Ever wonder how seeing the good in someone before they do can leave you feeling silly or stupid?

Having faith in someone or putting your trust in someone is a great thing. It is a brave thing to do and yet if they do no respond in a positive way…if in return they show a side that is untrustworthy or not loyal then we are left feeling like the failure? Why is that?


“When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves.” -William Arthur Ward

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Editor’s Note: This is a contribution by Leanne Kallal from Tiny Buddha

“You are very powerful, provided you know how powerful you are.” ~Yogi Bhajan

Have you ever stopped to think about your definition of fear?

As my dear friend Mr. Webster states, fear is “an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.”

Simply put, I disagree with this definition of fear.

My definition of fear goes something like this….

“An opportunity for self discovery and self growth; a well of untapped personal power and strength; the gateway from wishing and wanting to doing and being.”

The truth is, for most of us, fear is present on a regular basis, but the form that it chooses to present itself in is constantly changing. Maybe you experience anxiety, a deep nervousness, confusion, lack of motivation, uncertainty, or something unidentifiable deep within.

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"The illusion of "I am that" holds many of us captive in prisons of our own making. In the struggle to define ourselves as individuals, we often paint ourselves into lonely and sometimes dangerous corners. Gender, sexual orientation, politics, religion, race - although we may belong to a particular group, it is the over-identification with that group that separates us from the next individual. We become stunted in growth when we cling to these outward labels". 

- F. Emelia Sam

Somewhere along the way…things evolved to fall into categories. Everything suddenly (or not so suddenly) had a title or a label with predetermined meaning. Instead of finding our own meanings we allow ourselves to believe in things which we are told the meaning of…including ourselves. When you stop and think about yourself…and what defines you, do you come up with labels like: Mother, Brother, Wife, Friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, Liberal, Conservative, Writer (or insert job title here), boss, assistant, poor, rich, average, etc?

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My immature maturity.
My clarity in confusion.
I'm left blinded by both the Wiseman and the Flasher.

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They say that everything happens for a reason and today is no different.

The Northpoint Community Church Service left me with two powerful messages today. Both being messages that I needed to hear at the particular point in time.

The first being: always feel blessed for what you have - always strive to see the good in a situation because things could always be worse.

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Tonight I was walking to my car and something drew me to the sky. When I looked up I was almost mesmerized with how illuminated the sky was. It was perfectly clear and you could see every last constellation. It made me pause for a moment to appreciate the sheer beauty of it. It also made me think back to when I was a teen and marveled at nature in that same way…. I tried to study everything stars, birds, plants, trees, etc

That every moment summed up life in a nutshell for me. That crystal clear sky is the same one that I used to look at over 15 years ago…sometimes it's hard to see through the smog, fog and pollution that we've put into the world but it has always been there. Tonight the clouds just happened to disappear and reminded me of the beauty that had been there all along.

Life is that way isn't it? There is a beauty to be found in each and every one of us. Sometimes we can't see it because we cloud it with emotional and physical pollution like stress, fears, anxieties, worry, etc. But, much like that sky, the true natural beauty is always there. We just have to clear the clouds that get in the way.