How to Remain Young: Jesus and the Nature of Things

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

God's voice is Nature's voice. Are you listening?

~Do not look over there, or over here, or in some other direction, for the Kingdom of God is within you.~ (Jesus, sort of)

“No strength exists that can interrupt or break the chain of causes; and Nature is conquered only by obedience.” Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

Jesus told his disciples to become as little children so they could enter the Kingdom of Heaven. What did he mean? Kids in his day were doing all kinds of menial labor by the time they were five or six years old. Girls were betrothed, married, and mothers by 13 or 14. Boys were plowing fields, hauling water, gathering and piling up camel dung, and more.

Unless you were of the ruling classes, which Jesus and his followers weren’t, your life was tough. Life span average was around 30. So, what could Jesus have meant? Trust? Openness? Curiosity? No, that's how we think of childhood today. He more than likely meant obedience, as Bacon reveals in the above quote.

Awakening to Your Best Life Yet!

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

Rejoice! Life is good, no matter the appearances.

Is the world really full of evil people? Or is that just a gimmick to make you feel afraid?

Appearances notwithstanding, I know that each of us contains the seed of goodness. Awakening to that reality is the way to change what looks like disaster. How do we awaken? Simple...

• Recognize your own beauty. Original sin is a lie.
• Reclaim your power. You're only weak if you believe it.
• Rewrite your inner script. You wrote the original, or bought into someone else's.
• Reduce your personal carbon footprint. You don't need as much stuff in your life as you think.
• Respond rather than react. Think clearly about your choices, your prejudices, your decisions.
• Release or at least reduce your fears. You will only rise to the level of your greatest fear.
• Regain your courage. Boldness has a certain charm to it, you know.
• Remember that you came here to help the world become its best. This is the secret you've been looking for, by the way.
• Refuse to let the daily news run your life. In fact, turn it off for a week and see if you've really missed anything. What's truly important will find its way into your consciousness.
• Rest in the Silence now and then; refresh your relationship with the Source of All That Is. Meditation is a powerful brain-changer, not just a woo-woo Eastern religious practice.
• Remain upbeat, positive, enthusiastic, and optimistic. Pie in the sky? Hardly. Change your thinking, change your life, and ultimately, change your world.
• Relax. Reboot. Retrain, if necessary. Regroup. Get it?
• And finally, REJOICE! Be grateful for this experience. You were called into being by a grand and loving Universe, in potential from the moment of creation. And the best is yet to come. Count on it!

Please Make Me Feel Important!

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

Your touch can be the most important thing to someone else...

You've been there so you know what it's like...

He was looking dejected when I approached the counter to order some coffee. I asked if he’d been having a rough day. “No, I’m fine.” He wasn’t fine. There was no one behind me in line so I engaged him for a few moments. “This place can be a bit hectic. I come here most mornings. People are in a hurry, anxious to get wherever they’re going, not meaning to hurt anyone. It just happens. They sometimes forget that the person behind the counter is having a hectic morning, too.” He looked up at me with a faint smile. I handed him a $5 tip. He glowed. “People don’t realize how important you are to them. You’re the one who gets them back on the road with this great coffee. You matter.” His look of gratitude was all I needed. My day was already made.

You may not want to admit it but when you’re overlooked, taken for granted, or abused by customers, bosses, or others who have some kind of authority over you, face it: you don’t like it.

However. . .

No one, as the saying goes, can make us feel inferior without our permission. Each time we respond to the world by giving it the power to make us feel awful about ourselves, we lose just a little more ground, a little more personal power. And the more power we give up, the worse we feel.

Here’s your opportunity to feel a little better about yourself: Consciously choose to see the importance of each person you interact with today. Just for a moment or two, take your mind off yourself. Recognize that everyone is engaged in his or her own kind of suffering. This is the beginning of compassion.

OK, now back to you.

Happy Holidays to you and yours this Season!

Guilty Giving and How to Love It

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

“Like the moon, in its radiant beauty, be a Light Reflector. Remain open and willing to serve. That's why you're here." Guru Da

Warning! This article may be harmful to your ego!

You hear it everywhere, read it everywhere, discuss it now and then. You must give to receive. After a while, hearing that can become annoying, even irritating. “I know, already!”

They try to get your money, your time, your efforts, your talents. They send you tons of bulk mail every year. A gazillion spam-y emails. They push telethons in front of you, right when your favorite sitcom is supposed to be on. They call you on the phone. They threaten you at church (Well, at some churches. Not mine). Give, give, give. Ad infinitum.

Joy Bursts Forth Like the Blooms!

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

Joy bursts forth like the blooming flower when you live in gratitude!

"Gratitude, warm, sincere, intense, when it takes possession of the bosom, fills the soul to overflowing and scarce leaves room for any other sentiment or thought." John Quincy Adams

This is the Only Moment

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

Just look! The reasons for gratitude are everywhere!

"It is through gratitude for the present moment that the spiritual dimension of life opens up." Eckhart Tolle

Miracle in the Moment

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

The miracle is in the ordinary moment! 

"I don't have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness - it's right in front of me if I'm paying attention and practicing gratitude." Brene Brown 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend." Melody Beattie

Let the attitude of gratitude be your guiding principle now, and throughout the year.

Many good blessings to you and yours this Holiday Season!

How to Achieve the Good Life the Easy Way

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

Beauty is everywhere, including within your own heart.

"Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse." Henry Van Dyke

Gratitude, appreciation, thankfulness, kindness. These words lead to the Good Life. 

So, you want the Good Life? The really, really Good Life? This is the day. Begin now. Don't argue; don't look back. Be it, share it, love it. 

Have it!

Blessings and continued abundance to you all!

Highly recommended: 

Thank and Grow Rich - Pam Grout - Available at Amazon.com

Simply Abundant!

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

From flower to fortune, you are abundantly blessed!

"Strong emotions such as passion and bliss are indications that you're connected to Spirit, or 'inspired,' if you will. When you're inspired, you activate dormant forces, and the abundance you seek in any form comes streaming into your life." 
Wayne Dyer

The world is full of abundance and opportunity, but far too many people come to the fountain of life with a sieve instead of a tank car... a teaspoon instead of a steam shovel. They expect little and as a result they get little. 
Ben Sweetland

Ofttimes we confuse abundance with lots of money, lots of things, or lots of celebrity. In fact, abundance takes many forms. Each of us must decide for ourselves what that form will be.

The Mystery Called Grace

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

"The Mystery called Grace appears everywhere, even in a tree. See the Grace everywhere."

"Whatever we are waiting for - peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance - it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart."
Sarah Ban Breathnach

"I do not at all understand the mystery of grace - only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us." 
Anne Lamott

Grace means 'unmerited favor.' You and I have emerged into this world from stardust. It didn't have to be us...but it was. 

Can we be grateful? Yeah, I think so.

Love is an Inside Job

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

Love is an inside job. 

"Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen... yourself, right now, right down here on Earth." 
Bradley Whitford

Gratitude and the Gift of Mourning: Tragedy in a Small Texas Town

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

The Rainbow of Hope. It reminds us to remain strong in the face of tragedy, of darkness.

"Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings." William Arthur Ward

Saying 'Thank you' is a common courtesy, a nice gesture. We do it all the time, right? Even when it's appropriate to say 'You're welcome,' many people say Thank You at that point as well. Two words, thrown about, well meant, but rather bland for the most part.

How to Really Get What You Want--No Joke!

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

A smile can change your brain and lots of smiles can change it a lot!

The only source of knowledge is experience. Albert Einstein

Some people think they can just read a book and voila! They know. 

Wrong.

In nearly every walk of life, the real teacher is experience. It's in the doing. 

Whether you're a lawyer or a brick layer, in order for you to be a fount of wisdom and knowledge in your field, you must go beyond the classroom or the lecture or the online courses. You must do the work. To become your best, step out and make the mistakes, learn from them, do it again, only this time, you won't spill the milk so easily.

That's what makes you the expert. Experience.

Same in our walk with Spirit.

Your Words Have Power

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

"Give light and the darkness will 

disappear of itself." Erasmus

Sometimes we look for the Light, when in fact, we ARE the Light. 

As I write, fires of great magnitude have been raging in Northern California USA for some time now. Thousands of homes and businesses have gone up in flames. But most important, several dozen lives have been lost. 

Out of all the chaos, stories of heroes are emerging. From firefighters saving people to animals finding their owners and leading them to safety. 

So it goes with most disasters. From fires to storms to earthquakes to war. Heroes emerge.

We mere mortals cannot control nor escape the calamities that come with being part of the living community on Planet Earth. Still, we have an amazing gift. We can often become our very best during the height of madness. We can and do find strength and courage we never knew we had. 

Imagine, then, how much power you can bring to your ordinary and daily life. You have it within you to save the world from catastrophe. It should be easy then to create a magnificent life in your day to day experiences. That is...

If you don't talk yourself out of it.

Finally! The Good News

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

Dance like life is grand. It is!

"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree." Martin Luther

Yes. I know. You don't like the antics of the current set of politicians in Washington DC, or London, or Tehran. Maybe you think war with North Korea is imminent. Maybe ISIS is knocking at your door. Perhaps the big corporations are finally ready to end democracy as we know it--globally. Or the fundamentalist religionists are breathing down your neck.

But wait...

You're Free to Suffer...Or Not

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

Clouds bring life, no matter the shades of gray...

"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky." Rabindranath Tagore

It's easy to play the victim. And sometimes the justification seems almost essential. When you are injured, or lose a child, or go through Hurricane Maria or Harvey or Katrina. When you go broke, or crash your car, or end up on the streets. Victim, victim, victim. To say otherwise is cruelty run amok.

Right? 

Here's the harsh truth: No matter the pain, the suffering is always up to you. 

Ferocious Gratitude: The Way to Abundance

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

You are the ultimate winner!

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." John F. Kennedy

Choose to make gratitude and appreciation your lifestyle rather than just culturally approved gestures. Your life will change, which will affect the world around you.

Can you thank everything? 

Make it a quest, a focus, a project. Gratitude is the true secret to abundance in all its forms. Plus, it tends to bring to the surface all the stuff you don't like about yourself. You can then thank all of it for its service to your life, and you can let it go. 

Even the negative experiences have served you.

You've nothing to lose in being grateful. Except, perhaps, your feelings of victimhood.

Blessings!

Suggested reading: The Magic by Rhonda Byrne; Thank and Grow Rich by Pam Grout

Both available at Amazon.com

Angels in the High Rise

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

Can you spot the angel in the high rise? 

"Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain... To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices - today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it." Kevyn Aucoin

Sometimes I forget. And I take the daily life, the daily experience, for granted. I miss the miracle in the tree, the flower, the old building down on 5th Avenue, the high rise on 11th Avenue.

Gratefully, I usually return to sanity. I begin to bless everything around me. Nothing is left out. Nothing is less than miraculous.

From my own body to the squirrels and pigeons, from the river at the bottom of the park to the mansions up there, in the hills above the city. All of it. I bless the moment, the air, the cloud, the people on the streets. 

Today I choose gratitude. Ferocious gratitude. And the more ferocious I am about it, the more the Ordinary Miracle displays itself. 

I am blessed. I live in a blessed world.

No matter the appearances.

How about you?

The Spirit in the Ordinary

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

Ordinary tree, ordinary miracle! 

"Spirituality is not a formula; it is not a test. It is a relationship. Spirituality is not about competency; it is about intimacy. Spirituality is not about perfection; it is about connection. The way of the spiritual life begins where we are now in the mess of our lives." Mike Yaconelli

The ordinary life is the life of the spirit. Seeking some grand and awesome Reality apart from daily living is futile.

Spirit lives where you are, right now, this moment, this place.

The ordinary life is the Miracle. Rejoice. Be glad in it!

Sandy Patty - Love In Any Language

You Are Your Own Master!

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

Bloom where you are planted!

"You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul." Swami Vivekananda

Thousands of would-be gurus out there, all wanting a piece of your action. They want your soul, your spirit, and, yes, your money! Pay heed.

No single person, agenda, platform, or religion holds absolute truth. 
Each offers a glimpse, and you can take or leave from each whatever it is that resonates with your heart, or that serves you in some way.

And you are free to discard the rest.

You and you alone are the Master of your own destiny. Let no one convince you otherwise.

May joy be your companion and love be your guide.

You're Just One Word Away From Happiness!

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

Need a bit more color in your life?

"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude." Denis Waitley

The true secret to the joy filled life is gratitude. Not simply as a gesture, but as a lifestyle.

Each day, begin with Thank You even before you rise from your bed. Then, again before and after your morning rituals--coffee, breakfast, internet.

Remind yourself to be grateful for everything that you experience during the course of your day. It may not always be easy--life sometimes tosses us a sting--but it's always valuable.

Ultimately, the grateful approach to life will bring new vigor, energy, and abundance. 

Guaranteed.

Relax, Release, Recover! A Re-Connection Meditation

By Richard Kent Matthews - Coach | Author | Speaker

The Light has come!

If you have the time, the inclination, and the place,* join me in this life-changing meditation. Use it as often as you can. Record it if you choose. It won't take long.