The Strong Within Affirmation Podcast

Synergistic Saturdays-#413 February 17th The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I Rest Purposefully

"It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life." ~Rita Rudner

Guess what, you guys are my one special persons???, my peeps, my crew, my spiritual gangstas, my brothas from anotha motha, my sisters from another mista, my friends, my community. So I hope you don't mind if I do like Rita says and annoy you for the rest of my life 😉 We got a long haul of great things ahead for us.

I know you have been putting your nose to the grindstone this year. You have been pushing yourself harder to your goals, and I can feel how tired you are. I feel it myself. And if you feel bad because you haven't put in the work you wanted…don't. Because that…is the past, and right now is the chance to take a different path. It is the choice to step away from feeling sorry for yourself and to purposefully decide to move towards the actions you want to take in becoming who you wish to be.

So whatever side of the fence you're on, we need to purposefully rest. I believe that whether you're hustling hard, or feel bad about not hustling hard enough…both can be on the same path of burn out. The reason I say that is because we are always judging ourselves on if we're good enough, if we're working hard enough, if we're doing enough…and whether you're putting in the work or not…your mind is still processing it as not good enough, and so you never relax.

I've spent so many years never relaxing, never centering myself, because I was always thinking about what I should be doing. And so when I would get back to work, I'd be tired because even when I tried to rest I couldn't. I wouldn't allow myself to do it. There was always something to feel guilty about not doing. There was always one more thing I could have done.

We live in a world that's led by comparison. We see where our friends are in their lives and then judge ourselves on whether we've made it to there level…or even if we are better than them as a source of self-esteem. We look towards people we want to be like and constantly compare how we aren't good enough, and if only we had the talents they did…then maybe we could make it look as easy as they do. And so we are always burning ourselves out ,never being happy with ourselves.

I believe we should always be reaching further than our grasp, but we also should learn to be kind to ourselves in our pursuit of betterment. There's only one you, and there's only so much you can do with your resources.

I'm not saying that you can't do anything; I am saying we expect the impossible from ourselves as a way of sabotaging ourselves. We look at someone's chapter fifteen and compare it to our chapter one. And so we find discontentment in who we are, and our place in life, which brings the self-fulfilling prophecy to life as we tell ourselves, "see I told you that you could never be as good as him, or her."

So I've gone further into this thought then I wanted to. I just really wanted to give you permission to relax. Sometimes we just need someone to tell us it's ok to take a break. So wherever you are in your pursuits…whether you're burning the candle on both ends, or you haven't even started—I'm giving you permission to take a break for yourself; to stop beating yourself up for a moment, and to relish in the quiet solitude of being you. You are a miracle, no matter what you've done in this life. The mere presence of you is a beautiful mark upon this earth. So let us be kind to ourselves a little more, let us allow ourselves to relax from time to time to center ourselves…as even batteries need time to recharge, and let us love our place in life as we reach just a little further every time…knowing we are worth the effort to ask for more of ourselves.

Today's Personal Commitment:Instead of me giving you a challenge…let's do a guided meditation together. So feel free to do this how you like, have your eyes open, closed, sit up straight, or stand up straight.

Think about a string that's connected from your head to your butt and like a marionette puppet you place your hand above your head and pull that string as you physically lengthen out your spine.

{MEDITATION}

I Rest Purposefully

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - Stream Noise by Caroline Ford (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) -Crystal Bowls 6 Bowls Repetitive by Gary Rosenberg (c) copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide

Fantastic Fridays-#412 February 16th The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I Believe In Myself

"When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this - you haven't." ~Thomas Edison

A salesman heard a story about a powerful magician being able to grant people their wishes. And as of late his miracle health products weren't selling like they used to. So the salesman decided to find this magician to see if he could help him change his luck as of late.

The salesman traveled many days until he finally came to a medium sized home that the locals told him where a great magician lived. As he entered the building, the gentleman inside asked what he had come for. And so the salesman told him his dilemma of not being able to sell his products anymore. And the salesman asked if he could help him.

The magician said, " I am Merlyn the Great. I can help anyone who has a desire to be helped."

Merlyn asked to see one of the salesman's products and asked him to sell him a bottle. And so the salesman did his normal routine. Merlyn took the bottle after the salesman finished his speel and put his eye close to examine the yellow/golden liquid inside more carefully. He made a few hmms and ahhs after looking at it and then downed the contents of the bottle in one gulp.

Merlyn began squinting his eyes and made a smacking noise with his tongue on the roof of his mouth. He put his hand on his chin and looked up as was silent for a few minutes after tasting the product…and finally he said "Ahhhh, I know what your product is missing. I have just the magic ingredient in the back that when mixed with your product will grant anyone their truest desire." And so he asked the salesman to give him all his bottles so he could fill them with a drop of his magic elixir to make the salesman's current product more powerful. Merlyn told the salesman to make himself comfortable while he took all the bottles into the back room to work his magic.

After about 10 minutes the magician came back with all the bottles filled as the golden/yellow elixir before was now a clear liquid.

Merlyn said to the salesman, say this incantation to anyone who takes this potion:

"A powerful potion this be here, As it will make what ails you disappear, Say out loud your truest desire, But before you drink to acquire, You must feel that truth within your heart, Before the magic can start."

And so the salesman left. And about a month later he came back and told the magician his potion had worked.

Curious, Merlyn asked the salesman what was his wish? And the man told Merlyn he had two wishes. The first was to be a great salesman like he used to be, and the second was that he could help people reach their truest desires like Merlyn had done for him with this new magic potion.

Merlyn smiled, and said "I am glad you found your wishes within that potion."

The salesman asked what the secret was, but Merlyn only said, "a magician never reveals his secrets."

The salesman asked for double the amount of potion this time. So the magician took all the bottles of the old product of yellowish/golden liquid, and went into the back room like before as he told the salesman to make himself comfortable so he could put a drop of magic potion in again. And after about 20 minutes Merlyn came back with an even more beautiful clear liquid that glistened like nothing else the salesman had seen before.

This exchange happened between the salesman and the magician for many years as the salesman became wealthy in all avenues of his life. He had all the money he could ever want, he was blessed with more happiness and joy he could ever have wished for, he had helped many people reach their goals with this magic potion, and he felt successful in whatever he put his efforts into.

The salesman felt himself nearing the end of his life, and so he made one final trip to thank the Magician and to ask one more time if he would reveal his secret.

Curious, Merlyn asked the man how the potion helped him? And the salesman replied that before he gave a bottle to anyone who had purchased it he repeated the incantation Merlyn had taught him years ago. And he recited it back to Merlyn…

"A powerful potion this be here, As it will make what ails you disappear, Say out loud your truest desire, But before you drink to acquire, You must feel that truth within your heart, Before the magic can start."

And the salesman asked one more time, "Merlyn I can't go to my grave not knowing what was in that potion." And so the magician told the salesman that every time he went in the back to mix a potion, he actually went out the back door. He dumped out all of the old contents in the bottle and filled it with normal drinking water from his well."

And the salesman said, "so you had blessed your drinking water and that's what made it magic?" And the magician chuckled and said, "no, the only thing magic that I gave you, was the belief that you could do whatever your heart desired. And by waiting to drink the water until you could feel that belief in your heart was the power. There was no magic in that bottle, the magic was always in you, and the magic was in helping people believe the magic was in them too. The bottle was only the vessel to help you begin thinking differently about your desires—less as dreams, and more as certainties."

The greatest lies ever told, are the ones we tell ourselves every day. They are the stories we make up about why we can't, why it would be too hard, why it's not worth it, why we aren't worth it, how we don't have enough money, how we aren't lovable enough, how we could never be strong enough…and I could list, as you could as well, all the reasons we can't have what we want in our lives.

The small so-called seemingly truths start out subtly with how it would be nice to have or to be able to do something…while inside we believe we could never make it happen. It's too far out of our reach. We say that it's meant for other people and not for us. We say that those lucky people have a magic potion, and they have special talents and skills that we don't have. And we finish those lies off by saying we weren't meant to have that one thing we desire in our lives. And so that subtle lie we tell ourselves over and over again becomes a huge cloud looming over us…darkening our lives with shadows of stories telling us why, what we want would be impossible.

We look for magic, for the easy answer outside of ourselves—never realizing the magic has always been within us.

The greatest reason I've been held back from what I wanted in my life was not because I couldn't do it, but because I believed I couldn't do it. And business has been my arch nemesis as I told stories to myself of how I wasn't good with money, how I'm not a good businessman, how some people have those skills of entrepreneurship and I don't. And so I not only created resistance and that actual outcome in my life…but I attracted those outcomes into my life as well. I was a magician in my life, but I was a magician of negativity bringing darkness and powerlessness into my life…instead of seeing that I could create positive magic. And that magic wasn't in a potion, or something outside of myself…it was always within me.

And it was what Merlyn had told the salesman to say before taking the potion …

"A powerful potion this be here, As it will make what ails you disappear, Say out loud your truest desire, But before you drink to acquire, You must feel that truth within your heart, Before the magic can start."

The bottle is us. The old bottle held a murky impure liquid of doubt, lies, and pain from not seeing our true potential, but by purging those things, and making your beliefs crystal clear and pure again…you will realize that you aren't drinking magic from outside of yourself, but you are drinking the power already within yourself.

Today's Personal Commitment:Ok I made that story up tonight, on the fly..so if it was pretty lame, I hope you'll forgive me as I want to get better at coming up with good stories in these podcasts. I hope to get better at making analogies besides always telling my normal day to day activities…I mean who wouldn't want to know the secrets of a magician, right???

So, what if you were to think of yourself as a magician. Ask yourself if you're spreading black magic, darkness and negativity into your life and into the world? Or are you using white magic? Are you spreading positivity of belief in yourself out into the world, and are you helping others to believe in themselves with the magic you're sharing?

We all are magicians in our lives. We are making our wishes come true when we understand that the bottle is us, and we just need to purge the old contents that are keeping us trapped, and to fill ourselves up with a better belief within our hearts.

Now I know some people might have issues with me talking about magic and magicians and say I am talking about the satanic things, I hope that's not how you take it… and some will say this message is too touchy-feely, and that I'm claiming that all you have to do is believe. And that's half true. Because we do have to believe to change our outcome, but our belief has to turn more into a knowing that what we set our mind to we will make happen. Magic is happening every day in our lives…it's just whether you are going to decide to be a creator of powerful positive empowering energy…or whether you are going to do what you've always been doing—continually spreading negative dark energy into the world—as you continue to lie to yourself about how you can never be or have what you truly desire.

I Believe In Myself

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide

Thoughtful Thursdays-#411 January 15th The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I Listen When The Universe Speaks To Me

"The gigantic tension before the shooting of an arrow, and the total relaxation seconds later, is my way of connecting to the universe." ~Paulo Coelho

I recently did a podcast on freeing ourselves from resentment, and the funny thing I was tested immediately on that affirmation. When you become more intentional about how you want to map your life, you'll see that the Universe will be working with you. It's not that the Universe wasn't helping us before, but it's that our eyes weren't open, and it's that we weren't open or as receptive to hearing another way besides our own.

And so after my podcast, the Universe began immediately asking how serious I was about being free from resentment—by challenging me. The specific people who rub me the wrong way, those exact people I was thinking about when I did the podcast, found their way into my life in a manner that was more excessive than normal. And something different. I'm not saying they were changed, but I was changed; and my energy brought different responses on their part…and it brought a different response within myself.

I still felt my normal habit of wanting to gravitate towards being annoyed by them, yet I felt a calmness in me to stay the course of being free from resentment.

We are challenged every day, we are put to the test by the Universe asking how serious we are to our commitment. And there was a determination within me to be free from the weight I was carrying from my resentment. So the Universe wanted to help me by seeing how committed I was to that change.

That's the beautiful thing about affirmations, I've found the more I practice them, the more I say them with purpose and intention, then the more I'm challenged by the Universe. And when that happens I could be upset, but when I am centered, when I am balanced…I see it for what it is…the Universe heard me…and the Universe is helping me. Most times it's not exactly how I thought it would happen. And what I mean by that, is we see ourselves being helped in the most comfortable of ways. We see our prayers being answered immediately. We see ourselves winning the lottery of everything we ever wanted. We see things coming easier to us.

But it's my hope we both decide to see it differently than our wishes coming easy to us. It's my hope that we wish to be better and that the harder things don't affect us like they used to. As we opt out of whining when we're challenged, and instead we welcome and love the challenge before us. And like any beautiful gem, it doesn't come out of the ground looking pristine, it gets formed through extreme pressures, and it becomes more beautiful thru extensive polishing.

I've seen it time and time again in other people's lives, and I've felt it in my life many times as well; where I was serious about a goal, but I wasn't serious about hearing the Universe's answers to my request. I wanted my goal, when I wanted it, and exactly how I wanted it. I was willing to work hard, but I wasn't willing to be tested in how the Universe was planning on challenging me. And so I floundered, and I put in hard work, but I never progressed fully.

It's hard for us to hear the truth about a goal, that maybe we really didn't want it bad enough, or we weren't willing to put in the hard work for it. But it's not that we didn't want it bad enough, we wanted it…but we only wanted to achieve it our way. We didn't want to hear the Universe and the plans it had in helping us. And I think that reason is because we want to be in control.

So we go about our lives asking everyone under the sun, who has what we want, how they got to where they did. We want to hear that silver bullet answer on how easy it was for them so we could have it be easy for us too. We want a nice tidy answer on how to get to our goal, but the only tidy answer I can give you—is to find more ways to listen to what the Universe is telling you.

I get it, it's hard to hear something you're unsure is even talking to you. And I know for me, I've spent more time wishing for my goals to be more one dimensional rather than multicomplex in listening to the signs and miracles around me. I would've rather put my head down, tied my eyes up in a blindfold, and put my nose to the grindstone working only in the physically realm…because it was easier for me to only work in what I felt I could touch, in what was tangible. But over the years of seeking better ways, there have been too many coincidences for me to keep my eyes closed in how the Universe has been continually communicating with me. And when you open yourself to hearing the Universe, you will be challenged differently.

A friend of mine sent me a text and asked me if "I believed in signs, and if the Universe puts stuff out there that says 'here dummy, I'm trying to tell you something?'"

And I replied back "yes, I do believe in signs and that the Universe is always communicating with us." And I then asked why she asked me that question out of the blue.

And she responded back by saying, "Well, a couple of times today that I've been out driving I've gone the way I usually do… because of habit and familiarity. Well, two of the roads were closed, and of course there were detour signs. So first I got mad, and I was like, this is the way I always go, and now I have to take a detour. And then it just sort of hit me. Maybe this is trying to tell me something. Maybe I need to stop traveling the same way in life just because it's habit and I'm familiar with it. Maybe I need to take a detour and try a different way."

The detours in our lives aren't always stop signs. The detours in our lives are the Universe communicating with us. And like my affirmation I spoke yesterday in saying how committed I was to being free from resentment…the Universe was saying…"ok, how committed are? Are you really ready to do this? Because if so, I'm going to start working on you right now. I'm not testing you, but I'm helping you. I'm polishing you into the finished product that you wish to be…but you're going to have to trust me, and those detours that I'm putting up aren't to deter you…but to change you."

The more aligned you get with the Universe then the faster the Universe will respond to you. And I'm not saying that I have it all together and figured out, but in my resolve to be free from resentment…I was tested that same day, and then the next day…and I'm sure I will be tested again. I believe there are no coincidences….there's only the Universe answering what we are putting out into it. So let us affirm what we want for our lives…and then let us have the resolve to stick to our commitment by listening to the Universe and being open to whatever it brings our way.

Today's Personal Commitment:What detours are happening in your life right now? And what if you were to analyze them for a moment. Are they stop signs, are they yield signs telling you to wait a little longer before jumping in, are they u-turns letting you know you're way off course, or are they turn signals telling you to take another path at the moment?

We spend so much time forcing our way through things that we miss the signals and the conversation the Universe is trying to have with us. Yes, sometimes we need to run full steam ahead breaking down any wall that gets in our way, and sometimes there are those subtle hints and signs telling us to do something different. The Universe is always communicating with you, the only question now is…are you willing to stop and work to be a better listener to what the Universe is working to tell you?

The Universe is always helping us to affirm more concretely by LIVING what we think and say we want. And so let us be reminded that what the Universe is bringing our way is not a curse, it's not a problem, it's an answer.

I Listen When The Universe Speaks To Me

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide

Wisdom Wednesdays-#410 February 14th The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I Am Free From Resentment

"The worst resentment that anybody can have is one you feel justified to keep." ~Louis Gossett, Jr.

Happy Valentines day everyone…and if you hate this holiday because you feel you have no one to love you…just know you will be my valentine, as I'm going to love you.

And on that note of love…let's talk about hate: Is there someone who gets on your nerves, and they don't even have to interact with you, just seeing them or the thought of them gets you all riled up?

Why is that?

Why do we allow people to steal our joy? And I just realized what I said, I said "why do we allow people."

People don't do anything to us, we decide how we allow them to rile us up. The control is never up to them…our control is given up to emotions that make us feel powerless.

Emotions like anger, sadness, resentment, jealousy, and other such reactions become our masters as we allow our joy and calm to be caged up. The feelings we want to feel are never taken away from us, but it's rather we lock them away. We delude ourselves thinking someone or something made us feel or act a certain way. Which is probably because it's easier to blame someone, than it is for us to take ownership in how we feel 100% of the time.

And today a lightbulb came over my head when I was driving home. There are certain people who drive me insane. Their energy and how they treat me rub me the wrong way. You know those type of people who won't say anything to you unless you say it first. You know those type of people who act all nice to you only when they want something from you. You know those type of people who have a bad attitude about everything around them and make sure to let everyone know it as well. And yes, I am generalizing as they probably aren't in a bad attitude all of the time…maybe only 99.99% of the time.

And if you're like me, you've been here many times before where in your mind you make excuses for them. You justify their behaviors reasoning about how bad their life must be, how hard they've had it, or how they have a lot going on in their life that we don't know about. And maybe you feel pity for them because it must be hard living in the pain that they've chosen to trap themselves in.

But I'm tired; I'm tired of making excuses for people being rude, mean, and ungrateful in their lives. I'm tired of people not seeing me as a person and treating me unkind or with disdain because of our energy conflicting. And today I decided to stop making excuses for people, and I decided to love them…silently. I stopped making stories up about them being great people and how they're just having a hard time. And I decided to see them as they are, with no ill will in my heart towards them. I decided to let go of my resentment towards them because it was only hurting me.

And you know what? I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, I felt my mind a little more free, and I felt more energy within me.

Now I'm not saying that we can't reason in our mind why people are the way they are. We don't know people's pains, and we don't know their coping mechanisms they utilize to push others away. So if it helps you to love someone to tell a story of how they're hurting, then do it. For me, I've been doing it for years, and it works sometimes, and sometimes I just get tired of their consistent negativity and hatefulness…and it takes energy to keep telling myself the story of how great they are when I don't feel that way in my life about them. And so I decided to stop making up stories, and to let go of my inner anger towards them.

I was wasting energy trying to force a story, and it was wearing me out. I've come to the realization that I won't reach everyone, and it's not my place to change everyone. It's only my goal to reach those who want to be reached…and some people will take longer to reach. But it's not my mission to change those who don't want to be changed. I pray to have an open heart, to free myself from resentment, and to be here to help any way that I can.

So I'm not giving up on people; I'm giving up on keeping resentment in my life. I'm giving up on trying to make people something they're not. I will love them, and I will hope for the best for them, but I 'm too tired putting energy into people who only drain me.

So if you're feeling drained too, let's make a promise to each other…let's pivot from resentment from whatever is draining us in our lives, and let's choose to create peace in our lives. For me, the people I'm talking about have done nothing to me; well, besides be who they are around me.

I've allowed myself to be reactive, and powerless, as I've allowed my emotions to control me. So I am choosing to pivot from resentment, into love of life.

In the old story, I tried to make it all about them, to focus on them…to force my love towards them. It drained me to put all my attention to that thought or task, and so I'm widening my reach of love to everything.

I'm going to love myself a little more by releasing the anger and resentment, as I focus on peace and love. I'm going to love them more by accepting them as they are, and I'll be here if they're ever ready to see life a different way. And I'm going to love the world a little more by putting more of my energy into it…instead of being so blind trying to help only one person who doesn't get along with me. I've tried to make my peace, and that's all I can do. I'm releasing resentment, so I can hold onto love of all the beautiful things around me that I've been missing by keeping my area of focus so narrow.

Today's Personal Commitment:What's draining you in your life right now? For me I needed that time alone in my car to come to my aha moment. So maybe it will take a little time in figuring that out for yourself. So I am challenging you to take to the task of finding the energy sucking people and things in your life. This week take notice and keep asking yourself how I am feeling right now? And if you are feeling worn out and drained…ask yourself why.

Keep note of your energy "suckers" and come back to look at them at the end of your week.

The reason we don't change our ways is because we are always trying to fix something, we are always trying to do a new way, we are always looking to add that silver bullet into the mix that will fix and change everything. But I think there's something more powerful that's missing before we go towards a true and lasting change.

And that thing is asking…what is the old story I was telling? Your mind is like a film reel. We keep coming back to the same ending because we are playing the same movie reel, the same footage, and yet we are expecting different results. But if we look at the old story we've been telling of why we are powerless, of why we allow our emotions to get the best of us…then we can begin doing something different. Knowledge is only half power; knowledge with action is power.

So what's the old story that's keeping you stuck? What's the old story that keeps bringing you back to ideas, people, or things that drain you? Until you label the story and begin to see it for what it is, it won't matter how many new things you try because you will continue to keep playing the same movie reel in your mind. So, become aware of your old story first, and then put in a new reel to change the ending.

I Am Free From Resentment

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide

Tag Me Tuesdays-#409 February 13th The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I Am Prepared For Anything That Comes My Way

"Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means." ~Ronald Reagan

We live in an aggressive world. If you want something, you have to fight for it; you have to put on your armor and go to war. We use different language on how we pursue things, but when it all comes down to it…we are endlessly fighting life aggressively:

• As we wage war on drugs, cancer, addiction, obesity, or the current political candidate, etc.
• We talk about fighting the clock of old age or impending deadlines looming over us
• Maybe we might say my boss is out to get me, everyone is against me, or the devil is nipping at my heels everywhere I turn.
• Or maybe it's our own excuses for why we can't be who we want to be as we blame our conditioning from our parents, our teachers, or that evil piece of chocolate cake calling our name every night…

Now I'm sure you could come up with your own reasons why you're at war daily. And this is not to say that some of those things can't be real, but our demons will be of our own making. Yes, I know some people have been through hells I can't even imagine, and I'm not minimizing their experiences. But what I am hoping, is to help people liberate themselves from their wars.

While painful, scary, and evil things can loom within the physical realm; some people will be broken by them, while others will become better because of them. And why is that? Is it superior physical strength, is it superior mental strength, or is it the luck of having a strong spirit within? I don't think so. I believe it won't hurt to have those things…but some of the strongest people I've come to know had a mental resiliency about them. They had an attitude of knowing that whatever happens to them they can come out the other side and be better because of focus.

My mentor Mike told me that how we experience things is up to us. So we can go through an emotion of pain for a moment, or we can go through it for the rest of our lives; the choice is ours. Yes, there's physical pain, there's mental pain, and maybe even spiritual pain. I'm not saying we can avoid pain altogether, but what I am saying is how long we decide to suffer…is up to us.

Suffering's a choice; it's a choice to continue to look for evidence of more pain in the present moment than to look for healing. And it's easier to find suffering within pain, the real test is to find peace within your pain. The real test is to find ways to move forward when you feel stuck. The real test is to find life when it feels like it's the end.

Quitting is easy, and we don't see how much we let it affect our lives. We think quitting is only when we physically give up when we've exhausted all of our efforts. But a resilient mind doesn't quit; it's always looking for a way to view something better. It's more than a will to survive, as survival is an instinctual reaction to find a way out…any way possible. But mental resiliency takes a different mindset than survival, as it's about finding peace, love, and hope in any situation…rather than just getting through it. It takes a strength of never quitting, it takes a strength of being more creative in finding another way, and it takes the strength of belief in yourself when it would be easier to give in or give up on yourself. Because sometimes survival isn't about making it through, but more in taking an easier road when we feel stuck.

The people we admire, the people who have what we want, or are doing what we want don't come to their fortunes by chance. They've come to it with a resiliency to push past the pain, to become stronger mentally, physically, and spiritually…well hopefully. Some people win by cheating…but they don't win in the long run. And you and I aren't in this race of life for the short haul, we are in it until the end.

There's a quote I like that says "go the extra mile; it's never crowded there." It's easy to see the finish line and sprint for it, but the finish line isn't our end goal. We let people influence us by telling us what's important. It's that shiny object we thought that would give us what we wanted. That new car, more money, that new house, that new relationship…but the getting of the thing is the start of the process. It's about how you keep the things you seek. Because any fool can achieve something without really understanding the commitment involved in keeping it long term.

And I believe a fulfilling life isn't in what we receive, but it's in being prepared for whatever comes our way. And if being prepared for anything is one of our main goals in life, it won't matter what we gain, or what's taken away, or whatever devil comes our way—it will be the knowledge that the goal wasn't the reward…it was the recognition to ourself to be tested and to come out the other side better because of it.

What if you shifted your focus away from fighting to have something, into allowing yourself to achieve it? What if you stopped trying to force yourself to the desired outcome, and you decided to be engaged by the obstacles in a healthier way? Because the only obstacle in your way is yourself—and the best way to win a war is not to be in one to begin with. The best way to create a fulfilling life is being prepared for what comes your way—by choosing not to suffer anymore but to free yourself. It's the journey of focusing on finding ways to enjoy your life positively, and then helping others to do the same too.

Our happiness, our hope, and our victories are everyone else's too. When you understand you aren't fighting a war, you will engage things differently. And as my mentor Mike said, we can choose how we want to deal with our emotions. We can suffer for the rest of our lives by giving in and saying our mental fortitude isn't resilient enough, we can go about our lives only trying to survive…reacitng to every situation holding on for dear life…or we can find better emotions and ways to live our lives in EVERY moment…not just when it suits us.

It takes a lot of energy to wage a war on everything that puts resistance against you. I think about martial arts, and how some forms practice the art of transferring their opponent's energy back at them instead of fighting against them. When we are aggressively fighting everything that pushes back, we not only attract more aggression into our lives but it becomes our standard operating procedure.

Think of yourself as a manager, and every obstacle that you butt heads with you is one of your employees. Do you think a successful manager would fight every employee? Probably not, unless this manager was Bruce Lee of course, but they find a way to work differently—to work with their employees instead of fighting them. Now, sure the manager could fire each employee thus not having a company anymore, but I think there's a better way than fighting. You are the author of your life story; you are the screenwriter of your movie. Are you going to be an action star beating everyone up in the end never really making any progress and probably dying a bloody death at the end? Or are you going to be the wise sage who doesn't fight with everything but finds better ways to move about their life?

Today's Personal Commitment:How we engage energy is how energy will continually come into our lives. Maybe this might be difficult to think about because fighting back is what we've been taught—to fight back against what we don't want. And I think we need to take a stand for the hard lines in our lives, but I also think there are better ways to engage things that seemingly engage us.

In nature a flower doesn't fight back against the storm by getting rigid, it learns to sway with it, so it doesn't snap at its stem. You can fight the universe all you like, but I'll guarantee you won't win. It has more patience than you. So think about the things you are fighting against in your life, and ask yourself the question of what if you were to do something different what would that look like? How could you go about this better…how could you be better at war by not getting into wars?

I don't have the answers for you, but I think there are different ways we can go about finding those answers. If we only know one action—engagement head on—you will be a General within an eternal war losing overtime because you never learned to adapt appropriately.

I'm challenging you to to be prepared for anything by transferring energy better rather than fighting head-on against it every time. So write down the battles you've been fighting so hard against…and losing, and ask if there's a better way. Write down your answer and write down how you plan on taking action and then following through consistently.

I Am Prepared For Anything That Comes My Way

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide

Mindful Mondays-408# February 12th The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I Say Yes To Great Opportunities

"I imagine that yes is the only living thing." ~E. E. Cummings

That's a pretty powerful quote when you think about it, and usually the simplest things are the most profound. What I heard when I saw that quote is—there is ONLY life in yes. And if No is the opposite of yes, then "no" is lifeless.

But how can that be, because "no" is an answer in helping us describe what we don't want? And I wouldn't disagree with you, but I think there are better ways to focus—then on the word "no." In my life coaching practice, I talk about focusing on what we want, not on what we don't want. With the law of attraction some people claim that the Universe cannot hear words that focus on lack—so words like "no" or "don't" are ignored by the Universe. However, those words can have power over us…because if we focus on lack we will get more of what we focus upon.

So when we say things like I don't want to be fat, I don't want to be poor, or I don't want to be alone—the universe negates those words we send out—and in this case, it erases the word don't. So the Universe, only hears you saying I want to be fat, I want to be poor, I want to be alone and will continue to send out that energy to you.

That's why E.E. Cummings quote was so profound for me. It reminded me about the power of our word choice, and it got me thinking about babies. Have you ever heard a baby who only says "no." It makes you really think about how you speak to your children. Kathryn Perrotti Leavitt from American Baby wrote an article about how to discipline your baby better during certain ages in their life rather than by using the word "no."

"From birth to 15 months you distract the baby from the forbidden toy or activity with a more appropriate one. From ages 12 months and up you utilize modeling by helping the child to do something more appropriate with a forbidden object. So if the child is hitting the kitty, you would show the child how to pet the kitty nicely. And from toddler and up you put their booty in time out."

I spent a lot of time in time out myself. It helped to calm me down, but it was probably more for my mom so she didn't murder me. In Ms. Leavitt's article, she said something interesting. She said "of course, many of us merely say no when we catch our kids getting into mischief. Your child knows by the tone of your voice that "no" means something different from "I love you," but she doesn't understand the real meaning of the word."

So we aren't expressing love as much when we take the easier road of saying "no" to our children. And that's what the Universe is trying to teach us as well. There are better ways to get what you want instead of focusing on the lack in your life. And like a baby who is wreaking havoc in your world, it's not because your child is trying to test your patience, but it's what Ms. Leavitt says is that your baby is exploring cause and effect.

And if we are like babies, we are throwing our words and actions around in our lives hoping for them to work someday, never really understanding that the Universe is modeling a way of life for us. It's showing us a better way to focus and live…if only we stop trying to force things from focusing on what's lacking, and instead learn to see the infinite power and abundance in our lives. And Mr. Cummings quote reminded me that when we lean more towards those lacking words that are easier to speak, we aren't being as effective in our lives because those words are essentially lifeless.

I know it seems like I'm being anal when I correct people on how they speak, but when we focus on the power of abundance we allow more abundance in. When we say "yes" we are bringing life to ourselves. It's not that we can't ever say "no," or "don't," or "can't"…but maybe we can say better things. Maybe we can pivot away from focusing on why we can't—to how we can, maybe we can focus away from what we don't want—to what we do want, and maybe instead of saying no we can find things that we want to say yes to.

So, let's try a few pivots in our thoughts and speech patterns…instead of saying I don't want to be poor maybe we could say I allow abundance to flow freely and effortlessly into my life. Instead of saying I can't, or it's too hard to lose the weight; maybe we could say I was created healthy and I have the knowledge and wherewithal to let the health that's already within me…out. Now, I know those are wordy affirmations. I was just thinking off the cuff, but what I wanted to display there is by saying "yes," by focusing on abundance…it takes creativity. It takes a different thought process to not just stop at saying I want something or don't want something, but also to allow ourselves to stop blocking the energy of abundance into our lives.

Because what we want is already within us, we just haven't figured out a way to relax enough, to stop fighting ourselves. We've forgotten that the more we focus on the beliefs of why we can't have something, or don't deserve something, are behaviors that are teaching us about powerlessness in our lives. They are behaviors that teach us to close down instead of open up and allow the great gifts already within us out.

We are doing the equation backwards, hoping to gain something by focusing on our lack of something. Which traps us having to work harder every time thinking that what we want is outside of ourselves. I'm not saying there won't be work involved. What I am saying is that freedom comes from a shift in consciousness; a shift of understanding our power differently—which is to focus less on the physical work and begin working from the inside out.

Because saying yes to life is an easy task, but it's not a simple one. It's a pathway of understanding and seeing how the Universe works. It's a pathway of shutting our eyes off and letting go of our preconceived notions of how we think the physical world works. We've been conditioned to work harder if we aren't getting what we want, but it's not just about working harder…it's about seeing things differently. Working smarter means seeing something more; seeing beyond the physical; and understanding for everytime we say no, can't, don't or any other lacking word that takes our power away we are laying waste to life. But when we are more creative and see abundance by saying yes to the things we want, then we are creating life. And as E.E. Cummings said that he "imagined" yes as the only living thing…we will be purposeful in doing more than imagining…as we deliberately utilize words that have higher vibrational energies that bring life into the world.

Today's Personal Commitment:

Have a notepad by your side all day, or keep track on your phone in your notes app. Make a tally mark anytime that you say no, or focus on your lack in some way. The more we become aware of how much we focus on our lack then the more enlightened we'll become. We'll realize that we are more negative than we realized, and that will bring about change. I never thought I was a negative person, I was always saying how happy I was, or trying to brighten someone's day…and then when I did a similar exercise…it really made me aware how I wasn't as deliberate with focusing on happiness and abundance in my life like I thought I was. Which was showing me how I was creating lifelessness rather than life.

Once you become aware of all you are doing negatively, it's not that you need to get rid of it, but it's about knowing that change is only a subtle shift. So instead of getting upset at yourself, think about what a loving parent would do for you—they would model better behavior. So be your own best parent and model better thoughts, actions, and words that focus on your infinite abundance that the Universe has in store for you. What do you have to lose besides your old lifeless ineffective ways?

I Say Yes To Great Opportunities

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide

Smiling Sundays-#407 February 11th The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I Wait Patiently Through Action

"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time." ~Leo Tolstoy

The right moment doesn't reveal itself to us as we wish it would. We want things to be perfect, but wants and wishes will blind us from seeing a moment as what it is…already perfect. For in every moment there is perfection within it. Because in every moment is the chance to fall in love, it might be the moment when your million dollar idea hits you, and it might be that time when you come to your A-Ha moment that helps you to make sense of all the pathways of mistakes—brought you to this exact moment for a reason.

We spend our entire lives searching for the perfect moment that we miss the perfect moment. We've put a filter over our eyes looking for the exact time when things will be right…never truly understanding that that moment is right now. In some sense, you've come to the crossroads of protection and procrastination. We procrastinate because change is hard and we want to think about things which is a protective measure to make sure we don't go down the wrong path. I mean you only have one life, so don't waste it…right?

But thinking that way is the surest way to waste your life. Stalling in hopes to see the planets and stars align, is a sure recipe for failure, when you aren't even sure what you're looking for. And the only way to succeed is to move forward with full knowledge that falling is how we get to know what works and what doesn't. It's the only way we get to experience life and find perfection in every moment.

Today's affirmation—I Patiently Wait Through Action, and the quote—"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time" seem to be in conflict with what I'm saying. And maybe it could be perceived that way, if you think that taking action is not part of waiting. And the surest way to miss your life is to lay in wait hoping to see the perfect moment when it happens. Waiting for perfection isn't the same as being active while looking for perfection. And when we wait without moving forward in one manner or another…we miss out on great friendships by being too scared to get out into the world; we miss sunrises by waiting to see the stars; and we forget that what we speak, think, and act is what we manifest into the world.

I was having trouble brainstorming what to say for this podcast. I was procrastinating a bit. I watched some TV, I went out to Smoothie King to get a delicious Pineapple Surf smoothie, and I came back fighting working on this.

But I forced myself to write…for about 5 minutes. I was overwhelmed with all that work I'd done, and I needed a break, so I opened up my email. I opened up a letter someone had written me, and I was reminded about what we speak and focus upon we create in the world. Even though I've seen the great power of what affirmations have done in my life, and doing a daily on affirmations podcast, it can be easy for me to forget about the idea of purposefully projecting what I want into the Universe. I get caught in the routine of living life…not creating life.

And in this email the sender wrote: "I want to share something with you. One morning last week I wrote 'I am magnificent' as my affirmation for the day. Immediately, I felt that I also need to write "I am wealthy," which I did. Then I had breakfast and listened to your podcast (for the first time) . I chose # 376 without reading what it was about. And it was very interesting to hear what you were saying, so I listened until the end - when the affirmation said was "I am already wealthy." Coincidence? We don't think so, do we?"

So let us state what we want to manifest in our lives, and let's get to work with faith and patience knowing we are on the path to achieving it. Most of the things I wanted, but didn't get, were either because something better was meant for me, or I didn't have enough faith to be patient while I moved forward. I get it; it's easier to hope standing still than to move forward in good faith knowing it will all work out as it needs to be.

So are you standing still caught in a wishful hope…or are you moving forward with faith knowing you will manifest what you set your mind to?

Today's Personal Commitment:Take out a sheet of paper. Brainstorm and write down all the things you are waiting for right now without taking action on it one way or another. I'm not saying we need to take action on all of them, but look over the list and circle the three most important ones.

Then write down what actions you are taking while patiently waiting for the next steps to reveal themselves. Yes, I know sometimes we need to step back to allow things to work their way towards us, but also we need to take actions towards it in one way or another. It's not that the early bird gets the worm…it's that the bird is consistently getting up early every day to get what it needs. So if you are doing the work to learn more, to become better, or whatever you need to do in bringing you closer to your goal while you wait—what would that look like?

Life doesn't just happen; we partake in life. And even if we aren't moving in life, we are still partaking in it. Leo called patience and time great warriors. We too, are great warriors; but not in battle against patience and time, but more in moving with them instead of waiting or fighting against them. Because if we fight those great warriors, we will always lose. So let us be powerful by moving with time and patience, in doing what's necessary to bring us closer to the things we wish to manifest into the world. Because the way I see it is we are never waiting; we are always preparing ourselves to be in better alignment. And that's what great warriors do; they don't wait they are always training and preparing.

I Wait Patiently Through Action

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide

Synergistic Saturdays-#406 February 10th The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I Am Purposeful In How I Want To Feel

"The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls." ~Pablo Picasso

Let's face it…we all are living the busiest lives we know. It doesn't matter what anyone else is doing. We still think we have the busiest lives in the world, and if only people understood this maybe we could get some of that sympathy we deserve.

I'll admit to how frustrated I was this week. It started bubbling up Tuesday night, and it was getting progressively worse as I got further in the week. And what I teach my life coaching students, I was being put to the test as well if I could live and not just speak this truth…that we don't get what we want, we get what we focus on. I was being reminded that the world around me wasn't creating how I felt, but that I was focusing on the things in my life that were going wrong…which was bringing my focus to it and then creating more of it.

Doing a daily podcast is a great thing to do, and I love doing it, but I've fallen behind in my flow, as usually I like to be at least a week ahead. But lately I've been right on time getting the podcast out right before my midnight deadline for the next day. And every night I spend time thinking, recording, editing, and then getting it populated into podcast land. I'm not complaining about it, but I could just feel the frustration building up within me from being caught up every night stuck in creating this podcast.

Which was spreading my frustrations out into every part of my life and affecting me negatively. And today, I felt myself getting angry at someone driving too fast in the parking being a jerk so I couldn't cross first. I found myself frustrated as I was a little behind on things as I usually like to get to appointments early, but I was right on time to each appointment, and I felt stress from having to rush to them. And I found myself being more quiet around people, as I was feeling annoyed with everything.

I felt a heaviness within me and I knew I had to change something, or I would continue on this path that I didn't want to be a part of anymore. And so I decided to remind myself of the advice I give to all my life coaching students as I said in my mind…"you don't get what you want, you get what you focus on." And I then asked myself how I wanted to feel?

I replied, "I want to feel calm."

And so I set out to think more calm things, which then helped me to speak calm things, which helped me to act calmer.

Our atmosphere is not determined by what's surrounding us; Our atmosphere is dictated by the emotions we put out into the world. So if you aren't getting the outcome you want, you might want to look at the emotions you're focusing on. Zig Ziglar said, Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude. Meaning your skill set, or outside influences, will not determine your place—your attitude will. Your decision to choose how you want to feel will make you or break you.

And so I've decided to not let frustration be my master, but instead to have calm be my response to everything today. I'm sure I'll have to remind myself of that tomorrow and the day after. Because you see, it's not that once you decide to be a certain way you won't ever go back to that negative place; it's that once you decide to choose the emotions you want, instead of being controlled by them, it will then get easier to continually transition into more positive purposeful emotions.

So let's not beat a dead horse here, let's become aware of the emotions that drain us as we pivot from them, and then purposefully focus on putting more emotions that energize us into the world. Because the life you live is determined by the attitude you decide to live within.

Today's Personal Commitment:Attitude check!!!! How are you feeling right now, are you feeling energized and full of life, or are you feeling drained, frustrated, angry, or any other negative emotion? And once you figure out what emotion your feeling, ask why you're feeling that way.

Get to the root of the emotion. Instead of saying I'm upset because my partner is being a jerk…maybe you might see that you're upset because you're allowing your partner's mood to affect you. We look to attribute our good or bad feelings on those outside factors, and it's not that they don't affect us one way or another…but it's that they aren't the final determinant of how we feel. We decide how we want to experience a situation. And like my frustration filled week, I could have decided to stay stuck there. I could have focused more on how I have so much work, and how I'm so behind—which would slow down my progress and work effort even more…keeping me locked in that emotion. Or I could execute what I decided to do—which is find the emotion I wanted to live within, find ways to breathe through the stress, and then begin focusing more upon the calm I had in my life already and the calm I was going to create.

You are the pilot of your life. Are you going to crash and burn letting things control you, or are you going to focus on how you want to feel and take back control of the flight stick in your life? The choice is always yours—not someone or something else. Those external things are just easy excuses to blame so we don't have to do the work. But I hope you do the most important work you'll ever do, which is choosing how you want to feel and following through consistently on it every day.

I Am Purposeful In How I Want To Feel

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide

Fantastic Fridays-#405 February 9th The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I Follow My Intuition

The only real valuable thing is intuition. Albert Einstein

A few years ago I was working out with a good friend of mine. This friend was so energetic, they were such a happy soul, and they displayed so much kindness in who they were…everyday. It was a joy to be around this person, and I was glad to call them a good friend of mine.

When we would do our workouts together at the gym we'd talk about the happenings of our lives, and we always made time to talk about great new food places that had opened up. And one day, we had our everyday normal conversation, but I didn't realize the importance of it until years later when she told me how it had changed her life.

This friend and I parted ways for a bit as some changes happened in her life, and recently we have begun working out together again once a week. And she brought up that life changing conversation for her and let me know how powerful it was. All I was really doing was complimenting her life as I said you have such a great life, a great husband, awesome kids, a nice house, and I said jokingly you get to eat at all those nice new food places too. As I said those words to her, she was doing some planks on the ground, and she didn't say anything right away. But when she got up she said to me, "Things aren't always as they seem."

At the time it just seemed like a normal comment that things aren't as perfect as we'd like them to be. But with her having a few years separation from saying that comment, she had more clarity about it now. At the time she said it, she didn't know where it came from. It hadn't really entered her conscious mind that something was wrong. And I think that was from her not being comfortable enough to say outloud what her intuition was telling her.

It was that voice inside her that she had buried deep within. It was the knowing something was wrong but never really wanting to investigate it or think about it…because that might mean pain. For it's easier to hide the darkness then it is to let it out into the world. It's easier to live in our so-called perfect world for everyone else to think things are great, as we fool even ourselves, all while pieces of us inside are being silenced so as to not break the perfect dream we are pretending to live in.

It's been years since we've had that conversation, and she's now divorced and remarried to the person who really knows her. Over the years of us talking I remember talking about relationship issues, and life choices…and how sometimes we have no clue why we married who we did or why we made certain choices at the time that really never meshed with who we were.

But one simple comment of saying how perfect her life was, was the moment she was able to voice something inside that had been scratching at her brain for a long time. It was something that she wanted to voice but either didn't know how to, or didn't know who to voice it to, or even if she could voice it…ever. We grow up being told what fairy tales are, that things will last forever, and that there's a happily ever after in every story. And I'm not saying there aren't happy endings in our stories. What I am saying, is there's so much unhappiness in the world because we're trying to live other people's fairytales. And we live in a story that doesn't serve us because we don't want to hurt anyone else involved.

Our intuition is wise if we can just learn to shut off our consciousness for a little bit. We think too hard, and we try to force things with our wit, and it's not that intelligence is a bad thing…but it's that's our knowledge has limited reach. It's based within the physical realm; it's about knowing things rather than truly understanding them on a whole different level.

In my book I'll be publishing in the next few months, I talk about honing your intuition. There are different ways that we come to our knowing, but how we begin hearing that voice of truth— that voice of all-knowing within us, is by learning to silence our minds a little more often. It's about leaving room for a calmness instead of trying to always be distracted with constant chatter whether in our mind, on the radio, or the TV. Silence scares us because we'll have to face some truths we don't necessarily ever want to face.

And like my friend and her previous marriage, she knew there were things that were crippling her, her partner, and her kids by trying to live in this fairytale that wasn't hers. Being raised religiously, she had said that divorce wasn't an option. But when the other person isn't willing to grow with you, what do you do then? I'm not saying divorce is the answer either, but what I am leaning more towards is hearing our intuition before the problem occurs.

Maybe we wouldn't get into relationships we weren't meant to be in just because we were afraid of being alone, or they fit our checkboxes of how tall they need to be, or if they are a good dancer, or if they have a certain hair color or eye color, or such. Maybe we wouldn't take jobs that are killing us because we thought it would be the most logical choice…all while we are dying more and more inside every day from it. Maybe we wouldn't have to make compromises to our integrity as we tell ourselves it's part of the game to get what we want—to get that shiny thing we thought that would make us happy …when all it was, was a distraction keeping us from being who were meant to be.

Now we need to make mistakes to learn, but maybe we could avoid some of the mistakes by taking a higher road of hearing our intuition. I believe our intuition will always let us know a better path, a better way, and a higher form of wisdom as we let go of trying to think out the most perfect scenario with our mind. There's a wisdom within us that can guide us. There's a better way being mapped out for us. There's an answer for that unsolvable problem…if only we become silent long enough to practice honing in on our intuition. And with my friend, all it took was a simple statement, and the comfort of being willing to voice something deeper within herself to come to an awareness she had been avoiding. And in the end her intuition didn't misguide her; in fact, I think she's living her happily ever after right now.

Today's Personal Commitment:What does your intuition sound like? How do you know when it's speaking?

For everyone, it might be different. For me, I feel it in my solar plexus as my body guides me to let me know something feels off, and when I meditate and get silent long enough, I hear a booming voice that helps answer questions I've been seeking. I'm not perfect so a lot of times I forget to come back to that peace, as I get comfortable in my life, and I move more into reaction rather than proactively feeling my way through my intuition. But when I stop and work to center myself again, I find a calm over time, and I hear that booming voice letting me know things I need to hear.

Intellect is a great thing, but there's a higher wisdom when we learn to not only hear our intuition but to connect with it and take action upon it. It's one thing to hear our intuition, and it's another thing to trust it and take action upon it. So I'm challenging you this week to find more time to silence the chatter in your mind and work to hear your intuition. It will be a lifelong journey, but it will be a worthwhile journey.

I Follow My Intuition

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide

Thoughtful Thursdays-#404 January 8th The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

If I'm Going To Be Anything, I'm Going To Be Useful

"Be yourself, but always your better self." ~Karl G. Maese

I wrote this poem back in September of 2016 and I wanted to share it for this podcast

I wanted to be a pilotCrashing through the heavens,But I realized that I shouldn't have touchedThings that weren't meant for me yet,That I shouldn't have reached so highBecause sometimes a dreamer needs to be grounded.From the plans that haven't been formed…Yet.

I know I jumped too soon,I wanted to see what was behind the curtain,Before paying my dues.

It's not that we can't dream bigger, laugh harder, and love fuller,But great things come with work,Not so much in the grind of it,But in the work of being willing to wait forever,For the things that matter the most in life.

And so,I get to work on life,Connecting to this world a little better,Shattering the glass ceiling above,Not because I'm impatient,But because I work patiently,As I want to see the stars glisten,And I want to feel the heavens within my soul,All while I continually keep asking Did I put myself to good use today?CJO 9-7-16

A friend of mine was telling me about his son. He was told me how naturally gifted he was, and how he got things so quickly. And over the years of us knowing each other, he would tell me about all the great things happening within their father and son relationship. I believe his son was 5 or 6 and my friend and his wife decided they wanted to give their child an allowance for doing things around the house. And so, his son was excited knowing he would have money and be in control of his life. He could buy the things he wanted and not have to beg mom and dad like he used to…he would be a free man.

My friend's son asked what was entailed with his new job. And my friend began explaining it was putting things away he had taken out, it was about helping mom around the house, it was to learn new things on his own, and he said a few other things I don't quite remember. But the thing that really stuck with me, is my friend said to his son…your new job is about being useful.

And I thought that was a beautiful way of describing his son's new job in one descriptive word. And so I want to ask you that question: Are you being useful?

In your family life…are you being useful to everyone involved?

At your job whether you're an owner, a manager, or you're one of the one's managed… are you being useful?

In your life are you being useful to yourself and to those around you?

I know how easy it is to get caught in living life, in doing what's required, so that we no longer are being useful anymore. Sure, we're showing up in body but we aren't bringing something better to the situation. We are slowing our output down, we are becoming stagnant, and sometimes our energy and our attitudes of helplessness or hopelessness are overtaking our lives as we feel the burden and boredom of our repetitious life.

So I want to ask you a blunt question…are you being useful?

What was the first thing that popped up in your mind?

Now if you heard what I said, I didn't ask, are you useful? That's not a real question because you're here, so you're useful automatically. The real question is whether you are putting yourself to good use.

The old me, the one who was very hard on myself, the old depressed suicidal thinking me, the old me caught in self-pity, the old me who found ways to put all the blame on myself…was a person who had trouble answering that question because I had a darkened view of life by how I spoke about myself. And this is why I do this podcast because affirmations changed how I saw myself, affirmations changed how I acted in my life, and affirmations changed my hope in life. The reason I bring this up, is sometimes we can be too hard on ourselves and not see that we are bringing great worth into this world…so I want to ask you this question again…and I want you to let go of any preconceived notions of who you've been, good or bad…and just let your subconscious answer it freely.

Are you being useful in this life?

And if not why not?

And once you figure out why not…ask yourself how you can begin being useful?

It's a daunting question to ask how do I be useful? I mean where do you even start because there are a million options, there's a big world out there, and it can be hard to really pick a place to begin. But that's because we've made it too hard. We've made that question too big. The things that have been the most useful in my life where those small things that kept me going. They were those friends who reminded me subtly how I was doing a good job and to keep going, or it was the internal drive to create habits of doing something every day towards a goal I set—to keep chipping away at it even when it felt like I wasn't making much progress. And it was the times that I stepped out of my little bubble and asked what my job needed more of, what my family needed more of, and what the world needed more of…and how could I be part of the answer for that?

So how can you focus on being useful right now? So take a quick second and think about what you could do this moment to be a little more useful here, right now. Yes, some of you may be driving, so it may be harder…but maybe being useful while you're driving is being more attentive on the road keeping everyone safe. Maybe if you're running a meeting, you could see how you can help your team be more engaged by asking more questions instead of just talking the whole time. Maybe when you come home you can ask your partner how you can help out with preparing something instead of it always being all on them.

And to become useful, it's not about doing those grand gestures that we think about...you know the ones that say we have to be the hero to be useful. It's actually the small questions that will be the most valuable we keep asking ourselves of what am I doing right now…and how can I be more useful in this endeavor.

Lao Tzu said, "Great acts are made up of small deeds." Being useful begins with becoming more aware of where we are, what we're doing, and asking ourselves or others…how can I be of better service to you? Because we already are useful; but are we putting ourselves to good use? I think the lives we want to live are ones not of surviving, but of being of good use to the world. So how can you make an impact in your little corner of the world no matter how big or small—how can you do something right now to be of use to someone, somewhere…even if that person's you?

Today's Personal Commitment:

What's your impact on the world? No matter how big or how small what is the impact your making? I'm serious here…give me an answer, give me any answer. But don't take too much time to think about it, just say what bubbles up from your subconscious. And if you're coming up blank…maybe you should start asking that question a little more deliberately in your life.

And as I said earlier being impactful doesn't have to involve only big things either because the small daily acts of impact usually will be better than the occasional big goal we try to achieve…if we ever do reach that pie in the sky goal we've set for ourselves. And it's not that I'm saying to have a small impact, it's that I'm saying the small consistent impactful things will become big, huge, great, amazing things in this world.

So how can you be of good use today? How can you ask yourself that question every morning…and then finish your night off with the questions—was I successful in being useful today, and did I have an impact on this day?

From a small seed, a mighty gift will be born into this world. So plant your impact seeds daily, and continue to water them—as a mighty and beautiful life will be born because of this

If I'm Going To Be Anything, I'm Going To Be Useful

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected] phone:865-219-3247

Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide