What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0147

7301.  When it comes to money, our emotions often get the best of us.  We know what we should do, but instead we do what we feel like doing and that’s usually the safe route;

7302.  Just because it’s fun doesn’t mean it’s easy;

7303.  Gin and rosemary go (well) together. . . . Who knew?

7304.  Celebrate your successes and find humor in your failures;

7305.  You can’t skip chapters that’s not how life works.  You have to read every line and meet every character.  You won’t enjoy all of it.  Some chapters will make you cry for weeks.  You will read things you don’t want to read and you will have moments when you don’t want the pages to end, but you have to keep going.  Stories keep the world revolving.  Live yours and don’t miss out;

7306.  I can say I’ve helped install a (sliding, patio) door;

7307.  I can say I’ve installed insulation;

7308.  The signature, (dumpling,) dipping sauce at Marco & Luca in Charlottesville is delicious;

7309.  The unprepared are panic-stricken by the smallest things;

7310.  I never thought I’d wear women’s jeans;

7311.  The seafood salad at Angelic’s Kitchen (AngelicsKitchen.com) in Charlottesville is tasty;

7312.  Gravel really helps with footing/traction in mud;

7313.  Sanding drywall creates a lot of dust;

7314.  I can say I’ve used a miter saw. . . . They’re (really) easy to use;

7315.  I’ve had better, but if you’re craving them, you can get hand-dipped, corn dogs (made with Hebrew National all beef hot dogs) at Miller’s (Downtown) (MillersDowntown.com) in Charlottesville;

7316.  I can say I’ve sanded stairs. . . . It’s (really) easy with an orbit sander;

7317.  I can say I’ve helped install crown molding;

7318.  Money will never make you happy if you are an unhappy person.  The key to life is to be happy with or without money.  Money only magnifies who you really are.  If you are a happy person, more money will make you happier.  If you are an unhappy person, more money will make you miserable.  So be happy;

7319.  Creating opportunities means looking where others are not;

7320.  We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.  The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons;

7321.  Discipline, while hard at the time, will save you from loss in the long run;

7322.  Regret is a pain you live with long-term.  Most of the time, it isn’t a simple fix and it can be a mental struggle to work through and become accepting of the decision you made;

7323.  Having regrets can keep you from moving forward in business and in life.  This is why when you’re facing an important decision, weighing the pros and cons is crucial so that you don’t ultimately regret your decision;

7324.  Time is the most valuable asset you don’t own;

7325.  Success leaves clues;

7326.  You don’t need to give natural childbirth to a good idea, you can adopt!

7327.  If you want to succeed in life, you need to first have control of your own life;

7328.  No one posts their weakest pose, their fattest body part, their weakest lift or their worst client (on social media).  They don’t post about their 278^th failed project, the rude comment they made to the cashier this morning or the unkind thought they had.  Social media is just a highlights reel.  It’s a nice diversion, but it’s not even remotely close to reality;

7329.  Panettone is very bready;

7330.  Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be;

7331.  Do what you can with what you have where you are;

7332.  Your life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful;

7333.  When you fail/fall, simply get back up, dust yourself off, evaluate the situation, readjust your path accordingly and move forward!

7334.  You don’t manifest what you want, you manifest what you believe;

7335.  Even when you are faced with circumstances that are outside your control you can still control how you respond to the situation;

7336.  Just trust that everything is unfolding the way it is supposed to.  Don’t resist it;

7337.  Surrender to what is.  Let go of what was.  Have faith in what will be;

7338.  The ancestor of every action is a thought;

7339.  When emotion goes up, intelligence goes down, so times of high emotional stress are not good times to make decisions;

7340.  You don’t have to disregard your emotions completely, you just want to make sure you’ve considered all the angles and possible consequences before deciding on a course of action;

7341.  Education is the door to the middle class;

7342.  Entrepreneurship is the elevator for the rich.

7343.  Emotional intelligence is our ability to control our emotions.  We have all lost our tempers.  When we lose our tempers, we demonstrate low emotional intelligence;

7344.  An emotionally intelligent person will experience anger, but not so much anger that it may cause her/him to do or say something stupid.  S/he remains in control;

7345.  A person, who cannot control her/his temper, complains all the time or is chronically depressed, is a person who demonstrates low emotional intelligence;

7346.  Examples of high emotional intelligence are when someone walks away rather than throws a punch, listens rather than argues, sees another person’s point of view rather than defending their own and does a great job without expecting praise;

7347.  Delayed gratification is another indication of emotional intelligence.  For example, a person who buys something they cannot afford because s/he wants it now is a person who cannot delay gratification.  This is a sign of low emotional intelligence;

7348.  Most people remain employees rather than develop into entrepreneurs or investors because they cannot control the emotion fear;

7349.  (A little birdie told me that) Russell Stover doesn’t make any money on discounted, heart-shaped boxed, Valentine’s Day chocolates;

7350.  The things that break you become the things that lead you to a higher self.  The people who hurt you become your greatest teachers.  The deep suffering becomes the catalyst for you to say, “I do not need to carry someone else’s burden;”

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0146

7251.  You don’t have to suffer like everyone else.  You can live differently, but it all starts with a choice that you won’t be a victim to your circumstances;

7252.  You are not responsible for what’s happened to you, but you are responsible for what you’re going to do;

7253.  You can’t control the outcome of your actions, but you do get to control your actions;

7254.  Every failure contains a treasure trove of valuable lessons if you just take the time to look for them;

7255.  Failed to achieve your previous year’s goals: 1.  Forgive yourself for not achieving the goals you didn’t accomplish; 2.  “Should” goals v. “Must” goals; 3.  Make a 100% commitment to the goal; 4.  Implement a daily, weekly and monthly planning system; 5.  Implement a better time management system; 6.  Practice “The Success Principles;” and 7.  Remove all unconscious limiting beliefs;

7256.  Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world.  S/he who understands it, earns it.  S/he who doesn’t, pays it;

7257.  Dividend payments received from participating life insurance policies aren’t subject to taxes by the Internal Revenue Service because the insurance companies generated the gains off of their policyholders.  In essence, the dividend payments are treated as refunds for overpayment of the premium;

7258.  Leaving what we know and facing the unknown can be a scary move.  That’s why most people rather stay in their misery for the rest of their lives and keep complaining instead of stepping up and attacking their fears head-on;

7259.  Winning means being unafraid to lose;

7260.  Winning usually follows losing;

7261.  For most people, the reason they don’t win financially is because the pain of losing money is far greater than the joy of being rich;

7262.  Brian Mitchell (formerly of the Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants) eats at (Joe) Theismann’s (Restaurant);

7263.  I can say I’ve been drunk with Brian Mitchell;

7264.  Brian Mitchell has a degree in chemical engineering;

7265.  Life is a unique combination of “want to” and “how to.”  We need to give equal attention to both;

7266.  If you want to write covered calls in the safest way possible, always make sure you’re selling a contract with a strike price higher than the price you paid for the shares.  And also remember to factor in all commission costs related to both the underlying investment as well as those paid to open and close the options trade;

7267.  You are not your past.  What’s happened to you has happened to you.  You can’t change it.  You can only change your perception of it;

7268.  (Fried) kale on pizza works;

7269.  How to get out of your comfort zone: 1.  Nobody incentivizes you to step out of your comfort zone, incentivize yourself; 2.  You can get ahead and rise above mediocrity quite easily.  The competition is sleeping; 3.  Take responsibility and ownership of your life; and 4.  Exercise: 10 negative/potentially positive results of stepping out of your comfort zone;

7270.  Apparently, the biggest difference between pastrami and corned beef is that pastrami is smoked after it is cured while corned beef is not. . . . Pastrami is typically cured with a dry rub and corned beef with a brine. . . . Brisket seems to be the most common cut for both;

7271.  You are your greatest asset.  Put your time, effort and money into training, grooming and encouraging your greatest asset;

7272.  Show me somebody who has never failed and I’ll show you a failure;

7273.  The way you can expand your world is by taking small risks and learning from them;

7274.  Our choices are one of the few things in life we can totally control;

7275.  Potbelly (Sandwich Shop) (Potbelly.com) has an “underground” menu. . . . The Wrecking Ball (i.e., a Wreck toasted with meatballs, marinara sauce & topped with lettuce & tomato) is pretty tasty;

7276.  If you look for what’s wrong about the person you’re in a relationship with and store that negative image in your mind then that’s where your relationship exists.  If you change your thoughts to what you love rather than to what you label as wrong, you’ve just changed your entire relationship.  It went from lousy to great by changing your mind;

7277.  You carry every relationship around with you in your head;

7278.  We love the things we love for what they are.  When you forget this and process other people on the basis of what you think they should be, what they used to be or how they compare to what you are then you’ve sent love away and, in your mind, the relationship has soured;

7279.  You experience everything and everyone in your thoughts.  Change your thoughts and you change what you carry around in your head as problems;

7280.  Apparently, there are opioids in milk. . . . It’s to encourage the baby/offspring to eat more. . . . This could explain the addicting nature of dairy products such as cheese and ice cream;

7281.  A dream written down with a date becomes a goal.  A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan.  A plan backed by action becomes reality;

7282.  The difference between profiteroles, éclairs and cream puffs is that profiteroles are frozen and the others are not.  They may all be filled and topped the same way;

7283.  WIN = What’s Important Now?

7284.  The formula for failure is a few errors in judgment repeated every day;

7285.  The formula for success is a few acts of discipline repeated every day;

7286.  Success is the one thing you can’t pay for.  You buy it on an installment plan and make payments every day;

7287.  (Quick, one-minute) oatmeal made with chocolate, almond milk isn’t bad;

7288.  You can feel whatever you feel, but you can’t always do whatever you want to do;

7289.  Most people are afraid to try something new because they are afraid of disappointment.  They are afraid they might make a mistake or be rejected;

7290.  If you want to be successful in life and not just get by, you need to be able to try new things.  And if you do that, be prepared to be disappointed;

7291.  Just like inside every problem lies an opportunity, inside every disappointment lies a (priceless) gem of wisdom.  The key is knowing how to deal with and learn from disappointment;

7292.  The reason there are few, self-made, successful people is because few people can tolerate disappointment.  Instead of learning to face it, they spend their lives avoiding it;

7293.  Just as we learn from our mistakes, we gain character from our disappointments;

7294.  Expect disappointment.  Only fools expect everything to go their way.  Expecting to be disappointed does not mean being passive or a defeated loser.  It is a way of mentally and emotionally preparing yourself to be ready for surprises that you may not want.  This allows you to be calm and dignified when things don’t go your way, which in turn allows you to think better;

7295.  Success takes time and along the way there is much disappointment.  You have to be ready and willing to keep pushing and learning;

7296.  One of the most painful aspects about making mistakes or failing at something is not what other people say about us, but how hard we are on ourselves.  Most people make a mistake and beat themselves up more than anyone else would;

7297.  It’s hard to learn anything new if you punish yourself all the time.  So be kind to yourself;

7298.  We all make mistakes and face disappointments.  The difference lies in how we process them.  This starts with facing the consequences of our actions and telling the truth about why we failed;

7299.  People, who take risks, make mistakes and recover, often do better than people who learned not to make mistakes and are afraid to take a risk;

7300.  Being independent, in the financial aspect of your life, comes when you finally feel free to make mistakes and manage risk;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0145

7201.  When you understand there is not one thing in the whole universe that can touch you, limit you or harm you, but that which acts through your own feeling world then will you come into the fullness of life;

7202.  Researchers Caprariello and Reis found that across 4 studies, it was the inclusion of others that was the key to happiness when it comes to spending extra money;

7203.  Research by Dunn, Aknin, and Norton has shown that there is a happiness boost to spending a small amount of money on someone else whether that be a friend, stranger or for a charity;

7204.  The gang ped yang (i.e., slices of honey, roasted duck simmered in spicy, red, curry sauce with coconut milk served with chunks of pineapple, tomatoes & basil leaves) at Sam Phao Thai Cuisine (SamphaoThaiCuisine.com) in (Old Town) Alexandria is (really) tasty . . . and the duck is so tender;

7205.  By justifying your problems, you recommit to them;

7206.  Give up your personal history.  If you don’t have a story, you don’t have to live up to it;

7207.  The wake is not what drives the boat.  The wake is just a trail that is left behind.  And so is the wake of your life.  The wake doesn’t make the boat go and neither does the wake of your life the reason why your life is going in the direction that it is.  The wake is a trail that is left behind and it’s an illusion to believe that it is the cause of your suffering, your struggles or your difficulty;

7208.  You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it;

7209.  The secret of a successful relationship is understanding that you put your attention and energy in a person on what you love rather than what you don’t love;

7210.  We love the things we love for what they are not for what they ought to be, not for what they used to be, but for what they are;

7211.  I can say I’ve seen the Washington Capitals score a short-handed goal (specifically Chandler Stephenson against Carter Hutton and the Buffalo Sabres);

7212.  In fiscal year 2018, Wal-Mart had 500 billion dollars in revenue; 5 billion more than Belgium’s GDP;

7213.  If Wal-Mart was a country, it’d be the 25^th largest economy in the world;

7214.  Wal-Mart has 2.2 million associates worldwide.  If Wal-Mart was an army, it’d be the second largest (in the world) behind China;

7215.  90% of the American population lives within 10 miles of a Wal-Mart;

7216.  Reflect on your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your misfortunes, of which all men have some;

7217.  Every culture in history practices some form of mindfulness to experience more peace and joy either through meditation, prayer, embracing nature or simply appreciating the company of others;

7218.  Debt is not the same thing as having liabilities.  A liability is something that is an expense in your life.  In an accounting sense, debt only exists when your liabilities are greater than your assets.  In short, debt is not owing money.  It’s owing more than you own.  It’s your liabilities outweighing your assets;

7219.  You want to avoid true debt (i.e., having more liabilities than assets), but if a loan is beneficial to your productivity or value creation or prosperity, you don’t want to avoid incurring that kind of liability just because someone else tells you it’s a debt;

7220.  In many instances, the way to increase your prosperity and wealth is to increase not decrease your liabilities;

7221.  Your mind is like a parachute; it only works when it’s open;

7222.  Look at negative feedback as a gift because it truly is.  It’s an opportunity to get better and improve.  Feel grateful for the people who are comfortable enough and confident enough to have challenging conversations with you and share their thoughts and feelings;

7223.  There’s as much positive data in negative feedback as there is in positive feedback; it tells us we’re off course and that we need to adjust accordingly;

7224.  To reach your goals more quickly, you need to welcome, receive and embrace all the feedback that comes your way.  Knowing in detail how you can change your performance and get better results in the future is invaluable;

7225.  Roadblocks to wealth and success: 1.  Any self-limiting beliefs; 2.  Relying on a single limited source of income; 3.  Financial illiteracy; 4.  Debt; and 5.  Discomfort over asking for money advice;

7226.  The “Rule of 5” dictates that every day you should take action on five specific things that will move you closer to achieving your goal.  It doesn’t matter how small these things are.  As long as they are action steps that will move you closer to your goal, they are moving you in the right direction;

7227.  Whatever your goal may be, taking five steps toward reaching it each and every day will eventually yield major progress and often in much less time than you’d expect.  That’s because of the compound effect of all these small steps.  Taken individually, each small step you take may not seem all that significant, but when you add them up over time, they add up and lead to extraordinary results;

7228.  Each tiny step you take brings you closer to your goals while each step you don’t take keeps you exactly where you are;

7229.  Have you ever wondered why it’s so easy to love other people yet so difficult to love ourselves?  One reason is that we’re taught to believe that loving ourselves is selfish or narcissistic in some way.  However, there’s a huge difference between practicing self-love and being a narcissist.  Loving yourself has nothing to do with being selfish or conceited; it’s simply recognizing all of your great qualities and acknowledging that you’re worthy of love.  And the most important person you need to receive that love from, more than anyone else, is yourself;

7230.  When we love ourselves, we also become better at loving and empowering others, which in turn makes the world a better place;

7231.  Many people resist change or consider it to be a negative.  This is because it’s far easier for people to stay small and in their comfort zone rather than expand, change and take risks;

7232.  It’s the change we create and the risks we take that allow us to become better versions of ourselves;

7233.  Every outcome you experience in life is the result of how you’ve responded to the event in your life;

7234.  When you find yourself faced with a big change that feels overwhelming or scary, stop and take time to imagine the best possible outcome that can result from that change and respond accordingly;

7235.  You always have control over how you choose to respond to change.  And when you respond with an attitude of curiosity, optimism and confidence, you’ll find it easier to survive and thrive during difficult or unexpected events;

7236.  Change is inevitable and resisting it is futile.  Instead, when you accept and embrace it, you’ll give yourself an opportunity to grow and evolve as a person, forcing yourself to master new skills and develop new qualities like flexibility, optimism, courage and persistence;

7237.  Think about a change that you’re currently facing, and then ask yourself, “Where’s the opportunity in this change?”  If you look close enough, you'll find it and it’ll help you embrace and appreciate change rather than to fear and resist it;

7238.  When you experience true joy, it’s a sign you are on the right track and doing what you are meant to be doing;

7239.  When you are not doing what you are supposed to be doing, you might feel dissatisfied or deeply unhappy with your life;

7240.  Numbing your pain is like taking the battery out of your smoke detector because the noise it is making is annoying you.  Just like the smoke detector, your physical pain is sending you a message that you need to pay attention to.  Whether that message is telling you that something is wrong in your body or that something is wrong in your life, it’s important to listen to it and take action to resolve it;

7241.  Remember anyone who has ever made it to the top has had to deal with rejections;

7242.  How to reject rejection: 1.  Rejection is what you make of it; 2.  Keep asking; 3.  SWSWSWSW – some will, some won't, so what someone's waiting; and 4.  When the world says no, you say next;

7243.  Change is an opportunity for you to experience something new and to grow and evolve as a person;

7244.  Every negative event contains within it the seed of an equal or greater benefit;

7245.  Believe it’s possible to create positive outcomes no matter what change is happening around you;

7246.  Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve;

7247.  Acknowledge fear that shows up then take action anyway;

7248.  Hate never comes from above.  It always comes from below.  It’s never the people who are further along than you that throw stones;

7249.  Just because you have a disease, it doesn’t mean you are the disease.  It could just be part of a bigger story you’re telling yourself.  I’m not saying it doesn’t exist.  I’m just saying you don’t have to be a victim to your diagnosis.  You are not your diagnosis.  You are you.  The same can go for things like anxiety and depression.  Or maybe you’re a victim to shitty parents, a rough childhood, losing your family or maybe it’s even worse;

7250.  You can’t choose your past, but you get to choose your future;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0144

7151.  The past is an advisor not a determinant;

7152.  Fear and pain tend to be linked to joy, passion and love.  You can’t have fear without love.  Fear exists because something is threatening something you love.  That love could be being alive, being warm or the love you feel for another person.  And pain?  Pain tends to equal growth;

7153.  When our pain or fear is at its peak, at its most intolerable stage, we’re just seconds to minutes away from bliss, calm and peace;

7154.  You have to learn with the pain and fear instead of trying to make it go away;

7155.  Pain is mandatory; suffering is optional;

7156.  In that moment when you think you can’t possibly keep going, that’s the edge.  The willingness to stand on that edge without backing away is what dictates your experience, your growth;

7157.  You are capable of far more than you think you are.  So are all humans;

7158.  The 40% rule: When you think you’re done, when you think you’re completely spent and you’ve given everything you have to give, anytime you have this feeling, you’re only 40% of the way there;

7159.  The 60% rule: When we think we’re done, we actually have 60% left to give;

7160.  It’s the willingness to leap into the fear and become one with the pain that allows us to experience the best versions of ourselves;

7161.  Take care of the downside and the upside will take care of itself;

7162.  Lauryn Ricketts (the meteorologist for NBC4 Washington) hangs out at the Fish Market in (Old Town) Alexandria;

7163.  Lauryn Ricketts is a DC101 fan . . . and a Nintendo fan (too);

7164.  Apparently, Lauryn Ricketts teaches a barre class in Arlington;

7165.  No amount of security is worth the suffering of a mediocre life chained to a routine that has killed your dreams;

7166.  Send love in place of judgments and criticisms to others when you feel they impede your joy and happiness and hold them in that place of love.  Notice that if you stay steadfast, when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at do change;

7167.  Rather than asking that the outcome of our prayers come to pass, we acknowledge our role as an active part of creation and give thanks for what we are certain that we have created.  Whether we see immediate results or not, our thanks acknowledge that somewhere in creation our prayer has already been fulfilled;

7168.  The moment you accept the wish as an accomplished fact, the subconscious finds means for its realization.  To pray successfully then you must yield to the wish, that is, feel the wish fulfilled;

7169.  Being a piece of God, and therefore altogether God as a part of the entire process of creation, you become an active participant in your own private prayerful moments;

7170.  There is no possible way of attaining a quality or a desired attribute without claiming it;

7171.  The undesirable moves out and the “I am presence” moves in; and you find that you have truly entered into a new world, filled with the happiness and perfection you have always known existed somewhere within your own heart;

7172.  Financial freedom doesn’t mean you’ll always be happy.  It means, however, that you can be present for all of it, for those you love, for what’s really happening in the moment, for the good, for the bad, for the joy and the sorrow and everything in between.  When you have financial freedom, you can really be there for all of it.  You have the freedom to be truly present.  And that’s a precious gift;

7173.  Abundance is not about collecting stuff.  It’s about having the freedom to be more present in life . . . for all of it . . . for the whole “beautiful catastrophe;”

7174.  It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not;

7175.  Elizabeth doesn’t like mustard except in potato salad . . . and deviled eggs;

7176.  Filomena Ristorante (Filomena.com) in Georgetown sells the largest éclairs known to man;

7177.  During Christmas time, you can get eggnog as your “milk” at Starbucks;

7178.  Craig Ferguson is funny, but dirty;

7179.  Craig Ferguson hates (Queen’s) “We Are the Champions;”

7180.  Love is not cruel; we are cruel.  Love is not a game; we have made a game out of love;

7181.  Pork chops and apple sauce . . . apparently, it’s a thing;

7182.  Apparently, Elizabeth likes (receiving) oral;

7183.  I can say (that) I’ve had/tried a turducken;

7184.  There’s a secret bar/speakeasy in the back of Capo Deli (CapoDC.com) in D.C. . . . Who knew?

7185.  Apparently, visiting NFL players will (sometimes) eat at Sweet Fire Donna's in (Old Town) Alexandria (the day before playing the Washington Redskins);

7186.  I am not really attached to you at all.  I am merely deluding myself into the belief that without you I will not be happy.  I leave you free to be yourself, to think your thoughts, indulge your tastes, follow your inclinations and behave in ways that you decide are to your liking;

7187.  There are no justified resentments;

7188.  You must send blame out of your life for any conditions of your life;

7189.  Eat a live frog every morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day . . . in other words, if you get your most difficult task out of the way first, the worst part of your day will be over;

7190.  In the U.S., the tax law requires each business deduction to meet three requirements: 1.  Must have a business purpose; 2.  The expense must be ordinary; and 3.  The expense must be necessary;

7191.  The fastest way to put money in your pocket is to reduce your taxes.  By reducing your taxes, you immediately reduce how much money comes out of your paycheck;

7192.  Everything you do either increases or lowers your taxes.  All you have to do is learn the difference between bad, good and better income and then learn how to turn your expenses into tax deductions;

7193.  What you’re feeling is a function of how you’re thinking, what you’re contemplating and how your inner speech is being formulated;

7194.  How others treat you has a lot to do with how you treat yourself and thereby teach others to treat you;

7195.  When anyone criticizes, judges, acts angry, expresses hatred or finds fault with you, they’re not at peace with themselves.  Want this peace for them even more than you desire it for yourself.  By having this kind of intention for them, you take the focus off of you.  This doesn’t require words or actions on your part.  Simply picture the people in your family with whom you’re not at peace and feel the peace you crave for them.  Your inner speech will change and you’ll begin to experience the peaceful authenticity of both your beings;

7196.  If peace is missing in your relationships with your family, it means that you have a place within you that’s occupied by non-peace.  It may be filled with anxiety, fear, anger, depression, guilt or any low-energy emotions.  Rather than attempting to rid yourself of these feelings all at once, treat them the same as you do your relatives.  Say a friendly “hello” to the non-peace and let it be.  You’re sending a peaceful feeling to the non-peaceful feeling.  The lower energies you’re experiencing will be strengthened by your peaceful “hi” or “hello” and eventually vanish as the divine grows within you.  The way to this peace is through any form of quiet and meditation that works for you.  Even if it’s only a two-minute respite during which time you’re silent, concentrate on the name of the divine or repeat that sound of “aaahh” as an inner mantra;

7197.  When you think about what you resent, you act upon what you think about while simultaneously attracting more of it to you;

7198.  See the light in others and treat them as if that is all you see;

7199.  Do you want peace?  Forgiveness offers it;

7200.  You can never remedy a bad relationship by condemning it;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0143

7101.  Joshua Radin sings/writes “adult lullabies;”

7102.  Out of clutter find simplicity.  From discord find harmony.  In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity;

7103.  Affirmations are reminders to your unconscious mind to stay focused on your goals and to come up with solutions to challenges and obstacles that might get in the way;

7104.  Creating effective affirming statements: 1.  Start with the words “I am.”  These are the two most powerful words in the English language; 2.  Use the present tense; 3.  State it in the positive.  Affirm what you want not what you don’t want; 4.  Keep it brief; 5.  Make it specific; 6.  Include an action word ending with -ing; 7.  Include at least one dynamic emotion or feeling word; and 8.  Make affirmations for yourself not others.  Some examples are: “I’m so happy and grateful that I now have a $200,000.00 a year income or $500,000.00 a year income or $1,000,000.00 income.”  “I’m so happy and grateful that I now spend my days traveling the world solving problems to impact investing.”  “I’m so happy and grateful that I fully funded our kid’s college education expenses and have secured it in a 529 plan;”

7105.  We’ve all made mistakes and have gone through challenges in life.  But it’s not your mistakes or challenges that define you.  It’s what you learn from these experiences that truly matters;

7106.  How you think about the past can either be a great source of motivation or it can interfere with your happiness and hold you back from living your best life;

7107.  Focusing on your past failures can be crippling to your self-esteem, your self-confidence and your happiness.  But recognizing that you have had successes in the past (and that you’ll have many more in the future) will give you the self-confidence you need to move forward on whatever it is your heart desires;

7108.  You cannot undo what’s already done and holding on to anger and resentment because of a past mistake or failure will slow down your journey toward the future you’ve always envisioned for yourself.  But when you acknowledge and focus on your past successes, your subconscious will begin to work harder to attract the people and resources needed to help you achieve your ideal future;

7109.  Gratitude is the antidote to anger.  You can’t be grateful and angry at the same time;

7110.  When we view our lives through the lens of gratitude and appreciation we experience a level of freedom and fulfillment like never before.  Sometimes in life it’s when we lose one of our blessings – our health, our mobility, a loved one, a job, a friend – that we put aside our grumblings and gain a true appreciation for all the gifts that grace our lives;

7111.  How to put the past behind you: 1.  Practice forgiveness; 2.  Practice gratitude; 3.  Remember that your thoughts determine your reality; 4.  Consciously choose to remember how awesome you are; and 5.  Make a list of your successes;

7112.  Our finances, relationships, health, happiness and every other area are dictated by our thinking.  If you want a different result in life, you need to change your thinking first;

7113.  Very often people get hung up on “thinking like successful people” and forget a key element: what they’re feeling.  Listening to your emotions is critical to understanding what is holding you back both consciously and unconsciously;

7114.  Successful people know that our emotions drive everything.  If you’re feeling overwhelmed, afraid, stressed, sad, depressed or any other negative emotion, your brain is less resourceful and less able to help you make good decisions or take important actions.  If you want to have more energy, make better decisions, be more creative and have more success in life, develop the habit of paying attention to your emotions.  Then do what’s needed to be in the right emotional state;

7115.  Most of the habits, patterns and beliefs that we have today were developed between the ages of 0 and 6 years old.  They weren’t developed consciously, they were essentially downloaded from our parents and from other people and events happening around us at the time;

7116.  We didn’t have a choice as to what beliefs were given to us or what events were happening around us.  Unfortunately, many of those beliefs, patterns and experiences were negative and have limited us in our adult life;

7117.  We have a choice over what beliefs, patterns and habits we want to keep or discard.  And we have a choice over the meanings we give our past experiences;

7118.  Successful people are aware of how limiting, old beliefs, habits, patterns and experiences can be and they do whatever it takes to change them;

7119.  The past does not equal the future.  Past challenges can either be dwelled upon for years or accepted as necessary life lessons on the path;

7120.  Successful people see failing as a part of the learning process.  And no matter how much they fail, they’re never willing to quit;

7121.  Never see failure as defining who you are;

7122.  When unsuccessful people fail, they see themselves as a failure;

7123.  Learn to never see yourself as a failure and to see failure itself as a learning process.  Then, you’ll never do the one thing you’re avoiding . . . failing;

7124.  Failure never exists if you see it as part of a longer journey of success;

7125.  Successful people prioritize their lives differently.  They know that the important stuff is what will get them to where they want to be.  They do the big tasks on projects at the beginning of the day and they leave the e-mails to later in the day;

7126.  Women tend to show intimacy by sharing their feelings, while men tend to express their caring through their actions;

7127.  Follow your dharma not someone else’s . . . yours.  And understand, you won’t always get it right.  Forgive yourself for that.  Other people won’t always get it right either.  Forgive them for that.  We’re all just doing our best with whatever we’ve got to work with (at) this time;

7128.  Being an outward conduit of love, kindness and selfless service to others as well as being a willing and grateful recipient of love, kindness and selfless service from others is what completes the universal circuitry of abundance in your life;

7129.  When you see people who give and give and give without being in a place to also receive, it doesn’t end up “lighting up” their abundance.  They just get depleted.  Equally, when people just take and take and take without being in a place to also give back, that doesn’t “light up” their abundance either.  That is also depleting;

7130.  When you give to people who aren’t in a space to do something with what they receive, what they receive weakens them.  It doesn’t strengthen them;

7131.  When you give to someone and it weakens them (because it’s enabling a destructive or unhelpful behavior pattern), that’s not being of service to them;

7132.  All of my grandparents have (now) passed;

7133.  My brother thinks my uncle may have been schizophrenic;

7134.  The best stories to share are the ones that scare you the most;

7135.  Expose yourself to as many different situations and people as you can.  Have empathy and gratitude for both the chaos and the calm.  The world is an incredible place full of incredible people;

7136.  There is only one grand lie; that we are limited.  The only limits we have are the limits we believe;

7137.  Less than 10% of cancer is based on heredity.  90% of cancer is based on lifestyle and belief;

7138.  Within all of us is a divine capacity to manifest and attract all that we need and desire;

7139.  Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner;

7140.  Life helps us grow, correct and evolve through kensho, which is growth by pain, or satori, which is growth by insight;

7141.  Your struggles develop your strengths;

7142.  Our life is the creation of our mind;

7143.  Suffering in life can uncover untold depths of character and unknown strength of service;

7144.  If you want to be happy, make other people happy;

7145.  A winner is a dreamer who never gives up;

7146.  Whatever you’re thinking and feeling today is creating your future;

7147.  Your thoughts and your feelings create your life;

7148.  There is no education like adversity;

7149.  Take the first step in faith.  You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step;

7150.  Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls;