I was having breakfast recently catching up with a close friend when we ran into a friend of hers.  I had met him before, so he recognized me as well. She and I sat down and placed our order, when her friend appeared at our table, palms full, and to our surprise handed each of us a beautiful, ripe, red pomegranate from his tree.  She and I squealed with delight knowing that a pomegranate is the symbol of abundance.  Out of nowhere, someone just handed us abundance.

It’s The Little Things

When you look back on your days you will realize it’s not the big contracts that stand out, but the moment to moment exchanges of grace from the heart. You reflect on a conversation you had with your son, a stroll in the sand dunes with your 2-year-old niece, a belly laugh shared with your beloved, these are the things that stay with us. Our life is derived of little moments, and it’s up to us to make the most of them. Presence helps. When we practice actually being where we are, it’s a gift. Presence is a primary principle of living Conscious and Carefree; without it we are merely walking and talking in our sleep. Without presence, joy is lost. And for me, joy is the primary purpose for being alive. As I told my mom once, “you did not bring me here to survive, you brought me into this world to thrive.” I stand to be a model for that.

Spare Change

Talk is cheap. Together we must make a pact to stop talking, stop complaining, and start walking. It’s time to get up and do The Gobbler! My family and I ran a race for the homeless on Thanksgiving Day this year. I’ve always been drawn to the literal “Run For The Hungry” on Thanksgiving. That’s what it’s all about, right? Giving back. Giving Tuesday is on the map this week. If only everyday were giving Tuesday. There are so many ways to give back and make a difference in something greater than ourselves. And it feels so good. Who and what are you passionate about helping? We’d love to know. If you don’t have time to dive in the philanthropy circle, give a few bucks to an organization that is getting their hands dirty for your cause. Every dollar makes a difference in the race to do good.

Pleasure or Pain

The sociologist in me is fascinated by our attention to particular aspects of life. When things are going well, we are blind to the many blessings present. Why does it take hardship or loss to realize how good we have it? The answer is, it doesn’t have to. At any given time, you can choose to learn from someone else’s mistake. You can get the lesson the first time. You can read about someone who overcame adversity you’re dealing with, or reach out to a wise confidant in your mastermind group for insight. You do not need to struggle to get it. This is an old, worn out model that no longer applies. Let’s be clear for a moment: struggle nowadays is a choice. It’s not what someone says or does to us anymore, it’s what we say to ourselves after that keeps us down.  I don’t know about you, but I’m done letting small mindedness and other people’s  ugliness get my goat. We need all the energy we can get to do what we aspire to do and become who we aspire to be. I just don’t have the time or tolerance for projection of someone else’s anger or unresolved pain. Are you with me? All we can do at any given time is our best. The rest must be given back, then released.

Abundance Is All Around You

There are so many things to be grateful for. You can make a list on any given day. Most of us are moving at the speed of light, so we miss them. We have poor habits of taking things for granted. We’re entitled, busy, overwhelmed, and distracted. It’s time to stop the madness. As I write this, I sit across the street from the ocean. I am grateful to live so close by, and feel the support the ocean gives me on a regular basis. I inhale the positive ions, I feel the breeze on my face, I relish in the cool, dense, sand beneath my feet. A day does not go by that I do not give homage to this majestic wonder. Stop and look at what’s around you. 

We can look at more of life this way. It’s a shift in perception, and a practice we choose to gift ourselves to live a happier and more fulfilling life. So, the next time you need a pick me up, find a pomegranate, open it up, look at all the seeds, and remember you are holding abundance.