GrasshopperNotes.com - Thoughts for inspired living

Previous Notes

Living in your mind is like living in a sand castle. When the wind blows or the ocean roars, you become homeless - Grasshopper

Talking to yourself inside your head is a major part of the human condition. Some call it thinking. We come out from this seemingly private fortress to interact with others or to give our attention to something like the material in a book, the music being played, or to the content of a movie or TV show. Then we go right back inside to this noisy nest.

Fair is a Fairy Tale - Grasshopper

Did you ever notice that Reality doesn’t ask your opinion before taking action?
Reality does what it does and we have a reaction. We may be elated if Reality has us win the Grasshopper High Jump Sweepstakes or deflated if we have the losing ticket.

A person filled with anger focuses on whose fault it is rather than seeking a solution - Grasshopper

Blame is a universal dysfunction of the human mind. The underlying notion of blame is that a set of circumstances has to be someone’s fault. The natural offshoot of that idea is that someone has to pay. And one of the built in protection mechanisms we have determines that the person paying the tab will not be me.

Revenge Is Always a Sugar High - Grasshopper

When can you ever remember the "sweetness" of revenge lasting for more than a moment? Just how quickly does satisfaction disappear after you tell your boss to stuff it where the sun doesn't shine? I can tell you from personal experience that it feels great to speak your mind that way. Then you are immediately faced with no job and no paycheck.

Some people would rather be right than happy. And preferring to be right, they are left out - Grasshopper

Many states in the USA have traffic circles. I've driven around most of them. By law, the driver whose car is in the circle has the right of way. If there is a huge truck approaching the circle on one of the feeder roads, the driver in the circle still has the right of way. The oncoming truck is required to yield to the car in the circle.

Unwinding is simply unbinding yourself from your thoughts - Grasshopper

How do you unwind? Is it with a glass of wine, a shower, a chat with a friend or spouse? Do you take a nap, read something, meditate, or do you take a walk or jog? These are some of the things people do to relax.

Reality is what happens. Perceived reality is what goes on between your ears - Grasshopper

We spend the majority of our lives steeped in illusion. Illusion is the offspring of an encounter between Reality and perceived reality.

Surrender takes you to a peaceful place of transformation - Grasshopper

Suppose you are afraid of needles and are compelled to get one because of necessary travel to a country that requires inoculation. Four Sumo Wrestlers appear out of nowhere and hold you down so you don't run away in fear. Do you struggle against these giants? Most people do. Does that make any sense?

Mistakes are for Math - Grasshopper

Who doesn't make mistakes? - dead people, rocks, and my father (to hear him tell it). Also, God doesn't make mistakes. And guess what, neither do you - except in Algebra.

If your only nourishment comes from the Caldron of Culture, you will always have a soup stain on your shirt - Grasshopper

It looks like a fancy restaurant, but it's only a soup kitchen. That's culture. Culture never invents anything; it reflects the mostly superficial wants and desires of its club members. We all have membership in culture – even hermits.

Your strongest asset is your Achilles Heel - Grasshopper

This seems like backwards logic. It is! Sometimes you have to look at something from a different vantage point to get a deeper meaning.

If you set mouse traps, you always get mice - Grasshopper

Have you ever caught sight of yourself in a mirror and said something like, "I look just like my father/mother"? Have you ever caught yourself in the middle of a mannerism and said the exact same thing? It happens all the time.

Know Less, Discover More - Grasshopper

Whatever you're holding on to for dear life is an impediment to learning something new. Something knew is better than something known. If you allow your knowing to become past tense and short-lived, then new discoveries will thrive.

When you say, "I'll never get over it" or "used to it," you're referring to the thought, not the event - Grasshopper

Those thoughts come from your ego, not you. Thoughts from the real you will never keep you stuck. Additionally, you will never fully appreciate life until you discover that it's not your life to begin with. Just this subtle shift of awareness will have you making less attempts at getting used to things, and open you to inspiration that gets you unstuck - moving you forward in life.

No Sin is Harder to Forgive than Another - Grasshopper

Is it possible that The Grasshopper has ruffled some feathers with this pronouncement? I immediately had objections to this gift from G-force, so I just sat with it for a moment. Then the truth behind the words became clear.

Stones weren't created; they became separated - Grasshopper

Everytime you see a rock or a stone, you are seeing a piece of the whole. It looks like it has always been a separate entity but that's never the case. We think of other people as separate from us, but that also is never the case.

If You Have No Thoughts in Your Head, You Have No Problems - Grasshopper

That may be a foreign thought to many, but the simplicity of The Grasshopper's message bears further investigation. Problems are interpretations of reality. Problems are mind made manifestations. And problems get in the way of solutions.

If You Can’t Love Everybody, You’ll Never Completely Love Yourself - Grasshopper

Everybody??? Yes, everybody. It's not as improbable as it appears, and it's easier than you think. The benefit is far greater than you may imagine.

Success is less dependent on your goal and more determined by what you believe you can have - Grasshopper

Goal setting is the global preoccupation. There was a cartoon that Eckhart Tolle referred to recently that read something like this:

"The reason you set goals is so you can keep track of all the things you have failed at."

A True Apology Comes Without Justification - Grasshopper

The closest life comes to having an undo button is an apology. It shows respect, mends wounds, and opens a door for forgiveness to walk through. We rarely apologize effectively, causing our offense to be even more offensive.

You'll Be Stuck With That Thought Until You Aren't - Grasshopper

There is no debate that thoughts are the glue that keep us stuck. The question is, "who has the glue remover?" The answer may surprise you.

After Knowing Me, You'll Never Be Able To Be You Again - Grasshopper

There are certain experiences in life that open you to new vistas, that once seen and experienced, will change how you think about yourself forever. One of those experiences is presence.

When You Get The Answer, You Stop Wrestling With The Question - Grasshopper

How much clock time do we spend in our lives looking for answers? If thinking is the number one preoccupation of humans, then looking for answers has to be next.

The Winding Path is the Closest Distance Between You and Revelation - Grasshopper

Did you ever wonder why the path of life is not a straight line? It's designed to wind so that you get to meet more of God's creations.

Sorry Only Works Once - Grasshopper

An apology contains power. The wind leaves its sail when it's repeatedly used for the same transgression.

The Surest Way to Miss Your Life is to Take the Detour to Illusion - Grasshopper

"The American Dream" is a marketing mantra that leads us to a detour where we chase the horizon and never arrive.

Patience is the Ability to Wait the Time it Takes - Grasshopper

Impatience is a conscious effort to speed up the timetable of the Universe. This activity is folly and extreme hubris wrapped together and brandished as a weapon – one that even windmills aren't afraid of.

The Thumb That’s Holding You Down Contains Your Fingerprint - Grasshopper

And speaking of digits, finger pointing is a global game whose sole aim is to assess blame.

“The Devil Made Me Do It” Is More Than A Comedian’s Legacy - Grasshopper

The late comedian, Flip Wilson popularized the above phrase during a recurring skit on his TV show. It comically connoted that something else was the cause for your shenanigans. This concept has more truth than meets the "take responsibility for your own actions" eye.

Sometimes it Has to Get Totally Dark for Someone to See the Light - Grasshopper

There is an upside to the dark side. It's a pathway to find out who you truly are.

Everything Is As It Should Be Because Everything Is As It Is - Grasshopper

The first part of the quote comes from The Buddha and the second part of the quote came to me via The Grasshopper. Who is The Grasshopper and what does this combination quote mean?

Between Marbles and Marble There’s Room to Find Life - Grasshopper

From the time we discover our humanness to the time when our name is inscribed on polished stone, there is an ever present opportunity to wipe the sleep out of our eyes and see what's always been there – life.

Thinking it Over has Less Odds than Wishing on a 4 Leaf Clover - Grasshopper

A conversation in your head is an impotent reaction to reality that cannot effectuate change, anymore than a gelding can be a proud papa.

Nothing Grows in a Field That Won’t Yield - Grasshopper

Resistance keeps you like hardened soil where nothing grows making your crops barren and your field overrun with tumbleweeds.

No One is Good or Evil – Just Patterned - Grasshopper

People who are judged Right or Wrong, Good or Bad, Sinner or Saint, all come from the same family tree. The behavioral differences they display are determined by the conditioning they collect.

Anger is a Bodyguard that Keeps You Isolated - Grasshopper

When you are aware enough to interrupt your anger, you find a connection that's always been there.

Here But For The Space Of God Am I - Grasshopper

Did you ever notice that everything occupies a space? A space has been made for everything. There is room at the Inn for you and me.

My Ego’s Bigger Than Your Ego - Grasshopper

Ever been in a conversation with someone where you wanted to one-up them, have the last word, appear smarter, win at all costs? Welcome to the world class game, Who's Got The Bigger Ego?

Nature Doesn’t Think; It Just Creates - Grasshopper

When nature flows into your thinking, you will create great things. Great things require less thinking.

If It Could Only Be Like It Never Was - Grasshopper

Memories are deceiving. They are colored by predispositions and faded by time and edited of their flaws before we watch the rerun in our mind's eye.

Then Isn’t Happening Now - Grasshopper

Did you ever notice that "then" can be past or future? Then can never be now but we live our whole life in then and wonder why it's not happening now.

The Largest Mistake You Can Make with Another is to Communicate Their Lack of Importance to You - Grasshopper

"I couldn't care less" is the message of relationship death and it is sent out more often than you can imagine.

Tomorrow’s Difference is Based on the Consciousness You Have Now - Grasshopper

My friend, Hali recently saw this saying on a church billboard: "Today is the tomorrow you were worried about yesterday." How much time can we afford to be absent absorbed in future worry or past woe?

The Vibration of Your Bell can be Heaven or Hell - Grasshopper

Did you ever notice how short the sound associated with the ringing of a bell actually is? The sound comes out of silence and returns to silence, and what is in between is our existence.

The Real “Catch 22” is Your Criticism of You - Grasshopper

Self criticism keeps alive any unwanted condition in you by giving it more energy with every blow you strike.

A Mistake is Renaming a Part of Reality We Don’t Like - Grasshopper

We truly make a mistake when we deny the outcome of reality by saying, "It shouldn't have happened."

Suckle This: The Bosom of Being - Grasshopper

How much of our lives are spent on the receiving end of a dried up, cultural teat?

When Looking For A Sign, You May Miss The Exit - Grasshopper

Countless, unsuccessful attempts at seeking a sign to show up have not prevented us from continuing a practice that doesn't work.

You Have to Let Go of What Was in Order to Get to What Is - Grasshopper

"What was" intentions put too much of our attention on the past. The ego loves this because it has succeeded in convincing us that we can change the past and control the uncontrollable. We can't. "What is" puts our intention and attention on our present reality and what's possible.

We are Attracted to Those Who Will Discharge Our Tensions - Grasshopper

Dreams discharge tension; that's why this is the person of our dreams.

Stop Wishing for What You Don’t Want - Grasshopper

The more time you spend at this dried up well, the more you thirst for that which you cannot quench.

All Problems Have Solutions But Not Unless You Notice Them - Grasshopper

Too much of our effort in finding solutions is misplaced which delays them even longer.

You Can’t Fall Apart While Being Picked Apart - Grasshopper

Falling apart is a natural occurrence; picking apart is a mind made strategy that derails the process.

Your Thoughts Are Not Allowed In Heaven - Grasshopper

Best I can guess, everyone goes the same place when they die – let's call it heaven. The trick is to visit heaven as often as you can while you're living, so you can feel the aliveness of having no thoughts.

Life’s Menu Is Limited When You Only Shoot Fish In A Barrel - Grasshopper

The low hanging fruit will only feed you for so long and then real hunger appears.

Keeping Something At Arm’s Length Just Keeps It In Proximity - Grasshopper

The real chase begins with an embrace.

Feeling Sad Isn’t All Bad - Grasshopper

It can lead to peace of mind through peace of body.

Give Up Your Guru - Grasshopper

Inspiration without perspiration is all wet.

The Best Defense Is No Defense At All - Grasshopper

It may not work in football, but it is one of life's essential inclusion strategies.

There Is No Reply That Will Satisfy “Why?” - Grasshopper

"Why?" rarely produces factual answers, just a bevy of emotional justifications that keeps the truth hidden and peace at a distance.

Time Will Never Heal A Wound That Has An Enemy - Grasshopper

The jury may still be deliberating that "time heals all wounds," but there is no question we are bound to those whom we love forever.

Worry Stops When You Die - Grasshopper

What you may not have noticed is there is another living, breathing remedy.

Bet On The Best Possible Outcome And You Will Never Lose - Grasshopper

Your odds of winning increase when you cease betting on what you want and start wagering on "What is."

The Flexibility Of Reality Is A Hard Thing To See - Grasshopper

The biggest blind spot we have as human beings is that we think that we live life. We live under the illusion of control. The opposite is true – life lives us. It's a reality. Here's another well kept secret: This animating force of life drives us, but as a passenger we cannot demand, but only suggest a route.

Humpty Dumpty And Spilt Milk Make A Great Omelet - Grasshopper

You can't unscramble an egg but you can have it be the base for something new.

Dreams Can Never Come True From A Position of Resistance - Grasshopper

Resistance is a condition that binds and blinds. Until the ropes are cut and the blindfold is removed, you'll stay tethered to the ground leaving the blue sky for others to find.

Your Willpower Wanes When Your Beliefs Remain The Same - Grasshopper

What happens when you run your life by an equation that is flawed? You get spotty results. The faulty calculus we've all learned revolves around the word "Willpower."

Redefining Reality Is A Full Time Job That Pays Paltry Wages - Grasshopper

Even the highest paid interpreters at the United Nations fail to communicate meaning. We also fail to find the illusive carrot called "meaning" when we continue to interpret reality and attempt to sell our definition of it as holy doctrine.

When You Stop Creating, You Stop The Flow Of Life - Grasshopper

Ask yourself: "Am I creating or existing on creations?" Your answer will clearly demonstrate whether you're fulfilling your life's purpose or drifting between circumstances.

The Christmas Spirit Is Love On Parade - Grasshopper

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, there is something observable called "Christmas Spirit" that goes deeper than religion, gift giving and sharing a cup of cheer.

Feed Your Soul More Than Your Mind And Nourish Your Spirit - Grasshopper

It seems we have it "bass ackwards" which always leads to wanting more and getting less.

You Cannot Teach That Which You Are Unwilling To Learn - Grasshopper

We are all teachers with our lists of successes and failures. Our rate of success increases when we admit we know very little. That acknowledgement opens the flood gates to learning.

Your Favorite Color Isn’t The Only Choice - Grasshopper

It's hard to believe that in a box of 64 crayons we are able to narrow down our choice to just one preferred color, but we do.

If You Can’t Find It Here, You Won’t See It There - Grasshopper

There’s a plausible explanation for the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer and for anything else that’s not showing up in your life.

Different Scenery, Same Destination - Grasshopper

There are many paths to heaven yet we remain busy arguing for ours.

If Your Life Is A Mere Footnote, Sing For More Than Just Kicks - Grasshopper

Going for just the gusto has you miss what sits below the foam.

Real Communication Begins When You Get Past Your Judgements - Grasshopper

Judgements are normal, and when they feed on themselves they become the glue that keeps communication from flowing.

When There Is No Container, You Cannot Be Contained - Grasshopper

All content happens within a boundary. When those boundaries are stretched or broken, you can never remain the same.

Every Time You React, You Reenact - Grasshopper

The corollary is also accurate. Every time you respond, you are no longer blonde.

Offer Your Presence And You’ll Always Bring A Gift - Grasshopper

When you bring nothing with you, you contribute to everyone's growth.

Your Addiction Reveals Your Affliction - Grasshopper

When you pick your poison, you can also spotlight the emotion that caused you to choose it.

When You Claim Something Doesn’t Affect You, It’s Already Taken Its Toll - Grasshopper

Glossing over the effect keeps the energy of any denied hurt alive and working behind the scenes.

Even If You Never State It, You Communicate It - Grasshopper

You give away all your secrets in every communication.

The Scales Will Never Tip If You Keep Weighing Your Options - Grasshopper

You're stuck at a way station that keeps you weighted down when you wait for the scales to decide.

Being An Expert On The Problem Keeps You From Finding A Solution - Grasshopper

“I know what’s wrong with me” is a mindset that will keep you on the NO side of GO.

Defending The Strategy That Put You In A Ditch Makes Your Life A Continuing Abyss - Grasshopper

How did YOU get to where you are? There is a path you followed and you will continue to follow it as long as you defend your actions.

Behold The Moment And Take Your Life Off Hold - Grasshopper

When you participate in life, every moment is your moment.

When You Live Your Life In A Wishbowl, You Are Confined - Grasshopper

Swimming in circles is the best you can hope for when the only thing you possess is a wish.

Every Time You Try, You Lie - Grasshopper

"Try, try again" as your motto will have you win every audition for the part of Pinocchio.

Echoes And Shadows Are Mere Traces Of Reality - Grasshopper

Imagine someone hearing their echo in the foothills of Colorado and saying, "the canyon is talking to me." We use that logic all the time when we live in the shadows of reality.

Become Weary Of The Fight And You’ll Find The Light - Grasshopper

Accept the enlightened gift of surrender. It has no strings attached.

The Stock Market Is A Crock Market - Grasshopper

Not as in a "crock of s**t," but as in "Crockpot."

All Things Happen And Then We Reason - Grasshopper

How often have we interpreted reality to mean something other than what it is? If we ever apply reason to reason, we will find that it's a coping mechanism we use waiting for the piece of reality that we desire to show up.

When You Find Out More About People, You Find Out More About You - Grasshopper

Their "idiosyncrasies" are a reflection of parts of you that you don't know.

Arguing With Yourself Is A One Person Play - Grasshopper

And your performance is so off Broadway as to be in another state.

The Trouble With Not Noticing Leads To Trouble - Grasshopper

Not noticing is one of the largest causes of self-imposed misery.

Purity Has No Equal - Grasshopper

Nothing compares to purity.

Life’s Hardest Mission Is Giving Up Control - Grasshopper

It would seem to be the easiest since control doesn’t exist, but that doesn’t keep us from insisting it does and attempting to bind people and things with non-existent rope.

Life Only Has One Real Choice – Responding - Grasshopper

Once you discover this for yourself, victimhood vanishes and excuses and justifications jump out the window.

When You Confuse Your Story With Your Life, You’re Stuck - Grasshopper

Every one of us has a story to tell and it’s telling how often it interferes with the flow of our life.

If Your Experience Doesn’t Match Your Philosophy, You’re Pretending - Grasshopper

We all live in a world of make believe and like children, we don’t want to leave the theme park.

Planning Allows You The Freedom To Be Spontaneous - Grasshopper

I’m wondering if you can remember how confident you felt when you actually studied for a test? It’s a much better feeling than having to struggle for answers, and it produces a better mindset with better results. The same is true in life.

A Notion Without Emotion is Just a Good Idea - Grasshopper

Good ideas are a penny a bushel. The ones that actually launch have a boatload of passion behind them. Any pursuit without passion is tiring and makes life feel lifeless.

The Fear To Act Is The Fear To Fail; Lots Of Action Is The Fear Of Death - Grasshopper

Laziness is a fear as is non-stop activity. These opposite behaviors mask the driving fears behind them.

If You Only Judge And Never Feel, You Miss Your Life - Grasshopper

There is an old song whose title says it all, "I'm On The Outside Looking In." If you're judging, you remain detached from actual feelings and live in isolation with the mental constructs of right and wrong.

The Price Of Not Being A Victim – Priceless - Grasshopper

How much is your life worth? It's hard to set a limit on something so precious. Yet, we throw away our life every time we adhere to victimhood.

All Beliefs Are Exclusionary - Grasshopper

If you are human, you believe – but you weren't born that way. All beliefs are acquired and each acquisition comes with a built-in limitation – exclusion. Translation: Not like me.

Common Is The Norm, But It’s Not Normal - Grasshopper

We as humans are the sum total of common routines that we’ve learned and automated. This is how we and others determine who we are. It’s such a cursory look that misses our depth. Our depth is what’s normal.

If You're Married To A Philosophy, At Least Sleep In Separate Beds - Grasshopper

Everyone, stated or unstated, has a philosophy. It's our personal take on how thing are. Our most misguided move is when we turn a great date into a lousy marriage.

To Get More, Let More - Grasshopper

We've all heard the cheesy line from a movie where the character says. "I want to be somebody." The thing most often overlooked is that they are already somebody – somebody they don't want to be. They want to be more.

Being Done Wrong Is A Song Stuck In Everybody’s Head - Grasshopper

No wonder Country Music is so popular. The story lines that appear in the lyrics are a mirror of what goes on in our minds.

Holding On To A Grudge Holds Off Your Happiness - Grasshopper

Holding your story together about how another behaved is an inroad to impasse with no road signs pointing the way to happiness.

Life’s Hardest Challenge Is Finding Out Who You’re Not - Grasshopper

Life's mission is clear cut and simple, but carrying it out is resisted almost every step of the way.

Life Is Passing You By If You Are Attempting To Solve It Rather Than Live It - Grasshopper

Did you ever notice that we treat life like a puzzle, something that needs to be figured out? The figuring always gets in the way of living.

There’s Always Room At The Inn If You Create Space - Grasshopper

It may require knocking down a few walls, but the final result opens you up to unseen opportunities.

A Major Milestone Is Reached When You Discover The Difference Between What You Have And Who You Are - Grasshopper

Our whole value system is based on judgement and we are conditioned to judge ourselves by what we have. Who you are requires no judgement or justification. It just is.

Life Develops In The Dark - Grasshopper

It’s the unknown darkness that produces what can visibly be seen in the light of day.

We Too Often Offer Evidence For Who We Aren’t - Grasshopper

How often have you heard a statement like: "I'm not anything like my mother"? Notice two things:

1. It's a comparative declaration.

2. It's a statement about who you aren't.

Those types of statements are always diversions leading us away from who we are.

You Always Get What You Deserve - Grasshopper

The notion of deserve is an intellectual concept that has no counterpart in nature and is a giant glob of glue that keeps us from moving forward.

Addiction Is Fed By Emotional Cowardice - Grasshopper

There are all sorts of addictions – too many to name, but suffice it to say, they ain’t going away until we’re brave enough to feel our emotions.

When There’s Only One Way To Heaven, You Run Out Of Options - Grasshopper

How do we limit ourselves? Let me count the ways. The biggest one, of which, is having only one way.

Beliefs Are Frozen Thought Forms - Grasshopper

If you can’t warm up to someone else’s beliefs, there’s good reason – They are frozen. And so are yours.

The Only Thing That Separates You From Your Treasure Is Thought - Grasshopper

This is not the treasure you think about; it's the one you can only experience.

The Universal Fear Is Being Found Out - Grasshopper

Your secret fear is shared by every thinking being on earth – that they’ll figure out you’re not the person you pretend to be.

You Can't Fail The Test Because There Isn't One - Grasshopper

TRUE or FALSE: One belief that will keep you glued to the exam chair is that Fate or God or some other all encompassing force is testing you. The answer to that question is always TRUE because, frankly, Fate/God/Reality/(insert your euphemism here) doesn’t care.

Unsolicited Advice Comes With A Price - Grasshopper

Whether you are the giver or receiver, you'll get stuck with the bill.

Your Guardian Angel Isn't Your Conscience - Grasshopper

Your conscience is conditioned; your angel is creative.

Heartbreak Is A Pathway To Life - Grasshopper

If you've never had your heart broken, you haven't really lived.

Remove "Because" And Outgrow Your Behavior - Grasshopper

"I'm _______________ because of _______________" is the blueprint for delaying a solution.

Your Life Lives Between A Snapshot And A Vision - Grasshopper

A snapshot is always about the past; a vision is always about the future. The question is: “What reflects what’s going on now?”

Before Your Beliefs, There Was You - Grasshopper

Before there was the “you” you think you are, there was the pure, unadulterated life force that predates your beliefs. That’s the “You” to come home to.

Spontaneity Spawns Creativity - Grasshopper

But what gives birth to spontaneity? Noticing you're about to enter a big, black hole again.

Just The Way You Are Is The Only Place You Can Begin - Grasshopper

"That's just the way I am" is almost always a justification to stay the same. Looked at from a slightly different angle, a similar statement can be a springboard to outgrow paralyzing conditioning.

Are You Playing A Game Of Skill Or Chance? - Grasshopper

Odds are, you may have your eggs in the basket where they'll easily crack.

If Excuses Were Currency, We’d All Prosper - Grasshopper

No transaction takes place when all we offer are excuses.

Moments Are Like Identical Twins – No Two Are Alike - Grasshopper

When we lump moments together or compare one to another, we miss the snowflake quality each moment brings.

Looking Back Is The Mother Of Detention - Grasshopper

Wonderful memories are to be celebrated and cherished and when you have a steady diet of looking back, you impede your progress.

Not Knowing The Answer Isn’t A Crime; Being Unwilling To Learn Is - Grasshopper

Many parents have mastered the art of making you feel stupid. Unfortunately, I count myself among them. It only takes one question – "You didn't know that?"

The Most Prized Real Estate Contains No Land - Grasshopper

Pure and simple, the most prized treasure is space – the one between your thoughts.

Rivers Have Beds But They Don’t Take Naps - Grasshopper

Did you ever notice that nature is effortlessly efficient in what it does? – No complex instruction manual needed. Simply put: Nature doesn't waste energy; it doesn't tire itself out.

The Death Of Respect Is The Beginning Of The End - Grasshopper

Whether we realize it or not, something is coming to, or is already at, an end when we devalue its worth.

The Step You’re On Now Determines Your Path - Grasshopper

Perhaps it's never occurred to you but the most important step is the one you are on now.

The Unwelcomed Visitor Eventually Needs A Hug - Grasshopper

Have you ever uttered the words, "I never expected that to happen to me"? But, for better or worse, it did happen and you met reality. This is a close encounter of the human kind that when recognized and given proper attention, causes a shift – one that helps us find a hidden gear.

Destination Frustration: Lie Until You Die - Grasshopper

The TV character, HOUSE has revealed an eternal truth: "Everybody Lies." And the biggest way to ensure continued frustration into eternity is to keep that practice alive.

When Respect And Gratitude Head Out The Door, They Leave It Open For Lack And Attack - Grasshopper

When my youngest son was taking swimming lessons, his instructor told him the magic words were "reach and pull." That worked well in the pool, but the magic words that work in life are . . .

Your Filters Color Your Future - Grasshopper

We all know expressions like, "The rich get richer" and "if it weren't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all," but we never investigate the process, only rail against the reality. This practice signifies a clogged filter.

Truth Doesn’t Bend - Grasshopper

The new global pastime is bending the facts to fit your truth. It's evident in politics, religion and other topics you don't talk about in mixed company.

Find The Gear That Works - Disengage - Grasshopper

We have many gears available but finding the one that works is the trick. You find it when you disengage.

Life Remains Dead When You Live Inside Your Head - Grasshopper

Have you ever repeatedly turned on a light switch during a power failure? Then you know the frustration of attempting to light your life without access to your power.

Memory Does More Than Link You To Your Past - Grasshopper

It's a difficult concept to grasp but the past does not exist. The remnants of the past are just that – remnants. When we call the trail of the comet the comet itself, we have mislabeled the past as the present.

Life Is A Sensation, Not An Emotion - Grasshopper

Our lives are filled with emotion and they signify we are alive, but they are not the force that animates us, only the reaction to the circumstances we encounter.

What Love Song Are You Living? - Grasshopper

Did you ever notice that love songs mainly address one of three time frames – Then, Now and When?

Explore The Room Rather Than The Gloom - Grasshopper

Gloom sits in an isolated corner and rarely, if ever, notices the real estate that surrounds it.

The Fork Less Traveled - Grasshopper

The Grasshopper has borrowed a phrase from author and psychiatrist, M. Scott Peck which reveals a choice that many ignore.

The Passport To Creativity Is Silence - Grasshopper

You can gain entry to creativity in a crowded, noisy, external environment, but the border guard will not give you access until you are internally silent.

Your Focus Determines Your Future - Grasshopper

Sometimes we need to be reminded that what's out of focus requires our focus. It's not because we don't know what area to focus on, we just need a cue to get a clue to begin looking there.

Noticing There Is No Control Is The Only Control You Have - Grasshopper

It seems we all want to be in control; yet we are thwarted at every turn. Control, as we know it, is fleeting.

“Thank You” Is On Life Support - Grasshopper

"Thank You" is not dead yet, but rumor has it that the last rites are being administered.

Is Your Stunt Double Living Your Life? - Grasshopper

We get robbed of our life when we let someone else live it. Who is it that has stolen our identity and is representing us to the world?

Change Never Changes - Grasshopper

Nothing has changed since Greek philosopher, Heraclitus told us that “Change is the only constant.”

Life’s Missed Opportunity Is Wasting Your Freedom Of Choice - Grasshopper

Who can't remember that first feeling of freedom of having to answer to no one and doing what you wanted to do, when you wanted to do it?

Give Up Hope And Hope Will Return - Grasshopper

I admit that I'm not a big fan of hope. I have it in the "wish" category and have rarely seen evidence of it working. With that said, there is a human need for hope. So how do you get it back when it's in short supply?

Are You Being Wronged By Your Conditioning? - Grasshopper

If you don't think something is right or wrong, there must be something wrong with you, or at least that's what we believe.

Evidence Of Being An Adult: When You Do Nice Things For People Who Aren’t Nice To You - Grasshopper

Your Mom was half right, but she forgot to tell you the second part of the wisdom: If you can’t DO something nice for somebody, do nothing at all.

Living On The Edge Will Sharpen Your Skills - Grasshopper

If you listen to the conversations in the deli line, at a local bar or to the needs of a person in therapy, the common thread seems to be the goal of an unchallenged life. It’s this quest for the middle that dulls our desires.

True Magic Lies In Knowing The Trick - Grasshopper

Hocus Pocus is a smokescreen that is used to dazzle and keep you focused on what isn't relevant while your pocket is being picked.

If You Live Your Life Like It’s Ending, You’ll Never Begin Living - Grasshopper

Have you ever been enjoying a TV show and looked at the clock and said, "Oh No, it'll be over in 10 minutes"? If you are focused on endings, you miss the essence of living.

Going Halfway Is Only A Halfway Measure - Grasshopper

“I’ll meet you half way” may work well in negotiating a deal, but in a relationship it leads to a stalemate.

Unaccepted Reality Always Causes Pain - Grasshopper

Reality isn’t my truth or your truth; it’s universal truth, and ignoring it or keeping it at arm’s length keeps you in the embrace of pain.

You Turn A Blind Eye To That Which You Can’t See - Grasshopper

And we can never really see another's point of view until we adopt it.

Drowning Your Sorrows Insures They’ll Be Here Tomorrow - Grasshopper

We take out a lifetime policy on our misery when our daily practice is to numb its existence.

Guilt And Shame Are Not The Same: One Triggers An Apology The Other Cannot Muster - Grasshopper

It has intrigued me for a number of years that a certain portion of the population has trouble apologizing. From my vantage point, it's always been about immaturity, but it goes deeper than that for some. It's about shame.

Hate Is A Stop On The Way – Not A Final Destination - Grasshopper

No matter how good of a parent you are, may have been or will be, your children, somewhere along the way, hated you. In fact, no matter how sainted you are you've hated someone for a time. The time has come to put hate in perspective.

Accepting Reality Is An Oxymoron - Grasshopper

It’s right up there with accepting “A little pregnant,” “Acute dullness” and “Boneless ribs.”

Standing On Principle May Get You Expelled - Grasshopper

The principal reason we give for sticking to our guns is that we won't compromise our principles. The proposed notion we are rejecting, out of hand, is often a result of failing to recognize what the other side is attempting to get us to see: "These aren't your father's principles."

Visits To The State Of Flow Are Quiet Accidents - Grasshopper

Where is the state of flow on the map? If not shown on a map, what are its GPS coordinates? The problem is you can't get there from here. There is no official route to the state of flow, but it's an unmistakable feeling when you arrive.

The Gift Most Often Left Unopened - Response - Grasshopper

One of the greatest gifts we've ever been given remains overlooked in a corner as though it's a brown paper package tied up with string. If opened, it will become one of your favorite things.

New Beginnings Start At An Endpoint - Grasshopper

We are a world of beginners. We are constantly beginning new things without end, but it takes a real ending for most of us to begin something that lasts.

When You Are Full Of Yourself, Your Tank Is Empty - Grasshopper

We've all been full of ourselves at one time or another and it gave us a false reading that our tank was full.

Swimming After A Sailing Ship Is An Exercise In Drowning - Grasshopper

You can’t out swim your sorrow by chasing after a tomorrow that will always be off in the distance.

To Replace, Make A Space - Grasshopper

From experience, I can say with certainty that there are close quarters onboard U.S. Naval vessels, especially in the passageways. When someone needs to get by quickly, or for emergency purposes, the phrase they say rather loudly is: “Make a hole.”

Self Assessment Leads To Self Acceptance - Grasshopper

Starts that finish begin from where you are, not where you think you are.

Right And Wrong Are Reflections Of Each Other - Grasshopper

Right contains wrong and wrong contains right, and if you think too long about it, it’ll make your head spin.

Thrive Or Survive? It’s A Mindset - Grasshopper

Are you hunkering down or gearing up? You may say that it depends on the situation, but if you investigate it a bit further, you'll find that you commonly select one over the other.

True Or False: Are You Living The Dream? - Grasshopper

The answer to the question is "Yes." What we believe about the premise of the question is what requires us to come up with a true or false answer.

Human Beings Selectively Love And Hate, And Both Qualities Blind - Grasshopper

Open your eyes to the notions that love is blind and hatred blinds and see through to the soul.

Meaningful Is In The Mind Of The Beholder - Grasshopper

If something doesn't mean something to you, it isn't meaningful, no matter how meaningful it is to me.

Life’s Common Dread: Being Caught Inside Your Head - Grasshopper

The ills of humankind have a common cause – being trapped within the talking machine and not knowing there is another way out.

Who Am I? Looking For An Answer? - Grasshopper

It may not be asked more often than “Are we there yet?” but “Who Am I?” is a question that comes up often enough and it deserves an answer.

You Can’t Escape The Pain Of Complain - Grasshopper

Every time we complain, we are expressing pain. Even though we may try in vain, we can't explain away our pain.

When Peace Is Out Of Focus, You’re Focused On Something Else - Grasshopper

Peace is always in our camera’s frame; we just negate it by keeping conflict in sharper focus.

Life’s Retouch: Repainting Your Perspective - Grasshopper

What if you could touch up parts of your past and see them in a new light, wouldn't that be helpful? It can be done even if you're a lousy painter.

You Don’t Consciously Remember That Which You Want To Forget - Grasshopper

We seem to remember the good and bury the bad, but part of us never forgets.

Shame: It’s What You Think About What They Think - Grasshopper

Forget whether shame is a good or bad thing. That can be debated forever by the same type of people who argue whether a Mac or PC is better. The question is: Is it useful?

For Dust To Settle You Have To Stop Kicking It Up - Grasshopper

It's what's NOT said or done right after a dust-up that leads to a solution.

If You Get In By Accident, Get Out On Purpose - Grasshopper

Accidents happen and rarely do we get out of them by accident.

The Container Doesn’t Care; It Only Carries What’s In There - Grasshopper

Our beliefs are like taxi cabs. A taxi cab doesn’t care who its passenger is; it will transport whomever to wherever.

All The Information Isn’t In The Library - Grasshopper

We all have a personal library of experience and we do ourselves a disservice when that’s the only place we do research.

A Pause Precedes Wisdom - Grasshopper

There is a difference between knowledge and wisdom and when you discover the difference, you'll pause more often.

Freedom: Unmasking Your Secret Identity - Grasshopper

Freedom is a buzzword that is rarely quantified. This elusive concept has been walking around in disguise, and once the mask is removed, we intimately know the true identity of freedom.

Turn The Tables On Temptation - Grasshopper

Temptation is most often couched in terms of something that’s wrong. Rarely do we hear that temptation is a catalyst for stoking one’s aliveness.

You Can’t Say “No” To Reality - Grasshopper

When it comes to reality, the answer is always “Yes.” Any other answer causes extended suffering.

Reality Never Breaks A Promise - Grasshopper

That’s because reality never makes a promise.

Having Appreciation For Others Helps You Develop - Grasshopper

My hobby is photography. I find that the best photographs I take are of people, creatures and things I care about. You can’t manufacture care but you can cultivate appreciation, which paves the way towards care.

The Peanut Is Unknowable Until There’s A Crack In The Shell - Grasshopper

How well do you know someone? You will be in the dark until you get a peek inside.

Patterns of Behavior Are Yesterday’s Memories Projected Upon Today - Grasshopper

"We live our life by reference," said the wise Dr. Dave Dobson. What he meant was that we reference and react to something that already happened, (a memory) rather than to what is really going on now.

Depression: Believing “What Is” Shouldn’t Be - Grasshopper

I learned a long time ago that "depression" doesn't exist. That doesn't mean that we don't get depressed; it simply means that depression is only a description of the process of how we depress ourselves. That process requires action on our part.

Indifference: The Wall Around Your Heart - Grasshopper

If you can’t be reached, chances are you have walled yourself off with indifference. When you don’t care, it’s hard to care about you.

There Is No Hierarchy In Heaven - Grasshopper

There seems to be a caste system on earth even if you don’t live in India. Hierarchy is a superficial structure we house ourselves in that needs to be disassembled to enter Heaven.

If You’re Driven By Your Standards, It’s Harder To Reach Your Goals - Grasshopper

How often have you allowed your rules get in the way of your rewards? Not the societal rules that everyone is supposed to live by, but the self-imposed rules that sack your success.

Power Outages Are The Rule Rather Than The Exception - Grasshopper

With a hurricane bearing down on us and our electrical power gone, I was struck with the notion that this uncommon circumstance is rather common in our daily lives – we lose power often.

Small Adjustments Start Big Changes - Grasshopper

“Our routines run us” is the foundation of what I believe, and when our routines don’t serve us well, we opt for wholesale change. That practice rarely works, and if it does, it’s often short lived.

Someone’s Looking Out For Number One When They Speak In The Third Person - Grasshopper

I’m often amused by someone who refers to themselves in the third person because my experience is that don’t have anyone else’s interest at heart but theirs, no matter how flowery their speech.

An Unexamined Life Is The Result Of One, Unasked Question - Grasshopper

Socrates, an old, dead philosopher left us with these living words: “An unexamined life is not worth living.” The natural question is: What are we to examine?

Happy Accidents Are Realities That Are Labeled As Coincidences - Grasshopper

The best definition I ever heard for coincidences came from Wayne Dyer in his book, "The Power of Intention." He wrote, "The word coincidence does not describe luck or mistakes. It describes that which fits together perfectly."

You Rob Yourself of Life When You Dance Away From Your Depth - Grasshopper

Are you “managing” your life? If so, you are side stepping your depth.

Getting Attention Is Easier Than Keeping Attention - Grasshopper

The job of the headline is to get attention. The National Enquirer has the best headlines, but most of their stories lose your attention quickly. That’s because keeping attention needs lots of attention.

Before You Hibernate, Show Your Most Brilliant Colors - Grasshopper

I think Autumn is the season that reminds us of our brilliance and I believe it's our life's mission to show the world our colors.

Innate vs. Intellect: Life’s Every Day Conflict - Grasshopper

There is a war going on within us every day. It’s not good vs. evil, although that’s what many would have us believe. The battle that rages is between what we know and what we think we know. Like all battles, a cease fire or surrender is necessary in order for peace to have a chance.

Adulthood: Discovering You Are Response-Able - Grasshopper

The defining signs that you belong at the adult table are: First, noticing, and then, second, acting on your ability to respond vs. using your programmed pattern to react.

What You Know At A Deeper Level Is What You Don’t Know - Grasshopper

I’ve heard it said that what you don’t know will hurt you. That certainly can be the case if you make it your life’s mission to keep the unconscious from becoming conscious.

Turning Up The Volume Reduces Our Ability To Listen - Grasshopper

Increasing the volume may work with music, but with human thought it only produces distortion.

A Genuine Leader Finds His Way Before He Finds Followers - Grasshopper

A leader is a pathfinder who has a clear indication of True North that guides his every step. Wouldn’t this be someone you’d want to follow? What if that leader is you?

If You’re Always The Hero Of Your Story, You Aren’t Very Brave - Grasshopper

How many stories have you heard or told where the story teller saves the day? My guess is too many. It’s some version of “Well, I showed them.”

Give Up The Grudge Against Forgiveness - Grasshopper

Before you can forgive another, you have to forgive yourself for holding a grudge.

How Many Answers Does Your Question Provide? - Grasshopper

It’s a good thing to get lots of answers if you are seeking general information, but not so great when you’re seeking specific solutions, because a scattered method only raises Cain.

“Good, Better, Best” Are Words That Cause Unrest - Grasshopper

Who was the best boxer, ice skater, swimmer, artist, singer, actor, guitarist, photographer, philosopher . . . ? Who's better at (fill in the blank)? What's a good place to go to eat? All of these questions have multiple answers and they often provide fuel for countless fires.

Happy Renew Year! - Grasshopper

3 years ago I chose not to renew my subscription to the newspaper. I wasn’t reading it, I didn’t have dead fish I needed to wrap, and it was causing me to put out more recycling than was necessary on trash day. What will you renew that won’t benefit you in 2012?

Cancel My Subscription! - Grasshopper

We all subscribe to something. The minute you start to believe in something, you have signed up for a lifetime subscription. The question we rarely ask is: "Is my subscription working for me?"

Reality Contains Both The Problem And The Solution - Grasshopper

Reality is the sum of all contingencies. That means it contains all upsides and downsides, and when we recognize that, then we know we always have a choice.

Life Is An Inside Out Proposition - Grasshopper

There is an old song called, “I’m On The Outside Looking In” which details a love affair that turned sour, but it more aptly describes what we are all looking for in life– The Inside.

Live Up To Now Not Down To The Advertising - Grasshopper

My experience is that so few events live up to their advertising. That's because we expect events to produce the juice in our lives, but they never squeeze out enough to sustain us. Then we go off seeking another event.

When You Withhold, You Hold Yourself Back - Grasshopper

It's never a good idea to say everything that's on the tip of your tongue, but if you hold all your cards close to your vest, you are not investing in your future.

Is Your Style Cramping Your Style? - Grasshopper

Our surface style is our conditioned personality; our innate style is our character. The more one needs the spotlight, the more other stays hidden in the shadows.

Stop Renting Scapegoats And Own Your Emotions - Grasshopper

One of the lessons we have all learned is that the cause of my feelings is not me; it’s something out there that’s not me. It’s a piece of learning that would benefit by some updating of the facts.

Reality Isn’t Always Polite, Even Though It’s Always Right - Grasshopper

Reality can wipe your nose or kick your butt and, in either case, it's always right but not always polite. Sometimes, to show you care, you cannot be polite.

Adapt or Control? One Path Makes You Less Than Whole - Grasshopper

It seems to me that we react to life’s situations in one of two ways. We either adapt or control. The path we choose reveals our conditioning.

Keep Your Sensations Closer Than Your Thoughts - Grasshopper

Your thoughts may betray you; your sensations never will. It’s only a thought that can get you to turn your back on a sensation.

Right or Wrong Have Camps; “Is” Has No Boundaries - Grasshopper

“Is” can’t be contained or confined by ideology or belief and it never engages in backbiting or pledges to have anyone’s back. “Is” is neither right or wrong - it’s both, plus everything else that won’t be invited to either campground.

Once Upon A Time Is A Time Bound Strategy - Grasshopper

Looking back can be a fun and sometimes be an eye opening experience. When it's your primary focus, your life is tied to the past and not moving forward. The only place you can free yourself from the inertia of the past is in the present.

A Life Preserver: Hitting Rock Bottom - Grasshopper

My guess is the majority of people look on “rock bottom” as a negative experience. It’s my experience that a visit there is necessary to find the life that sits beneath our life story.

To Become Less Judgemental, Become More Present - Grasshopper

In fact, we become less of anything we perceive as counterproductive when we notice our ability to be present.

Reinvent Your Future By Not Recreating Your Past - Grasshopper

The future becomes a reflection of the past if you continue looking in a distorted mirror.

Formula For Failure: Let Your Trust Rust - Grasshopper

Trust is the fertilizer for success in any endeavor. The mistake we make in our effort to succeed is confusing wishing with trusting.

A Brainchild Springs Forth From A Pregnant Pause - Grasshopper

I was reading a friend's Facebook page the other day and he recounted this

question and answer that went between a father and daughter:

Daughter: "When is God's birthday?"

The father paused and then said, "Now."

One Of Life’s Most Useful Skills Is To Embrace Chaos - Grasshopper

We swim upstream every time we make an effort to control or explain away reality. Life is chaos and our only chance for getting through it alive is to respond to that reality.

Ask God For Directions, Not A Completed Mission - Grasshopper

Whomever you ask things of – a deity, your intellect or your creative self – ask for the tools rather than the shed. They will prove more useful for the trip ahead.

Changing Your Response Is Easier Than Changing Your Life - Grasshopper

I find that many people are on a never ending quest to change their life, and their results are temporary at best. Changing how you respond to life provides lasting change.

Our Priorities Are Dictated By Our Patterns - Grasshopper

Our stated priorities are routinely overshadowed by actions our patterned behaviors reveal about us.

Reality Doesn’t Go In Reverse - Grasshopper

Life, like a friendly game of golf, doesn't give out "Mulligans" (Do-overs), but we pretend it does. This piece of personal illusion has us repeat our defeats and prevents us from moving forward.

Life’s Second Lease is Peace - Grasshopper

Looking for a new lease on life? Most peoples’ experience of a new lease is a change of scenery where they wind up living out their old reality.

Operation Unreal: Not Wanting To Feel - Grasshopper

Numbing what we don't want to feel has become our national pastime. We've picked our poison to do the trick, and we trick ourselves into thinking we've found a real solution.

You Have To Know What Happiness Is In Order To Be Happy - Grasshopper

It seems to me that enough people are looking for something they wouldn’t recognize if they found it – Happiness. Happiness needs a reference.

CHOICE: The Option Less Traveled - Grasshopper

“I had no choice” is a statement of mindset rather than a portrayal of reality. We always have a choice, but we rarely travel down that road.

Conundrum: The Measure Of A Person Is Their Depth, Which Can’t Be Measured - Grasshopper

We can measure the depth of a well and we can even measure the depth of any ocean, but a person’s depth, though easily recognized, is like attempting to measure infinity.

When There’s Nothing To Shoot For, You’ll Shoot Yourself In The Foot - Grasshopper

It takes some target practice to hit what you’re shooting for, but if you’re aimless, you can’t be held blameless for missing out on life.

When We Hide, We Miss Being Alive - Grasshopper

What are you hiding behind? It’s a barrier between you and what you genuinely want.

Acting On Headlines Will Make You Frown - Grasshopper

Too often we react to the surface material and neglect to dig deeper for a response.

Q: Who Are You? A: The Awareness Beyond The Labels - Grasshopper

One of life’s certainties is that any label you accept or that adheres to you will limit you. When you recognize your awareness, the labels peel away and won’t stand in your way.

“I Will” Doesn’t Equal “I Do” - Grasshopper

Intention and action come from two different places and as long as we have them confused, we stay in place.

A Magic Bullet Is The One Not Shot - Grasshopper

There is a difference between catching ourselves just before we shoot off our mouth or right after.

Creativity Is Quietly Quick - Grasshopper

You've heard the term "Burst of creativity," but have you ever considered what allows it to burst through?

Control Is Fear Of Losing - Grasshopper

If you haven’t exhibited controlling behavior, you’re probably not human. We all do it, but to what end?

A Well Developed Life Is Like A Photograph - Grasshopper

Photographers have an expression they use: Light illuminates; shadows define. There would be no photograph without light and no appreciation of the light without shadows. That’s a metaphor for life.

The Price Of Friendship Is Investment - Grasshopper

How invested are you in a relationship? Your answer will tell you the percentage of it working or not. Set-it-and-forget-it relationships ebb with the tide.

Your Excuse Is Your Destiny - Grasshopper

We all make excuses but what we, too often, fail to notice is that we blueprint our destiny with each repetition.

Your Future Is Happening Now - Grasshopper

It’s such an easy concept to understand, yet we continually forget that the future is being built in every moment.

Dreaming Of Effort Keeps You Dreaming - Grasshopper

Two trains traveling on parallel tracks never meet – such is the case with dreaming and effort. They're never on the same track.

Unexpressed Fear Will Express Itself - Grasshopper

I had one of those dreams last night. You know the kind . . . where you are about to be chased and eaten by a wooly mammoth. (OK, so your dream is a bit different, but what our dreams have in common is that sometimes they express our fears).

You’ve Never Won An Argument With Your Mind - Grasshopper

Zero Sum: When one side completely wins and the other side completely loses – Winner Take All. Arguing with yourself is a Zero Sum Game.

Let Your Past Outgrow You - Grasshopper

Lots of unsuccessful effort goes into putting our past behind us. That's because we treat our past with disrespect, which keeps it on the front burner.

When You’re Out Of Ideas, Get Out Of Your Head - Grasshopper

We all get stuck in the same place every time, but we fail to pinpoint our geography and keep looking for answers covering the same ground.

Discover Yourself In The Arc Of A Thought - Grasshopper

"Who Am I?" is a question we have all asked and there is only one answer, and it's only found in one place – in the arc of a thought.

I See In You What I Don’t See In Me - Grasshopper

We can often see flaws in others that we miss in ourselves, but the opposite is equally true – I don’t see the good in me that I see in you.

Reclaim Your Spirit And Take Aim On Living - Grasshopper

There is an animating spirit to all living things but we tend to forget about that source when it comes to living.

For An Abundant Life, Asking Is Mandatory - Grasshopper

Here’s another book I’ll never write: “The Audacity of Asking.” But if I did, it would contain the main secret for getting what you want – Making Requests!

Accepting Another’s Happiness Is A Prerequisite For You To Claim Yours - Grasshopper

I heard something years ago that has stuck with me - "Don't envy what someone has; emulate it." If someone else is happy, be happy for them because happiness is not a frequent visitor to any of us, and the sooner you feel it for them, the sooner you open up to it for you.

No Justification Changes Reality - Grasshopper

How many ways do we attempt to justify reality? Let us count . . .

We Speak To Give Voice To The Unspeakable - Grasshopper

Feelings can never be accurately portrayed in words, just as a photograph, no matter how beautiful, can ever match what you saw with your eyes.

Life Gets Simpler When You Simplify - Grasshopper

I believe we take too many steps to get where we want to go; we rarely take the most direct route. That may be because of a lack of knowledge, bullheadedness or something else, but each of those pathways is a detour away from a simpler life.

Your Resolve Is Your Bravest, Yet Weakest, Soldier - Grasshopper

It takes tremendous bravery to resolve to do something. The trouble is that resolve can only get you started; it always fades towards the finish and needs help from a stronger ally to complete its mission.

Derision Is An Inferior Method of Supervision - Grasshopper

Derision may get you short-term results but it rarely gains you long-term respect.

You Corner Yourself When You Paint With Reasons - Grasshopper

There are few things I know for sure and this is one of them: Keeping the accent on the reasons for behavior, keeps the behavior in place.

Belief: An Idea You’ve Gotten Comfortable With - Grasshopper

It seems counter-intuitive that something we are so comfortable with can oftentimes cause us discomfort, but that’s the downside of beliefs.

You Rent Until You “Buy In” And Own It - Grasshopper

Lip service is the tool of the renter. We can kid ourselves, sometimes for a lifetime, that what we are saying has deep roots, but the proof that it doesn’t is the absence of fruit.

Notice: Resumes Are Not Filled With Things You Tried To Do - Grasshopper

You may not have put together a thumbnail sketch of your life yet, but when you do, what you tried will be on the cutting room floor.

Living Is About What You’re Doing vs. What You’ve Done - Grasshopper

Our accomplishments can be hung on the wall, but trying to live off them will hang us out to dry.

If I Can Only Help You Be Me, I Can’t Help You - Grasshopper

If I want to make you into my image and likeness, I am playing God in a very bad, off-Broadway production.

You Truly Can’t Let Go Of Something Until You Let Go Of Everything - Grasshopper

The process of letting go is the same process as death, except that you live on.

“I’ve Got Your Back” Is More Powerful Than “I Love You.” - Grasshopper

“I love you” is a phrase that doesn’t convey commitment. “I’ve got your back” is a promise that promises action.

Excellence: Getting Better At What You’re Good At - Grasshopper

No need to get into an argument about who is the best at something; it results in an exercise of opposing opinions. Excellence is more easily agreed upon and more achievable.

Your Special Invitation Arrives Every Day - Grasshopper

Everyday of our lives we are offered an invitation to experience something special, but the way we’ve been conditioned it only goes to our spam folder.

“Let’s Pretend” Opens Up A Closed End - Grasshopper

One of the best phrases I ever learned was, “Let’s pretend.” Its ability to make us look past what “isn’t possible” is what gives it its power.

Reality: A Belief Everyone Can Believe In - Grasshopper

If you have the ability to believe, boy do I have something you can believe in!

First Impressions Last Until They Don’t - Grasshopper

I don't know who first said that first impressions are lasting, but they often go out the window when you give someone a second chance.

Beliefs Are Paintings In Your Mind - Grasshopper

If you want to show someone the contents of your mind, put your beliefs on display. It's kinda' like your personal art show.

Selfishness: Passing On Your Prejudice - Grasshopper

When you die, your prejudice dies along with you, unless you pass it on.

Deception: Saying The Right Things From The Wrong Place - Grasshopper

The false front has been a human staple long before there was a Hollywood. The key is to recognize that you can’t live an authentic life reading someone else’s lines.

Seeking Validation For The Way You Are Keeps You The Way You Are - Grasshopper

If we can find a reason for our shortcoming and get people to agree to it, we have formed a club that forms a wall of defense that keeps us sheltered from progress.

Happiness Comes From You, Not To You - Grasshopper

Happiness and any other word that you can’t put into a wheelbarrow are internal experiences and not outside events.

Helping Someone Into A Healing Frame Of Mind Heals A Part Of You - Grasshopper

Healing, by my definition, is helping someone into a frame of mind where healing can happen. You don’t need a formal education to be a healer, just the willingness to walk with someone until they discover the path.

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