YOU are god in your world

An event is one thing.

Your reality of that event is another thing.

Events are created by conditions and occurrences outside you. Reality is created by conditions and occurrences inside you.

It is in your mind that events are turned into data; which are turned into truths; which are turned into thoughts; which are turned into emotions; which are turned into experiences; which then form your reality.

Remember you are not your thoughts.

absolutely everybody

A story I heard many years ago, and which has shaped the way I relate to EVERYONE;

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello'."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

the power of love

A story told to me by a Doctor:

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.

The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her."

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?".

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

questions worth asking ...

There’s a blog I really dig called Thought Questions. The site is based on the philosophy that a question that makes you think is a question worth asking.

I especially love this because most of us don’t really think about or challenge our selves, preferring instead the routine and comfort of the Sunday afternoon sofa over a life where YOU get to make YOUR dent in the universe.

If life begins at the end of your comfort zone -- as indeed it does -- the first step to getting there is [quite simply] by asking questions that move and stir YOU.

So here is my list of Thought Questions for YOU -- thought provoking questions to get YOUR mind moving and YOUR heart racing:

The Question Question

Do you ask questions, or do you just settle for what you know?

Time and Age Questions

What do you wish you spent more time doing five years ago?

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

If the average human lifespan was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?

If you could live one day of your life over again, what day would you choose?

How have you changed in the last five years?

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

Beliefs and Values Questions

What’s a belief that you hold with which many people disagree?

What’s the biggest lie you once believed was true?

Do you think crying is a sign of weakness or strength?

Who do you sometimes compare yourself to?

What small act of kindness were you once shown that you will never forget?

Work Questions

What are you an expert at?

What motivates you to go to work each day?

What job would you never do no matter how much it paid?

Have you done anything lately worth remembering?

If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?

Brand YOU Questions

When do you feel most like yourself?

Why do you matter?

What do you love most about yourself?

What’s the best part of being you?

What makes you weird?

What do you owe yourself?

What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?

If some of these questions do resonate with and challenge you, try asking Thought Questions next time you’re at a dinner party or a social office function. Whereas the usual line of social enquiry and light conversation might be ‘so, where do you live?’ or ‘what car do you drive’, the Thought Questions version of these questions would be ‘so, what do you live for?’ or ‘what drives you?’.

And yes, you will almost certainly get perplexed looks and quizzical stares from their Sunday afternoon sofa faces. But hey, at least YOU are the one asking the questions worth asking, and living life at the end of YOUR comfort zone.