Prosperity: The Choice Is Yours
August 29, 2003
Smokey & Shadow
Your newsletter is coming out pretty late this evening,
we've had a busy day and I was ready to send out the
first copy of Prosperity, but was drawn to doing a complete
different one.
You'll notice the rather strange headline above. Today
Jan and I went out and spent most of the evening looking at horses.
This morning I happened to be talking with a fellow who
owned some horses and while making conversation with him, asked
if he had any for sale.
Years back we had two horses on the farm, well, my wife had
the horses, I just took care of them....:-) It got so we were
so busy she never rode them anymore, and I never even tried,
always afraid I'd fall off or would screw up or some
other stupid excuse. We sold the horses and the tack.
So I let what could have been some good experiences and times
with my wife pass away, and let my silly reasons for not trying
to learn to ride rule what I did.
Anyway, since the first of this year, I'd been thinking of
possibly getting another horse, toying with the idea, never really
getting serious about it though.
So when the man said he had some horses for sale, I called the
wife and asked her if she'd be interested. She about
fell off her chair, but said we'd take a look.
So we took a look, she rode them, they are really gentle horses
and very nice looking. We left the man's place and halfway home
I stopped the truck and told Jan, Listen, let's go for it,
why not. So back we went and paid the man for Smokey and Shadow.
After getting home I was ready to send out the copy
of Prosperity I had gotten ready earlier, when I decided
to check email and the below article came in.
It really struck home with me.
I thought, what a really good lesson I learned today and
how well this article fit in with it.
Had we come home and "talked" about buying the horses, most
likely we would have come up with all the reasons why
we shouldn't buy them, and of course we would have missed out
on all the fun experiences we will now have with Smokey and Shadow
and the times my wife and I could share something together.
Robin Silverman says it pretty well below,
Live like there's no tomorrow.
I feel really good about buying those horses. It may have been
a stupid thing to do, it costs a lot of money to keep horses
plus time, but hey, I make a lot of money and work too much,
I deserve to have some fun.....but, what I feel really good
about the most is: I didn't let all the reasons "why not"
prohibit me from learning something new and doing something new.
I hope this all is making some sense to you.
What do you really want to do, but are putting off because
of all the reasons "why not" and saying, I'll do it someday.
Today: Live Like There's No Tomorrow
Your friend,
Dave
PS: I'll get some pictures up on the web of Smokey & Shadow
next week for you. And if you haven't done so already today,
go give your pet dog or cat a hug, or brush their coat. Do
something this weekend you really want to do, something
you've been putting off until "someday"...... then write me
and let me know how you felt after you did it. You work hard
too, and you deserve to have some fun!
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Live Like There's No Tomorrow
By: Robin L. Silverman Last
night, my husband and I celebrated our 29th anniversary with
dinner and a movie. We saw Kevin Costner's, "Open Range."
Although we live in North Dakota, it wasn't the cowboy theme
that drew us. Instead, it was knowing that we'd be treated to
some wonderful character portrayals by both Costner and
Robert Duvall. We weren't disappointed. As in any good
western, there comes a point in the movie where the good
guys have to face off with the bad ones. Both good guys know
they could die. But rather than get steely-eyed or self-
righteous about it, Duvall's character does something
unusual. He walks into the general store and buys some
candy. Not just any candy, but the most expensive chocolate
in the place. Duvall asks the shopkeeper what makes it so
good. The man replies that it melts in your mouth. Duvall
then asks if the man knows that because he's tried it
himself, and he says no, that he can't afford it. So Duvall
purchases not just one, but two bars (you'll have to see the
movie to see what happens to the other one) and bites off a
chunk. He smiles, nods and says, "This is pretty good." Then
he breaks off a piece and puts it into the mouth of the
shopkeeper, noting "It's a shame not to enjoy it when it's
right here in front of you." We are all guilty of this to
some degree. How often do you turn down dessert, because
"you just can't"? When did you decide you couldn't try
something new because "I might get hurt"? I was recently in
Denver, and went to an amusement park with my sister and
brother-in-law, my 10-year-old niece and my 8-year-old
nephew. When the kids went bungee jumping, I joined them.
(It was perfectly safe.) We have all heard the expression,
"live every day as if it's your last." But few people do.
We keep living for tomorrow. Although, as many sages have
pointed out, when tomorrow arrives, it's today. We never
consider that something wonderful isn't GOING to happen; it
already has.& And even if it hasn't, we don't think about
making it happen at the moment, even if we have the
resources. The reason why is fear. We're afraid that if we
spend money now, we may not have it later. We're afraid that
if we say we like someone before we know if he or she likes
us, we might be embarrassed. We're afraid to say what we want
for fear we may not get it. We're afraid to say what we
really think, because we could lose our jobs, our friends or
our spouses.
We're afraid to try, because we could fail and thus discover
that we were never good enough. (I was the clumsiest, oldest
bungee jumper on the trampolines. But after I tried it, I
noticed that a lot of other adults gave it a go.) As long as
we're focused on the fear of what isn't, we cannot fully
experience or enjoy what is. As the universal law states,
"You can't think two thoughts at the same time." Remember,
too, as another of the laws states, that "when you focus on
your life, good things happen." Watch preschool children,
and you will understand. Whatever they're doing is all that
matters to them. There's no tomorrow, and in most cases,
there isn't even the next hour. They're not waiting for the
future to arrive, to make more money, or to find the perfect
mate. Their boss doesn't have to give them praise, and their
co-workers don't have to cooperate. They just enjoy whatever
is right in front of them, unconcerned with what other
people think. So if you're not getting as much out of life
as you like, try this. Make a quick list of ten things you
have right now. For example:
"I have a dollar."
"I have ten minutes to spare."
"I have the answer to the question, 'how do you make a perfect cup of coffee?'"
"I have hugs to give away."
"I have a project that would delight someone
with a good sense of organization."
"I have an idea."
"I have some character qualities I'd like to use."
"I have plenty of energy."
"I have work that uses my skills well and serves others."
"I have fun with whoever's around me."
Make sure the things on your list make you feel good.
Robert Duvall didn't say, "I have ten gunmen ready to
put a bullet in my head." That was in the near future,
but not the moment. For now, the money in his wallet and the life
experience it could buy was all that mattered. (This is not
to say that you should spend like there's no tomorrow.
That's a different fear.)
As you come more and more into the present,
see if each day doesn't bring you more and
more reasons to feel happy and secure.
Reprinted from Create Your Future
http://www.robinsilverman.com/1a.htm
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"Opportunity dances with those
who are ready
on the dance floor."
~ H. Jackson Brown Jr. ~
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Now Is The Only Time You Have
While I believe that most opportunities are those that we
make for ourselves, I also know that many opportunities simply
"arrive" in front of us, asking, "Would you care to dance?"
The question is whether or not we are ready to dance with
Opportunity. Or must we say, "I don't know how to dance.
I haven't prepared." Or, "First let me prepare myself."
Either way, Opportunity says, "That's okay. I will find someone
else. I may be back again, and perhaps you will be ready then."
What would you say today if Opportunity arrived and asked you to dance?
Action Point: Get your dance shoes. Take your dance lessons.
Get a new suit or dress. All of these are analogies for doing
today what you can to be prepared for when Opportunity offers
you its hand to dance. Be ready!
To your success!
Chris Widener
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Leave You With a Laugh.....
A butcher just out of trade school applies for and gets a job in
North-West America, skinning and cutting up the kills of
local hunters.
The first job he gets is to cut up a moose to put in the freezer.
He finally gets the moose cut up and is putting it into
bags and marking them with the contents -
chops, rump steak, ribs, sirloin, etc.
When he finishes with the stuff he knows, he is left with a pile
of unidentifiable parts. At a loss as to what to do
with them, he finally puts them all into one bag
and labels them......
moosellanious.
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