Making Your Relationships Important

If you are truly interested in building powerful relationships in your life there are important guidelines that will make a huge positive difference. I trust you will find these ideas very helpful for both those you love and for your relationship with those you work with and those who are your clients. The following essentials will lead to meaningful and valued relationships:

* All relationships are greatly affected by the quality of your heart. If your heart is guarded and protected, your connection to others will be limited. If fear guides how you connect to others, you won’t significantly connect to most people.

If your heart is open, if you have compassion for those around you, then people will want to connect. Everyone appreciates loving-kindness in his or her life.  Your open heart is the doorway into connecting at a deep level. This is no limit to the hearts capacity to bring love into all relationships.

* If you want to connect in a significant way with others, you must be able to accept them as they are. No one wants to be judged by you especially critically. Relationships built on the idea that you can change the other person are doomed to be frustrating and most likely to fail.

The judging mind needs to be transformed to a respectful and accepting mind if building healthy relationships matter to you. Acceptance is saying I want to have a relationship with you just as you are.

* You have to show up for a relationship to work. Many people related to others on a more superficial level and with little or no genuine interest in who they are interacting with. This lack of real contact means there is only a superficial exchange which is not a relationship. 

Showing up means you are fully present when you related to others. That means you are hearing and feeling what the other person is saying. You are listening with compassion not just in waiting for your turn to talk. Being fully present to another is a wonderful gift.  It is a gift of the heart and ones that keeps giving and receiving.

* This final relationship essential is the realization that those you are in relationship with are not separate from you. This means, “All of us are connected to each other.” “There is a little of everybody in you.”

When you help lift a person up, inspire them, give them encouragement, you are also lifted up, inspired and encouraged. If you treated others with kindness and respect they will treat you the same way. If those you connect with are expanding in their minds and opening in the hearts you too also become a more expansive person.

A quick easy relationship reminder is: 

Open and Accepting heart

Focused in the Now

Realizing Your Oneness with all

Joseph's Update: Website is continuing to go through changes and my focus is coming into greater clarity.

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12 Essential Attributes For An Extraordinary Life

My blog is in the midst of a major transformation.  I thank you for your patience as this transformation unfolds. I am so excited about what I am working on and I have much to share as we go. 

The following 12 essential skills/attributes you will need within and out in the world to live and have the most extraordinary life:

1. Live Mindfully – this key ability is being aware of self, thought, feelings, and body; a sense of connection to self and how you relate to the world. There are many specific mindful practices that will enrich your life in many ways. 
2. Have Patience – in this fast paced times patience seems like a lost skill but it is even more important. Can you be patient enough to let things happen as they need to and still keep your focus? Step back when you feel yourself in a hurry and worry mode and patiently trust in things working out.
3. Skilled at Self-Care – taking good care of yourself is essential for your well-being and for your effectiveness out in the world. How are you taking care of your heart, your mind, your feelings, your body, your health, your energy, your spirit and your social life? If you work intensely with people you need to focus even more on self-care.
4. Are Accepting and Non-Judging – to excepting of yourself as you are and to stop the self-judging are very important if you want to believe in yourself and what you are doing. Once you are accepting of self and stop the judging you can go out into the world and be free of judging everyone or everything as “good” or “bad” and instead be accepting of things as they are.
5. Courage for Action – the biggest step is often moving into action around ideas that matter you. It takes courage to set your own course, to live by the values that matter to you and to be boldly out in the world making a difference.
6. Have Emotional Wellness – your feelings are critical to pay attention to because they are clearly telling you when you are on course or have lost your way. When it feels right and alive you are heading in the right direction. Please simply acknowledge all your feelings because they are all okay. Acknowledging and accepting all your feelings brings you emotional health.
7. Have Wholeness Of Mind – an open mind is essential in today’s world. Many old ideas, strategies and solutions are not working so your mind has to be open to learn, grow and be flexible. A healthy mind is one that questions its own thoughts and knows how to quiet down the endless thoughts. No one has all the answers, if you are absolutely sure of your right, you most likely have a closed mind.
8. Are Creative In Your Expression – to enhance you effectiveness it is very helpful to access your creativity. Your creativity can come in many forms including your leadership, the way you appreciate others, your writing, the way you parent, the unique viewpoints you come up with, the way you use humor in conversations etc. There never has been found a limit to human creativity.
9. Live From the Heart – the most powerful tool in the world is your heart, your compassion, your ability to care and your loving kindness. Listening with compassion is the best gift ever for those you love.  Love really has the power to transform you and humanity for the good of all beings and the planet.
10. Have Appreciation and Gratitude – if you can live in appreciation and gratitude then the whole world seems like a gift. A daily practice of appreciation will enrich your life in many, many ways. Appreciate those you love, the beauty around you, the gift of the moment and everything else.
11. Present Focused – the only place you can do anything is now. There is nothing you can do ever that will change the past. There is nothing you can do that will control the future. All you have is the here and now. If you can be present to life there are endless possibilities. 
12. Inner and Outer Connected – first you must find your connection to your inner wisdom, intuition and your purpose, then find your way to move into connection and unity with those around you. When connected you can be work with others in collaboration for the well-being of all of us.

These attributes are all ones you can acquire and get skilled at. My work going forward is to help you develop these personal skills so you can be a positive force for change in your life and in the world.  The times call you and me and everyone to not settle for the ordinary but instead be extraordinary in all we think, feel, and do. You are awesome!

5 Questions You Need To Ask Yourself

I am in the process of getting ready to re-launch of my blog. I have decided to fully believe in what I have to offer in helping you and others like you making a positive difference in your life and in the world. The times are ripe for those ready to get off the sidelines and fully engage in the game of life. It is time for you to live with clarity and purpose, for you to take what you were given in the way of your unique skills and desires and leave you mark on the world with distinction, determination and with considerable courage.

There never has been or will there ever be another person like you on this planet. What you have to offer if you fully express yourself is a, once in the lifetime of the planet, gift to humanity. You are up to the task or you would not be here in this life at this time in human history. At some level you are here now because you chose to be.

The task before you is basically the same as it is for all of us who care to be more self-realized and of greater service to humanity: to boldly go forward with all you have on board and to do what you are here to do, while being the absolute best you can. There is no mediocre or ordinary in this life because the extraordinary is essential in these times when the great shimmering energies of change call us into being what we are here to be.

Look no further than the messages from your heart, than the intuitive call of the infinite within you, than the urges to create what is needed to shift us all. There is a deep whisper that is requesting your participation in moving forward the process of evolution toward the greater possibilities in all of us.

Along the way you will need support, encouragement, ideas, inspiration, hope, courage, and most of all the highest consciousness and most expanded heart.  This is the intersection where our journey’s can meet. I want to help, it is my purpose to do so. My consciousness and my compassion have expanded to the point where I have something of value to offer you. Your consciousness and compassion have expanded to point where you can receive help and turn that into positive results. There is great power when forces purposefully join together.  I will have additional information about working together as my Explore Life moves to a new and vibrant level. I look forward to sharing this and to hearing how I can make a meaningful difference in your life.

In the mean time I wanted to offer you 5 questions to consider in your mind, your heart, intuitively and with your higher nature if you want to move your life toward the extraordinary:

What is the deepest knowing in you trying to tell you at this point in your life? Are you listening and what are you doing about this guidance?

How are you getting in your own way? What can’t you seem to get past?

What in your life gives you the most meaning, the greatest feelings of aliveness?

How are you working at expanding your mind and opening your heart?

What brings you the deepest sense of peace and connection with your infinite nature?

If I can be of assistance in helping you answer these questions don’t hesitate to email me at josephteach@hotmail.com. You have resources available to you that can forever expand the possibilities of your life.  

My book – Awaken: 100 Questions To Expand Your Mind and Open Your Heart, is a wonderful companion on the journey toward the  full expression of who you are.



More Love In 2012

There is little doubt that love is the answer to many of the problems of the world. Also of little doubt is the need for us all to share our hearts even more through caring, kindness, compassion and other loving ways. Why not make one of your intentions for 2012 to spread more love in the world?

If you are looking for purpose in 2012, spreading love would be the most meaningful thing you could do.

I was listening to Seane Corn (empowered yogini), interview over at Sounds True not long ago. She said one of her greatest teachers about life was a young man dying of aids. He told her that she needed to remember this most of all: Remember to love, you will never regret it.

How true that is. Even in the most difficult of times love is the best action to take. Sometimes expressing love for situations and people can be challenging. The judging mind wants to label what’s going on as bad and withdraw the heart. Even those that try your patience, push our buttons, or cause you to get upset deserve your love. As a matter of fact, the difficult people and situations in your life need love the most.

Withholding or withdrawing your love doesn’t work for changing the behavior of others. It usually has the opposite affect. You know what it feels like to shut your heart down. It closes down your aliveness and pushes those you care about away. 

There really is no reason to pull back love but the fearful mind does so for protection. The opposite of fear is love. If fear is in your heart, you need to bring your focus on what you love. There cannot be both fear and love in your heart at the same time.

If love is a worthwhile intention or resolution for you in 2012 here are some ways you can be even more loving:

Listen with an open heart

Be patient with those who test you

Lean into those who sometimes push you away

Shift the grumpy and difficult with kindness

Be kind and respectful of your own emotions

Reach out to those who may be alone

Give of your time to those in need

Donate funds to program that help the less fortunate

Start a NPO based on loving-kindness

Move from judging to be more accepting

Lend a hand to someone who needs your kindness

Visit those who would appreciate seeing you

Make a daily intention of spreading love in some way

Place you hand on your heart and totally love and accept yourself

Be encouraging and supportive of those around you

Volunteer at places that reach out to others

Send cards and letters to those who would appreciate them

Wake up each morning with love in your heart and let it grow as the day goes

Love is a powerful healing force, send love to those who need healing

Each day surround your whole body with healing and energizing love

When you see someone who needs a friend, sit down with them and listen for ways to make a difference.

Let you intuition guide you about love because it knows what is needed within and for those around you

Picture the Earth in your hands being surrounded by your love

Tell others how much you appreciate them

Sit down and have tea with someone you know needs to heard

Take a friend for a walk in nature and enjoy the experience together

Just a reminder: the love in you is unlimited so you can keep on giving love everyday all day and will still have much more to give.

My new book is almost ready - Awakening:100 Questions That Will Expand Your Mind And Open Your Heart. I look forward to sharing it with you. This book is great for enriching your life 2012.