Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself. They come through you, but not from you. And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.

Kahlil Gibran

He who is not busy being born is busy dying.

Bob Dylan

It's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.

W. Somerset Maugham

Whatever you can do or dream, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

Goethe

Women will change the nature of power, rather than power changing the nature of women.

Bella Abzug

"Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a model's fashion size.
But when I start to tell them they think I'm telling lies.
I say, it's in the reach of my arms, the span of my hips,
the stride of my steps, the curl of my lips.
I'm a woman, Phenomenally, Phenomenal Woman.
That's me.

I walk into a room just as cool as you please.
And to a man, the fellows stand or fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me, a hive of honey bees.
I say, it's the fire in my eyes, the swing of my waist,
and the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman, Phenomenally, Phenomenal Woman.
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered what they see in me.
They try so much, but they can't touch my inner mystery.
When I try to show them they say they still can't see.
I say, it's in the arch of my back, the sun of my smile,
the ride of my breasts, the grace of my style.
I'm a woman, Phenomenally, Phenomenal Woman.
That's me.

Now you understand just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing it ought to make you proud.
I say, it's in the click of my heels, the bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand, the need for my care.
'Cause I'm a woman, Phenomenally, Phenomenal Woman.
That's me.

Believe In Your Heart
sent to me by Ken Jenkins

Believe In Your Heart.
Believe in your heart that something wonderful is about to happen.
Love your life.
Believe in your own powers, your own potential, your own innate goodness.
Wake every morning with the awe of just being alive.
Discover each day the magnificent, awesome beauty in the world.
Explore and embrace life in yourself and in everyone you see each day.
Reach within to find your own uniqueness.
Amaze yourself and rouse those around you to the potential of each new day.
Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect; this is the essence of your humanity.
Let those who love you help you.
Trust enough to be able to receive.
Look with hope to the horizon of today, for today is all we truly have.
Live this day well.
Let a little sun out as well as in.
Create your own rainbows.
Be open to all your possibilities and to miracles.
Always believe in Miracles!

The Secret Truth

copyright Karil Daniels, 1994. All Rights Reserved

However, we live in a culture which perpetuates an old and very limiting world view that does us all a disservice beyond measure, and which is especially harmful to young people just leaving school, who are choosing careers and first embarking on their journeys into "the real world." All too often they are unaware that casual choices made at this pivotal time may very well shape the rest of their lives.

At the core of the problem is the widely held yet incorrect belief that most people must work for someone else, at a job they don't particularly value or enjoy, in order to make money, and that we must all fit into the existing system and not make waves. Rarely in our uninspired and predominately conservative public education system is there support or encouragement for innovators and pioneers who choose to pursue their dream or change the system; to push things beyond existing limits, to open new vistas, to soar . . .

People who attempt to change the system or follow a dream are usually viewed as fools or dangerous trouble makers, at least until they succeed. It is only when one explores the scholarly regions of philosophy or the giddy realms of entrepreneurship that one begins to learn about those who follow the beat of a different drum. It is particularly sad that we have so few cultural role models of innovative individuals who have followed their hearts and consciences and made a positive difference. As a result, one easily gets the mistaken message that average people just don't do such things.

It is understood from the earliest and most constant messages we receive from family, friends, television, school and spiritual advisors that one must find one's place in the existing system or be doomed as an outcast. Once there, one must do the best one can to survive (usually in an overly competitive "I win, you lose" environment). You race to accumulate money and possessions whether they are wanted and needed or not, be a good consumer who spends lots of money to keep up with the Joneses, jockey for power and position, marry and raise 2.3 children, pay taxes to a government that supports a bloated military which could, at the touch of a button, annihilate all life on the planet, and try to stave off heart failure (perhaps the result of a broken heart?).

If you happen to get work that you can tolerate, you consider yourself lucky. If not, at least you can consider yourself safe and secure. Or can you? How safe are you really if you sell one third of your life into the modern form of slavery, wage slavery, in exchange for a false sense of security. For that is exactly what we do when we fail to realize our full potential; when we sell eight hours a day of our precious time and energy to endeavors we neither value or enjoy.

What is our life except our time, filled with actions, events and people, or the absence of them. That constantly changing state of the present that we call our lives, which continuously evolves from the future, to the precious present, then moves too rapidly into the past, can never be rewritten or reused. Our lives are made of days, of hours, and the clock constantly turns, closing in on us before we know it, then we wonder where it has gone, how it has slipped away.

People say "time is money." But I say NO; time is FAR more valuable than money. Remember, even a billionaire can not buy one day with 25 hours in it.

The secret truth is that there is a clear and present danger that those who do not choose to take control and act according to an inner knowing will wake up one day to discover that they have spent their whole lives on that which holds no value for them; that they have wasted their lives, and that it is too late to do anything about it. That may be the greatest personal tragedy that can occur.

Each of us might consider . . . have we, as feeling, thinking individuals, decided and acted on what is truly important to us, on what we really value? Or have we avoided the serious inner work necessary to discover who we really are and what our true purpose really is? Have not most of us, like sonnambulists, fallen asleep and fallen into step in a march to oblivion, not realizing the true value of what we are giving up or how much power we truly can have? Instead of spending our energy on efforts that realize the dreams of our higher selves, how many of us passively participate in a collective nightmare of mindless conformity, which robs us of our very lives, without us even realizing the theft?

As a group Americans are, more than many other peoples, a feisty lot. Most of us are accustomed to a relatively high standard of living and a lot of personal freedom. We're good at getting things done, building and expanding on what came before, to hybridize new solutions and solve problems. But, for the most part, these talents are channeled into creating an ever larger and more powerful military/industrial complex, rather than realizing a more positive vision of what the world could be, and making our place in it.

We're also too often wasteful, selfish, overly materialistic to the point of shallowness, prone to short term solutions, slaves to fad and fashion, shamelessly ethnocentric, desensitized to the pain around us and indifferent to the needs of other living beings, whether an endangered species or endangered homeless humans.

But, most surprising, we are amazingly quick to give up our power to those who have convinced us that they know what's best for us. As a result of our tendency to rely on outside father figures (the company, the doctor, the politician) and our fear of losing what security we think we have, we've been easily fooled, on a grand scale. The big corporations continue to grow to unprecedented size, constantly swallowing up huge number of individuals and smaller businesses, to expand their power bases and thereby increase their control. The biggest multinational corporations have reached such proportions that there is now a fraternity of them with populations and budgets larger than many of the world's nations.

As more power is continually centralized into the hands of the few, the many have been lulled into believing that if they just put in their 9 to 5 for the corporation they will be well taken care of for the rest of their lives. Some people may think they fully understand this bargain and that they are making a good deal - trading their freedom for security, but they fail to realize several critical truths:

* Being well taken care of means a lot more than purely material gain, it means food for the heart and soul as well as the body. Eventually those who do not get emotional and spiritual nourishment through meaningful endeavors will starve to death no matter how prosperous their bank accounts.

* One's actions, in the form of work and other endeavors, either contribute to or detract from the well being of others. If those actions add to the positive side of the cosmic/karmic balance sheet, there will be a sense of satisfaction and renewal, and if they do not, there will inevitably be a sense of frustration and remorse.

* People don't have to settle for so little - there are many viable alternatives. It is crucial to re-evaluate one's prioritities and view the possibilities from a perspective of self confidence rather than one of fear. From that point of view it is clear that one can be either at cause or at effect. The decision lies with the individual.

* Corporate employees are "secure" only so long as it is convenient for the company. When no longer useful, people are promptly terminated, regardless of their years of service, because a corporation has no heart, no soul, no conscience; just a balance sheet and the bonuses of top management to be considered. We have all heard about employees who have been abruptly fired after 10, 15, 20 or more years of loyal service because they outlived their usefulness or became too costly. So much for the concept of security. When examined closely, it is clear that security is merely an illusion with no basis in fact.

Many have chosen to risk following their own paths and succeeded. It takes courage and commitment to persue your dream, explore and define it, then build a reality around it. But more than anything else it takes a lot of energy and patience, a strong belief in the vision and a willingness to carve a path in the wilderness that may never have existed before. It could take many years and all the resources you can gather, but the grand prize is that you will become the architect of your own future. Successfully accomplishing your goal will most likely mean that you create a life situation where every day you can follow your heart; a life in which you can do well at doing good - whatever that means to you. The beautiful part is that each subsequent vision is easier to actualize, because you build on those accomplishment that have already been realized.

But what is the process actually like? How do people realize their dreams and attain the sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing they are doing something they truly value which benefits themselves and the community? There are as many ways as there are people doing it, but there are some basic principles that are surpisingly simple.

* Understand that you deserve meaningful work and that you have a right to make a living in a way this is aligned with your higher purpose.

* Recognize that all external security is really illusion. The only real security anyone has is their own ability and faith in themselves and their vision. It's hard to accept, but essential to realize. You do yourself a grave injustice if you fail to come to terms with this basic truth.

* Realize that all you need to do to manifest power over your life and your work is to decide to do so and commit yourself to that idea. It is as simple as that. Empower yourself by understanding that most limits come not from outside, but from one's own ideas of what can and can't be done.

* Start by mentally creating the conditions you desire. Picture yourself as having realized your goal, and place that vision in the immediate past in your imagination. Then explore it thoroughly. How did it feel? What did it look like? What other circumstances were involved? Take stock of all your senses and how they were filled with the experience. Now, create an image of your own satisfaction at achieving your goal, and enjoy the feeling. This is a powerful step because it sets up a mental dynamic that actually works to assist you in your efforts. If you can't envision yourself doing the work you love, you'll never do it. The vision is always the first step. Which reminds me of a favorite quotation from Henry Ford, builder of the Model T, who said "there are two kinds of people - those who think they can and those who think they can't, and they're both right!"

* Understand and believe that you are totally capable of creating the work you love. And with this, realize that there are many more possibilities for creating completely new situations than there are for filling existing ones. If you have an area of interest, a vision, an ability that provides something people want or need, there's an excellent chance that you can create opportunities or projects for yourself that will be far more rewarding than fitting into an already existing job.

* Put yourself in the physical environments and locations where the opportunities exist. If you want world peace, connect with the groups and individuals who are working for that goal. If you want to work with animals, start by spending time at animal shelters. If you want to be an artist, get to the galleries and museums. If you want to change the world, begin with your own City Hall. Contacts will surely follow. Soon people will associate you with that realm of work and you'll be there and ready when opportunities arise. Realize that it would be impossible to progress in the field you love if you had a job working in the typing pool or selling widgets, with no time to pursue your real interests. You must put yourself in the right environment to realize your true goal, and inevitably, something will open up.

* Assess your abilities. Everyone has something they are interested in, and something of value to offer. A good way to connect with people who might assist you to reach your goal is to contribute to their efforts. Do whatever is needed (make the coffee, sweep the floor) and be there and ready, so you can learn and enhance your skills whenever possible.

* Find a mentor, someone who will help you and who is a natural teacher. Work to create a solid, long term relationship with that person.

* Set goals. Think about short term, intermediate and long term goals. Be sure to do something every day (including weekends) that brings you closer to your goals. Periodically re-evaluate those goals, exploring all the possibilities while setting aside the perceived limitations. Many wonderful things would never have been accomplished if people had focused on why it was impossible or how things might have gone wrong.

* Simplify your life, especially in the beginning. Streamline things so that your needs are simple. If you don't need a lot of money to support a large mortgage or a fancy car it will be much easier to forego the weekly paycheck that gets in the way of your true desire. In modern America, the world's leader in overindulgence, overconsumption and waste, one can easily learn to live well with far less money by being careful and resourceful.

* Learn to overcome fear. Explore what really frightens you (having no money? failing? succeeding?) and analyze how and why the fear paralyzes you. Once you understand how fear can run your life you are well on your way to overcoming it. Make a point to face any fear you have identified, then watch it fall away. You'll be surprised to discover that your idea of the fear is almost always far more disturbing than the actual thing itself.

* Begin. Just start. Take the first step toward doing the thing you love. It's the hardest thing to do, but you must do it. After the first step the rest gets easier.

* Stick with it no matter what. This is the most essential thing. Most people who seem to be overnight successes have been quietly working for years to accomplish their desires. It may look effortless, but that's an illusion. You must be willing to put in the hard work.

* Do not be deterred because others mock or criticize you. If you have a strong feeling that leads you to a particular endeavor, trust it fully and give it all your energy. Remember Mark Twain's observation "the person with a new idea is a crank, until the idea succeeds."

* Focus your energy. The difference between a light bulb and the coherent light of a laser provides a valuable analogy. The common light bulb is good for general illumination because it spreads its energy in many different directions at once, but in doing so it gives up strength. However, the light from a laser beam is so powerful that it can be used as a surgical knife because it is so narrowly focused. Your own energy can have a similar power and effect, if it is focused on your higher purpose. The effect is enhanced much farther when the focused work is done with love and commitment.

Now that you have begun to understand the potential power of focused attention and reaching for your dreams, think of what the world would be like if millions more people were in touch with their higher purpose and focused their energy on what gives them joy and satisfaction while serving a positive ideal. There can be no doubt that we'd see an amazing shift in all segments of society, one that could catapult us into a truly new age . . .

Please note - There are many personal development workshops that charge hundreds, even thousands of dollars for the information which has been given here freely, with the hope that readers will find the inspiration to follow their heart's desire and reach their full potential. Some say people do not value that which they don't pay for. I say that those who are ready to implement this information will be drawn to it, recognize it, use it and benefit from it. I believe they will also want to give something back, and in so doing, they will enjoy a feeling of reciprocity, balance and harmony and feel themselves in alignment with the positive forces of the universe.

If you have gained inspiration and value from this website, please make a donation to aid in the continuation of this work. Any contribution, large or small, of whatever feels right to you, will be greatly appreciated and will help to sustain and support this page.

Please send your donation to:
Karil Daniels, 2477 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA 94110.

And if you would like to tell me how this site has helped or inspired you,
I would love to hear about it.
Thank you very much.

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Content Author: Karil Daniels