Balloon to the Moon

What is the most harmful four letter word in the world? I'm sure many unpleasant explicts may come to mind. Most of them you would be embarassed to repeat in public, and certianly would be incensed if they we addressed at you. They are often shouted in anger, but in reality they are not the most damaging. The most hurrendous four letter word is actually used more frequently. That word is "can't." It is followed closely by other four letter words like won't, don't, and lack.

How many times in a day do you tell yourself that you can't do something? Maybe you cite physical causes, bemoan lack of time, lack of finances, age, lack of education. Did you notice how many times the four letter word lack was used? What are some of the other restrcting four letters words? Words like diet and work? How many common four letter words in our vocabulary are restrict our lives today? We are going to learn to use a metaphoric balllon to lift those words from our lives.

The ancient Zen Buddhists said that that one cannot put tea into a full cup. The application of this concept is that we cannot put new things into our lifes until we empty our mind of our old ideas. Chapter five of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous is titled "How It Works." This message of change states it in in this manner: "Some of us tried to hold onto our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely." We are going to have to release the limiting and restricting words in our vocabulary, too. Today, we will list our old ideas that keep us stuck, so that we can empty our cup of old tea, and put new tea in our cups.

Let go of all your negatives with your balloon. Empty those sand bags that keep your dreams earthbound. Don't be weighted down with your burdens, let your balloon like you into a higher consciousness. Lift us your mind. Lift up your heart. Let go of your resentment and hurts that keep you living in the past. Let go of your fars that keep you from reaching for your future. "It's hard to fight and enemy that has out posts in your head." (Sally Kempton.) Empty your mind and let the silence wash your brain.

Do not let others define who you are or who you will become. "Think wrongly if you please, but think for yourself." (Doris Lessing) Direct your energy in a manner that directs your own balloon. Many laughed at those who wanted to go to the moon, travel in space, or fly like birds. What will get you off the ground? What will make you lighter than air? "Our strength is often composed of weekness that we are damned if we are going to show." (Mignon McLaughlin) Don't listen to reason. "Reason always means what someone else has to say." (Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskill)

First we are going to use creative visualization to release all limitations in our lives. Place in image of a balloon vividly in your mind. Focus clearly on the color and the size. See yous self tying you list of ideas that restrict you to the balloon. Walk outsdoors and release your balloon, and allof your limitations with it. As we release our imaginary balloons into the atmosphere, we will begin a spiritual journey, not to the moon, but to unknown places within yourself.

When you release your balloon make sure to release any old and negative ideas that are tying you down. Thought patterns are like habits, and you may have to do this ritual several times if you have a lot of baggage to release.

Many of us have been in relationships that have tied us down, or a job that drained us of all our energy. In order to direct our energy for what is, we need to let go of what is not. None of us are complete packages. Old hurts, worries, resentments, losses, rage, and character defects have to be release. Clear space for new adventure and quit paying letting dead beat tennets live rent free in your mind, and you will experience a dramatic shift.

Did you ever notice a flow of creativity when leaving a negative situation? Most of us would not choose a negative job environment or relationship again. So, when you release your negative thoughts, think of something new and bright like a big yellow balloon.

Balloons are bright. Their color is one of the things that appeals to children. Bright things help inspire bright ideas. Think like a child, and dream of the places you would like to go, and things you would like to do. Don't put any restrictions on on those ideas, just jot them down. Imagination is a way to run away without leaving home. (Twyla Tharp) Use your imagination to lift you all the way to the moon, "reality is something you can rise above (Lisa Minnelli); you are never too old to have a happy child hood. "Creative minds have always been able to survive any kind of bad training." (Anna Frued) Besides, "age doesn't matter unless you are cheese cheese." (Bille Burke)

Balloons defy gravity. Helium lifts what would otherwise be earth bound. What happens when you tie a string to the balloon and tie the end to another object?

How many times do we tie our dreams to an object, a person, a job, or a certian amount of money? If we do not let go and take risks we will never live our dreams.

"If you don't risk anything, your risk even more." (Erica Jong)

Carpe Diem! Why not seize the moment?

"How often is happiness delayed by preparation, Foolish preparation?" (Jane Austin) "Some things just arrive on their own mysterious hour, on their own terms and not yours, to be seized or relinquished forever. (Gail Golwin) "Avoind danger is no safer that exposure, the fearful are as caught as the bold." (Helen Keller) "You may be disapointed if you fail, but you are doomed is you do not try." (Beverly Sills)

Set your sights on the stars and get ready for lift off! Let go of your old limitations and see the disappear! Use a little imagination to shake off the common place and set you spcace shit on the destination of your dreams. "Imagination is the highest kite (balloon) you can fly." (Lauren Bacall) Imagination is the beginning of creatin. You imagine what you desire; you will what you imagine; and at the last you create what you will." (George Bernard Shaw)

When you ask what you will for you life, how will you get it? In the book of Luke, Zacchaerus put himself in the way of what he wanted. He was mute until he saught the most famous fulfillment of time. The man he saught after put it very simply: "as you give, so shall you receive." As Abraham Lincoln read every night by candle light, he too put it simply: "I will work and prepare and someday my opportunity will come." The gernal rule seem to be that we will get what we are prepared to receive. What great things are you preparring a path for in your life?

Plato tells of a man chained to a narrow ledge in a cave. Finally he braks his chains and stumbles into the world. Folks called him and idoit because he was stumbling and gropping his way around. Plato call hinme a Devine idiot because he was not deepening his blind ness, but striving to have his eyes adjust to the light.

What light are you preparing to see? Illuminate your life with vivid dreams. Demosthenes sat on a see shore with bebbles in his mouth practicing to become a renowned speaker. Ford was a failure in his fifties, tinkering in his garage with what was destined to become the automobile. Edison made hundreds of attempts to creat the light bulb. When asked about his failures, he stated he didn't have any. Edison had succesfully documneted hundrends of methods that didn't work.

The only failure is the person that doesn't keep working towards his dream.

Do not let other infect your dreams. Walt Disney had a teacher who said he was waisting time drawing. Yet, he practiced animating his character on film. Be was at the brink of bankruptcy before becommin a success. Einstien wasn't very good at math, but that did keep him from developing his theory of relativity. They teach us that "the first thing you need to do to be successful is to fall in love with your work. (Sister Mary Lauretta)

After you release your balloon; take time to play. Play is the work of a child. The child within you still needs time out, nurturing and nap time. It has been said that we learn everything we need to know in kindergarden. You can still take time for recess by letting go of the future and the past by sitting in the silence with the simple thoughts of a child.

Sleep on your problems. When we are tired our prolem solving skills are not at their best. Remember, that even God rested on the seventh day. Letting go of a problem always allows you to see it from a new perspective in the morning light. Often a new day allow us to be reborn in our awareness.

Sharing a problem lightens the load. Sharing with a friend often proves that too minds are better than one. Venting allows you to dump in a safe environment. When you walk a mile in someone else's moccasins your world will never look the same.

Laughter lightens the load. Humor will lift even the darkest dispair. The lighter the load the higher your balloon can rise. "The greatest part of happiness depends on our dispositions and not on circunstances." (Martha Washington) Learn to laugh at yourself. There are no failures, only ideas that haven't worked quite right. If you don't get it right at first, try, try again. If you have made mistakes there is always a change for you to make. You can have a fresh start the moment you choose, for "the thing we can failure is not falling down, but the staying down." (Mary Pickford) "You will do some foolish things, but do them with enthusiam." (Colette)

Focus up instead of out. Make sure you are a light for others to see by. Live for a purpose that is bigger than this earthly plain. Lift those around you. Compliments work much better than critism. directing you energy in ways that help to inflate, not deflate others balloons. "Light tomorrow with today" (Elizabeth Barrett Browning) "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." (Anais Nin) If you see the negative in others make sure to shed some light your own first. Fore, when we are pointing a finger there are three pointing back at you.

Life begets life, energy begets energy. "It's in the spending of ones self that you become rich." (Sarah Bernhardt) You must first give in order to receive. " To live is

so startling that it leaves time for little else." (Emily dickerson) Direct your energy or it will drift away in the wind like the balloon that rises with the heat currents. Don't be swayed the the current, fad or craze that is drifting by.

Let your dreams take flight!