It's no longer a climb, but a reaching out.

"Basing our satisfaction and self-esteem on our ability to control people and events actually keeps us feeling stressed out and out of control, ... and all attempts at controlling eventually backfire anyway. Real spiritual freedom comes from authentically participating in the moment-by-moment flow of life, not by getting things to be just right once and for all."

-- Susan M. Campbell, Phd., in Staying Real

So many people spend so much of their lives trying desparately to get to some elusive place where they believe their lasting peace lies, and they do so by striving to attain some "amount" or "level" of something where they feel they can control their circumstances and their environment - some imaginary place where they think there is comfort, safety, and security. In organizations, this striving often looks like the arduous climb to the top of the org chart, or at least as far up as one can get as quickly as possible, ... but new times are coming, and money and rank are not the answers they once were. For many, having had them has only further revealed that truth. This old game of climbing over each other to feel secure, of competing feverishly for scarce positions of comfort and safety, is being dismantled and replaced by a new model, one with a re-awakened motivation behind it - the fundamental human need to feel connected, included, and valued inside something bigger than oneself. And, strangely enough, these feelings largely originate from inside oneself. What a fascinating paradox.

"Some people think the organization charts of the future won't show where or for whom someone works, but rather the connections created by each employee's 'ensemble of relationships.' A true sign of value to the organization will not be 'standing at the top of the heap,' but rather having the most hyper-linked roles."

-- Thomas Petzinger, Jr., in The New Pioneers

So, out of your own self-respect and a deep understanding of your own value proposition, you can make yourself as accessible and as useful as possible to as many people as possible to best "secure" your future in this fast-changing and very insecure world. Try making the quantity and quality of mutually beneficial relationships your new currency, and see what shows up.

Celebrating the day we visited Ephesus - 3 years ago

"I liked Ephesus, because almost a whole city was preserved there. It had both Greek culture and Roman culture - a Christian past and a Muslim present. And, you could touch it. People could walk over everything. We had some really interesting moments imagining life there some 2,000 years ago. It was great. I had an amazing time."

-- Juliet Kim, on a student tour of Ephesus, on the Aegean Coast of Turkey

It was 3 years ago today that Anne (while 4 months pregnant with Jake) and I visited Ephesus, and we were totally blown away by this amazing place. If you'd like to see what I mean, you can take a virtual tour of Ephesus at http://www.sailturkey.com/panoramas/ephesus/ In honor of this beautiful ancient city, and in line with my experiences of today, I found this quote from Heraclitus, a famous philosopher who lived there over 2,500 years ago:

"Struggle and opposition brings concord. Out of chaotic discord comes the fairest harmony."

-- Heraclitus of Ephesus, known as "the weeping philosopher"

I offer this message as a special tribute to those of you who called or met with me today to talk about the beauty and calm that emerges from the most violent storms of life, especially you, P.A., P.B., C.B., M.C., S.F., G.N., and T.P..

The highest (and simplest) form of art

"To fundamentally affect the quality of each day, that is the highest of the arts. Every man is tasked to make his life, even in its most minute details and simplest moments, worthy of the contemplation of his most elevated and critical hour."

-- Henry David Thoreau

Once again, a few pictures are worth thousands of words. These simple moments are "worthy of the contemplation of my most elevated and critical hour." They capture the essence of my life's greatest joy - my love for God's creations (the beauty of nature and all living things), for my family, for friendship. They are the highest form of art.

And, to share another example of extreme synchronicity at work (and talk about making a difference in the quality of one's day), recall that I sent out the following simple little quotes yesterday morning:

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

-- Plato

"Act as if what you do makes a difference, ... and it will."

-- William James
and then last night this beautiful little message comes back to me from the other side of the world. If you recall, a while back I was considering initiating some kind of small monthly fee for this "service," and then I chose instead to invite people to consider contributing $3 per month (the initial suggested "fee" amount) to someone they knew who could really use it, in honor of the value they received from these daily messages - so that they could pass that value on. Well, thank you, v., for your note below. I so love these little deja vu experiences.

"Dear Mr Jim

it has been a long time since i wrote to you although i continue to get inspired by yr messages, each day.

what u started abt. a year ago, the 3$ a month idea, found it's beneficiary today. the same little
girl of about 12 years who did well in her studies last year was brought over to my home by her
grandmother. the accumulated amount 36$ + a little more was handed over to the girl for her
term fee. looking at the girl i felt they must hv been rich sometime back. she is well mannered and
something occured to me that she will make a good Doctor and i told her so.

yes, 3$/month will continue....

Love
v, India"

Be open to life's simplicity.

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

-- Plato

"Act as if what you do makes a difference, ... and it will."

-- William James

Short and sweet is the key this morning. Attitude is everything, always. Think like you are wondrously alive - a magnificent child of God - and you will act accordingly. Know that it is a struggle for all of us - that we are all in it together - and by knowing this you will rise above it, and you will make a profound difference for whomever you touch.

Coming home

One characteristic of a great vacation - whether short or long, near or far - is that you feel ready to come home, loving your life, ready to re-engage the world feeling rested and refreshed.

This has been a great vacation, and we'll be home tomorrow.

Another one worth repeating

"If you become deeply immersed in the beauties of nature you will experience magnificent creation, and nature will feed its quiet beauty into your soul. It's almost like being given a fresh tank of oxygen. Nature is one of the best scripting sources and teaches many beautiful principles and processes. ... Remember to take time to sharpen your saw, and there is no better place to do this than in nature."

-- Stephen R. Covey, from Principle-Centered Leadership

I sent this quote out last year at about this same time, right when we were on our way to Forever Spring. After yesterday's buggy ride with Bill in the forest surrounding his farm (one of my life's all-time favorite experiences), it's value has shown up all over again. Thank you, Stephen Covey ... and, more importantly, thank you, Bill. There's cornbread waffles cooking in the kitchen, and we're about to go have breakfast outside under the live oaks, with a cool breeze blowing and the horses playing in the field. It doesn't get any better than this.