Ten-second survey, 3 random questions, totally anonymous

A totally anonymous survey from the Ever Forward blog. 

Click here for the survey.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Join the mailing list

Start a conversation

Posted via email from Ever Forward

Forget heaven.

All the directives we pigeonhole under the heading of morality—compassion, forgiveness, love—are just as good for you as they are for the people you point them at. Love others for long enough, with enough dedication and selflessness, and your dream will emerge. In fact you'll need it to keep loving. It will become how you love and continuing to love will feed it. Loving others and fullness of life become the two players in a self-fulfilling prophecy.  

That's the best-kept secret of religion. So secret, in fact, the religions themselves seem to have forgotten it.

Forget heaven. Religious teachings are far more geared toward reward in this life than anybody seems to realize. 

Ever forward.

Posted via email from Ever Forward

Competition drives innovation. Love does that, too.

People look to the free market to demand the best of what we have to offer as a society. 

Competition drives innovation. 

Love does that, too. It demands our very best—in how we treat ourselves and others, in how we go about our work. Practicing it clears away the debris that hinders our fullest progress. It's not just a nice thing to do. It's a form of energy that can be harnessed. 

Societies, businesses and individuals would do well to adopt love as an organizing principle. 

Ever forward.

Posted via email from Ever Forward

What would you be doing if you did not have to make a living?

The big payoff would be great—to build something with your creativity that actually pays your bills. That's the big dream for a lot of people. 

It's a good dream. 

But what is the driving force behind it? 

As I get older I realize that the little moments of success, or even a big payoff are not the primary goal. We only attach financial payback to success because we live in a system where it takes money to survive. But what would you be doing if you did not have to make a living? Would you be pursuing your dream if you were wealthy? 

I know I would. 

You do your dream because it's who you are. It's your foundation in sanity. Financial remuneration only ensures you the freedom to keep building your dream.

Quest for your talents. As life passes—if you're lucky—you'll realize that you simply don't have time to mess around with not being who you really are. 

Ever forward.

Posted via email from Ever Forward

Jesus was not a moralist

Jesus was not a moralist. He had no interest in people's behavior, except when it hampered fullness of life. He taught love, compassion and forgiveness, but not in some dogmatic vacuum. 

He taught these things because he knew that if we did that kind of work, we would be forced to engage our obstacles. He knew that our potentials and dreams would come pouring out of us to irrigate the world with creativity and refreshed priorities. 

It hasn't really worked as a social platform because it hasn't really been adopted as one. 

Ever forward.

Posted via email from Ever Forward

Different starts now

If you had it all to do over again, what would you do different? Nothing? Everything? One thing in particular?  

Of course you can't change the past. But you can make it work for you. If something haunts you, or bugs you, or just makes you roll your eyes, take a look at where you're standing right now and do the opposite. Or, something that amounts to the opposite. 

To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. You can have a say in that opposite reaction, even twenty years later. Whatever it was you did, or didn't do, it changed the course of your history and that change is still taking place every day. 

Step in an work with it. 

The fact is, you do have it all to do over again. 

Different starts now. 

Ever forward. 

Posted via email from Ever Forward

Symbolic possibility

When you set off toward your dream, expect it to elude you and take on disguises. When you reach it, it will probably look a little, if not completely different from what you first imagined. 

This is because the thing you first imagined was a symbolic possibility. 

That means it's a representation of what you really want. It symbolizes your fulfillment. It's there to keep you focused and motivated but it's not the only shape your realized dream can take. You dream might end up looking exactly as you imagined, or it might not.  

As long as it contains the essence it symbolizes, it doesn't matter. 

Ever forward. 

Posted via email from Ever Forward

Love pushes you into your limitations face first and without mercy

Loving others has a namby-pamby reputation. Somehow we got the idea that if you love others you can't get ahead, because it's antithetical to healthy competition. 

The truth is, when love is the priority you can't sit around. You have to be on your game. 

I'm not talking about about romantic love or peace-freak love. I'm talking about the efficacious desire for the well being of another. Mix that into your desire to succeed and you'll become an innovator and an enemy of the status quo. 

Ever forward.

Posted via email from Ever Forward

There are four kinds of dreams

There are four kinds of dreams: wish dreams, pipe dreams, real dreams and the status quo.

Wish dreams are the kind that can never come true: "I wish that had never happened." Or that are completely contingent on someone else's behavior or thinking: "I wish so and so would stop doing that." Or on long shots so long that although they may be worth shooting for, they have no real purchase on reality: "I wish I could just win the lottery."

Pipe dreams are the kind that could come true, but never will because you're not doing the work. "Wouldn't it be great to have a t-shirt shop at the beach?"

Real dreams are the ones that you can feel, the ones you know will happen if you just persevere, do the work, stay sharp for opportunity, and don't listen to nay-sayers. 

The status quo isn't a dream, but it occupies the space of a dream and consumes the same resources. 

Of these four states of mind, only one is not a form of madness. 

Can you guess which one it is? 

Ever forward. 

Posted via email from Ever Forward

Ten-second Survey about homeless people. 5 yes or no's. Totally anonymous.

A totally anonymous survey from the Ever Forward blog. 

Click here for the survey.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Join the mailing list

Start a conversation

Posted via email from Ever Forward

Every insecurity is like a sentinel standing guard over possibility

We tend to think of insecurity as something to be avoided, something to hide from others. That's the mark of an insecurity fulfilling it's purpose, which is to keep you safe by protecting you from failure. It does this by discouraging risk.

But new value in life, new capacities, new benefits and talents, are only got to through risk. Every insecurity is a sentinel standing guard over possibility. Hidden behind every insecurity is something worth having, something worth facing the sentinel. 

Insecurity divides you from your potential. If you venture the risk in spite of the insecurity you will create circumstances in which you can thrive.  Risk by risk, effort by effort, this is how we achieve our life's goals. 

Ever forward.

Posted via email from Ever Forward

Your dream will start to shape your experience in its own image and likeness.

Each concrete act you make in the direction of your dream creates other details in your day that are relevant to your dream also. 

More and more with every new concrete act you perform, your dream will start to shape your life in its own image and likeness. That's how you get what you want out of life—you envision it, do the work it requires, and make room for it. 

Ever forward.

--------------------------

Join the mailing list

Start a conversation

Take a ten-second survey

Posted via email from Ever Forward

Ten-second survey on no particular theme. 3 yes or no's. Totally anonymous.

A totally anonymous questionnaire from the Ever Forward blog.

Click here for the survey.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Join the mailing list

Start a conversation

Posted via email from Ever Forward

Ignore all the little tributaries where energy can be wasted, in favor of the primary goal.

In The Art of War, Sun Tzu teaches that killing the enemy is not the objective of a military campaign. The objective is to take territory. To do so without ever drawing a sword is the pinnacle of expertise for a military leader. 

Ignore all the little tributaries where energy can be wasted, in favor of the primary goal. 

That is the spirit of forgiveness. 

Ever forward. 

Posted via email from Ever Forward

Online counseling via Skype. Watch a four-minute video about my approach

A counselor is a personal trainer for your heart and mind. If you're willing to work and take an active role in your own growth and prosperity, I can help you.  

Skype makes it easy: 

• You don't need to be local
• Counseling happens in the privacy of your home 
• Video conferencing is an option
• Record your sessions for future reference and listen on your ipod 
• Telephone conferencing is available. You can call my Skype number from your mobile or land line

Contact me at petertcrowell@gmail.com to set up a consultation. We'll talk about your goals and decide if we're a match. 

Here's a four-minute video about my approach:

Posted via email from Ever Forward

It's way easier to let idiots be idiots when you deliberately try to forgive.

A spirit of forgiveness can make it a lot easier to get through the day. It's way easier to let idiots be idiots when you deliberately try to forgive. It's also a lot easier—and more effective—to stand up for yourself when necessary if you do it with a forgiving attitude. It helps you stay on point and not get sidetracked by the need to defend yourself on every little detail. 

Forgiveness is not taking it on the chin. Forgiveness is allowing your passion to continue to flow in the face of ignorance, injustice or abuse. It's remaining faithful to your dreams and goals by not allowing the energy they require to be diverted. 

The point is to experience inner prosperity without obstruction. 

Shrug it off. But mean it. 

Ever forward.

Posted via email from Ever Forward

About Me

Husband, father, former monk. I also sort of play guitar. 

Posted via web from Ever Forward

Ten-second survey about God and religion. 5 yes or no's, totally anonymous

A totally anonymous questionnaire from the Ever Forward blog. 

Click here for the survey.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Join the mailing list

Start a conversation

Posted via email from Ever Forward

By making choices in your life, you throw a harness on your circumstances.

By making choices in your life, you throw a harness on your circumstances. You start reining them into line and making them work for you. Decide to take up the violin. Carve out the time, make it a priority and the rest of your life has to accommodate. 

It happens all the time with the priorities you did not choose. Why not with the ones that come from your heart? When you start to exercise your passion, the important things you do every day will stay important, but the things you do just to fill time will start to move aside. 

Ever forward.

--------------------------

Get notified or start a conversation:

Mailing list

Chat group

Posted via email from Ever Forward

The gift of unemployment is that your fears and attitudes are suddenly exposed in a way you can address.

Try to imagine losing your job as the parachute behind a dragster—something sudden and drastic that arrests your momentum. It's intended to get you dealing with the things in your life that need the most attention. What, specifically, does unemployment have to teach?

Losing your job places you under a unique brand of stress and brings up unique thoughts and feelings. What are they? And what are you doing about them? What actions are you taking in response to losing your job? What words do you use to describe your new situation? 

Stop and look. 

I had three basic, unforgettable responses when I lost my job: 

"We'll never be able to buy that house, now!"

"But my wife is pregnant!" (Because of the biggie: "What about health insurance?")

"What am I supposed to do now? The market for my skills is saturated!"

These responses showed me that I have insecurity and confidence issues in at least three areas—finance, safety, and my own creativity. So, my work is to develop strength in those areas. The gift of unemployment is that your fears and attitudes are suddenly exposed in a way you can address. And that's how you get stronger.

Take a look at your day to day experience. What happens when you follow the prevailing wisdom regarding job loss? You try to develop that hobby, or spend time in a cafe, or going for walks. What happens when you try to reinvent your career? Maybe you're just too stressed to get into these things fully. Maybe you can't enjoy yourself or relax, even when you've done all you can for the job hunt. 

You need to understand why. 

Maybe you're convinced you have no right to enjoy yourself until you get a job. If that or something like is true of you, don't view it as silly or irrational or nuts. Admit it. See it as true and do something about it. Under the stress of unemployment, the inner mechanisms that prevent you from enjoying your life and finding your fullest happiness come out in the open where you can deal with them. 

Unemployment strikes at some foundational insecurities but it does not create them. It just shows them to you. They're inside you all the time, affecting your behavior and your decisions. From the moment you lost your job everything you do will alter the landscape of your life and impact your happiness. It's important you begin to see what's going on inside you so you can exercise some measure of creative control.  

If you lose your job, the universe does not want you in that job anymore. It wants you somewhere else. Facing the fears unemployment brings up can help you figure out where that is. 

Ever forward.

Posted via email from Ever Forward