Tag: prosperity

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THOSE MEMORIES FILLING MY MIND

Photo by Girl with red hat on Unsplash

Those memories filling my mind just won’t let me go. I have found myself in a place of very deep reflection these past weeks. (which really isn’t that unusual for me). I had another birthday this month so maybe it truly is “life’s golden season” that brings back nostalgia. I have also been binge-watching old childhood television shows on ROKU. Those TV shows had good morals, humor, and life lessons. Of course, it could be the research I am doing for my next book. Maybe it’s hearing the lyrics in music before it was so overproduced and polished. The days when music was written from raw life emotions or world events.

I don’t have the answers but I do know I am not the only one that seems to be reminiscing about the good ole days.

Frankly, I am beginning to believe that somewhere in the past 50 years we have become such polished people we have either forgotten or never knew how to be our authentic selves. It’s funny because when those rare face-to-face meetings occur with someone who brushes the world view to the wayside and instead lives out of a place of genuine purity – I am enthralled and even envious.

When I go down that deep hole of reflection and introspection I usually find a place in my daily routine that simply needs a change. Sometimes it’s an easy transition and sometimes it’s gut-wrenching.

For example – one little tweak of a schedule can bring hours of relief in a day. That’s easy.

However, changing a false mindset can literally feel like losing a limb. I was raised on a farm. Hard work, integrity, and honesty were deeply instilled values. We worked hard, played hard, and rested hard. I liked country living and watching the sunset from the porch. I liked being barefoot in the mud. I didn’t recognize it then but the freedom of the outdoors did something for my soul.

Photo by Johnny Cohen on Unsplash

We probably assumed the days would never change but they did and many of us changed with them in pursuit of a “better” life. The hourly wage and 40-hour plus work week took the place of sunsets and family dinners. I now better understand why I was terrible at punching a clock! It didn’t allow me to witness those beautiful things that happen outside the constriction of a schedule. Like dropping everything to watch a horse foul or a litter of puppies enter the world.

It seems many folks are looking over their shoulder to search for something they lost along the way. I leave you with this encouragement. All is not lost – it is a part of you that only needs resurrected. Show them the things they may not know like a family dinner. Require all electronic devices to go into lockdown for a moment on the porch as the sun explodes colors in the sky on its descent. Reach deep within yourself and let those creative ideas flow. How can the world possibly be complete without your contribution of beauty that only you can give?

Change is a good thing and we mustn’t grieve the past BUT we must remember we all have something to teach and we all have something to learn. Give of yourself as a teacher and a student and you will most certainly

Enjoy the Journey – VB

It's in the Music

The Latest Release Right HERE!! It’s a dream that came to life in my writing.

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A Prosperous Soul

This pic was taken on a road less traveled in Ireland in 2017. It represents the totality of prosperity and freedom to me!

Today is a perfect early spring day. I used the early morning hours to enjoy the view from my office. Sipping on a cup of hot tea and watching the geese use the pond as a bathtub made my heart happy. It reminded me of the value of freedom. Freedom to be who we are designed to be. Freedom to choose our own perspectives. Freedom to choose a life of abundance. Freedom will cover a very broad territory depending on where you are at the moment.

Another pic from Ireland. Space and beauty as far as the eye can see.

It has been one year since the world was shaken by a pandemic. I believe we learned some things as a global community. The shutdown brought uncertainty, fear, and isolation. The world was shaken but closer to home, each one of us had to deal with it on a personal level. We were forced to slow down and look at what we value the most. The confinement challenged our views of the true definition of freedom. Something as simple as watching the geese enjoy an early morning play in our neighborhood pond has made me reflect on how my own views have changed in a years time.

At this moment some of us may not feel the freedom to travel to other countries yet. The rules have changed and we have to decide how to fit into the infrastructure’s guidelines. These pics of our last real vacation were taken in Ireland in 2017. We traveled there to explore my family roots. While the look back at the pics refreshed the memories of “freedom without boundaries”, they also reached deep into my own aspect of “Prosperity”.

The trip to Ireland was steeped in conversations with the natives of the country. The folks we engaged with held a deep knowledge of the history of their land. They lived simple lives with little chaos and much family time. Monetary wealth was at the bottom of the priority scale and it was relevant in their lifestyles.

The castles hold secrets from the deep history of the land. Their dungeons and secret rooms remind me of the hidden places in our hearts.

I came home with much to ponder. The culture of the Irish helped me understand on a deeper level that the things which matter most in this world do not come from the riches of the pocketbook.

Unfortunately, most folks think of prosperity in the terms of assets owned. Prosperity is a rich word with a deep meaning. The definition begins in one’s heart. It begins with the distance of your vision. In other words, can you see past your own toes? Can you see where you are at the moment? For example, when the news of the shutdown reached your household – did you have an innate knowing that “you and your family were going to be okay?” Did the road map of your vision take you to safety and peace? Or did you choose the road most traveled and dive into fear and media updates?

This is actually a MAIN road but less traveled! A road less traveled will always be more narrow.

Truthfully, in the beginning, it took me some time to get off the fence and completely embrace peace. The prosperous side of my soul eventually spoke louder than my own analytical thoughts. I finally reached the pinnacle of the truth that this thing was not something I could control anyway. The prosperous side of my mentality consistently pointed me toward the riches that exceeded any bank account on this planet. The riches of peace, health, friends, and family. These four things make you a prosperous human. The restrictions of the shutdown challenged every one of those elements of our freedom. Just like my Irish friends, it is our choice to bathe in the freedoms of our true wealth.

I leave you with this encouragement. Revisit some good times of the past to refresh some stagnant places of your soul left from the residual of last year. Make a list of the riches you possess. Make notes of the places where you are experiencing total peace, the physical health of your family, the list of those friends that stick closer than a brother, and the family that you belong. Express gratefulness for your list of wealth. Finally, start a plan to improve or refine any of these areas if needed. Be sure to include your monetary status too. After all, it is a part of the definition of prosperity. It just isn’t the MAIN objective to our wealth or status.

I actually love money. We must choose to steward it properly. It is a tool that not only moves the things of this world but also partners with love, empathy, and compassion to provide hope in the desolate place in the heart of another. I love to manage it and I love to generously give it away.

The way we manage our dollars is a reflection of the true condition of the soul. We will either invest from a prosperous sight using wisdom, caution, and faith or scatter funds beyond our means from a place drenched in fear, lack, and uncertainty. Sounds like a good topic to address next time.

Touch base with your family today with an awareness of your prosperity and by all means

Enjoy the Journey – VB

P.S. Writing brings me great joy. It also brings me great joy when others share themselves through writing too. It’s not hard to get your stuff out there for others to enjoy. Click here or here to see how I got started! These folks are fabulous!

My book is available on Amazon. “Escape from Darkness“

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Poverty vs Prosperity/What’s the difference?

This picture of the old farmhouse where I grew up was taken on a recent trip to South Dakota. It had been 40 YEARS since I had seen it.

Poverty or prosperity- which mentality do you have?

Wow-what a controversial topic. That question can challenge the best of us. Honestly, I had not given it much thought until one of my mentors presented me with the question. That’s when I had to take a close look at which of those lenses I was choosing to view my life.

Cultural programming has everything to do with how we define our lifestyle. My folks raised us knowing the meaning of hard work. We lived on a farm in South Dakota for a big part of my childhood. I remember the long cold winters when all hands were required to be on deck to ensure that both we and the animals survived. Summers brought long hot days in the wheat fields. Mom packed our lunch in a round dishpan and filled the water jugs to the brim. We loaded up the goods and spent the whole day in the field under a make-shift awning. (an old green tarp with holes in it that was strung from the truck bed to two fence posts stuck in the ground) She and my dad went around and around the field on their tractors all day planting crops. They would wave at us with each round and make sure all was well at the camp. I laugh as I write this just thinking about how dirty we were at the end of the day.

The look back helps me to identify how my mindset that surrounds my perspective on poverty or prosperity was developed. Lifestyle has certainly changed over the years BUT the mentality dug its roots and settled in for the long haul.

I could go on and on about how life was lived on the plains of South Dakota. The stories can easily mirror the “Little House on the Prairie” television series. It was those stories that set me on the path of reforming some very old mindsets.

The first thing was to explore what each of those words meant to me. With no purposeful intentions from anyone involved – my definition of poverty took on the persona of “hard work only brings more hard work”. It was an endless cycle of work to simply survive. Sometimes there were huge setbacks like hail storms that took out a whole crop. Even as a child I could feel the heartbreak and disappointment of my parents. The fear of lack began to box me into a very tiny space of small dreams. I developed a real ” poverty mentality“.

Cultural programming has everything to do with how we develop our life. Can we break out of what we know and into what is actually possible?

I’m not sure why it is often referred to as a poverty “mentality”. The more accurate description is an “impoverished soul”. Poverty is more than how many dollars you have or don’t have in your bank account. It runs deep into the crevices of your everyday life and can affect every decision you make. For example, our hard childhood culture left a residue of unworthiness that ran behind the scenes of my adulthood decisions. Decisions stretching all the way from what clothing to buy to who to marry! It’s hard to imagine how sitting in a field playing games and reading all day could develop into an unworthy attitude toward myself.

The truth is that culture does define us. The good news is we can be open to change if we want something different.

Somewhere on life’s journey, I realized there was another option besides “expecting lack” and “slamming every penny into a savings account”. There were faith and hope. There was an understanding of a new identity that could take the golden nuggets of teaching from my childhood and apply them to a more prosperous mentality. The type of thinking that refreshes your soul into knowing that no matter what – YOU ARE WORTHY of the precious things life can give.

The truth is that most of the present chaos of the world is simply not in our control anyway. It will gladly drain any faith and hope we muster up if we focus on it. The healthy option is to change your focus. I mean your eyes can literally move from one place to another. From the place of lack to the place of abundance.

I leave you with this encouragement. Don’t define your mentality of poverty or prosperity by your bank account. Instead , revisit your cultural upbringing. Look deep in your soul and ask yourself what you are expecting life to bring you. Do you really believe you deserve the gold that is waiting for you in this season? Will you take it when it presents itself? Will you restore faith and hope in yourself and those around you? Are you open to changing some old habits?

The next blog will bring a closer look at prosperity. In the meantime

Enjoy the Journey – VB

P.S. Writing brings me great joy. It also brings me great joy when others share themselves through writing too. It’s not hard to get your stuff out there for others to enjoy. Click here to see how I got started. These folks are fabulous!

My book is available on Amazon. “Escape from Darkness“

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Where’s the Love?

I write this morning with a somewhat heavy heart. You know when you have one of those weeks when your eyes have been turned toward the hurt and sorrows of this world. It seems every person you come into contact with has a crisis. Not just a petty crisis but real troubles. You have to wonder, “Where’s the Love”?

2020 has proved to be full of surprises. Folks are enduring trials from the weather to a pandemic and everything that could pack itself in between. We are being forced to navigate the emotional impact these oppositions have on us. We are put into a corner of self-introspection and reevaluation of how we continue to make a living and do life at the same time. Fear remains a foothold in many lives. Fear of sickness, fear of lack, fear of _____________ (you can fill in the blank). Fear has no boundaries and it has no limits if given the reigns to rule.

Even before the pandemic, technology and garage doors placed major barriers between relationships. What used to be a phone call is now a text and what once was an opportunity to say hello to your neighbor is now driving your car into a part of your house and shutting the door behind you before anyone has a chance to see you. There is seldom a get together with friends or even family because of busy schedules and new rules of social distancing.

We find faith when we flip fear on its head. Faith and courage to overcome the obstacle that seems to block the road in front of us. Faith makes the way to intentionally remove the load from our own shoulders and become available to lend a helping hand to another who is in need. After all, true prosperity is being able to provide for a need when it presents itself. This is what makes the world go around. People helping people. We were not designed to be in this world alone. It was intended to be a community effort.

Whether it be financial, relational, family, health, or simple circumstances – challenging times can wear us out if we let them. It is difficult because it requires such conscious effort to draw a boundary of peace around daily life.

I leave you with this encouragement. Challenge yourself by making time on your calendar to reflect on how YOU can make a difference. Put your thoughts into action. Keep in mind you cannot save the world but collectively we can sure make some changes. It seems the more we give the more the opportunities to give will pop up. It is a spiritual principle that once we’re focused on our participation in the needs around us, our own needs are miraculously provided.

It’s easy to recognize the deep pain of another when you have been there yourself in a different season of life. Troubles are real and so is the exhaustion of dealing with them. I am forever grateful to those who extended their resources, love, and friendship in my personal times of challenge.

Today I share a video released this year by a very good friend of mine. We share the burden of the sorrows we see around us. We made a decision to simply make a difference with our musical talent. Her song will prick your heart of compassion. Let it be the spark on your flame of decision to rise up in your current season and release LOVE to a hurting world. I promise the rewards are great!

Enjoy the Journey – VB