It’s 3:07am. I am awake and listening. The voice in my head is skeptical as to why I am awake. I tried to roll over, but I have been listening to the dvd of Dr. Wayne Dyer. He talks about how in the early morning hours is when we are the most connected to God or Spirit. This is when he does most of his writing for his books.

I am choosing to rewrite what the negative voice in my head has been saying. It has been telling me to go back to sleep. It’s been saying things which do not support me… It’s been speaking a language I refuse to understand or listen to. It has been speaking in fear and imitation.

As a writer and as a man there are certain things I choose to share. What those are and where I am going with this, I choose to know. I learned about conscious language years ago from Robert Tennyson Stevens. I have called that weekend spent with him my Birth Day. I say Birth Day because it was the day I was released from the Matrix and the truth was revealed to me. The truth that I have a choice in my life. I can choose to be wealthy, I can choose to be healthy, I can choose to be happy, and it is that simple. Everything is a choice.

I use the Matrix analogy because that movie is packed with so many truths. You may recall when Cypher is sitting and having dinner with Mr. Smith. He shares his desire to return to the Matrix because he didn’t want to think anymore. Once we learn that we have a choice in our life we gain power over our life. With great power comes great responsibility.  Life was so much easier as a child with no responsibility.

And the ringing in my ears continues. For now I am writing. The negative voice asks what the hell am I writing about. The positive voice knows to just keep writing. Edit. Share the good stuff which will have an impact on others in a positive light.

Remember, there is greatness within you. There is greatness within all of us. Look for the greatness within yourself and share it. Breathe it in. Do great things. Refuse to settle for second best when you know you deserve the best. Give your best effort… always.

I love the movie Rocky Balboa. Sly Stalone’s character gives a great speech to his son wherein he says, “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”

As hard as life can ever hit, recognize that life has hit someone else harder. Read the biographies of great people. People who have come from humble beginnings. People who have accomplished so much more with so much less. Then tell yourself, “If they can do it, I can too.”

There is a speaker who I met years ago and to this day find to be a great inspiration to me. His name is Ron Heagy. I was recently reading his biography. Ron Heagy broke his neck the day before his 18th birthday. Since that day, he has been a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the neck down. While many would simply give up, Ron made another choice. He chose to “get better rather than bitter.” With that positive attitude he received a master’s degree, became an inspirational speaker, talented mouth painter, accomplished author and founder of a special needs camp. He is a loving and devoted husband and father. Now, 27 years later, when he rolls on stage in his wheel chair he opens with, “I’m paralyzed from the neck down. What’s your excuse?”  When I first heard that, I found my life to be pretty darned easy. Remember, “…it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”

James Christopher

ThruJimsEyes.com

I don’t drink alcohol, generally speaking, but I do enjoy a good beer every once and a while. I always find it interesting, the crowd which beer attracts. Living here in Hawaii we have seen a few beer festivals in Honolulu and we have seen a few wine festivals.  They attract completely different clientele.

The wine festivals are always more quiet and reserved. The beer festival, well gosh… “It’s a festival so we’re supposed to get loud and party. Right?” As I say, beer and wine attract different crowds. Sufficed to say I prefer the crowd of the wine festival but the beer of the beer festival.

When it comes to beer, I like a good dark beer. When I was younger I was weened onto beer with such names as Löwenbräu, Heineken, & Corona.  I, luckily, never acquired a taste for Budweiser, Coors, or Thunderbird.  I quit drinking alcohol some years after college.  I have heard my whole life how the British ales were quite fantastic. When I took my first trip to Europe I knew I would want to try some of the beers and ales over there. Thus, to date I am the only person I’ve known who weened themselves back onto alcohol. This of course was to try these fine British ales. I flew into London. I took the rail (train) to Nottinghamshire where I stayed in Thoresby Hall Hotel just outside of Sherwood Forrest.

There I met a (soon to become) good friend James Doonan. He was originally from Edinburgh, Scotland. I remember joking with him. I said, “You are from Scotland. Great. Maybe you can help me. I have heard of 2 cities: Edinburough and Edinburgh which won is it.”  He replied, “Edinbudda.” I laughingly responded, “Now that’s 3!!”

Regardless of how you pronounce the names in the U.K. they do have some of the best smoothest brews I have ever had.  It was well worth weening myself back onto alcohol. So well worth it I brought a 6-pack back to the state with me. Their red ales were smooth and tasty and went down like kool-aid. Ahhhhhhhh. They are not over carbonated like here in the states so they tend to be deceiving and can hit you hard before you know it. Then you stand up. I highly recommend playing darts, snooker, or pool while drinking their beers and ales. That way when it is time to sit down it is time to slow down.

At a recent Beer Fest I had the opportunity to try possibly the best beer I have ever had.  As the story goes with many a microbrew: The ale is from a gentleman who has been brewing since his first brew kit in college. His hobby became his passion.  He opened a brewery and restaurant and is cranking out some amazing brews. The one I tried is from Moylan’s Brewery called Irish Style Red Ale. It has that red caramel flavor that I love and it goes down your throat so smoothly. It’s the type of beer that tastes amazing and fills you up.  You truly feel satiated after a single 20 ounce bottle.  Mmmmmmm. If you have the chance folks, I recommend you make a trip to Novato, California or seek out a distributor of beer who stocks this fine drink.  This is what I talk about when I speak of a life worth living. Thank you Brendan Moylan for crafting a truly life enriching drink.

James Christopher

ThruJimsEyes.com

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