GROW OR GO HOME

We have total freedom from birth to face up to our potential and give meaning to our own lives, no matter what has happened to us or around us. Each day is a new day- a new beginning and we are given an opportunity every moment to make the conscious decision to strive for self-actualization- fulfilling our potential with goodness and growth. Each day we are also given the conscious choice to or shrink away from responsibility choosing to view ourselves as helpless victims of circumstance and our environment and live empty inauthentic and dysfunction lives as a result. The decision is yours. We here at GOGH are here to help inspire those who enjoy the positive energy and enjoy being alive, and to those who need to hear an inspirational word when we are thirsty for encouragement and doing better. Dark times lie in every individual and are part of life and a part of growing. GOGH to inspire and be inspired.



GOGHers are those who have an active interest in growing and learning and developing the positive attitude and outlook it takes to make this the best life it can be. We are dedicated to the personal and spiritual growth of those who wish to better and enjoy life in the present moment. Happiness is always an active choice and an inside job. Each of us determines our own weather and we are not driven by the outside circumstances of life. Life is 10% of what is happening and 90% the way we CHOOSE to react to it.
That which holds us back: Service to the self and the pursuit of activities that support our human existence: Material things, status, wealth, power, preoccupation of the self, judgment of the self and of others—all driven by the EGO.
That which propels us into greatness: A commitment to promoting others achieving a positive reality along with one’s own. Information is shared freely and lovingly. Lack of ego satisfaction, Personal journeys are recognized and valued. Love and positive light is seen in all things. Individuals seek to radiate unconditional love. Each individual is responsible for individual and collective growth and strive for community growth and progress; setting positive examples and being responsible for the energy each of us carries with us. Each of us have the ability to create positivity everywhere we go and to each person we encounter. You never know the impact your kindness has on another, even if it is never made aware to you. There are no limits to your greatness. Be the person you want to meet.

Advancing In Perspective

 

Happiness does not depend on outward things, but on the way we see them.- Leo Tolstoy

 

Life is generally nothing more than how we see it- our perspective on things. This determines the emotional mindset of every individual that has ever drawn breath. It is also my favorite super power to play on, aside from my magnificent dancing which sort of resembles DeeDee from the cartoon Dexter’s Laboratory. My advances in my “creative thinking” have come a long way over the years, thus causing an increase in my happiness’s.

 

I was having an interesting morning the other day, that of which a few years back I would have instantly dubbed it a terrible morning. But it was the perspective I chose that made it just the opposite. It was the kind of morning where time was not on my side. I spent much of it inside of my closet giving every article of clothing I owned the brow for not being something magnificent I wanted or Pintrest worthy.  “What the hell is all this crap and where did all the good outfits go? These outfits all suck..”. Ok- checkpoint one on pre-coffee brain- I am lucky to have these clothes, and I know it. There would be tons of people in line to have my “subpar” outfits any day of the week. Pick something and go!

 

After finally getting it together, I leave the house, pull out of the garage and then try to close my garage door…which isn’t working. I give another round of the brow, And then checkpoint two -come to the realization that I am extremely lucky to own a home and have a garage door…which may or may  not work. If you own a home, things go wrong from time to time. If you have the privilege to own anything, they will break or need repair. And I feel privileged to have the opportunity.  

After manually closing my garage door, I go out the front door to leave once and for all, when I run face first into a spider web, fully equipped with a friendly spider that is now in my face. This- will wake you up faster than any cup of coffee- I guarantee it. After an awkward series of gestures, I wipe Mr. Friendly spider and said web off of me and giggle- another wonderful day to enjoy silly encounters such as spider web in the face. Good Morning- I am lucky to be alive. Many would give anything for another day, regardless of the circumstances or how it started. Embrace life with an attitude of joy and happiness. It is not necessarily about what is going on, but just your perspective.

 

 

Setting Intentions

The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.

- John Milton

Charge the energy around you and set the intention of the day. It’s always personal choice of how your day and thoughts will proceed. Choose to make it a great day filled with success. The right state of mind is the key to your success or to your demise. It needs to be practiced so often that it becomes a habit.

 

1.      List 5 things you are thankful for every day. We are amongst the wealthiest in the world. Many people would do anything to have what we do- whether it be material possessions or circumstance.

 

2.   Thought of the day: My seeming impossible good now comes to pass, the unexpected now happens!

 

 

3.      Set the intention for the day: Visualization. State and command the kind of day you intend to have. Give it a quick visualization. This may seem silly- but the most successful sports teams in the world are coached in the art of visualization before a game. They visualize their plays and how they intend to win the game. Life is no different. Professional studies show that teams that practice a brief visualization have a higher percentage of successful plays and wins. This is a fact.

 

(Example: Today is going to be a great day. I will be successful in all of my endeavors and live in each and every moment of the day- being fully present and engaging with others.)

 

4.      You are responsible for the energy you bring into a room. This existence is not just all about you- even though it feels like it. You and the energy you bring into a room can either brighten or darken a room. Choose to be the bright energy and engage with others. You never know what they might be going through as well. We tend to get wrapped up in our own inner turmoil.  Kindness is the biggest gift you can give to another. Do something kind for someone else- even if it is just a smile, a positive call or text. Make it a point to do something kind for someone else today.

 

5.      Shake off the negative energy. Negative energy is like lint- sometimes it just attracts to us like when you are wearing black pants- everything seems to attract to them. Negative energy can be the same way. Shake it off.

 

 

 

Light Energy

I evoke thee- the spirit of the law not the letter of it. The ability to see and do, not look and judge. The love that asks for nothing but to give. –P. Telesco

In every religion, in every part of the world, we as human beings tend to believe in something. A higher good, a higher state of consciousness, a divine God, or Gods and Goddesses, something outside of ourselves perpetuating toward the greater good. Some believe in science. It is all energy, and in either realm of belief, we are all composed of energy and so is physical world around us. All energy vibrates with a frequency. Tiny sub particles everywhere we look and everything we are. No matter what we believe, we are all created from the same energy. That being said, much of the world gets caught up in the semantics of what we believe. Much of religion is composed of the thoughts of being right. People want their religion to be right- thus them being right. This is the plight of the ego. Self-validation and the need to be right and the need to win. This is where we lose sight of main point of it all. Let all of that fall by the wayside and what we have left is love. Allowing not only ourselves to live and experience the gift of life, but allow others to live as well. Thus we learn and practice the gift of forgiveness, kindness and love. This is the ultimate ideal- to practice the spirit of the law and not only the letter of it. Through this, we create a love that asks for nothing but to give.

Unconditional love for each other as fellow beings of the same energy. When we are loving of others, we are loving of ourselves. The same goes for when we are hateful toward others, we are hateful toward ourselves. Often those who are destructive need the most kindness and love. It may not always be healthy to have those people a direct part of your life, but you can be there for them indirectly. I know a wise man who told me once, in a discussion of religion, that when he prayed at night, he prayed for his enemies first- anyone who he felt who had wronged him or anyone who he was angry with. Those are the cases that need the greatest resolve. I believe we are all godly, and all beings of light and each of us are capable of the same positive love that radiates directly form the divine source or energy that we all are part of.

I am a light worker,

I awoke so that others may awaken,

I learn so that others may also learn,

I transform so that others may transform,

I lighten my load so others may change theirs,

I learn to see so that others may see,

I forgave myself so that I may help others to forgive,

I love myself so that I can bring out love in others,

I am a light worker,

I live to give comfort,

I live to shine loving light into others,

I live to heal,

I live to give hope,

I live for truth,

I live for love.

1. Think of five things you are grateful to have in your life. There are many. Your health, the fact that you got to wake up one more day, your wealth (there are many with less and would give anything to have what you do), the abundance of love you have in your life (your presence in this world makes a difference to many people), the really cool individual you are (there is no one else in this world like you), How far you have successfully made it in a difficult world and all the stresses that affect us every day.

2. Thought of the day: Man can only receive what he sees himself receiving.

3. Set the intention for the day: Visualization. State and command the kind of day you intend to have. Give it a quick visualization. This may seem silly- but the most successful sports teams in the world are coached in the art of visualization before a game. They visualize their plays and how they intend to win the game. Life is no different. Professional studies show that teams that practice a brief visualization have a higher percentage of successful plays and wins. This is a fact.

(Example: Today is going to be a great day. I will be successful in all of my endeavors and live in each and every moment of the day- being fully present and engaging with others.)

4. You are responsible for the energy you bring into a room. This existence is not just all about you- even though it feels like it. You and the energy you bring into a room can either brighten or darken a room. Choose to be the bright energy and engage with others. You never know what they might be going through as well. We tend to get wrapped up in our own inner turmoil. Kindness is the biggest gift you can give to another. Do something kind for someone else- even if it is just a smile, a positive call or text. Make it a point to do something kind for someone else today.

5. Shake off the negative energy. Negative energy is like lint- sometimes it just attracts to us like when you are wearing black pants- everything seems to attract to them. Negative energy can be the same way. Shake it off.

Kant

“Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and reverence the more often and more steadily one reflects on them, the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.” ― Immanuel Kant

 

Immanuel Kant is without a doubt my favorite philosopher.  Cranky and inflexible- he embodies the true character of what it means to be German- Old School German that is. An old quote from a historic novel comes to mind when I think about Kant; “To be German - is to be Impartial.” Man of Straw by Heinrich Mann. (When I read that line in the novel I cackled LOUDLY. It describes me, and so many Germans to a T. It made me giggle, shake my head and consider that I man need to lighten up every now and again.)  How true that statement sill is. I grew up in Germany with strict rules and was given a strong backbone of morality and ethics by my Mother and Father and my extended German Family. A constant stream of what one should do- for the sake of good in and of itself. It’s no surprise that Moral Philosophy has become my all time favorite.

Reason is what separates us from animals. The moral law within is derived from that very reason. This poses the question then- what is moral and what is not? How do we come to the conclusions that we do when we define goodness and morality. What moral compass do we use?  Is it religion? Philosophy? Our upbringing? 

Kant takes the question and uses a formula (similar to a mathematical formula) to indicate what is morally correct and acceptable. He believed that a rigorous application of this method of reasoning would yield success in dealing with moral questions.  

It is a given that human beings have subjective impulses—desires and inclinations that may contradict the dictates of reason. As our reasoning often becomes questionable, Kant proposes his categorical imperative (an unconditional moral law that applies to all rational beings and is independent of any personal motive or desire. The unconditional moral principle that one's behavior should accord with universal maxims which respect persons as ends in themselves; the obligation to do one's duty for its own sake and not in pursuit of further ends.) :

 

 “Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law."

That is, each individual agent regards itself as determining, by its decision to act in a certain way that everyone, including itself, will always act according to the same general rule in the future.

Example:

“Consider, for example, the case of someone who contemplates relieving a financial crisis by borrowing money from someone else, promising to repay it in the future while in fact having no intention of doing so. (Notice that this is not the case of finding yourself incapable of keeping a promise originally made in good faith, which would require a different analysis.) The maxim of this action would be that it is permissible to borrow money under false pretenses if you really need it. But as Kant pointed out, making this maxim into a universal law would be clearly self-defeating. The entire practice of lending money on promise presupposes at least the honest intention to repay; if this condition were universally ignored, the (universally) false promises would never be effective as methods of borrowing. Since the universalized maxim is contradictory in and of itself, no one could will it to be law, and Kant concluded that we have a perfect duty (to which there can never be any exceptions whatsoever) not to act in this manner.“ “http://www.philosophypages.com/hy/5i.htm

 

This is to say that one should only act, in such a manner in which it would be appropriate for everyone else to act, thus making it a universal law. There are to be NO exceptions to this rule. One cannot make any exceptions to this rule for the sake that it may benefit the self. Each action we set forth should be a maxim that we would be ok with if it were to become universalized. If the action is not something that would benefit society- and if it would not be ok if everyone else were engaging in this action, than this action is to be considered morally wrong. If this is the case, than one should highly consider taking another action.

 

Kant provides a great moral compass here in my opinion. If there is ever any doubt regarding a moral action, this really should solve the issues rather quickly. It is an expanded version of the Golden Rule- do unto others as you would have done to yourself, with an additional application that each action should be something you would want others to be doing as well, universally. It causes one to ponder what kind of world it would be if we all acted in a manner that only benefitted the self. People do what they want to all of the time without any consideration of the consequences, but this is done solely with the lack of reason and forethought.

 

Having grown up this way, with my moral compasses set forth early in life, it brings me great satisfaction in doing the right thing. On occasion my reason does get clouded and I do fall off of the wagon, but a good reminder of Kant’s works on the subject quickly gets me aboard right away. Quite often, we do not want to do the right thing- as emotion clouds our reason. Just the other day I was with a friend pondering a moral question over breakfast- wondering what action I should take over a given situation. I told her I had no interest in doing the right thing- as emotion was clouding my reason on the subject. She of course gave me the lecture of “you’re going to do the right thing whether you like it or not….” In a temper tantrum like demeanor- I agreed and said that I would indeed do the right thing while shoveling a fork full of eggs into my mouth and bitching about how much I hated her for pointing out the right thing- which of course I knew but refused to look at in my childish temperament of the moment…Bitching -but thankful. One should surround themselves with friends and people who will cultivate you to do the right thing…and if there is no one around…there is always Kant to turn to.

Here's to a happy Monday filled with Good things! I hope it is a successful and productive one for each of you!