What is the Success Secret of the Master's?

So, what is the success secret that all of the master's of life have used over the years?

If there was one incredible success tip, that was used by Christ, Buddha, Trump, Oprah and more, what would it be?

Watch this short video, to get the success secret of the ages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjshV84ndho

Now, the question is, are you using this one secret, every day, in your attempt to become more successful?

Let's all slow down, and get to work today.

Love, david http://www.davidessel.com

Are You Looking For Inner Peace? Read on....

LOOKING FOR INNER PEACE? ME TOO.

Release the end result. Stay in the moment. Live each day mindfully. Be aware of your surroundings. Be open to small joys daily. Live in gratitude. Serve the world. In any instance, in any situation, do what Jesus would do. Or Buddha.

All of these statements, if pieced together, would lead us daily to a life full of inner peace. But, what is inner peace? To each of us, it might be slightly different. Have you ever paused and asked yourself what your concept of inner peace is? If we haven't, how will we know if and when we ever get there? Or even if we are close? As many wise sages, holy men and women have said from the beginning of time, the answers to our prayers may simply lie in the asking of the question, for if we do not regularly ask the question, we begin to live a life that is clouded, monotonous.

So, I ask you today, what does inner peace mean to you? What would your life look like, feel like, if each day was lived with a sense of peace? Focus on this question daily, for the answer may simply lie in bringing yourself back to this question every morning which will lead to awareness and inner peace.

To me, it seems that this search for inner peace is simply the search for our true, or our pure self. Did you ever stop to think that right now, what we are all searching for is already with us? The more we search and ask ourselves these questions daily, the closer we come to peace. For without slowing down our world, which unbeknownst to most of us we have total control over, we continue living on automatic, falsely believing that a life full of peace is something only the great religious chosen ones have access to. How sad and how untrue. We all have complete control of our reaction to any given situation, person or event. Peace, true inner peace, comes from knowing this truth and then acting on it.

Look at the way our wise elders in this country react to each day. The ones who have knowingly asked these questions are living peacefully in each moment in their gardens, woodworking shop, or just sitting. They have learned the futility of rushing, scrambling, fretting. They look at faces and pictures on the wall in the long line at the bank, while the rest of us nervously stare at our watches and worry about the time. Our wise elders have come to the realization that inner peace has been a choice all along, one we did not know we could grasp or snatch out of the air at any moment.

The wait in line will not speed up regardless of how agitated we become, so why do we go there? At any moment, we can choose a life filled with inner peace. Are you ready to question your outdated beliefs? Are you ready to let go of misconceptions? Follow the wise ones, the living sages today. Follow your own path starting in this moment to continual inner peace. Ask yourself the question daily, what would my life look like if it was filled with inner peace? Act on this today.

-------------------------------------------

If you believe this article can help someone you know, please pass it on.
Search. Grow. Love.

Love, peace, david

www.davidessel.com

The Homeless: Teachers for Each of Us

Some of the most amazing teachers that I have encountered in my life have been the homeless. People with little or no material possessions, and many who are in great pain, living on the streets of America.

While most of us scurry by these people, afraid of their presence, many other people look upon them with kindness and compassion, very much in the same way that Buddha or Jesus Christ would. There is little or no fear , rather a desire to help them, by offering a kind word, food, pocket change or a smile.

In my lectures on personal growth as well as in sermons, I encourage people to practice sending love to everyone, including the homeless, by looking INTO their eyes as you pass them. They, like you, are children of God, who desire and should receive the same respect as anyone else you might know. Yet how many of us have the courage to do this?

I have been taught so many incredible lessons through the homeless men that I have met on the streets over the past number of years. One named Joe, touched me so deeply that I dedicated a chapter about him in my book "Heaven on Earth:God Speaks Through The Heart of A Young Monk. " While out for a run one day, I witnessed Joe getting hit by a car, fly 20 feet straight up in the air before landing on the side of the road.

As the first person to him, I held him like a mother would hold their child as he wailed in pain until the ambulance would arrive more than 10 minutes later. I saw the face of Christ as I held him, asking him to grip my hand tighter as his pain continued to increase. He shattered my view of what a homeless person was, as I saw the pure beauty of this amazing human being.

I visited him in the hospital after surgery, in the rehabilitation center after that, and discovered his trials in life of alcoholism and the loss of contact with his children. I brought him food and clothes not out of guilt, but rather out of respect, for he deserved that regardless of why he was homeless. I found out that the day he was hit he had just gotten a part time job, the first one he could find in a number of years.

That same year I was invited to be on Bill O'Reilly's television show "The O'Reilly Factor" to talk about the plight of the homeless, the challenges they bring to many city businesses and what some options were for their welfare. As many know, some cities have facilities that are underutilized by the homeless, while others are swamped with requests for more beds and shelters.

Many are homeless by choice, with no desire to seek treatment for their addictions. Others find themselves in this situation due to untreated mental illness, without the mental faculties needed to lift themselves out of their life quandary. If you have not seen the movie "The Soloist",based on a true story, I highly recommend it as a peek into the role of mental illness and the homeless. And others find themselves there due to losing jobs, their homes and their life purpose.

Whatever the reason for their situation, we can all learn from these people the power of love and compassion, but only if we are the ones willing to give these two characteristics to them, as they are very much a reflection of who we are. If you cannot do this, it may be time to take a good , hard, long look in the mirror.

Slow down to see that yes, the homeless are teachers for each of us.

Love, peace, Rev. David www.davidessel.com

The Many Paths to Enlightenment

Over the past 24 years, one of the greatest gifts that I have been given by my teachers is that there are many paths to enlightenment. As a matter of fact, some of these paths have been extremely surprising to learn about.

Initially, I'm sure like many, I believed that following a deeply religious or spiritual path, that of a monk, or a rabbi or priest, was truly the only way to the awakened state. Then as my understanding began to grow, I was taught the ultimate in truth, that anyone can get there, and very possibly in this lifetime, if they devote themselves to this purpose.

Like the athlete who desires to reach their ultimate in ability, the seeker on the path to enlightenment must also allow a variety of teachings to delve into their soul, and to create daily rituals that lead them to a deeper understanding of who they are, and what it is exactly that they are seeking.

Some choose the path of service, some the path of love, some the path of understanding, while others the path of extreme meditative solitude. Each of them can lead to the freedom, the acceptance, and the bliss of the awakened one.

Along with my personal teachers, hundreds of interviews with people like Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer, and Lama Sura Das, have opened my eyes to the magic of this life.

But this next point may come as a surprise. Enlightenment can also come in the form of great pain and discomfort.

A while ago after a meditation/pure light blessing class I was leading, I asked the group to share their personal experiences of the past hour if they were so inclined. After many had spoken of their union with the divine, feelings of extreme warmth or revelations that took the form of visions, a man raised his hand and began to speak.

"I wish I had good news to share, but my experience was quite different. I realized during this time, that my life is an absolute mess!"

Pure enlightenment, or awakening had occurred, although at first he did not see it. He had reached a state of truth, the blinders were off, and now he was finally free to choose a new path! Through awareness, another stage of enlightenment had occurred in his life.



Like the rungs of a ladder, enlightenment for most of us comes one step at a time. We see that what used to bother us before, we flow with. Anxiety levels drop , inner peace occurs more readily with each movement along the way, until one day we see why we are here, what life is all about....awakening to who we are, love, that we simply have to remember.

From Hinduism, to Buddhism, to Christianity and more, there are countless paths to enlightenment. Find yours, slow down, and lovingly focus more brilliantly on it today than yesterday.

Love, peace, David http://www.davidessel.com/




'

What is the cause of our daily struggles and challenges?..

The cause of our suffering, our daily struggles and challenges in life can be easily linked to the Second Noble Truth of Buddhism : "Our suffering is caused by our cravings, our desire that life be different than it is at this moment." (Paraphrased by this writer).

Isn't this the simple truth? We suffer, we become unhappy on a daily basis, because life , our partner, our money, our career, our health, our faith is not what we hoped it might be at this time in our life. Period.

It is amazing how much drama and crisis we create because life is not what we think it should be. "Life", by the way, could care less what we want, or what we desire. "Life" is just doing it's job, being itself, and very happy at this very moment I might add.

In my conversations with so many people, when it gets down to the truth, they will often say things like, "if my husband would just quit drinking......if I just had more money....if I had been raised by a sane parent.....if I only had a partner...if God would just for once answer my prayers....if men were'nt all dogs...if I could just lose 30 pounds...". Of course the list is endless, but you get the picture.

We have the audacity to think that if life was just different than it is at this moment, we'd be happy. What a line of crap! I say this with sincere respect to all who think life would be a piece of cake if this one thing was different, because until we get to the root of craving, of the addiction to our desires, nothing will ever make us happy for any length of time.

How do I know this to be true? Because, I too have struggled with the concept of true and lasting inner peace. And what continues to raise it's little head is the fact that once this "one" little desire that we have is fulfilled, we'll find another issue that needs to be resolved to be "truly" happy. It's an endless cycle, or so it seems to be.

"Well, yes, my husband finally quit drinking, but I just wish he'd find a way to earn a decent income." And the list begins to build all over again.

Now, don't get me wrong, it's totally appropriate and healthy to have desires to improve our place in life. The problem arises when we crave the desire, and put our happiness on the back of getting that desire fulfilled. We truly will never find lasting happiness, as long as it depends on something outside of what we have right now. In this very moment.

It seems that all of the greatest teachers in this world, from Buddha, to Christ and more have all preached the same thing. " Be happy where you are at this very moment, accept where you are at this very moment, and happiness, peace, Heaven, bliss, will be at your door. "

Slow down.Find a way to experience peace right here, in this moment , right now.

Pray, meditate, write a gratitude list. Be present.

Love, peace, David Essel http://www.davidessel.com