The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.
From The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

Living in the present or, as it is sometimes known, living in the now, takes a personal commitment to actively concentrate on what’s happening right now, to live like there is no tomorrow. We don’t start out with that attitude. That’s why it takes practice.

How, do I do that, you may wonder? Here’s how:

1. Make a concerted effort to focus on what you doing are this moment. Shut out the exterior, mindless distractions. Cut out as much ‘noise’ as you can. Slow down and savour the present.
2. Pay attention to the little things: They can make such a huge difference in   your life and how you feel.
3. Smile: When you smile rather than frown when you meet someone you immediately affect your surroundings and how people react. They just naturally become more human.
4.  Engage in random acts of kindness: Do something for someone else without expecting anything in return. Doing that not only helps you, but it raises the spirits of that other person – and yours, too.
5.  Adopt an attitude of gratitude: Learn to appreciate and be grateful for all  that is good in your life – and the people who love and nurture you. Live in the present by expressing gratitude when you feel it.
6.  Try not to worry so much: Worrying won’t change what happens tomorrow. Every second that you spend in worry about the future is a second of the present wasted because worrying takes you out of the  moment and shifts your attention to the realm of future possibilities. It is  impossible to live in the present and worry about the future at the time.

Living in the present is the art of the soul. Your mind is at rest because when you are living in the present – not thinking about the past or the future, there is nothing else, really, than now.

Six steps that sound easy but that are so hard to do. When you learn how to live this way, though, it changes everything. You will live a fuller life, appreciate every minute of your day and begin to feel a level of peace and relaxation such as you have never felt before.

I invite you to join me on Facebook, Twitter, connect with me on LinkedIn or email your thoughts and comments to drew@drewsimmie.com

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Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.  Mark Twain.

Whatever your goal or aspiration, it is a pretty good bet that it is going to take longer than you expected. Strong support and encouragement from like-minded friends and associates who think like you and who are also working on purpose-filled lives serves as barrier against all the negativity and cynicism to which you are constantly subjected.

It is much easier when you have someone saying, “go for it!” rather than “that will never work,” or “you should get a real job.”

Attitude is everything….. especially a positive one.

I invite you to join me on Facebook, Twitter, connect with me on LinkedIn or email your thoughts and comments to drew@drewsimmie.com

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The true voyage of discovery lies not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes.
Marcel Proust.

We all see life not as it is but how we perceive it. How we see it is is fundamentally related to who we are. If a particular view or action is contrary to what we feel in our hearts, the resulting internal conflict can be wrenching.

When you  go along with the crowed, for instance, when you don’t speak out when you know wyou should, or when you act in a manner that is contrary to what you feel is right, you separate yourself from your core beliefs and values, and, in so doing, you become “splintered” or detached from yourself and lose your sense of wholeness.

Blinded by the pain caused by this distress and by your lack of insight, wyou vainly search for answers, failing to understand another one of life’s rules:

You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it.

To truly begin the process of of understanding who you are and coming to terms with your true self starts with the willingness to change your interior narrative – to see your life and your circumstances with a fresh pair of eyes.

And so, in ernest, your journey begins…

(This is an excerpt from my book, Life Without a Parachute. If it resonates, I invite you to read some of the subsequent posts covering ways to escape the rules that may be entrapping you and lead to thinking outside of the box. More in the next instalment… I hope you to see you again.)

I invite you to join me on Facebook, Twitter, connect with me on LinkedIn or email your thoughts and comments to drew@drewsimmie.com

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Be faithful to that which exists within yourself. Andre Gide.

By the time many of us have reached adulthood, we have systematically transferred what we ave learned into most aspects of our lives. We have traded away much, if not all of our spontaneity and courage. Over time, we begin living an unauthentic life. We are not real. We have created what Carl Jung called our Persona. We put on our social face and live each day behind a mask.

When you stick to the rules you assume that everyone else is following suit. You naturally expect that they will act, think and and feel as you do and you get upset when they don’t.

When you are disappointed by the outcome of an event or another’s behaviour, it is because you expected it to be a certain way and it wasn’t.

For those whose existence is predicated on trying to control people and events, this can be especially onerous.

Game change is never easy.

Challenging and then breaking the rules that don’t fit your personality anymore can lead to extreme discomfort and anxiety. It is one of the first steps you have to take – and it is one of the most daunting because of the tribe’s death-like grip. There are sometimes in life, though, when you just have to break the china.

The amazing thing is, though, that growth restarts the moment you cast off the the rules that don’t fit anymore. 

No matter how difficult, the more uncomfortable you feel casting off these old rules, the greater the chance of your challenging and pushing aside old habits and beliefs that have been holding you back for so long and keeping you from being your true self.

It isn’t easy. Often it is one step forward, two steps back – but in those moments when you wonder how in the world you are going to make it, your courage will keep you forging ahead.

(This is an excerpt from my book, Life Without a Parachute. If it resonates, I invite you to read some of the subsequent posts covering ways to escape the rules that may be entrapping you and lead to thinking outside of the box. More in the next instalment… I hope you to see you again.)

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Human Beings, by changing the attitudes of their minds can change the outer aspects of their lives. William James.

When we are born, some think even before, when we are in the womb, we come into the world whole, naturally curious and fearless. Aside from food, all we crave is love and a sense of security.

We are totally spontaneous, open, willing to try anything. Soon, however, we begin to learn the rules; from our parents, friends, business associates and society at large. By the we have grown into adulthood, we have a huge toolbox of rules governing every aspect of our lives.

On balance, there is nothing wrong with many of them. In fact, we need to know and understand them if we are going to live successfully (by whatever our measurements and terms of reference) and fully participate in society.

Not all these rules, though, apply equally to everyone. Their principal purpose is to help maintain order and civility in society. However, they can also get in the way of your own personality and agenda if they are imposed by others whose views and understanding of life are at variance with your own.

It doesn’t take long before they become ingrained into your psyche. Some of them, if they don’t fit with your own unique personality, can entrap you behind an invisible wall, stopping you from growing, blocking your passage to other people and ideas and, in turn, them from you.

Feeling hemmed in, you begin to lose your person freedom of choice. The flow of ideas and thoughts is stifled. When you attempt to break free of the rules that are smothering you, you can often end up feeling guilty, ashamed or anxious, so, instead, you retreat to the safety and security of the tribe.

The more you do that, unfortunately, the more you rob yourself of the chance to expand your vision not realizing one of life’s axioms:

You can’t grow from what you already know and you can’t learn from what you are unwilling to experience. 

(This is an excerpt from my book, Life Without a Parachute. If it resonates, I invite to read some of the subsequent posts covering ways to escape the rules that may be entrapping you and lead to thinking outside of the box.)

I invite you to join me on Facebook, Twitter, connect with me on LinkedIn or email your thoughts and comments to drew@drewsimmie.com

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