Willpower is weak and powerful at the same time.

It’s most often the initiator and rarely the finisher.

Living on a diet of willpower will make you heavy with failure.

Willpower gets a bad rap, and deservedly so, because it is so misinterpreted and misused.

I’d like to make the case for willpower and give it its proper due.

Think of willpower as the match that’s used to light the fuse on a bomb. The match cannot insure that the fuse won’t fizzle out and fail to detonate the explosion necessary to get what you want, but without the match, the process may never begin.

Willpower is a sprinter, not a marathoner, yet we treat it as such, and we attempt to use its power for the long haul. That’s like selecting a chainsaw to prune your bonsai tree.

Willpower is the initial action, period. When you attempt to expend it past its role, you inflict harm on yourself and others. You cause yourself unnecessary pain and failure, and you pollute those you have influence over with pseudo-science.

“Willpowerers” claim to have the answer, but fail to recognize it’s only the answer to the first question of a lengthy exam.

It takes willpower to begin a long journey, but if it’s the only thing in your backpack, it’s highly unlikely you’ll make it to the mountain top.

Look at someone who uses willpower almost exclusively. What you’ll notice is someone devoid of satisfaction. Their life is a task and they rarely bask in what they’ve accomplished, because their focus is on the next project. Willpower for them is like the drug, amphetamine that keeps them from resting and reflecting long enough to discover peace and an easier pathway.

Willpower keeps you separated from your strength. When we have the notion that it’s I alone who makes things happen, we negate the source of our power which is the creative void where willpower cannot enter.

No one is better than willpower to get the ball rolling, but if you don’t employ your other teammates your chances of scoring a goal are slim.

You are not alone. You just have to stop using your willpower long enough to ask for help. It’s in abundant supply once you discover there’s more than “I.”

If your life’s mantras are “tough it out,” “nose to the grindstone,” “just do it” or anything similar, you are misusing the power of willpower. They are great appetizers but a steady diet of them will give you acid reflux.

The ancient Chinese wisdom could have just as easily been stated as, “The longest journey begins with willpower.”

All the best,

John

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I’m old enough to remember when many holidays were celebrated on the day of the week they landed on, rather than on a Monday. Such is my memory of Columbus Day – October 12th.

I also remember two jokes that came with Columbus Day:

1. Have you ever had the Columbus Day cocktail? Two of these and you discover a whole new world.
2. Columbus actually had 4 ships – The Nina, The Pinta, The Santa Maria and The Murray. The reason you never heard of The Murray is because it sailed over the edge.

But Columbus Day really reminds me of a personal discovery I made some 20 years ago. It dawned on me that discoveries were really “Uncoveries.”

What you discovered was always there, just not in plain view. It was covered over.

What covers what’s there to discover? Blinding knowledge that we know all there is to know.

Knowing covers over what’s yet to be uncovered.

When you know, you stop looking. And when you stop looking, you are covered in the stench of superiority which is a dead giveaway that you know it all.

The Grasshopper reminded us that, “When you know, you cease to grow.”

What is that you’re laying claim to knowing about that’s preventing you from uncovering a new discovery?

It’s a powerful question that will lead you to your own uncoveries. You just have to ask it and follow it where it leads.

I invite you to view the following video that clearly demonstrates the type of knowing that deters discovery and how adamantly we defend what we claim to know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By-ohi3vO2w

All the best,

John

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It’s harder than it looks when you know how, and it takes lots of work to make it look easy.

What are you really good at? It’s OK to blow your horn; no one is going to hear your response – just us chickens.

The fact is that you are good at something and you make it look easy.

Look at any cooking show or home improvement show on TV. They make it look easy. The degree of difficulty becomes apparent when we attempt to replace the toilet or serve that soufflé.

You can credit your impetus to start the project to enthusiasm but more often than not, it’s a lack of appreciation.

We often don’t give ourselves or others the proper due for the ability to make something look easy.

If I were handy, I would write a best-selling book of instruction called, “There’s No Such Thing as a 5 Minutes Job” because there isn’t.

Hard things are not easy; proficient people just make it look that way, and that includes you.

The real message here is that self-appreciation seems to be in short supply for many people and it makes their lives harder.

It’s not that we don’t have it; it’s in our toolbox, but we don’t use it enough.

I love self deprecation in a person, but when it becomes their lifestyle, they begin to lack appreciation for their developed skill set and marginalize it, rather than use it to their best advantage.

When you don’t appreciate your own skills, you communicate a lack of skill, which is never the case.

Take a look at what you’re good at and look for ways to let that skill ooze out.

It will make life easier and it will be harder for people not to appreciate you.

All the best,

John

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For a deity so worshiped around the world, “God” is a polarizing term.

The polar opposites go from “My God” to “No God,” with some form of “Our God” taking up the middle ground.

I have a neutral position that I feel most can agree with that will put the concept of God in a new light.

Most everyone, including extreme fundamentalists and atheists, will admit to having “Gut Feelings.”

It’s that instant, unmistakable sense that something does or doesn’t pass the sniff test. It’s the proverbial OK/Not OK sensation that we all have experience with.

Let’s call that sense “Gut.” You can still call it “God” if you want to.

Gut hits us with an absence of logic because it’s not a mind phenomenon or mental construct; it’s a feeling.

The rub is that we pollute this feeling with mental debate after we receive it. Our intellect doesn’t trust what our gut is impressing upon us because it’s not in logical, thought form – the only thing it can understand. So our gut feeling becomes watered down with intellectual compromise that keeps us in Limbo.

Your gut, like what we hear about God, looks out for you 24/7 even when you are sleeping. Reminds me of questions I ask at my seminars . . .

I will inquire if there are any mothers in the group and hands will be raised. I ask them if they know when their children are lying and most of them say, “Yes.” I then ask them how they know. They rarely answer with a specific like, “They cock their head to one side when they lie.” The answer is more often, “I just get a feeling.”

Next, I ask, “How many of you mothers can sleep through a thunderstorm?” and several hands go up. I then ask those mothers if they ever heard their child softly sobbing in another room, through closed doors, in the middle of a loud thunderstorm that they traditionally sleep through. Invariable the answer is “Yes.”

What woke them up? A gut feeling!

My suggestion is to cultivate and catalog that feeling and not be so atheistic or oppositional when it visits you. By taking time to notice these sensations when they first arrive, you will be conditioning yourself to know what gut feeling are and begin to trust them.

Gut is non-denominational. It’s a God everyone can worship without having to give up your current belief system, because there is no belief necessary; you only have to feel.

My sense is that “My Gut Is My God” is not going to be a big selling Successories poster, but it’s a notion worth checking out – with your gut.

All the best,

John

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“Where” is one of the famous “W” words – Who, What, Where, When and Why.

“Where” suggest location. “Where are you going?” or “Where are my car keys?”

In the spiritual realm, there is no such thing as location. There is a part of you that can’t be located but is ever present. How’s that for a conundrum?

“Where is that part?” is a question subject to unending debate because there is no logical answer. That must mean that part doesn’t exist if it can’t be physically located as logicians would insist.

That piece of logical wisdom ignores that Chinese Medicine has been alleviating pain for thousands of years with acupuncture. In acupuncture, the practitioner inserts small needles into meridians along the body that can be illustrated on a chart. The problem is that these meridians cannot be located anywhere in the body, so they must not exist.

“Where is my spirit located?” Is a question that you will never answer, yet this spirit animates your body every day.

Even if you are a dyed-in-the-wool spirit denier, ask yourself this: “Where is my mind located?” When surgeons cut peoples’ heads open, they cannot find a mind, only a brain.

“Where?” is a practical question that engages our curiosity in helping us to determine a location, but again, no one has found the location of curiosity.

“Where?” is a waste of energy when it solely focuses on the location of a part versus usage of that part.

If you spend all your time searching, there’s no time for using. “But if I can’t locate it, how can I use it?” Pretend!

Give your logic a vacation and pretend there is a part of you that can’t be located but is extremely useful. This usage of your imagination (another part that can’t be found) is the source of all creation.

You can only access this part of you when your logical mind calms down and ceases its search. It’s from this part of you that all creativity flows – into a mind that no one can find.

The best answer to a where question I ever heard came from the founder of Transcendental Meditation, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He was announcing that he was going to build a new center. A questioner asked where the money would come from. The Maharishi answered, “From wherever it is at the moment.”

We would all be more useful if we take time to remember this: Creativity doesn’t care about where.

All the best,

John

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What’s the difference between beliefs and facts? The amount of evidence!

Isn’t it interesting that there is little evidence for many of the things we believe?

One of the biggest debates we have in the world is between evolution and creationism.

There is more evidence for the theory of evolution, but not enough to make it an absolute fact. That’s why it’s still considered a theory.

This is not an attempt to roil that debate – just a statement of the known evidence.

Here’s what beliefs and facts have in common: They are responsible for contributing to many creations.

For example, engineering marvels are created by assembling available known quantities and creating something new, useful, tangible and totally factual.

Alternately, as mentioned in a previous blog post, Colin Tipping has written in his book Radical Forgiveness,

“. . . it is worth noting that even the most widely accepted theories are based on assumptions for which there is very little hard evidence. For example, did you know that not one shred of evidence exists to support Darwin’s Theory of Evolution? Historically, that theory ranks as one of the biggest assumptions ever made. It serves as the basic assumption behind all biological science and as the very foundation on which much of our accepted scientific truth rests. However, the fact that no evidence exists to prove this assumption true does not mean that the theory is invalid or not useful.”

Even though you can’t totally prove your assumption, doesn’t mean that it can’t spur creations that are factually undeniable.

So rather than argue the superiority of either beliefs or facts, agree that both positions are capable of creating unbelievable things.

You only need to read the incredible story of the loving mother who brought her dead infant back to life to keep the power of your beliefs alive.

Facts are facts and beliefs are beliefs, and both are worth believing in. And that’s a fact!

All the best,

John

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Like speed in football, you can’t teach common sense.

“The Greatest Generation,” that Tom Brokaw refers to in his book, grew up in the Great Depression and fought World War II. They had little education and tons of common sense. These people sent their children to college, often with less than a high school education themselves.

It seems we have gotten away from using that which we were born with and are attempting to substitute knowledge for knowhow.

For the record, I not only think higher education is great, but also a necessity in today’s employment climate. Reminds me of a story . . .

The first civilian police force my son joined required a college education for all police officers. According to the Captain, part of the reason it was required was to get policemen with a higher maturity level and ones who demonstrated the ability to start and complete something.

But you can’t teach common sense. For example, if you were a parking checker (Meter Maid), would you ticket a hearse in a no parking zone during a funeral? Such was the case yesterday in Milwaukee. (Read Here)

Common sense has taken a back seat. We all have it but it’s being used less frequently.

Common sense has gotten edged out by our conditioned notion that others know better because they are more learned than we. These are the people who argue which college is better. Here’s the rub: Harvard and (insert your community college here) both graduate educated morons – ones who forget they have common sense.

There is a candidate for the U.S. Senate who has fudged her educational credentials. In this age of fact checking and a 24/7 news cycle, it appears she didn’t use her common sense when padding her educational resume.

Often, we want to appear to be who we are not. We add layers and layers to ourselves in order to impress others. My mother and father, part of the greatest generation, never had a problem saying what they did. My father said, “I’m a bricklayer” and my mother said, “I’m a waitress” and they said it with pride and no sense of being less than.

Common sense will never have you feel inferior; only a conditioned sense can do that.

I would recommend that you get all the education you can afford, but less than you need to forget that you have common sense.

All the best,

John

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What we want is often counterbalanced by what we don’t want. As long as the dichotomy exists, we are at the mercy of the middle.

You can mix oil and water together for a time but, given time, they go back to their respective corners.

Anytime there is an elongated debate between “want” and “don’t want,” you are in for a protracted stall.

One of them has to win in order for you to move forward.

Listing the pros and cons of something may help clarify your thinking, but when that practice becomes an everyday event, you are practicing staying stuck.

It’s a crude, old expression but its wisdom is timeless: “Shit or get off the pot.” (For our younger readers, it has nothing to do with marijuana).

“I would take my husband back if I knew he would remain faithful” is a want/don’t want statement. It’s a conditional desire.

The conditions have to be removed to remove the inertia from “want” and “don’t want.”

Until you are ready to go for what you want without conditions, you will remain a member of the world’s most popular dance club – Two steps forward, one step back.

There will be consequences in going for what you want; there always are, but if they are everlastingly considered, you will never get what you want.

The ancient Persian Poet, Rumi gives some perspective on wanting.

Don’t grieve for what doesn’t come.
Some things that don’t happen
keep disasters from happening.

There comes a time to choose between “want’ and “don’t want.”

You have to want one more than the other, otherwise your peace will be subjected to a lifetime of tug of war.

I wish I could tell you that one is better than the other, but only you can decide.

Decide means taking sides. It’s the action that removes the shadow from doubt.

There’s a reason “Just Contemplate It” never caught on.

All the best,

John

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A.S.K. is an acronym I came up with years ago that capsulizes the biblical guidepost that reads, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

I was going to write a book about “A.S.K.-ing” but was too lazy. I did write a blog post on GIVING & RECEIVING last October which contained ASKING, but it didn’t go far enough.

Ask yourself this: “As an adult, how much manna has fallen out of the sky into your life?” If you’re anything like me, those feedings have been few.

I’m embarrassed to admit that there is a part of me still waiting for someone to knock on my door and hand me a basket full of fruition. That’s the part I have labeled as “Delusional.”

What you receive in life really boils down to this – ASKING!

What keeps us from asking others for what we want?

Fear that they won’t give it to us seems to be the #1 answer.

We not only fear not getting what we want, but also what others will think of us for asking for it. Perhaps they’ll think we’re pushy, selfish, high maintenance, imposing, not entitled or not worthy.

Here’s the secret: Asking has far little to do with being selfish and much more to do with survival.

You have to ask for what you want in life or you will spend a lifetime wanting.

There are only three possible answers to asking – Yes, No or Maybe. (Note: the “Maybe” answer is mostly “No.”)

We have a phobic fear of “No.” Most of that can probably be traced back to it being a major conditioning word we received as a child. “No” means something “Bad.”

We’ll do anything to avoid hearing “No,” which is a major contributor to us not asking.

Not asking for what we want is an epidemic. Taking what we want without permission is not the answer. That always leads to conflict.

We do so many things to avoid asking; the least effective being “Hinting.”

The answer to getting what you want is to ask and ask specifically. Also, get in the habit of asking the people that can help you, not the ones who will only commiserate with you.

You can live your life with a bruised ego but it’s more difficult living a life where you don’t get what you want.

I’m asking you to ask because receiving begins with asking.

All the best,

John

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I was not a big fan of Bob Dylan but I did like the lyrics to many of his early songs.

Yesterday, I was trimming a Scotts Pine tree in my front yard and a phrase from Dylan’s “The Times They Are A Changing“ kept repeating in my head – “Don’t criticize what you can’t understand.”

It got me to thinking what I was critical of, about which I lacked understanding.

I don’t understand politics – never have. I have an appreciation for the process but I’m far from understanding how it works, thus I’m critical.

My sense is that I’m not alone. Criticism of politicians is at a high point. My guess is the elected officials rely on our ignorance to keep what they have going in place. It’s kind of like the law. They write it in such un-understandable lingo, that we cannot possibly comprehend it. It’s by design to keep us reliant upon them.

Yet the wave of criticism keeps building. Again, the long ago lyrics of Bob Dylan provide an appropriate warning.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There’s a battle outside ragin’.
It’ll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’.

My brother-in-law was fond of saying, “If you’re smart enough to understand something, you should be smart enough to explain it to me so that I can understand.”

I don’t think politicians have believed, until now, that they have to explain themselves in understandable terms. It’s new territory for most of them because they are so adept at not answering questions.

I really do want to understand and not criticize my elected officials. I wonder how soon they’ll figure out that they have to explain themselves to us in understandable terms or bear the consequences.

And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone.

Bob Dylan’s message hasn’t changed – “The Times They Are A Changing.”

All the best,

John

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