I woke up thinking about my life. There are so many things I want to do and in some ways may be sleeping on. I remembered the fact that life does not stop for anyone, and that everyday that goes by, I need to be sure to be my authentic self.
In some ways I felt like I was missing the mark, even though for the most part, life is quite good. I also thought about changes that I need to make, and maybe even a dream or two that if I was honest, seemed to be eluding me. “My perfect relationship, ok most happy relationship, am I in it? Look at the changes that need to be made. My new meditation center, it’s just a shell of what I would like it to be. So much potential in so many areas, this is not a test run this is my life!” Needless to say, in that moment, I was not feeling my best.
Then I opened up to a page from my newest, yet to be released book, that I completed at least a year ago. The page was talking about the power of being thankful. I started to feel a little better just reading it. So I decided to put my thankfulness into action. I started thanking God and the Universe for many things. Like my wonderful home, and my children being healthy. I was thankful for my business and being able to be self employed practically all of my life. I thought about all the incredible ways God has blessed me and how the Universe has saved me from what looked like oncoming disaster, so many times.
I was thankful for all my good times, wonderful life and experiences, for my family friends and children. And as far as my meditation center goes. Wow, I actually have one, and it is wonderful, and growing. “Build on it!” Is what I thought. And for the projects that I felt way behind on. I felt appreciation for them and new energy to move on them. I was reminded that this is an adventure. And in my personal life, it has been a great ride and will continue to be. I was back once again, removed from my temporary low. My exercise in being thankful paid off.
Peace and Blessings
Craig Kimbrough for Positive Guru Blog
Portrait of Nat King Cole, New York, N.Y. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Yesterday a friend of mine told me a story about Nat King Cole. He said he was a piano player who was one day asked to play particular song. Nat King Cole began to play the song when the guy stopped him and told him “no I want you to sing it”. Nat was not a singer, at least that is what he thought. But little did he know this would be the beginning of a great singing career. Nat King Cole could have easily said I don’t sing, but instead he decided to fill the need.
With my gutter cleaning business, people used to ask us for years if we did window cleaning. I would always answer saying no. One day I finally decided to give window cleaning a try. Now probably one-fourth of the business is window cleaning. It has been very good for the company.
Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg says that the secret to business is finding a need and fulfilling that need. Sometimes we have to be open to the suggestions that come our way from our wold telling us the way in which to do it. We must also remember that this is not just the secret to business, but a secret to success in all areas in life. Pay attention to the ways in which the people in your world need to be served.
Water Skiing on Lake Viared (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When I was fairly young I realized two things. I knew for a fact that I wanted to live life to the fullest, being who I really am while enjoying all the material had to offer and I also knew that I wanted to teach spirituality and meditation. Living to the fullest for me meant feeling alive enjoying what I like. So it included having nice clothes and watches, sharp cars, a beautiful girlfriend etc. and owning my own business. I knew that I had to own my own business because I got a taste of it early on and loved the freedom and sense of creativity and adventure I felt running my enterprise. I also knew that I liked fine things and did not plan on living without what I liked. I truly felt like the world was my playground and I wanted to play.
In addition to the material side, I also was fascinated by spirituality. It started out purely about the material and using spiritual laws to gain what I wanted materially. But it evolved into being fascinated and intrigued by the deeper side of life and the men and women who seemed to have it figured out. I admired the self-help authors and speakers and wanted to have their knowledge and become one of them one day. The books I read got deeper and deeper and I soon found myself stumbling on to the meditation path. At this point I looked up to the yogis and meditation masters and wanted to know all they knew. I also knew in my heart that one day, when I was older, I would be a teacher just like them. I even had an age picked out. I figured it would be when I was 50. This way I would have time to live my other life first.
Luckily for me it did not work out that way. I lived both lives at the same time. I started my own business at 19 and have been happily running it ever since. I enjoyed all the things I liked, cars, clothes, watches, a wonderful social life, with parties, friends, girlfriends and eventually a wife and family which has made my life truly wonderful.
When I was still in my twenties people kept asking me to teach them the meditative path. They would not go and learn from my teacher, like I suggested. They kept asking me. In the meantime my teacher was telling me it was time for me to teach. I was surprised. He had other students who were studying long before me and none of them were teaching, but he insisted it was time for me to do so. So I started right where I was with the people in my world. Now as I think back, I was teaching even before I officially began. I was interpreting dreams on the job. People would seek me out because they knew I was the one to talk to about deep things. I would talk to my friends all the time about the incredible possibilities and the magic and mysteries I was experiencing. The whole time I was just being me. Living both lives the material and the spiritual with them both complementing one another. By the way I am not quite 50 yet, but I have been teaching meditation for 20 years, loving every moment of it. It is hard to imagine who I would be or who my children would be if I didn’t teach. Don’t rob the world of who you are and what you can share. Be who you truly are now.
Sincerely,
Craig