Becoming people of integrity is not as easy as it sounds. Integrity comes from a Latin word meaning "whole" or "complete" or "lacking nothing". So, for example, if you've ever felt something is missing in your life, it is a sure sign that you have been out of integrity. If you've ever felt someone completes you, it's a sure sign you are not in integrity. The person of integrity is looking for the whole that makes them not need another half, while the person without it is looking for the other half that makes them whole.
In a 2005 article about integrity for New Man Magazine, Orlando Magic's Pat Williams wrote:
Your integrity is the most profound expression of who you are. Integrity is the ultimate expression of your relationship with yourself, of a vow that you make to yourself as to the kind of person you choose to be. If you compromise your integrity, you may get away with it for awhile, but no one gets away with it forever. People who lack integrity eventually get exposed.
To be exposed is not to say that you'll get in trouble or have to answer to some authority. Often-times, you expose you for who you truly are to yourself. Oh! And, I am no different because I am writing this. I have to work on this integrity thing too. I wrote a book about integrity for just that reason, because it truly is The One Secret to All Success. Again, it's easier to think about and talk about, which the book is designed to do - pique the reader's consciousness about the subject. The more challenging thing is to make certain our lives are reflective of a resolve to remain in personal integrity, another goal I hope to achieve with readers of my book. Whatever the case, just be sure you make certain integrity is a watchword in your life.
James Power
Friday, January 18, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Sunday, January 13, 2013
True Light and True Darkness vs. False Light and False Darkness
There is, in our world, true light and true darkness. There is, in our world, false light and false darkness. The key to discovering true light and true darkness is in the realization that all true light opposes false darkness and all true darkness opposes false light.
True light and true darkness are not in opposition to one another. They exist as compliments to one another, just as false darkness compliments false light. Without this understanding, one can easily mistake true darkness for false darkness or false light for true light. Why?! Well, one might say - it's all light. What's the difference?
True light is the light of LOVE. It is opposed by false darkness, which is FEAR. True darkness is the WOMB or the matrix out of which all reality comes into being. False light is make-believe. Make-believe is not imagination. Imagination is an image held with true intent, whether it becomes a reality or not. Make-believe is deception. It is an image of reality passed along to others, with no real intention of creating the reality that is mocked-up. False light is deception.
True light (love) comes forth from true darkness (the womb) and false light (deception) creates false darkness (fear). GOD is the author of the light of love that springs forth from the matrix of reality.
This simple principle allows us to better understand why our world is so full of darkness. Satan deceived the whole world. A Satan is a being who creates false light and a devil is a being spreads false light, toward the creation of false darkness. It's that simple.
Much more can be said on the subject of light vs. darkness. And, this will be covered in my next book Who's Who & Why: Seven Billion Consciousnesses Explained. For now, observe the world in which we live in light of this invaluable truth and see what emerges. Write me at: jameswillpower@gmail.com and let me know what you've observed. Thank you for reading and may GOD bless you.
Copyright. James Power. 2013
True light is the light of LOVE. It is opposed by false darkness, which is FEAR. True darkness is the WOMB or the matrix out of which all reality comes into being. False light is make-believe. Make-believe is not imagination. Imagination is an image held with true intent, whether it becomes a reality or not. Make-believe is deception. It is an image of reality passed along to others, with no real intention of creating the reality that is mocked-up. False light is deception.
True light (love) comes forth from true darkness (the womb) and false light (deception) creates false darkness (fear). GOD is the author of the light of love that springs forth from the matrix of reality.
This simple principle allows us to better understand why our world is so full of darkness. Satan deceived the whole world. A Satan is a being who creates false light and a devil is a being spreads false light, toward the creation of false darkness. It's that simple.
Much more can be said on the subject of light vs. darkness. And, this will be covered in my next book Who's Who & Why: Seven Billion Consciousnesses Explained. For now, observe the world in which we live in light of this invaluable truth and see what emerges. Write me at: jameswillpower@gmail.com and let me know what you've observed. Thank you for reading and may GOD bless you.
Copyright. James Power. 2013
Saturday, January 12, 2013
The Importance of Personal Integrity
From the introduction to the book The One Secret To All Success by James Power
Fear pressure, peer pressure, and atmosphere pressure are all screaming the same thing. It’s a scary world out there. So, why rock the boat? Why not do what’s safe. Go with the flow. Hide in the herd. Just accept that it is the way it is. Sit. Wait. Don’t move. Maybe they will pass. Don’t speak up. Maybe they will just get it. Don’t act out. Ask to be allowed in – to be given something to do. Make peace with the world, wherever that ship we call life may be headed. Fear is the guide for those who would go unguided.
Well, for the lucky, the winds of fate just might blow you off to some paradise. For the rest of us, the headline will more likely read – “More Losers Lost At Sea.” There are many ways one can become captain of the ship called life. You can knock fear on its rear and take the helm. You can work your way through the ranks to become captain. Or, you can lower that dinghy into the water, strap on a life preserver, and set your own course. Whatever you choose to do, the grave awaits all men. So, why slave away as nothing more than a deck-hand on the good ship we call “Life”.
Let us hearken back to the immortal words penned by Paul Anka and sang by the great Frank Sinatra –
And now, the end is here. And so I face the final curtain. My friend, I'll say it clear. I'll state my case, of which I'm certain. I've lived a life that's full. I traveled each and ev'ry highway. And more, much more than this, I did it my way.
Regrets, I've had a few. But then again too few to mention. I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption. I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway. And more, much more than this, I did it my way.
Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew. When I bit off more than I could chew. But through it all, when there was doubt. I ate it up and spit it out. I faced it all and I stood tall and did it my way.
I've loved, I've laughed and cried. I've had my fill, my share of losing. And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing. To think I did all that. And may I say, not in a shy way. Oh, no, oh, no, not me, I did it my way."
Ask any truly successful person and that person will say – I did it my way. It’s quite simple really. Success can only come from doing what it is you want to do in the way you want to do it. You might say – “Well, James – what if I wanted to smoke crack? How successful would I be at that?” And, I’d say – “VERY!!!” That is – if you really want to do it and can find a way to enjoy doing it, you will be successful at it. The crack-lover (and you can substitute crack for anything someone might claim to love) is not saying he loves life and wants the best out of life. He is saying – “I love crack!” Now, normally, the use and abuse of illicit drugs are a way to medicate after checking out of the game called life. So, drugs might not be the best answer. But, it is a fact. Successful people are bold enough to go against the current – to take the road less traveled to destinations seldom visited by the masses.
In a sense, that is what this book is about – the one thing that successful people possess that is uncommon in the herd. In a word, that one thing is -INTEGRITY. Thing is – it’s not just enough to know the word. It is not enough to know what the word means. It is not enough to say you possess the quality. Your life has to reflect that you know what integrity is and that you value what having integrity adds to your life. If everyone who supposed they had integrity did in-fact have it, we’d see a remarkably different world. Second, I wouldn’t have to write a book about it.
Along with one hundred other people, I took a ten-week course on integrity. And, at ten weeks into the course, we were still struggling to grasp the concept fully. What’s worse, no one would dare claim they were living a life of 100% integrity after week ten. Yet, it was a foregone conclusion that we all had integrity upon entering the course. So, it helps to think of integrity in the same way you would think of leaping from the top of a building and attempting to fly. It can be done. It is just far easier said than done.
There is no real test of integrity. So, everyone assumes they have it, since no one is actually checking. It’s like assuming you can swim. The real test of that assertion is not found in mere words, but in the deep end of a pool or in swimming out to sea. So, this book aims to approach understanding integrity from various perspectives. Then, there will be no doubt in the reader’s mind that it is something worth shooting for – the practice of integrity. The reader will see why all other practices must fall in-line behind the practice of personal integrity. My mom had eight kids. The one who had the most personal integrity is now a millionaire. And, the rest of us, we’re still working to catch-up.
You might say – well, I really don’t want more money. That might be true. But, maybe there is something you want out of life. Perhaps, you want more health, more love, more time to spend with your children, or to write that great American novel. Or, perhaps, you just want to live life your way. Or, perhaps, you don’t want anything out of this life. Perhaps, you are ‘in the world, but not of the world.’ Whatever it is, you can get more out of life by making certain realizations about your personal integrity.
You know - it is reported in the Bible that Jesus was a man of great personal integrity. He is, perhaps, the best example we have of someone who possessed a perfect degree of personal integrity. He said – “I and my Father are one!” That is the ultimate statement of personal integrity. I am one with God. I am one with God and I am here to do God’s Will. I am one with God. I am here to do God’s Will. And, nothing and no one will get in the way of that oneness or the doing of God’s will for my life.” That’s integrity! That is saying God created you and you will honor the spirit of who you were created to be, regardless of whom or what. And, Jesus was persecuted and sent to the cross for honoring that he should live as God created him to live. And, guess what? We honor and celebrate him today for his having the courage to be perfect.
Well, for the lucky, the winds of fate just might blow you off to some paradise. For the rest of us, the headline will more likely read – “More Losers Lost At Sea.” There are many ways one can become captain of the ship called life. You can knock fear on its rear and take the helm. You can work your way through the ranks to become captain. Or, you can lower that dinghy into the water, strap on a life preserver, and set your own course. Whatever you choose to do, the grave awaits all men. So, why slave away as nothing more than a deck-hand on the good ship we call “Life”.
Let us hearken back to the immortal words penned by Paul Anka and sang by the great Frank Sinatra –
And now, the end is here. And so I face the final curtain. My friend, I'll say it clear. I'll state my case, of which I'm certain. I've lived a life that's full. I traveled each and ev'ry highway. And more, much more than this, I did it my way.
Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew. When I bit off more than I could chew. But through it all, when there was doubt. I ate it up and spit it out. I faced it all and I stood tall and did it my way.
I've loved, I've laughed and cried. I've had my fill, my share of losing. And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing. To think I did all that. And may I say, not in a shy way. Oh, no, oh, no, not me, I did it my way."
Ask any truly successful person and that person will say – I did it my way. It’s quite simple really. Success can only come from doing what it is you want to do in the way you want to do it. You might say – “Well, James – what if I wanted to smoke crack? How successful would I be at that?” And, I’d say – “VERY!!!” That is – if you really want to do it and can find a way to enjoy doing it, you will be successful at it. The crack-lover (and you can substitute crack for anything someone might claim to love) is not saying he loves life and wants the best out of life. He is saying – “I love crack!” Now, normally, the use and abuse of illicit drugs are a way to medicate after checking out of the game called life. So, drugs might not be the best answer. But, it is a fact. Successful people are bold enough to go against the current – to take the road less traveled to destinations seldom visited by the masses.
In a sense, that is what this book is about – the one thing that successful people possess that is uncommon in the herd. In a word, that one thing is -INTEGRITY. Thing is – it’s not just enough to know the word. It is not enough to know what the word means. It is not enough to say you possess the quality. Your life has to reflect that you know what integrity is and that you value what having integrity adds to your life. If everyone who supposed they had integrity did in-fact have it, we’d see a remarkably different world. Second, I wouldn’t have to write a book about it.
Along with one hundred other people, I took a ten-week course on integrity. And, at ten weeks into the course, we were still struggling to grasp the concept fully. What’s worse, no one would dare claim they were living a life of 100% integrity after week ten. Yet, it was a foregone conclusion that we all had integrity upon entering the course. So, it helps to think of integrity in the same way you would think of leaping from the top of a building and attempting to fly. It can be done. It is just far easier said than done.
There is no real test of integrity. So, everyone assumes they have it, since no one is actually checking. It’s like assuming you can swim. The real test of that assertion is not found in mere words, but in the deep end of a pool or in swimming out to sea. So, this book aims to approach understanding integrity from various perspectives. Then, there will be no doubt in the reader’s mind that it is something worth shooting for – the practice of integrity. The reader will see why all other practices must fall in-line behind the practice of personal integrity. My mom had eight kids. The one who had the most personal integrity is now a millionaire. And, the rest of us, we’re still working to catch-up.
You might say – well, I really don’t want more money. That might be true. But, maybe there is something you want out of life. Perhaps, you want more health, more love, more time to spend with your children, or to write that great American novel. Or, perhaps, you just want to live life your way. Or, perhaps, you don’t want anything out of this life. Perhaps, you are ‘in the world, but not of the world.’ Whatever it is, you can get more out of life by making certain realizations about your personal integrity.
You know - it is reported in the Bible that Jesus was a man of great personal integrity. He is, perhaps, the best example we have of someone who possessed a perfect degree of personal integrity. He said – “I and my Father are one!” That is the ultimate statement of personal integrity. I am one with God. I am one with God and I am here to do God’s Will. I am one with God. I am here to do God’s Will. And, nothing and no one will get in the way of that oneness or the doing of God’s will for my life.” That’s integrity! That is saying God created you and you will honor the spirit of who you were created to be, regardless of whom or what. And, Jesus was persecuted and sent to the cross for honoring that he should live as God created him to live. And, guess what? We honor and celebrate him today for his having the courage to be perfect.
Monday, January 7, 2013
A Simple Explanation of What the Words Religion, Spirituality, Metaphysics, and the Occult Actually Mean
Probably as simple and plain as anyone can put it, below is an easy way to understand these various perspectives through which life can be viewed. Neither is right nor wrong and all have their advantages and disadvantages. Some appear to be synonymous, but each expresses a unique idea about perspective.
First, let’s imagine we see a neighbor, Jimmy, running by.
The common viewpoint says – Jimmy is running.
The religious viewpoint says – You should view Jimmy’s running like this.
The spiritual viewpoint asks – Should I care that Jimmy is running?
The philosophic viewpoint says – This is why I care that Jimmy is running.
The metaphysical viewpoint says – Jimmy is running to the store.
The occult viewpoint asks – Why is Jimmy running to the store?
The common viewpoint can also be called the objective viewpoint. It is what we would all see and say we saw if we were asked to give factual testimony on what Jimmy was doing. “Jimmy was running, officer.” If I also added, “Jimmy was running to the store,” the cop would ask – “How do you know?” I would be expected to offer other factual basis for that viewpoint, since another dimension has been added to the common viewpoint.
The religious viewpoint offers a lens through which one could view life. To follow the dictates of religion is to let religion dictate our view. So, religion says - “You should view Jimmy’s running like this.” Religion is not there to see Jimmy run. Its claim is that it has seen a thousand Jimmy’s run. In so doing, it seeks to define what Jimmy running should mean for anyone who views Jimmy run.
The spiritual viewpoint is chiefly concerned with how the external world relates to internal growth. What’s to inspire me about Jimmy running? Thus, “Should I care that Jimmy is running?” Spirituality is personal and the concern for any aspect of it varies from person-to-person depending upon individual needs and desires.
If the spirit cares that Jimmy is running, the philosophical viewpoint attempts to explain why the spirit cares that Jimmy is running. Hence, “This is why I care that Jimmy is running.” Philosophy says – “This is my view on life.”
The metaphysical viewpoint observes that Jimmy is running and seeks to explain where, where-to, when, how, or how fast? Jimmy is not just running. Jimmy is running somewhere or in some way. So, metaphysics seeks to explain or add another dimension to Jimmy’s running. In this case, “Jimmy is running to the store.” How does one know that Jimmy is running to the store? One may observe that Jimmy runs down the block everyday at 5:45PM. His girlfriend gets off the bus by the store at 5:50PM. Jimmy meets her, buys snacks, and escorts her back up the block.
The occult viewpoint is concerned with the most intimate aspects of Jimmy’s running. “Why is Jimmy running to the store?” It may be observed that Jimmy doesn’t have to run to the store. Why doesn’t Jimmy simply walk? Why doesn’t he drive?
First, let’s imagine we see a neighbor, Jimmy, running by.
The common viewpoint says – Jimmy is running.
The religious viewpoint says – You should view Jimmy’s running like this.
The spiritual viewpoint asks – Should I care that Jimmy is running?
The philosophic viewpoint says – This is why I care that Jimmy is running.
The metaphysical viewpoint says – Jimmy is running to the store.
The occult viewpoint asks – Why is Jimmy running to the store?
The common viewpoint can also be called the objective viewpoint. It is what we would all see and say we saw if we were asked to give factual testimony on what Jimmy was doing. “Jimmy was running, officer.” If I also added, “Jimmy was running to the store,” the cop would ask – “How do you know?” I would be expected to offer other factual basis for that viewpoint, since another dimension has been added to the common viewpoint.
The religious viewpoint offers a lens through which one could view life. To follow the dictates of religion is to let religion dictate our view. So, religion says - “You should view Jimmy’s running like this.” Religion is not there to see Jimmy run. Its claim is that it has seen a thousand Jimmy’s run. In so doing, it seeks to define what Jimmy running should mean for anyone who views Jimmy run.
The spiritual viewpoint is chiefly concerned with how the external world relates to internal growth. What’s to inspire me about Jimmy running? Thus, “Should I care that Jimmy is running?” Spirituality is personal and the concern for any aspect of it varies from person-to-person depending upon individual needs and desires.
If the spirit cares that Jimmy is running, the philosophical viewpoint attempts to explain why the spirit cares that Jimmy is running. Hence, “This is why I care that Jimmy is running.” Philosophy says – “This is my view on life.”
The metaphysical viewpoint observes that Jimmy is running and seeks to explain where, where-to, when, how, or how fast? Jimmy is not just running. Jimmy is running somewhere or in some way. So, metaphysics seeks to explain or add another dimension to Jimmy’s running. In this case, “Jimmy is running to the store.” How does one know that Jimmy is running to the store? One may observe that Jimmy runs down the block everyday at 5:45PM. His girlfriend gets off the bus by the store at 5:50PM. Jimmy meets her, buys snacks, and escorts her back up the block.
The occult viewpoint is concerned with the most intimate aspects of Jimmy’s running. “Why is Jimmy running to the store?” It may be observed that Jimmy doesn’t have to run to the store. Why doesn’t Jimmy simply walk? Why doesn’t he drive?
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
What God Has In Store for You
As a metaphysician, first and foremost, I am a believer in God. If there is anything that observing humanity and life metaphysically teaches, it is that God is a reality. The more the observer looks, the more is discovered that all life has structure, order, rhyme, and reason to it. We are not merely mishaps or cosmic accidents, but co-creators of incidence in a most incredible production orchestrated by God Himself.
As author of this production, God can offer us an understanding of why we were given certain roles to play and certain lines to read. The saying goes - "What's my motivation?"
It all comes down to roles and lines and our reason for being (in this great production).But, you'll never know what God has in-store for you if you don't ask. You'll simply be ushered onto the stage when it is your time. You'll play your part and be ushered off. You might not even realize what that part is or was when the time comes.
Some have a problem asking questions that don't have sure answers that come from the ones in-charge. Further, what if follow-up questions need answers? We want those too. Simply put, we want to be in-control of a situation that appears to be near totally out of our control - LIFE! It is frightening and discomforting to imagine we don't have any control. Yet, we do not.
God, from the perspective of this article, can be viewed as someone who is present to everything that is happening in the production. He is the producer and can be depended upon to know every aspect of it. So, stop everything you're doing and ask again! Trust - you will eventually get an answer eventually.
Can't you just see it now? "Ummm - God! There is a guy over there holding up the production. He refuses to continue until he gets answers." Well, the show must go on. So, what does God do? He offers a few answers to get you back in the game. Still, God recognizes that the production doesn't proceed as well when one has all the answers. So, you'll soon be back to asking what it all means.
And, what you'll discover through your continued asking and seeking are patterns - that there is rhyme and reason to how many of our roles fit into this production. You may find that role enhancements are definitely not unheard of or out-of-the-question. You may find that what God has in store for you is quite fascinating and unique. All that is required is that you maintain an interest in what God has in-store for you!
James Power
As author of this production, God can offer us an understanding of why we were given certain roles to play and certain lines to read. The saying goes - "What's my motivation?"
It all comes down to roles and lines and our reason for being (in this great production).But, you'll never know what God has in-store for you if you don't ask. You'll simply be ushered onto the stage when it is your time. You'll play your part and be ushered off. You might not even realize what that part is or was when the time comes.
Some have a problem asking questions that don't have sure answers that come from the ones in-charge. Further, what if follow-up questions need answers? We want those too. Simply put, we want to be in-control of a situation that appears to be near totally out of our control - LIFE! It is frightening and discomforting to imagine we don't have any control. Yet, we do not.
God, from the perspective of this article, can be viewed as someone who is present to everything that is happening in the production. He is the producer and can be depended upon to know every aspect of it. So, stop everything you're doing and ask again! Trust - you will eventually get an answer eventually.
Can't you just see it now? "Ummm - God! There is a guy over there holding up the production. He refuses to continue until he gets answers." Well, the show must go on. So, what does God do? He offers a few answers to get you back in the game. Still, God recognizes that the production doesn't proceed as well when one has all the answers. So, you'll soon be back to asking what it all means.
And, what you'll discover through your continued asking and seeking are patterns - that there is rhyme and reason to how many of our roles fit into this production. You may find that role enhancements are definitely not unheard of or out-of-the-question. You may find that what God has in store for you is quite fascinating and unique. All that is required is that you maintain an interest in what God has in-store for you!
James Power
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