July 9th - 15th Daily Readings - Allen James' Daily Guide to Success series - "The Journey: A Calendar Book"

The Journey: A Calendar Book by Allen James....book trailer via YouTube

July 15th

Calendar Books by Allen James' reading for July 15th is taken from "The Journey: A Calendar Book"..."Be accepting".

There are some things in this world for which we can express "tolerance", but there are far more of which we should be "accepting".

One of the college courses I teach is "Ethnicity and Cultural Diversity in America". There isn't one of the 16 weeks the course runs I don't mention the importance of our being accepting in lieu of tolerant.

Tolerance lends itself to sounding as if, although we give the appearance of being accepting, we do so with our guard up. We will tolerate an action or individual, but we do not embrace the action or individual.

There’s something about the word, tolerance, which makes me think “putting up with” or “dealing with.” Saying, “I’m tolerant of ....,” is like saying, “I put up with .....” I know this is probably not what most people mean when they say they’re tolerant of certain things/people, but this is what it sounds like to me. We tolerate the heat here in Missouri. We tolerate our neighbors who like to fight in the street every weekend. We tolerate things which are irksome, but we must suffer through each because we live on this planet.

Acceptance, while a bit more favorable, is still a fine line. I don’t agree with so and so, but I accept them as human beings and I realize they have a valid opinion. I don’t accept when certain people try to force their beliefs on me or force their arcane laws into government, but I understand why they want to live their own lives the way they do. I do accept them as people, and there are many whom I love. We may teach our children certain individuals have a set of beliefs by which they live their lives, and ours are different, but we make sure my kids know loving people is the most important thing they can do in this world to show acceptance.

Webster’s online also defines acceptance as: “to regard as proper, normal, or inevitable [...]” This is the definition I like.

There are things in this world which are inevitable. Not everyone believes as you do, and thinking everyone eventually will is silly.

What are your thoughts on tolerance vs. acceptance? Are they different? Be accepting, in doing so you are showing compassion.

Keep looking up. AJ


July 12th


Allen James' posting for July 12th ... "Give thanks"

Although today's post isn't taken from one of my Daily Guides to Success.... I felt it was appropriate for my last few day's experience.

Acknowledgment of blessings in our lives creates positive energy within. Even when things don't work out perfect, we need to learn to appreciate what went well.

As I write this I'm sitting in my brother's hospital room waiting for him to be discharged. He's been in the hospital for a week after having found out he has a bacterial infection on his spinal cord. Thankfully he is much better and is being treated with antibiotics and will be for the next 6 weeks....
Prepared to head home, they were just told their insurance won't pay for the medication at home for home treatment; they'd rather pay for him to stay in the hospital or skilled nursing home for the 6 week duration. Needless to say there is much frustration on my sister-in-law.

The doctor says it will be worked out....it just takes time to convince the insurance company of the medical necessity of the medication.

How quick we are ti ignore the reality my brother is alive. How quick we are to forget the positive. Is it only human? I think not. It is a societal evolution.

Embrace the good which comes our way. Minimize the negative. Good ALWAYS trumps bad.

Keep looking up. AJ



July 10th

Our Calendar Books by Allen James' posting for July 10th is a quote from Winston Churchill, prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1940-1945 and again from 1951-1955 and whose personal successes included aiding in the defeat of the Nazi's to end World War II.

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

How interesting many of our "greats" made statements which upon first glace appear "oxymoronish"...."success" and "failure" certainly are polars...yet Churchill's statement, when looked at in context, makes complete sense.

Winston Churchill can say this with some authority. After all he was a washed up ex-British Prime Minister after the Second World War.
Although he led Britain, and in some ways the world, through an extremely turbulent time, he eventually lost his position as Prime Minister. But did he fade away? No. Despite the fact that he failed to retain his position, and everyone thought his career was clearly in it’s dying days, he managed to make a comeback and regain his position. He must have found it difficult. He must have felt humiliated after his defeat. Part of him must have wanted to just give up and move on. But another part of him wanted to have another shot at it. And that was the part that he listened to.

When you face a challenge, which voice do you listen to, the one telling you to give up because it’s too difficult and you’ll never make it, or the one telling you to carry on because you just might succeed?

Churchill failed, and yet he came back. He didn’t fade away. He didn’t give up.

"...let us run with determination the race that lies before us" (Hebrews 12: 1-2, KJV).

Keep looking up. AJ



July 9th

Calendar Books by Allen James' reading for July 9th from our featured calendar book for 2013, "The Journey: A Calendar Book",

"Keep a journey for a year at least once in your life, then reread it every now and then".

“The more light you allow within you, the brighter the world you live in will be.” ~Shakti Gawain

I found rather late in my life how the process of journaling can add many positive benefits to our lives; it assists greatly with our personal growth and development. In the consistent writing down of our thoughts we gain insight into our actions and emotions.

In addition, writing in a journal is an effective tool for use in the healing process. This was when I realized its benefits.

My journaling began following a fatal car accident in 2002. As a psychotherapist I had encouraged patients to maintain a journal following traumatic events in their lives, but I had never kept one myself. I decided it was time to "practice what I preached".

As I was driving home during rush hour traffic one evening another car took the turn into traffic in front of me (traffic was steadily rushing along at 60 miles an hour). For a split second the other driver and I made eye contact. There was no stopping my vehicle. I slammed on the brakes but this would not matter. My SUV flipped three times and landed upside down headed the opposite direction of traffic in the middle of the highway. The other vehicle rested some 50 feet away, its driver flung over the front seat.

The "slow motion phenomenon" had kicked it 100%, and as I hung there in my safety belt I realized "smoke" was rising around me. My immediate thought was I had made it through the impact unharmed only to end up being burned alive in a blazing SUV as I feared the vehicle was going to explode. I quickly struggled to get out of the safety belt, but it was jammed with my weight as I hung tightly against it. Somehow, through my frantic actions, I managed to get it loose and crawl out of the broken left window (The smoke had been from the air bag deploying). I walked away from the accident without a scratch.

Later I learned the young woman in the other car had intended for her destiny to be realized. She and her boyfriend had had a disagreement earlier in the day and she had made a statement to friends she was going to pull out in traffic. I happened to be the innocent bystander at the other end of her choice. She died on the way to the hospital.

I was devastated for her, her children (who fortunately were not in the vehicle; however there were two car seats in the back seat), her parents, her husband, even her boyfriend. I began journaling and continued for an entire year; reading over what I had written to attempt to come to terms with an event which, although I had no control over, effected me in major ways. It was my refuge in my darkest times of feeling somehow I could have kept this from having happened, but as well it was the catalyst to understanding there are no coincidences in this life; sometimes bad things happen to good people just as good things come to those who aren't so good. Although it seemed I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, in many respects I was in the right place at the right time; growth and a renewed appreciation for life resulted.

There is an abundance of power in the placing of words to paper; especially in times of crisis. By expunging our minds of the plethora of thoughts which make no sense whatsoever as garbled paragraphs in our brains, onto paper where we can reread and clarify can be an emotional triumph.

Reading after journaling helps us to reflect on where we "were" and where we am "now". It’s a method of allowing the light of understanding and compassion to shine on what's past.

If you want to improve your perspective on life and clarify issues, start writing in a journal. We can only know where we are and where we're going if we know where we've been.

We all have dark days, black moods, and anxious feelings. Use writing in a journal to explore the darkness. Keep a journal at least once in your life, then reread it every now and then. You will find your inner light when you do.

Keep looking up. AJ