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What is "Savor the Fruits of Life"?
Powerlessness. Helplessness. Anger. Anxiety. Stress. Frustration. Depression. Guilt. Addiction. Failure. Sickness. Disease. Loneliness. Underemployment. Unemployment. Poverty. Debt. Homelessness.
I could go on and on listing the many challenges people are facing today. Which ones do you battle?
Are you progressing in resolving your challenges?
Are you progressing as fast as you'd like to progress?
My guess is that you're not. Why do I suggest that?
Because if you were on your way to resolving these challenges, you wouldn't be reading this. You'd know where you're going and how to get there.
The very fact that you're spending your time--your very valuable
time--reading this is evidence that you're still searching for the key to unlock the door to your prison.
Yes, you're in a prison. Everyone is, to a greater or lesser degree.
Your prison is formed by the limitations and boundaries that you experience as you go through life.
Your prison walls prevent you from being who you desire to be, from doing what you desire to do, and from having what you desire to have.
Yet, deep in your soul you know that Life holds so much more than what you're currently experiencing!
Deep in your soul you long to escape your prison!
Deep in your soul you crave to be free!
Consider these words by an early American religious leader:
I was not born a slave! I cannot, will not be a slave. I would not be a slave to God! I would be His servant, friend, His son. I would go at His behest; but would not be His slave. I would rather be extinct than be a slave. His friend I feel I am, and He is mine. A slave! The manacles would pierce my very bones--the clanking chains would grate against my soul--a poor, lost, servile, crawling wretch, to lick the dust and fawn and smile upon the thing who gave the lash! . . . But stop! I am God's free man; I will not, cannot be a slave! Living, I'll be free here, or free in life above--free with the Gods, for they are free: and if I'm in the way on earth, I'll ask my God to take me to my friends above!
I believe the soul's deepest desire is to be free. Free not only from the control of others, but free to live whatever life we desire to live.
As Marcus Tullius Cicero said: "What then is freedom? The power to live as one wishes."
So, what do you want out of Life? How do you desire to live? What does total freedom look like to you?
What is Total Freedom?
I spent many months pondering this question. While I'm quite sure you have your own answer, I thought I'd share mine, since this entire site is based on what I've concluded.
As I thought deeply about this question, I began to consider the different areas of Life. I identified 7 main areas of Life, which are as follows:
1. Spiritual: this has to do with our relationship with the Spirit within us and with all of Life
2. Mental: this has to do with how we think
3. Emotional: this has to do with how we feel
4. Physical: this has to do with our physical bodies
5. Relational: this has to do with our relationships with others, i.e. family, friends, business associates, etc
6. Vocational: this has to do with our careers or the contributions we make to others
7. Financial: this has to do with our financial position
As I thought about these 7 main areas of Life, I imagined what total freedom would be in each area. Here's what I concluded:
1. Spiritual Freedom is Personal Power -- the ability to consciously create desired results. The more connected we are with the Spirit within, the greater our capacity for consciously producing the results we want. Spiritual Freedom is achieved by removing the obstacles that prevent that connection.
2. Mental Freedom is Peace -- a profound feeling of calm and assurance. The more we use our minds correctly, the greater our ability to consciously produce peace. Mental Freedom is achieved by eliminating the thoughts that cause misery in all its forms. In addition, our mental state determines our spiritual state, for our connection with the Spirit within is dependent on the thoughts we think. Our Mind is where we consciously choose to yield to the Spirit within or to reject the Spirit within.
3. Emotional Freedom is Joy -- an intense feeling of happiness. Our emotional state is tied into our mental state. Emotions are "thoughts felt." Therefore, the more our thoughts are aligned with the Spirit within, the greater our joy, for joy is the natural consequence of a connection with the Spirit within. Emotional Freedom is achieved by monitoring our feelings to identify when we're holding thoughts that disconnect us from Spirit and then shifting our thoughts to those that increase our connection.
4. Physical Freedom is Health -- peak physical condition. Our physical state is the product of our combined spiritual, mental, and emotional states. In other words, our physical condition is nothing more than a physical reflection of our internal condition. This relationship is called "the mind-body connection." Physical freedom gives us the ability to physically do what we desire, when we desire, for as long as we desire. Physical Freedom is achieved by bringing the Mind into harmony with the Spirit.
5. Relational Freedom is Love -- an exquisite feeling of connection with another person. Relationships give us the ability to get a better look at our Self and who we've chosen to be. In truth, the way we treat others is the way we treat our Self. It's impossible to love another any differently than we love our Self. Relational Freedom is achieved when we can learn to love our Self unconditionally, which will then enable us to love others unconditionally. Unconditional love is a state absent of the barriers that hinder a full connection with another; and the more connected we are with the Spirit within, the greater our connection with others will be.
6. Vocational Freedom is Value/Contribution -- an exceptional level of contribution made to others. "Value" is synonymous with "usefulness in achieving an objective." The level of contribution we make to others in helping them achieve their objectives determines our value. Every single individual has a unique gift that only he/she can give the world. When a person identifies that gift and gives it, he/she makes a very significant positive impact on the world. This gift is the convergence of three things: (1) what we absolutely love to do; (2) what we're great at doing; and (3) a vehicle or process for bringing our gift to others. Vocational Freedom is achieved by identifying our gift and successfully giving it to others. Again, the key to identifying our gift and giving it is to maximize our connection with the Spirit within, which knows our rightful place in this world and can guide us to it. Interestingly, our ability to give our gift is also determined by our ability to connect with others.
7. Financial Freedom is Prosperity -- financial abundance. Financial Freedom is being able to do what you want, when you want, for as long as you want. However, financial abundance is much more than just having a lot of money. Many people have large amounts of money that flow into their experience only to lose it again. Lottery winners are a great example: they win large amounts of money only to find their selves penniless after a few years. The Universe is just and will always bring us into a physical state that matches our internal condition. Accordingly, financial abundance is achieved when we can flow money into our experience and not only keep it, but also expand it, because we've created an internal condition of abundance. Interestingly, our ability to generate financial abundance is largely tied into the value we offer others. Even more interesting is that fact that the greater our connection with the Spirit within the more easily we can create financial abundance.
As I began to see these freedoms more clearly, I began to see them as "The Ultimate Fruits of Life." I determined that my ultimate objective in my life is to "pluck and savor" these "ultimate fruits."
I also determined that as I progressed through Life, I would share what I'm learning about how to do that, with the hope that my learning can maybe shortcut another's learning. That's the purpose of this site.
Now, that brings us to this question: Is it really possible to be free from all the limitations and boundaries that prevent us from living our lives totally free?
How can we live free?
Over the years as I've studied, observed, and experimented with the principles of success, I've come to see that any time we're failing to achieve an objective, all we have to do is identify the root cause of the failure, correct it, and then move on unimpeded to achieve our objective.
So, what's the root cause of our failure to live totally free? What creates our prison walls of misery, limitations and boundaries?
I encourage you to think deeply about this: the root cause that prevents us from living totally free is "fear."
You've probably heard that before, but have you really stopped to think deeply about it? Have you determined in your heart to learn what causes fear and how to conquer it?
If not, and you're still not ready to conquer it, then you might as well stop reading. Your journey is over before it's begun. For if you truly desire to live free, you must understand fear and conquer it.
If you're not ready to do that, then you'll remain in your prison forever...until you are ready. Fear will never go away. You must crush it before your prison walls can crumble. There is no other way. Until then your prison walls will remain firmly in place.
On the other hand, if you're ready now to really change your life, let's move on and consider what causes fear.
Consider these words by Mike Wilson: "Ignorance breeds fear."
Is it really that simple? A lack of understanding is the cause of fear?
If you'll give this idea honest, sincere consideration, I believe you'll come to see that it is true.
Let me give you some examples to illustrate this concept.
Have you ever been driving along at night and suddenly you see behind you a police car's flashing red and blue lights? What was your initial reaction?
My guess is that your heart started pounding and you were terrified of getting a ticket.
Now, did that police car ever fly by you on its way to some other emergency? What was your reaction then? Certainly one of great relief!
So now, initially you felt fear. What was the cause of that fear? A simple misunderstanding, right? You thought the policeman was coming after you. In truth, the policeman was going someplace else. It was your lack of understanding that caused your fear. If you had correctly understood that he/she was going someplace else and was not after you, you would not have experienced your fear.
Here's another example: Have you ever been home alone at night and heard "scary noises" only to find out that the noises were caused by something other than a "boogeyman"? We see this time and time again in the movies, don't we.
A final example: Have you ever taken a test at school when you were unprepared? How did you feel? Contrast that when you took a test and you knew that you had mastered the material. How did you feel then?
Or, have you ever had to give a presentation when you unprepared? Contrast the feeling you had then with those times when you were very well prepared.
I could go on and on giving you example after example, but in reality all you have to do to understand the truth of this concept is to honestly search your own experience.
Once you come to accept that ignorance (a lack of understanding) is the cause of "fear," you're ready to tackle this concept:
 The cause of the fear that creates your prison walls is a lack of understanding of the nature and character of Life as well as of the laws and principles that govern Life. In short, it's a lack of understanding of who you really are and of how Life works.
Once you understand who you really are and how Life works, you'll be able to consciously create whatever you desire to create, including total freedom in every area of your life.
There are tons of resources to help you gain that understanding. This web site presents my perspective and the perspectives of the top self development teachers of both yesterday and today.
To bring you these perspectives, I've created 4 components, which are as follows:
1. A Daily Seed of Truth: This is an inspirational thought along with my comments to help you focus more intently on the principle being presented by the quote. This provides a daily dose of positive energy through the power and inspiration of truth, and presents the "Wisdom of the Ages" in bite-sized pieces.
2. The Wisdom of the Ages: This section provides a wealth of free information that presents the timeless laws and principles upon which all highly successful individuals are developed. It includes my own thoughts as well as those of the top self-development teachers of yesterday and today. This information is presented in the form of articles, e-books, etc
3. Move On Up with Laughter: This section includes jokes and other humorous stuff designed to lift your spirits through the power of laughter. Governing our emotions is a key to governing our lives. Laughter is a great way to move on up the emotional scale to create a greater connection with the Spirit within.
4. The Home/Start Page: This page contains the new articles and information that have recently been added to the site plus links to the top sites on the web for news, business and finance, weather, sports, search, etc. By making this Start Page your internet start page so that every time you launch your internet browser you start at this page, you'll not only have a tremendous launching point for your internet session, but you'll also have immediate access to the latest additions to "A Daily Seed of Truth," "The Wisdom of the Ages," and "Move On Up With Laughter."
I sincerely hope you find great value here.
I pledge my commitment to you to make this site as valuable as possible by providing the insight and understanding you need to destroy your prison walls and free your Self.
Your feedback on how you like the site and, more importantly, how I can make this site more valuable is constantly welcome. On every page you'll find a link to a feedback form that you can use to send me your thoughts.
If you'd like to read what others have already said about my perspectives, please visit "What They Say."
Thanks so much for visiting this site and spending time here. May you return often.
Remember: The health of the tree determines the quality of the fruit
Dave Sharp
Savor the Fruits TM
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Pluck and Savor the Ultimate Fruits of Life!
POWER: the power to consciously create desired results
Is there a simple science to getting what you want?
