How to evaluate a situation or decision.

I had a friend of mine contact me the other day, asking me what to do when you have made a bad decision. I decided to put my response in my blog in the hopes that it will help others.

First of all, get out of the mind set that it was a "bad" decision. It simply was a decision that you made at the time that seemed to be the way to go. No decision is bad if you learned something from it. The beautiful thing is we have the power to choose something different if something is not working.

Do not give away that power by retreating into negative thought. You made a decision, simple as that and now you have the opportunity to either choose something different or make something positive out of your current situation.

Now, here is my 5 Step System to evaluate anything:

Step 1: Sit and make a list of all the pros and cons of the various options. As well as your thoughts and feelings about each. Write down anything that comes to mind and notice if any of these feelings are coming from fear and/or doubt. While doing this ask yourself, "Why am I feeling this way?" Write down your responses.

Step 2: Review the list. Make any additions/corrections as needed.

Step 3: Set the list aside and take some time to ponder it, you know meditate, go into silence, etc; ask the universe and see what guidance you get. This helps to get the emotions out of it. Sometimes when we are too emotional about something, we either block or ignore our inner knowing because of the "noise" or "chatter" caused by the emotional reaction to the situation.

Step 4: Put the list away and do not think on it for at least a day.

Step 5: Go back to the list and repeat Steps 2 and 3 and then see what guidance you get. Then go with your natural "gut" or intuitive feeling. Fear and doubt have a way of keeping us stagnant. They also release the feelings of "I made a bad decision" or "I am not good enough". Simply do not go there but rather seek guidance from that inner knowing. It will never let you down.

Thank you for reading my blog today. I hope I was able to impart some useful information. Please feel free to comment or share things that work for you. I look forward to your input.

May you be blessed always and in all ways!

Harry
www.raresenseunlimited.com

My 2009 New Year Message

A huge thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my blogs in 2008. I hope I was able to provide you with helpful advice, tips and content. As I continue to learn and grow, I will continue to share in the hope that I can help you to learn and grow. You are the reason I do what I do, as it it is my passion and purpose to help others be the best they can be, which in turn helps me to be the best I can be.

So, please have a safe and fun New Year's. I look forward to connecting with everyone further in 2009. Peace, love, joy & prosperity, forevermore, in abundance!

May you be blessed always and in all ways!

Harry

http://www.raresenseunlimited.com

Social Media - The Dawning of a New Age!

We are at the threshold of the Age of Consciousness and it is a great time to be alive on earth for we are the new pioneers and our message is one of love, peace, joy and prosperity for everyone, in abundance, forevermore.

"The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend personal God and avoid dogma and theology. Covering both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things natural and spiritual as a meaningful unity". - Albert Einstein

It was the Internet that allowed the free flow of information behind the iron curtain that brought the truth to a people starving for it. Today, social media has now taken what the Internet started and we are doing it at the speed of thought.

We are making connections that only a few short years ago would have been practically impossible to make. And the truth is out and once out can never be put back in again. No longer can the spreaders of hate, greed, disempowerment and fear hide behind the walls of time and distance for neither are an obstacle to the truth today.

“A human being is part of the whole called by us the universe--a part limited in time and space. S/he experiences her/himself, their thoughts and their feelings, as something separate from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of their consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us; it restricts us to our personal decisions and our affections to a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” - Albert Einstein

Now that we know and understand the power of social media, it is our responsibility to use it for good and to change the world for the better. To do anything else would be immoral and cowardly.

So, I for one pledge to do all in my power to use this gift of social media that the universe has provided to usher in the Age of Consciousness, where peace, love, joy and prosperity reign.

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.' - Albert Einstein

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I am honored that you would do so. Please share your thoughts, comments, stories and topic suggestions.

May you be blessed always and in all ways!

Harry
http://www.raresenseunlimited.com/

If you are happy now, why complicate things?

Today, I got to thinking about how we can complicate things in life that are working when we think we need more to be happy. And you know how the universe works, when you need something it will be provided.

Well the story I am about to share has been around for a long time. I know I have received it in an e-mail on more than one occasion. So, as I was searching for inspiration to complete my blog today, I was reading a blog by my friend Dina Sabnani and lo and behold was the exact story I needed to make my point, which she posted about three weeks ago.

Here is the link to her blog: http://divinedeebaby.blogspot.com/

The Fisherman and the MBA!

A boat was docked in a tiny Mexican fishing village.

A tourist complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them. 'Not very long,' answered the Fisherman.

'But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?' asked the tourist. The fisherman explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The tourist asked, 'But what do you do with the rest of your time?'

'I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take an afternoon nap with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs... I have a full life.'

The tourist interrupted, 'I have an MBA and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.'

'And after that?' asked the Fisherman. 'With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to a BIG city! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise.'

'How long would that take?' asked the fisherman.

'Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,' replied the tourist.

'And after that?'

'Afterwards? Well my Friend, That's when it gets really interesting,' answered the tourist, laughing.. 'When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!'

'Millions? Really? And after that?' said the fisherman.

'After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take an afternoon nap with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.'

And the moral is: Know where you're going in life....... you may already be there!

I love this story. It gets right to the point that if we are already happy with our life and where it is going, do not over analyze it. If happiness is the goal and you are truly happy then just be.

There is no need for anything else, no matter what anyone else has to say. This is your life and you get to decide if it is serving you. You get to decide if you are happy or not, successful or not, living or not. Others may give you their two cents worth but in the end it is all up to you.

So, if you are happy then just be happy, if not, then make the changes necessary to be happy and remember being comes from within, so nothing outside of you can truly make you happy, if you are not happy inside.

I love you guys for taking the time to read my blog. I hope I was able to provide some useful information today. Please feel free to comment, share your stories or suggest topics.

May you be blessed always and in all ways!

Harry

Author - Rare Sense, One Day It Will Be Common: A Practical Guide to a Fulfilled and Balanced Life

http://www.raresenseunlimited.com/

Dedication, Desire, Drive

Today while driving to the grocery store I observed two people out jogging. Now the sight of two people out for a morning jog is normally nothing to write about. I mean around the world today there was perhaps millions of people out jogging this morning. So, what made it so special about these two that I should take time to write about it. And why did I include the picture to the right.

It was the circumstances under which they were running. Your see in Central Ohio, it is mid-December, so the weather is not usually really cooperative with outside running and today it was especially challenging. It was about 35 degrees and raining. If you ever experienced running in a cold rain, you will understand that it really is miserable. The rain soaks your clothes making them heavier and heavier and no matter what, your ankles and face get some exposure to the water and cold. Your feet get wet and the cold settles into your bones. And the guy in the picture is obviously challenging himself by running where he is at, higher elevation, bad terrain and he looks dressed for cold weather at the least.

Now, some of you may be saying that these people were nuts for jogging in this kind of weather or across those mountains and that terrain. Couldn't they just have run on a treadmill inside where it was warm? Well, if they have a treadmill then the answer would be yes. If not, then that was not an option. OK, then what about just taking the day off? Again, a possibility but they chose not do so. And why do you think they chose to run in these conditions?

Well, here are my thoughts on this.

First of all, anyone who has ever wanted to accomplish anything knows that there are are obstacles and challenges to overcome. And sometimes it is those very obstacles and challenges that they seek to overcome that make the journey to the goal more worthwhile.

Facing adversity in life and overcoming it makes you stronger, builds character and gives you confidence. Sure it is nice when, from time to time, things come a little easier but after you finished that run in the cold and rain, you feel more alive than ever because you not only made your goal for the day but you did so under adverse conditions. You did not give in to the fear, doubt or challenge but faced it head on. Talk about an adrenaline rush!

Secondly, if you want to succeed or accomplish anything in life you must apply the three Ds; dedication, desire and drive.

Combine these three feelings and you will never quit, never give up and even when defeat is eminent, you will find the victory in the defeat. When the goal will not be reached, you will find the positive in the negative. When the outcome will be less than desirable, you will find the joy in the sorrow. When you just "did it anyway", you will appreciate the journey!

You see these three obviously had some goal they were trying to reach so they were applying the three Ds on this day. And no matter what, they were going to accomplish what they set out to do. No, cold, no rain, no bad terrain, nothing was stopping them from doing what they needed to do this day to work towards their goal. Do you think these three will reach their goals? More than likely yes for they have already shown they have the dedication, desire and drive to do so.

Here is my definition on those three Ds:

1. Dedication: The feeling that no matter what you will work as hard as you can to see something through to the end.

2. Desire: A feeling deep in your soul that there is something you wish to accomplish or attain.

3. Drive: The internal feeling that fuels you when things get the toughest.

So, what goals are you trying to attain? Are you applying the three Ds or are you giving in to fear and doubt? Do you shrink away from challenges or meet them head on?

Thanks for reading my blog today. I hope I was able to provide you with something that you can use to better your life. Please feel free to share a comment, story, and/or provide any suggestions for topics for future posts.

May you be blessed always and in all ways!

Harry

http://www.raresenseunlimited.com/

Are you doing good?

I love the wisdom contained in quotes and so today I wanted to share some of them around a common theme. Are you doing good?

"In the time we have it is surely our duty to do all the good we can to all the people we can in all the ways we can." - William Barclay

Can you imagine how the world would be if we all followed this and made it our mantra?

"The most important ingredient we put into any relationship is not what we say or what we do, but what we are." - Stephen R. Covey

What good are you doing today?

"It's simply a matter of doing what you do best and not worrying about what the other fellow is going to do" .- John R. Amos

Are you being as kind as possible?

"Ask yourself constantly, ‘What is the right thing to do?’" - Confucius

Are you sharing your love with the world?

"Think in terms of what's good for the other person and success will seek you out." - Mary Kay Ash

Are you sharing your unique talents with the world?

"We are here to add what we can to life, not to get what we can from it". - William Osler

Take time today to ponder both the questions and the quotes and see what you come up with. It is always a good idea to reflect on your life and see how you are living. Are you contributing to society in a positive way? Are you doing good for yourself and others?

Thanks for taking the time to read this today, I am honored that you would do so. Please share any comments you have about today's post. And to make this blog even better, I am always looking for suggestions for topics.

May you be blessed always and in all ways.

Harry
www.raresenseunlimited.com

A Revealing Set of Quizzes

Who or what is most important to you in your life? Here is a couple quizzes to remind you, in case you have forgotten. We all need little reminders now and then!

On a piece of paper write down the answers to the following, if you can. And no cheating, see if you can do it from memory.

Quiz #1:

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman Trophy winners.

3. Name five people who have won a Pulitzer Prize.

4. Name the last five people that have won an Oscar for Best Actor or Actress.

5. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.

6. Name the last five World Series Champions.

7. Name the last five winners of the Grammy for best new artist.

8. Name the last five Super Bowl champions.

9. Name the last five Indy 500 winners.

10. Name the last five winners of the Masters.

Here’s Quiz #2. See how you do on this one.

1. List a few teachers that have aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends that have helped you through a difficult period in your life.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Name a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

6. Name a half dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

So, which quiz was easier to complete? Most people say it was the second one because those people have had a direct impact on their lives! So, the next time you despair about one of your celebrity “heroes” letting you down, just remember who is really important in your life.

Oh, and for those who are listed in the second quiz, why not take time out ASAP and thank them for contributing, in such a positive manner, to your life. They have helped to make you who you are today!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, I am humbled that you would do so. Please share your thoughts and comments on today's post and offer any suggestions you might have for topics for my upcoming posts.

May you be blessed always and in all ways!

Harry
Author: Rare Sense, One Day It Will Be Common: A Practical Guide to a Fulfilled & Balanced Life

http://www.raresenseunlimited.com