9 Deadly Truths I live By

Ok... So, they are not deadly... but I once read an article that said the use of the word deadly, increases the likelihood of someone reading your article. Anyway... You only live once - although sometimes we live as though every day is promised. It really isn’t! Living with urgency, knowing that death is always a possibility helps us focus on what we make of our lives. Here are a few truths I live by.

Everything you desire resides outside your comfort zone! Otherwise, you would already have it. The secret to living your dream life if you aren’t already is extending yourself! Take a new route home, make a new friend, try a new meal, post about something that matters to you

You will be teaching yourself how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. When you can be comfortable with being uncomfortable, you open yourself up to opportunities that didn't exist - desired possibilities!

You can’t solve a problem with the same mindset that created or discovered it. Often when we have a nagging problem, natural instinct is to think about it when we are experiencing it or trying to solve it from a logical standpoint in the same “space” you discovered it. Thinking in this way tends to close you off to different possibilities - the brain is designed to think in binary - logical steps - if this, then that.

When you’re not tasking the brain feverishly for a solution. So next time you can’t wrap your head around a problem, let it go, trust that the solution will show up, and change the subject. The answer will come to you! Works every time!

This too shall pass. No matter what it is, good or bad, it will come to pass. Often when we are going through a trying time it is easy to loose perspective of the big picture - nothing is permanent. The only thing that is constant is change. On the flip side, even when we celebrate and enjoy the good times, those too are passing - in this case, savor those moments for they too are passing!

Sometimes you have to give up - giving up means letting go, giving up the struggle. Have you ever wanted something so bad but it’s beyond your control? Maybe a job or a part in a play? Then you start “efforting”? Efforting is a term I use to describe when I am trying too hard when there’s really nothing I can do. The moment I see myself efforting - it’s an indication that I am trying too hard and it may or may not be mine - furthermore, I am too attached to the outcome. Being too attached to the outcome is the surest way to set yourself up for disappointment. So, sometimes you just have to give up or let go - if it’s yours it will come to you. And if it's not, you will know in time why it didn’t work out - and there’s something to be learned from every experience!

Just know your immediate next step - You don’t have to know the entire journey to get to where you’re going. Especially when you are embarking on a new frontier, a new project, a new dream - it’s ok to be prepared but it is better to just know your immediate next step - that way you remain open to all possibilities available to you. You can travel from Nairobi to New York in 14 hours or in 1 month if you're lucky, driving through 7 countries to get to Casablanca - bureaucracies withstanding and a ship ride from Africa's west coast to North America's east coast. The point is remaining open will allow you to discover the route that best suits your experience, relying on what you know only will limit your possibilities.

Everything is connected! It’s true. On a scientific level, this is the explanation offered by quantum entanglement and on a basic level, don’t you wonder why Margaret gave you a call when you just thought of her yesterday?

Relationships, dreams, thoughts, and more. This leads nicely into my last truth which is

Everything is always working out, even when it doesn’t look like it is... and the reason why is because everything is connected.

You can’t get what you want by focusing on what you don’t want. Everything has energy. This is why I worry when I see “anti” movements - because we are giving energy to what we don’t want. However, this is where our collective consciousness has identified the problem - racism, bias, and all the terrible things we do to one another in the name of belief systems. You can’t solve a problem with the same mindset that identified it. At some point, we will need to start having

When everything is said and done, in the words of the popular 60’s hit - What the World Needs Now Is Love.