by: Brian North As most of you know I type these morning messages from time to time, but what most of you don’t know is that it is usually my own life lesson from the day before. As I walk around the earth trying, like many of you, to figure out the meaning of life, I am committed to walking eyes wide open. I am consistently looking for lessons throughout my day. Why? Because the more I learn, the simpler it seems to get. Notice I didn’t say easy, it never really seems to get easier, but it gets simpler. So, in an attempt to help you be able to enjoy a simpler life, I share these thoughts. One of my favorite creations is a good critically thought conversation, so if any of you have questions or thoughts to add to any of my crazy ideas, please share. Additional perspectives offer more insight and have an opportunity to create more simplicity if seen as such. Have you ever wondered why things are so hard sometimes? Or better yet, why you’re in such rhythm? Why is the kid’s school this way, why are my clients treating me that way, why am I so overwhelmed, why does he get so much time off, or why does she seem to get all of the best listings? This is where the projections find themselves coming alive in our heads: the school is a mess right now, we need a new administrator, the media is making my clients crazy, nobody will help me, he must have the gift of business acumen, she must have grown up in this town. These types of thoughts possess a duality of emotion. The first is to justify our existence, which for a fleeting moment can make us feel better about our situation. On the back side of that, we can be left feeling helpless, hopeless, and accepting of our circumstances as if there were no other option. So here’s the secret, “Wherever you go, there you are.” In other words, our existence is a reflection of all of the thoughts we have, the words we speak out loud, the energy we bring to conversations, the feelings we exude, and the decisions we have made, which all lead to happenings you’ve designed whether on paper or in our minds. Life happens as we design it. If you’re not happy, design it differently. If you’re happy, design it better. Two things I have been acutely aware of the last couple of weeks that are helping me design a simpler life: 1. My thoughts are a culmination of social conditioning. My parents, family members, community, and the media I consume are predominantly responsible for the way I currently think. Scary. The good news is, I can change any or all of my socially conditioned thoughts any time I want, and boy is I changing thoughts like a model changing looks at a runway show. This will lead to a more broad spectrum of possibilities, that will lead to a better or simpler life. 2. A self-auditing of virtually every word I say. I once heard someone say, “You should taste your words before you speak them.” I have done this some in the past, but not with total commitment. I recently made a comment to a best friend that didn’t feel great to either of us, and I still have a knot in my stomach because of it. She has forgiven me, and I have not yet forgiven myself, but I can utilize it as a reminder to taste every word before I speak it. This will allow me an opportunity to project only that which serves the life I want to live, leaving me and others feeling whole. If you love your life, I know it’s by design. If you don’t I promise you can design it any way you want. Start with your thoughts, then move to your words, then your actions, then gratitude, rinse, repeat.