Opinions

News
No new updates for this week.

Instead of sharing a quote and my thoughts this week, I've decided to share a story from Paulo Coelho.

Story
In a kingdom of Arabia lived a queen called Layla. Her wisdom illuminated the land like the sun, her beauty blinded men, and her wealth was greater than any of her subjects.

One morning, her chief advisor asked to see her, and said:
"Great queen Layla! You are the wisest, most beautiful and wealthiest women in the world. But I have heard unpleasant things; some people laugh at or complain about your decisions. Why, in spite of all you have done for your subjects, are they still not content?"

The queen laughed and replied:

"Loyal advisor, you know how much I have done for my kingdom. Seven regions are under my control, and all of them have enjoyed peace and prosperity. In all the towns, the decisions of my court are just and inspired.

"I can do almost everything I wish. I can order the frontiers to be closed, the gates of the palace to be locked, the treasury coffers sealed indefinitely.

"But there is one thing I cannot do: make the people shut their mouths. It matters not what false things people say; the important thing is to continue to do that which I consider to be true."

A Taste of Wisdom

News
There will be no weekly message next week because I will be out of the country.

I've decided to share a story that I found instead of sharing a quote and my thoughts.

Story
A Taste Of Wisdom

An aging Hindu master grew tired of his apprentice complaining and so, one morning, sent him for some salt.

When the apprentice returned, the master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it.

"How does it taste?" the master asked.

"Bitter," spit the apprentice.

The master chuckled and then asked the young man to take the same handful of salt and put it in the lake.

The two walked in silence to the nearby lake and once the apprentice swirled his handful of salt in the water, the old man said, "Now drink from the lake."

As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the master asked, "How does it taste?"

"Fresh," remarked the apprentice.

"Do you taste the salt?" asked the master.

"No," said the young man.

At this the master sat beside this serious young man, who so reminded him of himself, and took his hands, offering:

"The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains exactly the same. However, the amount of bitterness we taste depends on the container we put the pain in. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things. Stop being a glass. Become a lake."

Becoming

News
We still have some space available for this Saturday's Self-Image Workshop.
We will start at 11:30am at The Wolfhound Pub.

If you would like to register, please email me: bob@oneamazinglife.com

Quote
"You don't get what you want. You get what you are."
- Dr. Wayne Dyer

My Thoughts
Sometimes we want something so bad and yet not matter how hard we try it never seems to work out. Of course there are numerous factors to look at, but I believe the biggest one to check is your self-image. Does your self-image align with what you want?

I think a story will help illustrate my point a little better.

Me and my younger brother are complete opposites. We both grew up under the same conditions yet we ended up completely different. Why? It started with our self-image, this then helped shape our views and reactions about what happened to us.

My brother decided that he was a victim and he blamed everyone for his problems. He eventually joined a gang and started selling drugs. One thing lead to another and he ended up in prison for quite a few years. I realized at some point in high school that I needed to leave Philadelphia in order to have a better chance at getting out of the cycle that plagues certain parts of cities. If I had stayed there I too probably would have ended up in jail at some point in time.
So when I was 17 I made the decision to join the military and the rest is history.
I spent 11 years working as an intelligence analyst for the US government and the past three years running my own business.

It all started with self-image. Once my brother decided to be the victim, he then took on that self-image. Instead of making his own decisions, he allowed others to make those decisions for him. Once he joined that gang, he then became that self-image (or their self-image). He acted how you would expect someone in a gang to act.

It took me quite a long time to change my self-image. I made very small progress over the years. It wasn't until after I started my coaching training that I was fully able to make some big changes rather quickly. The reason for that was what I learned about myself through being coached and later coaching others. This plus specific work on my self-image allowed me to make rapid changes.

I encourage you this week to take a look at the beliefs you hold about yourself. Becoming aware of your thoughts and beliefs is the first step to change.