Inspired by Brian Johnson at www.philosphersnotes.com. Check out this site, it’s wisdom in concentrated doses.

Taken from A Joseph Campbell Companion.

Campbell said, “Nietzsche was the one who did the job for me. At a certain moment in his life, the idea
came to him of what he called “the love of your fate.” Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, “This is what I need.” It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. If you bring love to that moment-not discouragement-you will find the strength is there. Any disaster that you can survive is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege! This is when the spontaneity of your own nature will have a chance to flow. Then, when looking back at your life, you will see that the moments which seemed to be great failures followed by wreckage were the incidents that shaped the life you have now. You’ll see that this is really true. Nothing can happen to you that is not positive. Even though it looks and feels at the moment like a negative crisis, it is not. The crisis throws you back, and when you are required to exhibit strength, it comes.”

How powerful is that? The knowledge that you are right where you need to be in life. And when you are ready to move into your fate, the universe will respond. You will have the wisdom, strength, and courage you need to experience your circumstances and then move beyond them.

There is, as Emerson says, some central idea or conception of yourself by which all the facts of your life are arranged and classified. Change this central idea and you change the arrangement or classification of all the facts and circumstances of your life. ~ Wallace D. Wattles

I wrote a blog last week entitled, When the Student is Ready. This is the follow up.

A friend bought my book, Reminder To Self, recently and after she began reading it, she left me a massage stating that she began to talk to herself. For some that has a ring of craziness to it but for me I say, “You go girl!”

All our lives we are bombarded with messages of our inadequacies and the fix, do it like someone else does it. That might be part of the answer but it is certainly not all of it.

The first premise that we are inadequate is wrong. We are children of God, we are adequate. We have a purpose and that purpose is to serve each other. The fundamental purpose of a seed is to grow. The fundamental purpose of your life is to serve. How we serve each other makes us unique. That brings me to my second point; no two of us are alike, to each his/her own way.

So all that being true, where is the most likely place to find out about your life? Who is the only one capable of knowing the answers? Give up? You. You are the only one who knows you like our creator knows you. The only place you can find you, is inside you. Where does God reside? In your heart. Open up your heart that you may find your unique light and be a part of the puzzle you are here to complete.

So back to my friend. When you are ready to learn about you, as she is, talk to yourself. Get quiet shut out the noise. Ask the burning questions of your heart then listen for the answers that bring you peace and harmony. And if you want to connect to your purpose just ask, “How may I serve?” Ask it until you get it. What you will get is a way of serving that brings you joy. Emerson said this, “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely help another without helping himself.”

When the student is ready, the teacher appears; that teacher is you. You are your greatest teacher. When you are ready tap into your internal wisdom and all will be made clear.

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.—Marcus Tullius Cicero

Many of us don’t like working for “the man.” The man is corporate America or any company that’s not your own for that fact. I had lunch with a friend recently who decided to look at his job differently. He doesn’t want to do the work he is doing; he find meaning elsewhere. The reactive response would be, “why doesn’t he go do what he wants to do?” The answer is, it’s not that simple. He’s got commitments and responsibilities; a wife, kids, basic needs and the bills to boot. It’s not just about him.

If you have been pursuing a spiritual journey, you’ll often hear it simplified that if you don’t like the life that you are living just change it. After all, we are here to fulfill our purpose. This notion that we can simply drop our current lives to pursue what we think is our purpose might be true for many, but it’s not for most. Yes, we are to structure our lives in such a way as to find fulfillment from the truest self but it is often not necessary for a radical shift. So I offer this, be where you are.

Lao Tzu, the great philosopher and father of Taoism wrote, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” The first step is to be where you are–stop running to the unknown, don’t move just to move. The second step is to know where you are. Really, look at your life and see the reasons for that life. The third step is to begin where you are. Drop everything and run like Usain Bolt if you are in danger–get some help! If you are not in danger, then be deliberate with your choices. Chart a course to get into the life you have or find your way into the one you want.

But for now, “you gotsta love the man!” The man pays the bills–food, shelter, clothing and a few luxuries too. So today be grateful for the man; be grateful for your life. Oh by the way, the man pays a lot more than your uncle.

Try this: make a list of 10 things you are grateful for. Then make a list of 5 challenging experiences that you are also grateful for. Hopefully you see that eventually, it’s all good.

“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”—Joanne Kathleen Rowling

I have read that 50 percent of life is showing up; I have heard that it’s 80 percent. Regardless of the number, in life a great percent of your success is just a matter of showing up. But let’s settle on the number 50 percent. If 50 percent of your success is showing up, then at least another 40 percent has to be attitude—how you show up. The other 10 percent is talent and training.

The scriptures say that the natural man is an enemy to God. I take this to mean that of all the creatures, mankind has two of the great endowments, thought and choice. Natural means functioning at base instincts and those instincts reflect a 50,000-year anthropological legacy of fight and flight. This is reactive; your circumstances define you. Mankind however, is able to respond in good measure or tap into creative forces to find new ways.

So how have you showed up today? How is your attitude? Is it one of cooperation and optimism? Is it one of reverence for all of life and a recognition that you are in service to others and they are in service to you? As Stephen Covey, said in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, “It’s not the problem that’s the problem, it’s the way you see the problem that’s the problem.” You get to choose.

The most common ego identifications have to do with possessions, the work you do, social status and recognition, knowledge and education, physical appearance, special abilities, relationships, personal and family history, belief systems, and often political, nationalistic, racial, religious, and other collective identifications. None of these is you.—Eckhart Tolle

The ego needs attention. Sometimes it tricks us into believing that we are more important than we are—we are the stuff we have, what we do for a living, our education etc. Sometimes our ego tricks us into believing that we are not good enough—we don’t have enough, we don’t do enough, my life has no meaning. We then compares ourselves to more or less fortunate people to validate our beliefs. The ego does not discriminate and it will manipulate your thoughts to keep your attention. But it’s not about you.

You are here and you are important. Not because you think so and you have the stuff to prove or think otherwise and you can prove that too, but it is a universal truth. Our creator plays no favorites. All of us are a critical links to each others’ greatness. Our responsibility then is to show up and be in the moment with love in our hearts. Love is the fairy dust that works the magic when our mind interferes with our divine reasons for being.

Today sprinkle a little love in all your moments and see what happens. You must get mind out of it though because love and the ego can’t dwell in the same place.

Try this today: Bring love to the person or situation you least want to. Send me a email let me know what happened.

Warriors of the light are not perfect. Their beauty lies in accepting this fact and still desiring to grow and to learn. —Paulo Coehlo from The Warrior of the Light

“When the student is ready, the teacher appears.” is an axiom found in just about every spiritual tradition, all claiming it as their own. This truth is a gateway to our potential and a promise by the universe that we are all guided as we travel this journey called life.

We have experienced this: our teachers seemingly appear out of nowhere to provide answers and lessons when we are mentally, physically, and emotionally in a place to recognize these lessons. A verse in a song, a blog that we read, a line in a movie, or a voice in your head are all sublime teachings from unsuspected teachers.

Every experience has a lesson for the living. Living is learning. It is only a body without life that does no learning. Life is a classroom filled with nontraditional, informal teachers. Learning takes place in every moment-life happens in this moment. When we take ourselves out of this moment to wander into our past and future, we miss the teachers in the here and now. When we lock into ego positions of right, wrong, and how things should be, we miss the teachers in our midst.

How often do we tell the beggar to go get a job and the talkative child to be quiet? How often do we view the less educated as limited? How often do we use our positions of authority to silence those for whom we have stewardship. How often do we use expertise in one area to fake knowledge in another area. These ways of being affect our readiness for our teachers.

The beggar can teach us humility, the talkative child teaches us patience and reminds us of the delight in our world. The seemingly ignorant can show another way. This life is a treasure hunt for wisdom and wisdom is tucked away in the most unexpected and unusual experiences.

When the student is ready, the teacher appears. Are you ready? Your teachers are waiting.