Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2014 from all of us at the Marian Shrine, Stony Point, NY


Saturday, December 28, 2013

No Excuses

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure...it is our light NOT our darkness that most frightens us. For as we let our own light shine we unconsciously let others do the same. Don't allow fear to stand in the way of your dreams.
Watch this great short video today and please share it with others.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Does Fear Paralyze you?

Welcome to today's coaching session from MyInspiration4Life.

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must out-run
the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion
wakes up. It knows it must out-run the slowest gazelle or it will
starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle: When the
sun comes up, you'd better be running!


Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Seven wonders of the world

It's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle today that we naturally begin to take some of life's most beautiful gifts for granted.

I love watching this story unfold through the eyes of a child. It's a reminder that our most priceless possessions were given to us free at birth. 


Monday, December 23, 2013

Merry Christmas from the Marian Shrine Community, Stony Point, NY


Hi
Every one!!

May the
Love  of Christmas spread in your heart and home. 



I am sure this will  put you in the Christmas Spirit as this is really what Christmas is about especially the last song!! 


Wishing you a 
Joyful
Christmas
 season filled with beauty, joy, love, happiness;

May you be blessed with the Lord's love this season and always.  
Wishing you  a sparkling New Year filled with success today and always. 
Have a blessed Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas from the 
Marian Shrine Community
Stony Point, NY

Sunday, December 22, 2013

The Power of Gratitude

It almost sounds too simple to feel important, but understanding the power of gratitude can change your life forever. Sarah Breathnach said it best...

"When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that is present...we experience heaven on earth."

 

 

Saturday, December 21, 2013

The Land of Truth

A certain man believed that the ordinary waking life, as people know it, could not possibly be complete. He sought the real Teacher of the Age. He read many books and joined many circles, and he heard the words and witnessed the deeds of one master after another. He carried out the commands and spiritual exercises which seemed to him to be most attractive.

He became elated with some of his experiences. At other times he was confused; and he had no idea at all of what his stage was, or where and when his search might end.

This man was reviewing his behavior one day when he suddenly found himself near the house of a certain sage of high repute. In the garden of that house, he encountered Khidr, the secret guide who shows the way to truth.

Khidr took hihm to a place where he saw people in great distress and woe, and he asked who they were. "We are those who did not follow real teachings, who were not true to our undertakings, who revered self-appointed teachers," they said.

Then the man was taken by Khidr to a place where everyone was attractive and full of joy. He asked who they were. "We are those who did not follow the real Signs of the Way," they said.

"But if you have ignored the Signs, how can you be happy?" asked the traveler.

"Because we chose happiness instead of Truth," said the people, "just as those who chose the self-appointed chose also misery."

"But is happiness not the ideal of man?" asked the man.

"The goal of man is Truth. Truth is more than happiness. The man who has Truth can have whatever mood he wishes, or none," they told him. "We have pretended that Truth is happiness, and happiness Truth, and people have believed us, therefore you, too, have until now imagined that happiness must be the same as Truth. But happiness makes you its prisoner, as does woe."

Then the man found himself back in the garden with Khidr beside him.

"I will grant you one desire," said Khidr.

"I wish to know why I have failed in my search and how I can succeed in it," said the man. "You have all but wasted your life," said Khidr, "because you have been a liar. Your lie has been in seeking personal gratification when you could have been seeking Truth."

"And yet I came to the point where I found you," said the man, " and that is something which happens to hardly anyone at all."

"And you met me," said Khidr, "because you had sufficient sincerity to desire Truth for its own sake, just for an instant. It was that sincerity, in that single instant, which made me answer your call."

Now the man felt an overwhelming desire to find Truth, even if he lost himself.

Khidr, however, was starting to walk away, and the man began to run after him.

"You may not follow me," said Khidr, "because I am returning to the ordinary world, the world of lies, for that is where I have to be, if I am to do my work."

And when the man looked around him again, he realized that he was no longer n the garden of the sage, but standing in the Land of Truth.
– "The Land of Truth" by Idries Shah

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Carrots, eggs or coffee beans

All of us at one time or another have experienced a difficult situation, had setbacks, or dealt with our share of disappointment. Most things that happen to us on a daily basis we can't control and I can honestly say (with conviction) that it is not what happens to us that matters but rather, how we choose to respond.

Carrots, Eggs or Coffee Beans, which one will you be? 


Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Christian the lion

Love knows no boundaries. In 1969 John Rendall and Ace Berg saw a Lion cub for sale in Harrods. Cramped and lonely in a small cage, the decided to bring him home.

Christian soon outgrew their home and John and Ace decided to reintroduce him to Africa. This is the story of their reunion.

Monday, December 16, 2013

"Someday" never comes

It is not discipline, willpower, or pressure from others that
facilitates adherence to a challenging course of action; but rather the
freedom to choose among alternatives, the personal commitment to a
mission, and the willingness to take responsibility for the consequences
of one's decisions that embolden the spirit.

Just click on the link below and this week's session "Someday Never Comes - Do It Now!" will begin.


Sunday, December 15, 2013

Time waits for no one

You must make the most of every moment you have.

"Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back."
~ Harvey MacKay

To purposefully bring into your life the things you truly want you MUST take advantage of every moment you have. Below is a very clever video that puts this all into perspective...sit back enjoy and share it with others.
  
 
 

Saturday, December 14, 2013

The choices we make

This short 1-minute Guinness basketball commercial reminds us how important the choices are that we make every single day about the kind of people we are, and who we associate with.

Dedication...

Loyalty...

Friendship...

The choices we make reveal the true nature of our character.

It's up to us to choose wisely...

Friday, December 13, 2013

Attitude determines action

Each day brings an opportunity to make choices about your life, the
most fundamental being your choice of attitude. If you can choose to get
out of bed and do whatever you do each day, you can also choose to have
a positive attitude and find ways to enjoy even the most tedious tasks.
The choice is always yours. 

So sit back, turn up your speakers and enjoy today's video I made for you - don't forget to share it with others!

 

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Live like your life matters

Live Your Life with Passion, Purpose, and Focus.

As different as we all are, we also have many similarities. With few exceptions, we all have fears and desires. We all want to love and to be loved. We all want to do good and meaningful work. We all want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.

Most importantly, we all want to know that we matter … that we are special. But those “wants” can only be fulfilled through action. If we want to feel special, we have to BE special. If we want to leave a mark, we have to MAKE a mark. If we want a life of purpose and meaning, we have to LIVE with purpose and meaning.

Let this 3-minute movie inspire you to truly… Live Your Life Like It Matters!

 

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Growing Spiritual muscles

A few weeks ago I was spending time with friends, and we were sharing all of the gifts and challenges in our lives.

As one of them shared about a difficult experience he was going through, and the process by which he was transmuting that difficulty into strength, someone shared a visual metaphor that came to her about shredding muscle.

That really resonated with me.

In an oversimplified nutshell, the way to grow physical muscles is this:

  1. Intensely exercising them to the point of trauma.
     
  2. Once the muscle breaks, the body heals the break.
     
  3. In healing the break, the body develops new muscle which is greater than what was previously there.
Growing spiritual muscles is basically the same.

Step 1:
Intensely exercise our skills of self-awareness to the point of seeing the limiting beliefs, painful stories, and traumas that are holding us back.

Step 2:
Once those stories and limiting beliefs 'break,' use the powers of Presence and Truth to heal the break.
  
Step 3:
Notice how our spiritual self develops a greater capacity to handle future situations, including the same adversities which we had to 'break' in the first place.

The alternative to growing muscles isn't pretty...

A lot of people say they want bigger physical muscles, but aren't willing to do the painful work to -break- their existing muscles and create room for something new.
  
With spiritual muscles, again, it's exactly the same.

Most people want bigger, better, more abundant lives. But they aren't willing to do the serious inner inquiry to -break- their existing limiting beliefs and painful stories to create room for Presence to fill them up with the gifts of true transformation.
  
It's reasonable. We are instinctively pleasure-seeking-pain-avoiding creatures. Comfort is what we seek. Most of us do not want to delve deep into our pain and be with it with Presence and Truth. Most of us just want to be rid of the pain without understanding it. The thing is, understanding our pain through Presence is what actually releases it.

Unless we're willing to break our spiritual muscles, at best, comfort is all we'll really get.

And I don't know about you...

But when given the choice between comfort...

And a truly incredible and great life...

I'm happy to shred the spiritual muscles of comfort knowing that the following growth will be beautiful and wonderful beyond my wildest imagination.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Change the World

The power each of us has to make a difference in this world begins
when each of us believes that we can make a difference.

To put it another way...everything begins with changing ourselves FIRST.

I think Eleanor Roosevelt said it best, "It is not fair to ask of others,
what you are unwilling to do yourself"

Today's video is a great story and captures the essence of what Eleanor
was talking about. I hope you enjoy it! 




Monday, December 9, 2013

Paper Airplane

Imagine what we could achieve if we made the impossible possible?

Our new Paper Airplane movie will unleash your imagination to explore a realm of unlimited possibilities. Author Michael McMillan shares a compelling story of how a grade school science experiment changed not only his reality, but also that of his classmates, and his teacher.

I guarantee that watching this movie will change your perception of reality, too!

If you want to embrace creativity and a future of unlimited possibilities, watch it now.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

The Ripple Effect

When you toss a rock into a lake you see a splash and the ripples spreading out, but those ripples can go far beyond what you see.

The same is true in life. Our actions, the things we say create a ripple effect that has a huge impact on you and the people around you, even when you don't see it or aren't aware of it.

Today's video is all about the powerful impact of the Ripple Effect and how when understood and used appropriately can change your life and the life of those who are touched by your influence.

So sit back, turn up your speakers enjoy the video and pass this along so others can watch it as well. 




Saturday, December 7, 2013

Gratitude... Moving art

I just watched an inspiring video about gratitude that I just had to share with you today. It really made me think about all of the wonderful things we have to be grateful for.

Lots of folks in the US are celebrating Thanksgiving this week, but this video is for everyone on the planet.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Sit back, turn up your speakers and enjoy!

Don't forget to share this with your friends, family and colleagues. 


Friday, December 6, 2013

Acres of Diamonds

Right now we all live in a time of infinite abundance and a wealth of possibility. Each of us is right in the middle of our own "Acre of Diamonds", if only we would realize it and develop the ground we are standing on before charging off in search of greener pastures.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Are we truly poor?

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad."

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yeah," said the son.

"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?", asked the father

The son answered:

"I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless. Then his son added...

"Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."

P.S. One aspect I love about this story is that it holds two messages simultaneously: One is that we can feel abundant no matter what we have, and two, that we all deserve abundance however we define that to be.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Happiness

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have."
-Frederick Koenig 

Denis Waitley once said, "Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude."

That's why I'd like to share this movie with you today...to encourage you to experience each moment with love, grace and gratitude!

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

What you see is what you get

To set up today's video consider the following old saying:

Two caged men looked out of the same cell bars, one saw mud, the other stars.

The key to how your life is right now or how it will be tomorrow and in the future is your ability to understand the source of your attitude. And the source of your attitude is your belief system - the way you see yourself and the way you see the world you live in.

So sit back, turn up your speakers and enjoy - and feel free to pass this along to others. 


Monday, December 2, 2013

Inner Critics

We are all born with a C3P0 of an Inner Critic babbling away in our head...

Constantly telling us how the odds are against us and we should just give up.

In order to get anything done we have to silence that self-critical voice. It is the primary barrier to our changing our lives for the better. That's why once it's out of the way, we can truly begin our incredible hero's journey – whether it's one of self-discovery, of changing old habits, a new career or learning a new language.

But as long as we have this neurotic voice in our heads telling us why we can't do something then we will never make as much progress as we are truly capable of.

When the Inner Critic is out of our lives (or at least silenced), we are able to fully engage with whatever program, book or teacher we are studying. We're able to manifest the things and people we want more easily, and able to connect more fully.

Our Inner Critics love to tell us that we can never learn __________

Or that we can never practice ________

Or that we'll never become _______.


Our Inner Critic doesn't really care what "blank" is – it tries to tell us that you can't do it.

"Photo-reading? Mind power? Italian? Martial arts? The Law of Attraction? You can't learn that!" says your Inner Critic. "Who are you kidding? Or even if you did make some progress it wouldn't produce any real results. You could have spent that time enjoying yourself -- watching TV, going shopping, or even some superficial chatting with friends."

Sometimes our Inner Critics are direct like that, but not always. It can actually become far more stealthy than that. Still, some subconscious or conscious variation of this Inner Critic dialogue is true for everyone who isn't living their ideal lives.

(however they define those to be)

The thing is, our Inner Critics don't want us to change our lives. It only wants to keep us "comfortable."

If we have enough food in the fridge, our Inner Critic might not punish us. If we paid the rent or mortgage this month, things are probably good (enough).

Like a baby the Inner Critic is primarily concerned about survival: eating, sleeping, pooping, peeing... Or much like our caveman ancestors who did not know how to stop food from rotting or to farm – the kill of the day was all that mattered.

But we are neither children nor caveman. We want so much more from life.

We DESERVE so much more from life.

And while we may enjoy some of the the distractions that 80% of the population embraces as a lifestyle – celebrities, sports, beer – to live that way constantly just isn't fulfilling enough for people like you and me who want, and deserve, to live up to our greatest potential.

We all want to move forward. We all want to discover what our purposes are here on earth and what we are truly capable of.

Unfortunately, our Inner Critics get in the way of that.

They have to go.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Giving Thanks

The season of thanks and giving is upon us. Giving thanks for family and friends, for life’s gifts and simple pleasures, the smells coming from the kitchen the hugs, the love, the kisses, the football!  And peace within my walls & prosperity with my palaces.

Today I am Thankful for You!  You are making a difference, whether or not you feel like you are. The way you touched someone’s life yesterday made a difference. Your smile, your encouraging word, your willingness to just be "emotionally present" with another, has touched people in more ways than you realize.

Please take a few moments today to enjoy this Thanks Giving Movie … I hope it gives you a smile.

We welcome you to use this movie in the ways that are of best service and to forward it on to those who will appreciate you thinking of them.

Reaching out to let you know … I Am Thankful for You!