As a global society, we’re going through some tough times. Some days it feels like we’re in a rut and we’ll be stuck here forever. I want to remind you that whatever difficulty you are experiencing in your life- this too shall pass.

On this day, March 4th, 2010, do you recognize these words below?

“In such a spirit on my part and yours we face our common difficulties. They concern, thank God, only material things. Values have shrunken to fantastic levels; taxes have risen; our ability to pay has fallen; government of all kinds are faced with serious curtailment of income; the means of exchange are frozen in the currents of trade; the withered leaves of industrial enterprise lie on every side; farmers find no market for their produce; the savings of many years in thousands of families are gone.

More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence and an equally great number toil with little return. Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.

Yet our distress comes from no failure of substance. We are stricken by no plague of locusts. Compared with the perils which our forefathers conquered because they believed and were not afraid, we have still much to be thankful for. Nature still offers her bounty, and human efforts have multiplied it. Plenty is at our doorstep, but a gracious use of it languishes in the very sight of the supply.

Primarily, this is because the rulers of the exchange of mankind’s goods have failed through their own stubbornness and their own incompetence, have admitted their failure and abdicated… They know only the rules of a generation of self-seekers. They have no vision, and when there is no vision the people perish. The money-changers have fled from their high seats in the temple of our civilization. We may now restore that civilization to the ancient truths.

The measure of the restoration lies in the extent to which we apply social values more noble than mere monetary profit. Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.

The joy and moral stimulation of work must no longer be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits. These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and our fellow men… “

—–

Do you know when this was said and by whom? Perhaps his original introduction will help you….

“This great nation will endure as it has endured, will revive, and will prosper. So first of all let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror, which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

Okay, now do you who said this? If you are still uncertain, I’ll give you a big hint- this was said on March 4th, 1933, exactly 77 years ago today. It was part of the first Inaugural Speech of US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, yet his wisdom seems so timely today.

As you may remember, when FDR was elected president the USA was in a depression. In this address, FDR “sought to banish the fear of the present and of the future which held the American people and the American spirit in its grasp.”

So today, 77 years later, I’d like to thank FDR for these timeless words of hope and wisdom. Just as dark times passed 77 years ago, whatever you might be experiencing right now shall also pass. As Annie said, “The sun will come out tomorrow.” And tomorrow is now. Put fear aside and remember, we still have so much to be grateful for.

And today, just like 77 years ago, we have an opportunity to reach out to our fellow man around the world. It is in that spirit that I ask you, “What can I do for you today? How can we be of greater service to you?” Please share your thoughts and musings below in our comment section.

We’re here at InspireMeToday.com and on Twitter to help you stay inspired throughout the day. Please, reach out and let us know how we can best serve you. We care, we appreciate you and we love you.

Hugs,

Gail

Where in your life are your settling? This past weekend I had a long conversation with a friend who unexpectedly announced she’s getting married. Usually that’s cause for celebration but in this case it isn’t. My reason for saying that is this- she’s getting married for the sake of not being alone, rather than because she believes this man is the love of her life. As she says, “We’re good friends and I don’t believe I’ll ever find bliss, so it’s better to settle than be alone”.

While I understand her not wanting to be alone, part of me is screaming, “Yes, but if you settle, you close the door for bliss to ever enter!”

Most of us would probably tell her that she should wait until she meets the right man, or find a way to be happy on her own, or all kinds of other well-intended advice to prevent her from settling. Yet we all settle in some way or another in our own life.

This made me ask myself the question…“Where am I settling in my life and more importantly, why do we settle?” As I’m writing this I’m hearing the voice of Jennifer Nettles of the country band Sugarland singing “I ain’t settling for anything less than everything“. Yet, we do it every day.

I believe that most times we settle for one reason. As much as we may want something, we don’t believe that we deserve or can have the best that life has to offer. Deep down inside, we believe that certain things- health, wealth, abundance or love- are for “other” people. Wouldn’t now be a good time to change that thought and realize that if we are deserving of breath in this very moment, we are deserving of all of the splendor that life has to offer?

What would life look like if you knew without a doubt that you deserved the dream you’ve been dreaming? How would it feel like to wake up and know that it is attainable? If you’re anything like me, just thinking that thought provides a wonderful sense of hope and excitement.

It all starts with vision, intention and belief.

Vision: If you want a great relationship, job, dream or anything else, get clear on what you want. When I knew that I wanted to find the love of my life, I sat down and made a list of 157 traits that I wanted in this man. Then, I focused on those things and celebrated finding this “perfect” man- before I ever met him. Celebrating in advance has a magical way energetically of attracting this into your life. Creating the vision is the first step.

Intention: Move forward as if it’s already happened. If you’re waiting to do step B until step A happens, take action as if step A has already occurred. Step out and state your intention to the Universe and from that action more doors will open to take you to step B. It seems counter intuitive but if you clearly state your intention through your actions, it will move your closer to achieving your dreams.

Belief: No matter what life might look like for you today, believe that the sun will come out tomorrow. Believe that the life you so desire CAN be yours. Believe that the right mate, job, opportunity or dream is waiting for you. Belief has a strong way of attracting what you want into your life.

Lastly, think about this…. If other people have achieved their goal or found what they want in their life, then you know it’s possible, right? And if it’s possible, why shouldn’t the same principles hold true for you? (They do).

I have a friend named Niki who put bright yellow Post-It notes throughout her home saying nothing more than, “Why Not Me!” Those three little words helped her move from a place of settling and empowered her to remember that someone has to win the lottery, someone has to find the man of their dreams, someone has to succeed in business…. so WHY NOT ME! As a side note, within two years of doing this project she created a successful business that generated over $7 million in profits- which she donated to orphanages in third world countries- All from not settling for anything less than everything, and from asking Why Not Me?!

I encourage you to look at your life and ask the same questions. Where are you settling and why? You deserve the very best that life has to offer. Create the vision, act from your intention and move forward with belief. Remember, if someone has to do great things or create abundance in their life- why not you?

Yesterday morning a bald eagle came to visit me at our home on Flathead Lake in Northwestern Montana. I saw him on a tree just off our deck, as I opened the door to let our dog, Koda, outside. It was a chilly morning and I was still in my robe. Not wanting to miss this opportunity, I quickly grabbed my camera and ran back out to the deck, only to find it covered with a thin coat of ice. (I almost went flying.)

It was disconcerting how this eagle just sat there in the tree looking at me. I was freezing as I  wasn’t dressed for the weather, but I couldn’t bear to tear myself away from him.

In the 20 minutes or so that I spent with the eagle, I felt as if he were there to remind me of wisdom I’d forgotten or to teach me something I needed to know.

My first view of him was as the sun was still reaching this part of the lake.

Here are some quick things I learned from the eagle:

Be ready for SURPRISE in your life. Magic can appear around the next corner, just as I didn’t expect to see him.

Take the time to allow childlike WONDER to be a part of your life. Soak in the magnificence.

APPRECIATE the beauty and joy in the world around you and more will be given to you. The more I kept saying “Thank You” to the eagle, the longer he stayed.

Live in a state of AWE at the magic in each individual moment. The beauty is always there if we pause to find it.

EXCITEMENT is a good thing! The thrill of being so close to this eagle kept my mind off other things (like being cold) and helped me to focus just on the moment.

VISUALIZE what you want. I saw the perfect shot in my mind and knew that he would turn his head  to give me the perfect angle – and he did.

PATIENCE is important when you’re waiting for something that you can’t control- like the sun. I waited more than 10 minutes in the cold for the sun to light the bird’s perch to make my photo beautiful- and it was worth the wait. The photos before the sun arrived don’t compare to the beauty of the natural light.

CHALLENGES are a part of life. When the camera battery died, I was worried that he’d fly away if I left for a minute. I practiced HOPE and FAITH that that he’d stay right where he was as I ran back inside for a new battery- and he did!

I was very GRATEFUL that he waited for me and was so happy to get this shot when I returned.

ABUNDANCE is there for us, if we only believe it is. This eagle stayed and  posed for 37 photos!

I felt such a feeling of CELEBRATION at the success of this morning. I knew some of these photos were going to be amazing.

I was very GRATEFUL for the experience and LUCKY to be able to share it with people in cities around the world who may not be lucky enough to see an eagle out their back door.

This eagle reminded me to LIVE IN THE MOMENT, for when we do, we can find beauty all around us.

As our photo session concluded, the eagle took one last look at Koda and me and flew off across the lake. As he left, he reminded me that no matter how good or how bad thing might be, nothing is permanent. LIFE IS CHANGE and is in constant flow, but there is beauty if you just pause to find it.

Today, go look for your eagle. I don’t mean this in a literal sense, but rather, look for the beauty around you and see what you can learn from it. Take the time to really pause and ask yourself what you too can learn from the situation.

If you are inspired to share it, please feel free to comment below. Thank you for being such an important part of our community.

Earlier this week in response to Today’s Brilliance by Michael Bungay Stanier, I asked our InspireMeToday.com family the question, “If you could know the date of your death, would you want to know?”

The reactions were very interesting. Almost 2/3rds of those who commented on the main blog and on Twitter said “NO”, about 5% said maybe, and the remaining 1/3  responded with “YES”. The average age of those who responded with “No” was more than 10 years younger than those who responded with “Yes”.  Perhaps as we age the date or our demise would be easier or more advantageous to know?

Many of you asked me how I would answer this question. Although I can see benefits to many of the reasons for the “Yes” and the “No” answers included on the blog or in the tweets, I think I would lean more towards “Yes” for several reasons.

- We say we live each day like it’s our last, but most of us really don’t. If we really did, the word ‘worry’ wouldn’t be in our vocabulary. Think about it…. if you knew you only had a week left here on Earth, would you spend any time worrying about anything?

- Most of us expect to live a long, fulfilled life and therefore we put off a lot of things until ’someday’. When you go on vacation you manage to schedule the things that you want to do or see into the week because you know how long you have to do so. Therefore, I think if we knew we only had 40 or 50 years we would spend them more wisely and place a higher value on those days than we do when we think they are endless.

- And for all those who commented that  “It would be too stressful to know”, I only have one question for you. Don’t you already know now, to a certain degree? We have the benefit of statistics to tell us that most of us won’t live past 80, so you’re probably not booking a lot of events or vacations now for when you’re in your 90’s or 100’s.

But, all of this is kind of a moot point, because we can’t know, and in that, there is  magic. For me, the secret is to truly live and appreciate each day as if it could be our last, cherish our relationships by letting others know how much they mean to us, practice forgiveness, celebrate each moment for the gift that it is, don’t take anything for granted and don’t wait until ’someday’ to do the things on your bucket list. If we live by these principals then it won’t matter if we know the date or not, for our lives will be rich and blessed everyday.

Thanks to all who contributed to the blog and answered via Twitter. Should you wish to add your comments below, know that you are welcome to do so.

Here are the responses from Twitter:

Mteninty Yes! 39

wewriteonyou Yes

Jenom I vote yes

LibanaMusic Yes! an extra piece of the puzzle.

AnnaKDeLeo No!!! 28. I think we need to live in the moment, no matter what.

Gis4Girl Aabsolutely not. I’m 35.

hprog No. 33.

castleview NO!  65yrs.

KelByrd Definitely not. (No) 23 years old.

missphenom No because what if you do not die that day? Also your focus will be on your death date instead of the days you are alive.

RobertHruzek What whack job would really want to know that? Yeesh!

angelmarie_3 I’m 18, and nope I wouldn’t wanna know. I live everyday like it could be my last.

ElizabethPW My answer is no. because I live life as if I will die today and as if I will live forever.

kayabayb No, 23

BrettBorders NO, 33

ChebbiPon NO. I don’t want to know  date of my death. Whatever happens, happens.. What matters most is how you live your life so far.

calichiny No way // age :24

KarenAngstadt I’m 36 & I’ll continue ur trend. NO. I’d rather get 2 experience practice of living in the moment w/o knowing.

chris_tate24 No, I wouldn’t want to know, age 43. I think it would paralyze me and not allow me to live as I would have.

AMerems No I want to live each day! As if it was my last!!

sagesayings NO! 40

missgblog No & Yes, I would want to know an approximate ammnt of time so I could live life like it were my last.(but not exact day)

ellenfweber Gr question. I’d need to reflect the ethics and all pros/cons before I decide:-)Each day we should live as if the last. It could be toxic for person’s who struggle at times with moods and good to stir up those who move slowly on life issues:-)

Thanks again to all who commented here, on Twitter and on the main blog. I greatly appreciate your being a part of the InspireMeToday.com community.

Big hugs and love,

Gail