A “Tail” of Happiness
Posted by timtom in Inspirational short stories on April 11th, 2009
Hello my amazing friend 
I was listening to an amazing interview with Arielle Ford last night on spiritual warriors radio - she read this Rumi quote from her book ‘The Soulmate Secret’ and it just made me tingle so I thought I would share it with you.
“Ever since Happiness heard your name It has been running through the streets trying to find you.”
How wonderful is that - and so true. Happiness is always there and it’s always your choice to just let it in. Hearing this quote reminded me of a great little story that I remember hearing on a Wayne Dyer CD. I can’t find it so this is my version.
The was an old wise cat and a small kitten in an alleyway. The old cat saw the kitten chasing its tail and asked, “Why are you chasing your tail?”
To it the kitten replied, “I’ve been attending cat philosophy school and I have learned that the most important thing for a cat is happiness, and that happiness is my tail. Therefore, I am chasing it: and when I catch it, I shall have happiness forever.”
Laughing, the wise old cat replied, “My son, I wasn’t lucky enough to go to school, but as I’ve gone through life, I too have realised that the most important thing for a cat is happiness, and indeed that it is located in my tail. The differece I’ve found though is that whenever I chase after it, it keeps running away from me, but when I go about my business and live my life, it just seems to follow after me wherever I go.”
Oh stop the press - just found it on you tube - wasn’t too far off - here it is
Please listen to and support blogtalkradio.com/spiritual-warriors - they are a great bunch of people and have produced and amazing film which I will be reviewing soon - www.spiritualwarriors.com.
Have fun
Tim xx
Loving You - Minnie Ripperton
Posted by timtom in Follow friday songs on April 10th, 2009
Hello my incredible friend
This really was my favorite song when I was a child - it’s so beautiful. I hope it brings you the joy it does for me when I hear it!
Loving you is easy ’cause you’re beautifull,
And making love with you is all I wanna do.
Loving you is more then just a dream come true,
And everything that I do, is out of loving you.
La la la la la, la la la la la…
No-one else can make me feel the colors that you bring.
Stay with me while we grow old and we will live each day inspringtime.
‘Cause loving you has made my life so beautifull,
And everyday of my life is filled with loving you.
Loving you, I see your soul come shining through,
And everytime that we, oohh…
I’m more in love with you.
La la la la la, la la la la la…
No-one else can make me feel the colors that you bring,
Stay with me while we grow old and we will live each day inspringtime.
‘Cause loving you is easy ’cause you’re beautifull,
And every day of my life is filled with loving you.
Loving you, I see your soul come shining through,
And everytime that we, oohh…
I’m more in love with you.
La la la la la, la la la la la…
have fun
Lots of love
Tim xx
You are the Sunshine of my Life -Stevie Wonder
Posted by timtom in Follow friday songs on April 3rd, 2009
Hello my lovely
What can I say about Stevie - an amazing an inspiring soul if I’ve ever seen one. A true example of living your purpose and a great, great talent. You guys give me so much sunshine so wanted to give you a slice back!!
You are the sunshine of my life
Thats why Ill always be around,
You are the apple of my eye,
Forever youll stay in my heart
I feel like this is the beginning,
Though Ive loved you for a million years,
And if I thought our love was ending,
Id find myself drowning in my own tears.
You are the sunshine of my life,
Thats why Ill always stay around,
You are the apple of my eye,
Forever youll stay in my heart,
You must have known that I was lonely,
Because you came to my rescue,
And I know that this must be heaven,
How could so much love be inside of you?
You are the sunshine of my life, yeah,
Thats why Ill always stay around,
You are the apple of my eye,
Forever youll stay in my heart.
(background) love has joined us,
Love has joined us,
Lets think sweet love.
Have fun
Lots of love
Tim xx
Our Deepest Fear
Posted by timtom in Feelgood videos on April 1st, 2009
Greetings incredible one
I was sorting out the shelves in my office today and fetching down my wonderful library from the loft when I came across Marianne Williamson’s amazing book - A Return To Love. This great book, which is based on a course in miracles, taught me so much about love and especially how there is no such thing as fear - there is just an absence of Love. This really made me look at things differently and to start to see the World as a friendly, not threatening place.
There is one quote which brought me to tears the first time I heard it and still moves me to this day. I found a clip from Coach Carter where one of his students recites it - really moving.
I’m sure you will have heard it before, but whether you have or not, really listen to the words and take them into your heart and think what could you do to play big today? What could you do now to make your own light shine and inspire others around you to shine too?
Just for reference or if you prefer to read
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Have fun
Tim xx
Garbage in Garbage out
Garbage in garbage out
Garbage In, Garbage Out (abbreviated to GIGO) is a phrase in the field of computer science or Information Communication technology. It is used primarily to call attention to the fact that computers will unquestioningly process the most nonsensical of input data and produce nonsensical output.
The underlying principle was probably cited by the inventor of the first programmable device, who said:
On two occasions I have been asked,-”Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?”
Charles Babbage Source
Of course you won’t get the right answers out if you put the wrong data in. That makes sense right? You can’t expect to get good answers coming out when you are entering rubbish!
So, if this logic applies to a computer then do you think that it may apply to our very own computer? Our brain if you will!
When I was younger we had a poisonous ritual that we used to undertake as a family every night that constantly fed garbage into my brain. We would all get in from work, sit down in front of the TV (first mistake) and take it in turns to complain about how bad our respective days had been. Common topics would be bosses at work, people we worked with, how unfair it was that somebody got a promotion, the lousy journey to work, the rotten journey home - the list was almost endless. After this was out of the way, we would then sit and watch the news just to top up on the junk.
Of course this was just one of the rituals, or habits, that used to be part of my life and so you can see the kind of effect these had on me, I’ll give you my view of the World at that time.
- I’ll never get a worthwhile job because I didn’t do well at school
- I can’t start a programming business as I didn’t do maths
- I couldn’t do that, I’m not qualified
- I’ll never stop smoking because it’s one of the hardest things you will every do
- The World is a violent, scary place
- People from other countries hate us
- There’s not enough to go around
- If I can’t be bothered to work the government will look after me
These are just a few of the things that I used to think and as you can see they are not the most empowering of thoughts are they? If you think about it, our brain is like a huge library that we use as a source of reference - about ourselves and the World we live in. That is why from this day forward you MUST remember…
Garbage in Garbage out
So now it’s time for my usual question. How do we turn this around?
Well if you go with my library analogy from earlier, then you need to stock your shelves with more positive and empowering reference material. Here are the main steps that I took.
Step One
The first thing that happened was I totally changed my environment - I moved to a different city and lived with friends. I didn’t plan this or know anything about this at the time but in no time I started to be and feel a bit more positive. I found when I went home that I didn’t want to complain about work or the journey as I had quite enjoyed them - a big change.
Obviously you don’t have to be this extreme but you may want to think about how you can change your environment, or at least to change the conversations you have within your current environment.
Step Two
I decided that the old phrase “No news is good news” was a great philosophy so I totally stopped watching, reading and listening to the news. I decided that if it was important enough - then someone would tell me about it. I can’t think of anything that I have lost out on for not knowing - but I have gained so much.
My friend Peter Sage has a great way of looking at the news which is this. It’s the same stuff happening over and over, it’s just happening to different people.
Is there any wonder this keeps happening if we are being programmed by watching the same stuff over and over?
Thinking about it now - why would I have watched a TV show that just focuses on the pain, suffering and bad stuff that’s going on in the World? It makes no sense!
Step Three
Jumping forward a few years…I remember the first time I went through Tony Robbins’ Personal Power II course. This is a CD based, self development programme that spans over 30 days and takes you through a process for changing your life. One of the things that stuck in my mind was when Tony said that he had read over 700 books in the area of self development and as he started to put good stuff in, eventually good stuff started to come out.
So with this in mind I started to read as many books as possible - especially autobiographies as this allows you to see how other people think and deal with situations. I also listened constantly to anything positive that I could. On my iPod, in my car, on my PC at work - basically whenever possible - and guess what? As with Tony, I was constantly feeding good stuff in and eventually good stuff started coming out. The way I spoke changed. The way I viewed myself and those around me changed. But most importantly - the way I thought, and so, the life I created around me changed - in a big way.
Step Four
I guess the latest thing to change is my level of appreciation for everything in my life. I really do feel blessed for everything and spend a little time in the morning being thankful for it all. My body, my health, my family, my friends, my house and where I live, my skills, my company - everything I can think of. I then love to actually tell people how they affect my life and how much I appreciate them - this really eliminates the garbage, whilst giving you an amazing connection to yourself and to them also.
Why not give it a go for yourself? For each person that you meet or even just pass in the street. Think to yourself, and project to them, what is amazing about this person - what is truly beautiful. After a while you’ll find that things start to happen and people start to treat you differently.
Do this for a week and see the effect it has on your life for the better.
Where I am now…
Oh yeah…and by the way - here’s how I think now in comparison.
- I can do or be anything that I want to be
- My software company has done well over the last 20 years without the maths, so what else could I do that they told me was impossible
- Smoking was the easiest thing to stop
- The World is an amazing place to be discovered
- People from other countries are just the same and welcome me as I do them
- There is abundance all around - all you have to do is to learn how to see it
- I am worthy, unique and special
Wow - it’s not until you write stuff down and really think about it that you realise just how much of an effect something has had on your life. What I’ve been talking about is super powerful - especially if you suffer from a negative view of life as I used to do.
Whether you do or not. Have a think now and see if there’s any garbage you could get rid of and what you could replace it with instead. This can have a profound impact on your life for such a simple change.
Have fun
Tim xx
Lunchtime shocker
Posted by timtom in Coincidence on March 24th, 2009
It was sometime in 1995, I had just discovered Sheffield and was travelling over twice a week to go out clubbing and to see my new girlfriend Jodie. I had met Jodie in the club one night. She was being bothered by this guy who was trying to chat her up, so I stepped in, gave her a wink and started dancing between them until he went away. We got chatting and over the next few weeks we became friends then ended up getting together.
Jodie’s family were so lovely to me, they instantly made me a part of the clan. They let me stay over at weekends and included me into the family activities, the best of which was Sunday dinner. Her Mum was an absolutely fantastic cook and used to produce us a gorgeous banquet that I used to look forward to every week.
At this time I was still living in Boston and working at an engineering company near Peterborough as a production manager. My duties involved; managing the warehouse, purchasing steel and components, taking orders and producing sales invoices. It was a big commitment travelling to Sheffield twice a week but my heart was there in the shape of Jodie, my friends and the clubbing scene that I loved so much.
It was one Sunday afternoon and we were sat in the living room watching TV and chatting. We could hear a bit of a lively discussion going on in the kitchen but this was quite normal so though nothing of it. I then heard “That bloody Tim” in the middle of it all and I suddenly went cold. We looked at each other in confusion, not sure what was going on.
Jodie’s Mum shouted us in for lunch; we went into the kitchen, sat down and waited. There was a strange atmosphere and I could tell that whatever they were discussing hadn’t yet been resolved. The food was dished out in silence and we started to eat. Jodie then said “I heard you talking about Tim, what’s the problem?” They both broke into a smile and said “Not your Tim love, we were talking about your uncle!” I breathed a sigh of relief. Her Dad then explained that his brother had an engineering company that had gone bust.
It was then that my brain started whirring away. An engineering company….. her surname was Smith…. Gone bust!!!
I then asked her Dad where his brother was based. “Peterborough” he said. I was then certain so I asked “Is his business called “Tim Smith Engineering by any chance?” Her Dad stopped and looked at me. “Yes it is, why do you ask?” I told him that when I am taking orders I put them in the job folder. On the front of the job folder is a stop list of companies that we no longer deal with. At the top in bold letters is “Don’t deal with Tim Smith Engineering – Gone bust.”
I sat there in shock - it proper freaked me out.
Think about it for a minute - what was the chance of this happening?
- I came over to Sheffield from Peterborough for a random night out with friends. I loved it so much that I kept coming over.
- I met Jodie while trying to help her out in the club
- Her uncle is number one on out stop list
Spooky spooky
Have fun
Tim xx
Get Back Up
Posted by timtom in Feelgood videos on March 23rd, 2009
Hello my amazing friend
Wow - I’ve just been sent another humbling video from a good friend of mine and again it really touched me. I am just full of admiration for Nick’s spirit and the way he views life - simply stunning. Take a look at his website - an amazing soul - www.lifewithoutlimbs.org.
This was yet another one of those times when I think that I have absolutely no problems at all.
Also - this is a great reminder of the power of a hug. We definately don’t hug each other enough - why not go and find somebody right now and give then a great big hug
Have fun
Tim xx
Leave The Past In The Past
Hello friend
I was out for a walk this morning when I remembered about one of the first lessons I learned from Tony Robbins.
Before I get started I’ll tell you a little tale from my past.
I was 17 and had recently passed my driving test. I was out for a drive with my girlfriend when all of a sudden I noticed the car behind me getting closer and closer. As it started fill my rear view mirror I noticed that the guys driving were threatening us.
I was concentrating so much on what was going on behind me that I started to drive erratically and swerve all over the place. I managed to mount the curb and once I even crossed the white line which resulted in furious horn blowing from the oncoming vehicles. In short I was all over the place and out of control.
In that sense life and driving are much the same. I spent a lot of my life living looking backwards and re-affirming how bad everything was and more importantly how I didn’t like myself or the way I dealt with certain situations. Trust me when I say that you can never move forward whilst you are looking backwards - you will crash eventually. I know this all too well - on many occasions.
So I can imagine you’re thinking what should I do then. That stuff really did happened to me - I can’t just erase it.
This is true but it is a fact that you can only look in one direction at once. If your looking to the future then you can’t look back into the past at the same time. Makes sense right? There is a great way to use this which is to design your ideal future, then to live there by visualising it in as much detail as possible. Try to imagine what it would look like, smell like, feel like, sound like or maybe even taste like - get all of your senses involved to make it as realistic as possible.
I wrote down everything that I would want in the life of my dreams. Where I wanted to live, my dream car, the kind of house I wanted, what I wanted to do, my ideal weight, my ideal fitness level, the kind of people I would want to be friends with - everything I could think of. I then spent a fair amount of time visualising and being thankful for having these things in my life already. I would imagine I was driving my dream car - even though mine was an old banger. I would look through design mags for house ideas. I would even visualise myself speaking in from of groups of people.
As you can imagine you start to get a pretty vivid picture in your mind after a while. So much so that after a while I would have periods where I didn’t even think about the bad stuff. There were also times when I realised I had achieved one of the things that I had written down originally which gave me a huge boost.
This brings me up till today - about 7 years since I heard this lesson for the first time.
I’m by no means perfect but I’m a 1000% better than I was back then. I have my own house where I wanted to live near the country. I had my dream car but didn’t like it so got a regular one for now! I am my ideal weight and fitness. Most importantly - I am happy
Oh yeah - to finish the story….
In the end I had to stop at some traffic lights. Even though I was scared - I had a good look in my mirror and it was then that I saw it was two of my crazy friends, showing off in their Dad’s car. They had chased us for a laugh, so there was never really any threat - apart from the threat I was to myself (and everyone else). Again, not unlike in my life!
So I ask you - Would you set off for a car journey without a destination? I don’t think you would, would you? Of course not - so why do we journey through life without a clue where we are going, with no destination?
I would like to ask you another question - Have you got a destination, a vision of where you’re going? If so then why not review it, give it a spring clean then reaffirm where you want to be.
If you haven’t got one then now would be a great time to start thinking about where and who you would like to be. After all - you are worth it my friend
I’ll be going into much more detail on the power of visualising and goal setting in future postings - I hope this story has whetted you appetite.
Have fun
Tim xx
Lost Generation
Posted by timtom in Feelgood videos on March 20th, 2009
Hi and wow
It’s the first day of spring and it couldn’t be a more gorgeous day for which I am incredibly thankful and grateful - how is it where you are?
My good friend Richard just sent me this video which is really cool so I thought I would share it with you.
It reminded me that there is always more than one way to view anything. It also reminded me that you always have a choice in the way you think about it and the meaning you give it.
It doesn’t matter where you are now or what situation you are in - you can usually turn it around in some way, if not totally. The only limiting factor is the way you think and the choices you make on a day to day basis.
What are you going to turn around starting NOW?
Have fun
Tim xx
Patrick Henry Hughes - Inspirational Story
Posted by timtom in Feelgood videos on March 18th, 2009
Hey there - how ya doing?
Today I saw this video on YouTube and it touched me incredibly deeply.
I’d been having a challenging day with technology when I came across Patrick’s story. To say it made me feel a little silly for thinking my day was a complete disaster was an understatement.
Patrick literally laughs in the face of adversity and focuses on the gifts he has got - what an example to us all. This amazing little soul lives a rich life and achieves the most incredible things with the help of his dad.
One of those moments when you realise you have no problems
What a pair of hero’s eh! Don’t people just blow you away at times?
Have fun
Tim xx
