A wise person once said,”The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance while the wise man grows it under his feet.” It is my opinion that there is no true arrival. This is not to say that there is no such thing as an ending,but, rather, that each “ending” initiates a new beginning. Life is a series of transitions. Some of them may appear more challenging than others, nevertheless, they happen and are always temporary. The key is practicing staying present. One of the primary goals of living is to experience each moment of it. Take nothing for granted. Practice engagement. Most of us have a tendency to be more of a human “doing” rather than a human “being”. Think about it.

For many of us, from the time that we wake up in the morning  to the time we go to bed, we are looking for something to do. There is nothing wrong with being productive, especially if you are a goal oriented person. The questions of concern are  ” Does your sense of identity and accomplishment revolve ,solely, around the achievement of your goals?”  and “Is your sense security based , exclusively, on your “accomplishments” ?” Do remember who you truly are? Let me remind you.You are limitless spirit having a temporary human experience. It is my opinion, that the ultimate goal of life is to have the most fulfilling experience possible. Although I will be the first to encourage laser focus for the sake of accomplishment , I am also learning not to miss the priceless lessons available to me while being engaged in the process of living my day to day life. As human beings , we tend to take a lot for granted. As my wife had reminded me many times during our courtship,”It is the little things that matter.”

I don’t know of anyone who has made any significant accomplishment that has not had to overcome certain challenges. Challenges are necessary. They reveal to us who we truly are as people. They show us what we are made of. Embrace them and learn from them.In the middle of every difficulty lies an opportunity. Through facing are challenges,overcoming them and acknowledging the people that play a significant role in our lives, we add invaluable richness to our experience. Whether it’s having a meaningful conversation or eating your favorite sandwich, learn to savor that moment. Look forward to challenges because you know, without a doubt, that each one of them comes with a solution. Enjoy the process of finding it. Tell people close to you how much they mean to you. While “aiming for the stars”, take time to cherish the journey while still “on earth”. Make it a daily and conscious practice of “being” present,grateful, honest, loving, thoughtful and any other characteristic that adds value to your life and that of others. Practice being a conscious “human being” while in the process of doing whatever you have deemed necessary for accomplishing your set goals. The quality of your life will be better for it. This is the definition of true prosperity. Live prosperous. Until next time….

Click here to order my book: “The Authentic Life:Live The Life That You Were Designed to Live.”

What comes to mind when you think about the ego? The word itself can obviously trigger different emotions for  different people based on various factors. For many, the word has a negative connotation connected to it , but is that a fair assumption? The ego has been defined as your conscious mind or the part of your identity that you consider your “self”. Another definition of the ego is a person’s sense of self esteem or self importance. Personally, I am familiar with both definitions, but are either of them necessarily accurate? Does the ego define who we are entirely? If you have read any of my previous post, I am confident that you would have a good idea of what my viewpoint is on this subject?

Although the ego does not represent our true identity, it serves as a “vehicle”. It is not something to get rid of ,rather, it is useful for navigating through this world. It provides us with an awareness of our physical body . It also assist us in establishing ,to name a few,racial, cultural ,ethnic,gender and family ties . These various associations can prove useful to us for connecting with others in order to form lasting relationships throughout our life’s journey. They can add richness to our lives  if we develop a healthy perspective about them. They each contribute to the map which we refer to as the ego.

The ego can add significant value to the human experience once we remember that it does not nor will it ever constitute all of who we truly are. Once a person completely identifies themselves solely by their ego, they begin to define themselves by limitations. The same qualities that I just wrote about earlier (race,culture, ethnicity,gender,etc) can become like “bricks” in a prison that we create for ourselves. Based on our background,we can start to associate ourselves with the struggle that human history has associated with certain aspects of  our identity if we are not aware. We begin to see ourselves as victims rather than all powerful, unlimited spirit occupying this physical vehicle for the purpose of  having the ultimate human experience. Oh,  and did I mention? THAT is who you truly are!!!

For many of us , we have forgotten that our thoughts become the things, people and situations that appear in our lives. It is not my intention to blame you for your current circumstances, but, rather , for you to be empowered by this information. You can change your thoughts and viewpoint about your identity to ones that best serve you. This change will result in different in different actions while producing different outcomes. Suddenly, the right people , situations and opportunities begin to appear in  your experience because you have finally been “awakened” to your true identity. All of the sudden, each situation, despite the appearance, serves you in some way because you have actively chosen to look for the lesson aka the benefit/blessing within the circumstance. Life starts to take on a whole new meaning. You have become a conscious creator. You are no longer identified ,solely , by your ego. You , now , see it for what it is . You begin to use it properly. You start to take care of it because you are grateful to be alive. There is no more wasted time. Every thing exist to serve you. You are “God in the flesh” connected to everything and everybody.

We also start to consciously evolve and ,with us, our ego begins to change as well. We might be compelled to change our associations, perhaps, expand them. We begin to care less about what others think about us while respecting their right to their own opinion about us. It’s okay. Not only do we see ourselves in others, but we start to  realize that each individual must be allowed to come to their own conclusions without our tampering. There is no true right or wrong . There is consciousness…. awareness. We are each on our own journey navigating our “vehicles” through this human experience. Each one possesses unique qualities. Each of us has unique gifts and talents that can add significant value to the experiences of others. It is a beautiful thing. The ego plays a significant role in this process. Although it is important, it must be “governed” by our inner selves. It is within our inner selves that our true self worth lies. It is virtually limitless. It is directly tied to the life force that is at the core of every “thing”. This is the true source of power and creativity. The key to living a life of authenticity and , therefore, power is to stay “plugged in”. It is the wellspring of inspiration that is always flowing. Our true selves are constantly speaking to us , but do we listen? If we are ,solely , defined by our ego, it is impossible to do so. You cannot have two “masters”. Spirit must lead. It’s place is to direct the ego. This is the proper order. The ego will fight for dominance within us because it is familiar,yet it must be subdued. The quality of your life depends on it. The ego is never satisfied, but the spirit is aware that all is provided for. The ego  remains at war with the spirit, but spirit doesn’t need to fight with anyone. It doesn’t need to. It is complete. It is limitless. The ego is never satisfied because it never has enough. It is hopelessly tied to limitation. It is unaware of it’s proper place which is that of the vehicle,but the spirit knows. The ego can learn it’s proper place, but only the spirit can teach it. It’s purpose will be made clear.We will dive deeper into this topic in future posts. Until next time….

You can order my book ,”The Authentic Life:Live The Life That You Were Designed to Live.” here.

I finally did it!!! I completed my first book! It will be available on Kindle as an ebook and in paperback through Amazon.com I titled it” The Authentic Life: Live The Life That You Were Designed to Live.”

My passion is personal development. I love to see others “bloom”. You might be asking,”What does he mean by bloom?” I am referring to each person on this planet achieving self realization. In my opinion, it is impossible to realize your highest potential  personally nor professionally without it. Self realization is an ongoing process. There is no true arrival although there are possible “landmarks”. Landmarks are times in our lives when we experience moments of clarity. This may come in the form of an answered question that we might have even forgotten that we had asked ourselves previously. Perhaps we asked ourselves,”What am I doing here?” ,”What is my purpose?” , “Why did this event happen to me?” , “What am I supposed to learn from this?” or “What is life all about?”. The list goes on and on… It’s normal to ask such questions. Some might even  say it’s programmed into our DNA to inquire about the reason for our existence.

It is my conviction that we are each far more than we ever thought we were. We are not human beings capable of having a spiritual experience, rather, we are spirit having a human experience. We are the universe looking back at itself, experiencing itself…. “God in the flesh”. However way that we got here, who or whatever created us, we are it and it is us. We are each connected to everything and person everywhere. Each of us is a unique aspect of the whole( God ,Source,Universe,etc) Separation is an illusion. These are all key concepts that I have shared in earlier blog posts. The key word in my previous sentence is “unique”. This is where authenticity comes in. This is the primary reason why I wrote the book. It serves as an introduction to the type of lifestyle that I believe we each deserve… an authentic lifestyle. There is no one exactly like you in existence and there never will be. This fact is also true for twins, triplets , etc. Your destiny is to live this life according to your own design. Your lifestyle should express who you are on all levels proudly. Let’s do away with political correctness and succeeding based on others standards. Stop settling and learn to love yourself. If you are not sure of who you are , make it your mission to find out. Self realization leads to freedom and genuine happiness. These are the reasons why you exist. Your purpose is to create , be genuinely happy and live life to the fullest on your terms. You exist to do whatever it is that you truly desire to do. In addition, I am personally convinced of two more specific ideas: 1) I am here for those same reasons expressed above. 2) I am also here to help others do the same. I am passionate about inspiring others to live their best life through the written and spoken word(Acting, Speaking , and Writing). This blog and my book are a representation of me reaching out to the world…… to serve. I will keep you posted on when the book will be available. It is an easy read. It’s only 28 pages, but, hopefully, meaningful to you. Consider it “food for thought”. Stay true to yourself. Until next time…

Click here to buy the book