77 – March 18
“Only one person in a thousand knows the trick of really living in the present. Most of us spend fifty-nine minutes an hour living in the past, with regret for lost joys or shame for things badly done…or in a future which we either long for or dread. There is only one minute in which you are alive, this minute, here and now.”—Storm Jameson
Successful people operate from anticipated joy, while others operate from current pain. Successful people have goals that excite them, that they are passionate about; they can see, taste, smell, feel the future reality they are endeavoring to create. They design their daily activities in harmony with where they want to go, rather than where they are now.
Successful people aren’t on overwhelm; they make their time count. They are energized from being in action; the energy pours from them as from an overflowing well. They are happy in the pursuit of their pleasures. The dream has power and they are determined to attain it. They are working their plan for success. This enables them to say “Yes!” to the things that move them forward towards their goals and “No” to the things that are off-purpose. They don’t waste their time and their energy on too many pursuits. They know they can do everything they want to do, just not all at once.
Unsuccessful people are driven by today’s trivia. They say “Yes!” to everything because the fear of saying “No” is too powerful. They’re afraid that if they don’t, they might miss something important, they might offend someone, or people might think they’re unavailable, or too busy, or not nice enough. They answer every ring of the telephone, even when they’ve got a deadline, or it’s too early in the morning or too late at night. They make fear-based decisions, rather than goal-oriented ones.
Make sure your daily schedule is filled with “A” priorities. What do you need to do today to move yourself forward? What ships need to be sent out? Who do you need to contact? Make a list of all your daily activities and see what needs to be delegated or eliminated. Only purposeful actions towards achieving your goals should remain, along with healthy periods of rest, relaxation, family, friends, and fun.
Here’s a prescription for how you might spend your time:
33 percent Sleep: 8 hours per night, 7 days per week = 56 hours
23 percent Work: 8 hours per day, 5 days per week = 40 hours
44 percent Fun: 168 hours minus 56 sleep and 40 work = 72 hours
Do you see? The majority of your time is for fun!
Today’s Affirmation:
“I am full of joyful energy, and all my dreams come true!”
A few years ago. a friend sent me this letter from a woman in Sendai, Japan, during the terrible earthquake and tsunami. It’s such a great lesson in balance, perspective, and how people are really good at heart:
Date: March 13, 2011 3:55:14 AM EDT
Subject: Blessings
Hello My Lovely Family and Friends,
First I want to thank you so very much for your concern for me. I am very touched. I also wish to apologize for a generic message to you all. But it seems the best way at the moment to get my message to you.
Things here in Sendai have been rather surreal. But I am very blessed to have wonderful friends who are helping me a lot. Since my shack is even more worthy of that name, I am now staying at a friend’s home. We share supplies like water, food and a kerosene heater. We sleep lined up in one room, eat by candlelight, share stories. It is warm, friendly, and beautiful.
During the day we help each other clean up the mess in our homes. People sit in their cars, looking at news on their navigation screens, or line up to get drinking water when a source is open. If someone has water running in their home, they put out sign so people can come to fill up their jugs and buckets.
Utterly amazingly where I am there has been no looting, no pushing in lines. People leave their front door open, as it is safer when an earthquake strikes. People keep saying, “Oh, this is how it used to be in the old days when everyone helped one another.”
Quakes keep coming. Last night they struck about every 15 minutes. Sirens are constant and helicopters pass overhead often.
We got water for a few hours in our homes last night, and now it is for half a day. Electricity came on this afternoon. Gas has not yet come on. But all of this is by area. Some people have these things, others do not. No one has washed for several days. We feel grubby, but there are so much more important concerns than that for us now. I love this peeling away of non-essentials. Living fully on the level of instinct, of intuition, of caring, of what is needed for survival, not just of me, but of the entire group.
There are strange parallel universes happening. Houses a mess in some places, yet then a house with futons or laundry out drying in the sun. People lining up for water and food, and yet a few people out walking their dogs. All happening at the same time.
Other unexpected touches of beauty are first, the silence at night. No cars. No one out on the streets. And the heavens at night are scattered with stars. I usually can see about two, but now the whole sky is filled. The mountains are Sendai are solid and with the crisp air we can see them silhouetted against the sky magnificently.
And the Japanese themselves are so wonderful. I come back to my shack to check on it each day, now to send this e-mail since the electricity is on, and I find food and water left in my entranceway. I have no idea from whom, but it is there. Old men in green hats go from door to door checking to see if everyone is OK. People talk to complete strangers asking if they need help. I see no signs of fear. Resignation, yes, but fear or panic, no.
They tell us we can expect aftershocks, and even other major quakes, for another month or more. And we are getting constant tremors, rolls, shaking, rumbling. I am blessed in that I live in a part of Sendai that is a bit elevated, a bit more solid than other parts. So, so far this area is better off than others. Last night my friend’s husband came in from the country, bringing food and water. Blessed again.
Somehow at this time I realize from direct experience that there is indeed an enormous Cosmic evolutionary step that is occurring all over the world right at this moment. And somehow as I experience the events happening now in Japan, I can feel my heart opening very wide. My brother asked me if I felt so small because of all that is happening. I don’t. Rather, I feel as part of something happening that much larger than myself. This wave of birthing (worldwide) is hard, and yet magnificent.
Thank you again for your care and Love of me,
With Love in return, to you all,
Anne
