Alphaport is a word I created...it is a conjunction of "alpha", meaning first or beginning, and "port", a harbor.
If today is, as said to be, the first day of the journey that will be the rest of your life, then where you are today...in terms of education, health, finances, relationships, career...is your alphaport, your starting point. It is critically important for the success of your upcoming journey, that you know the precise longitude and latitude of your alphaport if you are to stand any realistic chance of reaching your destination.
And, equally importantly, you must accept where you are without anger or regret or blame, for they will do nothing but becloud your vision and divert you from your preferred course. Those burdened by negativity can often be heard to say, "I refuse to accept where I am in life. I do not deserve to be here, I never wanted to be here."
Perhaps not. Attribute it to poor navigation, or rough seas, or whatever, but do not deny your location. Your alphaport is the sum total of your journey, your choices, your fortune, to this point, whether you like it or not, wish it were someplace else or not. Acknowledging the reality of its location is the unquestioned first step to successfully charting the rest of your journey.
Bon boyage!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
LOOKING AHEAD
by Jeanne Marie
Here we are leaving another year behind us. Was it a good one for you? One you considered not the best?
Many of us find that the “worst” years are those that were just so-so. Nothing really exciting happened. Nothing really unexciting happened. It was just a rather ordinary year.
Perhaps that occurs because we become trapped in our view of who we are, what we can accomplish, what we believe, what we have been told to believe.
Is it possible that we could make 2010 a totally exciting year just by changing a few things about our perspective?
If you don’t already know that you are a beautiful person, an exquisite accomplishment of the Universe, a unique and special individual…then, by all means, please exercise your understanding of that point. It is the truth.
Fully grasp that you have the ability to accomplish what no other human being on earth can ever accomplish. It is your God-given freedom to make your ripple in time. You are free to plunk yourself right smack dap in the middle of your own life and make the difference you were born to make.
Stepping out of your comfort zone finds you stepping into adventure and wonder and awe. You sense that little buzzing feeling in your stomach and your heart beats just a little faster. Your imagination spreads its wings. And nothing is ever boring again. You are child-like once more.
Go ahead -- step out into your freedom this new year … do it all with love. You will change your life. You will change the world.
When 2011 arrives, you just may want to do it all over again.
Here we are leaving another year behind us. Was it a good one for you? One you considered not the best?
Many of us find that the “worst” years are those that were just so-so. Nothing really exciting happened. Nothing really unexciting happened. It was just a rather ordinary year.
Perhaps that occurs because we become trapped in our view of who we are, what we can accomplish, what we believe, what we have been told to believe.
Is it possible that we could make 2010 a totally exciting year just by changing a few things about our perspective?
If you don’t already know that you are a beautiful person, an exquisite accomplishment of the Universe, a unique and special individual…then, by all means, please exercise your understanding of that point. It is the truth.
Fully grasp that you have the ability to accomplish what no other human being on earth can ever accomplish. It is your God-given freedom to make your ripple in time. You are free to plunk yourself right smack dap in the middle of your own life and make the difference you were born to make.
Stepping out of your comfort zone finds you stepping into adventure and wonder and awe. You sense that little buzzing feeling in your stomach and your heart beats just a little faster. Your imagination spreads its wings. And nothing is ever boring again. You are child-like once more.
Go ahead -- step out into your freedom this new year … do it all with love. You will change your life. You will change the world.
When 2011 arrives, you just may want to do it all over again.
THE FOUNDERS HONOR
I propose a new national award...The Founders Honor...to be given annually to the person (or group of persons) whose outstanding achievements during the past year most contributed to the enrichment of the quality of life in America. Hopefully not, but there may be years when no award is given. The award will be in the form of a stylishly crafted gold medallion that appropriately reflects the admiration and thankfulness of the American people. It will be awarded in front of the White House by the President.
The award is named after our Founding Fathers because it was they who conceived of the glory of our country, and its treasured ideals...and because without their courage and willingness to risk all, this country would not have been born. They truly were America's first heroes.
Recipients of The Founders Honor may come from any sector of our nation: industry, military, science, medicine, diplomacy, the arts, etc. During the first ten years of the award, honorees will be chosen by vote of the Presidents of 25 randomly chosen American universities. Thereafter, they will be chosen by prior honorees.
It is hoped that The Founders Honor will focus our attention onto the good in our country, on achievement, on exploration and discovery, on potentials yet to be realized, and on the beautiful world of tomorrow. It is hoped that that focus begin at a child's first glimmer of wonder.
The award is named after our Founding Fathers because it was they who conceived of the glory of our country, and its treasured ideals...and because without their courage and willingness to risk all, this country would not have been born. They truly were America's first heroes.
Recipients of The Founders Honor may come from any sector of our nation: industry, military, science, medicine, diplomacy, the arts, etc. During the first ten years of the award, honorees will be chosen by vote of the Presidents of 25 randomly chosen American universities. Thereafter, they will be chosen by prior honorees.
It is hoped that The Founders Honor will focus our attention onto the good in our country, on achievement, on exploration and discovery, on potentials yet to be realized, and on the beautiful world of tomorrow. It is hoped that that focus begin at a child's first glimmer of wonder.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
THE UPS AND DOWNS LISTS
The recent series of stories of celebrities acting in bizarre and unexpected ways..."I didn't know they were like that, how could they do those things?r"...brought me to the subject of Principles and why they are where the answer to that question may be found.
A principle is a general statement that expresses a guideline for how life should be lived. Like, "One should always tell the truth" or "One should always tell the truth unless it will hurt someone you love" or "One should always tell the truth unless you have something to gain by lying".
There are principles about all aspects of life...personal relationships, business,politics, etc...and we all have them because, without them, it would be difficult to know, and time-consuming to figure out, how we should act in every situation we find ourselves in.
Where did we get them from? Parents, teachers, ministers, movies, etc. As a general rule, we adopted them haphazardly and without much independent thought..."it sounded right", "I heard it over and over when I was a kid", "most people live that way".
And therein, as Wil would say, is the rub. What was almost never considered, as a principle was about to be accepted as a way of life, was PRECISELY what benefits it would bring to our life if we adhered to it...and PRECISELY what damages it would cause to our lives if we violated it.
Go ahead. Test that out. Take a sheet of blank paper, write at the top any principle you hold, and then list 5 specific benefits you gain by living by that principle, and 5 specific ways you would be harmed if you chose not to live by it. Easy or hard to do?
In my view, the prime reason those celebrities, and many of us, abandon our principles from time to time is that they and we would have trouble with those lists. You will likely never intentionally ingest poison because you clearly know the downside and you want no part of it. You know you should not abuse those you love because you know the upside of having that love in your life and the downside of losing it. But are the lists for why you should have integrity, clear to you? Or why you shouldn't commit undisclosed adultery? Or why "It is ok to steal from the rich to give to the poor" is not a life nurturing principle?
Don't blame yourself for not knowing all the ups and downs, at least not until now. You were likely never taught them, and likely never thought about them, never even told they were important to know.
But that is in the past. It behooves you now to examine your principles, prove to yourself they are the desirable ones for you to live by, or speak with someone who can help you with that proof, and then place them in a secure place in your mind and confidently get on with your life.
A principle is a general statement that expresses a guideline for how life should be lived. Like, "One should always tell the truth" or "One should always tell the truth unless it will hurt someone you love" or "One should always tell the truth unless you have something to gain by lying".
There are principles about all aspects of life...personal relationships, business,politics, etc...and we all have them because, without them, it would be difficult to know, and time-consuming to figure out, how we should act in every situation we find ourselves in.
Where did we get them from? Parents, teachers, ministers, movies, etc. As a general rule, we adopted them haphazardly and without much independent thought..."it sounded right", "I heard it over and over when I was a kid", "most people live that way".
And therein, as Wil would say, is the rub. What was almost never considered, as a principle was about to be accepted as a way of life, was PRECISELY what benefits it would bring to our life if we adhered to it...and PRECISELY what damages it would cause to our lives if we violated it.
Go ahead. Test that out. Take a sheet of blank paper, write at the top any principle you hold, and then list 5 specific benefits you gain by living by that principle, and 5 specific ways you would be harmed if you chose not to live by it. Easy or hard to do?
In my view, the prime reason those celebrities, and many of us, abandon our principles from time to time is that they and we would have trouble with those lists. You will likely never intentionally ingest poison because you clearly know the downside and you want no part of it. You know you should not abuse those you love because you know the upside of having that love in your life and the downside of losing it. But are the lists for why you should have integrity, clear to you? Or why you shouldn't commit undisclosed adultery? Or why "It is ok to steal from the rich to give to the poor" is not a life nurturing principle?
Don't blame yourself for not knowing all the ups and downs, at least not until now. You were likely never taught them, and likely never thought about them, never even told they were important to know.
But that is in the past. It behooves you now to examine your principles, prove to yourself they are the desirable ones for you to live by, or speak with someone who can help you with that proof, and then place them in a secure place in your mind and confidently get on with your life.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
DO YOU KNOW?
"For a nation to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle."
Could it be said any better?
Who does not know:
* you do not lighten the load by adding to it
* you do not protect freedom by denying it
* you do not win a war by quitting the fight, you win the war by getting your enemy to quit
* you do not effectuate positive change by repeating negative actions of the past
* you do not promote justice by granting it to some and denying it to others
* you cannot proclaim support of equality by treating people unequally
* when the number of new filings for unemployment insurance falls from one month to the next, it may still reflect an increase in the number of unemployed
* appeasement does not spell a p e a c e m e n t
* you do not make allies by apologizing to your enemies
* wealth that is not yours, is not yours to redistribute
* private industry cannot be publicly owned
* to say things are better when they aren't is to make things worse
* you do not gain stature by shrinking your moral standards.
Who does not know all that?
Could it be said any better?
Who does not know:
* you do not lighten the load by adding to it
* you do not protect freedom by denying it
* you do not win a war by quitting the fight, you win the war by getting your enemy to quit
* you do not effectuate positive change by repeating negative actions of the past
* you do not promote justice by granting it to some and denying it to others
* you cannot proclaim support of equality by treating people unequally
* when the number of new filings for unemployment insurance falls from one month to the next, it may still reflect an increase in the number of unemployed
* appeasement does not spell a p e a c e m e n t
* you do not make allies by apologizing to your enemies
* wealth that is not yours, is not yours to redistribute
* private industry cannot be publicly owned
* to say things are better when they aren't is to make things worse
* you do not gain stature by shrinking your moral standards.
Who does not know all that?
Sunday, December 27, 2009
GOING, GOING ...
Quibble all you want about what a war is, when a minor skirmish becomes a war, but we are fighting a war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Euphemistically using terms like "holding action" or "containment" does not change that fact...we are at war, and we all know it.
And it is an unConstitutional war since only Congress has the power to declare war and it hasn't done so. Is it important that we as a nation declare war when we are fighting in one? Yes. it will keep the idea that we are at risk and that some of us are dying to keep us safe and free, closer to the forefront of our minds, as it ought be. And perhaps that will help marshal our energy and resources to victory, which they are not today.
CNN reported that the U.S. has developed a new weapon that will change the way we conduct war in Afghanistan and turn the war dramatically in our favor. The network revealed what the weapon can do, the only location in the country where it can be found, and when it will be ready to be used. What, Where, When. In World War II, there were posters in the street saying "Keep Your Mouth "(Trap) Shut, Someone Might Be Listening", and it would show a picture of our enemy. Talking about the potentials of this new weapon, so that our enemies can begin to prepare defenses to it, and revealing its location, would have been considered an act of treason.
So, will some Congressman immediately file a motion or a bill or whatever declaring war against Al Qaeda, the Taliban and other anti-American terrorist organizations...and unless it is approved by Congress, Mr. President, remove our forces now, now, now, and bring them home.
Can't legally have it both ways...either it is a Cconstitutionally declared war or it isn't. It isn't.
Has our Constitution become obsolete, meaningless, passe? We give alien terrorists rights they don't have under our Constitution, fight an illegal war that has not been declared a war, give three states special payoffs to obtain their Senator's vote for the health reform bill in violation of the Equal Protection clause, have the Government take over/take control of the health industry and private banking and financial institutions in violation of free enterprise, and on and on. I heard some Administration official say "those are not subject to objections anymore, the public has accepted them." A new and unauthorized way of amending the Constitution, eh? Mob vote. Just what the Founders had in mind!
A study of history might help. Was it not thought that the vaunted Holy Roman Empire was indestructible and would last forever? Anyone seen it lately?
And it is an unConstitutional war since only Congress has the power to declare war and it hasn't done so. Is it important that we as a nation declare war when we are fighting in one? Yes. it will keep the idea that we are at risk and that some of us are dying to keep us safe and free, closer to the forefront of our minds, as it ought be. And perhaps that will help marshal our energy and resources to victory, which they are not today.
CNN reported that the U.S. has developed a new weapon that will change the way we conduct war in Afghanistan and turn the war dramatically in our favor. The network revealed what the weapon can do, the only location in the country where it can be found, and when it will be ready to be used. What, Where, When. In World War II, there were posters in the street saying "Keep Your Mouth "(Trap) Shut, Someone Might Be Listening", and it would show a picture of our enemy. Talking about the potentials of this new weapon, so that our enemies can begin to prepare defenses to it, and revealing its location, would have been considered an act of treason.
So, will some Congressman immediately file a motion or a bill or whatever declaring war against Al Qaeda, the Taliban and other anti-American terrorist organizations...and unless it is approved by Congress, Mr. President, remove our forces now, now, now, and bring them home.
Can't legally have it both ways...either it is a Cconstitutionally declared war or it isn't. It isn't.
Has our Constitution become obsolete, meaningless, passe? We give alien terrorists rights they don't have under our Constitution, fight an illegal war that has not been declared a war, give three states special payoffs to obtain their Senator's vote for the health reform bill in violation of the Equal Protection clause, have the Government take over/take control of the health industry and private banking and financial institutions in violation of free enterprise, and on and on. I heard some Administration official say "those are not subject to objections anymore, the public has accepted them." A new and unauthorized way of amending the Constitution, eh? Mob vote. Just what the Founders had in mind!
A study of history might help. Was it not thought that the vaunted Holy Roman Empire was indestructible and would last forever? Anyone seen it lately?
Thursday, December 24, 2009
PRESIDENT CLAUS
The current administration has proposed giving $100,000,000,000 each year to underdeveloped countries to fight the alleged global warming problem...a problem which may or may not in fact exist. I object. The administration's sole responsibilities concern Americans, not foreigners. It is the government of, by and for the American people.
While I am opposed to a welfare state, wanna give away $100,000,000,000 a year, give it, for example:
*to the 3.5 million homeless in America...that would amount to about $30,000 per person, enough o acquire shelter, food and clothing.
*to the American Cancer Society, and it would represent 200 times the total annual contributions presently received by ACS...how much would that contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer worldwide?
*to each of the 14 million Americans presently unemployed...that would be $7,000 annually to each.
*to public colleges...that would cover the average annual tuition of 13,000,000 students.
*to 100,000 small business start ups, creating numerous jobs and spurring progress and improvements to the quality of our lives in the future...with each business receiving $1,000,000,000 annually.
Keep in mind that the U.S. is over 10 trillion dollars in debt and does not, in fact, have one dime of that $100,000,000,000 commitment.
Are you happy with the choice President Obama has made as to how to spend this money we don't have? What would your choice be?
While I am opposed to a welfare state, wanna give away $100,000,000,000 a year, give it, for example:
*to the 3.5 million homeless in America...that would amount to about $30,000 per person, enough o acquire shelter, food and clothing.
*to the American Cancer Society, and it would represent 200 times the total annual contributions presently received by ACS...how much would that contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer worldwide?
*to each of the 14 million Americans presently unemployed...that would be $7,000 annually to each.
*to public colleges...that would cover the average annual tuition of 13,000,000 students.
*to 100,000 small business start ups, creating numerous jobs and spurring progress and improvements to the quality of our lives in the future...with each business receiving $1,000,000,000 annually.
Keep in mind that the U.S. is over 10 trillion dollars in debt and does not, in fact, have one dime of that $100,000,000,000 commitment.
Are you happy with the choice President Obama has made as to how to spend this money we don't have? What would your choice be?
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