my hero then.  I even used to comb my hair the same way.  I wanted to be an important person as I considered him to be.  I wanted the same recognition.  I wished people of this world to know who I was and to be awed in my presence if they should be so fortunate to see me in person.

As the years progressed but still in my childhood, I sat in my home at times to examine the high school yearbooks of my older siblings.  That particular high school always reserved one specific page for the student body president of the year.  I carefully examined pages of various years and imagined having that same special reserved spot for myself.

When I arrived at high school, I was not a part of the popular crowd.  I never fit in despite a handful of feeble attempts.  Eventually I resigned myself to focusing on what I enjoyed.  I liked academics, speech, and drama.  I forgot about trying to be important or recognized and simply enjoyed the handful of close and loyal friends that I had. 

To nearly everyone’s surprise but not particularly to my own, I succeeded in my quest to become student body president for my last year of high school.  I had run in a series of previous elections for lower offices throughout my high school years and lost all elections in the primaries.  Yet miraculously I achieved a brewing ambition that I had dreamed about several years before, and I won that election with an overwhelming margin.  It was as though magic had occurred.

It was then that I first became aware of visualization, though it never registered fully in my mind until years after that event when I became an avid student of human behavior particularly as it stems from activities of our minds.

The world as we know it is first created within ourselves.  That is my truth.  It is not a truth reserved to me personally.  It is truth that all of us can come to know.  We create our reality.  We are the masters of our lives.  We either design with intense focus or we allow the various whims and storms within our being to design for us.  Either way, it is energy from our own being that determines our course. 

Our power is choice.  Do we choose a clear perspective based on love, courage, and determination, or do we submit to the negative forces of doubt, pettiness, and fear?

I will leave this topic for the moment, but it is my introduction to what I wish to convey on this site.  We are the masters of our destiny.  We are personally responsible for our lives.  We are never victims of circumstances.  Victimization is an attitude, never a reality.

So why did I never become president of the United States?  Perhaps I might suggest that it was never in the cards.  But the reality is that it never remained my clear focus.  Eventually I learned from a series of hard knocks that my internal motives were selfish.  I never had a clear vision then how I would serve humanity.  I merely wanted to serve me and build upon self importance.  Had I ever achieved that dream before greater wisdom came to view, I would have been a disaster in that office.  Providence protected me from me.

Today I have a vision and it is spiritually based.  It is to serve my fellow beings throughout this world.  It is to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and lift up the downtrodden.  In essence, it is to serve the least of humanity.  I no longer yearn to be the most important guy in the crowd.  I have learned to lose myself and from such perspective, I have discovered truth.

What is that truth?  We are Created Divine Perfection.  That is my prevailing theme.  We are each perfect individual creations of the Divine.  Human potential is limitless.

With that stated, I open this blog to your individual views.