Your Daily Walk with The Great Minds E-Book

Jr. Singer

• Herausgeber: Loving Healing Press
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Serie: Spiritual Dimensions
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2007

Seitenzahl: 317

Beschreibung

If you could change your life today, what would you do...?
Your Daily Walk with The Great Minds gives you the inspiration you need each day to be the best you can be and live the life you've always desired. Let me be the coach who will lift your spirits, challenge you to go the extra mile, and fulfill your life's wishes every day.
Have you ever wondered? How to have the most fulfilling relationship you can imagine? Why you keep ending up in the same situations over and over again? How to get the job of your dreams? How to maintain peace of mind in a world of conflict and strife? What does it really mean to be a successful human being?
I invite you to find the answers to these and other questions through meditations and journaling exercises on Your Daily Walk with The Great Minds: Wisdom and Enlightenment of the Past and Present, Pocket Edition
For those who wish to journal in-place, try my Workbook Edition
"A must-have book, destined best seller, and powerful vehicle ready to fly." -- Recommended and Reviewed in the Mindquest Review, by Lightword Publishing (April, 2006).
"This gem of a book is a wonderful traveling companion throughout the year, offering opportunities for spiritual growth and enrichment." -- David J. Powell, Ph.D., President International Center for Health Concerns, Inc. and Institute of Mental Health, Beijing Medical University, Beijing China (2006).
"... this book provides an all-in-one approach that can be used over and over again ..." -- California Chronicle, Shirley Roe (March, 2006). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Leseprobe

Your Daily Walk with The Great Minds

Wisdom and Enlightenmentof the Past and Present

Pocket Edition

Richard A. Singer Jr.

The Spiritual Dimensions Series

Your Daily Walk with The Great Minds: Wisdom and Enlightenment of the Past and Present, Pocket Edition

Book #6 in the Spiritual Dimensions Series

Copyright © 2007 Richard A. Singer, Jr. All Rights Reserved

No part of this publication reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system, without the prior written consent of the publisher.

First Edition: February 2006 Second Edition: February 2007 (a.k.a. “Workbook” Edition) Pocket Edition: February 2007

ISBN-13 978-1-932690-27-9 ISBN-10 1-932690-27-1

Published by: Loving Healing Press 5145 Pontiac Trail Ann Arbor, MI 48105 USA

http://www.LovingHealing.com or [email protected] Fax [phone]

L o v i n g     H e a l i n g     P r e s s

Praise forYour Daily Walk with the Great Minds

“I have spent my life studying lots and lots of self-development books and I can say emphatically that Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds ranks in the top ten. I whole-heartedly recommend this book to any seeker of self-development.”

—C. Kumarbabu, MD, PhD. Former head of Dept. of Psychiatry, Stanley Medical College Hospital, Chennai, India.

“YourDaily Walk with the Great Minds is a highly intimate and engaging philosophy and very strongly recommended for its invaluable grasp of worldly study and in-depth analysis of the surrounding experience.”

—Midwest Book Review

“Mr. Richard Singer has written a lovely inspirational book filled with heart… This wonderful book can only add to and enrich your life.”

—Barbara Rose, Ph.D. Author, If God Hears Me, I Want an Answer

“The author did not create an inspirational tool, but a sagacious wormhole for extraordinary change by combining valuable elements sparking synergy. A must-have book, destined best seller, and powerful vehicle ready to fly.” Recommended.

—Mindquest Review, by Lightword Publishing.

“More than simply a daily meditation, Your Daily Walk provides priceless pearls of wisdom, meditations, and opportunities for personal journaling. This gem of a book is a wonderful traveling companion throughout the year, offering opportunities for spiritual growth and enrichment. I highly recommend it.”

—David J. Powell, Ph.D., Institute of Mental Health, Beijing Medical University

“Mr. Singer’s masterpiece offers a path to shape your day and dares you to risk and grow—to meet your true potential. If you thirst for true meaning in life, Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds by Richard A. Singer, Jr. is a necessity. Highly Recommended.”    —Sue Vogan, BookPleasures.com

“This is a powerful book, a tool for inner peace. For those who are looking to make a change, or just a journal to enjoy, for those who are into learning from the teachers in their lives along their chosen path and for those who have never given spiritual growth a single thought, this book is for you. Enjoy it, give it as a gift, and watch the transformation of humanity.”

—Heather Froeschl, BookReview.com

“Our true self is often suppressed due to the many distractions life thrusts upon us. Mr. Singer has embarked on a mission that can awaken us, daily, in the pursuit of liberating who we are and what we can become. This book will inspire you to accomplish beyond the limits you have currently set for yourself and help you see who you really are.”

—Scott L. Taylor, Author, The Opportunity in Every Problem

“This outstanding book guides the reader toward the sunlight of the spirit. This book is a must read. Thank you Richard, your book has truly touched my spirit, and I know it will reach the hearts of many people.”

—Dr. Katie Evans, Therapist and Author of Addiction and Trauma Related Books

“I think it’s an excellent gift to yourself or to anyone on your list who is intentional about personal growth and spiritual development. I can only hope that Mr. Singer creates more versions of this wonderful concept so that a reader can fill several volumes over the years.”

—Ron McCray, The Tao of God

“Many of us are familiar with the great thoughts and thinkers in the personal development field, but we need to be inspired every day if they are to have any lasting effect on our lives. Your Daily Walk provides exactly this inspirational service in an easy to use and practical format that will help people to stay focused on what they want from life.”    —Tom Butler-Bowdon, 50 Self-Help Classics

This book is dedicated to all of humanity. Each human being that walks this earth is just as valuable and precious as the next.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Foreword by David J. Powell, PhD

Introduction

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Author Index

Subject Index

Suggested Reading

Acknowledgments

In the words of the brilliant writer Paulo Coelho, “When somebody wants something the whole Universe conspires in their favor.” This is an accurate description of the process of this book. First and foremost I must express my gratitude for the eternal and all-loving Universal Source that has allowed me to bring this book into the world in order to help the transformation of humanity. Secondly, I must thank my entire family, without them I would not be the person I am today. They also labored endlessly to promote the first edition and genuinely believed in me.

I also have incredible gratitude for the initial book reviewers and authors who gave my work a chance and had faith in me as a writer. They are: Heather Froeschl, from BookReview.com and Quilldipper.com, Sue Vogan, from BookPleasures.com, Larry Hehn, Author of Get the Prize: Nine Keys for a Life of Victory, David Powell, Author of Playing Life’s Second Half, Tom Butler-Bowden, Author of 50 Self-help Classics, Ron McRay, Author of Tao of God, Theresa Peluso, Co- Author of Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul, Scott Taylor, Author of The Opportunity in Every Problem and Dr. Barbara Rose, Bestselling author of If God Hears Me, I Want an Answer!

Additionally, I need to express my gratitude for those authors and reviewers who did not have time to review my work. You are more important than anyone else because you challenged me to persist with passion and determination. Thank you for your help in my personal growth process. Finally, I must thank Loving Healing Press for becoming involved in the growth and success of this book. It will have a lasting effect on countless lives.

Foreword by David J. Powell, PhD

The secret of a good book is that it reaches into the reader’s heart and touches him/her at a deeper level. You, the reader, know when the words on the page are true, for they have always been true for you. “I knew that. I guess I’ve always known that,” is the response we give when we connect words with the heart. Anne Lamott says, “Good writing is about telling the truth.” Good books help us pay attention to and communicate about what is truly going on for us in life, what is Truth.

Good books also communicate the wisdom of the sages through the ages. Some age-old wisdom sustains us through the hours, days or years of sunshine that lights up our lives. Some wisdom is aimed at the cold dark places within, the water under the frozen lakes of our lives. These are the times when we need light and encouragement. The Buddha said that life is 10,000 joys and 10,000 sorrows. Either way, the wisdom of the ages shines on the secluded, camouflaged holes of our lives, helping us to step and live through the brambles of our life.

Life is like a giant recycling machine. The wisdom learned from other people’s life dramas gets recycled back across time. The good wisdom of the ages is already out there, waiting to be told and received in fresh, new and wild ways. Mark Twain said that Adam is the only person that could be 100% certain that nobody before him had done or said what he did or said. Ever since the Garden of Eden, we have been recycling the wisdom of the ages, which gives us new light and life as if we are hearing it again for the first time.

Wendell Berry, the curmudgeon Kentuckian poet, describes this process wherein we, after all these years, find something that makes sense to us, again, but as if we’d never heard it before:

Sometimes hidden from me In daily custom and in trust, So that I live by you unaware As by the beating of my heart, Suddenly you flare in my sight, A wild rose blooming at the edge Of thicket, grace and light Where yesterday was only shade, And once again I am blessed, choosing Again what I chose before.

How does that happen? Truth and wisdom have a way of harvesting and integrating the joys, sorrows, glories, mediocrity, and even evil of a lifetime, transfiguring everything. Wisdom goes before and behind us, breaking through and consuming into life the dyings of a lifetime.

Wisdom of the past lights up the spiral path of life, which, for most of us, is largely unmarked and not easy to follow. Wisdom gives us the light to allow us to transform our pain. If we do not transform our pain, we transmit it. So, what transforms pain? I have come to see that transformed people transform people. They offer us a vision of a new set of values, a deeper understanding of ourselves, a greater appreciation of our own innate and acquired wisdom, and most importantly, a deeper capacity to love.

So what transforms people then? Sometimes change happens when something appeals to our intellect. Sometimes we change when we learn a new skill or an idea. We always change when we are confronted with love that is conveyed to us in the silence and sounds of others. Love always transforms people.

So, good books and sound wisdom (prior and present) convey to us a deep abiding presence, a sense of a hidden wholeness. Thomas Merton spoke of this as returning to our true self. Buddhists call this our original nature. Quakers named it our inner teacher. Jews through the ages have spoken of this as the spark of the Divine. Psychologists speak of our identity and integrity. I will call it our soul that yearns to be rooted in something else that tells us the truth about ourselves and our world. It gives us life. T.S. Elliot said,

We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.

True wisdom does not seek to fix anything. In it there is no saving, no advising, and no setting the person straight. True wisdom simply holds us faithfully in a space where we can listen to our inner teacher and find truth. It offers us an eternal conversation about things that matter, conducted within and around us, with passion and an air of discovery.

In this process of transformation, a response is required of us. What are our thoughts, meditations, and emotions as we hear the words of wisdom of the past? At some point we are asked, “How do you feel about that?” Writing down our responses through journaling, we engage in a spiritual discipline. Journaling is not the same thing as a simple diary of activities, a systematic listing of events. Journaling asks us to record our reactions to the words of wisdom, chronicling the spiritual odyssey we are taking, day-by-day and hour-by-hour. Journaling provides us a means of meditation wherein we become engaged in the conversations with the authors of the wisdom.

There is something in the physical act of writing that releases our creative responses and leads to self-understanding. Regularity in journaling is essential as a way of providing us structure, form and consistency to our meditations. The time for journaling is less important than the regularity of it. Ideally, it can become a daily practice. The first step of journaling is to relax into the space, to prepare ourselves for the spirit that is at work within us, drawn out by the wisdom we’ve read. We need to breathe deeply, finding ways of our own choosing to clear our mind of other things so that the words can wash over us, like the cascading waters of a morning shower.

A disciplined form of growth comes as daily readings. Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds by Richard A. Singer, Jr. offers a daily guide and disciplined way to allow the wisdom of the past and present to wash over us, allowing the reader to enter his inner spiritual world and to reflect on how he responds to this wisdom. This book can transform your life, especially if you accept the daily discipline of reading, relaxing, and reflecting on the words.

Your Daily Walk is packed with the wisdom of great minds, from Dale Carnegie to Anton Chekhov, from great thinkers like Euripides to Ralph Waldo Emerson to Einstein to Thomas Edison. It gives us the thoughts of Henry David Thoreau to Harriet Beecher Stowe. We follow the ideas of great poets from Walt Whitman to Robert Frost. This gem of a book moves us through the diversity of words from people such as Henry Ford, Sigmund Freud, Vince Lombardi, Mahatmas Gandhi, Aristotle, Augustine, Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, St. Augustine, Mother Teresa and John Paul Sartre. It encompasses the wisdom of writers as diverse as Hindu and Buddhist texts, the Jewish Talmud, and philosophers ranging from Lao-Tzu and Confucius to Milton Berle.

The wisdom encapsulated in this book can transform your life, especially if you soak in the words and practice the daily discipline of journaling and meditation, as the book allows. This is a gem filled with daily opportunities to grow, for its words are true. They will resonate with your head, heart, and soul.

—David J. Powell, Ph.D., President International Center for Health Concerns, Inc.

Institute of Mental Health, Beijing Medical University,

Author of Playing Life’s Second Half.

To learn more about Dr. Powell’s noble achievements visit his web site at www.ichc-us.org.

Introduction

“Words are the physicians for the mind diseased.”

-Aeschylus

I have been chosen by a much higher source than myself to unveil the components of my successful life transformation with those who are receptive to it across the globe. The specific books, quotations, meditations, affirmations, and journaling segments expressed throughout this book had the power to raise me up from the streets and transform me from a homeless drug addict in desperate pain to a successful human being living the life of my dreams on a tropical island in the Caribbean.

I am providing you with my foundation for healing which was inspired by the energy of this vast and miraculous Universe. Each quote, meditation, journal, and affirmation is meant to be applied each specific day of your life and in each exact situation that you encounter. Absolutely nothing happens in this world by coincidence and the same goes for this daily guide for personal growth and transformation. These daily guides will synchronize your soul with your desired journey of success and align you with your universal purpose. If you allow yourself to remain mindful of each moment you will certainly witness the synchronicity and perfection of the sacred puzzle of your life. Everything in your life fits together in harmony with the Divine Source of being.

“Most collectors collect tangibles. As a quotation collector, I collect wisdom, life, invisible beauty, souls alive in ink.”

—Terri Guillments

This book is not meant to be read like a traditional self-help book. A majority of the self-help books that we read are quickly discarded by our minds and never genuinely applied to our life’s journey. This book is a daily guide for personal growth and genuine, spiritually grounded success for you and the world around you. Each day you will enter the inner world of one of the Universe’s most influential minds and be gently guided to living a life your higher-self desires for you and a life of immense contentment and peace. This book contains basic principles that will transform your life and assist in your journey of success and prosperity.

An added benefit is the profound effect it will have on those human beings around you and the world as a whole. The changes you make will benefit the entire Universe. Thus, the world will be changed by each person practicing the principles of this book one day at a time. My hope is that enough people will choose to apply these principles diligently and persistently in order to bring about a tremendous and astonishing change in the world around us. With much effort, humanity will begin to change one day at a time. Remember, keep your thoughts in the day and be mindful of every moment that you experience. This approach is centered on the now, which is all we have. The daily quote, meditation, your personal journaling, and the affirmation will guide you on your journey each day and will align your life with the blueprint imbedded in your soul. Trust in this, believe in this, and conscientiously practice this daily program and you will be amazed at what you will achieve in your life and who you will become. I wish you the best on the most influential journey of your life. Pass this book on when finished, recommend it, and give it as a gift. I cannot wait to see the transformation that this book has on your life and humanity as a whole.

“Each night I go to sleep I die and the next morning when I wake up I am reborn again.”

—Gandhi

This daily guide combines strategies and personal growth techniques to most effectively help you transform your life. These strategies and techniques have been shown in recent research to enhance the change process when individuals have the internal desire to do so. I will briefly describe these specific aspects of the guide. My hope is that you can utilize them in order to maximize the change in your life and increase your ability to transform humanity.

1. Modeling: The quotations from these great minds will give you the opportunity to do what they did to achieve maximum success and greatness. You have the ability and capacity to believe what they believed, think how they thought, and to live how they lived. You have the incredible opportunity to be escorted by these great minds and carry on their success and brilliance in your own life. The quotes contained in this guide are the keys they left us to unlock the hidden radiance in our lives and the Universe. I think it’s common sense to do what other human beings have done if you want what they achieved. William James, the famous psychologist, recommended this years ago when he said, “act as if.” Pretend that you are successful; imagine that you are who and what you want to be and simulate that in your daily life. No one will know you are pretending; if they do, who cares anyway. Act like this each day and you will become it.

2. Bibliotherapy: This is very simple, reading helps people gain knowledge, insight, and understanding to change. Reading the monthly suggested books gives you the additional tools you need to succeed and become the person you yearn to be. Be sure to read mindfully, take notes, and apply the principles within the books to your life.

3. Mindfulness: This aspect teaches you and affords you the opportunity to experience the gift of the moment and the preciousness of life. This asks you to be open and truly live each moment of the day while applying the daily guidance provided in this book. Apply it and practice it throughout the day and this will make each quote, each meditation, and each principle a permanent element of your being.

4. Journaling: I suggest that you express your thoughts, your plan on application of the meditation, your feelings, and your current beliefs in a personal notebook. Simply express whatever comes to mind. Journaling is an important part of this program and has proven to be very effective in change and the healing of human beings.

5. Visualization: Each day, I encourage you to visualize yourself living and practicing each meditation and quotation. Visualize your growth spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Visualize your transformation, your future success, and the life you long for. If you truly visualize and imagine these results, you are certain to achieve them.

6. Affirmations: An affirmation is provided for each day. Read this, internalize it, believe it, and apply it throughout your daily journey. Write it down, put it in your pocket and repeat it to yourself as your day unfolds and consistently remind yourself of it. This aspect of the guide is important in changing your beliefs and actions as well as providing further guidance along your daily passage.

I hope you find this program helpful to you. It changed my life and I continue to practice these techniques on a daily basis, making my life and being only that much better. Welcome to your daily journey and the beginning of the evolution of your eternal being.

Suggested Books of the Month

JanuaryPower of Positive Thinking—Norman Vincent PealeFebruaryPower of Intention—Dr. Wayne DyerMarchAs a Man Thinketh—James AllenAprilInfinite Self—Stuart WildeMayThe Road Less Traveled—M. Scott PeckJuneThe Alchemist—Paulo CoelhoJulyDon’t Sweat the Small Stuff—Dr. Richard CarlsonAugustTuesdays with Morrie—Mitch AlbomSeptemberSeven Spiritual Laws of Success—Deepak ChopraOctoberMan’s Search for Meaning-Victor FranklNovemberGreatest Salesman in the World—Og MandinoDecemberThe Five People You Meet in Heaven—Mitch Albom

Your Daily Walk inJanuary

Suggested Book of the Month:

Power of Positive Thinking

Norman Vincent Peale

January 1

“It’s not that some people have will power and some don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not.”

—James Gordon, M.D.

Meditation

It’s a new year and that offers the possibility of a refreshing commencement and the creation of a revitalized life. Today, make a commitment to live in the moment and be the artist of your exceptional, more purposeful, and passionate life. Always remember that you are the artist and you have the freedom to paint the masterpiece of your existence any way you wish. There are infinite possibilities in your life. Within you lies the power to create the life you desire.

Personal Journaling

What is your initial plan and desire for the invention of your new life?

Today, I will sincerely believe in my ability to transform my life and I will begin taking action this very moment.

January 2

“He who is afraid of doing too much always does too little.“

—German Proverb

Meditation

Often, life becomes overwhelming and we simply need a reprieve to relax and gather our thoughts. Allow yourself to relax and replenish your energy to move forward. Be certain not to allow yourself to get stagnate and forget about the dreams and aspirations you are working towards. The answers that we seek often come in times of silence, when we unite with the energy of the universal consciousness. Think of this time as productive relaxation, which will act as a catalyst for further growth and success.

Personal Journaling

What will you do to quiet your mind and regain your strength today? (Try something new like a swim in the lake, a walk in the woods, a hot bath, or create an activity that is sure to relax your mind and soul.)

Today, I will become one with the silence of the Universe and engage in the revitalization of my heart, mind, and soul.

January 3

“Never neglect the little things in life.” —Og Mandino

Meditation

It’s extremely common to neglect saying, “I love you,” to your family, to forget about an important anniversary, neglect the true essence of a flower or the sunset, or just forget that love and kindness are the basic and most vital ingredients in your life. Step out of the rapid pace of society and remember what is genuinely important to you. (I’ll bet true importance does not lie in the kind of car you drive or how much your phone bill was last month.) Bring into consciousness, remain mindful of the truly important things in your life, and make an effort to show appreciation for these priceless things today.

Personal Journaling

What are you going to do today that you often neglect in your daily life? (Tell a family member that you love them, write a real letter, be kind to yourself and others, enjoy a beautiful sunset, etc.) These simple things will make a huge difference in the quality and satisfaction of your life.

Today, I will escape the chaos of the world and make the time to cherish what is sincerely important to my inner most being.

January 4

“No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.”—Booker T. Washington

Meditation

Every human being has their special place in this world. We, as members of the human race, must acknowledge this fact and express gratitude for the diverse population of human beings and their unique skills. Everybody, from the human being that washes dishes to the individual that runs a Fortune 500 company, has their distinct place and purpose in this Universe. We are all members of the same race and have a responsibility to treat each other the way we expect to be treated. If this world is to evolve, we need to honor the connection between all of humanity and come together as one with a single purpose; the purpose of peace and unity.

Personal Journaling

What is your place in the Universe and how do you plan to fulfill your ultimate purpose of helping other human beings? Do you recognize the equality of all human beings?

Today, I will contemplate how I can help other human beings in my daily life and begin this significant work immediately.

January 5

“Diligence is the mother of good luck.” —Benjamin Franklin

Meditation

Good Luck is often prayed for, searched for, and consistently desired throughout our lives. The concept of “luck” is external to us and beyond our immediate control, however, through conscientiousness and perseverance we can create our own form of “good luck” based on our inner selves, which is in our control. You may continue to depend on that “luck” finding you or, perhaps, make a decision to practice determination in everything you do and manifest your self-created destiny. The choice is up to you.

Personal Journaling

How will you practice your “luck finding” skills today, rather than waiting for it to come to you?

Today, I will rely on my higher-self to create positive changes in my life, rather than sitting around waiting for “Good Luck.”

January 6

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” —Albert Einstein

Meditation

Extraordinary accomplishment often appears to be the work of strictly genius; however, we all contain our own unique genius within us. Success occurs when we express our individual brilliance and go the extra mile in pursuit of our goals. The secret is to not quit until you succeed. This is difficult work but gratifying in the end. Do not doubt or discard the reality and existence of your inner genius, simply trust, and you will reveal the evidence of its force that resides within your soul.

Personal Journaling

What is your inner genius? How will you begin to express this genius today and not give up until you reach your desired goals?

Today, I will explore and trust my higher-self in all aspects of my daily journey.

January 7

“There are no simple or easy formulas. In handling all life’s experiences, we must endure a degree of emptiness and the agony of not knowing.”—M. Scott Peck

Meditation

As we all have experienced, life is difficult at times, however, it is never necessary to give up. The goal is to put one foot in front of the other during these arduous times and remember that these feelings will soon pass. These difficulties will soon be resolved. Recognize and honor the emotions and move on. These difficult and emotional times will keep you full of gratitude for the enjoyable experiences to come. Keep pushing forward no matter what happens along the path. Difficulties are the factors that build you up and prepare you for success.

Personal Journaling

What can you learn from your emotional difficulties today? What are you grateful for at this point in your life? (Remember, put one foot in front of the other and these times will soon pass.)

Today, I will treat all my difficulties as opportunities for growth and enlightenment.

January 8

“Spirituality is the attempt to be in harmony with the unseen order of things.”

—William James

Meditation

Life lacks structure, meaning, purpose, and peace without a connection to the omnipotent force that surrounds us. Be still and you will experience this power; have faith and this power will guide you. Connect with this force and find tranquility in this enlightening aspect of the Universe. It is not necessary for you to definitively understand this creative energy, because it is beyond a human’s capacity for comprehension. Just know it is always present and have faith that it is there to unite with you on your journey toward prosperity.

Personal Journaling

How will you embrace this unseen power today and allow it to guide you along life’s illuminating journey?

Today, I will align with the powerful force of the Universe and allow it to gently guide me along my daily journey.

January 9

“Man is what he believes.” —Anton Chekov

Meditation

Make a commitment today to believe in yourself. You are truly a unique individual in this world and have the ability to create the life you desire. Believe in yourself and the Universe will reward you with success. Belief and realization starts within you, then quickly externalizes to the life around you. If you believe, anything is possible and the amazing thing about belief is that it joins forces with reality and offers you all that you require to bring your belief into fruition.

Personal Journaling

How will you strive to believe in yourself today and manifest who you truly are?

Today, I will believe in my capacity to achieve greatness and become the human being that I desire to be.

January 10

“Money often costs too much.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

Meditation

Of course we need money to live, but is money as important as we make it out to be? Is it more important than spending time with your loved ones, enjoying a spectacular day in nature, or being present with your children to offer your love and compassion? There is often excessive emphasis put on the dollar and additional material possessions. Subsequently, there is not enough emphasis put on the genuine aspects in our life. Be honest with yourself and contemplate the valuable things in your life; money is probably not that prominent on your list.

Personal Journaling

Make a commitment not to overemphasize money or idolize material possessions today. Reflect upon the truly important things in your life. What will you do today that is genuinely important to your soul, separate from business and your normal monetary or material thoughts?

Today, I will focus on the spirit-filled aspects of my life, rather than on money, property, and prestige.

January 11

“And if not now……when?”

—Hillel

Meditation

We often express our plan to make important changes in our life in order to be happy, peaceful, more successful, and on and on. Although, our plans are usually to accomplish these things sometime in the future when, of course it is a better time. The issue with this is that life is only made up of present moments, thus if we always plan to change in the future, our life will be over before we make this commitment. Stop procrastinating; start making changes at this moment and begin to feel the benefits now rather than later.

Personal Journaling

What will you do to change and make improvements in your life, RIGHT NOW?

Today, I will not postpone my dreams and aspirations; I will begin making them a reality.

January 12

“It’s better that you live a week or two as a realized, free, totally serene, loving human being than 90 years in the mayhem of the ego.”—Stuart Wilde

Meditation

Our ego causes suffering in our lives and has one goal, which is to separate us from other human beings. The ego’s continuous delusions detach us from the true reality of our spirit. To live without the interference of the ego is a key to a fulfilling life as the spiritual beings we were destined to be. It is vital to slowly detach from the ego if you desire to live according to your spirit and fulfill your destined purpose for being here on earth.

Personal Journaling

Today, how will you completely surrender yourself to the moment, and realize your true spiritual being?

Today, I will remain focused on the voice of my spirit rather than the demands of my ego.

January 13

“Who dares nothing, need hope for nothing.” —Johann Von Schiller

Meditation

Life is a series of tests, challenges, and difficulties that we must work diligently at getting through on a daily basis in order to fulfill our Ultimate Purpose. If we give up, or take the effortless path, we will never reach the potential that resides within us. We must risk, we must dare, and it is imperative that we make life adventurous. If nothing is risked in life, nothing remarkable will ever be accomplished.

Personal Journaling

How will you dare to live an adventurous and growth filled life today?

Today, I will look at everything that enters my path as an opportunity for growth and adventure.

January 14

“One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks.” —Jack Penn

Meditation

We often look at challenges in life as negative obstacles in our path to success; however, in reality, they are opportunities for personal and spiritual growth in order to lead us to our divine purpose and authentic life. We can choose to believe that challenges are a negative element upon our journey or learn to see them as opportunities for an elevated, more meaningful life. Without challenges and difficulties in life, growth and evolution are impossible, thus life would be stagnant and tedious.

Personal Journaling

How will you turn difficulties and challenges into pertinent learning experiences?

Today, I will search for significant learning experiences in each challenge that appears before me.

January 15

“When you do one thing do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

Meditation

Anything you do with your heart will be a triumphant victory. Be sure not to waste time and energy in your life doing anything with half the effort and no passion. Life is a masterpiece waiting to be created and you will not reach your potential without putting the energy of your heart and soul into every aspect of your artwork. Escape mediocrity and the so-called “normal” and release the excellence that is looming within you. It yearns to come out, but it must be summoned by you.

Personal Journaling

Find a project to work on and put all your energy into it today. What do you have intense passion for today that you can put all your energy into? (This will bring you the desired success you have been searching for; it all starts with your heart and soul and the energy you utilize. Excellence can be obtained in any aspect of your life with these ingredients.)

Today, I will put my heart and soul into everything that I do; I will release the passion that has been hidden within me.

January 16

“The future depends on what we do in the present.” —Gandhi

Meditation

What you do in each moment ultimately adds up to be your future. Thus, there is no reason to worry or fret about the future, because you have complete control of each moment you live today. Create the best moments you can and your future will consist of what you desire. Discontinue your habitual need to pollute the present with regret and guilt from the past and constant worries about the future. Center yourself and exude excellence in the now and the future you desire will take care of itself.

Personal Journaling

What will you do today in order to create a better future for you and your loved ones? How will you focus entirely upon the present?

Today, I will focus all of my thoughts and energy on the present moment.

January 17

“True affluence is not needing anything.” —Gary Snyder

Meditation

Our ego often saturates our life with unnecessary desires for the purpose of a single moment of sensory pleasure. Assess your true needs and you will discover that a majority of your possessions are merely drowning you. Remember, we are human beings, not human “buyings.” We are on this earth to “BE,” not to “BUY.” You will never buy your way into peace and serenity, but you can live your way into this if you choose the proper path. The path of peace and genuine happiness consists of being guided by your higher-self and detaching from your hedonistic ego’s demands.

Personal Journaling

What does your soul want today? Quiet your ego and listen to the essence of your being, it is much more truthful and genuine.

Today, I will be mindful of the pure essence of my being and not be lead astray by my deluded ego.

January 18