Category Archives: Love

Experience The Incredible Presence And Power Of NOW!

Present-Moment-GaryZukav-quote

“There is plenty more to discuss about energy, visualization, affirmations and living powerfully. There is much more to talk about making your dreams come true. Life is a process and we are always somewhere in the middle of it. We are in a flux, a flow and if you think about it you are always right where you are.

That seems like a weird thing to say but you are always in the perfect place EVEN when you don’t think so. If you were to take a trip in a canoe you would always be right where you are on the river. What causes us pain or joy is wanting to be elsewhere than where we are at any given instant.

Accept Right Where You Are

If we’d rather be elsewhere we experience discomfort. If we are in a hurry we may be in pain. If we are completely happy and content to be right where we are on the river all is good. We can relax and notice the beauty surrounding us.

We can be alert to anything wonderful or not so wonderful that requires our attention. We can be totally present and that means we can be fully alive right. We can enjoy being where we are fully. The same thing is true about right now!

We Can DelightIn Right Now 

In this instant you and I  are in the right place. If we don’t think we are it is only because we are making a judgement. Actually, it is fairly egotistical to think we might not be, as if we knew better what the right place to be in the moment is.

When we think we know better and criticize ourselves for not being enough, or for the moment not being the right moment we cause our own suffering.

Surrender Is About Giving In To Whatever IS Right Now

Drop into the moment fully. Appreciate NOW for whatever is or isn’t going on. No judgement, just acceptance, allowing, awareness, appreciation, alertness to this moment. Right now! You are alive! Can you feel it?

Don’t think about it just experience it. Let this moment be everything there is and nothing else.

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing NOW is the only time you actually have. Live in the present moment! One can be filled with gratitude right this second. One can feel positive and more alive and feel blissful this very second. This IS good, high, positive energy to be filled with.

Today, Appreciate NOW Whenever You Can.

Bring your awareness to the moment and just experience the pleasantness of now. In that instant it can seem eternal. Take a deep breath and relax into it. Savor the now. Whenever you remember to remember this moment, drop fully into it. It is all awareness.

Celebrate today. Live in gratitude. Be more silent, listen to the world around you. Notice the sounds and the sound of silence. Allow the energy inside you to bubble up and overflow. Accept.

Whenever you notice yourself pushing it or resisting relax and allow. Notice how it feels  when you stop effort-ing or striving and allow, accept, and receive instead. Create a gap, a space, between you and ‘trying’ and just BE for a while.  Find the joy of nothingness.

Let Today Be Filled With Joyous Moments.

Moments pass. If you encounter less than glorious moments let them pass too. Don’t hang on to them. Notice how it feels to let them go when you stop re-living the old, or the painful. Notice what it is like when you stop clutching onto them. Live and let go!

Celebrate and enjoy! Find bliss wherever you are. You are now and this is the only moment you actually have. Dive into this moment. Live in the now, not in the past or the future,.

Live NOW Because NOW Is When You Live!

Today, live, love, laugh and celebrate!” Rex Sikes

May today be incredible for you!

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How To Get Along With Everyone

be the type of person you want to meet

“Napoleon Hill asked his audience, ‘Do you have any idea why it is if I can have all of the religion, the followers of all religions in my classes and get along well with all of them. The Catholics and Protestants, Jews and Gentiles all the races, all the priests.  Do you know why it is?’

The audience shouts out:  ‘You love them all.’

Hill says: ‘That’s right. To me, they’re all one brand. They’re my fellow beings. They’re my brothers and sisters. That’s why I get along with them. I never think of anybody in terms of what he believes politically or religiously or economically.’

‘I think of him in terms of what he’s trying to do to better himself and to better somebody else. That’s the terms that I think of people in and that’s why I get along so well with them.’

I love this. ‘To me they are all one brand’.

Politicians divide us and segregate us into as many possible factions as possible to control and manipulate us and our interests. We are not our skin color, our religion, our economics, our nationality, our politics, our gender, or our preferences. We are all one brand! We are one species. We are human.

Tolerance is the ability to allow those unlike you to co-exist. Acceptance is to embrace without distinction. Our colors, our religions, our economics, our politics and nationalities, whom we love, make us richer not poorer. We ARE diverse and not cut from the same swatch.

That is what is wonderful about our world.

Still, we are one species and we need to understand that. These divisions for control are wrong. We need to end hate not by focusing on what is wrong but by focusing on what is right. We don’t need to declare another ‘war on something’ in order to end it. All the wars we have ever declared on anything go on and on and on and proliferate what we claim we want to eradicate.

We need to love and give, forgive and forget, allow and accept, enjoy and embrace all people. The Golden Rule is so wonderful in this regard. Treat others the way you wish to be treated. Make them feel as comfortable and loved as you want to be. Help them be as rich and successful as you can be. Accept and allow them to thrive as you wish to.

Celebrate and assist each other.

We are all in it together. We are a species on a globe hurtling through space at high speed. We ought to figure out how to peacefully exist together delighting in one another instead of fighting. Most people fight more over ideology than they do over resources. They fight over religion and who loves whom, or the physical characteristics of their neighbors.

It’s Simply insane.

‘Love one another as I have loved you’, said Jesus. That is pretty darn straight forward. It starts with each of us. You cannot expect the other person to go first. You must go first! Begin with you neighbors, the people you meet, greet or see each day. Accept those who cross you path. Practice patience, kindness, love, generosity, acceptance!

THAT IS THE POINT of the Golden Rule. GO FIRST! We put it into practice! One by one and we pay it forward. Of course, you must have an open mind and an open heart in order to do this.You must be flexible and accepting. You must like people and want to get along.

If enough people did this we could reach that Tipping Point. We could fulfill the 100th Monkey Principle and we would make our world a better place. Each of us needs to be responsible for making our world a little bit better.

If each of us actually did this IT WOULD BE better. If you and I decided to start making a difference things will be different. Focus on what we can positively do. Practice becoming a living solution!

I say, begin today, if you haven’t already! Commit to helping make our world the garden paradise it was meant to be.” Rex Sikes

Celebrate everything today!

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Why It Is Important To Give And Get Recognition

what u put out u get back

“In my recent post I pointed out that RAVE (my acronym for Recognize Appreciate Validate Excellence) is a wonderfully powerful and important gift for people and for yourself. When we get RAVEd we can feel important, confident, respected, liked, loved or any number of positive wonderful feelings.

That moment of recognition can be a life long positive memory and resource the re-ignites all those incredible feelings whenever remembered. That is good reason to be certain to provide this experience to people important to you in life and business. It becomes a gift that keeps on giving. It may become a highlight and cherished memory for them.

There is another powerful reason for giving recognition, appreciation and validation to others. Creating positive experiences for others not only benefits them but benefits you. Remember the notion of what goes around comes around. You benefit whenever you do something wonderful for another person.

What you put out there comes back to you. I do not mean that because you recognize others that others will recognize you. They might. They most probably will but that is not what is meant. It is like a smile. When you smile nicely at another person you are more apt to get one back OR you just feel good for helping to make someone else feel good.

When you give positive energy out with no expectation of getting anything in return; when you commit an act of kindness simply for being kind; when you treat someone else marvelously just because you wanted to be nice you are benefiting yourself. You get to feel good about it.

You feel good because you made others feel wonderful. Both parties feel good. If there were nothing else that alone IS enough reason. Still, there may be something else. There may be that positive energy you generate for others DOES come back to you in any variety of ways.

This is the point of the Golden Rule. Treat others exceptionally well, shower them with positive regard, love and friendship. Validate and celebrate another person’s success without envy or resentment and you benefit.

Put into motion positive thoughts and feelings. Even if they never know about it YOU transform yourself. You become a better person.It changes you!  AND even if there is no return you STILL become a better person because of it.

You become a better person because you go first. You create something wonderful. There is no waiting, no whining, no blaming there is only great thoughts and feelings being generated. You become what you think about most of the time.

You can improve yourself by helping others mentally in your thoughts and in realty by your actions. Both work and both are important. Fill your life with gratitude, validation, positivity, happiness, joy, feeling marvelous, and you are more healthy and wealthy. From this mindset you can create anything you want.

You want more love. BE MORE Loving! You want better friendships BE A BETTER FRIEND. You want more money DEVELOP A RICH MINDSET. You want to feel better THINK BETTER. Thought precede actions and actions precede results.

You want better results? Begin with how you think and feel. Put the very best positive energy to work for you and for others. Create a marvelous world to be part of! Imagine how incredible your life will be when you make this an automatic, reliable habit.” Rex Sikes

Celebrate today!

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Why RAVE Is Important To All People! Use It!

beautiful thoughts positive emotions miracles

“What is it most people crave? They may not admit to it but they sure do respond well to it. Yes, they may downplay it when it happens, and attempt to act like it is no big deal, but it is a big deal and it is important. We all would like it much more often. Can you guess what it is?

In the olden days, not actually that long ago but it does seem a practice forgotten, companies used to send off their retirees with it. The military uses it, schools, churches and temples, charities, clubs and associations, frankly there is probably no organization of any size that doesn’t utilize it in some fashion. Can you name it now?

Okay, here it is. I call it RAVE.  Recognize Appreciate Validate Excellence! We all like to be recognized and appreciated. We need to feel validated. We respond well to others noticing our efforts and calling them out in positive ways. So when people have performed well through time or done something special they should be acknowledged. So RAVE about them!

Retirees used to get sent off with a gold watch and special thanks. The armed services, police, firefighters give medals for valor, service and sacrifice. Schools give awards for merit and diplomas, even scholarships. Businesses provide certificates, perks and dollar incentives.

Churches and temples, charities, hospitals have donor walls or plaques. The entertainment business has the Academy Awards among others. Nearly ever group of some kind has some ceremony or award they confer. There is a reason for this. Think about that for a moment.

These are long standing practices that exist for a solid reason. In some cases some of these ceremonies may have lost their special meaning but the practice has endured since early times!

People like and need to be recognized for who they are and for what they do OR for what they have accomplished. There are recognition ceremonies and banquets. People are brought up, told to stand up or in some manner spot lighted and honored or thanked. Though the recipient may down play this moment it is a very special moment.

People enjoy being recognized and typically perform better when they are. It is a special moment in their life. It can be used when people accomplish something, graduate from school or move up the ladder. Never underestimate the power of recognition and validation. People enjoy having others notice and it is important that we do.

Think about the important people in your life. Could be your parents or your children. It might be your friends and associates. It could be your employees or co-workers. Think about the people who mean a lot to you and consider how you might recognize them.

How might you provide a moment for them to shine? In what ways can you validate who they are and what they do and what they mean to you? Heck, we celebrate just another year of living with a ceremony. How much more important and meaningful is it to be recognized and validated for something other than simply growing older.

Let them know you value them! If you love them tell them and tell them some of the reasons why. Express your appreciation for them and let know how you feel. Come clean with your positive feelings of regard and gratitude and shower them with it. Help them feel truly special. Make their day with thoughts of lovingkindness.

Be specific too! Don’t just be general of vague with your praise but point out some specific behaviors you want to acknowledge. Have a ceremony if you can or a dinner. Make the occasion special, take some time and enjoy it. Make them comfortable and help them to truly feel how important they are to you and why they are.

People respond well to being awarded for merit so give them plenty of reasons to feel great about getting the special attention. Be genuine and they will get that you mean it. Imagine how good you might help someone else feel when you do this. Then remember there is someone else you absolutely must recognize, appreciate and validate. Yourself.

Pat yourself on the back! Recognize the progress you have made. When you have done something you intended to, when you have followed through and kept your commitments to yourself honor and respect that. Acknowledge and recognize it. Appreciate it and reward yourself. Love and thank yourself for being you. Feel the love! Genuinely gift yourself for your performance! RAVE about you to you!” Rex Sikes

Delight in this day!

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How To Feel Better Almost Instantly!

how can i help others olve their problems and acheive their dreams

“Would you like to feel better? Would you like to feel proud? How would you like to enjoy the feelings that what you do matters? Wouldn’t this be nice? It doesn’t take much to feel significant and productive. Here is how:

Help someone else who is down and out. Whether the person or persons are emotionally or financially troubled do something to help ease their burden. Help put a smile on their lips or a song in their heart. Any genuine act of kindness, no matter how large or small can mean more than you can imagine to a person in need.

Pay it forward. Little acts or kindness randomly spread throughout the day can help you to feel inspired and delighted. Sometimes, it is as easy as lighting up, smiling genuinely and listening intently when greeting another person. If you want to feel better help someone else feel better.

It might surprise you how good you feel when thinking and feeling and moving with care and compassion. Even the mental activity of showering the other person with peace and love can be meaningful. Bath them in positivity and enjoy their presence. Take a moment and truly listen. Help a child or play with one. Smile at everyone!

It’s easy to feel good when your goal is to help others feel good. As they light up you will too. Whenever you are down and need a lift give someone else a lift and you will benefit! Aim to understand, accept, allow, inspire, motivate, and assist others. Delight in doing good!” Rex Sikes

Have a great day!

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Realize, Recognize, Remember and Awaken!

dream it and do it

“People have thanked me and I appreciate that. People have subscribed to and shared these posts and, again, thanks so much. That really helps! Some people asked why I do it. Why have I blogged these 250 plus daily consecutive posts. The reason is we all need a little daily inspiration and some daily gratitude to start our day. I wanted to be able to contribute to others in this fashion.

I also wanted to help people to remember that they can be, do and have anything they want. It is true we can make the seemingly miraculous happen. So daily I write to help others and myself think about it and remember that we are capable of so many positive things when we take charge. Each day I hope more of us awaken to the realization that anything is possible when we put out mind to it.

There are ways of being and living joyously that many of us have not experienced because we have not tried it yet, or perhaps we didn’t even know it was possible given our past history. I write to encourage people to give it a try, to sample the good things life has to offer, and to enjoy more of life. When we can help each other move forward and be happier and healthier and wealthier we are improving our world by enriching our people. I feel so blessed I want to share it.

When we each take 100% responsibility for our life we can make our life whatever we want it to be. That means we take responsibility for all the bad and all the good. We can debate whether or not this concept is accurate or not but that misses the point. WHEN the buck stops with you and no one else you take a position of power and of leadership. You call the shots. You no longer are at the effects of the world but you are at cause.

From this position you determine where you want to end up and how you want to travel. You decide what to do and and how to feel if there are challenges or detours. It is up to you how you will face them, overcome them and persist to your destination. The decisions are all yours. When you are the person in charge life becomes more meaningful and more exciting. It becomes thrilling because you become aware of the incredible responsibility you have to make it wonderful for yourself AND others.

With  power comes great responsibility. When you have power you need to protect those who have less. They are in your care. We are can-do people and we help others do likewise. A million candles can light off of one candle. The only requirement is that first candle be lit. Light your candle. Take charge of your life. Inspire others to do the same.

Why do I do it? I write to help each of us realize, recognize, remember or awaken to who we are and to what we can accomplish when we believe that we can.” Rex Sikes

Have fun today! Discover!

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Who You Are Is More Important Than What You Do!

let your first thought be thank you

“Who are you? As the author of your life this is an important question?  What legacy will you leave? What will people say about you after you are gone? How will you be remembered? What are they saying today?

Be happy. Life is not about the things we accumulate.  After all, we can’t take them with us. Life is about who we become. If everything we pursued in life never happened, we never arrived, we never obtained, we would be left with only who we are. So who are you?

Who we are is all we have. Who we are is what others know us by. Are you a positive person or not? Are you loving, kind, joyful,  compassionate, peaceful? Are you proactive or reactive? Are you confident, inspiring, playful, tender? Who are you?

People think they need to be successful to be happy but the truth is you need to be happy in order to be successful. From who we are arises everything else. What you think about you bring about. What kind of thoughts do you think mostly? What kind of thinker are you?

Realize you have plenty to be happy about. Express gratitude for what you have. Give thanks.  Appreciate others and appreciate yourself. Appreciate everything because ‘what you thank about you bring about’. What are you grateful for? Who do you appreciate?

You just can’t be negative and happy and grateful at the same time. So practice gratefulness. Live and appreciate everything! When you live in thankfulness you are a positive and inspiring and joyful person. What do you spend most of your time thinking about?

Whatever you appreciate you make room for more. Are you a grateful person? Who you are determines where you go and what you get? Even if you got everything you wanted it could be taken away and you’d be left with you. SO who are you?” Rex Sikes

Enjoy this marvelous day!

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Would You Like Less Stress And More Love?

everyday you have a choice

“Would you like to eliminate fear and anxiety? Would you like to experience greater well being? How would you like  to enjoy better mental and physical health? Here is a way to have this and more!

There is mounting evidence that when we apply the Golden Rule and the notion of ‘pay it forward’ not only do others benefit but  we derive great benefit in too. It helps improve our own health and well-being.  It does wonders for our psyche and out body.

When we willingly and willfully project the best thoughts, feelings, words and actions toward others we relieve stress and reduce fear and worry. This is an  important first step for many. We promote well being outside to others and it works inside us too.

Instead of experiencing the harmful mental and physical effects that anger, hostility and resentment, fear, worry and worse create in us we experience the effects of more peace, love and joy. How is that for a trade off? Here is something important to realize.

Not only do others need our positive energy but we too need to learn to treat ourselves, EVERYONE, with kindness, forgiveness, love and total acceptance too. What is good for the goose is good for the gander AND vice versa. We can learn to love ourselves more.

Someone suggested this sometime ago and thought it was worth sharing. It is well worth applying and practicing. Whomever it was called it a ‘love experiment’. That works for me. This person suggested that we masquerade as the Christ-figure. Yep, act like Jesus for at least a week.

No, don’t try to walk on water or turn it into wine. Instead, bring love into every aspect of your life. I think this is marvelous! Of course, it is your secret, you don’t tell anyone what you are pretending. You simply think and act from the same heart space and BE more loving!

Start out the day by bathing others in mental ‘I love you’s’. Include your family and friends, co-workers, associates and even strangers. I think it is important to include yourself! Monitor your thoughts, words and actions to be certain you are acting of out genuine love.

It may sound silly but imagine how wonderful it would be to feel this way each day and night. Not only will others benefit but you will benefit. You will feel better and better. You’ ll let go more of what isn’t needed or wanted and love, accept and enjoy instead.

If all you ever felt was the joy of loving without conditions imagine how you might live. You have nothing to lose if you try it for a week. You might find you want to do it longer.” Rex Sikes

Have a marvelous day!

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How To Start Your Day Off Right

invest in yourself

“The new day is opportunity. Buddha is reported to have said, ‘each day you are born again’. The old is gone, the new is now. Begin your day enthusiastically. It makes a great difference! It is important!

Set aside enough time to do things that make you feel wonderful. To enjoy better days and nights it all begins when you arise. Steal an hour to dedicate to your personal development. It’s a great habit to cultivate. You will be amazed at how much betters the days become!

A few things you can do: Yoga, exercise, meditate, walk, enjoy nature. Read or listen to positive motivational materials. Smile all the while you get ready. Laugh for 5 or more minutes. Visualize your goals and dreams already accomplished and enjoy the feelings.

Ask Directed Questions.  Immerse yourself in gratitude and review what you appreciate. Feel your gratefulness! Chant enthusiastically your affirmations. Sing, dance. Fill your mind and being with joy. What you put out there you get more back. Like attracts like.

Do one or more of these. Spend your time in service of you. DO things that make you feel joyful, positive and confident. Set the tone for the rest of the day. As a friend of mine said, ‘a kiss in the evening is great, but you can enjoy a morning kiss the entire day.’

Make a habit of starting your day off right and make you will make the rest of your day incredible. Once you begin this practice all your days will be more fulfilling and enjoyable. I promise! Your best days are ahead of you!” Rex Sikes

Have a fantastic day!

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How To Treat Important People In Your Life!

your thoughts become words

“Consider the people in your life. If there is something positive you wanted to tell someone, tell them. Invest in your important people. Invest in your relationships. Realize how fortunate you are to have them in your life. What would life be like without them?

If you need to repair or work out issues between you decide how you can improve the situation so it leaves you both better off. Explore how you can better communicate and spend time together. Forgive those you need to and ask for the forgiveness you need. Better to forgive and forget than poison oneself with a grudge.

Practice the Golden Rule.  It is a powerful way to change yourself. When you seek to first offer the best to others without reserve, without judgement you elevate yourself. What you send out you get back. Hold others in the highest possible esteem and you raise your own. Practice compassion and understanding. Go First!

Help others. Help them in thought and word and deed. Bless, heal and prosper in all that you do. Share it forward and do good things just for the sake of doing good things. Help make others happy, peaceful and successful and you will enjoy the same. Like attracts like. You plant positive seeds when you ‘pay it forward’.

Spend time with and put your family first. Let them know how much you care and that you are lucky to have them. They care about you even if you don’t think they do. Strengthen your ties to these people closest to you. Tell them you love and appreciate them. Actions speak louder than words. Then do the same with your friends.

Take some time to meet new people who can help open new opportunities for you, and you them, whether it is social or business. Whether you meet in a gym, a party, the office or on a bus you never know who you might meet that will impact your life in positive ways or you theirs. Seek people who uplift you and inspire you. Birds of a feather flock together. Find good, positive, caring, successful friends.

Separate yourself or spend less time with those who drain you or bring you down.  Make sure you aren’t just avoiding those who challenge you to be better or offer honest feedback. Sometimes people have important things we should hear and pay attention to.

Cut out those who only take from you and give you nothing in return. Some people are energy vampires who suck energy, emotions, money, time and well being from others. If you can’t avoid certain people, don’t buy into complaining or whining, yours or theirs. Stay positively focused. Concentrate on the good.

Help a stranger. Do something nice. It can be an individual you smile at, share a laugh with, or contribute to in some way. You might open a door for someone or volunteer at a hospital or for a children’s center or a shelter. Giving to and helping others not only benefits them it benefits you. The world is better off when we assist each other.

Surround yourself with your loved and cherished family. Hang out with old and new friends that make you feel incredible. Help them feel incredible, be there for each other. Accept them without judging. Let them be totally who they are without conditions.

Seek the best together and enjoy each other the most. Make every person you keep around someone you choose to keep around. Love them. Add value to them and value them beyond anything else. Realize how lucky you are! Enjoy your important people” Rex Sikes

Today, spend time with someone you love? Have a great day!

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