Last evening I was speaking at a benefit/fundraiser. The recipients of the benefit were the area homeless, if you’re at all familiar with my work, taking up the cause for the homeless is very personal to me. I was destitute. No money, no car, no job, no prospects just the clothes I was wearing and a notebook, that was all. I lived in a dumpster behind a Chinese restaurant in Westminster California, I ate there as well.

So when I was asked to speak at this event, I felt honored, and right at home. When I am speaking before an audience I dress in a suit and tie, this event was no exception, but….over my suit and tie I had on the same clothes I wore every day when I lived on the streets, I am also very careful to not be recognized by anyone prior to the start of my presentation. As I make my way on stage following the introduction, I begin taking off the clothes I wore when I was homeless, until finally standing in front of the 400 people that were in attendance, the same 400 people that passed right by me as I sat in front of the building with a coffee can with a sign that reads change anyone?

The reason for this little exercise is simple, to show perception is not reality. As I remove the clothing, the reactions I hear from people range from shocked to being ashamed of themselves, either way it get’s those in attendance to think. Perception is not reality in this case. All to often the homeless are thought of as social misfits, losers unable to get their lives together. I can still remember clearly some of the words hurled at me, things I was told or what I would have to do for the change in their pockets. Here’s a few perception/reality facts about the homeless, this coming from a person who knows all to well.

The perception is homeless people sleep in alley’s on pieces of cardboard, with liquor or wine bottles littered all around them. The reality is if we see something on the television, then it must be true, and this is how television portrays the homeless. By and large, most homeless people do not sleep in alley’s on cardboard. The perception is the homeless just panhandle and beg for money, annoying everyone passing by. The reality is when day labor jobs are available, the homeless are usually the first in line to get the work available that day. The perception is the homeless are criminals, and going to jail especially during colder months is a vacation for them. The reality is homeless people value their freedom just as much as the next person, in fact, not long ago a homeless man found a little more than 3,000 dollars which he found and turned into authorities. I know a lot of “regular” folk that would never have given a second thought to doing the right thing in this case, finders keepers they would say.

There are many more examples, but you probably get my point. Many of the homeless are on the street because of situations out of their control, and found themselves unable to stay above water. Nobody wakes up and declares this the perfect day to start living life on the streets, it happens due to a series of uncontrollable events. No this is not every homeless person’s story, but it is a high percentage, this much I do know.

We need to be grateful for all we have, not bitching for what’s missing. Look for ways to be a blessing instead of always looking  for ways to get blessed. Looking down on another spiritual equal without knowing what happened is contemptible, and we are all spiritual equals. I am not saying to empty your pockets every time you see a homeless soul, but words of encouragement can sometimes go a long way. We are all a situation or two from being in a much different place in life, if you think for a second this could never happen to you, think again. Stay grounded, stay humble stay kind. Keep the peace and God bless…Paul

The characteristics of the human being from the internal/external perspective shows us that we are all the same; this universal differs in no way from one person to the next. It does not matter what side of the water you live, nor at what point of the universe you entered.

We are a collection of cells, tissues, blood, muscles, and organs. We are all susceptible to infection, virus and disease. We are joyful to cynical, experience heartache and sadness, experience gladness and happiness. We breathe the same air, bask in the same sun and sleep under the same stars. We are driven to love and move from fear, mistake prone, depend on second chances and revere life itself. We are all branches on this tree called humanity, a tree that must be refreshed often with love, kindness and mutual respect. I could continue with more of what’s similar, but I believe you get my point.

The human being is the grandest paradox of all.  We live in bodies that eventually die, yet we live forever.  In other words, we are spiritual beings having a human experience rather than humans having a spiritual experience. So with everything that represents sameness, identifications you would think could only richen our own existence, why are so many intensely focused on differences? How have so many decided that separating from those not regarded as part of the reflecting herd be a good idea?

Hatred and separation have been around since the beginning of time. One of the reasons I do not believe in the theory of evolution is we have not evolved at all when it comes to how we accept other people. Not everyone is going to think as we do, act as we do, pray as we do or live as we do. It’s not up to us to decide what is right and not right for another person. Many people not only know what’s best for themselves, they know what’s best for the rest of us as well. There are three things that come to mind, thoughts if you will that drive this idea of differences.

Ego- I am what I have, I am what I do and I am separate from you. Ego only knows identification and separation. Culture and faith- Culture is another form of identification. It shapes and molds the individual, culture defines who we are and how we live. Beliefs- Are repetitive thoughts we think continously and live by, even though there is no grounding of truth, it’s how we interpret the belief.

We are all creations of God, all created equal. Equal in our desire to be happy and prosperous. We all come from the same place, all share the same nationality, the same culture that being of spirit, this is truth. Then we come along with our own ideas, our own requirements for membership, and we lose our true identification. We believe in difference. And the difference we believe in, well, in the end will make no difference after all, because there is no difference at all. Keep the peace and God bless..Paul

Something I am asked often is “Can we truly attract what we want for ourselves, because it sounds impossible.” I always tell people that so many attract everything into their life they don’t want, it only stands to reason we can do the exact opposite. The answer to can we attact what we desire is yes. Not only is it possible, it is inevitable, I will promise you that.

I will get DVD’S from people about the law of attraction, law of compensation, the secret, secret behind the secret, the psychology behind the secret and on the list goes. What life has taught me, what spiritual truth has proven to me is this: there is far more to attracting our envisioned life than simply learning how to ask for it. I am sure people find them interesting and informative, all have a place to be certain, but to rely solely on one of them is not what I would suggest. In order to live our envisioned life, we need to add several ingredients to complete the finished product.

If I were to offer you a piece of cake and you accepted, what would you expect? A piece of cake! But instead of the cake you expected I handed you a stick of butter, some flour, a cup of oil and an egg. Tasted separately, these ingredients wouldn’t taste very good now would they? But when combined together, they turn out a perfect finished product. Life is much the same. We want the finished product, and just assume skip the ingredients, the things disguised as patience, work and perseverence. When they are combined together, you create the perfect finished product, the life you have envisioned for yourself.

I know what I’m talking about. I am walking, talking, breathing proof of this. It wasn’t but a few years ago I was living in Westminster California, I was destitute. I had no money, no job, no car, no hope. I called home to a dumpster, and all I had were the clothes on my back. Today I am a best selling author, national speaker and the host of a talk show. It’s my passion, my life’s work to show others how to live the life they envision for themselves. I don’t tell this to impress you, I tell it because it’s available to all regardless of where you have been, what you have done or where you’re at today.

I know how to do this, I see it happen everyday. I will show you the process, it’s up to you to follow it exactly. If you follow it, and follow it as I have it layed out, the life you have envisioned for yourself is on it’s way, and that’s my promise to you.

Keep the peace and God bless….Paul

We have all been told a time or two, and probably mentioned it as well, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  Looking for, and believing in shortcuts is really the same.  There’s no such thing.

Checkout lines in the grocery stores are lined with impulse purchases.  I will promise you that there will be a magaizine touting the latest and greatest breakthrough in weight loss, another “secret” that has gone undiscovered the last 2,500 years.  On the cover will be a thin person smiling from ear to ear, holdng a pair of pants 8-9 sizes larger than who they are today. A caption over the model tells of how grateful they are to the diet program they chose, and how much weight was lost in a very short period of time, along with the endorsement of some celebrity who’s been out of circulation the last 15 years, so you order the program. You also order the food that goes with the program, exercise equipment designed only for the program, and dvd.

What you will discover next is exactly what happens anytime we buy into shortcuts.  Instead of following a proven process, you simply wasted your money. Invariably in the case of diet programs, in small print are the words…Results not typical. You must eat properly and exercise in conjunction with this program.

 The tendency for most when desired results or expectations are not realized in our prescribed time period is to quit, and this tendency is not only for those trying to lose weight, but anything in life requiring a process without shortcuts. In the case of weight loss, it took time to put the weight on, it will take time to take it off.

To be successful at anything, we must follow a process.  There’s a well worn path made by others for us to follow.  Exercise patience and relax, what you desire most is on it’s way, and will be delivered to you right on time, when it’s supposed to be delivered, and that’s not always when we want it.  We often see not so good people who seem to always be on the receiving end, always getting the good while you seem to be on the working and waiting side. Remember this: they may be receiving now, but that is always short lived.  The Universe has a way of leveling the field and rewards those who do follow the process, you need to have long vision.  Keep your focus and attention on your process. Stay patient, stay faithful and I will promise you your envisioned life is not only possible, it’s inevitable. Keep the peace and God bless.

I have a question to ask. When was the last time you worried over a situation, so much, that your worry solved the problem?

Worry is a big part of the human condition. I think we have all bought into the belief that if we’re not worried about it, then we don’t care. We grew up watching adults all around us worried about the family finances to who shot J.R. Stress, worry and anxiety are not real. If they are real, could someone please show me what they look like? Worry is another conditioned response we often reach for in situations appearing dire, it’s what we know. Worry for many is a mental accelerant to problem solving, in actuality, it’s the antithesis.

I believe it was Bobby McFarren who wrote a little diddy, and made quite a bit of money reminding people not to worry, just be happy. In theory that’s nice, but in real life, a little more in the way of management may be required.

1. Understand the difference between concern and worry- Concern is taking a positive view of a situation. Because a situation may happen or may not happen, we stay in a good frame of mind, thus make better decisions. When we are worried, we see the situation as only worry views it, from the worst case scenario.

2. We tend to overexaggerate our situation- It’s Sunday evening and you notice your sneezing. Well because you know yourself so well, by Tuesday it’s going to turn into a bad cough. On Thursday it’s going to be in your lungs, then come Saturday your gonna have bronchitis, and on Monday you’ll be calling in sick to work, missing at least five days, and the house payment will be late this month. Your going to miss making the house payment all because you sneezed a couple of times!

3. Options and time- Do not let to much time go by before you feel the sense of urgency to act. As time passes by, options dwindle, then before you know it, options have been exhausted. So stay one step ahead.

4. Age old advice- We have heard this before, and it makes a lot of sense. If something is in your control, then don’t worry about it. If something is out of your control, then don’t worry about it, either way, stop the worry.

I am quite pleased to be writing this blog. It’s my sincere desire that you read it daily, that you discover something in this body of work you find useful, something you can take with you and apply into your life starting today. In this opening blog, I would like to share some thoughts on happiness.

While visiting friends in Florida a while back, one of the points of interest I was told I must take in was watching the Greyhounds run.  In other words, we went to the dog track. I am not a fan of this activity, nor did I have any real interest in watching this so-called sport, but it did remind me of something that so many of us do.

As the gun sounds, the gates open and 8 dogs break out into an immediate sprint. Their focus is on a stuffed animal strategically placed along the rail.  This object is what the Greyhounds have been trained to pursue. Regardless of how fast the dogs run or the desire they have to catch this object, it remains at all times just out of reach. As long as the object appears close, the dogs will continue to pursue. Although the dogs have no idea the chase is futile, it’s everyone watching that is aware how it will end.

I believe it’s part of the human condition that tells us in order to be happy, we must pursue it. Like the dogs chasing the object, we do the same as well, believing if we chase it long enough, eventually we will capture it. The truth is we never will, because happiness is not a pursuable commodity, and those who watch us in pursuit also know we will never attain what we are actively chasing.

By pursuing anything in life we are telling ourselves as well as everyone around us we don’t have it, and worse than this, we have no idea where to look. I will be happy when I pay off the house, when I land a new job, when people appreciate my efforts or when I get my last child through college. I’ll be happy when this country elects a new president, when I find love, when..when..when.

Ego tells us happiness is found through external means.  This is false, and so is the ego. People will alter their bodies, purchase friendships, purchase new cars. Make no mistake.  When you internally bankrupt, no amount of external success can compensate; just think of someone like Chris Farley. Chris had external winnings on a level many can only dream of, but internally was empty, not a good place to be.

Happiness need not be discovered. You will not find happiness in the cushions of your couch, in an old purse or most dangerously, in another person. Happiness is an internal constant found in the simplest of things, happiness is a choice, a place not a destination and your free to experience it whenever you desire.

In order to find this elusive state called happiness, you need to call of your search.

Keep the Peace, and God Bless!