Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.

- W H Murray (1913 – 1996)

When I was a child my Father would bring me to the Easter parade in Dublin, Ireland. Now I was pretty small at the time and the crowds were massive – I was a small boy holding my fathers hand for dear life, looking up at frightening human giants all around me. I never remember seeing any of the parade as we never managed to get to the front row! Luckily though I could still hear the parade as its sounds filled the streets.

What I heard was a sound that moved every cell of my body, that touched every part of me. A sound that inspired me and made me feel like a giant in my small boys body. It was the unique sound of the bagpipes.

As the years passed the Easter parade was stopped and I rarely heard the sound of the bagpipes. Life got busy and serious and childhood dreams were left behind. But they never died!

About twenty years later I had a dream of learning to play Amazing Grace on the bagpipes for my wedding. I had no idea how I would learn it and it was only three months to our wedding! Then I heard there was a bagpiper at the hotel we were getting married in. So I wondered? I wondered would he teach me? Another part of me said he’d probably tell me to “Get lost! There’s no way you’d learn it in three months”. Would I call him?

Well I decided to make that call and he was so open to helping me it was fantastic. And three months later unbeknownst to most people at our wedding, including my very surprised wife, I walked in after the meal playing amazing grace on the bagpipes!

Not longer after our wedding I wondered again? What if I called my bagpiper friend and asked him could I join his band? Now another part of me said “Sean, you’re too old now, get serious and forget it!“. Luckily enough I didn’t listen to that limiting voice, made the call and joined the band. For the next number of years I travelled twice a week, an hour each way and learnt the bagpipes and enjoyed myself to the hilt!

In 1999 my Father died from cancer.  As I watched my Fathers life ebbing away, it reminded me of my own mortality and I made a commitment to nourish my love of music a lot more before it was too late.

One day I sat in a cafe and wondered could I actually get paid for performing and doing what I truly love? As I contemplated this I heard a lady in the cafe say to another lady “and did they play bagpipes at the wedding?” This was the last sign I needed from the universe.

That afternoon I put an advert for playing bagpipes at weddings on an Irish weddings website. And within a couple of months I had my first paid professional music gig. From that moment on I would never again believe that you can’t get paid for doing what you love! You can!

Since then I’ve performed in many countries around the world with bagpipes and guitar, in Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, New York, Washington State, Hawaii, San Francisco, Chicago, Peru (in Machu Pichu & at 4,200m high), Israel, Palestine, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, South Korea, Bosnia, Croatia, Italy, France  and Luxembourg. I’ve had the honour of piping for thousands of people from all walks of life from the rich and famous, to some who live under curfew, to some of the worlds poorest people.

Now suppose I never made that call to ask someone to teach me bagpipes? Suppose I decided to believe I was too old? Or hadn’t enough money? Or the time wasn’t right yet? Or I was too young? Or some other limiting belief. None of the above would have happened and I dread to think how much joy, happiness and absolutely unbelievable fantastic  experiences I would have missed out on. Maybe even more importantly how many peoples lives would I not have been able to touch with the music,  just like mine was as I held my Fathers hand in those crowded Dublin streets filled with bagpipe music from the Easter parade.

Have I played “bum notes” along the way, you bet I have! But it’s better than playing no notes at all! And as the famous psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908 – 1970) said

“Don’t die with your music still in you”

Make that call! Your Dreams can come true!

Sean M Kelly

PS: Remember this is the last week you can vote to help my book “A Pipers Tales – Celtic Wisdom to Nourish the Soul” get to the next round of the Next Top Spiritual Author competition. Just click this link www.aPipersTales.com Your vote is greatly appreciated.

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“It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness” – Chinese saying

There is no doubt that there is a glorification of misery in our world today. Many mornings as I walk past the local shop I see the glorification of misery emblazened all over newspapers and magazines. Yesterday one newspaper, which is choosing to attack one well known person, had as its headline “Big Fat Pig“!  I then listen to the radio and every miserable story you can imagine about the latest so called disaster to hit the world, is broadcast in a belief that we are all innocent victims of this miserable world!!!

The good news of course is that no matter what disaster has hit the world, man made or otherwise since Adam and Eve eat the apple, we’re still here! Not only are we still here, we’re still evolving, learning, growing, reproducing, eating, drinking, laughing, celebrating and much more. And I believe there is more love in the world. Not only is there more love but each of us can make sure that by the time we go to sleep tonight there will be even more. So here’s 7 ways to “light a candle in your day”

1. Be Still to Start Your Day – Before getting caught up in the busyness of the day, take 5 minutes to sit and “tune into” your day. Go somewhere in your house, your garden, your locality where you can simply sit and be still for 5 minutes. Realise that what lies before you is like a painters canvass and that you’re being offered a palette to create your painting for the day. Create a masterpiece!

2. Inspire yourself – listen to your favourite music, read your favourite books, watch your favourite movie. Whatever inspires you fill your mind and heart with it, particularly at the beginning of the day.

3. Inspire others - as you go about your day send your blessings/positive feelings towards those you meet – family, friends, strangers and most of all so called “enemies”. In Ireland there is an old saying when you meet someone which says “Dia dhuit” (which means God be with you). When you say it to someone,  that person would then respond by saying to you “Dia is Muire dhuit” (which means God and Mary be with you). How would you like to greet people today?

4. Offer someone a seat – have you ever been on a bus when its busy and given someone your seat? Sometimes we sit and wait, afraid that they may say “no thanks” and we’ll be rejected and sometimes then its too late. But if you ever have given someone a seat, how has it made you feel? Doesn’t it make us feel good? Be generous with people and always remember no matter how “bad” things are perceived to be, we always have something to give to others. Afterall a smile costs nothing.

5. Exercise – exercise as we all know is great! It fills our body with fresh oxygen, it puts roses on our cheeks, it makes us feel fully alive. No matter what your level of fitness find at least 20 minutes in your day to walk, run, swim, play tennis, cycle or whatever. Just do it!

6. Reclaim Your Power to Better Yourself and the World - there is such an emphasis on putting people down much of the time, in particular blaming people for what is wrong in our lives and our world. What if these people we blame are actually the source of our salvation? Who knows maybe everything is exactly the way it’s supposed to be in order for us to learn what we need to learn in this lifetime? Once we open ourselves to the possibility that this just might be true, we reconnect with our power to change things for the better. And when we change for the better the world changes for the better.

7. Do what you Love - some say we’re being selfish if we’re off doing what we love. This has to be one of the craziest beliefs in the world! I say it’s far more selfish to do what we hate and feel justified to be miserable because of it. Every day invest time in nourishing what you love. If you love gardening, spend time in your garden. If you love writing, write. If you love music, listen, play, create it! If you love being with your kids, be with them in mind, body and spirit. Whatever you love nourish it. Notice that as you do you connect with that wonderful loving part of yourself and thus are a far more loving person to be with. And as you lay to sleep at night you know there’s more love in the world because of you.

Create Your Masterpiece!

Sean M Kelly

PS: If you’d like to comment on this article simple click “continue reading” below

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“Sometimes life hits you on the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith!” – Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computer and Pixar Animation Studios

In 2005 Steve Jobs founder of Apple Computer gave the commencement address to new graduates of Stanford University. It is a brilliant address where he focuses on three inspirational short stories from his life:

The first story is about joining the dots – which addresses in a very interesting way the question why did he drop out of college?

The second story is about love and loss, a story which will inspire anyone who has faced adversity particularly in their career as Steve talks about being fired from the very company that he founded namely Apple computers.

The third story is about death where Steve talks about being diagnosed with cancer and his attitude to life. It’s brilliant!

The video is just over 15 minutes and well worth watching in full and indeed taking notes. Here’s some inspirational quotes from the address which I felt were excellent:

I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love and that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you havent found it yet keep looking. Don’t settle! As with all matters of the heart you’ll know when you find it. And like any great relationship if just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking. Don’t settle…

If today was the last day of  my life would I want to do what I am about to do today. Whenever the answer has been no for too many days in a row, I know I have to change something…

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart…

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

Stay hungry! Stay foolish!

To read the whole speech you can go to this link – Text of Steve Jobs commencement speech at Stanford University 2005

Or watch the video below.

Be Inspired!

How not to hurry, what a great title. Gandhi once said the sole purpose of life is not just to go faster yet our world seems to put more and more importance on “speed”. We can pay a heavy price in our lives if thats what we continue to do, sometimes ending up burnt out. So this article offers some great wisdom and tips on how to experience life at a more humane and enjoyable pace.  The article is written by Leo Babauta from www.ZenHabits.net To read all the article click the link at the bottom of this article.

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” ~ Lao Tzu

Consider the above quote from Lao Tzu, (perhaps mythical) father of Taoism: how can it be true?

Is it possible to never hurry, but to get everything done?

It seems contradictory to our modern world, where everything is a rush, where we try to cram as much into every minute of the day as possible, where if we are not busy, we feel unproductive and lazy.

In fact, often we compete by trying to show how busy we are. I have a thousand projects to do! Oh yeah? I have 10,000! The winner is the person who has the most insane schedule, who rushes from one thing to the next with the energy of a hummingbird, because obviously that means he’s the most successful and important.

Right?

Maybe not. Maybe we’re playing the wrong game — we’ve been conditioned to believe that busier is better, but actually the speed of doing is not as important as what we focus on doing.

Maybe we’re going at the wrong speed. Maybe if we are constantly rushing, we will miss out on life itself. Let’s let go of the obsession with speed, and instead slow down, stop rushing, and enjoy life.

And still get everything done.

Let’s look at how.

A Change of Mindset
The most important step is a realization that life is better when you move at a slower, more relaxed pace, instead of hurrying and rushing and trying to cram too much into every day. Instead, get the most out of every moment.

Is a book better if you speed read it, or if you take your time and get lost in it?

Is a song better if you skim through it, or if you take the time to really listen?

Is food better if you cram it down your throat, or if you savor every bite and really appreciate the flavor?

Is your work better if you’re trying to do 10 things at once, or if you really pour yourself into one important task?

Is your time spent with a friend or loved one better if you have a rushed meeting interrupted by your emails and text messages, or if you can relax and really focus on the person?

Life as a whole is better if you go slowly, and take the time to savor it, appreciate every moment. That’s the simplest reason to slow down.

And so, you’ll need to change your mindset (if you’ve been stuck in a rushed mindset until now). To do this, make the simple admission that life is better when savored, that work is better with focus. Then make the commitment to give that a try, to take some of the steps below.

But I Can’t Change!
There will be some among you who will admit that it would be nice to slow down, but you just can’t do it … your job won’t allow it, or you’ll lose income if you don’t do as many projects, or living in the city makes it too difficult to go slowly. It’s a nice ideal if you’re living on a tropical island, or out in the country, or if you have a job that allows control of your schedule … but it’s not realistic for your life.

I say bullshit.

Take responsibility for your life. If your job forces you to rush, take control of it. Make changes in what you do, in how you work. Work with your boss to make changes if necessary. And if really necessary, you can eventually change jobs. You are responsible for your life…

Click here to read on

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In these days when hundreds of thousands die in a moment of time in Haiti leaving hundreds of thousands more to suffer through incredible hardship, what are we doing in Ireland?

In Ireland those who get paid loads as traffic controllers (I believe over €100,000 plus a huge pension contribution)decided to go on strike and close all airports in the country yesterday. Those on the other side sitting on their beds of nails just keep repeating the mantra – “We’re RIGHT and they’re WRONG”!!!

Those who made the biggest mistakes in the financial history of Ireland are gone to pastures greener to figure out how to spend all the money they’ve been rewarded with as pensions. While the bailed out institutions they’ve left behind  seek out the “small person/family” who made small mistakes but will be punished in BIG ways, some even losing their homes!

Others who were supposed to regulate it all sneaked out  the backdoor and now have to face the daily grind of regulating how much of their vast pensions they’ll spend each day! But they’re in good company with those who managed the creation of jobs, who used the same door to sneak out of,  as they have a lot of experience of flying first class, staying in the worlds best hotels and spending thousands of euro for a meal with friends (all legitimate expenses of course!)

And you may be wondering what the politicians of the country are doing? It’s obvious? They’re arguing about how to fill up pot holes after the recent snow! I suppose its not that surprising really when their old leader, who created the boom but not the bust, and who created much of his own substantial wealth “backing horses” is going from book shop to book shop ready to sign his book and plead with everyone that “it wasent my fault, please love me, I’m a socialist, I’m a people person”!!!

I will admit this isent the usual tone of my blog articles but right now its how I feel. I believe they’re has to be a better way! A way that will be carved out by those who truly value what is important in this life – love for one another, compassion, generosity, kindnesss, integrity, honesty, truth, loyalty, cheerfulness, our childrens lives and education and whatever other values you feel are truly important, values which ensure that as we all sleep at night we know the world is a better place because we have lived!

Most of us cannot fly over to Haiti to help out and its great that so many have of course, but we can make sure that today wherever we are, whatever we’re doing, with whoever we’re with  that someones life has been better because we have lived to truthfully serve!

Well I came across this great video today and its brilliant! Its a band called Nichelback and a track called “If today was your last day” (Hey if you have anything you’d like to add to this article just click on “continue reading” below.)

 Enjoy! Sean M Kelly, Be Inspired!

Well if you’re into personal development you’ll certainly have heard of Napoleon Hill and his book “Think and Grow Rich”. Well one of the modern miracles of the internet is that many of the earliest pioneers in the personal development industry whose books you may have read years ago can now be watched on the internet. It was with great surprise and delight I came across this one with Napoleon Hill talking about his meeting with Andrew Carnegie.

It’s full of wisdom and for me the genuineness and sincerity of the man comes across almost as if he’s talking to you personally. Have a small notebook and pen ready when watching this video and enjoy it all. God Bless YouTube!

Be Inspired!

This is the gratitude prayer Napoleon talks about near the end of the video:

“I ask not for divine providence or more riches

but more wisdom with which to accept and use wisely

the riches I received at birth

in the form of the power to control and direct

my mind to whatever ends I desire”

PS:  If you’d like some more inspiration for what to put in your notebook have read of a sample chapter on “How to Create an Inspiring Vision” from the Dare to Dream eBook. If you like what you read you can purchase the book and download it immediately. Here’s the link www.daretodream.eu/tips

Can your dreams really come true? What are the important ingredients to manifesting your dreams? This video explores these and more. Be Inspired!

To learn how to turn your dreams into reality and be inspired for 40 days with short videos and reflections enter your details below: 

Let’s do exactly what Ralph Waldo Emerson recommended, namely:

Let us be Silent that we may hear the whispers of God

To subscribe to all 40 days of this Irish Inner Peace Pilgrimage enter your details below:

“Let us be silent that we may hear the whispers of God” – R. W. Emerson

The next three lessons all deal with choosing to take time in your day to be still and it’s best if you read and watch them at a time and place where you’ll be undisturbed. 

Here’s a simple way to be still by meditating on your breathing:

1. Sit in a comfortable position

2. Bring your awareness to your breathing

3. Keep your awareness on your breathing for at least 3 minutes
(ideally work up to 15 minutes but it’s better to turn it into a daily habit by doing it for short periods and then extending the period once you’ve established the habit)

If your attention drifts onto other thoughts gently bring it back to your breathing. In time your mind will quiet and you will enter a beautiful space of stillness. Sit without any expectation or desire for results. Please also note if your mind is restless that’s perfectly normal particularly if you live a busy life.

Make a commitment to yourself to do this every day for 10 days. It’s best done in the morning time when you first get up. It enables you to tune into the day in a nice gentle way.

Sometimes we look for the most complicated esoteric way of meditating. This can often be a way of distracting ourselves from meditating at all. In my experience and after teaching meditation and relaxation to many people the greatest challenge people have is not how to meditate but choosing to take the time to meditate in any form! So keep it simple and keep it short. Goal number one is to  create a daily meditation habit.

And here’s a video which will also help. Remember day 11 and day 12 of the inner peace pilgrimage will also help you in this area.

To subscribe to all 40 days of this Irish Inner Peace Pilgrimage enter your details below:

In 1986 just after I graduated with an honours degree in Mathematics and Physics, I thought I’d walk into a job, afterall I had a degree!!! Well one year later I was still looking for a job and collecting the dole. Every day I received many “cherrio” (i.e. “we regret …”) letters from companies. They were all looking for experience and were unwilling to give me a chance. It was very disheartening. Some days I simply felt like doing nothing but most days thankfully I’d sit at a typewriter (do you remember them?) and apply for jobs.  However I decided to always believe that one day I will go to the front door and pick up a letter which would offer me a job! Well after months and months and months that letter did arrive. I remember the moment so clearly. My Father picked up the letter and brought it up to me in my bedroom. I opened it and “YES” it was a job offer!

Not only was it a job offer it was an EXCELLENT JOB OFFER! It was with an American Company called Sterling Software who were going to train me in writing COBOL computer language and then place me in Europe or America as a consultant. It was a fantastic job and a great opportunity to catch up on the year I’d just spent looking for one!

Well thirty of us started the job at the time and our boss was a big American from Texas who drove a Ford Bronco and wore cowboy boots. He was a real positive guy which I really enjoyed. I really couldn’t believe how lucky I was to get such a job and to be on my way to the US in a few weeks. I even remember saying goodbye to my girlfriend at the time (now my wife).

Then one day after only been there for a few weeks my big American boss in his cowboy boots marched in at 9am and told us that “due to a disagreement over the payment of tax they would be pulling out of Ireland” and as a consequence we were all being let go!

You can imagine how I and the twenty nine others, some who had mortgages to pay and families to rear, felt. I was distraught! We responded in the good old traditional Irish fashion, we went to the pub!!!

However that night I met a friend of my Fathers who had been very encouraging to me when I was looking for a job. When I told him what happened he said “Sean its not what happens to you in life thats the most important thing but what you do in response to what happens!”

Of course these were very wise words but when we’re feeling low or in a state of shock its challenging to take them on board. However on reflection I did and with reluctance a few weeks later I took the boat to England with the aim of getting the experience necessary to get a job back in Ireland in a few years.

So what can you do if you lose your job:

1. DECIDE to RISE TO THE CHALLENGE: As stated above, its your response above all else to the situation that matters most. Are you going to play victim or are you going to rise to the challenge? The challenge may be tough and you may need to dig really deep within yourself but if you are alive you can rise up and overcome that challenge. Not only that, it can be the very platform from which your life really soars to a far more fulfilling, exciting and properous level. So what do you need to do – DECIDE that you will RISE TO THE CHALLENGE and REACH YOUR SUMMIT!

2. DO WHAT YOU CAN TODAY: Your whole future is before you and so is everyone elses. If theres one way to feel overwhelmed its to to think we can control it! Can we control it? Can we predict it? Can we organise it exactly the way we want it to be? Plain and simple … NO! Nobody controls the future and anyone who thinks they can, should read the obituaries about how many people die suddendly every day. So what can we do? We can live for today – do what we can, with what we have, where we are TODAY! Even if your finances are struggling ask yourself – “Will I surive today?” and chances are you will. In fact at some time in the future you may look back on the challenges you face today and say “that was really a blessing in disguise!” So all we need to do is focus our energies on doing what we can today.

3. INCREASE YOUR CASHFLOW - ask yourself what can I do today to improve the cashflow? Its very important to keep some cashflow coming in no matter what you have to do (as long as its a good thing of course). Not only is cashflow important in our everyday life but also from a positive energetic point of view, its like Issac Newton told us in his first law of motion  “things at rest tend to stay at rest and things in motion tend to stay in motion” So aim to bring in some cashflow no matter how small. What hobbies have you got that you could earn an income from? Is there any parttime work you can do? Is there any car boot sales (garage sales) coming up where you could sell something? Is there anyone you know looking for some help you could pay you? Absolutely research the greatest information revolution in human history that is happening right now on the internet. Get a little notebook and carry it around with you. At the front of it write down the question – “How can I increase my cashflow?” Whenever you think of something write it down. Look at your growing list and take action to make the more practical ideas. If one doesent work do another one. When one begins to work focus more on it and ask yourself how can I expand this idea and perhaps even turn it into a business? (Also remember to pay yourself first – see article I wrote on this a number of months back)

4. PAY YOURSELF FIRST AND GROW YOUR MONEY – click here to read previous article I wrote

5. PAY YOUR BILLS AND TALK TO CREDITORS - if your bills are mounting up and you dont know what to do here’s a few ideas.

• Prioritise them – do what you can to pay the most important ones e.g. your mortgage.
• Contact your creditors – if you’re finding it difficult to pay some bills contact your creditors and let them know. Can you pay even a small bit? Remember every bit you pay helps to clear the bill or debt. Creditors in the main are very understanding and appreciate you contacting them and they really dont like to be ignored. And also dont be afraid to stand up to them if necessary, for example if they start threatening you with nasty letters, etc, tell them you dont appreciate threatening letters, that there’s enough trouble in the world without these letters adding to it! If they start warning you about negative credit rating tell them sure you’ll be in good company with most of the worlds banks!
• Focus on your progress – no matter how small your progress is, keep your heart and mind centered on it. This will really help you feel better and if you feel good you will be able to manage things better. If you have a day of despair go out for a walk, take some time out and then “get back on your horse” and go again.

6. Have a Laugh! Well in the days of old when we didn’t have computers, the comedian Jerry Lewis was pretty amazing on a typewriter (see video below just over 2 mins).

Enjoy and Good Luck!

Sean

www.seanMkelly.com

PS: The Dare to Dream 12 week course to inspire you and give you practical ways of manifesting your dreams begins tonight Tuesday 3rd March 2009 in Milltown Park, Dublin, Ireland. Click here for more details.