I AM INSPIRED!

I’ve been away from my blog for a while now. There were no personal dramas or major catastrophes taking me away from my inspirational writing. In fact, it is just the opposite. I’ve found myself focused on some very simple, but wonderful things in life. As I get more present with the “little things in life,” I find myself more content, more satisfied, and less distracted with getting somewhere, accomplishing some thing, or showing up in some way. I feel relaxed and thankful. One of my intentions in writing this particular blog entry is to remind myself of this simple truth and the simple joy that comes with it. I stopped looking at my social media stats for months on end and started looking more at sunsets, the turning color of leaves, and the hummingbird that visits the ever-blooming flowers on the deck outside of my kitchen window. The thought of these things brings a smile to my face, even as I sit and write this.

 Interestingly, my world of business did not stop. If anything, it got busier. My coaching career did not falter. It prospered. How is that possible? Aren’t I supposed to be visiting my social media sites numerous times a day and offering new content at every turn? Shouldn’t I be posting my every inspirational moment for the world to follow? Evidently, like everything, it is a choice. Don’t get me wrong. I’m about to start posting a lot about my next upcoming projects any day now. Yes, I have some things to share. Things that excite, inspire, and motivate me. Yes, I want to share them. And, I will. However, this little break away from what I am “supposed” to do as a dedicated, motivated, inspired coaching entrepreneur has been an amazing lesson for me. When the worries came up that I “should” be more active in the online world, I had to breathe deeply into those fears and trust that life knows better than I do. It always does. I followed my gut instinct rather than my rational mind. The world did not come crashing down. I did not slink away into obscurity. I carved out more time to appreciate the life that is going on around me at every moment. I gave more of my attention to the simple things and life got a bit more simple. I am refreshed. I am grateful. I am inspired.

 Now, let the postings begin anew …

 Gratefully,

Mark

www.MarkEdgarStephens.com

www.WhoAreYouChoosingToBe.com

THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL WORLD!

I guess the title says it all.  And, I believe it to be true.  There is always a choice we have about how we feel about our external world.  That choice can be of a world that is less than beautiful, less than giving.  That choice can also be that the world is truly beautiful, loving, giving, compassionate, and divinely perfect in all of its form and content.  I enjoy my experience of the world when I choose the latter.

Here in Southern California (especially in Manhattan Beach), the Spring came in early January and continues to bloom.  The brave are already wearing tank tops and shorts, while the snow-capped mountains in the distance remind us that winter is still dominant in many places.  Daily, surfers are riding waves and the dogwood trees have already hit their blossoming zenith.  So, is it easy to see beauty in my environment?  Yes.  However, I stand by the fact that experiencing beauty is a choice.

I make the decision on a daily, moment-by-moment basis.  I decide that what I see, hear, touch, and experience in the world is already an opportunity to feel my world to its fullest.  The experience of the occasional cold snap, drizzle of rain, delay of traffic, or bad dream is merely an opportunity to reframe my thinking about everything in my world.  I know that my feelings follow my thoughts.  If my thoughts focus on what is less than good, less than right, less than fair, or less than beautiful, then that is how I will experience my world.  I know this.  I teach this to others.  And, yet, invariably there are moments when I do forget and my world does not feel quite so inspiring.  And … these moments are opportunities to clarify my thinking.  Through contrast, I experience that I have a choice where to focus my thinking and, thus, my feeling.  This contrast, of course, stops being anything other than a beautiful opportunity to raise my own awareness and use my consciousness to shift to thoughts of gratitude, love, and forgiveness for whatever is and everything that is right in front of me.  Life is beautiful or it is not.

My choice, right now, in this moment — This IS a beautiful world!

Smiling into it,

Mark

A WELCOME TO THE SUN AT THE WINTER SOLSTICE!

There are two days of the year that, for me, stand out more than most because of the seasonal significance they hold.  Those days are the Summer Solstice (usually June 21 or 22) and the Winter Solstice (usually December 21 or 22).  If you’ve read many of my previous blog postings, you know that I am a true nature guy who loves sunshine and craves warmth.  Both Solstices are important because they mark the days of the year when the sun shines on the Northern hemisphere the most and the least, respectively.  They also herald in the nights of the year that have the least amount of darkness (more minutes of sun shining time) and the most amount of darkness (aka, the longest night).  During the Summer and Autumn months, The Earth literally shifts on its axis until the Northern Hemisphere is tilting away from The Sun.  In the Winter and Spring months, it tilts back again.

 

As the Winter Solstice approaches, I find myself wanting to snuggle into my home in front of a fire and sleep long slumbers in the darkness of the ever-lengthening nights.  With these feelings also comes the enthusiasm for all of the days that are to follow the Winter Solstice.  As surely as we experience the days between June 22 and December 21 dwindling in sunlight time, the days between December 22 and June 21 lengthen the duration that the sun shines upon us.  I beam at the thought of the moment when the Earth ends its tilting away from our greatest source of warmth and light, and starts moving back toward The Sun like two magnets being drawn together.  In pagan times, it was considered the yearly birthday of the Sun, a gradual return to brighter, sunnier days.  I feel that is where we are moving at this moment.  We are shifting, just like the Earth, into brighter, sunnier times.  The thought makes me smile my big, goofy grin.

 

Wherever you may be and whatever you may be doing this Winter Solstice, take a few moments to marvel at the wondrous beauty and power of nature and the cosmos.  I’ll be standing out on the beach with arms stretched wide, welcoming the changes that have arrived, and saying, “Thank you!  Shine light on my thoughts and actions in this New Year and always.”

 

Have a Wondrous Winter Solstice,

Mark

www.MarkEdgarStephens.com

www.WhoAreYouChoosingToBe.com

BRING ON THE HEAT!

Summer is officially here and with it the heat.  I was born and grew up in Central Florida, not the part near the coast where the ocean breezes blew, but smack dab in the middle where the orange groves, swamps, and pastures were drenched in humidity.  So, for me, given the choice between a cold, icy day in the 20’s or a hot, humid day that tops 100, I’ll take the latter.

On these long summer days, I like that a short walk can bring a dampness to my skin.  I like that with a bit more effort I can get my body soaked with sweat and, in the process, let whatever toxins may be in my body come rushing out of the pores of my skin.  I enjoy opening the windows and letting a far off breeze blow the smells of fresh cut grass into my office.  These are the days when it seems there is full permission to rid the self of anything unnecessary (including layers of clothes), anything that would add too much effort or weight to a body and mind that is feeling the downward press of a layer of heat.

So, while it is perfectly acceptable to run toward an air conditioned room or desire an escape from the sun, I will take this time to revel in letting go of anything that is not absolutely necessary to my life’s journey.  And, in the lightness of the load, the freedom from material burden, I will enjoy the heat!

Summer-ing,

Mark

www.MarkEdgarStephens.com

www.WhoAreYouChoosingToBe.com

WINTER SOLSTICE 2010

This is one of my favorite days of the year and the day that I think of as “first Christmas.”  It is the Winter Solstice—the day the Northern Hemisphere is tilted farthest from the sun, the shortest amount of daylight in the year, and the longest length of night in the year.  After today at 3:38 PST, the days get progressively longer and there are more minutes and seconds of sunlight each day until we reach the Summer Solstice in June.  I’ve always been one to mark time by the changes in nature.  This is the day when traditionally the Scandinavians would bring in the evergreen tree and begin burning the “yule log” for as long as it would last, making the nights brighter and lighter.  For me, this is a moment for remembering that even in the darkest night, light returns; a time to remember that everything is cyclical.  It is a time to gather close with those you love and share some light, love, and laughter.

Happy Holidays!

Mark

www.MarkEdgarStephens.com

wwwWhoAreYouChoosingToBe.com

www.NexAim.com