Be Open and Receptive!

Be Open and Receptive!

How receptive are you?

Now THAT'S a loaded question that would need some clarification before it could be answered, right?

It is for me! My question in response TO the question would be, "How receptive am I to what?"

That does make a difference, doesn't it?

I mean, if you ask me how receptive I am to you treating me to a steak dinner I'd say that I'd be VERY receptive to that idea! However, if you were to ask me how receptive I would be to jumping out of an airplane I'd probably hesitate and not be as receptive!

But there are times that we "close off" our willingness to be receptive without any good reason.

Here's the point of the thought for today... I want to encourage you to be open and receptive at all times and not be like a door that is open and closed at different times.

By being open and receptive at all times we might be pleasantly surprised at what might come our way and be a positive addition in our lives.

Let me give you a very simple example. When I was a kid my mom would bring home some frozen pizza from the supermarket from time to time and I absolutely disliked how they tasted! As I got a little older this was my only experience with pizza and, because of that, in my mind I had decided that I DID NOT like pizza! While in high school and in the school band we would stop off and eat from time to time while traveling and, at times, it would be at a famous pizza chain - but I WOULD NOT eat pizza. Why? Because I did not like pizza! So, I'd order their spaghetti (which wasn't that great) instead. I did this for years and would turn down offers from my friends to at least TRY the pizza to see what it was like. In my mind I already KNEW what it was like and I knew I DIDN'T like it!

I finally gave in during my Senior year of high school and tasted some pizza from this famous pizza chain and, guess what? I LOVED IT! What had I been missing all of these years? I had a new "favorite food" and it tasted NOTHING like that frozen pizza that I had tasted years earlier.

I wasn't very receptive to trying this fresh pizza because I had already closed my mind to the idea that it might actually be different - and better - than what I had already tasted before.

We are like that in so many ways and, because of that, we very likely are "missing out" on so many things through the years. Are you?

Have your eyes and ears open and, by doing so you will become open and receptive to WHATEVER comes your way in whatever form!

Yes, you will need to be like an air filter that, although it takes in all air, filters out the impurities that could harm the machine (whether it be a car engine or your home's air conditioner). Be open and receptive to all "signals" but be sure to have that filter in place so that you can filter out the negative and harmful impurities from your mind and life.

Here's the story that I shared on the podcast for today. I will share it with you and then I'll discuss it in more depth in tomorrow's blog entry.

Last Thursday as I was traveling back home on my motorcycle I passed by a church building that had a sign out front with one of those "changeable messages" posted. As I passed by I glanced and the only words that I saw was, "Believe in yourself". I honestly didn't think much about it as I drove on past but did wonder what the rest of the message was.

As I arrived back in my home town - about 20 miles past the first sign - I passed by a business that had one of those "scrolling marquee" signs with the "lighted message" scrolling across. Now, think about the timing of this as drive past at about 40 miles an hour only to see the following message roll across the sign: "Believe in Yourself".

Now, honestly, my first thought was, "Is there some kind of campaign today that I missed on the news about today being the day to 'believe in yourself'?" I really think my "logical mind" did not want to think anything of it at the time. However, that thought did not last long and I smiled to myself and thought, "No, Mike - that's a message for you today!" And, when I considered the likelihood of those two signs saying the exact same thing and the timing involved I got an even BIGGER smile on my face as I opened up mind to receive the message.

Now, that may sound "weird" (or whatever word you want to use here) to you - but I believe it to be true and I believe that it happens to me and to you countless times during the course of a week and, even during the course of a day and we simply miss it because we are not open and receptive to the idea of this happening!

I, like so many of you, struggle with self-doubt from time to time and lately I have been "back on track" with some of my ideas and plans and this message was EXACTLY what I needed to be reminded of - and I received the message that was given!

But that's not the end of the story!

I spent a few minutes at my office and then began to ride my motorcycle home when I passed a different scrolling marquee sign that, as I passed (again, think about the timing) I read the words, "and others".

"Believe in yourself and others".

Wow! I still get chills when I share that with you and I'll share more specifics about the importance of that message in my own life as well as yours in tomorrow's entry but, here's the deal - ARE YOU WILLING TO BE OPEN AND RECEPTIVE to the messages that come YOUR WAY as you go through your day?

You don't need to "look for them". If you are open and receptive you will see them when they present themselves! And, likewise, if you are NOT open and receptive they will come and go and you will never even know that they were there.

Try it. Don't judge that pizza on that frozen, cardboard-tasting one you had in the past. You may be surprised at what you find!

And as you continue on your journey, don't forget to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike