This is a big one.
Let’s talk about FEAR.
However, we cannot discuss FEAR without talking about BRAVERY.

Let’s get one thing straight, right now. Everyone starts out the same. YES, everyone starts out the same: BRAVE people and SCARED people both hear the howls of FEAR when adventuring into unknown territory.

Student:  So, what is the difference between a SCARED person and a BRAVE person?

Teacher:  The difference is that the SCARED person listens to the howling fear and scampers back to his comfort zone … while the BRAVE person listens to the howling fear and advances into the unknown.

Take a moment and read the above student / teacher interaction again, please.

Some folks are scared in the money domain, some are scared of relationships, and some are simply scared of life in general. They are always scampering back to their comfort zone (the dead zone).

The BRAVE person advances in spite of the fear. They do what it takes to succeed in the end.

The SCARED retreat in the face of fear. They quit before they try, or they quit after one try.

Student:  So, what is fearlessness?

Teacher:  Fearlessness occurs after a person is BRAVE a number of times. Eventually the fear has no effect on him any longer, and so he is fearless …  he no longer needs to be BRAVE.

BRAVERY requires fear.

If one is fearless in some domain of life, then he does not need to be BRAVE to take risks in that domain of life … be it the money domain, the love domain, business domain …. Etc.

Some folks are fearless in the money domain.
Some folks are fearless in the relationship domain.

This means that the person was BRAVE with his action so many times that now FEAR no longer has any effect on him in that domain … he (She) just keeps on going!

Student: What does it take to be BRAVE?

Teacher: Being BRAVE requires using the heart-mind; it requires acting from the heart.

When a person acts from the head-mind (not heart-mind), he refers to a ‘logic of safety’.  The head-mind has a comfort zone, and it comes up with logical reasons why you’ll lose if you venture into the unknown. Head-mind has thousands of memories of failures, and uses them as references to stop you from advancing.

HEAD-MIND IS THE PAST …. it refers to the dead past.  It cannot look into the future.

HEART-MIND IS THE FUTURE … it loves possibilities … it loves the daring adventures of the wide open sea.

Small children live from the heart-mind.  They love thinking of the possibilities in the future.  “I want to be a fireman.”  “NO, I want to be an astronaut.”  “NO, I want to be a rodeo wild-bull rider.”   Until the child creates a head-mind, and fills it with 60,000 fearful NO’s … the child is fearless … he (she) doesn’t need BRAVERY.

WOW, there is a lot here. I could go on. But this is a blog, not a book.

How does this work in your life?
In what domains do you act from the heart-mind?
In what parts of your life do you act with BRAVERY?
Is it with money?
Is it with love?
Is it in business?
Is it with athletic endeavors?
Is it with adventurous travel?
You name it ___________________

In what domains do you act from the head-mind?
In what part of your life are you scared of advancing?
Is it with money?
Is it with love?
Is it in business?
Is it with athletic endeavors?
Is it with adventurous travel?
You name it?

Please read this blog again and ask yourself … where, in my life do I love to move into the unknown … where do I act from my heart-mind?  Anywhere?

Are you afraid of life in general?
Are you willing to gamble?
Where do you always play it safe?

Please share.  You help the rest of us understand the general nature of the human condition when you share?  Thank you for that gift.

Blessings

“Best Comment of the Week.” This weeks best comments come from Grady Pruitt of Success Building Blocks and OluwaRotimi Adesina. Thank you both for your honest, heartfelt sharing. See their comments here.

Illustrations by nick

One day a nervous seeker came to one of my workshops and asked, “Can you help me draw out the best in me?” During a break, he was on his cell phone. He came back into the room and announced that his girlfriend had taken him back and he felt better now, so he was going to leave.

Three months later this same nervous seeker showed up at my workshop, and again asked the same question, “Can you help me draw out the best in me?” That afternoon, at lunch, he was on his personal computer. He came into the workshop after lunch to gleefully announce that he just got the job he applied for, so he felt better now and was going to leave.

One of my assistants, who had attended the prior workshop, asked me, “How long will he repeat this behavior pattern?” I responded, “Until he can see.”

What did this nervous seeker have to see before he could declare liberty from his soap opera misery.

(1.) The first thing he’d have to see is that his usual way of thinking was not going to solve his problems. He needs to develop a new way of seeing things, and he cannot do that while enslaved to mechanical thinking.

(2.) The second thing he’d have to see is that he attracts his problems. The world does not bring his problems upon him – he outmanifests his problematic way of seeing things upon the world (which reflects them back to him).

(3.) The third thing he’d have to see is that he must take responsibility for solving his way of seeing things, that is, if he expects to permanently solve his problematic life style … “If it is to be it is up to me.”

(4.) The fourth thing he has to see is that shoving his discouraging self-opinions in a cupboard is not going to solve his problems.

Student: How do you know that he has discouraging self-opinions?

Teacher: Because he continually experiences a discouraging life.

(5.) The final thing he must see is that there is no gain whatsoever to suffer from yourself (all suffering is a consequence of what you think about yourself). YES, all suffering is a consequence of what you think about yourself! WOW that’s a big one.

Picture in your mind a person who has only one possession – a tree that produces bad apples right on the limb. The bad apples are plentiful, and though he hates them, they are all he has … so he eats them. He suffers from a bad mood because of this dilemma.

(1.) He must first see that the tree only produces bad apples.

(2.) He must see that he nurtures the tree, which keeps it thriving.

(3.) He must see that it is time FOR HIM to find a new seed and grow a new tree.

(4.) He must see that he must throw the bad apples away, don’t hoard them in a basket or surely he’ll go back and bite in one.

(5.) He must see that there is no benefit whatsoever to biting into a bad apple.

What do you have to see about yourself so that you may plant new thought-seeds in your mind? (New thought-seeds that will not grow bad apples.)

What do you have to take responsibility for? What recurring problem shows up in your life as a bad apple?

When you know yourself for what you are - a superlatively creative being, who is destined to win at whatever you set your mind to – it is quite easy to take care of yourself. Of course, you realize that if you set your mind to suffering, you will win at creating a life of soap operas. You always win. Please read this paragraph again.

Please let me know what thoughts this blog brings to your mind. I love your comments.

blessings

“Best Comment of the Week.” This weeks best comments come from Sturat of  Unlock The Door and J.D. Meier of  from Sources of Inisght.  Thank you both for your honest, heartfelt sharing. See their comments here.

Illustrations by nick

Join us Saturday, Oct. 15

Please note: Be sure to check out Part 3 of Conversations with rob with Jk Allen of The Hustler’s Notebook if you have not already.

Your True Identity 

The full realization of your unlimited potential does not burst upon you all at once. The truth of your unlimitedness is always available, AND it’s the challenges of life that offer opportunities to experience it.

Your true identity:
You are a being with unlimited unrealized potential and incredible hidden talents.
You are a being with unlimited unrealized potential and incredible hidden talents.
You are a being with unlimited unrealized potential and incredible hidden talents.

YES, I meant to say the above three times. I want you to absorb it.

Did you know that your true desires and their accomplishments are one and the same? Once you clearly picture what you want, you’ve accomplished it in your inner world of thoughts and feelings. It has been born in your heart.

When a desire is born in your heart, it is simply waiting for your cooperation to take shape in your outer world of function and form. It does not take decades to accomplish your meaningful aims and aspirations. It can take a couple of years, a few months, a few weeks, depending upon your attitude and mood about the matter.

How hard will you make it for your heartfelt desires to take shape in your physical world? How much extra work and struggle will you insist going through before saying, “Okay, go ahead and manifest for me.” … Or … will you make it a life time project, and never let it manifest? Hmmm

Student: Do you mean, “if it is to be, it is up to me?”
Teacher: Precisely!

By your nervous fears and anxious seeking to attain your aspirations, you use your own power to stop your dreams from manifesting. You understand, of course, that the Interactive Force of Harmonious Attraction will always bring to you the right and perfect obstacle, if that is what you request? This mighty force, which is always in action, never makes decisions for you.

You cover ‘right action’ with a cloud of darkness when you insist that you have to ‘put your nose to the grindstone’ in order to achieve your dream. You think you have to metamorphose your unlimited self through superhuman determination. Please! This is insanity.

All of your incredible talents and unrealized potential is yours right now. It always has been yours, and always will be yours. When you allow a ‘great richness of enthusiasm for yourself’ to naturally blossom – your inspiring visions grow vigorously in your consciousness.

Student: What happens next?
Teacher: You are taken over by a Wonderful Obsession!

When you are Wonderfully Obsessed, your inspiring visions spring from your mind to your feet, and you find yourself walking your talk with the right and perfect step.

Many earnest self-help students want to believe what is written here. They’ve gotten their surface mind to memorize this information. Yet, so few get the submerged part of their mind (where their true power lies) to accept it. Until such a time that their submerged mind accepts it, they are trapped … caught in a circle of cause and effect, confused by their mad whirlwind of activity.

What to do?

Here are a few quick steps for you:

(1) Step out of that whirlwind by interrupting those mechanical thoughts that say, “NO!”

(2) Become suspicious of all NO’s that dampen your encouraging spirit.

(3) Become conscious of what you are doing in the moment. Do not get lost in useless activity.

(4) Speak to yourself aloud, with a sincere tone of voice, “If it is to be, it is up to me.” … now sing it … now decree it like a powerful king!

These simple steps put you back to seeing the truth, not thinking about some positive affirmation you’ve memorized … which allows you to re-take your miss-takes in a productive manner.

Authentic sincerity is an incredible power. You have it. If you didn’t have it, you wouldn’t be reading my weekly posts. You are well on your way. You will soon see results from your sincere efforts.

 AGAIN …. might I remind you …. your true identity:
You are a being with unlimited unrealized potential and incredible hidden talents.
You are a being with unlimited unrealized potential and incredible hidden talents.
You are a being with unlimited unrealized potential and incredible hidden talents.

Please leave a response. What does this post have to do with you? What tip can you add to help others understand this post better? How do you feel, after reading this?

Thank you, and blessings

“Best Comment of the Week.” This weeks best comments come from Brian Driggs of dr1665.com, and Anne Barlow from the Painted Universe.  Thank you both for your honest, heartfelt sharing. See their comments here.

Illustrations by nick

Please note: Part 3 of Conversations with rob with Jk Allen of The Hustler’s Notebook is now up. Be sure to check out this empowering dialogue.

What Bothers You?

Most folks don’t assume there is anything good about things that bother them.

Think of something that bothers you.

Do you know why it bothers you?

What lesson is that bothersome thing trying to teach you?

I love to go on nature hikes. I take my parrot friend of 29 years with me (Shakespeare is his name). He rides along on my shoulder. I follow a trail that takes us through three miles of woods where I enjoy the tranquility of babbling brooks and small frog ponds.

One day, a week ago, after a tropical storm had passed through, I noticed that something was bothering me. There were several large trees down. They had fallen across the path, which made it difficult to walk the trail, and there were unfamiliar gaps where I could now see the open sky. It was too bright!

I realized that the destruction from the storm was very natural, but it bothered me. Nature had weeded her forest, but the results felt unnatural to me. What was this bothersome experience teaching me?

The entire purpose of creating mental pictures is to make changes in oneself so we can make changes in our world. Yet, I had taken a mental snapshot of my wooded walk, and insisted that it remain the same as years pass by. Of course, nature would have no part of it.

This was a great lesson for me. I was being too rigid. I was being inflexible. I was letting the changes of reality bother me. While pondering this lesson, I realized that new visions are born in my mind when I am willing to stop clinging. I love hungering and thirsting for dynamic changes. In such moments, my desire grows vigorously, and I get to create myself and my world anew. Nature loves to do this, too. YET, I don’t like it if the changes aren’t according to my mental pictures. Wow, I didn’t realize how demanding I can be.

What bothers you?

Now, take a moment to look at what bothers you differently.

See that it is beckoning you to see how fluid reality can be.

Notice that if you let what bothers you bother you, you create a painful condition of bothersome boredom. This dreadful condition robs your life of its richness.

There is a way out! There was an elderly woman who sat at a piano tapping endlessly on a single key. She would sit down, day after day, tapping the same key. Everyone in the rest home was bothered by this tap, tap, tapping of the same note. When asked why she did it, she said, “I don’t know why. It bothers me that I continually tap the same piano key. I wish someone would help me to tap another key.”

This elderly woman did not know that she needed only to have a desire to tap another key. Ask yourself, “What does this have to do with me?” How, in my life am I tapping the same key? Ask it again.

Student: I wish a great teacher from the past, like Socrates, would come back and teach me. How different I would be.

Teacher: If Socrates asked you to learn from all bothersome feelings you hold about things in your life, would you do it?

Student: Most certainly!

Teacher: Then why don’t you do just that, right now?

This blog is written to slip beyond your rational mind and sink into your subconscious. Simply allow its contents to settle in. It will illuminate an insight that is trying to reach you.

Please share your experience of reading this blog. What might you offer to enhance it? What personal experience helps clarify it for you?

blessings

“Best Comment of the Week.” This weeks best comment comes from Dia of 2achieveyourgoals.com. The runner up is Rus.  Thank you both for your honest, heartfelt sharing. See their comments here.

Illustrations by nick

Please note:  Part 2 of Conversations with rob with Jk Allen of The Hustler’s Notebook is now up. Be sure to check out this empowering dialogue. 

Now, on with this week’s blog…

How Do I inspire myself?

Excellent question; I’m glad you asked.

(1)  I make it an adventure to step out of the known and familiar.

Getting into the restaurant business, with no experience other than eating in restaurants, was a great adventure for me … one that I treasure.

Helen Keller said, “Life is a daring adventure or nothing.” I do not want to hear myself saying (on my deathbed), “My life was nothing.”

(2)  I pause to let my true nature (not my conditioned self), make important decisions for me.

I was born in a small mill town, fraught with thoughts of poverty. I cannot allow this conditioned bobbie to make big decisions for me.

I had an opportunity to get involved in sun tanning booths years ago (I met the inventor).

My conditioned self said ‘NO’.

My gut said ‘YES’.

I went with my gut, in spite of all the great reasons my conditioned self came up with that said it was a bad idea.

I made oodles and met some great folks because of that project.

(3)  I learned to unite myself with natural Forces.

Sowing and Reaping is a natural force of nature.

I used to try to reap the lazy way (early twenties). I didn’t want to go the extra mile. I thought it meant that I was being taken advantage of.

How foolish.

Now, I love giving and giving and giving, knowing that reaping and reaping and reaping is in my tomorrow. I am known as a very generous person. I am also known as a very wealthy person (not only financially but in many other ways).

(4)  I rarely set negative causes into motion any more.

There was a time when I got a cheap thrill from living with melodrama.

There was a time when I would get defensive and even start stupid trouble when others did not agree with me.

There was a time when I would argue to be right until I was blue in the face.

Ah, the insane times!

There, you have it. You asked. I gave it to you right now, with this blog. There is something precious in this blog for you. Which one of the above lessons triggers something inside of you?

Might I share a story?

There was a seagull who flew with the seagull flock, like good seagulls do. One day he got separated – he wondered why none of them liked him. He found the flock once again, and joined them once again … but one day he found himself falling behind at the end of the flock – he wondered why he wasn’t as good as them.

Then a moment came … he went out on his own to make his life an adventure rather than nothing …. and soon thereafter, he found himself leading a large flock of seagulls in flight – he knew the truth - ‘we are all marvelously made and destined to win at whatever we set our minds to’.

This blog should open a small window in your psychic home; did it?

What can you share?

I look forward to your feedback …. Blessings, rob

“Best Comment of the Week.” This weeks best comment comes from Chris Barba of Think. Choose. Live. The runner up is Jenny Ann from Arriving at Your Own Door.  Thank you both for your honest, heartfelt sharing. See their comments here.

Illustrations by nick