“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.” ~ Patanjali

TAKE ACTION

"When you get that feeling of motivation, where you want to do something, do something. Nothing is more of a waste than to be inspired and motivated and not take any action. Your life will only change as a result of taking focused action. Take action and believe in yourself a bit more today than yesterday."

We hear it all the time.... "Faith without works, is dead"

Action is the key word here. Regardless of the area of life, intent will not be enough. To reach your goals and become who you were meant to be requires daily, consistent action. No act is too small.

Act today.

Health!

IF NOT NOW, WHEN? IF NOT YOU, WHO?

If not now, when? Are you waiting for the perfect moment to start reaching for your goals? Tomorrow? After school is out? When your headache clears? So on, and so forth. It's a lie my friends. Within each and every moment lies the power to begin. The power to act, to choose differently, to become who you know you can be. Why settle for mediocre when you have the opportunity each day to be the best?

If not you, who? Wouldn't it be nice if someone else could go to the gym and burn fat for us? If someone else had clean meals prepared for us for the day? The sooner you wake up from the dream, the better you will succeed at reaching your goals. One must be willing and ready to take responsibility for self. No blaming, no complaining, and no explaining. I believe this is where our society has been weak... too many people wanting to give up their personal responsibilities, and let someone else 'take care' of things for them, whether it's education, health, welfare, etc. The giving away of personal responsibility for convenience, and ease of way, comes at a price... every time, and that price is personal power. If much has been given away, it will ultimately leave one feeling power-less. The sooner we each take responsibility back into our own hands, the better. If not you, who?

"It is for us to pray not for tasks equal to our powers, but for powers equal to our tasks." 
                                                   -Helen Keller

Native Americans Code of Ethics

NATIVE AMERICANS CODE OF ETHICS:

1. Rise with the sun to pray. Pray alone. Pray often. The Great Spirit will listen, if you only speak.

 2. Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path. Ignorance, conceit, anger, jealousy and greed stem from a lost soul. Pray that they will find guidance.

 3. Search for yourself, by yourself. Do not allow others to make your path for you. It is your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.

 4. Treat the guests in your home with much consideration. Serve them the best food, give them the best bed and treat them with respect and honor.

 5. Do not take what is not yours whether from a person, a community, the wilderness or from a culture. It was not earned nor given. It is not yours.

 6. Respect all things that are placed upon this earth - whether it be people or plant.

 7. Honor other people's thoughts, wishes and words. Never interrupt another or mock or rudely mimic them. Allow each person the right to personal expression.

 8. Never speak of others in a bad way. The negative energy that you put out into the universe will multiply when it returns to you.

 9. All persons make mistakes. And all mistakes can be forgiven.

 10. Bad thoughts cause illness of the mind, body and spirit. Practice optimism.

 11. Nature is not FOR us, it is a PART of us. They are part of your worldly family.

 12. Children are the seeds of our future. Plant love in their hearts and water them with wisdom and life's lessons. When they are grown, give them space to grow.

 13. Avoid hurting the hearts of others. The poison of your pain will return to you.

 14. Be truthful at all times. Honesty is the test of ones will within this universe.

 15. Keep yourself balanced. Your Mental self, Spiritual self, Emotional self, and Physical self - all need to be strong, pure and healthy. Work out the body to strengthen the mind. Grow rich in spirit to cure emotional ails.

 16. Make conscious decisions as to who you will be and how you will react. Be responsible for your own actions.

 17. Respect the privacy and personal space of others. Do not touch the personal property of others - especially sacred and religious objects. This is forbidden.

 18. Be true to yourself first. You cannot nurture and help others if you cannot nurture and help yourself first.

 19. Respect others religious beliefs. Do not force your belief on others.

 20. Share your good fortune with others. Participate in charity.

DISCIPLINE, DESIRE, AND DEVOTION IN OVERCOMING FEAR

So many of us allow fear to control much of what we do. Much of fear can be found in ignorance, simply, the lack of knowledge or understanding in a given area, to know or perceive any differently. Hence, before moving forward in any area you desire to achieve success, first understand it, educate yourself on it, know it, and 'own' it.

To help you gain a better understanding of this, I've put this together in a simplified way:

Today's blog is about understanding the roles of:

1. DISCIPLINE:
• the controlled behavior resulting from discipline: he was able to maintain discipline among his men.
• activity or experience that provides mental or physical training: the tariqa offered spiritual discipline | Kung fu is a discipline open to old and young.• a system of rules of conduct: he doesn't have to submit to normal disciplines.
2 a branch of knowledge, typically one studied in higher education: sociology is a fairly new discipline.
2. DESIRE:

A strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen: [ with infinitive ] :  a desire to work in the dirt with your bare hands.
verb [ with obj. ] strongly wish for or want (something): he never achieved the status he so desired | (as adj. desired) :  it failed to create the desired effect.
• archaic express a wish to (someone); request or entreat.

3. DEVOTION:

Love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause: Eleanor's devotion to her husband | his courage and devotion to duty never wavered.


I'd like to sum up these terms in a manner consistent with reaching the goal of today's blog: 
Using these characteristics to overcome fear(s).
DISCIPLINE / DESIRE / DEVOTION = PERSONAL MOTTO
I will seek activities that allow me the opportunity to control my mental and physical capacities, by disciplining my thoughts, words, and actions, to reach my desired outcome.
I know nothing comes to pass by wishing, but rather through my actions and efforts. Therefore, the path I traverse maytake many a mile, cover many terrains, a variety of habitats, and a plethora of obstacles. In my mind, I envision but one straight path leading me to the goal. Although the path be bending, the mind will not. Rather, all my thoughts, words, and actions will remain on one straight course.
My devotion is to something of a greater, which words alone cannot express. It's weaved throughout the tapestry of my  being. 
One must remain steadfast on their journey, as it does not end. It is only through growth, our vision expands, and understanding deepens. This is when you may understand fear for what it is, and look past it. 
For you are the Master of your journey.
And so with this, my amazing friends, you develop yourself. You take control of your future, your  dreams, and your goals. 
You ultimately, take responsibility for yourself, your life, and everything in it.

Life is similar to hiking a long mountainous path, where we desire to reach the peak. There are places along the path the sun shines ever so brightly, and others where it's quite dark.Places of life and liveliness, and others where there is not much wildlife, and plants are scarce. Places where the terrain is tasking, and we literally go step by step, and other places where we feel as though we've entered Paradise itself. 

This place, we call Paradise, is where we often sit to rest, take in nourishment, enjoy the view, the silence, stillness, and listen to the wind, plant and animal life 'talk' to us. This is where we contemplate who we are, our 'place' in the world, and seek inner guidance, and direction. We take pictures to 'make the moment' last, and we wish we could stay, and live there forever.... But just as in life, we cannot stay in one place and hope to somehow get to another. We must keep plodding along. Chin up, and confident in the way.
So many of us stay where we are comfortable, thus almost avoiding growth, for the ease of the way. One does not haveto 'leave' of a place, physically, to grow. One merely needs to  take the initiative to produce growth somewhere in their life. Only you can decide where this growth must take place. You are the sole person responsible for your growth, be it academically, spiritually, emotionally, or physically.  In each of these four areas alone, lies an infinite array of opportunities for growth. Will you take them? 
Begin today. Fear not, but move forward courageously day by day, thought by thought, action by action. You will indeed succeed, and overcome any and all which may come your way, and come off the victor.
Health!

STRIVING

Better to strive and climb,
And never reach the goal,
Than to drift along with time,
An aimless, worthless soul.
Aye, better climb and fall,
Or sow, though the yield be small, 
Than to throw away day after day,
And never strive at all.

-Margaret Sangster