Got problems?

April 29th, 2013

(Got problems?)

If a problem persists in your life, then at some point you must come to realize that in order to find the solution you have to change where you have been looking. The solution you seek is not going to come out of some notebook of past solutions that you have been keeping. The new solution is going to be found by going down different paths and entertaining new ideas and yes, getting a little scared in the process. It’s called growing.

As we get older, our bag of solutions, if not continually updated, gets ineffective and so we resign ourselves to having problems that have no solutions. Nothing could be further from the truth. THERE IS NO PROBLEM IN THE UNIVERSE WITHOUT A CORRESPONDING SOLUTION!

From this day forward, stop focusing on problems and start becoming solution oriented. Stop using your energy to strengthen your problems! Stop fighting against life and start working with it. Stop being against so many things and start being for what you want. You don’t have problems to fix, you have solutions to strengthen. Stop cursing the night and start celebrating the coming dawn.

Any problem, whether it be spiritual, physical, emotional or mental is just another opportunity to grow. Do you have a problem with health, relationships or money? Don’t fight it and don’t give up. Solve it. Maybe you haven’t been able to find the solution looking in all the old places well, guess what? It’s time to search some new places. What if you don’t have any support? Explore anyway. You are responsible for you. Find your own answers and embrace them. It’s scary and wonderful and exciting and amazing and best of all – you can do it!

(c)2013 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com

 

Got Problems?

April 29th, 2013

(Got problems?)

If a problem persists in your life, then at some point you must come to realize that in order to find the solution you have to change where you have been looking. The solution you seek is not going to come out of some notebook of past solutions that you have been keeping. The new solution is going to be found by going down different paths and entertaining new ideas and yes, getting a little scared in the process. It’s called growing.

As we get older, our bag of solutions, if not continually updated, gets ineffective and so we resign ourselves to having problems that have no solutions. Nothing could be further from the truth. THERE IS NO PROBLEM IN THE UNIVERSE WITHOUT A CORRESPONDING SOLUTION!

From this day forward, stop focusing on problems and start becoming solution oriented. Stop using your energy to strengthen your problems! Stop fighting against life and start working with it. Stop being against so many things and start being for what you want. You don’t have problems to fix, you have solutions to strengthen. Stop cursing the night and start celebrating the coming dawn.

Any problem, whether it be spiritual, physical, emotional or mental is just another opportunity to grow. Do you have a problem with health, relationships or money? Don’t fight it and don’t give up. Solve it. Maybe you haven’t been able to find the solution looking in all the old places well, guess what? It’s time to search some new places. What if you don’t have any support? Explore anyway. You are responsible for you. Find your own answers and embrace them. It’s scary and wonderful and exciting and amazing and best of all – you can do it!

(c)2013 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com

 

Small is better

April 22nd, 2013

(You can make a difference!)

If you had one billion dollars and you shared it with everyone in the world, each person would get about fifteen cents. This really wouldn’t change very many lives.

Our world is a big, big place with many, many people. Whether you have a billion dollars or not, you have a big, big heart with many, many opportunities. How can you best help? Accept that you will never be able to help everyone. One cup of water for the whole garden on a hot day and the whole garden dies. Understand that you are more effective when you narrow your focus. One cup of water for one corn stalk and you have food and seeds for more corn.

Stop worrying about what you cannot control. In other words, stop worrying about the fate of the world. All that does is make you feel impotent and useless. Focus, focus, focus. Who in your family needs help? Who in your neighborhood needs help? What pets need more love? Who do you know that needs a hug, a touch, a compliment? Take care of these needs and you are both empowered and effective.

We are being paralyzed by taking a world view of everything. The way out of this paralysis is to stop worrying about everything and take action on something. Do something but make it a small something and do it with great awareness, love and passion. You can’t make the whole world feel good but I’ll bet that there are a couple of people in your life whose lives would be a whole lot better if you gave them more of your attention and love. Try it. Think small. The rewards are enormous.

(c)2013 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com

 

What’s Wrong?

April 15th, 2013

(You have a voice!)

“What’s wrong?” The answer to this question will change your life. Maybe.

When you are asked; “What’s wrong?” your typical first response is: “Nothing.” Why do you have this quick, patented answer? Is it because you believe that your “stuff” isn’t important. Is it because you believe that you already know the response and where it will lead? Or maybe because you don’t want to rock the boat? Or do you believe that the other person can beat you or belittle you with the volume of their voice or their command of semantics or debate?

Whatever the reason for saying “Nothing” it is a lie if you truly feel something is wrong and lying always diminishes your self worth. It takes guts to tell the truth. It takes guts to not sugar coat your response. It takes guts not to preface your answer with cowering phrases like “You probably won’t agree but…” or “I might be totally wrong but…” or ” I might just be crazy but I…” or “You’ll probably get mad if I say this but…” and all the variations.

Speak up anyway! If you feel something is wrong, speak up! If you feel you have been abused, speak up! If you feel someone has treated you badly, speak up! If you feel that you are being cheated, lessened, cheated on, demeaned, ridiculed, belittled or hurt, speak up!

It is very important to remember that as you speak up you get the courage to continue. Great courage never comes before you speak. When you speak up you are righting a wrong. When you speak up you are honoring your own personal integrity. When you speak up the feces may come in direct contact with the oscillating blades but you will have stood toe to toe with your biggest fears and said “Get out of my way. I’ve got something to say!”and a bigger, better you is born.

(c)2013 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com

 

Don’t Give Up!

April 8th, 2013

(You are strong!)

There comes times in life when giving up seems not only a great relief but the best possible choice. Suddenly, giving up on a dream or a relationship that you once held tightly seems the only way. For days and sometimes years later you continue to play “what if” games with yourself concerning your decision. Giving up always involves some level of regret, longing, in other words, attachment.

When you take a step to walk towards something you want, you don’t give up on where you are. You see what you want to be, do or have and you move towards it. Simple, right? Since you learned to take your first steps, you have enjoyed the ability to move towards what you want. Even if you fell down, you got back up and kept moving towards what you wanted.

From today onwards, there’s no more giving up. Banish that phrase from your vocabulary. There is only moving forward towards what you really want. If where you are in a job or a relationship or a state of health is unacceptable, start stepping towards your dream, your joy, what you really want. Don’t settle!

You don’t give up on the beach to go into the ocean for a swim. You just move towards what you want. You don’t give up on addiction. You move to healthier choices. You don’t give up on toxic people. You move towards better people. You don’t give up on a bad job. You move towards a good one. You don’t give up on improving you. You move towards being kind to you.

Giving up keeps you attached to the way it was. Moving forward makes you free. Take a step!

(c)2013 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com

 

Beautifully!

April 1st, 2013

(Do it Beautifully!)

This morning I watched our dog, Jasper, run around the yard and I thought to myself that he runs beautifully. The thought struck me that we refer to certain people as being beautiful but how about what people DO? We can watch a person dance or cook or paint and say to ourselves that they are doing it beautifully but what about the man that pushes the shopping carts in the parking lot? He’s done it a thousand times and he knows how many carts act this way or that. Or how about the nurse that switches the IV bag without waking the patient.

There are actions being done beautifully all around us all the time. We are even contributing some of that beautifulness ourselves. Things being done beautifully aren’t just those practiced actions being done on stage and in classes and on film. Everyday actions are being done beautifully everywhere.

We don’t see the beautiful because we are not looking for what’s right, what’s working, what doesn’t need fixing. We have been raised as problem solvers and we get rewarded for solving problems and so we are always looking for problems to fix. If someone is doing something beautifully and right, we pass right over it to find the person who is doing it wrong so that we can present our solution and be rewarded with a pat on the back or a knowing smile.

Today, watch people uncritically, without judgement. Watch the way they walk or work or maybe the way they bag your groceries or the way they drive. Some of these things are being done beautifully. Much more than you have imagined.

(c)2013 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com