Notes from the Universe

Yesterday I watched a small bird, flying very fast, disappear into the canopy of an oak tree. So dense were its leaves that it was impossible to see what happened next, though I can tell you it remained inside.

I wondered how the little bird found its opening through the leaves at such a speed, and then managed to gently align its fragile body on the branch it chose to land upon, all within a fraction of a second. Not to mention the impossible to imagine flying maneuvers required: the banking, the curling, the vertical and horizontal stabilizations, the deceleration and landing.

Memory? Calculation? Not in that tiny brain. Instinct? Maybe, but how does instinct know which way the branches of a tree have grown when no two are the same?

Terry, that little bird just knew. It had faith, in spite of not being able to see how things would work out, that if (and only if) it stayed the course the details would be taken care of; that an opening would appear and a twig would be found. In fact, had she slowed down enough to carefully and logically inspect the tree first, the prudent thing to do, she would have lost her lift and fallen to the ground.

Kind of like reaching for your dreams. Neither memory, nor calculating, nor instincts are the deciding factors, but faith coupled with action.

Tallyho,
The Universe

www.tut.com

Per il vostro successo (To Your Success)

From Barbara Winter:

There's a popular notion that in order to be an entrepreneur you must be a card-carrying risk taker, but the average experience is closer to the truth. You don't have to be a big risk taker to participate in the Joyfully Jobless life, but you do have to be willing to experiment. In fact, the word "experiment" keeps coming up over and over again in people's stories.

The willingness to approach building a business as an experiment assumes that both success and failure will occur. That might sound somewhat unemotional and left-brained. It doesn't have to be that way. Handled properly, an experimental approach makes you smarter and more confident. You continually evaluate results, eliminate what doesn't work so well, have the fun and excitement of doing things in new and different ways.

Why don't you test this out? For the next 90 days, focus on creative experimentation. Challenge yourself to find one new approach every week. Or every month. Give it some time, then decide if you want to keep it in your portfolio or move on to another approach. Who knows what you might discover?

One of the things I know for sure is that when we honor our own dreams, we almost automatically want to support the dreams of people we care about. There are all sorts of ways to do that. I really liked the one that Patti Thomas from IL shared with me.

Patti writes, "For the past two years, my standard graduation gift for high school and college graduates is: a tool kit, a cookbook, and a copy of 'Making a Living Without a Job'. I feel these three items contain the basics for starting a young (or any age) person off on the right path to a future of 'get(ting) out of bed excited and happy about how we're going to spend the day.' I want my children, and my friends and their children, to feel the self esteem to become joyfully jobless."

Per il vostro successo,

Terry

Turning Desire Into Dreams

February 22, 2008 Turning Desire Into Dreams A strong sense of optimism may well up within you today as you review your plans for the future. You may feel encouraged by recent successes and, as a result, more confident in your capabilities. Whereas once you might have considered all that can go wrong, you are now likely focused wholeheartedly on your positive expectations. You can make the most of this optimism by using it as inspiration when you visualize your future accomplishments. Thinking about what you hope to achieve as if it has already occurred can help you create the future you desire with a minimum of strife. Should you find yourself plagued by pessimistic thoughts today, simply remember that your thoughts can have a profound effect on your ability to apply yourself enthusiastically to your goal-oriented tasks. Because optimism attracts opportunity, maintaining a hopeful outlook can help you draw positive prospects into your life. People tend to focus on worst-case scenarios, ostensibly to prepare themselves for what the future may bring. However, our thoughts are the seeds from which our lives grow and take shape. Your optimistic thoughts will lead you to seek out the people and activities that will become the building blocks of the life you desire. When you are focused on the eventual realization of a bright and fulfilling future, you will be more apt to recognize the steps you must take to attain such a future. A hopeful attitude can serve as an everlasting source of encouragement. The optimism that has taken root in your soul today will help you craft the life of your dreams. From Daily OM