LOVE WINS.

Earlier today while driving home I saw the most beautiful, the most precious, and one of the most poignant, window stickers I have ever seen. I’m normally one of those guys who think stickers on cars are kind of funny looking no matter what they say, but today was different for me, today I read two words followed by a period symbol, as one of the most amazing combination of letters and symbols ever recorded in the history of the English language. The sticker was about the size of one’s palm, in the shape of an oval, the letters were scribed in white while the background was filled in with black. What I saw today that rang louder in my core than any church bell to date, was simply: LOVE WINS.

If you don’t take a minute to stop and really process that declaratory statement I can see how it could sound like I’m making too big of a deal over a silly little sticker, let’s take a minute and examine it together.

In this world I believe there are two competing choices in any given situation you find yourself in; you have the choice that’s rooted in love or the opposite of that, fear. This place of either love or fear is what people believe the thought behind the thought comes from, the place of the sponsoring thought. There’s a theory out there that says behind every thought you have, therein lies an even deeper sponsoring thought. The sponsoring thought is what helps us determine the outcome of our choice before we ever really make it. The funny thing is though that even when we make a choice out of fear, and make a bad decision, we immediately know it was the wrong choice. We know it’s inherently the wrong choice by how we feel; fear is an illusion that sends out different energy than love. When we make a choice out of love we immediately feel we made the correct one, we’re relieved, and like we’re complete even for just a moment in time.

I believe Love is all there really is and that fear is just an illusion.

Fear is something we have been taught from the earliest days of our life. Think back to when you were a child and you reached for the hot stove. What did your parents do to you? They smacked your hands away from it and probably scolded you some to SCARE you from touching it again, now for a long time you’ll be afraid of fire. What if you’re parent lovingly moved your hand away and taught you why it was detrimental to you to touch the stove? What then? As a child you have no fear, none whatsoever. You’ll go talk to anyone, crawl anywhere, and even eat dirt! What stopped you from doing these things? I’ll tell you what, your parents training you to believe these things were not right, telling you to grow up and stop acting like a child or act embarrassed when you wondered up to strangers in the super market. Because of our conditioning in our youth we have grown to understand that fear not a pure emotion, but actually as perceived risk due to our upbringings. Let’s look at this just a little further: Aren’t all people capable of loving at some point in their life, no matter the age of the individual? A man or woman can lose their spouse early on in the marriage but can he or she not fall in love with another? Doesn’t falling in love just kind of happen without even really knowing that it’s happening? That’s because love is natural, it’s what we are at our purest, under all the layers of perceived risk. Under every fear that we’ve been taught to fear, LOVE WINS.

As you age you can continually love people you meet but how often do the fears of your youth remain with you? LOVE WINS. I don’t fear my face sticking that way, or burning my hand on a stove top anymore, I don’t fear strangers, and I definitely don’t fear the boogie monster… as much as I used to! What’s under all of these fears, someone teaching me I should fear them; we live in a constant state of illusion, unless we chose not to. LOVE WINS.

All joking aside, the reason fear is an illusion is because it’s been taught to us and when we experience for ourselves that something isn’t bad like maybe we used to think, that thought of fear is replaced with one of understanding and acceptance. Once you can accept something for what it is, fear leaves the scenario, and if fear is gone, love is apparent. Love is underneath all of the layers of illusion, it’s at the core of the illusion, and it’s what the illusion is built on. Is not the foundation the strongest part of the house? So if Love is all there really is, think just how deep that could change how you look at the world… If you really believe that LOVE WINS. then I can promise you that your life will be deeper and fuller and more abundant than you could ever imagine. When you stop fearing things that may seem scary, or weird, or strange, and when you choose to change how you look at those things, fear suddenly becomes a thing of the past, and you see the fear of something as the illusion it creates. LOVE WINS.

As you process this and either choose to discard what I’m saying, or accept at least the thought of it as being a possibility, ask yourself one question: Why wouldn’t love win?

The Effects of a Choice

All of life is one big melting pot of information, some of the time we can recognize what this information is and what to do with it, other times the information we receive needs longer to simmer before we can find the true benefit in its ingredients. We all process information differently, we have to or else we would be mindless drones that merely co-exist. This particular blog is about the effect of what our choices have on the rest of the world that we often forget as being part of the larger equation. Every day we make hundreds, if not thousands of choices that affect the entire world around us. Where do I eat breakfast? What route should I take to work? Should I work out today? Should I have coffee over water? Etc. Each choice we make throughout the day pulls us in a different direction for the moment, but no matter what choice we make we're always moving in the direction of having to make other choices. Because choice is an option and a given, we often times forget that we are both the victim of our circumstances and the creator of them. No matter where you find yourself currently, it's directly related to the choices you made along the way to get there. When we slow down and pay attention to the world around us, when we stop and listen to what our body, mind, and soul are saying, then and only then do we have the chance to morph and form our lives into the life of what we desire most. I believe that we have the potential to accomplish anything we can imagine for ourselves if we can train our thought process to make the choices we need to make in order to realize this desired outcome. The president of the United States did not become the president by accident, nor did the Dali Lama become enlightened by a stroke of luck. These people along with every other person in the world accomplished their goals of being who they wanted to be most by making the choices in order to do so. Very wealthy individuals have made the choice that they deserve their wealth, highly accomplished athletes made the choice to train for the goal of athletic success, even the homeless man on the street asking for loose change has made decisions for himself that led to his current situation. What we know is that everything in this world is made up of energy, a constantly evolving and shared energy that can translate into any thought or any action. Because of this fact we can hypothesize that the amount of energy we put into choices through our thoughts about them can cause them to either appear or never exist in our life. The secret in life to having what you want is deciding how you are going to think about it, how your choices will reflect that attitude towards whatever it is you desire most, and understanding that the energy of creation is the same energy that facilitates thought, which is the same energy that produces action. Once the action has been created and the thought has been realized physically we set a course in motion for that particular moment in time to directly reflect the energy we put into it. We made a choice either to do or not to do something, and because of that choice other opportunities are made available to us. There are no right or wrong decisions, there are only choices we make towards a situation that are fueled by whatever motivates us at the time, you can't judge the choices of someone, you can only be a witness to the outcome and form your own idea about how it affects your life and the direction you wish to travel. We owe one another nothing, and yet we owe each other everything. Everyone on this planet is here so that everyone else can know who they are based on what they see around them, are choices constantly define us. We can only be an "I" because there is a "we" to base the idea of the "self" on. Without others we we would not know the truth of who we really are and what we're here to do. So the next time you feel guilty about a choice you have made try to remind yourself that it's okay, no choice is bad or good, it's just a choice that's best for you at the time. If you find yourself constantly making detrimental choices I think it's time to look at your life and ask yourself what it really is you want from your 80 or so years and change the choices you make to fit that picture of yourself. Everyone will do something different with their life, the key to happiness is listening to your inner self in a quiet place and deciding to make choices based on becoming that person; what would that person wear? How would they view the world? What steps would he/she take to land that dream job? Etc. whoever that person is you want to be, your decisions along the way to being that person will dictate if you ever reach your goal. We are a slave to our choices but we are also the master and creator of our present circumstance, contemplate that idea for a while and you’ll understand the significance of your ideas towards things and your choices concerning them.

Perception

Perceived risk is completely different from real, actual risk.

How we view anything: love, fear, danger etc. are all different depending on how we view the circumstance and who or what is involved.

Recently I was driving on a three lane highway; I was driving along in the far right lane with one other car going relatively the same speed in the far left lane reserved for faster moving vehicles. I noticed there was a car coming up quickly behind me getting ready to make the pass in the middle between me and the car on the far left.

I read the facial expression on the young driver who was passing me and I couldn’t help but notice the immediate change in disposition once she got ready to zoom by.

There was no real risk involved in what she was doing other than the increase in speed associated with making the maneuver. Her face went from calm and collected to riddled with fear and anxiety as soon as she got ready to go around me.

Her approach was smooth and calculated but I could tell the woman riding shotgun caused this little girl to change from confident to questioning. The girl wasn’t scared to pass me, made evident by her casualness in changing to the middle lane. What caused this girl to give the move a second thought was the reaction this woman in the front gave when the driver punched the gas a little to get around.

I could instantly tell this young driver was now made uncomfortable, not by the situation on the highway but by the growing uneasiness of the woman in the car with her.

The perceived risk and tension from the older woman next to her, who must have been her guardian, caused the girl to clinch so tightly to the steering wheel that I could see the white of her knuckles.

If the woman had not been in the car this would have been nothing more than a routine pass, along a busy highway. Instead, what would have been an ordinary offensive driving move turned into an opportunity for fear to creep in (fear of her mother’s scorn) and cast doubt and concern over her initial reaction to pass.

It appears to me that a situation doesn’t present us the actual pressure, but instead it’s how we view or perceive the situation that dictates our response to it.

We have the power to control the outcome of almost every situation we find ourselves in based almost solely on how we view the risk and/or reward that the situation is powered by.

We can literally change out entire life for the better or the worse by changing our perceptions and how we view everything around us.

Situations in life either define us because we give them the power to do so, or are defined by us, based on the choice to have power and control over our lives.

Things are what we think about them, and they only hold the value we appoint them.

Every situation we come across in life takes on the form we associate with it- whether that is one of fear or love, anticipation or apprehension, the allocation of value is solely up to us and our interpretation of the risk and/or reward involved.

Choose to see the reward within the confines of risk and decide to live out loud for the things you want most in life.

Don’t hide in fear that things might not work out, instead, decide at this moment in time that life will take on a new form for you, a more lucrative form because you are going to question how you perceive things, and no longer take what life gives you simply because it appears to be what you’re presented with.

A River's Wisdom

“Life is like a river, never ceasing as it flows” – Garth Brooks

Many of you have probably seen a river hundreds if not thousands of times in your life and never thought twice about the wisdom that an ongoing body of water can possess… I say this because for the longest time I didn’t take a closer look at its value either.

Recently I had to spend quite a while near the seven bends of the Shenandoah River, one of America’s most iconic bodies of water. This area of America is often referred to as “God’s Country.” That title has always made me laugh because it’s labeling one area of the world more sacred and more essential than another, which to me couldn’t be any farther from the truth. Every inch of space on this planet is as important to the life forms inhabiting it as every other inch; but that’s another topic for another day.

For the purpose of this blog I’m more concerned with relaying the importance of looking at the wisdom and underlying truth that a river presents all those who choose to take notice.

A river is made by other, smaller bodies of water (tributaries) flowing downstream into a larger body of water, a river. Then this body of water carries itself towards its inevitable end never ceasing as it flows. A river represents much of what life is about, and carries with its waters secrets for living a fuller life as old as the river itself.

Life is like a river whose waters continually flow along both banks of existence that makes up the barriers for its life. Effortlessly the water moves onward towards a predetermined goal yet unknown to the water as it flows. One bank represents all of the things we as people deem good and just in life and all of life’s potential. The opposite bank represents exactly the opposite, life’s negatives. In no point of the river’s journey does its body of water not touch both sides, simultaneously, all the while remaining unaffected by the twists and turns of its present course. The river continues towards its goal with renewing energy at every new bend.

So you see, at a closer examination a river serves as a tool for wisdom, a voice for knowledge, and an outlet for energy. The river can serve as a means for transportation, as a source of life-giving nutrients and a joy for recreation. The river is multi-faceted and multi-dimensional, similar to the characteristics that make up a human.

Learn from the river and understand the knowledge it possesses and your life in return will take on a whole new meaning and a lesser degree of difficulty. Stay your course and remain focused on being unaffected by the twists and turns on the road of life ahead of you. Like a river, in the end, we just wind our way into a new, larger body, that’s yet still consistent with what we were made of the whole time the journey was taking place.

Peace and love,
Mason

Give to Receive

“Who we choose to be in the darkness makes all the difference in the world to who we can be in the light.”

I was reminded recently about a key fact about life that I seem to have overlooked lately: Love is giving to others what we desire for our self.

Today was one of those days when nothing seemed to fit. We all have those days, or weeks, or months where we feel nothing goes our way. When we go through these tough times we often look to others with hidden expectations for them to say or do something to bring us out of this funk. We forget that true love means not expecting something burdensome from someone else, but instead pouring ourselves and our resources out and into someone else. True love doesn’t look to others for some form of completeness. We shouldn’t look to gain from someone; instead we should try to love that person by giving them all we have to offer. Never look to prosper from another, look instead to give, for the act of giving means we had that which we desired to gain from another the entire time.

If you love someone or something, look not to receive but decide to give unconditionally.

Society teaches us that the “I” is better than the “We”- but the truth is, if there wasn’t a “We”, the “I” wouldn’t be possible. The stronger the “we” the stronger the “I” can be.

Everyone is connected in beautiful and mystical ways; we’re also connected at a very cellular level as well. We may all appear to be singular in form but it’s in our uncommonness we find that common ground is all we really share.

Try not to be a victim of comfort or self-indulgence, because in looking only to one’s self for the gain we miss that true personal growth can only be found in helping others to grow.

A universal truth that everyone should think about is this: for us to have what we want and for us to be a complete being, we must strive to give others the ability to be complete.

This is a tough dichotomy that takes some meditation to grasp, but once you’re able to wrap your mind around it you’ll never be the same again.

Together we are the drum that makes collective heartbeat sound, our purpose is to evolve as a culture and to spread a progressive, all inclusive love.

The old mindset that individuality is the most important thing needs to be replaced with the knowledge that together, people give the opportunity for the singular person to have the individuality they crave. The “I” is contingent and eternally connected to the “We”.

We live in a very “me” based society, but true growth as a person or the advancement of a culture only has the space for headroom when people come together as a collective unit and share a collective mindset towards a common goal. You can only be the best “me” when we choose to give others, through shared and loving experience, the power and ability to choose for themselves who they want to be.

Advancement is only done by asking one’s self one question, in every situation: Am I helping this person by building into them or am I looking to gain something from them in return. The very act of giving of yourself shows the universe that yes in fact, you already have what it is you think you need. Completeness and individuality are essential if we hope to live up to our potential, but our potential stays out of reach until we realize it’s only by helping others be who they want to be that we truly realize we were the person we wanted to be the whole time.

A very wise person who happened to live about 2000 years ago said “give and you shall receive, knock and the door shall be opened.” If we hope to receive what’s behind the door it only stands to reason that the act of giving leads our hands to first knock at the door.

Truth Compels US

“The highest truth in life is that which compels you”

Throughout life we are met with a wide variety of other people’s views and opinions as to what we should believe or to the extent of how we should live our lives.

As a young person I grew up in an atmosphere that accentuated the necessity for church and the salvation that it promised. As a teenager I attended and all boys, Southern Baptist style military school where our attendance to the three chapel services a week were mandatory. Needless to say, religion was pushed on me from an early age and reinforced throughout my adolescence. Then I got to college and I suddenly had the unmistakable gift of freedom, the freedom to choose where I go, what I do, and for how long.

It wasn’t until my junior year of college that I decided to take a long look at what I believed and why I believed it. Over the course of the next two years I allowed myself to be open to any number of possibilities for our existence and the purpose for our life. I allowed myself to question the validity of everything; I dedicated my life to the pursuit of finding the TRUTH about life and the meaning for our being part of it.

I learned much about myself in the process: I learned I had a habit of judging other people based solely on the grounds of archaic expectations that I had due to a life of listening to other people’s view of the world. I learned it wasn’t as important to know all the answers as it was to be asking all of the questions. I learned there’s only one ultimate truth in reality- LOVE is all there is and yet even love is dependent upon its opposite for definition. I learned that there’s more than one way to connect with God and find meaning for our life. I came to the realization that everyone, everywhere, is connected and not only to one another but to their surroundings as well. Most importantly I discovered that in order to be the person you want to be in life and to be able to have the impact you desire, you had to first understand deep-down in your core what you believed and why. The second part of that discovery came in the form of not only knowing who I am and what I believe but understanding from that, that everyone has their own path to walk and it’s not my place to interfere with the steps they take. My life can only be an example for others to follow and my words can only be a catalyst for other people’s self-discovery.

The truth is…. There’s not just one correct way for everyone to connect with the creator or to connect with the meaning for their life; instead, there’s only one way for each person individually to come to these understandings.

It’s up to every one of us to find our own, individual truth, to find that which compels us into action. Don’t be scared, if what you find that makes sense to you differs from your past assumptions and beliefs. We are all beings of the inevitable pull of evolution, what worked for your life at one point in time may carry little weight for you at another.

What compels YOU to be the best person you know you can be? What drives YOU to be a benefit to man-kind? What brings YOU into unison with your potential and your purpose for life? These questions should serve as the only waypoints on your road to fulfillment.

What causes YOU to act?

WE are who we choose to be, based on who WE believe we can be; when you connect with this truth life suddenly becomes simple.

All the spiritual leaders spread throughout time posed a very similar question for humanity: Who are WE? The answer is up to us to define, first as individuals and then as a race of people.

We cannot see the change we wish to see in the world until WE know as individuals who we are, what we stand for, and what compels us.

Shalom,
Mason

Train For Success

Success or failure cannot be quantified by how many wins or losses your life's record book shows. Instead, I believe the measure of a man or woman's success should be dictated by how many times you showed up to play and how prepared you were going into each challenge.

In the February, 2009 edition of Men's Health, Ryan Reynolds, was quoted as saying "I don't expect success, I train for it."

His words should serve as a wake-up call to all those in the world who take life for granted and who believe we are victims of our circumstances, not victors over our circumstances.

No matter the state of life we find our self in, barring the exceptions of permanent handicaps due to someone else's negligence, we are the practitioners of our own current predicaments.

Everything we've endured, everything we're experiencing now, whether it is heartache or complete joy and freedom, has come directly from choices we made prior to our current situation.

We have a choice in every matter: to come or go, to stay or leave, to prosper or flounder, etc... And within every choice we make lies one common denominator- will I choose to walk in LOVE and prosperity or FEAR and despondency.

Everything we as humans do, every decision we make concerning anything under the sun, has at its root these common questions: Am I going to walk in LOVE or hide in FEAR? Am I going to choose to bask in greatness or blend in in mediocrity? Will I believe in my creative potential to be exceptional or listen to other's criticism of my ability to be nothing more than I am?

Some have referred to this common denominator of making decisions based out of love or fear as our "sponsoring thoughts" or our "first and unrecognizable choice"

LOVE or FEAR...

Fear comes in many forms: fear of failure, fear of success, fear of vulnerability, fear of the unknown, fear of death, fear of the "what ifs", and my personal favorite... fear of someone’s disapproval.

But for every choice made out of fear there's the opposite that's also possible, that opposite is a choice made out of love: love for success, love for the attempt, love for changing other people's minds, love of making the unknown what we want it to be, the love of living, the love for "what if I didn't do it?" and the love for personal approval and the satisfaction that comes along with being true to one's self.

Life is a lot like boxing. Punches are always being thrown your way, your back can be pinned in the corner, and sometimes you can even be outmatched. But, like any great fighter, we can choose how to train, how to prepare, how to block, and then how we want to counter to take back control of the round. The best boxers are never beaten, only knocked down for a short while; in their heart they know they're going to get back up and finish the round on their terms.

Success happens when proper training and preparation come toe-to-toe with opportunity.

Let LOVE guide your training, let positivity be the root of your preparation and trust in your God-given ability to prosper, so when the fight-night comes you're prepared, hopeful, and ready to deliver the knockout blow!

Lastly, If you find yourself taking more punches from life than you're giving, it only stands to reason that you should change how you train.

As always, let LOVE guide your steps...
Mason