Little things matter, was a chapter in a book that I am researching that is specifically written to aide teenagers to become successful in life.  Although as adults, we have heard the other term about not sweating the small stuff, when you are young and setting the course for your life, what are perceived as small and insignificant decisions can have long term ramifications.  For instance, a young person who does not think about their education as being important, or perhaps a specific subject, such as mathematics.  This has been a belief among many, that at one time included myself, about the need for advanced math in our lives as adults.  As much as I love writing and reading and all things in the literary world, my world of work is filled with many daily types of math which had I not had a foundation in over the years, it would have made my life a bit more complicated now.  Managing a budget, reviewing and analyzing reports which contain various data, along with the ever increasing concept of managing more with less, has become a reality in my life that I must contend with almost daily.  When ever I over hear a young child or adolescent talk about how they will never have a need for what they are studying for right now, it usually makes me laugh at where they will be in twenty years from now, if they were to hold on to that particular philosophy.  For young folks, making a decision about the friends that they want to hang around with, deciding whether or not to succumb to any peer pressure that may involve drinking or drugs, can have life changing effects.  Life is certainly tougher now, with the many things that a young person has to contend with, aside from the pressure of their peers there is pressure of the world itself.  The need to be faster, view everything quicker and absorb all types of information in vast quantities is a tough place to be in at times.  My feeling is that if there is anything else that could be taught along the lines of understanding that little things matter, is also that lessons can be learned and forgiveness for yourself should be a muscle that also needs exercise.  It is easier said than done what we as adults would like a young person to look out for at their age.  However, we must also remember that we all learned our own lessons as a result of our actions and although the outcomes were uncomfortable at times, we all managed to get through them.  May your wisdom allow you to be the beacon of light to others, no matter what age and may you always have the presence of mind that you were once at an age when you too did not know all the answers that your mind had questions about.  Treating small decisions with the importance they deserve, can lead you to making the big decisions with more ease in the end.

Make plans for your lucky break.  I saw a version of this statement in a book I am doing some research on.  I know that people know others who always seem to have luck on their side. The question that few people bother to ask is what type of planning or preparation took place before that person's success?  When you think back to being in school and taking a test, the times when you did the best were probably most attributable to your preparation in studying prior to it.  The fact that when the exam was taken and you remembered many of the answers that were presented to you on that piece of paper, had much to with what was already stored in your brain.  Luck can be defined as; events that are beyond control and seem subject to chance.  So if you leave things up to chance, then the best bet would be to have a sense of preparedness, that can work towards tilting the scales in your favor.  One never knows when an opportunity may come their way, however, those with so called luck were probably always planning for the favorable time when they would be able to take that step in the right direction.  Think about the precision of a professional athlete and what they sometimes have to sacrifice to have their bodies in optimal condition.  I am sure that they would love to not have to count calories or perhaps have to exercise close to everyday, yet, in order for them to obtain the desired results, there must be consistency and effort that will allow them to get there.  So if you feel that you could use a bit of luck on your side, then take those needed steps to create the environment for luck to be able to manifest itself in your own life.  Getting a break in your finances, health or personal life can be all within your reach.  The determining factor could lie upon what you have done to formulate the circumstance that you so desire.  With a bit of effort, you will find that good planning will lead to your encounter with fate, that can transform where you are today and where you want to be tomorrow.

I was glancing through a book today and saw the beginning of a paragraph that captivated me the moment I saw it.  It stated that the quickest way to success was to get out of the past.  Although there is something to be said about remembering where you came from, I am in agreement that you cannot hold on to the past in order for you to move forward in your present life.  Our past provides us with a vivid timeline about where we have walked and paints the picture about the steps along with the missteps that we have taken over time.  There can be things in our past that are hurtful to remember, however, the one thing about those memories is that you are no longer there anymore.  Among my favorite are the prior memories that evoke laughter, harmony or a smile that brings you back to a time when your heart felt full and at peace with everything around you.  If you have ill feelings about things that happened in the past, then do yourself and your conscience a favor by finally putting those to rest and letting them live where they belong.  Your present should not be filled with regret or things that you wish you should have done differently.  Instead, think about the learning that occurred as a result of your path and concentrate on the rest of your journey that has taken you to the place that you are today.  If you do not like where you happen to be at today, then this is your opportunity to change course to a new destination.  I firmly believe that none of us have walked through anything by complete accident.  Life has an interesting formula for teaching us lessons about who we are and at times who we should not be. When you see an attribute in another person that you realize is completely the opposite of who you want to be, then it serves as an example of who not to emulate.  Rather than looking at periods of your past as a great source of where things did not go right, reflect on the those things that did.  Be grateful that you learned some lessons that you have vowed to not repeat in the future, especially those that brought little momentum for your life.  Instead, live for the future that you have the power to control today.  None of us can ever forget where we came from, however, we can certainly determine where we want to be at when we get to the end our journey.

To persevere over something can indicate that you obtained a victory of various sorts.  The types of victories that we have in our lives can be measured as being large or small.  What I have realized over the years is that all victories can actually be great ones.  Depending on your perspective, your achievement could have been a long time waiting to happen or perhaps it came more quickly and easily.  A lot of this can also be due to one's preparation for their conquests, as that can be where the blood, sweat and tears were spent in attempting to align oneself with the action that they wanted to see ascertained.  A small string of victories put together can actually add up to a very large one.  However, if you were the type of person that did not count the small one's, the opportunity to see the larger one could have been missed.  I also see this as similar to those people that seek to have more abundance in their lives.  When one usually thinks of abundance, it can have connotations that it is measured in large quantities.  However, it is the accumulation of small abundance that over time, can equal the great outcome that one could have been waiting for.  When you appreciate the small things, it can be due to the attention to detail that one shows to everything around them.  Such as, when you pay attention to someone who says thank you to you, while looking you in your eyes or a simple greeting from a friend that is checking in to see if you are okay, all of it can have a much larger meaning as time goes by.  When I go walking around my neighborhood and run into a house with great landscaping, I appreciate the hard work that has gone into this great planning of foliage.  However, I always look for the smallest flowers that are embedded in these great artistic displays, as they usually show some of the brightest and most unique color formations, without being the largest in the display.  Remember that as you seek to persevere and have greater victory in your life over anything, it can be the smallest of achievements that can turn the tide in your favor.  Celebrate all achievements with equal enthusiasm without distinguishing between the small or large ones.  Your ability to adjust your view to see all of these things in a different light, can allow for you to find that victory or abundance that you seek to attract to your fulfilled life.

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”  This is a famous quote by renowned author C.S. Lewis.  I ran across part of his biography and was captivated in reading about what he did in his life.  I was a fan of his Chronicles of Narnia books since the seventh grade when one of my favorite teacher's Miss Tanner introduced the whole series to me.  I must have written every month's book report on one of his books for almost a year.  His writing not only captivated my imagination, his works also managed to weave in a lesson about good versus evil and how people that did the right thing do end up winning in the end.   What has always boggled my mind about being a so called good person, is that they seem to face many challenges and obstacles in order to persevere in the end.  One could say that for one who much is given to, much is expected of him or her.  This brings me back to the quote, in that we find our friends in those moments where we can identify with them and they with us.  Life would be rather dull and boring if one did not have fond memories that could be shared with another person similar to yourself.  Although family members can exemplify the meaning of a good friendship for some, there is that intangible quality of having a friend that is not biased based upon being related to you, that can bind you for a lifetime.  I know that there are many days dedicated to celebrating friendship, however, the best kind of celebration from my book is the kind that needs no special day to recognize how important these people are.  Through good times and challenging ones, a person that is simply there just to listen to you and cheer you on despite your circumstances, is sometimes all that is needed to get us past our most arduous periods.  Whether you are having a great day or a trying one, remember that there are people in your corner that are cheering for you to have victory.  Despite any distance that may be in between you and your long standing friends, you can always count on the fact that they are there with you in person or in spirit.  It is very comforting to know that there are people that are waiting to celebrate the moment that you cross the finish line that seemed impossible at one point.  Cherish those that are part of your long standing corner and remember that the journey can be an easier one with a traveling companion that knows how far you have come.

I spent a good portion of my afternoon yesterday going to see a movie that is going to be one of the summer blockbusters.  At the conclusion of the film, I was captivated by the simple premise that someone had more faith in others, than they did in themselves.  As I drove around afterwards and ran some necessary errands, I kept coming back to that point of the film. I believe that most of us got some type of break in life because at some point or another, there was an individual who had this type of confidence in us.  Parents usually have this type of resounding belief that their children will grow up to live up to or  exceed what was expected of them.  When I think back in history and the founding fathers of our great country, the same could be said for the truths that they wrote about in our constitution and how they saw what the future of our nation could be.  The people that left Europe to come to America and establish their new lives here, also had incredible faith that things would work out for their benefit in the end.  If we were to exercise this philosophy with the people around us either at work, home or just within our community, I feel that we could transform what exists in our world today.  The cynicism of others who feel negatively about what is going on around them or on another continent could be combated with better and stronger feelings of a positive nature.  We all want the things around us to change for the better, however, we must all do our part in ensuring that this momentum begins somewhere.  Simply stated, any type of change similar to the journey of a lifetime, begins with one first step.  For us to be able to create an existence that lives in harmony with others, nature and this universe that we happen to be in, we need to put that positive energy forward beginning with ourselves.  By expecting better things of all of us and others around too, we can begin to make those adjustments that are needed to manifest a more positive world.  Never forget that having faith in others as well as ourselves, are the founding steps that can create and attract more of what we want around us.

A great song with a beautiful lyric can be the source of inspiration that can lift your heart, body and mind in a matter of moments.  I love that a song writer and or a singer can combine these two talents and form them into a meaningful message that can span the test of time.  What inspires such musicians and artists to come up with these songs that can have life that is far longer than the years we are able to live on this earth?  I believe that music comes from a deep place that a person who lived through something or observed something so powerful that they put the words and melodies together to create an audible story that comes to life.  Although they say that various genres of music can evoke different emotions in anybody, I think there is something inherently connected when you listen to someone else's message and you realize that you can relate to what they are saying.  It is part of the magical embrace of being human that we all want to connect to someone else and feel the sense of validation that someone can bestow upon ourselves.  What I mean by validation is not that you are obtaining someone's approval, but that you are indeed being acknowledged for who you really are.  Some individuals tend to live in that world where they seek constant validation and once they receive it, they still feel incomplete.  That has a lot more to do with what was inside of them to begin with.  From the beginning of your life, if you lacked self esteem or were not told that you were good enough, pretty, smart or made to feel special, it can leave a lot of empty space that needs to be filled in later years.  My feeling is that if you had any sense of lack during the course of your formative years, you are capable filling any void that may have existed.  You can also use that as your opportunity to realize that your growth and personal success depends on how you live out the rest of your life, rather than focus on what was missing. Remember just because you had a poor beginning, never means that you must have a poor ending.  My hope is that the song that awakens you, provides the impetus to much needed change that leads you to the place that you wish to and deserve to be.

At times one has to be still enough to take in the moment in which you are living.  We have radical schedules, commutes, carpools and a variety of other things that we contend with all the time.  Aside from work and family, we are bombarded at all times via different methods of media, whether it is by cellular phone or via the internet. I believe it is important to take some time when we receive opportunities to meditate on where we are at, along with where we want to go.  Taking time to be still and listen to your inner thoughts that permeate through out the day can be a rejuvenating experience for your mind and soul.  We are our own toughest critic when it comes to self judgement about where we are and what he have accomplished.  Pulling and picking apart the things that did not go as well versus giving ourselves credit for finishing things could be a better approach.  There are many people who cannot take a compliment very well, as it points to an existing belief that what someone has achieved does not require extra attention.  We could all get better at receiving positive feedback rather than expecting the negative one that we usually come up with on our own.  In the state of meditation, you can let go of all of the negativity and simply take everything in, while you acknowledge how far you have traveled to get to where you are today.  Nobody has a journey through life that is uneventful.  While there are many times when we tend to be critical of the periods that caused painful memories, instead of concentrating on the beautiful moments that we were all lucky to be a part of.  The more you have gratitude for the things that you do have, the less one should be concentrating on those things that you don't.  It is a simple philosophy that can bring much more inner peace. Everything will come to you at the right time and the right place that is the ideal period for one to receive it.  Therefore we should all concentrate on being present, giving of our talents to others and allowing ourselves to be happy with the place we happen to be at.  One of my favorite quotes from Joyce Meyer, the famous spiritual leader states "I am not where I want to be, but thank God I am not where I used to be".  Give yourself the credit you deserve and listen to what your heart and mind are telling you in those quiet moments.  You have achieved so much, so give yourself the opportunity to meditate and bask in what you have accomplished thus far.

As I get another year older, I am certainly living for today and also in the moment that I have been given the privilege to be a part of.  It is interesting as we move on in life that we realize how much time is more precious and that the concept of waking up in the morning is an actual gift that is manifested, to provide me another day's opportunity to fulfill my life's purpose.  At times I still wonder if I am living up to my fullest potential, however, with age I have also given up being so critical of myself.  Through out my life I have felt like time stood still for me and then at other intervals I had the feeling that I was a DVD fast forwarding through several scenes.  What I do know as constant is that my life has been filled with many ups and downs, just like everyone else.  What I have learned is that if you are going through a low period, do not let that get to you and to still have a good attitude.  It makes getting through those periods much more manageable and for the most part, a lot of the trial portion of our lives we have very little direct control over.  I have learned that my personal outlook is what I do have the power to navigate.  I also look at the friends who are older and how they handle themselves with each passing year.  For the most part they are all very comfortable in their own skin and provide me glimpses of how life can even be more fulfilling in later years.   I laugh now at what I thought was important when I was much younger.  Many of those thoughts were so superficial or shallow oriented that it seems to me like I barely recognize who that person was years ago.  However, I do own up to who I was during that time and I am very glad to know that I have grown quite a bit since then.  What I have become is more grateful for everything that is part of my life and those individuals that add value to who I have become.  For the people that provide me with moments of laughter, thoughtful reflection or just a great listening ear that repeats what I just said, are the people I want around me.  They are all part of my existing moment and all of them in their own way has come to teach me something else about myself.  Therefore, I don't look at another year of being alive on this earth as yet another passing day that goes without notice.  On the contrary, I celebrate it along with the trying moments that came with it over the past year.  It makes me smile to know that some of those moments are far behind me and that I hope I learned the lesson that they were trying to teach me then.  Another year older, another year wiser and another year of work towards fulfilling the purpose of my life, is what I will think about before I go to be tonight and give thanks for the opportunities that are yet to come.

Who are you being that causes the reaction of the people around you to be what it is?  This was a question I was contemplating a few days ago.  If you are usually showered with good affection and people give you positive reinforcement, then that means that you must be doing something that is complimentary of this action.  However, if you are getting negative feedback or less than positive reactions from other people, then perhaps it is time to take a moment to go over what your actions are creating.  The Law of Attraction simply says that you attract into your life whatever you think about. Your dominant thoughts will find a way to manifest.  Another description of this has been that like attracts like.  It then becomes important to spend some time meditating what it is that you want to attract to your life along with the intention behind it.  If you treat people poorly, then chances are that you may be attracting this unwanted type of behavior towards you.  We are so consumed with our lives and what is going on in the here and now, that some people may overlook the common everyday instances when they are presented with an opportunity to treat people as they would want to be treated.  A kind word, a kind gesture and a kind smile goes a long way towards eliciting this type of behavior from those that surround you.  Also a simple please or thank you to begin or end a conversation speaks volumes. When given the chance and if people say something or do something that is negative, don't feed into that by replying in the same fashion.  Instead, take the high road and focus on the individuals that did not act this way towards you.  Learn to filter out the poor behavior that may surround you at times and hold yourself to a higher standard.  If you happen to be at work or in other situations where downward spiral conversations are occurring, learn to walk away from them as your time is more valuable and could be better spent.  When you don't contribute to a downward spiral conversation, you also don't take the negative energy with you.  Which means that there is less weight on your shoulders that can find itself to permeate your own thoughts.  Allow your mind, body and spirit to be free of things that are not worth worrying about.  As such, you will find that what you do begin to attract into your life can be those things can fulfill you best while bringing you peace and harmony as well.

One of the lessons that is taught in the book written by Ben and Ros Zander "The Art of Possibility', is to give people an A to live up to.  The translated version of this example is to not pre-judge others and to let them live up to a higher expectation than they could imagine for themselves.  I believe that we could be a better balanced world if we were to practice this philosophy on a consistent basis.  Many people were brought up with various points of view that were taught to them from their parents.  Some were good ones, while others perhaps not so good and those can take years of living on your own to finally do away.  For the most part fear of the unknown or not understanding someone that is different from who you is at the core of the issue.  If we were to live the kind of life that would propel us to automatically think the best of someone before you even met them, things could be radically different.  Having a higher expectation for someone and allowing them to live up to that or even exceed it would make for lots of people living in the state of excellence.  We could all think up of many excuses as to why we have not done this already or perhaps some people think that they have lived with this philosophy for quite some time.  Regardless we could all do towards living in a way that can fulfill this philosophy.  As parents want nothing but the best to happen for their own children, we could also expect the same for the people that surround us in our lives.  Our family members, co-workers, friends and neighbors alike could benefit from us knowing that we want only the best for all of them and that we expect them to achieve it.  Let go of any thinking that causes you to think poorly of someone around you or if someone has made a mistake in the past, believe that they have learned their lesson and that they will be better as a result.  We cannot change other people's behavior, but we can change ours so that people then interact with us differently.  Do not retain anything that would make you think negatively of someone because of their past.  Remember that mistakes are made daily and they do not discriminate in that we are all subject to a lesson ourselves.  Give people compliments and tell them directly into their eyes when given the opportunity.  You could be be the catalyst for how the world can begin to change around you.  When we all truly allow others to be their best and do their best, the results can become trans-formative for years to come.