1 Degree

    Borrowing this from the Pastor at The Summit Church in Edmonton. He educated us that a train will not move until the steam reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature is 211 degrees Fahrenheit the train will not move. So one degree difference makes locomotion possible. His analogy was how much could one degree difference make in our own fire to relate to God?

    So let's take the God equation out of it for now. In what areas of your life could 1 degree difference in the fire you bring Change The Shape Of Energy? The possibilities are boundless.

1 degree could be the difference between getting that promotion or not.
1 degree could be the difference between a disciplined child or them dictating your home.
1 degree could be the difference between writing that book or not starting.
1 degree could be the difference between passing or not.
1 degree could be the difference between reaching that weight goal or not.
1 degree could be the difference between saving the relationship or not.
1 degree could be the difference between changing careers or staying stuck.
1 degree could be the difference between getting the part in the play or not.

     The list could go on and on and maybe it should. Why do we sell our selves short instead of going full out with that one extra degree! I think it is societal conditioning and the status quo. We are more willing to conform than make a stand for ourselves and burn as brightly as we can. Think about that one degree difference and how it could impact the world.

Blessings

Daniel

"Changing The Shape Of Energy"

Insecurity - my series in Vulnerability

     Ten years ago if you had told me I would Author two books and had won the 2018 Pride of Strathcona Mayor's Award I probably would have laughed at you. Not that I didn't want to be an Author. I was working towards it, coming up against many obstacles that any Author faces. Five years ago when I had the idea for Dan's 24 Hour Ride in support of the Kids With Cancer Society I never knew how it would grow to what it is today. I never had dreams about winning the top award in the County.

     Truth be known even with what I have accomplished I have some deep seated insecurities. One could say at times painful. There are two sides to Daniel, the outer identity that I created to hide the secret of childhood sexual abuse. And the inner Daniel, still struggling with the dark mental effects of that abuse. The saying goes you never know the battles someone is facing. I have become much more powerful in myself. The kind of power that allows me to be grounded and more capable of facing the demons in my mental world. Having a strong support network of friends and family help. And yet some friends and family have had to be removed because they judged when I would slide down into lower frequencies of vibration. Not worth having those people around.

       The greatest gift I have learned to use in battling the low times is my faith in Christ, and wanting to serve others. The word serve means to be worthy of reliance or trust, to be of use. Culturally we look down on the word serve, as if it conjures up a lesser level of success on the status quo scale. For me to take the emotional, physical, and mental pain I have suffered and turn it into a message or means to help others is to serve. Some day's it takes great energy and effort to not just run away, hide and say fuck it. Today is actually one of those days.

     We all have insecurities that make us feel like we don't have what it takes to realize our dreams or goals. We feel that we are limited by them and will never overcome them. They lurk like great shadows in the depths of our souls. We have been given a spirit of courage not one of fear. Remember that when you feel like you can't. Take small actions everyday in the direction of your dreams. Small actions piled one on top of the other lead to massive change and growth. Make it your aim to serve others. Knowing that you are making a difference in the lives of others helps to tame the feelings that rise up around our insecurities. I still have mine, I just know that once I start I always get to the other side. I'll see you on the other side.

God Bless

Daniel

"Changing The Shape Of Energy."

The Shift my series in Vulnerability

     Big gulp, you can write this. Being a male vulnerability can be a difficult to express. To me vulnerability is the ability to express and handle all of your emotions. It's getting hot in here. As an Author in my first book 'Nobody Can Take It Away From You' I essentially laid bare my soul to the world. It was a difficult to put down on paper what I had experienced in my life to that point. Being an Author its a part of my function and purpose so it was a necessary step. Yet being vulnerable is still a battle. Honestly as I write this I feel a shortness in my breath, my body tenses, and I want to stop.

    However I'm not going to stop because there is a shift going on inside of me that is many parts amazing, many frightening, many I am saying fuck yeah to, many I am saying fuck no to! But here is the truth, I'm afraid. I am vulnerable and I am afraid, there I said it. I grew up in a time when boy's didn't cry. It's bull and boys should cry, I encourage them to cry, and society should support and encourage it. There is still to much of that old male philosophy in place and running the show. I have been crying a lot at night lately. You know what, it feels good, freeing. It is all apart of my shift I've been lead to and am walking out.

    I know all to well what holding that energy in can cause. I have never spoken much publicly or at length in my books about the sexual abuse I was subjected to. What purpose would it serve to describe how it all went down? To me it would only keep me in a negative loop of memories and shit I don't want. Here I am though going down that road because of the shift. What people don't realize is that vulnerability never leaves you. I have dealt with way more emotional release over the course of my life than I care to express. Healing it was and has helped me immensely. Because the abuse was a secret for many years I learned to bury all that emotional stuff way down inside. I was never going to be vulnerable again, boy's don't cry. I can't tell you how much I cried as a boy at night all alone, vulnerable.

     I'm not writing this for sympathy.So why this article now? Because men we need to talk. We need to express our emotions in a safe and healthy way. We need to understand that vulnerable is strong and vulnerable makes you more of a man than withholding vulnerability. We need to teach our boys that crying is alright and that vulnerability is strength. For them, the females they will encounter throughout their lives. For healthier relationships, workplaces, schools, Universities, maybe even the world. That is the shift I am experiencing and it's beautiful in a painful but freeing way.

God Bless

Daniel

"Changing The Shape Of Energy."

Communications biggest stumbling blocks

     Recently I came to the realization in a relationship that no matter how I communicated I was never going to be heard. The habits in communication the other person had created over their lifetime were simply impenetrable. As a matter of fact these habits were not just about communication, they were all encompassing in this persons life. They dictated their decisions, loyalties, and most definitely their judgments.

    These following two defenses were continuous in conversations and so disrupted the relationship it ended.

     1. Always having to look good. There were such deep insecurities that this individual had and wouldn't deal with and they came to bare daily in the relationship. Dealing with them would have constituted weakness. Rather than take the time to look within, the problem was always outside them. And the thing this person needed more than anything was to go out and get validation from others for what they did. Many times things were turned around on me by this person in order that they look good was more important than my feelings or needs and ultimately the relationship. Seeing that no matter what the reality this person had to look good even if it came at my expense was eye opening.

     2 Always having to be right. This was a relationship killer as no matter what the situation, the behavior, or the ramifications this person had to be right. Even to the point of altering reality in order to do so. Funniest thing about this was this person had been told repeatedly in a past relationship that they did have to be right. This was something that stuck in the side of this person for years and made them angry

. The reaction was never to look within and see what part they played in this, it was to continually lash out and hold onto a perceived slight. Then I lived it and saw that reality didn't lie. And this is not just a part of this individuals make up it is systematic in their family.

     When communication in a relationship, workplace, social situation, or any personal interaction follows these two blockages it is not communication. It has become a one way conversation. Simply decline to become involved and excuse yourself from the conversation. It may even mean removing that person from your life.

Daniel

"Changing The Shape Of Energy."