Tag: soul

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Is your soul in good condition?

Another great pic from my friend Lindsey Ellen Simon. This picture is from the Badlands of South Dakota. My old stomping grounds. Its barrenness represents a deep look at the condition of a soul that needs refreshing. www.wildfreeadventure.com #badlands

Closing words from the last blog were “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. “

It certainly is a good topic! Our individual stewardship has never more important than it is right now in this weird time of global economics. Things as we knew them are changing right before our eyes. The news can be the scariest place for information but yet most informative once a person sorts through the weeds of hearsay and outright deceit. We can quickly get on information overload and not even know which way to turn by the time the long-awaited “stimulus” reaches our bank account.

At the end of the day, what truly matters is the condition of our soul. I want to approach the meaning of the soul from an objective view for the sake of my point. The soul is simply the part of you that consists of your mind, character, thoughts, and feelings. Collectively, those four things affect our decision-making in every situation we face. Personal development in all these facets will make you a very wise decision-maker at the very least and break you free from your own internal prison.

I can relate to watching life from “behind the fence.” It seemed as though that track was headed toward a destination I would never reach. Photo Credit: Lindsey Ellen Simon

I took a great interest in the condition of my soul when I realized how much it was influenced by my past on a minute-to-minute basis. My past had left me looking through a smokescreen of poverty and lack. This greatly affected the way I navigated the world in front of me. For example, there are folks that have been so focused on the monies recently given to stimulate both personal and local economies, that the shelves at “big box” retailers are frequently left barren merely for the fear of lack for future days.

Don’t get me wrong- I enjoy receiving a check in the mail as much as anyone. However, the time spent awaiting its arrival included strategic planning. You see, money is only a tool. It will go where you tell it to. It will also blow right out of your hand like a feather in the wind if you loosely embrace its significance.

Have you considered the thought that this year’s stimulus checks were enough to create a passive income if deposited in the right spot? I mean put it in a place that keeps on giving! This is where the condition of your soul becomes very important. A soul free of clutter will see opportunities as they present themselves! A soul free of clutter will ebb and flow like a lazy river without fear through the seasons of change! A soul free of clutter will even change the course of the river if needed! A soul free of clutter will be like a magnet to fertile fields to plant your seeds! Finally, a soul free of clutter will work as hard as a well-defined athlete to become in pristine condition!

The true condition of a soul is not hard to discern. It reveals itself through behavior. We are all on the same common course of personal development. People of ALL levels will one day face the condition of their souls. We all come to the place in life that forces us to look at what circumstances have sprinkled our past and conditioned our responses. It is a very personal journey and can only be addressed as we become aware.

Finally, this pic from one of Lindsey’s wild adventures represents the freedom to be all you can be.

I leave you with this encouragement. Let this written piece remind you to stay aware of repetitive behaviors that reveal the condition of your soul. Ask yourself the hard questions. Are my decisions made from a place of fear and lack? If so, provide your soul some education and let it know there are other options. Napoleon Hill’s Think & Grow Rich is a great place to start. You will be surprised how someone’s personal testimony will suddenly open a different window of perspective and change your course to a prosperous potential! Be willing to listen and apply AND by all means

Enjoy the Journey–VB

Interested in blogging? You simply have to start! I encourage you to start right here. There are folks waiting to hear what you have to say!

This is my story of my own escape from a personl internal prison.

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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“