June 29th, 2015
We want to change some things in our life but we are fearful that if we start changing anything everything will change so we become paralyzed by these two opposing forces.
To overcome this stagnation we have to first understand what we are trying to hold on to so tightly. Do you think a relationship is going to change if you change? Of course it will. If the relationship is based on superficial values it may or may not survive. If it is based on a deep love and caring by both it will survive any change.
Do you think you may regret making any change? Of course you will. You will always reflect on how things use to be and depending upon your mood, you will see it as a positive change or a negative one. Notice that it is “depending upon your mood” and not depending upon the facts.
Do you think you are too old or set in your ways to change? The older we get the more invested in our personal story we are. We imagine a certain strength of character in our consistency. We don’t ever want to appear foolish. Funny though, how much we admire other people when they dare to be a little foolish.
How about we take some chances? How about we dip our toe into the sea of change? How about we volunteer in a new area? How about we have a different conversation? How about we put our judgements and complaining on hold for awhile? How about we wear something that is a little edgy? How about we start being a better version of who we wanted to be.
The rest of your life starts right now. Take a deep breath and begin right now to do whatever you can to make it better. It’s called making a change and you are so ready.
(c)2015 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
Facebook – Sundrops On Life
June 8th, 2015
Love. Do we use the word too casually? Do we lessen the value of the word when we say things like “I love the color of that wall” or maybe “I love chocolate” or how about “I love the way that feels”.
Does all of this take away from looking into someone’s eyes and saying “I love you”? Is the word love now cheapened somehow by overuse or by using the word too often on frivolous things?
The truth is that LOVE is the most amazing word in the world. No matter the language, the word LOVE cannot be cheapened or overused. The word LOVE is a superlative. The word LOVE says that something or someone is due the highest praise. The word LOVE says that something or someone ignites a passion for a moment or a lifetime in us.
Use the word as often as you can. Use it in every situation. Look for places to use it. The more you focus on the word LOVE, the more you will stay close to the feeling of love. And if you are close to the feeling of love, life will have that special vibration that makes even the mundane feel special.
LOVE your chocolate, your car, your jammies, your hot showers, your coffee, your tea, your bed, your pillow, your couch, your food, your music, your yoga, your TV, your books, the ocean, the sky and everything else in creation. Then when you look into the eyes of a pet, a child, a friend, a loved one and you say “I love you” they will know that you are quite familiar with that word and you know exactly what it means. I love you.
(c)2015 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
Facebook – Sundrops On Life
May 18th, 2015
This weekend I was in Los Angeles for the graduation of my youngest. He graduated Magna cum laude from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. What is amazing is that he switched to the business school in his third year and managed to do four years of an incredibly difficult business school in two years in some cases getting special permission to take introductory courses and advanced courses in the same subject in the same semester, a herculean feat but he did it and he did it with the highest grades.
I am immensely proud of Michael and I told him many times over the weekend that he could do anything he wanted to do with the rest of his life. I told him that all he had to do was set a goal, any goal, and he could attain it. I absolutely believe that is true.
As I sat down to write to you this morning I started thinking about you and I. Do I believe we can still do anything we want? Do I still think that you and I can set a goal, any goal, and reach it? My answer is a giant, unequivocal YES!
I’ve been writing Sundrops for almost nineteen years now and the overriding message is that by loving ourselves and believing in ourselves we are unlimited.
Granted, Michael is way smarter than I will ever be but his chances of happiness and fulfillment has less to do with his diploma and more to do with what he repeatedly says to himself. And the same is true for us.
Michael and you and I have a future. Whether that future is one minute or many, many years only a Higher Power knows. But how our future unfolds is going to depend on what goals we write down and how we talk to ourselves in each and every moment.
If you woke up this morning it is a commencement, a new beginning. Are your goals written down? Is your thinking, your self talk heading you in the right direction? I know I have work to do on this and I figure now is a pretty good time for me to start. How about you?
(c)2015 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
Facebook – Sundrops On Life
May 11th, 2015
Where does the sun go on a cloudy day? It goes exactly where it always goes. It doesn’t suddenly stop shining because there is no one at the beach or because the clouds block the clarity of its view. It doesn’t lessen who it is because this day is different.
Who you are should be a constant too. It’s easy to shine from your warm, caring, loving heart especially when there are grateful recipients of your kindness.
But what happens to your love when the clouds roll in? What happens to your understanding when someone betrays you? What happens to your compassion when someone you love cuts you off without an explanation? What happens when sickness, debt and fear come round like dark storm clouds?
Most likely you change. You stop seeing the possibilities. You stop seeing objectively. You pull back. Let’s face it, you stop shining. You feel justified in not shining after all, look at all the stuff going on. No one in their right mind could feel better than you right now or could they?
YES!!!!! You can love even when hurt. You can look for better possibilities. You can feel centered and powerful. You can expect a fortuitous outcome. You can see everything in a better light. In other words, you can shine no matter what is happening.
It is not the common response. It is not the accepted response. It is not the response that engenders sympathy BUT you can feel better, even a little better than you do in each and every moment of your life no matter the circumstances.
Remember, your hand is always the only hand on the volume controls of your well being. Turn it up even just a little and you will feel the empowerment. Ignore the clouds and shine anyway.
(c)2015 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
Facebook – Sundrops On Life
May 4th, 2015
Imagine that you went to see a movie at the movie theater and after you sat down comfortably, the manager came over and said that if you wanted to see the real movie you would have to go to the projection booth and see it on a very small screen. “What’s going to be on the big screen?” you ask. “Oh, just something loosely based on the real movie in the projection booth. It’s pretty hard to understand.”
“Absurd, ridiculous!” You yell. “I’m not going to go through all that trouble to see the real movie!” And you get up and leave, cursing that you wasted so much of your time and got nothing in return and vowing to have nothing to do with this place in the future.
When we enter into a relationship with someone they are expecting to see the real us. They are not expecting to see some mixed up rendition of who we think we should be or who we think they would like us to be.
They don’t want to climb inside of us and see what’s truly in our heart. They want our heart and our persona to be in harmony with each other. “Just get to know me and you’ll realize what a nice person I really am.” Poppycock! If it ain’t showing on the outside, it ain’t with the trip to find it inside!
Be authentic. You know you are caring and loving and good. Be that way. Loving is not weakness. If you are being you and someone cannot handle your loving energy, DON’T CHANGE for them. Be strong enough to move on.
To those who project a persona that is inconsistent with what you see in their heart, DON’T FIX THEM because you can’t.
Project the real you and accept nothing less from anyone else and then enjoy each other. Popcorn optional.
(C) Patrick McBride
www.patrickinspires.com
Facebook -Sundrops On Life
April 27th, 2015
What happened to your dreams? You used to bring them out, blow a little dust off them and look at them and see your future. It made you optimistic about the future and it made you happy. What happened?
People say “Oh, life got in the way” or “Reality finally set in”. Poppycock!! Your dreams are still there and they are still viable if you would be the least bit courageous and flexible.
Joe R. from Queens, New York wanted to grow up and play baseball, his first love. Joe decided at 63 that his dreams were long gone, expired, dust. With just a change in mindset of what is possible, two years later Joe moved to Florida and now “works” full time on the coaching staff for a minor league team. He says he can’t call it “work” because he’s having so much fun.
Margaret C. from Ann Arbor Michigan “knew” that her dreams were in the dustbin of the past. At 52 and single, her dreams of a partner and a place at the beach seemed light years away and not worthy of even fantasizing. With a change in mindset and action, Margaret didn’t wait for the beach and partner to come to her, she moved to the beach and found her partner.
Jackie A. didn’t have to move anywhere. Wanting so badly to be a fashion model, her dreams vanished in her tiny town far away from the runways by the time she was 24. At 29 with two small children, Jackie realized that her gift of drawing fashion designs brought her more pleasure than modeling ever could. A change in mindset and Jackie lived her dream.
Your dreams are not gone. They are a part of you and always will be. Dust them off, change any rigid ideas about their fulfillment and have the courage and flexibility to change. You are never trapped or set in your ways until you say so.
Go after your dream and every step, no matter how small, will inspire you and inspire all who know you. And if by chance you don’t believe you have a dream, today is a great day to start looking for one. There’s nothing that is beyond your ability once you change your mindset to “Yes, I can”.
(c)2015 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
Facebook – Sundrops On Life
April 20th, 2015
Upsetting memories of things that were done to you or bad things you did to someone else or a combination of both stay stuffed inside a dark compartment in your mind like the hall closet that holds so much junk that to open it runs the risk of everything pouring out. Out of sight, out of mind? Not exactly.
Everyone without exception has that closet. Some are filled with moderate upsets and some are filled with things so heinous that it seems impossible to even consider the contents.
The sad fact is that the dark, tucked away closet influences much of your life. It’s not as tucked away as you believe. So, what can you do about it? Quite a bit!
It is very important to realize that your stuffed closet is filled with things connected to the old you. That’s simply not you anymore. Is it a part of you? Absolutely! BUT it is not a controlling part of you unless you still fear it. The contents are unchangeable but the fear is changeable.
You must understand that you are strong now where you were once weak. You see more clearly. You are more conscious and aware. You have tools and insight now that were just not available to you then. Who you were has been reborn in tear soaked pillows and screams to the heavens. You have a past that belongs in the past. Take the lesson, leave the fact.
Fearlessly open that closet door and see the passage of time slowly deteriorating everything in there. Turn around and walk powerfully toward your future. You are today and tomorrow. You are no longer yesterday and you do not fear that which is deteriorating. You are born again every moment and you are reborn even better than you were in every passing moment. Your improvement never, ever stops. Count on it.
(c)2015 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
Facebook – Sundrops On Life
April 6th, 2015
Imagine that you are an actor and you are performing the part of an English king in the 1500’s. You are doing well. The other actors and the audience love you.
One day the director walks in and hands you a new script for a new play where you play a young adult in a suburban family.
Opening night and you come on dressed like a English king in the 1500’s and you start screaming for your royal court.
Within minutes the other actors and the audience dislike you and the director fires you. Why?
Because you took something that worked really well in the past and you tried to force it to work exactly like that again.
What worked yesterday might not work today. What worked with one person or one situation might not work with other people or other situations. Treat every moment with the wisdom gained from your past but with the eagerness and the open eyes and open heart of a brilliant child.
Each morning a brand new play starts for you. One day it’s a play about love. The next day will be an adventure, then another day tears and then another day laughter. Watch for the signs from the Director and remember that no two days are ever the same. If you treat them as the same, you’ll turn it into a comedy for who ever is watching.
(c)2015 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
Facebook – Sundrops On Life
March 9th, 2015
Imagine a wonderful piece of chocolate. Imagine the pleasure of smelling it, touching it, feeling the slight melt on your fingers and finally tasting it.
Now imagine that same piece of chocolate with cow manure on it. Criminal! Horrid! Repulsive!
Every moment of our brief life is like that perfect piece of chocolate. It is a blessing, a gift, a bit of perfection BUT the moment we add drama we cover that moment with cow manure.
No matter what is going on in our life we color it with our drama. Is a rainy day dreary or nasty or ugly? No, it’s just precipitation. Is a runny nose and sneezing the worst way to spend the day? No, it’s just your body’s response to allergens. Is someone’s foul mood an indictment what’s wrong with the world? No, it’s just one person dealing poorly with their life.
Can we please start focusing on being strong? Can we please start lighting candles instead of cursing the darkness? Can we please begin to realize that what is going on inside of us is a heck of a lot more important than what’s going on outside of us? Can we please wake up to the fact that what’s going on inside of us is under our full and complete control?
No matter what it is, what you are going through does not have a requirement that you be serious or upset or angry. You and you alone choose your state of mind at all times under all conditions. There is no person or circumstance that can ever override your choice. Yes, you are that strong.
Another piece of chocolate is coming. Are you going to enjoy it or…?
(c)2015 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
Facebook – Sundrops On Life
March 2nd, 2015
The record for deadlifting a tremendous amount of weight is 461 kg (1,016 lb) by Benedikt Magnusson set at 2014’s Europe’s Strongest Man competition in England. Magnusson trained every day for many years to accomplish this amazing feat. In 2012, in Glen Allen, Virginia, 22-year-old Lauren Kornacki rescued her father, Alec Kornacki, after the jack used to prop up his BMW slipped, pinning him under it. Lauren lifted the car, weighing over 3,500 pounds, off her father and saved his life. How is this possible?
Let’s talk about strength for a moment. Is it possible to be strong? Absolutely. What does it take? A few years, a good set of genes, proper rest, nutrition and exercise and you will undoubtedly be strong. But how do you get strong in a moment? No one can condense years of training into a moment BUT everyone can love more than they ever had in just one moment.
Love is the miracle worker. Love holds to no laws of physics, no rules, regulations or reason. We think of love as this gentle force that cradles a child and while it is that it is also so much more.
Love is your rejuvenator. Love is your source for unlimited strength. Love is your gift, your blessing. It is the greatest gift that you have been given. Stop looking for love. Stop chasing love. Start being love. Start tapping into this miracle energy. Start filling yourself with love. Kick out worry and frustration and agitation. Move in love. Live love. Lots of it!
Lauren Kornacki didn’t lift a BMW off her father because she had big muscles. She did it because she had a big heart filled with love.
Do you want to feel stronger than you ever have been? Love as much and as often as you can and then love some more. Find reasons to love, any reason any time. Focus on love. Eat, breathe and think love. Love is your gift. Open it!
(c)2015 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
Facebook – Sundrops On Life