Leader (By the Disciple)

I was trying to work on the post for the game last week. As I continue to analyze the direction of that, enjoy this piece on Kurt Warner.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?page=hotread17/kurtwarner&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1

He is quite the example.

Seasons (by the Disciple)

Seasons.

True to my word, we have a one word title. This week I want to discuss two themes. We all know what a season is, but this is the thought of the redemptive qualities of each day we live. But, first I want to start with the idea of turning the page.

Turning the Page.

Well, you would think we would be on a bit of a sour note after the destruction on Sunday, but we are persistent. It will take a whole lot more to derail the movement that is happening than one poor game.

The Cardinals need to turn the page. They need to wash off what has happened. Not just the loss, but all of it. They need to cleanse themselves of the past. They need to re-establish themselves.

The main goal of the season was to make the Play-offs. That goal is complete. Now, we need to revamp and aim for a higher threshold.

The threshold needs to test the limits of ourselves. The threshold needs to be the most lofty and inconceivable outcome that we could imagine. If you challenge yourself to the ultimate goal of self, then you will find out how much you can handle.

If you understand that the world is energy. If you understand that everything is connected and the actions you take will not only affect your life but those closest to you. If you understand this mindset, then you can understand the importance of turning the page.

You need to get yourself out of the mindset of the past. You need to get yourself out of trying to repair what is broken. You need to stop worrying about others and their opinions toward the life you are leading.

If you are happy with the life you have, then continue. If you are unhappy, change. But, be aware that when you change, everything around you will change. Everything that holds value to you at the moment of your reversal will change its shape.

The same things and people will not make you feel the same way as they once did. You will think that you lost something. That you lost a connection with someone if you determine that your current course is not healthy and you need a change.

People will get angry and fight because they don’t like when the boat gets rocked. People don’t like when other people change because that makes them uncomfortable.

If everything is indeed energy and if you are living a life that is not fulfilling, you know that it is not. You know that you are not happy but distract yourself with petty things.

These petty things create a false world that is based on negative energy. Negative energy is the cause for all pain.

But, all that negative energy and that negative world that you created can be changed. If everything is energy, all you need to do is switch your mindset.

It may mean that you need to remove a hobby. You remove a job. You remove a person.

Then, only then, will you be making the change that you need to in order to be the person you are meant to be.

Trust me, it’s not easy. It’s not easy to change everything you know and destroy the world around you. But, if that would is self-destructive, you need to dissolve the world before it dissolves your humanity.

Turning the page is also about symmetry. Symmetry is in everything in the world. The world is broken down to 12 months. The months are broken down evenly between 4 seasons. The days are broken into 24-hour periods.

If you truly want to live in every moment you have an understanding toward the importance of each second. You understand what can happen in a second and the worth each of these have in our daily lives.

Analyze a day like you do a year. The morning when you rise is like spring. The early afternoon is like Summer. Dusk is like Fall and the evening is reserved for Winter.

You wake up and everything is new. You woke up today to an entirely new world at your fingertips. You could create and do anything that you want to do in this gift of the morning. This feeling is the same that over joys us in the Spring.

It is a feeling of renewal. It is a feeling of Hope and excitement. It is a feeling that overcomes you with happiness.

Then comes summer. Summer is a time that will cause you to enjoy life. You can relax and enjoy the fondest part of your existence. It is the time of the day when everything should slow down and you should recognize the small details of your surroundings.

Fall follows and the time of transition begins. The fall is the season where everything begins to prepare for a rest. You are exhausted from the energy and happiness that is brought by spring and summer.

Last, we have winter. Winter is the time that you need to regenerate. It is a time that allows for you to seize the run around, seize the commotion of everything around you and just relax with your inner spirit and mind. This is the same system that enables us each evening as we prepare ourselves for the next adventure the following morning.

Concluding, life is energy. We are all connected and when something is over you need to understand that the energy in it is gone too.
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There is no use trying to fight for a memory that is gone. Enjoy the memory, love the moment you had, but prepare yourself for the next one you will make.

Understand that each day is a lifetime. That each morning when you wake up you are completely cleansed from the previous days activities. You have the chose every morning to create the canvas of your life.

Just be happy. Understand the things and people in your life that make you happy and fill your heart. Locate the people that are in bad states and out of sorts. Try to help, but understand only a person can make the choice on their own to change the energy around them.

I love you all and be happy. We are about to begin anew in a few short weeks. And with the spring, comes new adventures with new people!

Be safe and smile today!

Dream (by the Disciple)

Dream.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce to you the

2008 NFC West CHAMPION

Arizona Cardinals!

I have been waiting to write those words for over 15 years now.

Onto business, as you loyal readers know by now I am dictating to you on the basis of one word titles for the remainder of the season. Hope you like it.

A dream is something that happens to you when you fall asleep. In the case that you do not sleep, like I have not slept for a few days now, these dreams fail to exist. Like someone very close to me recently told me, when this begins to happen to you; you need to rest . . . It helps.

If you are like most people and do get your rest, you do dream. You dream about silly things like going grocery shopping, or you dream about profound things like your death or talking to someone who is dead.

This will not delve into what dreams mean, as they say that dreams are only interesting to the person who dreamt it.
What I want to shed light onto is a different kind of dream. The kind that does not happen in your subconscious when you are asleep, but the one that motivates you everyday.

You can keep your dream to yourself and it could be a spiritual journey. Or, you can be vocal with your desire and broadcast it to the world.

Everyone is either living in a dream or working to make a dream come true.

The Cardinals had a dream and as a member of the Nation this dream materialized in a playoff birth.

It is that sort of goal that will motivate you to action. It is that objective that is needed to keep us on pace and continue to move ourselves forward.

Life is a constant progression. It is a progression of moments that are built together. These moments become days. The days become months and etc. . .

What is your dream? Are you living your dream? Are you building for your dream?

My dream since the time I was young was to be somebody. I wanted to be somebody that helped others. I wanted to always be happy and make the people that I love be happy as well.

This was a dream that was sidetracked recently. I lost track of who I was and what I was doing and how I was making others feel.I would like to discuss these as the Dark Ages of my life. We all go through these times. When you feel overwhelmed and everything that you have to do causes so much stress it is easier to run than to exist.

This is when you need to dream.

You need to remember what brought that smile to your face when you were a child. You need to surround yourself with the people that cause your heart to be filled. You need to simply be happy.

You need to dream so you can remember that you can do whatever you want to do. Your life is what exists in your mind and the perception of your conscious is how you see the world.

You need to dream and be that person you have always wanted to do.

The hardest thing to do is take that first step. When you are overwhelmed it is easier to place your dream out of mind as it will only cause you to feel worse about the time and life you are wasting.

When you are happy, your dream will allow you to move forward. It will create the world around you as you want it to be. You are the most powerful person in the world and dictate everything that happens to you.

The Cardinals found this out. When you have a dream and a goal to do something and it is achieved, you become the happiest person in the world. They were down, they were counted out for decades, but endless work has created this special moment in their lives.

As a human it is nearly impossible to remember days. You cannot remember everyday of your life, but you do remember moments. Moments make your life memorable and allow you to remember everything your heart and soul has gone through.
When I was much younger than I am today and was so naïve. I was in Germany. I was visiting Europe and this was part of my life experience that would mark how much of a man I had become.

Like all good philosophers, my friend and I became enlightened while walking. This walk took us around Berlin and showed us a lifestyle that we observed more than lived in, as these people were completely different from us.

The question was this:

“What gets you up everyday? What makes you want to live and what makes you the happiest?”

It was difficult for me to answer as it was something that I never thought about. I never actually analyzed the reason to get up, past the fact that you need to in order to live. After a few moments of consideration, I discovered my answer. It was an answer that would lead to what my dream is. It is an answer that will make all over my actions, outside of my period in the Dark Ages, make sense to myself and those closest.

I simply looked at him and all of his wisdom and told him:

“To make people happy. I get up everyday because I know that I will make someone smile and laugh and better someone else’s day.”

When this moment happened it was not that big of a deal. I just thought it sounded good and I didn’t know what else to say.
But now, years later, it has all come full circle. I look at that moment in my life and everything that has followed and that statement has been the catalyst to allow myself to make sense of my life. It is a life that has caused me to feel much pain and struggle, but has been so very fulfilling. I have loved and lost, then loved and lost again, but it has opened my heart to everyone.

Everything happens for a reason and all the energies are connected. Allow yourself to dream and love everything you encounter. Do not hold any contempt to those around and open your heart to your enemy.

The way to find heaven on earth is to love your enemies. If you love the person you are supposed to hate, who else is left for that negative energy?

The Arizona Cardinals will be hosting a play-off game in January and will let all the Nation celebrate their dream with them. They have conquered the fears and doubts within themselves to develop and grow into one of the best teams in the league.
There is nothing that you will ever face that is too powerful for you to handle. The person who has suffered and survived the most, have led the most fruitful life.

My desire for each of you is to dream. Dream for the first time in your life. Dream again and again. Be that little kid inside of your heart that wants to fly. Be whoever you need to be to feel that joy in your life again.

It is the holiday season and a time that will cause some of us to feel melancholy over what we have lost or what maybe gone at this time. Allow yourself to feel the good moments and dream with positive and loving energy.

What is your dream and what gets you out of bed every morning? Is it the love of someone else? Is it the look your dog gives when he sees you? Is it simply knowing that whatever happens is meant to be?

It is different for each person. Find yourself and you will find your dream.

Nation: Our dreams are finally coming true every morning when we awake to another sparkling day!

Love ya guys and keep the happiness in your heart.

LOVE (by the Disciple)

This is a re-post on my previous words. I just wanted to shed light onto this theme in light of where the Cardinals have led us as well as the celebration for President Obama.

Enjoy!

Love.

I think I am on a roll with one word titles. I am going to see if I could continue the pattern for the rest of the year. My first writing teacher in college would hate me for it, but what does he know, he only has books published and a career. I have a blog!

So, back on topic. The word again is linked with an emotion. It is a word that is just a word if you remove that emotion. In fact, without emotion behind it, the word is somewhat simple and boring. But, when the emotion enters the equation again it becomes the most beautiful word in the entire language.

They say that there is only one form of Love. That is the form of unconditional Love. That is a Love that never fades and is always there. It is the light that is in your heart that motivates you through the darkest of moments and it is the sensation that a memory or thought of a love one fills you with when you are completely alone.

Love never fades. It is something that never leaves you. When you truly Love something it doesn’t come and go like the fog of San Francisco. It is not an emotion that can change depending on the time of day. It is truly unconditional.

You cannot fall out of Love. You cannot one day look around and say, there is nothing around me beautiful enough to Love. That doesn’t happen, because unlike any of the other emotions, Love is not dependant on one person. You cannot Love something; that cannot Love you back. You can fear or hate or be happy or frustrated by something; and that something can have no idea it is causing you to feel this way.

But Love. That’s different. Once you Love something it is the truest expression of self as you are courageously exposing your soul to another.

I Love the Arizona Cardinals.

It is a Love that will never be compromised and no matter where my journey goes and who I meet down the road, they will always have a piece of my heart.

In the beginning of the season, and up until about eleven days ago, everyone else loved the Cardinals too. The Nation was growing and everyone was getting caught in the chaos of what might be and where this campaign may take us.

Then, we lose 2 games, everything gets turned upside down and those new members of Nation cashed in their cards. It’s not trendy or cool to support a team that is struggling.

The Cardinals have been out-classed the previous two games, one in front of the Nation on Thanksgiving. That is enough for the tarnish to be removed and the Honeymoon Period to be completely destroyed.

If you do research on relationships they break down into a structured pattern. It is a structure that happens in almost all relationships. Think back to your previous Love’s and see how accurate it is. But before we do that, you need to understand that the Honeymoon phase only exists for women and men will usually not feel this same way.

When a relationship starts, you both are smitten. You love doing everything together and you spend hours just talking. Everything you say to each other is profound and you complete each other in ways you never knew were possible.

This continues for a few months, depending on your personalities and time spent together. This is, in essence, the “Honeymoon phase.”

Once a woman begins to feel compromised in the relationship and the interest from the man lessens, confidence issues are created. She will go through an identity crisis and begin to lose her footing in the world around her. In the end, she becomes overwhelmed with the relationship.

At this point, it gets interesting. Does she stay around and truly Love you so you can work on the relationship; or does she flee and run away without ever turning back?

This is the usual tipping point for relationships. The timetable above is just based on research, but like anything is up for debate depending on the relationship. But the main goal of the research is this:

Do you stay in a relationship because you think it can work out and you love the other person; or do you run because it is too much work and you would rather repress whatever emotions you did or do have?

Now, if we link this research with that of the Cardinals this season it could be understood that those still here and battling are those who will fight for the Love.

They are the members of Nation that look at the Cardinals as more than a team that wins, but can identify with the struggle they face as a young team trying to build.

You have to look yourself in the eye and Love yourself before you can ever let anyone into your heart.

The Cardinals are learning to Love themselves. Despite the recent struggles, the Cardinals are still a team that is getting comfortable and confident with their positioning.

For a decade the Cardinals have been a team that have had the Nation love them. They were a team that never had confidence in themselves and the Nation was always there to try and pick them up. It’s a tough deal of it to unconditionally Love something and not have the Love returned to you only because they didn’t know how to express it.

The Cardinals are finding out how to express that Love this season.

They are returning the years and years of one-sided caring from the Nation with the hopes of a play-off birth and the possibility to finally make the Nation smile again.

It is a tough life to lead when everything you have learned to Love is taken away and you are constantly left heart broken. It will cause you to run when you feel Love, because you don’t trust the other person from doing what everyone else has down to that tainted heart.

What I say to that is, Love everything. Love everyone. Love is the only emotion you should feel everyday and if you allow yourself to Love, you will set yourself free. Everyone is different and when you find you are falling down that slippery slope of Love, just close your eyes and open your heart.

When your heart breaks, it’s not broken, just injured. The moments that caused you to feel that way for someone or something are not gone but repressed. You will always be loved if you remember the way that Love made you feel and the moments in the past will never be gone, but forever saved in your mind.

Concluding, this is simply about Love. Love everything and everyone. If you are fried and stressed, take a moment to meditate and get your self centered to the point of that first Love. Just remember how the look of the Love of your life would ground you and make you melt.

The moments are always in your memory, so use them when you are feeling overwhelmed.

Thanks and be Happy! Love something new today; it’ll open your eyes!