March 26th, 2019
No matter what happens, life goes on. I remember years ago, standing at my Mother’s grave as they lowered her casket into the ground and I looked around at that moment. Off in the distance the traffic was going by like any other morning, people were walking to work and others were standing and chatting at the bus stop.
How could that be, I wondered. Why hadn’t the entire world stopped because my world had stopped? Didn’t they know? How could this be just another day to the rest of the world? “Mom just died unexpectedly. Why are you not stopping and grieving?” I shouted mentally to everyone I saw.
The world in fact did go on and my life did too. This past weekend I found myself in physical pain and that’s not new but this time it was accompanied by a darkness I hadn’t seen in some time.
Every thought I had was smudged with darkness. Every problem suddenly seemed unsolvable. Every hill seemed too steep to climb.
I looked out into the street and I saw the neighbors talking and driving and tending to their houses and I thought: How could they be doing such useless tasks when everything is going so wrong?
I made the mistake again. I saw my world as THE world. I saw only what agreed with how I was feeling and I dismissed everything to the contrary.
When we, you and I, find ourselves beset by darkness and or pain we have an uncanny ability to forget every uplifting thought we ever had. We criticize our life first and then given enough time we criticize all of life.
I can’t say that I have the universal cure for this but these are the five steps I take. First, I ask for help. No, I’m not strong enough to ask others. Instead, I ask God and the spirit world to help me. Second, I set a strict timeline for when I am going to start fighting my way out of this. Third, I force myself to remember that my view of EVERYTHING is greatly influenced by how I feel. Fourth, I constantly remind myself that I have made it through this before. Fifth, I tell myself over and over again that life goes on and this world has never seen a night without a dawn and neither have I.
If you are suffering from loss or pain or darkness I don’t know your specific pain but I know of such pain. My wish for you is that you find the strength to hold on until dawn and that dawn’s light brings you renewal. Love and Blessings, Patrick
Sundrops On Life -Better Thoughts. Better Days.
(c)2019 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
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February 14th, 2019
There is one person, maybe more, in your life that brought out the love in you. Maybe it was your first moment in this world when you looked at your Mom and your love flowed.
Maybe it was someone that held you and rocked away the pain. Maybe it was the cute person later on that made you feel silly. Maybe it was the first person that made you feel good about yourself and your love flowed.
Maybe it was the person who first said I Love You and really meant it and you responded immediately with the same words. Maybe it was looking down at your brand new child and realizing that you were capable of loving so very much more and your love flowed.
Maybe it was the friend who was always there. Maybe it was a grandparent. Maybe it was a mentor. Maybe it was your soulmate and your love flowed.
Maybe it was a nurse. Maybe it was a grandchild. Maybe it was a cherished pet who unconditionally loved you and your love flowed.
Maybe it was a deity or celestial being whose love you felt and your love flowed.
Maybe it was the time you looked into the mirror and thought that just for that moment, you were okay and your love flowed.
Here’s to the precious ones in our life who made our love flow. To them we say Thank You and I Love You.
Maybe, just maybe, that’s what it’s all about.
Sundrops On Life -Better Thoughts. Better Days.
(c)2019 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
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January 14th, 2019
How often do you hear from your inner critic? If you are like most people, your inner critic is THE dominant voice in your head. It only sleeps when you do and it is always, always ready to judge you or to bring up some past, painful, dark episode to keep you weak and unable to shut it up.
Everyone has moments or years that they would like to forget. Your inner critic knows exactly when to bring up those hope to be forgotten times because your inner critic is all about control.
Your inner critic may seem like a singular, critical voice but actually it’s not. Your inner critic is simply a combination of all the voices, real and imagined, that have criticized you since you were born.
Those voices are there because they were hurtful and we tend to keep a memory bank of the things that hurt us so that we can hopefully sidestep them in the future. It’s good for prowling tigers we’ve heard but terrible for the hurtful words we’ve heard.
“What would my Mother, teacher, friends, pastor, etc. say if they knew what I did, thought, said?” The answer to these questions is entirely imagined but we store them away as truths and our inner critic has full access to them at all times.
So what can we do to quiet the inner critic so that our self esteem can grow? What can we do to push it aside so that we can actually enjoy our successes and our victories?
We are all aware of our own inner critic but we are so very ignorant of our inner cheerleader. Both exist but only one is associated with hurt and since we want to avoid pain we focus on that one and ignore the other.
What would happen if you woke up the inner cheerleader? How would you feel if when you felt down there was an inner voice that picked you up? Life changing!
Your inner cheerleader is also made up of many voices. The voices that said you were good looking. They said you were strong. They said you were smart and a good person. They said you could do it. They said you were kind and lovable. They said you were the best. Those voices weren’t hurtful, quite the opposite, but they faded quickly and your focus went elsewhere to protect you.
You’re older and wiser now and it’s time to bring out your inner cheerleader. It’s time to go looking for your inner cheerleader each and every time your inner critic starts to talk. It’s time to remember the people who really loved you and of the good things they said. It’s time to turn up the volume of your positive self talk. It’s time you heard from the good voices, the successes and the victories.
It’s time to turn on the lights inside of you. It’s time to raise the blinds and let the light in. It’s time you started listening to a different voice, the one that loves you.
Sundrops On Life -Better Thoughts. Better Days.
(c)2019 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
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November 22nd, 2018
Let’s give thanks today (and every day) for what we have. There are an infinite number of gifts in our life that should elicit gratitude from us.
One we often overlook is to be grateful for realizations. Realizations are those magical forces that can turn our life around, change our perspective and let us see those things that we were blind to before the realization.
How priceless the realization that you were on the wrong path? How wonderful the realization that you were stronger than you believed? How fortunate to have the realization that you are loved? How empowering the realization that you could do it yourself? How touching comes the realization that you are alive? How powerful the realization that you can improve your health and your happiness?
Your spirit constantly steers you in the direction of your greatest good but sometimes you close your eyes and figure that you know it all and there is nothing new to behold. “Just another day” “Same as it ever was”.
And then comes the THUNDERCLAP! The realization hits you that you are reborn every morning and all that you touch must be renewed too. Yesterday’s “I love you” is not for today. Today’s “I love you” must be fresh and strong and new or love begins ever so slightly to fade.
Each morning you should look at your body not with judgement but with love and gratitude for all it has allowed you to experience.
Each morning you should look around with eyes wide open to the people in your lives, the possessions that you have enjoyed and of nature right outside your door and come to the realization that you are so very fortunate.
Each morning you must also realize it could be your last morning or the last for someone you love and to vow to be present for everyone you love and to always be present for your own continuing gift of life.
Let all our days start with the realization that there is much to be grateful for this day.
Sundrops On Life -Better Thoughts. Better Days.
(c)2018 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
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October 29th, 2018
Why do we worry when we know that worrying destroys our happiness, our joy and our peace of mind?
The answer I usually come up with is flat out denial. “I am not a worrier.” A voice in my head always says the next unspoken words. “Most days”.
The truth is that all of us at some time worry away our happiness, our joy and our peace of mind. We worry about our own mental and physical health. We worry about the well being of our loved ones. We worry about money. We worry about the world. We worry about the future. We worry about everything.
Each of us imagines that as long as we are worrying, we are working on a solution. If a problem is at the forefront of our mind obviously we are doing something about it. Right? But is that the truth? Or is worrying just our way of saying that we care but, sorry, we don’t know how to change the situation?
The more we worry, the more the dust settles on our happiness, our joy and our peace of mind until it completely covers them and now instead of reveling in those three things we seek only to distract ourselves. What can we do?
The answer is to stop being a worrier and to start becoming a Warrior, a Warrior of Love. We have made worrying more important than loving. It’s time to change. A Warrior knows that to focus on just one thing is to master that thing. Do you want to master worrying or loving?
A Warrior always asks “What can I do to improve my mental and physical health?” And then begins to implement those changes now. Love starts with loving oneself. A Warrior of Love knows that the only person he or she can change is herself or himself. To disregard that opportunity is to disregard the greatest gift.
A Warrior of Love is someone whose greatest battle is not on the field but in their own mind. He or she battles against regrets, worries and fears on a daily basis. The goals of a Warrior of Love are accepting what is, not taking personal the shortcomings or ignorance of anyone else, understanding the power of love to heal and learning to smile at it all.
Sundrops On Life -Better Thoughts. Better Days.
October 8th, 2018
Think positive they say. Look at the bright side of things they say. Don’t think negative thoughts they say.
They are totally right when you are overworked and underslept, when you are doing it all with little support or when your child throws a tantrum in the grocery aisle but what do you do when your whole world falls apart, when life throws you into a dark cave and repeatedly turns you upside down and spins you around?
The short answer is You Hold On! You grab ahold of the next minute, the next hour like a climber hanging off the side of a mountain by fingertips. You use all your strength to look into your memories to find a bit of light and you take ahold of that memory and you wrap your arms around you and you let it feed and protect you.
The long answer is that you start right now with whatever mood you are in and you start to prepare for the inevitable dark occurrences that come into each and every life. What are ten joys that you have experienced? Write them down. What are your five favorite songs? Download them. What is your favorite amulet or token? Find it and keep it close. What is your favorite book? Keep a copy at home and a copy at work or in the car. Who can you call when the light dims? Have a small group list on your phone.
Most importantly, ask for a solution. There is a part of you that guides you, that runs your bodily functions without any conscious effort on your part, that produces your creativity, hunches and intuition. It goes by many names, the soul, the spirit, the atman, the higher self, etc. You may call it what you will but most importantly you must learn to connect with it. It is the power and the wealth of your life. It is you.
My grandfather taught me to always fight the darkness, to never give up. I asked him one day “What do you do on a day when there is no darkness?” and he said ” Those are the days you work on gratitude. Nothing scares the darkness as much as gratitude.”
Sundrops On Life – Better Thoughts. Better days.
(c)2018 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
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October 5th, 2018
Imagine a big, classic mural or a huge, famous oil painting or a large, priceless tapestry. Now imagine walking right up to it until your nose was pressed against it. What would you see? A speck of dirt? A smudge? A bit of dust?
From that perspective would your judgement about the mural or painting or tapestry be right? Would it be fair? Of course not!
You have been taught to look at everything very closely. It’s called focusing and it is very good most of the time but not all of the time. Sometimes we need to see the big picture in order to give a clear and honest appraisal of something. Many times our decisions about this world are based on a microscopic view of its troubles. We do the same thing concerning our own lives. We focus intently on our missteps, our shortcomings and our fears and yet they are but a very small part of the whole picture of our existence.
Step back.Take a breath. Go for a walk. Open yourself up to a bigger perspective. See the world and your life through wide open eyes and not through a microscope. Take some time to dwell on what is right in this world and in your own life. See this incredible world for providing so much to so many. See your own life in the context of what happiness you have known and what happiness you have brought to others.
We can’t ignore the problems of this world or the problems in our own lives but sometimes we can be so focused on what is terrible that we are blind to all that is wonderful.
Take some time each day to push the problems, the angst and the travails aside and look out at the world or into your memories and see the good, the beautiful and the kind.
This world is more amazing than you can believe and your life is more blessed than you can imagine. Enjoy both!
Sundrops On Life – Better Thoughts. Better days.
(c)2018 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
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September 10th, 2018
How amazingly lucky and blessed would you feel if every single morning without fail you awoke and there was three priceless gifts at the foot of your bed? You would want to jump out of bed as soon as you opened your eyes. There would be no hitting the snooze button for you. Knowing that in a moment you were going to feel even more lucky and more blessed, you would rush to open the new day’s three presents.
The first present would be marked Gratitude and in it would be a reminder that you lived and loved yesterday and you’ve been given another day to do it even better. There would be a new list of some past moments that you had forgotten about that changed your life for the better.
With Gratitude rushing through your veins you eagerly open the second present marked Hope and in it would be your plans and dreams of a better day for yourself and all those you love. There would also be a reminder of some of the times that hope was the only light that drove the darkness away for you.
Feeling high on being alive and present you gently open the third present marked Love. Inside are countless pictures of the people in this world who love you and have loved you. The relatives, nurses, teachers and friends who have loved you are all there. Pictures of the people in your life right now who hold you so dearly in their hearts and care, truly care, for your happiness and well being are there too.
This isn’t a fantasy or some wild dream. Each and every morning when you awake, Gratitude, Hope and Love are present for you to focus on. There are others vying for your attention as well. There is the ever present worry and self criticism and fear.
Your day, your attitude and your well being depend greatly on which ones you open each morning. The beautiful thing is that you have a choice. You have the ability to choose to open Gratitude, Hope and Love each and every morning and you have the strength to ignore the rest.
You always have so much to be grateful for and you always have hope and you are always loved. You really are lucky and blessed. Own it!
Sundrops On Life -Better Thoughts. Better Days.
(c)2018 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
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September 4th, 2018
From the Archives:
Each and every one of us is dancing to a tune. The really big question is whose music are you dancing to each day? Maybe it’s a boss or maybe it’s a parent or friend or neighbor. Maybe it’s the news or the weather. Maybe it’s a sickness or disease. Maybe it’s a child or maybe it’s regrets. Maybe fear is calling the tune for you to dance to today.
If you are not dancing to your own music you most certainly are dancing to someone’s music because we are all dancing. A “friend” says something hurtful and you dance slow and painful. Your boss yells at you and you dance frightened and insecure. A parent criticizes and you dance small and tearful. The news reports something awful and you dance outraged and boisterous. You feel sick and you dance weak and weary. You get scared and you dance into a safe corner.
Everyone and everything in life is playing a tune and you will dance to the one that is the loudest at the moment UNLESS your music is louder. That’s right, you, like everything else in this world has a tune. With all the chaos of growing up and dancing to so many other people’s tunes you forgot yours. You turned yours way down so that you could learn about other tunes and you eventually forgot yours.
Today is a very special day. Today is the day you are reminded of your music. Today is the day that you get to turn it back up. Your music is about your needs. Your music is about your dreams. Your music is about your aspirations. Your music is about your desires and your pleasures. Your music is about how you want to live. Your music is about your uniqueness and your love. No other music can control you if your music is louder. Turn yours up!
(c)2013 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
Sundrops On Life -Better Thoughts. Better Days.
(c)2018 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
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June 18th, 2018
When “I love you” becomes a litmus test of current feelings we lose all the power of those precious words.
“I love you”
“Yeah, me too” —-Oh-oh! Something may be wrong!
“I love you”
“Uh-huh” —–Crap! Somethings is wrong
“I love you”
crickets(silence!)
Repeating “I LOVE YOU!”
(crickets) —–OMG! It’s over!
Softly, with light touching “I really do love you”
“Oh, I’m sorry darling! I was preoccupied with something and wasn’t paying attention. I love you very much” The sun comes out and a chorus of angels starts to sing and all’s right in the world.
Loving someone and expressing that love is full and complete within itself. There is no need to hunger for a response. Learn to express your love UNCONDITIONALLY. Your joy should be in saying these precious words.
When we say I love you only to hear a response we dilute the power and the bliss of those powerful words. We subconsciously learn that “I love you” isn’t enough. It isn’t complete until it is returned with the same or better tone than when we said it.
One of the tragedies with this thinking is that we are subconsciously weakening our Divine connection. When we speak our love to God or the Universe and we don’t hear a reply we unconsciously believe that there is something wrong with our Divine relationship. We have learned to expect a immediate response to our words.
Say “I love you” with your whole heart and soul every time you say it. What comes next should be the great satisfaction of knowing that you love and that you are strong enough to express it.
“But, Patrick, what do I say when someone says “I love you” and they are expecting a reply?”
How about “Thank you for loving me and I love you too.” You acknowledge their love for you (amazing and important for you and them!) and then you speak from your heart.
Awakened love beats rote love every time.
Sundrops On Life -Better Thoughts. Better Days.
(c)2018 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
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