I’m not sure there ever existed a time where we were not defined by our gender, nationality or the color of our skin; or when there was a time where we were not defined by our religion.  Nowadays we even take it a step further and define each other by our sexual orientation.

It’s not enough to be simply a human being, we need a label on it.  We need a hierarchy based on the type of human being we are or even where we were born. 

Don’t mistake someone who was born and raised in New York from someone born and raised in Texas. 

Don’t mistake someone who is Mexican from someone who is Peruvian. 

A person born to a white father and black mother is “required” to pick a “race”. 

We need these nice neat little groups.  We take for granted that we are all human beings because it’s not something we give much thought to or feel it has anything to do with who we are.

This is the world we live in today. 

Do you think there might be a day where we give up these labels because all they do is create a division between you and me?   Do you think there will come a day where we simply look at each other as human beings and stop there because the rest of who we are becomes irrelevant? 

I believe it is possible.  All you have to do is look at a glimpse of history and believe it too.

Over 150 years ago we believed in slavery.

50 years ago we believed in the separation of blacks and whites.

It took until 1919 before we understood that women deserved the right to vote.

To think that there was a time where any of this existed.  Many of us shudder at the idea.

That’s where I know there is HOPE that we are headed in the right direction. All we have to do is individually see our own self as a human being.

I am a human being. 

I’ll stop there.

Until next time….

Devoted to Me begins with me and continues to you.  Accept it.  Pass it on.

I believe that most of us are aware that what we give out to the world comes back to us. 

But what if it goes beyond that? 

What if what we give out doesn’t just come back to us, it is also absorbed by everyone else in the entire world.  My anger or love becomes your anger or love and vice versa even if we have never met.

I think for many of us this is a difficult idea to understand but I’m going to try.

Imagine for a moment that the world we live in is a pie; one big giant pie. 

Everything that goes into the pie we put in. One by one we each place the ingredients into the pie. The ingredients of the pie are simply what we feel and believe.

Let’s imagine the ingredients of the perfect pie of our world.

To start with we’d have sweet ingredients like LOVE, JOY, TRUTH, RESPECT, PEACE, EQUALITY and GRATITUTE.  For richness in flavor we’ll add some FAITH.  Because of course we are human we do tend to add a touch of ANGER or FRUSTRATION.  But then it is offset by the rich, bold flavor of DESIRE and AMBITION that fuels a natural COMPETITIVE spirit to want more for ourselves and to do better.

We love the big giant pie we live in as it surrounds us with all of the ingredients that each of us put in. The best part is we get to eat a slice of the pie we help make and it is when we eat our slice that we feel the emotions of the people of the world.    We savor and absorb its sweet, rich flavor and everything it has to offer.

We are always aware that what we put in is always for the greater good so we take responsibility for what we put in.    

The thing about our pie, because life at times will require us to shift and change over time, the ingredients we put in will shift and change as well.  But at the heart of it we never lose sight of what we are here to do.  We are here as part of the pie of the world to ensure that it is the best tasting pie ever for all of us to enjoy.

You see if we could see the world we live in this way and understand the power we each possess then we’d be able to make sense of why the world right now is the way it is. 

We’d be able to somehow make sense of the Sandy Hook tragedy and all those lost children including the shooter.

We’d be able to comprehend the recent abduction of a 5 year old boy still being held hostage by a 65 year old Vietnam Veteran.

We’d be able to realize why so many people make choices that ultimately destroy their livelihood.

We’d be able to see the financial crisis and ongoing fighting across the world as a sign that we have a lot of work to do.

We’d be able to step back look at the big picture and see how these are all connected.  They are connected because they are the product and the result of the ingredients we have put into the pie of the world.  One by one each of us has put something into the world that when combined together has created something a bit distorted.

Once we accepted this idea we would simply take the time to dissect the ingredients in the pie of our world today to see what we needed to change.

We’ve replaced so much LOVE with FEAR. This has allowed for ANGER and HATE to dominate so much of the flavor.  And for many of us this over powers any essence of the FAITH, JOY, TRUTH and RESPECT we add to our pie. The DESIRE for more has become spoiled with GREED and the need to have it ALL even while we try to be GRATEFUL for what we do have.  We’ve added the artificial ingredients of JEALOUSY and ENVY.  COMPETITION has become about winning at any cost and the need to be the best.  Our pie has even added the false idea of PERFECTION because we love to study it and compare ourselves against it. PEACE is defeated by the addition of the idea that to be RIGHT is more important.  And to top it all off we sprinkle SADNESS into our pie.

Still even as we take a closer look we might find it hard to understand how it is that we contributed anything to create the state of the world today.  A little anger now and then doesn’t cause someone else to want to shoot children.

However it is looking at the world in this way that we can determine where we go from here and how it is that each one of us on our own can make a difference in the world we live in.

We can choose LOVE over FEAR.  We can decide to channel any ANGER for the greater good for all people.  We can decide that HATE only weakens us.   Anything we do in life is about always doing our best NOT being the best.  We can remind ourselves again and again that there is no such thing as PERFECTION.   We can remember that even when we are RIGHT we need to let things go because PEACE is necessary for our survival.  We can DESIRE more for ourselves and feel GRATEFUL at the same time which cancels out any GREED. 

We can remember how powerful we are to make a difference in the world and to always have HOPE.

I’d like a slice from this pie any day.

Until next time….

Devoted to Me begins with me and continues to you.  Accept it.  Pass it on.

I’ve been hearing a lot lately, most especially in the last week, about how each of us was born with a gift and that we only need to look within to find it.  I’ve seen it in blogs, in quotes that I’ve come across even in one of my favorite TV shows, Criminal Minds.

It is true.   I believe this within the depths of my soul about each and everyone us of.

But I didn’t always believe it about myself or you.

I was of the belief growing up, perhaps like you, that when you said someone was born with a gift, it implied that they had some ability above everyone else. Having a gift meant having talent and being the best.  

It meant they were the best dancer.  They could sing as well as Whitney Houston.  Their paintings rivaled Picasso.  Their athleticism was super hero status. They were brilliant beyond belief.  With anyone of these gifts it seemed natural and easy to come by.  These were the ones destined for fame and fortune.

And for those of us who fell outside of having any talent whatsoever or even those who weren’t the best unfortunately we were “normal” and not handed any gifts the day we were born.

The world we live in today has even pushed this idea up a notch. 

But then something shifted within myself and changed the way I saw myself and you and what it meant to be born with a gift. 

I saw myself as a human being and with that came an acceptance for who I was like I had never known.  And once the self-acceptance settled in, almost instantaneously I discovered that sleeping patiently within me was an overwhelming desire to create; to be a part of something bigger than myself.  I felt power.  I felt responsible.  From this feeling Devoted to Me was created. 

And that’s when I completely understood.

Having a gift does not fall into any category or meet any criteria.  There are no set of rules as to what classifies as a gift.  Talent and gift are not mutually exclusive.  It is bigger than that.

Most of us will never have the ability to sing before millions like ADELE but we all have something to offer the world that is just as valuable.

It is about making a connection with the deeper part of ourselves.

From the moment we are born living within each of us is something we were meant to do.  Somehow, someway it will push its way out and this understanding of what we are meant to do turns into something that we have to do.  For some of us it happens at a young age for some of us it happens later in life.  But once we discover what it is we have to do that is when it becomes the gift we were born with.   That is when we understand that we can’t stop it even if we tried because it was always meant to be shared.

The gift within us is meant to be discovered and it is always meant to be shared. 

At the end of the day these are just words.  Perhaps like me a few years ago, you think I am crazy for believing that each and every one of us was born with a gift to offer the world.

That’s okay.  I believe it enough for the both of us.

Until next time…..

Devoted to Me begins with me and continues to you.  Accept it.  Pass it on.

There came a point in my life where I decided to let go.  I was for the first time in my life making a conscious choice to NOT control EVERYTHING.  I no longer looked to the future and tried to predict what would be around the corner.  I was not afraid.  I was at PEACE and let myself see the TRUTH.  I lived in the moment all while losing my dad to pancreatic cancer.  I continued to stay in this space even when my job was eliminated from a company that I had been with for 20 years.

Throughout this time I just knew that everything was going to be okay.  FEAR did not exist.  I had FAITH.  I felt it deep within me.  I was confident that all was headed in the right direction. I had learned so much about what it meant to be truly alive. 

And then came Devoted to Me.  I knew the moment I created this concept that this is what I was born to do.  I had found the answer to a better life for not only me but for the world!

I have never felt so sure of anything in my life.  In many ways, somewhat naively, I felt as if I had crossed some imaginary finish line.  I felt as if I had reached my destination once I knew what it was that I was meant to do with the rest of my life.

And what do I feel now at the one year anniversary of Devoted to Me?

While I have learned a great deal about LIFE and what it means to have FAITH, to see the TRUTH and to offer PEACE, I will never know enough. 

As long as I’m alive I will never reach the finish line.

We’re not meant to.  That’s the biggest lesson I’ve come to understand over the past year. 

We have so much to learn over our lifetime that it will take our entire lifetime to learn them.  And no matter how much we think we’ve learned we will be tested, not only to see what we’ve learned, but also because we can always do better. 

We need to dig deeper.

These tests will be disguised as sudden stops and detours along our path. We won’t always notice that we’re being tested at first.  At times we will become frustrated, angry and even let FEAR take a hold of us.  The need to control and predict will creep back in. We will forget that we’re not supposed to reach the finish line even if we know the path we’re on is the right one.

But the moment we do remember that we’re here to learn and learn and learn again we will once again feel inspired to take from LIFE what it is willing to give us; challenges and all.

We will feel ALIVE and full of HOPE and PROMISE for the future because we will once again remember that we are ALL meant for so much more. 

We will accept that while there is no finish line, the journey is the most important part anyway.

Until next time….

Devoted to Me begins with me and continues to you.  Accept it.  Pass it on.

I’ve been listening to the song “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts over the past few weeks.  The lyrics say everything that I feel about me and you.  It reminds me so much of what I want for not only my children but all children.  It brings tears to my eyes just about every time I listen to it.  I feel so full of hope.

I do not think I could do it justice if I tried to write what they already put into their song.  Sometimes others just say it better so instead I’ve included the lyrics and attached the video of them performing this beautiful and amazing song. 

I hope it inspires you as much as it does me. Enjoy.

Until next time…

Devoted to Me begins with me and continues to you.  Accept it.  Pass it on.

“My Wish” by Rascal Flatts

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
and each road leads you where you want to go,
and if you’re faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
and if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin’ ’til you find the window,
if it’s cold outside,
show the world the warmth of your smile,
but more than anything, more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
and while you’re out there getting where you’re getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
this is my wish
i hope you know somebody loves you
may all your dreams stay big

I’ve decided to launch a series of short videos in hopes of  giving further insight into what it means to be Devoted to Me.  Stay tuned for more to come.  I think you’ll like what you see.  This is all about a better me, inspiring a better you and together we create a better world.

Until next time…

Devoted to Me begins with me and continues to you.  Accept it.  Pass it on.

I had the pleasure of attending a workshop called the Charmed Life School hosted by Nikki Novo the founder of the www.theartofyouandme.com.   It was at the Ironflower Fitness on Miami Beach - www.ironflowerfitnessmiami.com .  The evening was vibrant and filled with positive energy.  Nikki gave her insight as to how to live a lucky charmed life.  I highly recommend it if you’re looking for even more inspiration in your life.  There is one coming up in October.  Check out either website for details.

There were many great messages but the one I found most interesting was the idea of being a “Life Scientist”.  It means to study aspects of your life the same way a scientist would study a project or a subject.  What is working for you, what’s not working for you and why.

I loved this idea.  I could suddenly see something that I had not seen before.

Much of our life is spent feeling one way or another.  Feeling our way through life is so important.  We feel happy or we feel sad.  We feel excited or we feel let down.  Feeling helps us to know if we’re headed in the right direction.  It helps us to make better choices.  But with this idea in mind I can easily see that it’s those moments when we put some distance between ourselves and what we feel that we can make even better choices.  Especially for things we are struggling with.

The key to drawing inspiration from a scientist is not in what he or she studies but in how they do it.

For a scientist it is about a process that is consistent no matter what and always starts with a question.

Next, the scientist hypothesizes what will happen.  There is no feeling one way or another about the outcome.  The “guess” is just part of the scientific process.

From there it is all about collecting and evaluating data. 

And finally once completed an honest and fair conclusion is drawn.

It seems so simple; just a process from start to end.

Emotions are what fuel our fire most of the time but it is reminders like this that help us.  Distancing from what we feel might seem like an impossible task but the moment we consider ourselves a “Life Scientist” the emotion can be lessened.  We become objective and understand that the conclusion we draw from the results gives us power.  Information is always power. 

When you ask yourself the important question like “Why do I keep dating the wrong guy?” or “Why do I have no friends?”  Think of yourself as a “Life Scientist” and let go of the emotion you feel.  Feel no anger or sadness and just follow the scientific process.  Collect the data.  Analyze it.  Reach your honest conclusion and take the best action.

Seems so simple; be a “Life Scientist” and follow the process from start to end no matter what.

Thank you Nikki Novo.

Until next time….

Devoted to Me begins with me and continues to you.  Accept it.  Pass it on.

Imagine that Publishers Clearing House was standing outside your front door ready to present you with a cash prize.  They knock on the door.  In their hand they are holding a check for $5 Million.  They knock again.  But you are not home.  Instead of leaving the check or coming back later they simply go to the next person on the list.  The chance to win $5 million came and went without you even remembering you had entered into the contest.

What if our life was just like that all the time every day? 

From the moment we were born we would understand that we are entrants into the game of life.

We are soon taught that each opportunity to come our way will be presented as a knock on our front door.   Imagine someone right outside your door holding a neatly packaged box wrapped in a bow and in it is a detailed opportunity.  They knock.   If we are home to receive it we would gladly accept the package.   Once accepted and opened the opportunity is ours.  The messages would vary.  They would tell us where to go and what to do.  They would tell us who to meet.  They would tell us when to slow down or when to pick up the pace.

But what would happen if we are not home to accept the packaged opportunity?  Opportunities are not patient and they move on to the next house if left unanswered.  On and on it would go until someone answered the door and accepted the opportunity. 

We would not be too concerned if we missed a few though.  We would shake off our disappointment because we would understand that there was an endless supply of opportunities and more would be coming our way.  We would just make sure to be home and pay attention to hear the knock on the front door next time.

We would also accept when those around us did answer the door and accepted a really amazing opportunity because we would remember that it is a level playing field.  From the moment we are born each of us has an equal chance of getting the same opportunity.  We just weren’t home to answer the door that time. 

I’ve been practicing this thought for the past couple of weeks.  I imagine that everything and anything that comes my way is that knock on the door presenting an opportunity.  Invitations to things I would not normally go to I accept.  When I feel the need to reach out to someone, I do.  Even when behind a slow moving car and I’ve been in a hurry I imagine it is that knock on the door telling me to slow down.

Imaging my life in this way surprisingly has made me feel strong and very aware of the present moment.  It has made me feel watchful but in a peaceful way. 

I can see so clearly how easy life can be if we just look at every thing as an opportunity. 

I’m ready to hear the knock on the door and accept my opportunity. 

I am so ready. 

What about you?

Until next time….

Devoted to Me begins with me and continues to you.  Accept it.  Pass it on.

The biggest source of light for all of us is the sun.  We use the sun.  We need the sun.  The sun has a job to do and we welcome it. 

Physically the sun gives us energy and makes us stronger with its endless supply of Vitamin D.  On the most beautiful day, hot or cold, it pulls us outdoors.  It makes us feel full of life.

Emotionally it is fuel for the soul. Witness a sunrise as the yellow orange light begins to slowly ascend in the sky and it makes us feel as if we have been let in on a special secret.   It is the most perfect way to start our day.  The best way to end the day is to enjoy a sunset as it fills the sky with a beautiful pink orange hue while it slowly slips away off in the horizon.  We feel peaceful, inspired and part of something bigger than ourselves.

The sun does its job amazingly well.

What if for a moment we could imagine that we are just like the sun.  Living within each of us is a light as bright and powerful as the sun.  What if we could understand that just like the sun we are strongest in our core, exactly where our light resides.  Our light has as much warmth to offer as the sun.  And by letting it shine, imagine for a moment that our light had the power to inspire as much as the sun.

Believing in the light that lives within us is to follow our dreams and to let those dreams guide us where we need to go just as the sun is led where it needs to go.  And as we live out the dreams we let the light and energy burst outward just as the sun does.  This is when we do our job amazingly well.

The more we recognize our own light in the same way we see the sun we will enjoy life to its fullest filled with warmth, happiness, peace, smiles and laughter.  We will be able to freely let our light shine and feel as unselfish and giving as the sun.  We will be able to recognize that others need to shine their lights too just as the sun shares the sky with the moon each night.  Even when we don’t feel like shining our light, just as the sun patiently waits behind the clouds to shine its light upon us, our own light will do the same. 

We are a light just like the sun.

Let it shine.

Until next time…

Devoted to Me begins with me and continues to you.  Accept it.  Pass it on.

What if from the moment we were born we were required to accept who we are.   We would be presented to the world and a promise made on our behalf to be raised with only acceptance for who we are.

When we would come of a certain age, like 9 or 10 years old we would be required to sign a binding contract.  A formal ceremony would take place where we would sign our name.  And from that moment on we would take responsibility for our own acceptance.  It would be our commitment to accept anything and everything we were born with and what we would eventually grow to be.  Once the contract was signed there would be no turning back; we would not be allowed to change anything about ourselves.

Seems like a silly fantasy I know.

At the same time when I think of it as if it were true it makes me dream of what dissolves away as a result.

No more competition.  No more pressure to “fit” in.  No more feeling self-doubt for who we are or what we were born with. We would no longer seek the one thing that we could “fix” that would make us feel better about who we are.  And the beautiful part is that no one would have the power to make us feel bad about who we are.  And in turn we would not be able to make someone else feel bad about who they are.  We would not waste our time and energy.

It makes you wonder how much easier life would be if we just let go for a moment of this idea that in order for us to “fit” in we have to be a certain height; have certain size breasts or have to change the shape of our nose.

And even though it is a silly dream for me it makes me see how much time we all waste focusing on the outer part of ourselves when what we should be doing is focusing on what it is we were put here on this earth to do.

There are many things I believe in but this is the most important one of all; we were all born for a reason.

We were not born to fix something in order to fit in.  No, we were born for something so much bigger than that.

So I say, even though it is just my fantasy, sign the contract and accept who you are.  Make the commitment today as your duty to accept yourself for everything that you were born with and everything that you have grown into and everything you have yet to become.

It is really that simple.  Don’t waste another moment. 

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 Until next time…

 Devoted to Me begins with me and continues to you.  Accept it.  Pass it on.