When regarded as a question, “Why not now?” tends to drain us of our power to realize our ambitions. We are so concerned with the notion that we are somehow undeserving of happiness that we cannot see that there is much we can do in the present to begin pursuing it. On the other hand, if we look decisively at our state today and consider, “Why not now, indeed!” we are empowered to begin changing our lives this very moment. Many of us, me included, procrastinate for many reasons, from a perceived lack of time to a legitimate lack of self-belief, but the truth of the matter is that there is no time like the present and no time but the present. Whatever we aim to accomplish, we will achieve more quickly and with a greater degree of efficiency, when we seize the day and make the most of the resources we have at our disposal already.

I truly believe that all the joy, passion, and contentment you can envision can be yours right now, rather than at some undetermined far off point in time. Just remind yourself that there is nothing standing between you and your personal fulfillment…. and if you decide that today is the day for you to take your destiny into your hands, you will soon discover that you already hold the keys of fate.

All of our lives are rich with potential sources of happiness, but we can easily become victims of negative thinking if we are not paying attention. This can happen for many reasons… maybe we believe that by focusing on all that has going wrong will provide us with the motivation we need to face the next challenge, or maybe we are surrounded by negative people and we just want to be negative because it is a way to fit in. In any case I think its important to notice that these are choices… and I also believe that if we choose to focus on what brings us joy and allow what makes us happy to rise to the surface, a shift occurs in the fabric of our existence. Finding something to be happy about every single day can help this shift take place and allow the vantage points from which we view the world to come into into balance, and we can see that being alive truly is a gift.

If you really take the time to consider your day or week, there is always something we can be happy about, it is simply up to us to identify it. On one day, we may find happiness in a momentous, life-changing event such as a marriage or the birth of a child…. on another day, the happiness we experience may simply rise up from our appreciation of a particularly well-brewed cup of a coffee or the way the sun shines on a leaf. However, if you discover that you simply cannot call to mind a single joyful element of existence, you should examine the cause of the blockage standing between yourself and experiencing happiness. For me writing is a great way to consider and catalog the happiness unfolding all around. I have found that writing about the emotions experienced while contemplating joy can reveal the myriad of opportunities that exist in our lives for joy to manifest itself… and conversely, if you are having trouble experiencing joy, writing can also reveal insights into the factors compelling you to resist happiness. The important thing is to take the time to notice and consider the happiness around you, then simply let it in and allow yourself to be present with it.

I also understand that happiness may not always come easily into your life, or you may feel unsure about how to recognize it or uneasy about enjoying it. In fact many of us have been conditioned to believe that the proper response to unmet expectations is one of sadness, anger or fear… and the proper response to happiness is guilt or doubt. However, I believe to make joy a fixture in your life, you must first believe that it is within your power to choose happiness over unhappiness every single day and then learn accept it with an open heart. When you do this, you will see that each time you discover some new source of happiness; the revelation that the world is largely a happy place and life is a gift will find its way more deeply into your being. Go ahead try it… on this day, find one thing to be happy about and let it fill your heart and then notice how it makes you feel.

I think it is worth remembering that one of our goals in life should be to discover who we are and then live authentically. I also believe, it’s equally important to avoid falling into the trap of striving for perfection and instead learning to accept our imperfections. It seems we often lose track of these dual aspirations and when we make mistakes, we think that we are failing or not measuring up. But if life is about experimenting, discovering, loving and learning, then to be imperfect is actually a prerequisite. I have always felt that life becomes much more interesting once we let go of our quest for perfection and aspire for experiencing life as it is and accepting our imperfections as they are.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting that we shouldn’t strive to be our best selves. I am simply suggesting that we accept the truth that there is no such thing as sustainable perfection. Consider that all living things are in a ceaseless state of movement and change. Even as you read this, your hair is growing, your cells are dying and being reborn, and your blood is moving through your veins. In fact, your life changes more than it stays the same. However, I also understand that perfection may serendipitously happen in a moment, often with no advance notice. Perhaps you have experienced a perfect sunset or the perfect meal or scored a hole in one, but this sort of perfection will not last, because it is a subjective and impermanent state. So in those wonderfully beautiful but fleeting moments, when something feels perfect, it’s best to simply be fully present and enjoy the moment, because trying to hold on to perfection or forcing it to happen usually causes frustration and unhappiness.

In spite of these seemingly straightforward observations, many of us still fall into the habit of trying to be perfect. I have found that one way to nudge ourselves out of this tendency, is to step out of our ego, examine our lives and realize that no one is judging us to see whether or not we are perfect. Sometimes, perfectionism is a holdover from our childhood, maybe an ideal we inherited from a demanding parent or mentor. In that case, you might consider that as free willed adults we can choose to let go of the need to perform for someone else’s approval… and further, we can choose to experience the world as a place where we are free to be imperfect. I understand this may be easier said than done; however I urge you now as I have in the past, to give it a try. Simply try letting go of the need to be perfect for a week or even a day and notice how it feels. I think you will discover that once you try this, you may begin to take yourself  and the opinions of others less seriously and in the process have more fun.

Remember, imperfection is inherent to being human, and by embracing your imperfections, you embrace yourself.

What do you think?

Synchronicity, or the unlikely conjunction of events, can be an eye-opening or even a life changing experience. Psychologist Carl Jung theorized that “synchronicities occur when universal forces were aligned with the experiences of an individual, leading to coincidences that appear to be more than just chance”. I believe that these incidents happen because everything is somehow innately connected and that these events are very often called forth and facilitated by our unconscious needs and desires. Jung is famous for saying “Nothing occurs randomly, rather, we naturally draw certain people, situations, and blessings to ourselves.”

In truth,  a synchronistic event such as a chance encounter can be positive, negative, or neutral, and feel deeply mysterious or commonplace and  some coincidences are obvious while others are not apparent until after careful reflection. For example, during a personal financial crisis, you always seem to find just enough money to get by… or a recurring dream prepares you for an eventual physical event. I have always felt that these synchronicities are not only very powerful messages that originate within our own consciousness, but also represent opportunities to learn about ourselves, our purpose and the world around us.

If you feel touched by multiple coincidences or intrigued by a single one, ask yourself why you may be attracting the people involved or the situations. On a deeper level it may be worth considering the question, is the event highlighting some aspect of your life, suggesting a particular course of action or calling you to consider making some larger change? Jung believed the soul whispers to us through synchronicity, calling us to attention. I believe this is true, and that seeking the meaning behind a synchronistic event may help you know yourself better, kick start your creativity, lead you down a new and exciting path or even highlight some future pitfalls to avoid. I also believe that it’s no coincidence that the most profound coincidences often occur at life’s biggest crossroads, stopping us in our tracks and leaving us to find the meaning within.

Often, we spend a great deal of time dazzled and awed by the talents of others, so much so that we can easily overlook our own gifts. It may even be that our unique ability is something we view negatively. For example: you may find it difficult concentrating on any one subject for long; meanwhile, others are amazed by your ability to weave various ideas throughout your conversations together. Or, you might think of yourself as “frivolous,” when it’s quite possible that your uniquely charming approach to life casts a light of joy and inspiration that others can’t help but follow. I think it’s important for all of us to try and discover, or re-discover our own special gift and understand how we can best express it to the world. Consider simply asking others to name what they think your most overlooked talents or character traits are. Their answers may change your life… but even if they don’t, they just might reveal a previously hidden pattern that may lead you in a new direction on your path to discovering your specific genius.

I encourage you to explore the riches that are uniquely yours, and in the process you may also find yourself helping others discover and develop their own gifts. Acknowledge and appreciate the gifts you see in those around you… tell your neighbor that loves to garden how much her green thumb enlivens the whole block… thank your coworker for always greeting your days with a smile… or tell your close friends that their ability to listen makes your world a better place.

Go ahead, give it a try and you will see that when shared with others, your unique gifts are like golden rays of sunlit expression that can brighten the world around you with warm light and positive energy.

I am back after a break from writing my daily blog entries. No excuses, I just needed a break, but now that it has been a few days since my last post and it sure feels good to be writing again. To those of you have emailed me to let me know you missed the regular posts I thank you for your encouragement.

Today I was thinking about why many of us so often find ourselves chasing happiness as if it were a possession, something we can simply acquire piece by piece like a new wardrobe. Often, when we’re unhappy, we fall into the habit of thinking that, if only one or two specific things in our life would change, everything would be fine. We might focus on the fact that we need a new car, or a raise, or a change in our living situation. We dwell on this one thing and strategize, or complain, or daydream about what it would be like to have it. Meanwhile, underneath the surface, the real reason for our unhappiness can sit unrecognized and unaddressed. And yet, if we are able to locate and explore the underlying cause of our discontent, all the surface concerns have a way of working themselves out in the light of our realization.

On the other hand, maybe we really do  need a new car or  maybe moving to another city would improve our life situation. However, if you think about it, most of the time it can only help to take some time to explore what’s going on at a deeper level. Sometimes, when we take a moment and stop focusing on external concerns, we can get to the heart of our discontent. In doing so we might realize that all our lives we’ve been dissatisfied, grasping at one thing after another, only to be dissatisfied about something else once we get what we want. I remember as a child being told that I needed to slow down and learn to be satisfied with what I had instead of always chasing the next thing. Perhaps in slowing down you might notice a pattern of running away from a place, or a relationship, when things get too hard. You might then wonder why this keeps happening, and how you might work through the difficulty rather than just escaping it. The point is, slowing down and turning our attention within can save us a lot of wasted energy in the long run, because it is very often the case that there is no external change that will make us happy.

Once you’ve taken the time to slow and inquire within, you can begin to make changes that address deeper issues. Granted, this can be very hard at first, especially if you’ve grown used to grasping for outside sources in order to quell your discontent… but in the end, I believe you may solve some lifelong problems at a deeper level, and they probably will be much less likely to recur.

For many people, there are three words that evoke great fear, stress and devastation: “You have cancer”

I have been asked many times by people I know and some I barely know, to talk and write about my cancer diagnosis, the treatment and my recovery experiences. As you can imagine the whole experience has been life changing, but probably not in the way you would guess. I have decided not to write directly about the details, the physical challenges and the many emotional ups and downs, because much of it is very personal; rather I have chosen to write about (on this blog) some of the lessons I have learned. However, the main reason I have chosen to keep the details of my experience private, is because I have come to accept the pain that my cancer caused as powerful steps along my path, realizing now, that having cancer was one of the best things that has ever happened to me!

I realize this may sound strange, and receiving a diagnosis of cancer is a difficult and life altering to say the least… yet for me the soul curricula and life lessons that have unfolded with the process of my cancer recovery have not only made me a stronger person but have inspired me to seek and embrace new ways of moving through life and have allowed me to achieve greater states of personal and spiritual growth. But perhaps most importantly, by facing the uncertainty of a cancer diagnosis, I have now come to place of acceptance and peace with who I am. For all of those things I am truly grateful.

My advice to anyone who has asked… is to live each day, have compassion for and learn to forgive those you love and never, never lose hope!

Here are few other posts on living each day, forgiveness and hope.

Right Here, Right Now…

The Forgiveness Perspective…

Growing Through Difficult Times…

I welcome your comments and offer my sincere thanks to all of you who have supported me and asked me about my cancer experience.

Having just posted some of my creative works to this blog (see tabs above) I thought I would end the week by writing about inspiration, the creative process and risk taking. So even if you find my paintings and photography uninteresting, my hope is that you may just find them inspiring enough to re-awaken your own creativity!

Discovering your muse!

Nearly all creative endeavors are related to the muses that inspire us. The ancient Greeks believed that all creation, whether artistic or scientific, was motivated by goddesses who served as the embodiment of inspiration, these were the Muses, the givers of the creative spark. We still rely on muses to drive the creative process, though ours may take a diverse range of forms. People we meet, intriguing ideas, movies, books, nature, big life changes and cultural ideals all have the potential to awaken our imaginative minds… and when we are touched by our muses, we understand that we are capable of fulfilling our own innate drive to create and producing our own unique kind of greatness.

Many of us move through life unaware of the presence of our muse’s. This lack of awareness is often compounded by the fact that we may have one muse that remains with us throughout our lives, several muses that come and go as necessary, or a single muse that touches us at specific moments. You will know that you have found your muse when you encounter a feeling that makes you feel courageous enough to broaden your range of creativity. The presence of this force has the power to erase your self-doubt and motivate you to give your thoughts and feelings form. However, should your muse continue to elude you, I have found that there are a few things you can take do increase your chances of falling under a muse’s inspired influence. If you surround yourself with people who support you, keep a pen and paper handy, remember to to be present and open wherever you are, practice good listening habits, immerse yourself in culture, and brainstorm frequently, you will no doubt reconnect with your own personal muse. 



Once you have identified your muse, you can embrace it by giving yourself over to the creative inspiration it provides… and no matter what you are moved to create, you will find that neither fear nor criticism can penetrate the joy that goes hand in hand with the act of taking an idea and turning it into something real and tangible… something the whole world can enjoy.

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, risk taking breaking rules, making mistakes and having fun.”

Mary Lou Cook

Have you noticed that if you want to speak to someone in a noisy, crowded room, the best thing to do is lean close and whisper? Yelling in an attempt to be louder than the room’s noise just adds to the chaos. Similarly, that quiet, small voice within each of us does not try to compete with the mental chatter on the surface of our minds, nor does it attempt to overpower the volume of the world outside. If we really want to hear it, no matter what is going on around us or even inside us, we can always pause, focus and tune in to that voice underneath. 



If you really think about it, the more insistent louder voices in our heads delivering messages that make us feel panicky or fearful, are in the best case “of questionable authority” and in the worst case “destructive”. They may be voices we have internalized from childhood or a bad experience, or even from our culture, so by definition they possess only half-truths. Their perceived urgency stems from their disconnectedness from the center of our being, and ironically it is their urgency that catches our attention. On the other hand, our other internal voice, the one that whispers reassurances that everything is fundamentally good, simply delivers its message with quiet confidence… and once we hear it, we know it speaks the truth. For me, once I have heard what this inner voice has to say, a powerful sense of calm settles over my entire state of being, and the loud voices and chaotic sounds that so often dominate our world, slowly fade into the background. 



Once you begin to take notice of your own inner voice of wisdom, you may also find that your outward communications in the world will begin to be influenced by the quiet certainty of your inner voice. You may be less inclined to indulge in idle chatter or negative gossip as you become more interested in maintaining your connection to the whisper of truth that broadcasts its message to you like the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves of a tree. In my life (especially recently), I have noticed that as we align ourselves more with this quiet confidence, we naturally become an extension of the whisper, allowing us to easily penetrate the noise of the world and create more peace, trust, compassion and confidence.

I don’t think it matters when or how you set out to awaken your own spirituality, what matters most is that you give yourself permission and take the time to discover to your own very personal path.

The spiritual path springs forth from daily routines that reaffirm our personal connection with our own purpose. Practicing compassion, gratitude, empathy, forgiveness, generosity and meditation are all important components of your spiritual life. If you are new to exploring your personal spirituality, remember that this is a process. Understanding and accepting the importance of spirituality can also be a healthy decision, because spiritual practices tend to include habits that promote healthy living.

Take the time to carefully determine the actions, thoughts, and habits that most speaks to your soul and remember that your most profound spiritual experiences often come from the simple and sometimes smallest things that make up your life.