I received this in an email today from a very dear friend & thought I’d share it – it is one of those stories that is worth reading.

The Seed

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.

Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

He said, “It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO.

I have decided to choose one of you. ” The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. “I am going to give each one of you a SEED today – one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO.”

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.
Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.
By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn’t have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by — still nothing in Jim’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn’t say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil – he so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.

Jim told his wife that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful — in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.

Jim just tried to hide in the back. “My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown,” said the CEO. “Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!”

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front.

Jim was terrified. He thought, “The CEO knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!”

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed – Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, “Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!” Jim couldn’t believe it. Jim couldn’t even grow his seed.

“How could he be the new CEO?” the others said.

Then the CEO said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead – it was not possible for them to grow.

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!”

* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust

* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends

* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness

* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment

* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective

* If you plant hard work, you will reap success

* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation

* If you plant faith in yourself & The Universe, you will reap a harvest

So, be careful what you plant now;
it will determine what you will reap later..

“Whatever You Give To Life, Life Gives You Back”

Is it just me – or is there a lot going on?

The day starts with a screaming alarm, the cat wants feeding, the family want feeding & then there is the usual get up experiences (shower, shave, shampoo, hair, makeup etc), then off to “work” where people are demanding more and more – then at the end of the day home again, family needs to be met then sleep & it all starts again with that alarm…

So where does Gratitude fit in?

Well lets look at the scenario above & dissect it a little…

The alarm goes off – we can be grateful there because – 1. We have electricity & the alarm went off at the correct time. 2. We have a roof over our head that provided us shelter & protection. 3. We have a comfortable bed to sleep in & blankets etc to keep us warm. 4. WE ARE ALIVE TO LIVE ANOTHER DAY!! (I personally like this one & am very grateful for it). 5. The Cat – provides us love and affection in return for feeding it. 6. The Family – this is easy – that we have a family and are part of an incredible team (I could go into more detail on this one – I think you get the idea though). 7. Our Work – That we have a “steady job”, that our skills are recognised, that we can give a valuable service that affects the lives of so many. 8. That we have a home to go to & transport that takes us to and from it safely with ease and grace (even if the train is crowded and smelly on those wet days – it still gets us to and from safely). 9. We have food and furnishings and most importantly the love of a family to come home to. 10. That we had the opportunity to enjoy every experience we received and shared in today.

I could go on, yet I think the message is pretty clear – Gratitude can change the way you look at your life, it can also improve the quality of the experiences you are having .

So when the glass of life is spilling over – or is sitting there empty waiting to be filled, feel Gratitude for that exact moment and everything and everyone in it with you.

No Matter Where You Are, Day or Night – The Sun Is Always Shining

It’s Up To You To Decide

Will You Look Into The Clouds

Or Through Them?

Love, Light & Laughter

Scott

I am often asked “what can I do to find my truth”?

This is an easy question – however the answer is often not what people want to hear. The first step at finding your truth is to stop and listen. Now I know that many would say “I am too busy to stop” or “I already stop & there is so much going on in my head how can I hear anything”. This shows to me that you are not stopping – your are certainly not listening.

You see the challenge that many of us face is “too busy syndrome”. This happens when we don’t want to take stock of our lives, when we don’t want to actually hear what is going on & whilst we keep ourselves busy, we can not hear what we really desire.

Take a look at your week just gone. Where you flat out? Did you rush from Breakfast to work then from work to home for dinner – then was your evening filled with “your favorite TV shows”, a movie, sports or hobby event, or even drinks & dinner with friends? Then did you head home to sleep only to wake up the next day and do it all over again?

When did you take time out to do …… nothing!

To Stop and Rest and Allow your Mind & Body to recover?

This Easter long weekend make sure you take time out for Yourself

Stop & Listen – you Might just hear “Your Truth”…..

For many people there seems to be an unending struggle in their lives, they never have enough money, their relationships are on the rocks, they lose their jobs, they fight and have very few friends.

Yet life is not meant to be a struggle, yes it can be confronting and sometimes down right uncomfortable. The degree of uncomfortableness is often a direct reflection of the self – of the struggle we have within, of the challenges we have internally – in other words the resistance that we have to the very experience we are living.

Take a look at your life – at one particular area – let’s not overwhelm ourselves. Really look closely at it – Is there an area of struggle that is stopping you from being – YOU?

 Let’s use a highly topical situation – Money – for some there is a global crisis and a feeling of lack around money – yet with many others it is a time of prosperity and blessings. Which is it for you? Are you “buying into” the lack mentality or do you believe that this is your time to prosper?

Be honest – be real – be raw – if you are in the lack place then admit it and get on with learning the lesson that is being taught to you. The sooner you learn the sooner the contrasting situation can occur.

So the question most people ask is How do I learn the lesson & what actions can I take to change?

There is a technique I use everyday – that comes from Joe Vitale’s book Zero Limits

Start by focusing on the situation you want to change.

Say to yourself & really feel it when you say it – I Love You

Then again say & really feel it – I am Sorry

Then say & really feel it – Please Forgive Me

Finally say & really feel it – Thank You

Repeat it over and over until you feel or sense a change.

This Works!!!

Remember Resistance is what stops us from living our truth & to be open to our truth means being real & raw. 

How Real and Raw Are You?

The biggest challenge for many is they do not actually love their money. Yes
to show it love & embrace what money actually means – money is more
than the stuff sitting in our wallets & purses – it is what dreams and
hopes are made up of – it is the enabler – yet for so many people they
believe that they do not have enough money to enable them to live -
let alone become more of what life can be. Money is simply a method of
exchange – in order to receive there is always a method of exchange -
that method can be as simple as a smile or as much as a billion
dollars or more – the method of exchange is actually the enabler – not
the money. This is an important concept – to see that there is much
more that you can exchange in order to receive will open your mind to
new possibilities & new opportunities.

Lets look at what happens when you receive a “bill” – do you look
at that bill and feel fear – afraid of what will happen – whether you
can actually pay it or not? Everytime I receive a “bill” I feel
gratitude – I am grateful to receive a “bill” as I know the universe
has provided me the method of receiving so I can pay it. Then when I
pay it I feel love & gratitude for everyone involved – the staff at
the company, thoe postal service, the technicians – everyone that I
can think of that could be associated with that account – I feel love
& gratitude for – plus all their other customers & their families as
well.

Our results with Money are simply a reflection of how we feel about
money – I have struggled myself with a fear of money – it was one of
the many personalities I have removed over the last few months. I am
now excited with money & am blessed by the ease and grace I receive &
share it with.

Start loving Money more & to do that Love you more…