Fanning The Ember - Creating a Life of Joy, Purpose and Abundance by Ron - HTML preview

Additional Quotes

A man's true delight is to do the things he was made for." ~ Marcus Aurelius 

Are you willing to let go of the life you have planned so as to have the life that is waiting for you?

“The one thing all famous authors, world class athletes, business tycoons, singers, actors and celebrated achievers in any field have in common is that they all began their journey’s when they were none of these.”

- Mike Dooley

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

― Albert Einstein

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

Calvin Coolidge(1872 - 1933) (30th President)

Or, how about Leonardo da Vinci: “He who wishes to be rich in a day will be hanged in a year.”

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.”

—Martha Graham, quoted by Agnes DeMille inMartha: The Life and Work of Martha Graham

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness concerning all acts of initiative and creation. There is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans; that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen events, meetings and material assistance which no one could have dreamed would have come their way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets: “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now!””

~ W.H. Murray

 

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers.The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to thinkthey can change the world, are the ones who do.“

- Apple

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.”

Meister Eckhart

“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”

― John C. Maxwell

I used to wait around and hope somebody would give me a big opportunity. I used to think that was what I needed... so that I could show what I could do!  I used to think that way.

Those were the days before the mind shifts started...those were the days when I thought thoughts like these:

“When someone gives me the right opportunity, watch me!"

“When I get the right job, I'll be happy."

"When I segue into a proper career that's my true calling, then I'll be able to display my true talent-the real me." 

Then one day my mind shifted to this: You can display the real you right now. You can have it be in every encounter. You can light up even the smallest task with enthusiastic creativity if you want to. That's the whole meaning of shifting the mind. There can be light in every word.

That shift in my mind was from a falsely projected "hopefully better" future, to the perfect now.

There would be others.

Steve Chandler www.stevechandler.com

Asking is the beginning of receiving. Make sure you don't go to the ocean with a teaspoon. At least take a bucket so the kids won't laugh at you.”

– Jim Rohn

Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.”

-Howard Thurman

“Our competitive advantage is that we make a promise and we keep it.”

- Warren Buffett

During these seductive times, it’s helpful to remember a statement Buffett made back in 1991, taken from a video that’s played at the shareholder meeting every year…

"After they first obey all rules, I then want employees to ask themselves whether they are willing to have any contemplated act appear the next day on the front page of their local paper, to be read by their spouses, children, and friends, with the reporting done by an informed and critical reporter. If they follow this test, they need not fear my other message to them: Lose money for the firm, and I will be understanding; lose a shred of reputation for the firm, and I will be ruthless."

“If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.“

- Mahatma Gandhi

What this power is, I cannot say. All I know is that it exists...and it becomes available only when you are in that state of mind in which you know exactly what you want...and are fully determined not to quit until you get it. 

-Alexander Graham Bell

And may we never forget William James’ wisdom that: “The small choices bear us irresistibly toward our destiny.”

In the short run, there are two types of people who live in darkness, Ron: those who are desperate to emerge and those who are desperate to stay. When you finally realize that part of the reason you chose this lifetime was to shine your light for the first type, you'll stop worrying about what the second type thinks of you. Shine your little heart out,

– The Universe

If your dominant intent is to feel joy while you are doing the work, your triad of intentions—freedom, growth and joy—will come quickly and easily into alignment. See your "career" as one of creating a joyful life experience. You are not a creator of things or a regurgitator of what someone else has created or a gatherer of stuff. You are a creator, and the subject of your creation is your joyful life experience. That is your mission. That is your quest. That is why you are here.

---Abraham

“Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second. Give your dreams all you’ve got and you’ll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you.” ~ William James

A great trick of every enlightened master, Ron, is being ever mindful that it's not what you do that brings about a miracle, but that you do it. Doing something, almost anything, in the direction of your dreams, every day, is all I need to reach you, connect the dots, and drop a few jaws. You reach for the fruit, and I will shake the tree.

We takin' over,

     The Universe

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else's life. Don’t be trapped by dogma- which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

—Steve Jobs (1955-2011);

There was a time in the life of every hero, champion, master, and tycoon, Ron, when they said to themselves, "I will not wait any longer.”

And no matter how near or far away their dream then seemed, they began to take action, every day, no matter what.

No matter what,

      The Universe

"The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus."

- Bruce Lee: The father of mixed martial arts

by Brian Johnson

Never let a dollar come in or go out of your hands without gratitude.

Thank whoever gave you the money and whoever gave you the services or products you’re paying for.

Honor the exchange. Think about how many people you’re supporting as you circulate energy in the form of money. Make it a spiritual practice.

"Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune."

– Jim Rohn:American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker

I don’t want an epitaph on my gravestone that says, ‘He would have pursued some big dreams in his life, but he wanted to wait until the time was just right.“

- Tom Peters

If not, and if the reason you give why you’re not is that you’re too busy, know that saying you’re too busy to check in with your highest Self is kinda like saying you’re too busy driving to stop for gas. – Brian Johnson.

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832);

philosopher, scientist, author

“Someone once asked Somerset Maugham if he wrote on a schedule or only when struck by inspiration. “I write only when inspiration strikes,” he replied. “Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”” ~ Steven Pressfield from The War of Art

As Pressfield says: “Maugham reckoned another deeper truth: that by performing the mundane act of sitting down and starting to work, he set in motion a mysterious but infallible sequence of events that would produce inspiration, as surely as if the goddess had synchronized her watch with his.”

How about you? (my comment – inspiration strikes after you take action to get it started. Same with ‘all cooperative componants’/coincidence. You can cause it to happen by taking action.)

You wait for inspiration to strike or have you/are you training her to show up at a certain time?!

(P.S. Check out Elizabeth Gilbert’s great TED talk on exactly this.)

The unexamined life is not worth living.“

- Plato

The Secret of Genius is Focus

by Brian Johnson

“The secret of genius is focus. If you can laser your attention on any subject or project, it will reveal its blueprint to you. George Washington Carver discovered 325 uses for the peanut and 100 for the sweet potato! Great geniuses are powerful focusers. Many have been called eccentric or insane because they put aside worldly concerns for the sake of their music, art, architecture, drama, inventing, or writing. But they are the individuals who change the world, while those with scattered attention wade through mediocre lives. Geniuses don’t fritter their precious minds on mass trends. They create the trends that alter the masses.” ~ Alan Cohen from Why Your Life Sucks

Focus. Focus. Focus.

In short: Quit trying to magically manifest stuff and focus on affecting people’s lives positively. The greater the number positively affected, the greater the financial return.

MJ Demarco from The Millionaire Fastlane

"All you need is to know what you want, and to want it badly enough so that it will stay in your thoughts."

— Wallace Wattles: American author

If it's not yet obvious to you, the real reason for this, and all seasons, is you, Ron. A more perfect child of the Universe has never lived. Until now, only celebrations cloaked in myth and mystery could hint at your divine heritage and sacred destiny. You are life's prayer of becoming and its answer. The first light at the dawn of eternity, drawn from the ether, so that I might know my own depth, discover new heights, and revel in seas of blessed emotion.

A pioneer into illusion, an adventurer into the unknown, and a lifter of veils. Courageous, heroic, and exalted by legions in the unseen.

To give beyond reason, to care beyond hope, to love without limit; to reach, stretch, and dream, in spite of your fears. These are the hallmarks of divinity - traits of the immortal - your badges of honor. May you wear them with a pride as great as what we feel for you.

Your light has illuminated darkened paths, your gaze has lifted broken spirits, and already your life has changed the course of history.

This is the time of year we celebrate Ron Schaffer.

Bowing before Greatness,

The Universe

“Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.”

Horace (65-8);

What is the highest vision for my life? What seeks to emerge in, through, and as my life?” (Or, in the case of a project or business: What is the highest vision for this project or for this business?)

... “What must I become in order to manifest this vision? What qualities must I cultivate?”

... “What must I release to manifest this vision?” (This may include habits, mind-sets, compulsive behaviors—things of that nature.)

... “What talents, gifts, skills, and qualities do I already possess that will serve this vision?” (This moves you into a state of being and having, rather than trying to “get” something.)” ~ Michael Bernard Beckwith from Life Visioning

Powerful!

“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life; dream of it; think of it; live on that idea. Let the brain, the body, muscles, nerves, every part of your body be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, and this is the way great spiritual giants are produced.”- Swami Vivekananda

Joseph Campbell said it well, “We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.”

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.“

- Joseph Campbell

If I had to live my life over again, I'd make the same mistakes - only sooner.”

Tallulah Bankhead

The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself.” – Mark Caine

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”

Robert Frost (1874-1963);

poet

Next time you're in the Planet Hollywood in New York City, check out the letter hanging on the wall that Bruce Lee wrote to himself.

It's stamped "secret" and is dated January 9, 1970.

"By 1980 I will be the best known oriental movie star in the United States and will have secured $10 million dollars." He continues with, "And in return I will give the very best acting I could possibly give every single time I am in front of the camera and I will live in peace and harmony."

Wow.

Written any good letters to yourself lately?

Jim Carey did the same thing as Bruce Lee. (He put a check for 10 million dollars in his wallet)

Most dreams die on the tyranny of how. The how will show up when you get clear on what you want. Focus first on what you want without regard to how you will make it happen.

People always act on the basis of what they believe. If you want to change their actions (or your own) you have to change their beliefs.

--- Tony Robbins

“I haven’t a clue how my story will end, but that’s all right. When you set out on a journey and night covers the road, that’s when you discover the stars.”

Nancy Willard (born 1936);

children's author, poet, and novelist

Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists.. it is real.. it is possible.. it's yours.”

Ayn Rand (1905-1982);

writer, philosopher

The goal should not be to make money or acquire things, but to achieve the consciousness through which the substance will flow forth when and as you need it.”

~ Eric Butterworth from Spiritual Economics

Although ardent fans of the “Law” of Attraction will tell you that you must not be doing it right if you haven’t manifested a yacht since you started practicing visualizing last weekend, DeMarco goes off on the silliness of how the so-called “Law” is marketed.

He proposes that the true path to success is the “Law of Effection” and tells us: “Effection of scale or magnitude always precedes money, either directly or indirectly. The more lives you impact, directly or indirectly, the more wealth you will attract.”

In short: Quit trying to magically manifest stuff and focus on affecting people’s lives positively. The greater the number positively affected, the greater the financial return. It’s a Law. :)

 MJ DeMarco from The Fastlane Millionaire

Ron, it's because intelligence, looks, even creativity, come in a distant second place to believing. Achievers achieve because they believed they would, and so the heavens and earth were moved.

I believe in you,

The Universe

Some feel that fear is okay as a lifestyle because they’ve heard that the meek shall inherit the earth. So they can go on with being meek as a way of life. They become soft-spoken and compliant, never standing for themselves; always resigned to being a fluffy doormat. But scholars now say that in the scriptural texts that were translated from the Greek, the word praos doesn’t exactly mean “meek” as people have always thought. In fact, it is more accurate to say it means “disciplined.” A very big difference in those translations. It’s much more encouraging to now realize that the disciplined shall inherit the earth."

~ Steve Chandler

Ron, can you imagine someone waiting for a rosebud - yearning to smell its heavenly fragrance and eager to see its impossible beauty - yet becoming so focused and impatient for its impending bloom that they become blind to all the others that already have?

 It happens,

The Universe

Serve.

Reminds me of one of my absolute favorite passages from Viktor Frankl’s Man's Search for Meaning:

“Again and again I therefore admonish my students in Europe and America: Don't aim at success -- the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long-run -- in the long-run, I say! -- success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about it.”

This all reminds me of some Vernon Howard mojo in The Power of Your Supermind, where he tells us: “Do not be impatient with your seemingly slow progress. Do not try to run faster than you presently can. If you are studying, reflecting and trying, you are making progress whether you are aware of it or not. A traveler walking the road in the darkness of night is still going forward. Someday, some way, everything will break open, like the natural unfolding of a rosebud.”

Howard also tells us: “It is a mistake for anyone to think he has lived too long in his old, unsatisfactory ways to make the great change. If you switch on the light in a dark room, it makes no difference how long it was dark because the light will still shine. Be teachable. That is the whole secret.”

The moment of enlightenment is when a person's dreams of possibilities become images of probabilities."

— Vic Braden: American tennis player, instructor and television broadcaster for the sport

“The fact is, for myself, I know that if I believe strongly enough, and have enough confidence in myself to learn what I need, then there are very few things that I could not accomplish in a rather short period of time. Once you know you can do it, and act that way, the means will be obvious. Acting as if you were what you want to become and know you can become is the way to remove self-doubt and enter your real-magic kingdom.”~ Wayne Dyer fromReal Magic

"Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else's hands, but not you."

-Jim Rohn: American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker

Live your dreams now, Ron, to any degree that you can. With every purchase. Every decision. Every hello and goodbye. Every assignment. Every conversation. Every meal. Every morning, afternoon, and evening. And never, ever, ever look back. Reframe every thought, word, and deed from the perspective of the person you've always dreamed you'd be, as if your life was already as you've always dreamed it would be. Die to yesterday's illusions and be reborn to the truth of your vision.

And let's just see if you can handle the torrent of treasures I send your way.

Your greatest admirer, biggest fan, and truest friend -     The Universe

“All of this is already in you. The great use it. The non-great do not, so they remain the non-great. Decide upon some thing, situation, or condition that you want right now in your present life. Be definite in this decision. Do not limit your decision by investigating the probable reasons