Be on Higher Ground!

"If you desire certain traits, desire to maintain a certain character, then the only way to achieving this state of being is to be it through performing actions that coincide with that state.

If you wish to be just you must perform just actions, if you wish to be strong you must perform with strength. Too many of us spend time wondering 'why not?' without realizing that in those moments of contemplation we could very well be performing the very actions that would make us into what we believe we may not be.

To reach higher ground, simply lift another person up. We experience the lightest step when we relieve ourselves of the weight we choose to carry around with us."

-John Kanary


"If you would lift me up you must be on higher ground."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Success and the Search for it

People get very caught up in the search for success rather than doing what they already know how to do and then doing it until it works. If you struggle with the doing, then you need to visit the WHY.
- John Kanary

Your success is not a matter of doing many things, it is about doing a couple of things exceptionally well and everyone can learn to do that.
-Brian Mennis
Author of "Average to Awesome"

Discipline

Focus & determination are a formidible quality & a raw energy with which to work, but need to be refined by an equally powerful human aspect, one which relies on our power to choose; discipline.

Discipline is the process by which we refine our focus & manifest our ideas, setting down plans of action & following them through. We cannot simply dream, nor can we only act one day & not the next, we must apply forceful & diligent discipline to the raw ore that is our focus in order to obtain anything of worth.

Discipline is the master of habit, making wings of chains that may one day become too heavy too carry but for the moment are too light to be noticed. Get a jump on the competition & on your life & focus on consistency of action every day.

- John Kanary

"Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable, procures success to the weak, and esteem to all."

- George Washington

Heaven on Earth

"Heaven on earth is a choice you must make, not a place we must find."
-Wayne Dyer

Some people will always make their source of true happiness something which needs to be found while it is really something that needs to be chosen. Once chosen, anywhere we are becomes a paradise.
- John Kanary

As we continue our search for our perfect paradise we tend to overlook a few things. Our happiness, health and wealth, our personal heaven, lives within us much like a paper doll to be dressed as we see fit; dressed as whatever we seem to believe will make our paradise.

Soul on Fire

"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor."

-Vince Lombardi

Whatever your goal, it is never too small. Take time to use your short term victories, your 'minors', to fan your soul's fire into a brighter flame. Never relent from your course, as it is commitment that is the worthiest ideal. Others may question your non-negotiable commitment, but the more often this happens, the more you can be sure that your commitment is of admirable strength.

In this life, there is no scarcity, only a lack of resolve.

- John Kanary

Money is Not the Measure

"If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, & ability."
- Henry Ford

Many people make the same mistake of aiming at money, making money itself a goal or desire. This is an undesirable vision & grave mistake as money is worth nothing more than the value it is given. To associate money with security is about as wise as having discussions with your money, eating your money or even burning it to stay warm. We must never forget that money is simply a measure of worth, not the worth itself.

In order to experience true wealth & abundance, we must set our sights above monetary value to those things in our world that we truly desire. We do nothing but cheapen our dreams by pricing them, no matter the value.
- John Kanary

The Price of Integrity

"No man can purchase his virtue too dear, for it is the only thing whose value must ever increase with the price it has cost us. Our integrity is never worth so much as when we have parted with our all to keep it."

-Charles Caleb Cotton


Few things have as much effect on our lives, our interactions with others, our own effect on the world, as our integrity. This virtue pervades our every action, colors us in others' eyes & is fundamental to our perspective of the world & the self. Integrity could be defined as the necessity of our ideas & actions to the greater good, but this would do the virtue little justice.

Our integrity is a culmination of our past deeds & future aspirations, defining our current character. It is a trait that cannot be 'put on' nor 'taken away'. Adopting the importance of your integrity will change every aspect of our lives, but only when we recognize the method by which we create its value. We must be willing to sacrifice everything to maintain our integrity, every personal gain, material good or individual motive for the sake & cause of our necessary role in the bigger picture.

A heart cannot fail for the sake of all other organs in the body, regardless of its own weaknesses. Those weaknesses become the weaknesses of the body. We must serve our higher ideals with a non-negotiable commitment to maintain our integrity through every loss and hardship, holding our heads high & our dreams higher.

- John Kanary

Higher Plain

It is almost as if we exist on a higher plain when we have lost ourselves in a greater power, when our activity is focused & greater than ourselves. Our focus seems to be at it's apex when our actions are greater than ourselves & on that plain there seems to exist a limitless source of energy.

I know that when I am lost in an activity that, by no means, involves me or my ego directly, time whizzes by & I only ever recognize the weariness or exhaustion once I separate myself from the activity, almost like pulling a plug. Whatever you're doing, associate your actions with a goal that is greater than yourself, move towards an object that is far out of reach or an objective that seems impossible & work on your connection with the limitless power there.

- John Kanary

Setting the Bar High

If you are tired of baby steps, take a look at the goals you set. Are you setting goals that are easy to achieve? Are you creating a safe bet? We all need the affirmation of short term victories, but we must also set our sights beyond the comfortable notions we are used to, set our sights on something much greater than what we may know.

It is through the seemingly impossible that we experience the greatest drive. Don't be afraid of being overly-ambitious or setting the bar too high, that you might never complete your mission; your mission is never really complete until your life is.

- John Kanary

The Danger of Complacency

Do not allow your accomplishments weaken your resolve, your ego prevent you from dreaming or your pocketbook give you security. We have all been witness to empires falling & we must remember to stay the course with the same commitment & focus with which we began.

Complacency is a dangerous enemy, perhaps more dangerous than our initial fears or doubts because we have grown to have so much more to lose. Take notice of your motives & whether or not you are maintaining focus & desire. Sometimes, overcoming success is our biggest obstacle.

- John Kanary

Obstacles for Growth

"This society is saturated with stories of workaholics, stress related illnesses & pay check to pay check woes. Is anyone tired of hearing how difficult life can be? How we are all subject to turmoil until the day we die? I don't know about you, but I hear too many stories that sound like they're coming from an ornery grandfather about how life 'should' be tough."

"To me, the truth is that we have been given obstacles as the only true method by which to grow. Without these challenges, life would be pointless. Sure, some seem unfair, even terribly tragic, but these are the very special examples of how much stronger we may grow. It has been my experience, in a very practical sense, through physical exercise, that when we are encountering our moments of greatest weakness we are actually at the doorway to our second wind. This is a simply application of the Law of rhythm, that the tide must go out before coming back in. Without these laws, these weaknesses & obstacles before our second wind & strength, how would we ever gauge the world in which we live, how would we ever grow?"

John Kanary

Doubt & Action

"While we may be aware that our ability to choose our attitude is a major aspect of success, exercising this priveledge is vital. To overcome doubts & worries, welcome them as old friends reminding you that your accomplishments are only a few steps away. Doubt & action are incompatible, but without doubt, or any obstacle for that matter, what resistance would we meet? Without resistance, what motivation would we have to succeed?"

"In the beginning moments of any great accomplishment, there is a trace of doubt. It is in challenging this doubt that we begin to pile the wood & through action that we begin to light our fire."
- John Kanary

"Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother."
-Kalil Gibran

Choose our Perspective

"If your present circumstances feel dark, troublesome or too difficult to manage & you feel enveloped in shadow, remember that every shadow is cast by light. Through that shadow lies an obstacle in your life, beyond which shines that light. You can strain your eyes trying to make sense of the obstacle or the circumstance around you, soaked in darkness, or you can save your sight & give yourself some words of optimism & hope. Before every dawn is a deep twilight.

We have the option of choosing our perspective, especially in the most difficult of times. This is our truest & most valuable tool in leading a successful life."

- John Kanary

The Source of Possibilities

"Ideas, theories and concepts are only expressions of our greatness, they not the heart of possibility; we are! Our providence is the great gift of containing the capacity to achieve anything that we may desire, that we are the core of possibility, that in the face of any obstacle, man or woman may toil, fight, struggle or climb to surmount anything in his or her path.

There really is nothing that limits an individual; no disability, mountain or river can withstand a focused mind but the mind itself. Examine the thoughts that govern your daily activities and identify those thoughts that may be holding you back. Choose to break away today."
- John Kanary

"Man is so made that when anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish."
-John LaFontaine

Importance of Mental & Spiritual Activities

We human beings are subject to the same set of physical & natural laws as the rest of the world, & due to our gift of consciousness (self awareness) & the ability to choose our actions (choice and free will), we are further subject to these laws on a deeper, spiritual level. Inactivity of the body yields obvious results; atrophy, obesity etc. So do we become stagnant of mind & spirit through mental & spiritual inactivity. That's the reason why we need time for thinking & reflection, time for contemplation & devotion.

"We must be aware that nothing in this world holds stasis, but is constantly in motion, either growing or disintegrating. The mind and spirit are not excluded from these Laws. We must activate our mind and spirit to paint our dreams in vibrant color through visualisation and conversation, embellish your desires with fragrances, music or any image that would enhance those dreams. There is no such thing as over dreaming so long as you are continuing to follow through with intelligent plans and physical action. Manifest your dreams through activity of the mind, spirit and body and you will experience an abundance beyond belief."
- John Kanary

"Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity, and in cold weather becomes frozen, even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind."
-Leonardo Da Vinci