Big Bad Wolves Are Eating You Alive, Why Feed Them?

I’m Not Creative. It’s True. My mind is bleak and bland, repetitious and boring, dull and taupe in (lack of) color.

Creativity has never really been my thing. In fact, just this week, I had my very first crack at true imagination. I made something new. It was beautiful. It may have been the very first time ever, in my whole life. I enjoyed it 🙂

Now, if you have known me for a long time, you may be wondering why I say I’m not creative. And if I’m not, then why would I pick things like artistic graphic design, photography, web design and writing, to express myself? Maybe you think, I’m being self deprecating, and you can prove that I’m creative, because you either have one or ten tee shirts in your closet that I have ‘created’ over the years, and you think they look cool? I will admit, I have a knack and have practiced for many years to be able to pick fonts and colors and graphics and use professional programs to make a cool design. Even now, I’m writing to you on a blog that I have custom created myself, including all the graphics, all the photography, all the writing too… But I’m speaking about Creativity, in a much more powerful and profound way.

It turns out, that I haven’t been using my Creativity at all, in a very important area.

My thoughts.

Once again, this week, like a thousand times before, I was in reaction mode. I had a couple things on my mind that were bugging me. I had saw myself as backed into a corner. I felt pressure from the weight and heaviness of the issue. I saw a future unfolding because of this issue that I didn’t like. I was perturbed and annoyed that certain things were in my life, and in the life of those around me, that I felt didn’t match up. I had dug a hole of depression in my brain around this issue, and there I sat. Stuck.

Until I got a great message… Until I was blessed with a step up in conciousness… Until I saw that I wasn’t being Creative at all…

See I had this certain situation in my mind, that had me down. If you want to play along, insert any situation of your own, that brings up emotions like: annoyance, regret, disappointment, sadness or anger.

Then run it through this question: Have I decided that this thing is Bad?

Whoa, take that again, more slowly this time:

Run your situation through this question: Have I decided that this thing is Bad?

Powerfully simple, yet profound. I believe this question was a message from a higher power to help me jumpstart my creativity, in new ways.

I HAD decided that this situation I was thinking about, was Bad. I Did think that relationships were suffering and my options were being limited and I couldn’t be fully me, because I HAD DECIDED that this thing Was BAD.

Wow. Now, I’m going to boldly stand here and intentionally ignite a fuse with some readers. On Purpose. (Because I really don’t think this is BAD)

Politics. Religion. The Economy. These are issues that you may have decided are BAD. How about issues with a spouse, or co-worker, or boss, or children? Have you experienced something and immediately gone into a negative reaction mode? Check with yourself right now, and ask, ‘Did I decide that thing was bad?’

If you are capable of asking yourself this question, Bravo! You have a chance to practice a new form of creativity. It can unlock you from stuck situations. It can free the emotional bondage around a broken relationship. It can grease the rusty and mechanically frozen wheels in your mind, that stopped dead in their tracks, the moment You Decided Something was Bad.

We can see in hindsight, plenty of reasons to disprove this choice and judgement of any situation. Seeing later on, that we avoided more pain, or a new door was opened when the one we wanted closed, gets plenty of praise. But let’s live one step closer, in creativity, to  a place that is more exciting and FUN for our naturally creative minds.

I (in theory, and more easily, with more practice) can take any situation, and stop myself before I decide it’s Bad. Or (if I missed that moment) I can see afterward, while feeling junky, that I’ve made this Choice, and go back and pick something new. It’s all up to me. I can switch things around at any time. I’m in charge. Not the situation, or the other person.

The reason for all this playing around and testing new systems of operation? Because I want to feel good.  Guess how I feel, when I decide something is bad… really… think hard on this one! Yeah, BAD! Guess how I feel if I decide something sucks… Yeah, I feel sucky! Guess how I feel, if I decide something is hard… or difficult, or stressful… (yes, these are all DECISIONS we make, not 100% truths) I feel exhausted, and tired and stressed out!

When I decide something is Good. Well, I feel Good. When I decide something is AWESOME! I feel AWESOME! When I decide something is profound, and deeply moving, I feel an ocean of peace and internal power.

Okay, so time for some creativity! Time to awaken the artist in my mind. Time to use my imagination to make something that I actually WANT, rather than just how it operated when I took it out of the box 33 (almost 34) years ago. I get to use this tool of my mind to DECIDE, how my life is right now, and how each of these little situations unfold throughout my day. It’s all up to ME!

I can see the hope, I can see the challenge, I can see adventure, I can see problem-solving, I can see a puzzle, I can see a game, I can see unmolded clay, I can see something I choose to let go of, at anytime, instead of a BAD PROBLEM, if I so chose.

Of course, not all things are Bad. And that’s why we stay stuck. We see some things as good naturally. So we just expect to keep our eye out for more good situations or people or opportunities to show up. We want to grab ahold of the ones we already see as good, and grip them with an iron fist. We get the feeling that the world has a lack of good things, and we should make the most out of the ones we get.

WRONG!

All situations show up as completely neutral, until we decide a judgement about them: Good or Bad. Don’t believe me? You can test this. Just think of two polar opposite things in your life, one good, one bad. Ask Yourself, When did I decide that this thing was Good? When did I decide this thing was Bad? You will get an answer, because you did the deciding. You already know this truth. Test it.

So, Get Really Creative. Play Artist in your own mind. Repaint the things that don’t make you feel good. And also see that the already good ones, have some flaws too. You need to see that you’ve made this choice  You have the Power. You can OWN your Life. Situations don’t own you. YOU own YOU.

This way, you can begin to flow, in the natural harmonious rhythm of our universe. In our Lord’s Prayer, we ask for our Daily Bread. That is Bread for the Day. Not for a stockpile of cash, and a basement full of ammo and food for the apocalypse. That is living in a chosen state of Fear. That doesn’t leave room for God. Seeing and freeing ourselves to live in a cycle of ebb and flow, is Biblical. It actually feels good. All things come and go. We can enjoy them or Not. We can dance with life, or it can break us. It’s all Our Choice.

What do you chose today? Here’s an idea: Choose Love, for God, for your Neighbor, for Yourself.

Sincerely,

Aaron Nichols

The Story of Two Wolves

 An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life.

 “A fight is going on inside me,” he told the young boy, “a terrible fight between two wolves.  One is evil, full of anger, sorrow, regret, greed, self-pity and false pride.  The other is good, full of joy, peace, love, humility, kindness and faith.”

“This same fight is going on inside of you, grandson…and inside of every other person on this earth.”

The grandson ponders this for a moment and then asks, “Grandfather, which wolf will win?”

The old man smiled and simply said,

“the one you feed.”

 

Want to talk together about ‘The Big Bad Wolf?’

You’re invited to join the next weirdforgood hangout, and engage in our online workshop – you’ll need a free Google+ account, 45minutes to work with us, at 5:30 CST. You need a device with a camera & headset/microphone. If you can Skype, you can do this, (it’s actually really easy  ) Then email me at aaron@truenorthffc.com – before Tuesday – I’ll send you the hangout invite through Google+ when we start.

Check out last week’s hangout here, to get a feel for it. Join us if you dare!

Weirdforgood Hangout – 5 – Hiding Monsters Under the Bed

A GREAT Hangout with TONS of killer ideas and discussion. Join in with your comments below, or connect with us online next week, and be live in the Hangout with us.

Our launching point is Hiding Monsters Under the Bed from last week’s blog.

With Aaron Nichols, Melissa Ford & Michael Wright

We Cover life issues like:

  • Why our thoughts can be so powerfully scary – like Monsters under the bed
  • Our negativity can only live in the dark, so let’s bring it up to the light and test it out
  • How an experience can shape our thoughts profoundly, even when silly and false
  • How Caring, doesn’t have to mean Hitting the Panic Button
  • How seriously do I want to take this Crappy Thought?

You’ll want to have a notepad handy this week!

Another great discussion that we invite you to check out!

You can read more about me, Aaron Nichols on my about page

or Melissa Ford’s website – http://www.empoweredparentingsolutions.com

or Micheal Wright’s Blog – http://www.fatherofone.com

Enjoy!

To be part of next week’s Hangout – Email Me at aaron@truenorthffc.com, each week I send out an invitation email with the details on how to get setup. (It’s pretty easy) then join us at 5:30 CST with 45 minutes to get in depth and have a fun – REAL discussion!

Weirdforgood Hangout – 3 – The Smashing Trees

We invite you to watch and leave your own comments on the discussion we host in the Hangout this week.

Our launching point is The Smashing Trees Blog from last week, and we open with the razor sharp question:  “Do you think I get, how the world works?”

We cover:

  • Strong Thoughts create Strong Feelings?
  • Outside In vs. Inside Out
  • Testing Slowly Through a Thought vs. a Runaway Train of Assumptions
  • My response is My responsibility
  • What ‘World’ are we trying to ‘Get’ Anyway?

And cool stuff like that…

Enjoy!

To be part of next week’s Hangout – Email Me at aaron@truenorthffc.com, each week I send out an invitation email with the details on how to get setup. (It’s pretty easy) then join us at 5:30 CST with 45 minutes to get in depth and have a fun – REAL discussion!

The Fall

Welcome back to Ready For Better, I’m glad to have you here!

The air is cooler. Daytime is shrinking. A change is happening. The leaves are showing a slight breeze from the North today. Their hues hint at what is coming. Nature is aware of the future, and is preparing now.

How does our personal financial life relate to this time of the year? Can we see and admire the ways of our environment? Let’s walk through the Eastern Kansas landscape just a bit…

Saving money for our future is something that most of us are aware we should be doing. A farmer needs to feed his cattle when there is no green grass in February… his Hay-Savings Account, The Big Round Bale, will pay off on a cold and snowy day.

Some trees sensed the trend early, and cut away all their leaves. They know how to be patient. Full of all the energy they gained since spring, there’s plenty in reserve to wait until it’s return.

When we’ve stored our money, the way they store their energy, we are able to withstand a harsh winter’s blast like an emergency car repair, unforeseen medical event or even the loss of a job.

The life of these leaves is nearing it’s end. They were twitterpated buds in the spring. They basked in the summer’s sun. They nourished the plant who gave them life and enjoyed the community of their friends and family around them. Now, when it’s almost over, they show new color in their final hurrah!

When we’re in the fall season of our lives, let’s plan to color-up the world around us with a financially vibrant retirement! It is possible for us to live out our dreams and enjoy those years while giving generously as well. Planning starts today. Our current lifestyle has great impacts on the lifestyle we’ll have in the future. Is our vision as forward-thinking as these plants??

Even in these short days, we see the blooms and bursts of colorful flowers. Fall is not all about the end. While we’re saving, while we’re planning for the upcoming, let’s also remember to smile and be thrilled with our own true colors. Budgeting and controlling our money has nothing to do with keeping us dull and brown and blah. We can and should be enjoying the richness and fullness of life along the way!

When we back up and take in the big picture view, we see the bounty of life and appreciate it. Hopefully we’ll appreciate our own bounty, our own potential to create a future for ourselves that is colorful and wisely planned for.

Truly enjoying today to the fullest is easiest when we have little fear of tomorrow. Saving for emergencies, big purchases and our future is a great way to do that. Having a spending plan for now that includes savings, allows us to have a vividly living and giving plan later.

When You’re Ready for a Better Later, Call Me Now. Your future-self will thank you!

Sincerely,

Aaron Nichols

True North Financial Fitness Coaching
785-218-6134
aaron@truenorthffc.com
http://www.truenorthffc.com/

FREE 30 Minute Consultation – No obligation – Completely Confidential

Dog Tales

Welcome to the first Ready for Better blog post. I am glad to have you here!
If you’ve read my previous blog http://www.ashellandastone.blogspot.com/ this one will be very similiar in style. Let’s open up financial discussion and thoughts on life and money. I’ll bring insight, comedy and plenty of pictures… Now, on to Dog Tales!

Good Morning from the Rails-To-Trails Walk/Bike Path just north of Princeton, KS! This is a great place to spend time in the morning with my Two excited girls, Bella (left) & Roxy (right). You may have remembered Roxy from the roadtrip, as she’s been a blog-star before. Now she has a new sweet sister, Bella. This girl is really fitting in well around here and she has inspired the first story for Ready for Better….

These fall Kansas mornings are beautiful and as the bright golds, dusty browns and deep greens start to interplay, we know that summer is now behind us.

The morning walk is an exciting time for both dogs and me. Here we are starting to learn about the personality of these two girls, and really about how some of us choose live our lives. This also will relate to how we look at our finances. As you can see, the path is nicely pebbled and clear, although there is lots of nature around.

Roxy is a confident and intentional girl. As soon as we reach the path, immediately she crashes through the brush and weeds along the trail, pads down into the shade and moves fluidly among the woods and bushes. One can only imagine the jackpot of doggy surprises down there. Tons of smells, obstacles and visual stimuli. Logs to bound over, branches to slide under, things to stop to sniff and sometimes critters to chase! She’s living her dreams without worry, just like Debt-Freedom!

However her opposite, Bella, is up on the pea gravel with me. She’s having fun and is excited as well. Many times, she finds herself alone.

Interestingly, her comfort in the main trail seems strained. It’s like she knows there is more out there, but is afraid to try.

Sometimes she pokes her nose off the edge of the trail, tries to push into the weeds and usually backs off. There is always a stubborn sapling, or stiff stick right in her way. Most of the time it’s just a dead grass blade that stops her in her tracks. There are no mowed openings down into the woods…

What does this teach us about ourselves? How often do we consider a change or to try something new, only to have the “why nots” immediately smacking us in the face.

In the world of personal finance, we find that most of us Americans are sticking to the main path. Let’s play it safe and stay on what has been laid down as the “Normal” way to go. Consumer-debt and the highly-effective marketing of credit is the man-made pea gravel path. And unfortunately, this “Normal” way, is pay-check to pay-check, really meaning broke. God created so much more life for us to enjoy than this.

Although it may be tough at first to break away, our friend Roxy knows the joys that make it worth the effort. Getting on a budget, building power over purchase, and breaking habits of always needing a car loan to buy a car, these are the uncomfortable twigs that shouldn’t have the power to stop us from reaching our dreams that we deserve.

So when we’re debt-free, when we’ve taken on challenges, and maybe had to feel a little sticker bush scratch to get there, we understand the truth. There is a much richer path already waiting for us in the shade of the trees. A creek-bed travels parallel to the Rail-Trail. Down there we have water for refreshment, and it is loosely vegetated with plenty of running room. Will we be brave enough to find this out first hand?

 

Good news for us and for Bella. Little by little we see progress. We get bolder and stronger. We get tired of the same ‘ol same ‘ol. This morning I saw her stepping further into the grass and even beyond the first clumps of brush, she was following Rox… It won’t be long and she’ll be going whole-hog straight into doggy-heaven-on-earth!

I personally know and feel the freedom that the journey out of debt can bring. Life after debt is possible and absolutely rewarding. There is a better way than Normal… When you’re Ready for Better, give me a call, I’ll be thrilled to show you the way!

Sincerely,

 

Aaron Nichols
True North Financial Fitness Coaching
785-218-6134