August 31, 2008
Dear Friends,
In both the United States and Canada, the first Monday in September is Labor Day, a day when we honor the hard-working men and women in this world by taking a day off from our labors to pursue more pleasurable activities.
When you live your life in the divine flow, however, even "labor" can be a pleasurable activity. Instead of being "work that requires strenuous effort," as labor is defined by Webster, labor can actually be an endeavor of effortless ease.
When you follow divine guidance, and concentrate only on taking the next right step that is right in front of you, you can find yourself accomplishing the grandest of goals without undue stress, strain, or struggle.
That doesn't necessarily mean that the realization of your dream will be swift. Nor does it necessarily mean that your journey will be direct, and free of unexpected twists, turns, and detours. It simply means that—when you stay centered in the present moment, and stay focused only what you are being divinely directed to do right here and right now—even the most daunting of tasks can be undertaken with a sense of peace and grace.
So enjoy your Labor Day, my friends. And remember, when you live your life in the divine flow, every day can be Labor Day—every day can be a holiday from self-imposed burdens and unnecessary suffering.
Steven
© 2008 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
You Are Worthy!
August 24, 2008
Dear Friends,
Because it’s my birthday, August 24th is a very special day for me. But this year, it is twice as special, because it is also the day that my new grandson will be christened.
Regardless of what christening may mean in various religious circles, I like to think of christening as a ceremony in which the true identity of a baby is named and proclaimed. And what is that true identity? The same identity that you, and I, and everyone on this planet share: We are all children of God—individual expressions of the Divine. And as such, we are all divinely privileged, divinely protected, and divinely loved.
To receive this love we don’t have to do a single thing. Just the fact that we exist—just being—is cause enough for celebration. And, as children of the Divine, we are all divinely entitled to lives of peace, prosperity, and fulfillment.
Unfortunately, we don’t always feel this sense of divine entitlement, do we? Instead of feeling that we have a divine right to whatever it is we want to have, do, or be in life, we may feel that we don’t deserve to have our dreams come true. We may feel that we are not good enough, or smart enough, or capable enough. In a word, we may feel that we are not “worthy.”
This is a big issue, because our thoughts about ourselves influence the choices that we make in life. And choices based on feelings of low self-worth can easily sabotage our ability to fulfill our heart’s desires.
I wish there was a magic wand I could wave that would cause every single person on this planet to immediately recognize his or her innate worth as a beloved child of the Divine. Obviously, I don’t have a wand like that. However, I do have a helpful tool. It is an affirmation that “wrote itself” through me a few years ago.
Although August 24th is a day when gifts are typically given to me, today I offer this affirmation as a gift to you. You will find it included below.
Happy Being Day!
Steven
AN AFFIRMATION OF WORTH
God is All That Is.
And I am part of All That Is.
Without me, part of God would be missing.
And God would not be God.
Therefore,
let me acknowledge and honor
my innate worth as a vital part of God.
It is through me that God knows God’s Self
in a way that no other experience can duplicate.
God cherishes my existence,
and it is God’s great pleasure
to help me fulfill my heart’s desires effortlessly.
It doesn’t matter to whom I was born,
what circumstances followed,
or what decisions I made about myself as a result.
Nor does it matter
how I think anyone else perceives my value.
I know that I am a precious and essential
part of this Universe . . .
that I have a right to be here,
and that I have a special destiny to fulfill
in this time and place.
I am wanted.
I am needed.
I am worthy and deserving.
I am a Holy Child of God.
Peace, joy, and prosperity
are mine by divine right.
And I claim my divine inheritance now!
© 2008 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
Dear Friends,
Because it’s my birthday, August 24th is a very special day for me. But this year, it is twice as special, because it is also the day that my new grandson will be christened.
Regardless of what christening may mean in various religious circles, I like to think of christening as a ceremony in which the true identity of a baby is named and proclaimed. And what is that true identity? The same identity that you, and I, and everyone on this planet share: We are all children of God—individual expressions of the Divine. And as such, we are all divinely privileged, divinely protected, and divinely loved.
To receive this love we don’t have to do a single thing. Just the fact that we exist—just being—is cause enough for celebration. And, as children of the Divine, we are all divinely entitled to lives of peace, prosperity, and fulfillment.
Unfortunately, we don’t always feel this sense of divine entitlement, do we? Instead of feeling that we have a divine right to whatever it is we want to have, do, or be in life, we may feel that we don’t deserve to have our dreams come true. We may feel that we are not good enough, or smart enough, or capable enough. In a word, we may feel that we are not “worthy.”
This is a big issue, because our thoughts about ourselves influence the choices that we make in life. And choices based on feelings of low self-worth can easily sabotage our ability to fulfill our heart’s desires.
I wish there was a magic wand I could wave that would cause every single person on this planet to immediately recognize his or her innate worth as a beloved child of the Divine. Obviously, I don’t have a wand like that. However, I do have a helpful tool. It is an affirmation that “wrote itself” through me a few years ago.
Although August 24th is a day when gifts are typically given to me, today I offer this affirmation as a gift to you. You will find it included below.
Happy Being Day!
Steven
AN AFFIRMATION OF WORTH
God is All That Is.
And I am part of All That Is.
Without me, part of God would be missing.
And God would not be God.
Therefore,
let me acknowledge and honor
my innate worth as a vital part of God.
It is through me that God knows God’s Self
in a way that no other experience can duplicate.
God cherishes my existence,
and it is God’s great pleasure
to help me fulfill my heart’s desires effortlessly.
It doesn’t matter to whom I was born,
what circumstances followed,
or what decisions I made about myself as a result.
Nor does it matter
how I think anyone else perceives my value.
I know that I am a precious and essential
part of this Universe . . .
that I have a right to be here,
and that I have a special destiny to fulfill
in this time and place.
I am wanted.
I am needed.
I am worthy and deserving.
I am a Holy Child of God.
Peace, joy, and prosperity
are mine by divine right.
And I claim my divine inheritance now!
© 2008 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
Saturday, August 16, 2008
The Wisdom of Not Acting
August 17, 2008
Dear Friends,
As I often mention, the divine flow continually guides you, leads you, directs you, and supports you in the fulfillment of your heart's desires. But it doesn't live your life for you. To get where you want to go, you still have to row—you have to make decisions, and you have to act on those decisions.
Sometimes, however, the best decision you can make, and the best action you can take, is to decide to do nothing at all . . . at least, for the moment.
There is great wisdom in knowing when to stop what you are doing, and let the divine flow handle the details.
I still remember one of the first times I put my faith in the divine flow and consciously chose not to act. It was a day when I had been accidentally scheduled to be in three places at once. Instead of jumping on the phone and immediately trying to manipulate everyone's schedule, I "felt" that the best thing for me to do at that moment was to go get a cup of coffee. That's it. Just go get some coffee.
So that's exactly what I did. And guess what? Through a sudden cancellation, and an unexpected request for a time change, the entire schedule worked itself out perfectly while I was away. If I had interfered, I would only have complicated the situation.
Please understand, I am not suggesting that you just "drift" through life by taking one, long, endless coffee break. I am only reminding you that rowing with the flow is not about ceaseless activity.
When you attune yourself to the flow, sometimes the next right step that you will be guided to take will simply be for you to get out of the way . . . and give the divine flow some time to work its magic on your behalf.
Here’s to pausing between each and every stroke of your oars to re-attune yourself to the flow . . . and here’s to be being willing to pause a little longer if that is what is called for.
Steven
© 2008 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
Dear Friends,
As I often mention, the divine flow continually guides you, leads you, directs you, and supports you in the fulfillment of your heart's desires. But it doesn't live your life for you. To get where you want to go, you still have to row—you have to make decisions, and you have to act on those decisions.
Sometimes, however, the best decision you can make, and the best action you can take, is to decide to do nothing at all . . . at least, for the moment.
There is great wisdom in knowing when to stop what you are doing, and let the divine flow handle the details.
I still remember one of the first times I put my faith in the divine flow and consciously chose not to act. It was a day when I had been accidentally scheduled to be in three places at once. Instead of jumping on the phone and immediately trying to manipulate everyone's schedule, I "felt" that the best thing for me to do at that moment was to go get a cup of coffee. That's it. Just go get some coffee.
So that's exactly what I did. And guess what? Through a sudden cancellation, and an unexpected request for a time change, the entire schedule worked itself out perfectly while I was away. If I had interfered, I would only have complicated the situation.
Please understand, I am not suggesting that you just "drift" through life by taking one, long, endless coffee break. I am only reminding you that rowing with the flow is not about ceaseless activity.
When you attune yourself to the flow, sometimes the next right step that you will be guided to take will simply be for you to get out of the way . . . and give the divine flow some time to work its magic on your behalf.
Here’s to pausing between each and every stroke of your oars to re-attune yourself to the flow . . . and here’s to be being willing to pause a little longer if that is what is called for.
Steven
© 2008 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
Friday, August 8, 2008
Olympic Dreams
August 10, 2008
Dear Friends,
As the Summer Olympics get underway, you will undoubtedly hear newscasters attribute the success of various Olympic athletes to their perseverance, determination, and endurance. You will hear how many of these athletes overcame tremendous obstacles to be at the pinnacle of their sport.
I admire these athletes. As they continually expand the boundaries of human accomplishment, underneath it all I see the creative power of their divine spirit at work.
Similarly, as you pursue your own life’s goals, it pays to remember your unlimited potential as a child of the Divine. But keep in mind that the accomplishment of your goals is not up to you alone. You have the whole universe working on your behalf. And your main job is to cooperate with the divine flow that is continually guiding you toward the fulfillment of your desires in the most beneficial way possible.
What I am getting to is this. There is a fine line between determination and being driven, and between perseverance and being obsessed. I can’t tell you where that line is for you. All I can do is remind you to continually ask yourself this question: “Am I taking the next right step that I am being divinely guided to take, or am I trying to control, manipulate, and force things to go the way I think they should go?”
To live life in the divine flow is to have the patience and the persistence to hold onto your dream, but to allow that dream to unfold in a divinely guided way. Otherwise, your achievement will only be the result of your ego’s activity. And that kind of achievement is only briefly satisfying, and never in the best interests of all involved.
Here’s to having dreams of Olympic proportions, my friends! But more than that . . . here’s to their Divine realization!
Steven
© 2008 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
Dear Friends,
As the Summer Olympics get underway, you will undoubtedly hear newscasters attribute the success of various Olympic athletes to their perseverance, determination, and endurance. You will hear how many of these athletes overcame tremendous obstacles to be at the pinnacle of their sport.
I admire these athletes. As they continually expand the boundaries of human accomplishment, underneath it all I see the creative power of their divine spirit at work.
Similarly, as you pursue your own life’s goals, it pays to remember your unlimited potential as a child of the Divine. But keep in mind that the accomplishment of your goals is not up to you alone. You have the whole universe working on your behalf. And your main job is to cooperate with the divine flow that is continually guiding you toward the fulfillment of your desires in the most beneficial way possible.
What I am getting to is this. There is a fine line between determination and being driven, and between perseverance and being obsessed. I can’t tell you where that line is for you. All I can do is remind you to continually ask yourself this question: “Am I taking the next right step that I am being divinely guided to take, or am I trying to control, manipulate, and force things to go the way I think they should go?”
To live life in the divine flow is to have the patience and the persistence to hold onto your dream, but to allow that dream to unfold in a divinely guided way. Otherwise, your achievement will only be the result of your ego’s activity. And that kind of achievement is only briefly satisfying, and never in the best interests of all involved.
Here’s to having dreams of Olympic proportions, my friends! But more than that . . . here’s to their Divine realization!
Steven
© 2008 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
Friday, August 1, 2008
Missing The Boat
August 3, 2008
Dear Friends,
Throughout my book, and even more explicitly described in my workshops, I list about a dozen different ways that we interfere with the divine flow in our lives, and thus delay the manifestation of our heart’s desires. Among those ways are these three:
1. We consider assumptions to be facts, and we make choices based on that.
2. We think we know best, and we remain rigidly attached to our plans.
3. We look too far ahead, and we miss the next right step that is right in front of us.
You might think that after focusing for more than 20 years on learning how to recognize and cooperate with the divine flow, I would be able to easily avoid these three forms of interference. But the fact is, most of the ways we interfere with the divine flow are quite subtle, and even an “expert” like me can inadvertently miss or dismiss divine guidance. Here’s an example:
One the favorite things that Carol and I like to do is crystal digging. Some of the world’s foremost open-pit crystal mines are near Hot Springs, Arkansas. So when we lived in Dallas, Texas—which is only five hours away from Hot Springs—we would go digging there regularly.
When we decided to move to Sedona, Arizona, we figured it would be a very long time before we had an easy opportunity to go digging again, so we planned one last trip to Hot Springs. This time, however, we decided to break from our routine. First, we decided that we would try digging at a brand new mine. And second, we decided that we would return home via the scenic route, instead of the Interstate.
Well, the new mine was not what we hoped it would be. We found very few crystals, and those that we did find were small and of poor quality. Plus, the weather was cold and misty, so the digging conditions were pretty uncomfortable. Disappointed, we returned to the nearby cabin we were staying in for the night.
When we woke up the next morning, the sun was shining brightly, and my very first thought was, “Now this is a perfect day to go crystal digging!” Carol must have had the same feeling, because she asked me if it was possible to go back to our favorite mine and spend part of the day digging there, before we had to return home. That’s when I failed to follow the flow.
I told Carol that it was, indeed, too far to go back, and if we did, we would have to return home via the Interstate, and we would miss whatever beauty the scenic route had to offer us.
Friends, I told Carol this without even looking at a map! From what I thought I “knew” about where our cabin was located, I just assumed that our favorite mine was too far away, and I never questioned that “fact.”
So we stuck to the plan. We left our cabin, and took the scenic route home . . . which turned out to be nice, but not nearly the spectacular drive we thought it would be.
Only when we got back to Dallas did I take the time to closely look at a map. And guess what? That’s right. Our favorite mine was virtually around the corner from where we were staying! We could have easily spent one more day digging!
Of course, there is no guarantee that we would have found better crystals. And yes, we would not have been able to take the scenic route home. But we quickly realized that we would have gladly traded off the scenic drive for the possibility of coming back with some great crystal keepsakes.
Instead, I completely ignored the intuitive thoughts and feelings that both Carol and I were having when we woke up in the morning, and I didn’t take the next right step that was being called for in that moment. And what was that next right step? To simply look at a map. That’s all—just keep an open mind and look at a map! Instead, I made a choice based on an assumption, and I never really questioned our plan.
Friends, if an “expert” like me can miss a divine opportunity so easily, what does that mean for people who are not nearly as focused on the flow as I am? How many miracles are we missing in life? How much do we needlessly struggle? How often do we—as the saying goes—“miss the boat?”
I believe that we live in a universe that is far more beneficent that we realize, simply because we are constantly missing or dismissing the divine guidance that we are continually receiving.
Here’s to paying better attention, letting go of what we think we “know,” and following the flow to our highest good.
Steven
P.S. To see a picture of the kind of crystals that Carol and I (well, mostly Carol) have found at Ron Coleman’s Mine near Hot Springs, click here.
© 2008 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
Dear Friends,
Throughout my book, and even more explicitly described in my workshops, I list about a dozen different ways that we interfere with the divine flow in our lives, and thus delay the manifestation of our heart’s desires. Among those ways are these three:
1. We consider assumptions to be facts, and we make choices based on that.
2. We think we know best, and we remain rigidly attached to our plans.
3. We look too far ahead, and we miss the next right step that is right in front of us.
You might think that after focusing for more than 20 years on learning how to recognize and cooperate with the divine flow, I would be able to easily avoid these three forms of interference. But the fact is, most of the ways we interfere with the divine flow are quite subtle, and even an “expert” like me can inadvertently miss or dismiss divine guidance. Here’s an example:
One the favorite things that Carol and I like to do is crystal digging. Some of the world’s foremost open-pit crystal mines are near Hot Springs, Arkansas. So when we lived in Dallas, Texas—which is only five hours away from Hot Springs—we would go digging there regularly.
When we decided to move to Sedona, Arizona, we figured it would be a very long time before we had an easy opportunity to go digging again, so we planned one last trip to Hot Springs. This time, however, we decided to break from our routine. First, we decided that we would try digging at a brand new mine. And second, we decided that we would return home via the scenic route, instead of the Interstate.
Well, the new mine was not what we hoped it would be. We found very few crystals, and those that we did find were small and of poor quality. Plus, the weather was cold and misty, so the digging conditions were pretty uncomfortable. Disappointed, we returned to the nearby cabin we were staying in for the night.
When we woke up the next morning, the sun was shining brightly, and my very first thought was, “Now this is a perfect day to go crystal digging!” Carol must have had the same feeling, because she asked me if it was possible to go back to our favorite mine and spend part of the day digging there, before we had to return home. That’s when I failed to follow the flow.
I told Carol that it was, indeed, too far to go back, and if we did, we would have to return home via the Interstate, and we would miss whatever beauty the scenic route had to offer us.
Friends, I told Carol this without even looking at a map! From what I thought I “knew” about where our cabin was located, I just assumed that our favorite mine was too far away, and I never questioned that “fact.”
So we stuck to the plan. We left our cabin, and took the scenic route home . . . which turned out to be nice, but not nearly the spectacular drive we thought it would be.
Only when we got back to Dallas did I take the time to closely look at a map. And guess what? That’s right. Our favorite mine was virtually around the corner from where we were staying! We could have easily spent one more day digging!
Of course, there is no guarantee that we would have found better crystals. And yes, we would not have been able to take the scenic route home. But we quickly realized that we would have gladly traded off the scenic drive for the possibility of coming back with some great crystal keepsakes.
Instead, I completely ignored the intuitive thoughts and feelings that both Carol and I were having when we woke up in the morning, and I didn’t take the next right step that was being called for in that moment. And what was that next right step? To simply look at a map. That’s all—just keep an open mind and look at a map! Instead, I made a choice based on an assumption, and I never really questioned our plan.
Friends, if an “expert” like me can miss a divine opportunity so easily, what does that mean for people who are not nearly as focused on the flow as I am? How many miracles are we missing in life? How much do we needlessly struggle? How often do we—as the saying goes—“miss the boat?”
I believe that we live in a universe that is far more beneficent that we realize, simply because we are constantly missing or dismissing the divine guidance that we are continually receiving.
Here’s to paying better attention, letting go of what we think we “know,” and following the flow to our highest good.
Steven
P.S. To see a picture of the kind of crystals that Carol and I (well, mostly Carol) have found at Ron Coleman’s Mine near Hot Springs, click here.
© 2008 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
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