Inspiration Archives: Joseph Cortese

Put your ego, pride, and independence aside. No one can do it alone. You can rise above the negativity and re-shape the perceptions you have of the world around you. So many times the answers are right there in front of your eyes. Be positive, and address and acknowledge your emotions.

My former world exploded into a fireball. I lost friends, my daughters and family, my house, my possessions, my formerly good physical and mental health, and countless other things that I had grown accustomed to as an everyday part of my life.

For consolation and spirituality, I resorted to my background studies in Christianity and mythology. Putting pride aside, I vocalized my feelings with counselors and close friends. Like the mythological Phoenix, I rose out of the ashes.

I have always admired the Phoenix's immortality, its ability to endure everything and anything, and still strive. Legend has it that the Phoenix was a creature of unparallel beauty, a paragon, and a model of quintessential perfection. To "rise like a phoenix from the ashes" is to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. I chose the Phoenix as the symbol for the life-changing events that had reduced me to ashes, personally and professionally, and then allowed me to "rise again."

We have much more in common as human beings than we are prone to believe. We are all sailors in the same boat, looking for light and inspiration to guide us on our journey. Any person, of whatever persuasion, can become a phoenix in his or her own struggles.

We must not remain mired in own labyrinths of self-pity and doubt. No matter how abandoned, isolated, and lonely we may feel at times, things will get better. Perhaps not today, or tomorrow, or when we think they should, but with patience, prayer, and thinking positively we will get through the rough times.

Positives make individuals feel good about themselves and others. They permeate emotions and create momentum for change. Emotions, not statistics, data, or hard facts, are the energies that fuel thinking and choices in life. In fact, an estimated 90% of decisions are emotionally derived.

If we feel hopeful and POSITIVE, we will radiate POSITIVITY, through a process of self-development which I call Phoenixivity, a blend of the words Phoenix and Positivity. Phoenixivity is the art of using positive thinking and positive behavior to manifest and achieve success.

Most of us are subjected to more than our daily dose of negativity. Ultimately, we control our own thoughts and "we become what we think." It reminds us of the old adage, "You are what you eat." Positivity and all positive thoughts come from our own individual perspectives and perceptions of the world and events around us. We are responsible for what we think. We control our positive and negative energies.

We need to find the positive in everything. We must cultivate positivity, not only think about it. Embrace the positives in life. And remember the Phoenix!