Failure Isn't Always Fatal

In my last post I began putting the pedal to the metal by accelerating my providing of information on how to experience life successfully here and now. I selected the intellect to begin with because it is the most volatile of our 3 natures. I call it "The Battleground", since it's where the fierce fight for control of how we live out our life in the physical world takes place.

I stated that in order for us to live prosperously and peacefully there must be interaction between our spiritual and intellectual natures. This interaction is not religious in nature, but more about balance and growth. We have to recognize that our spiritual nature, like our intellectual one, is immaterial in that it can't be seen or felt.

Our spiritual nature allows us to communicate with the spiritual world, which consists of entities that can help or hinder us in our efforts to live the life we desire. Yes, there are spiritual entities out there that try to influence our core beliefs and attempt to rule us completely. However as a result of free will, which is an integral part of our intellect, we can pick and choose which spiritual entities get to play in our game.

I like to describe our spiritual nature as an internal GPS that provides us with directions towards our goals and ultimate life's purpose. After the destination is input, our GPS obtains advice from different spirits along the way to guide us there safely. Because our goals and destinations usually take years to complete it's important that we keep our spiritual nature strong and properly nourished. And using our intellect to provide the necessary food for successful growth in the spiritual realm does this. We can't expect our GPS to mature and function properly if we keep feeding it the same food we fed it as a child.

For instance, if we find that we are continually failing in one or more aspects of our life (relationships, finances, health, business, etc.) then we might want to take a look at how we keep arriving there. Could it be that unfriendly spirits, influencing us to create negative core beliefs, are impeding us? If so, don’t despair. These spirits will occupy a weakened GPS and lead us to destinations of their choice until we tell them to leave. The beauty of life is that “failure isn't always fatal” and because of free will we can turn our lives around at any instant. However, this won't happen until we become sick and tired of being sick and tired of our continued failures.

We can replace these unfriendly spirits with friendly ones that help us to create positive core beliefs. We can positively use our past failures as teaching points to help others to avoid what we've experienced. You see every dark cloud does have a silver lining. Allow me to close by paraphrasing the poem "Invictus", "It matters not how straight the gate or charged with punishment the scroll, we are the masters of our fate. We are the captains of our souls".

I will continue this subject in my next post. Until then, here's hoping that you live today and every day passionately and with purpose. Thank you and God bless!

Intellect Is Not Enough!

Hello again, and thanks for your interest. In this post we're going to begin to understand what it takes to improve our life physically, spiritually and intellectually. It does not matter if we are in a jail cell or a boardroom. It doesn't matter if we're going through bankruptcy or experiencing great financial success. It doesn't matter if our physical body is deteriorating or we are at the pinnacle of physical fitness. What does matter is that we recognize we have the power to improve our condition and begin experiencing a prosperous and peaceful life right here and right now.

To begin, let us take a look at our intellectual nature. It consists of our conscious and subconscious mind, our will, desires and emotions. Some folks may call this the soul, life force or heart of man. It's not important what it’s called as long as we recognize its existence and that it is distinct from our other natures. Many say that it separates from our physical body during death and continues to exist. Others say that when we die, it dies. I am not here to try to convince you one way or the other. I just want you to understand that it does exist and is separate from our physical and spiritual nature.

I like to call our intellectual nature “The Battleground”. This is the place where all of our mental and emotional distress takes place. And, although it's not physical in nature, that is, it can’t be touched, smelled or seen, it can have a devastating effect on our physical body. As a result, it is not to be completely trusted in and of itself because as easily as it can lead us to unlock the mysteries of the universe it can lead us to wrongly convict someone of a crime they didn't commit.

At the center of our intellectual nature is this thing called “free will”. Our free will gives us the ability to choose whatever course of action we desire. It allows us to do so whether or not the course we choose is helpful or harmful to others. However, we must recognize that there are always consequences associated with whatever actions we take.  In case you are asking “How is this information going to help me improve my life?” let me get to the meat of this post.

You may have heard the saying “The mind is a terrible thing to waste”. And that's just my point. Our mind, an integral component of our intellectual nature, is one of the greatest tools that we as human beings have available to us. As a tool it can be used to create works of good or evil. However, as a result of free will, we can allow our minds to be influenced by whatever we choose. This is where our spiritual nature comes in to work hand-in-hand with our intellectual nature.

As stated in earlier posts our intellectual, spiritual and physical natures must interact together in order for us to experience the prosperous and peaceful life that we seek. In my next post I will discuss how our spiritual influences our intellectual nature. Until then here's wishing that you live today and every day passionately and with purpose. Thank you and God bless!

Improve Your Life Here and Now!

Hello, Al Spinks here, and thanks for your interest. You know what? I just don't get it. We live in one of the greatest nations on earth but I feel we're letting that greatness slip away. From an individual perspective, it seems as if we are yielding to a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. It's as if we want others to do for us that which we are very capable of doing for ourselves. We want to become rich, famous and healthy over night but have a tendency to become depressed when that doesn’t happen. We seem to have forgotten that we have to put in work in order to attain anything worthwhile.

In a conversation with my son Michael who is a personal fitness trainer, we discussed how even after an intense workout we are not able to see any significant change in our body the next day. We just put in the work and have faith that over time a proper combination of diet and exercise will produce the desired results. It's a process that works and this process will work for anyone regardless of his or her physical condition. To obtain this better level of fitness all we have to do is start where we are, have a plan and put in the work.

So, if we can gain better fitness by assessing our current physical condition and creating a plan to improve it, don't you think we can do the same thing to gain a better life? All we have to do is assess our current spiritual, intellectual and physical condition and then execute a plan to improve them. We all have inside of us the necessary components to positively change the quality of our life. We just gotta wanna do it and get started right here and right now.

First, we must take responsibility for whatever hand life has dealt us. It's not as hard as you think. As a matter of fact it's kind of easy. As stated in earlier posts, our health, age, circumstances and situations do not matter. All we have to do is want to improve our life and find an impartial coach to show us the way. But before I continue let me share this brief poem with you.

The Man Who Thinks He Can

by Walter D. Wintle

If you think you are beaten, you are;

If you think you dare not, you don't.

If you'd like to win, but think you can't

It's almost a cinch you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you've lost,

For out in the world we find

Success begins with a fellow's will;

It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you're outclassed, you are:

You've got to think high to rise.

You've got to be sure of yourself before

You can ever win a prize.

Life's battles don't always go

To the stronger or faster man,

But soon or late the man who wins

Is the one who thinks he can.

Remember, all you gotta do is believe you can improve your life and you will! What are you waiting on? In my next few posts I will provide information that will assist you in this very worthwhile and rewarding journey. Until then here's wishing that you live today and every day passionately and with purpose. Thank you and God Bless!

Are You Worried Sick?

Hello, and thanks for your interest. If you’ve noticed, my last few series of posts have concentrated on: our intellectual, spiritual and physical nature as well as the importance of our inner voice. It's important to understand that these aspects of our nature do not work independently of each other and in a void. They must all work together as a team in order for us to experience life to the fullest.

In the mid-1900s the medical industry believed that our mind was completely isolated from our body. Doctors treated mental issues separately from physical issues. They did not believe that the mind could affect bodily functions. Since that time there has been a tremendous amount of research, which proves our mind plays an important role in the health of our body.

Now, before you get up in arms and say, “Al thinks all illness is mental in nature.” let me assure you that’s not true. I believe no matter how physically or mentally fit we are it’s possible for us all to be afflicted by illnesses of opportunity. I also believe that a positive outlook on life provides the medicine we need to quickly bounce back from these illnesses. Conversely, I believe that fear, anxiety and worry cause an overwhelming majority of our sickness and diseases. Let me share with you what I mean.

Medical experts are finding that there’s a definite relationship between chronic stress and heart disease. In many cases they have found that long after stressful events have ended many individuals will relive them over and over again in their mind. And as stated in earlier posts, our brain, not being able to distinguish between real and imagined events, signals our bodies to increase the amount of adrenaline in our bloodstream. This prepares us to fight or flee from events that aren’t present. The events may not be present but the effect adrenaline has on our body is real non-the-less.

The Mayo Clinic has determined that long-term activation of the stress-response system  and the subsequent overexposure to adrenaline and other stress hormones  can disrupt almost all our body's processes. This puts us at increased risk of numerous health problems, including: heart disease, sleep problems, digestive problems, depression, obesity, memory impairment, worsening of skin conditions, etc. That’s pretty depressing isn’t it?

I'm sharing this information with you because I care and also know that every cloud has a silver lining. Our silver lining is if our mind had something to do with creating our health problems then it can also be helpful in curing them. It’s never too late and we can begin healing ourselves NOW by using our mind to take direct control over our response to the events, circumstances and situations occurring in our life.  We don't have to wait for or depend on others to do this for us. As soon as we change our minds we will change our lives.

Our age, current health, ethnicity or socio-economic condition does not matter. One day spent in the light of knowing what to do and doing it is better than 1000 days spent in the darkness of ignorance. We’ll explore this subject more in future posts. Until then here’s hoping that you live today and every day passionately and with purpose.

Thank you and God Bless!

Our Inner Voice & Faith

In this post I'll continue my discussion on our “Inner Voice”. As stated previously, this voice inherently knows what’s best for us and is available 24 hours day/7 days a week. It’s like an internal GPS that always directs us towards our goals and ultimate life's purpose.

You can't smell, see, feel or taste it and it's not discernible by anyone else. In an earlier post I shared with you my 1st encounter with this voice. Since that encounter I've had many experiences with it and firmly believe in its existence.

It’s important to understand that because of “free will” our intellectual nature chooses whether or not we listen to our voice. Our Free Will allows us to choose to be influenced by an entity or embark upon any course of action we desire. Unfortunately many of these entities are only interested in what’s best for them and attempt to influence us to disregard our voice. As a result, there’s always a consequence to be paid.

If our consequences continue to be not what we hoped for then we have a choice. We can either choose another belief system based on worldly influences or one that adheres to the guidance of our voice. It really is as simple as “changing our minds” about what we believe. Please note that our intellect is the “key player” in the dynamics between our spiritual, intellectual and physical natures.

Also, our inner voice tells us what to do, not how to do it. For instance, it may tell us to start a business or to treat a particular person (who really gets under our skin) with love. But it won't provide us with a set of instructions on how to do what it says. We'll make many mistakes along the way but shouldn’t become discouraged. This is where our faith plays an important part. We gotta know that we know that we know that our inner voice will always lead us towards our highest and best good.

We develop our faith by creating an intimate, daily working relationship with our voice. In this relationship our voice will comfort us as we go through the tough times sometimes necessary for our “breakthrough”. It will keep us “in the moment” and prevent us from “worrying ourselves sick” as we move closer to our goals. It will never lead us astray even though we may not understand what's happening and why. How can we help others with their problems if we never solve our own?

Emmanuel Teney once said: “As your faith is strengthened you will find: that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your great delight and benefit.”

I urge you to listen to your inner voice and do what it says. You need only begin with faith the size of a mustard seed to watch positive change occur in your life.

Thank you so much for viewing and here’s hoping that you live today and every day passionately and with purpose.  

Unerring Guidance

Ralph Waldo Emerson stated: “Be yourself; no base imitator of another, but your best self. There is something which you can do better than another. Listen to the inward voice and bravely obey that. Do the things at which you are great, not what you were never made for.”

In this post we will continue our discussion on finding our life's purpose. As stated in my last post, the 1st step necessary in finding our purpose is to accept responsibility for what is currently occurring in our life. As difficult as it is sometimes, we have to accept the fact that we had something to do with creating the mess in which we find ourselves.

As stated in earlier posts, unfortunate circumstances and situations in our lives do not ask our permission to enter. They just exist! It's our attitude in responding to these circumstances that puts us at cause or effect. Remember, we are at cause when we take charge of our response to life. We are at effect when life manipulates us. It really is as simple as that. You can find out more on this subject in my earlier posts on cause and effect.

Let's spend the rest of this post talking about our “Inner Voice”. In my earlier posts on our three-part nature I stated that we have a spiritual, intellectual and a physical nature. These 3 natures combine to make us the individuals that we are. Our spiritual nature contains our inner Voice. This voice knows us intimately as well as what's best for us. However this voice is easily drowned out or overruled by our intellectual nature, which thinks it knows what’s best.

Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computer, had this to say about our Inner Voice: “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Therefore, the 1st step towards finding our purpose in life is to take responsibility for finding and tuning in to our Inner Voice. It's available 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Because it knows us intimately it provides guidance that is always best for us and leads us towards our goals and ultimate life's purpose. 

However, it's not found in the midst of past regrets or future worries. It is only found here in the present where it can provide us with the most benefit. In order to find it all we have to do is ask it to help us with whatever we’re struggling. If we listen to it and follow its advice, we will find peace in the midst of adversity and calm in the eye of any storm.

I really can't wait to share more information with you about this subject in my next post. In the meantime live today and every day passionately and with purpose.

Our Purpose and Success

In this post I'll discuss finding your purpose and living at maximum potential. I'm speaking directly to you, who know there's more to life than what you see and persistently seek it. There's no one here except you and me so let me ask a question? What's holding you back? What's keeping you from living life fully? What obstacles are between you and the life you know you were created to live? Is it your age, race, gender, health, finances, relationships, your spouse, the Republicans or the Democrats? What is it?

You have a purpose in life that only you can fulfill. When you find that purpose and begin living it out, life will become a synchronous series of events that flow effortlessly. There'll be a purposeful interaction between your spiritual, intellectual and physical natures that'll allow you to experience the tough times and problem areas of life in a calm, confident and creative manner which keeps you connected to your purpose.

When your purpose is found you'll be able to help those closest to you find theirs. However you can't help them if you don't know the way yourself. So, do this for them. But, before we start, let's talk a bit about the concept of successful living.

Successful living isn't defined in terms of material wealth or possessions. In my opinion, it's defined as gaining and attaining the desires of your heart. Have you ever known someone who from a young age knew exactly what it was they wanted to do in life? And as they focused on that goal it seemed that everything they needed to reach it magically appeared at the time it was needed. You may have called it luck, but this is what happens when the spirit, intellect and body are properly aligned and interacting correctly.

Conversely, we've both seen or heard of people with an abundance of material wealth and possessions that don't seem to be experiencing a very happy life. Many times the media will report on various addictions and unfortunate circumstances attributed to these individuals. Now, here's something you really need to understand. There's nothing wrong with an abundance of material stuff.

When stuff is acquired in connection with our purpose it simply becomes a means to an end. When it's acquired in a manner not connected to our purpose then it doesn't provide the continued good feeling we thought it would. It becomes the end itself and thus our purpose. Understand that material stuff will never fill a spiritual or intellectual void?

And, if you're blaming age, race, health and all those items mentioned previously for not being successful, then you'll have to change those things before life gets better for you. The key is, it's not about blame, but responsibility. So, the 1st step necessary to finding and living out your life's purpose is to accept responsibility for your life and recognize that everything needed to accomplish your purpose already exists and will appear on your path when needed. In order to start this process, all you really need is the faith to begin.

I'll talk more about this in future posts. In the meantime live today and every day passionately and on purpose.