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Here is something I think the world gets wrong. We think the big events matter most. The elections. The disasters. The dramatic moments that make the news. But the small events? The daily choices? Th…

Here is something I …

Here is something I think the world gets wrong. We think the big events matter most. The elections. The disasters. The dramatic moments that make the news. But the small events? The daily choices? The quiet conversations? The way you treat a cashier, handle a disappointment, or show up for a friend who is struggling? Those seem insignificant. They are not. They are the building blocks of a life. And they are exactly what your children and grandchildren are watching. They will not remember your opinions on the Economy. They will remember whether you were kind when it was inconvenient. They …

Here is a funny thing that happens when you start moving toward your dreams. Your friends will call you lucky. They will watch you take a risk, work hard, fail, get back up, try again, and eventuall…

Here is a funny thin…

Here is a funny thing that happens when you start moving toward your dreams. Your friends will call you lucky. They will watch you take a risk, work hard, fail, get back up, try again, and eventually succeed. And they will say, "Must be nice to be so lucky." They will not see the early mornings. They will not see the fear you swallowed. They will not see the small, daily acts of courage that no one ever celebrates. They will just see the outcome and call it luck. Let them. It does not matter. Because somewhere in that crowd of people calling you lucky, there will be one person who sees di…

Let me tell you something that took me nearly eighty years to fully understand. Remember I am a slow learner; I did have to repeat grade one. Most of the people in your life will not do what you tell…

Let me tell you some…

Let me tell you something that took me nearly eighty years to fully understand. Remember I am a slow learner; I did have to repeat grade one. Most of the people in your life will not do what you tell them to do. They will not follow your advice, no matter how wise. They will not heed your warnings, no matter how well-intentioned. They will not adopt your beliefs, no matter how passionately you hold them. But they will watch what you do. And that, right there, is why you matter more than you think. There are always four kinds of people in any room. Some will hear but not listen. Your words…

You just need to change one thing. Knock on one door. Dream one dream. Take one step. Give one gift. Act once. Laugh once. And then do it again tomorrow. Because freedom from the past, or from anyth…

You just need to cha…

You just need to change one thing. Knock on one door. Dream one dream. Take one step. Give one gift. Act once. Laugh once. And then do it again tomorrow. Because freedom from the past, or from anything else that holds you back, always comes in the very instant you stop thinking about it and start doing something. Not that you needed to hear that. But maybe you did. Now go knock.http://www.hummingbirdandbutterfliesgiftshop.com/

 I have saved the best for last. Laughter is not just medicine. It is proof that you are still alive. Still present. Still able to find joy in a world that often seems determined to hide it. When y…

 I have saved the b…

 I have saved the best for last. Laughter is not just medicine. It is proof that you are still alive. Still present. Still able to find joy in a world that often seems determined to hide it. When you laugh, something shifts. The tension in your shoulders releases. The knot in your stomach loosens. The voice in your head that says "you cannot" gets drowned out by the simple, undeniable fact of your own delight. Healing happens non-stop. It is always happening. The body wants to heal. The heart wants to heal. The spirit wants to heal. Sometimes we just need to get out of the way. Laughter i…

This is the most important one. Act. Not tomorrow. Not when you feel ready. Not when you have lost five pounds or saved five hundred dollars or finally figured everything out. Act now. The universe …

This is the most imp…

This is the most important one. Act. Not tomorrow. Not when you feel ready. Not when you have lost five pounds or saved five hundred dollars or finally figured everything out. Act now. The universe responds to action. Not to wishing. Not to worrying. Not to planning. To action. Take one small step today. Send the email. Make the call. Sign up for the class. Plant the seed. Write the first sentence. Show up. That is all it takes. One small act. And then another. And then another.http://www.hummingbirdandbutterfliesgiftshop.com/

Here is a secret that sounds like a paradox but is actually just true. The more you give, the more you receive. Not in a transactional way. Not as a bargain. But because giving changes you. It opens s…

Here is a secret tha…

Here is a secret that sounds like a paradox but is actually just true. The more you give, the more you receive. Not in a transactional way. Not as a bargain. But because giving changes you. It opens something inside. It reminds you that you have something to offer, and that reminder is its own reward. Give your time. Give your attention. Give a compliment. Give a meal. Give a ride. Give a listening ear. The floodgates are not about getting stuff. They are about feeling alive.http://www.hummingbirdandbutterfliesgiftshop.com/

Here is a paradox. You cannot see the whole path from the beginning. No one can. The path reveals itself as you walk it, not before. But you can prepare. You can gather the tools. You can learn the s…

Here is a paradox. Y…

Here is a paradox. You cannot see the whole path from the beginning. No one can. The path reveals itself as you walk it, not before. But you can prepare. You can gather the tools. You can learn the skills. You can strengthen the muscles—physical, mental, emotional—that you will need for the journey. And then, when you are as ready as you can be, you take the first step. Not knowing where it will lead. Not knowing if it will work. Just trusting that the next step will become visible once you take this one. That is not foolishness. That is how every journey has ever been made.http://www.h…

 Here is the thing about dreams. They do not have to be practical. They do not have to be likely. They do not have to make sense to anyone else, including the sensible part of your own brain. Dreams…

 Here is the thing …

 Here is the thing about dreams. They do not have to be practical. They do not have to be likely. They do not have to make sense to anyone else, including the sensible part of your own brain. Dreams are not business plans. They are not five-year forecasts. They are the imagination's way of showing you what could be if you were brave enough to try. A kingdom does not arrive all at once. It starts with a single stone. A single step. A single morning when you decide that the dream is worth the risk of looking foolish. What kingdom have you stopped dreaming about? What possibility have you loc…

IOver the ncext few posts I will be looking at opportounity, I hope you enjoy where my thoughts take me. Let me ask you something. When was the last time you knocked on a door you were not sure would…

IOver the ncext few …

IOver the ncext few posts I will be looking at opportounity, I hope you enjoy where my thoughts take me. Let me ask you something. When was the last time you knocked on a door you were not sure would open? If you are like many seniors, it has been a while. We get comfortable. We get cautious. We decide that the days of knocking on unfamiliar doors are behind us. Better to stay where it is safe. Better not to risk the disappointment of a door that stays shut. But here is what I have learned after nearly eighty years. Every breakthrough, every invention, every masterpiece that profoundly chan…

Let me start with something that still amazes me after nearly eighty years. The human brain has remained virtually unchanged for the past hundred thousand years. The same brain that lived in caves, p…

Let me start with so…

Let me start with something that still amazes me after nearly eighty years. The human brain has remained virtually unchanged for the past hundred thousand years. The same brain that lived in caves, painted on walls, and huddled around fires is the same brain sitting in your skull right now. The same fears. The same hopes. The same tendency to leap to conclusions that are completely, spectacularly wrong. How humbling is that? Your ancestors looked at a rustling bush and assumed a tiger. Sometimes they were right. Sometimes it was the wind. But the ones who assumed tiger and ran lived to tell…

Let me ask you something. When was the last time you read a fairy tale? Not to a grandchild. Not as a favour. For yourself. If you are like most seniors, it has been decades. We put away fairy tales…

Let me ask you somet…

Let me ask you something. When was the last time you read a fairy tale? Not to a grandchild. Not as a favour. For yourself. If you are like most seniors, it has been decades. We put away fairy tales somewhere around the time we put away dollhouses and toy trucks. We decided they were for children. We decided we had outgrown them. But here is what I have learned after nearly eighty years. We did not outgrow fairy tales. We just forgot why we needed them. Fairy tales were not invented to entertain children at bedtime. They were told and handed down from generation to generation because they …