On Passionate Work

Passion is the fuel that keeps joy alive. When you are passionate you find joy in the simplest tasks and the most arbitrary things.

Passion drives you to work more effectively and it makes work's burden light. Passion makes your days meaningful. It gives you the drive to achieve and satisfaction in your endeavours.

So seek to do the things that you are passionate about. In this way you will find rewards far greater than a pay cheque or praise. In this way you will find joy in every day.

On Overcoming Fear

Fear is the enemy of success. It boasts in procrastination and revels in our failures.

When we strive to move forward it pulls us back. When we dream of greatness it tells us we will fail.

We must be strong to make fear weak. We must fight it's inertia and act when it tells us to wait.

For to overcome fear we must take action. We must run when it says walk, leap when it says halt. When we act regardless of fear's grip we overcome it. In this way we become free.

Freedom Within, Freedom Without

First we sought physical freedom. We sought to release the chains of bondage and serfdom. When we found our bodies were free we were not satisfied and so we looked to our minds.

We sought freedom of speech and thought. We sought to give every person a voice. When we found our minds were free then we were still not satisfied so we looked at our governments.

We sought political freedom, rights and democracy. We sought to be free politically and economically. We have found our politics are now free but we are not.

The mistake we have continued to make is that we have continued to look for freedom outside ourselves, outside our own minds. Freedom is a state of mind. A man could be confined to a cell and if his mind is free then so is he.

Yet most of us live without experiencing this freedom because we expect it to come from our political system or our economy or our employers. This cannot be.

Freedom must begin within by letting go of all rules, systems and the opinions of others. When we can just be authentically who we are, that is freedom.

So, seek to be free where none can imprison, enslave or bankrupt you. Seek freedom within your mind and you will find you are free everywhere else.

In Stillness

In stillness there is peace. When we are still the ebb and flow of life releases it's grip on the mind and gives us the chance to find peace within ourselves.

When we are still within we cannot be quickly moved by what is outside us in the world. Stillness is the basis upon which strength of character stands. Free choice can then flourish where we can act out of conscious consideration rather than powerless reaction.

So, be still. For in stillness you are at peace and in peace you can find your freedom.

The Gift of Fun

Find fun in every day. Fun is life's way of remining us to be happy.

There are always opportunities to play, to frolic and to laugh. There is always time for a smile.

Life is too short not to laugh every chance you get. It is too special not to have magical moments. And surely life is too precious not to treat it lightly.

For it is in play that the beauty of a smile beams true and in laughter that the heart sings loudest.

The Gift of Pain

Pain is a gift we too often curse and, in so doing, miss it's true value.

In disease and illness we can discover the blessing of our good health. In loss we can remember the blessing of relationships and seek to love again. In turmoil we can learn the blessing of the peace we had and that will come again.

In pain we learn to appreciate our blessings and to value what and whom we have. In this we find pain is the prelude to peace and the preamble to joy.

On Thankfulness

Be thankful for all that you have and all that you are. We are each showered with blessings, gifts and talents for which we should be grateful and appreciative.

When we are grateful we enter a state of peace as we are no longer concerned with acquisition of new things or changing ourselves. Instead in gratefulness we look at ourselves and all we have and say: "I have enough and I am enough".

In this way we find grace in acceptance and peace in the knowing that fulfilment lies not in having more or becoming "better" but it is in being happy with what and who we already are.

For within us all is beauty and greatness and brilliance and this is our true wealth. And for the wealth within us all we can only be thankful.