If you have a good relationship with your intuition and know how to trust your gut, then you have a gift that most people lack. But even with this gift, sometimes it can be hard to follow up on what our intuition/gut tells us. Especially when it means doing something outside of our comfort zone or anything that might disrupt our personal status quo. When that happens, when we say “no” to something that we should be saying “yes” to,… Read more

What happens so much in life is that we let others dictate our outlook. The slightest criticism, real or imagined, can often change the way we view our work and our world. It’s why I find the following quote, from the artist Georgia O’Keefe, so refreshing. When asked if she got nervous before her art was put on exhibit, she said: “I have a show for myself before I show it publicly. I make up my own mind about it–good,… Read more

I have several notebooks of quotes and sayings that I’ve collected over the past 15 years or so, some of which I’m now re-reading for the first time since I wrote them down. There is one quote I stumbled upon that puzzled me, as I wasn’t sure how to take it. Perhaps it is no surprise that it comes from a figure often seen as polarizing, the former pro football coach Bill Parcells. Commenting on his refusal to look past… Read more

I’ve always believed there is a certain order to life–that the world turns in a manner that places the people we are supposed to meet, and the life lessons we are supposed to learn, right in front of us. It is the hand of God at work. Yet, even with this help from God, it does not mean that we should experience life as spectators. We must be full participants in life, looking for the people and signs that can… Read more

There was an interesting piece on the different ways people pray in a recent edition of the NY Times magazine. It included the tale of a man who was finding traditional prayer meaningless. He received the following advice: Tell this to God directly and see what happens. While there is no one way to pray, this strikes me as the best possible advice for anyone looking for guidance. Talk to God directly. In time, with patience, you will find that… Read more

You don’t need to read much more than the title of John A. Sanford’s book The Kingdom Within to walk away a wiser person. (Another favorite title of mine: the even more telling The Kingdom of God is Within You by Leo Tolstoy.) Sanford is an Episcopalian priest and noted author and while he preaches that the kingdom can only be found within, he also points out that actually entering the kingdom can be a difficult task. As evidence he… Read more

“Everything emerges from a hidden mystery. The point of life is to be in harmony with this hidden source.” Thomas Moore The hidden source lies within and when you’re in synch with it, everything becomes a little clearer. There’s no hesitation in your life. You know what to do and when to do it. What to say and when to say it. You know if you should change jobs or stay put. Know if you should buy a new car… Read more

It’s funny, but sometimes good advice can come from people and places that may surprise you. Take these words of wisdom from the singer Willie Nelson: “No one knows more about God’s plan for yourself than you and I know ourselves.” It’s a statement that has a ring of truth to it. Yet, finding that plan is often easier said than done, because it takes courage – the courage to trust your own instincts, and listen to the small but… Read more

Napolean Hill wrote a book called Think and Grow Rich and since its publication over 75 years ago, it has sold over 15 million copies. In it, Hill makes a claim that you might not expect from a “get rich” book. Using the term Infinite Intelligence in lieu of God, Hill claimed that there was a “larger mind” out there, and that it was the true way to find success and happiness. By accessing this Infinite Intelligence, he believed we… Read more

The clues to finding God are sprinkled throughout the writings of the world’s great thinkers, often appearing as small diamonds within thick texts. “No one has known God who has not known himself,” said the religious scholar Meister Eckhardt. Socrates echoed a similar thought claiming that “our own self-knowledge is a knowledge of God”. Yet, in a time when our leisure moments are so cluttered by diversions, how many of us really take the time to look within, to discover… Read more