by Bill Cumming

What will be brought to you?

How will you respond?

What will you bring to 2016?

Love

“That love is all there is, Is all we know of love.”

– Emily Dickinson

A world that works for everyone will require something from all of us. If you have had the privilege of experiencing that you are loved without condition, no one needs to tell you anything about it. And if you have never been loved without condition, you cannot tell anyone about it. You cannot give what you do not have. Being in a place of loving-kindness offers the greatest opportunity to give others the opportunity to assist in creating a world that works for everyone.

Excellence

“The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind.”

– William James

Imagine yourself at a ripe old age and think about the way you have lived your life. What are the principles that govern your interactions with people? How often are your core values used to determine actions that need to be taken, in your life and/or at work? Your reaction to the picture you have just created will tell you exactly what to do now. If you are clear that you are living your life in a way that you respect, what greater peace can you imagine? If the past is unalterable and the future is yet to come, doesn’t this second become easier to manage?

Choice

“We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

– Viktor Frankl

There is a distinct difference between choice and influence. We control ourselves and how we respond. We can influence everything else. Often we do not control the circumstances in our lives; we do control our reactions to them. There is always a choice, even if it is to do nothing. All choices are made on the basis of insufficient data. Only time will tell if there might have been a better choice. We do everything we do because we are choosing to do it. The fact that others encourage a certain behavior does not diminish the fact that we chose it. How do you experience choice in your life?

Attitude

“The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind.”

– William James

Beliefs become part of our ground of being when we experience them to be true. Everything we do is filtered through our system of beliefs. What happens if someone else’s experience is different from ours? If we are clear that we do not like what we have been up to until this second, we can also be clear about what we intend in the next. What beliefs do you hold as true? Which of those beliefs work for you? Which hold you back? Are those beliefs or a powerful story told over and over in your mind? The capacity for all things resides within all people. What do you know, for sure?

Consistency

“When a man is the same in all circumstances, then you have what I would call the praiseworthy condition of a man unshakeable.”

– The Buddha

Our ground of being determines how we are in the world. Happiness and satisfaction are not produced by circumstances or events; they are created and nurtured. Peace and tranquility are choices and can be created contextually. What is the distinction between saying “have a great day” and “make yourself a great day?” Success is never determined by what other people think and it is always valuable to hear what a person has to say. If we live our lives according to the standards of others, whose life has been lived? What others think of us is a matter of judgment and evaluation. What does that make what we think of others? If we have done our best, listened to see how we can improve, what more is there? Who determines how we intend to be in the world?

Care

“If I’d know I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.”

– Eubie (James Herbert) Blake (1883-1983)

What do you do now, or could you do every day that would allow your heart and soul to sing? Time for anything never appears; it must be created. Care of the self allows us to give more of ourselves. It is impossible to give what we do not have. Are there parts of your physical well-being that you have been ignoring? What might you be doing now, that twenty years from now, you will wish you hadn’t done? Would you want the most important person in your life to neglect themselves physically or psychologically? To whom are you the most important person? Taking care of yourself enriches everything and everyone around you. What truly nurtures your soul?

Determination

“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.”

– George Bernard Shaw

Can you name one thing in the history of recorded time that was not begun by a single individual or small group of dedicated souls? If everyone in the world decided to accomplish anything, it would be done. If our commitments are dependent on who is present or what their reactions might be, are they actually commitments? If, before we begin, we hold it that we will not complete a task, what are the chances of successfully completing that task? Why is it we often describe a strong will as an attribute in others and fail to see the capacity in ourselves? What if everyone on the planet is waiting for you to solve the most pressing problems in the world?

Intention

“Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do this or that. That’s nonsense. Make up your mind, you’ll never use crutches or a stick, then have a go at everything. Go to school, join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”

– Sir Douglas Bader, a British fighter pilot who lost both legs in a flying accident, but still fought in World War II.
He was knighted for his work with the disabled, and the quote above is from his talk to a 14-year-old boy who had lost a leg in a car accident.

The clarity of our purpose contributes mightily to the tranquility of our soul as well as producing results. The creation of intention and context is a conscious, consistent process requiring attention each day. Making decisions based on other people’s priorities may mean we are living by their standards. Other people are not disappointed by our actions but rather by their expectations. If we are awake, there is an opportunity to learn in even the most difficult of circumstances. Being present in the moment makes it far easier to see what is wanted and needed. Can you name any event in your life from which you have not learned something?

Presence

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – William Morrow

Every action we take has an influence on the immediate environment, which impacts the next immediate environment, which impacts the world. We may never know the true impact of a conversation or an action. We have within us the capacity to make choices that allow us to create meaningful, productive, joyous, magical and contributory lives. Our value is a given, not dependent on actions or achievements. If you have a hero, the courage, grace, drive or creativity you perceive in him or her is also within you. Which of those characteristics do you intend to nurture in yourself today?

Responsibility

“Progress in every age results only from the fact that there are some men and women who refuse to believe that what they know to be right cannot be done.”
– Russell W. Davenport

We are responsible for the conditions on our planet. The children that starve are our children and violence that is meted out is our violence. We cannot do anything about something we do not feel responsible for. Responsibility does not equal guilt, blame, shame or fault. Given the circumstances and situations that arise in our lives, it is our attitude toward achieving results that will determine the end result. If we are not willing to take responsibility for situations, conversations and circumstances (problems), as we perceive them, what makes us believe others will take responsibility? Whenever we contribute 100%, we don’t have to wonder what might have happened if we did.

You are invited to make for yourselves a MAGICAL YEAR!

If, along the way, we can be of use, I am sure you will let us know.

With all the love I know!

Namaste!