The Goal of this Blog - Comfort, Inspiration and Peace

The goal of this blog, and the book, and the radio show, is to provide you with some comfort and inspiration. There is a certain world view expressed in the pages of this blog. This world view allows for an infinite number of possibilities. And within this myriad of possibilities lies the inevitability of discovering meaning for your life and those around you. This may mean learning assertiveness, overcoming fear or anger, releasing sadness, breathing deeply, praying, tuning in to your body, or finding God. The goal is to fan the flames of hope and inspiration within you so that you can pursue peace and move on. And in moving on, share your new found peace with others.

While you are reading, please honor your own sense of playfulness and humor. It is with grave seriousness that I remind you to laugh loud and often. Life makes fools of us all. Those that are best equipped to deal with life cultivate a keen sense of humor which includes the ability to laugh at your self. Laughter and a sense of perspective offer us a path through trying times. Laughter is the best antidote to suffering. The more you are able to nurture a sense of happiness and an appreciation for life, the more you build up your inner resources which keep you balanced in times of pain.

The question is, how do we build up our inner resources so that we are filled to the top with positive energy, love and compassion?

You do this by thinking positive thoughts about love, kindness and compassion. Positive thoughts create positive emotions. And it is possible to fill yourself with positive emotions to the point of overflowing so no room exists for negative emotions to take hold.

An overflowing reservoir is also helped by having an accepting and patient outlook. More patience buys you more time to listen to your internal wisdom, the quiet voice in the back of your head that speaks in fleeting whispers.

You can cultivate this attitude by asking yourself the question, Will this matter a year from now? Most of the times, the answer is...No, it does not matter.

Asking this question is one of the ways we can learn to be less emotionally reactive and more thoughtfully proactive. You have to train yourself to behave in healthy ways because, if you are like most of us, you did not learn these mannerisms growing up. So you need to retrain your brain. As you learn to respond more effectively to minor inconveniences, it leaves you more positive energy to respond to actual crises. This is known to many as wisdom - the ability to deal well with your own suffering as well as help others with theirs.

Not only will you learn how to deal more efficiently with your pain, you will also learn how to appreciate life. Life is a gift that has been granted to us. The more we appreciate and cherish the gift, the more we understand what a magical journey life is.

My hope is that you will learn some new ways of looking at your life and that it will help you to dump out all your negative energy and fill your reservoir with positive energy. My hope and prayer is that you be filled with love, contentment and compassion during your most painful setbacks.