Hope Not fear

President Obama campaigned passionately with the message, “Hope not fear.” I believe more than ever this is a message we should choose to live by. Having hope in one’s life promotes a positive mindset. It says, “My cup is half full instead of half empty. Hope looks for the faintest light in the darkness. It’s the silver lining in a dark cloud. Hope says, “It can’t rain all the time.” It challenges us to believe when there is nothing to believe in. Hope encourages us to dream big and live life to the fullest. Fear perpetuates a negative mindset. It says, “My cup is not half empty, I have no cup.” Fear says, “Give up, you don’t have a chance.” It says, “You don’t deserve the best.” Fear leaves us hopeless and diminishes the quality of our lives. The important thing is to remember you always have a choice. You could choose to live with hope. You could choose to live in fear. The power of choice is yours. You are not responsible for many things that happen in life such as the state of the economy. You do have the power how you choose to perceive it. Hope is the solution President Obama offers us. I choose to wake up everyday with a hopeful heart. I am hopeful our nation will recover. I am hopeful the war in Iraq will end one day and our troops will come home. I am hopeful we will heal the earth and our children will have a world to live in the future. I am hopeful all of life’s current challenges will bring people closer together. I am hopeful we will reevaluate our priorities and become mindful of what is most important in our lives. For me, what is most important, first and foremost is God. Everyday I wake up and am grateful to God for every breathe of life I am given. It is important I recognize how blessed I am to have my family. It is important I take nothing for granted. It is important I appreciate everyone I am privileged to share life with. It is very important I am hopeful no matter how challenging life can be. So I humbly reiterate President Obama’s message of “Hope not fear.” Always choose hope and as Bob Marley once sang, “Every little thing is going to be alright.”

Leap of Faith

As I climbed to ten thousand feet in a rickety Cessna, I sat amongst three experienced skydivers and a well seasoned pilot. The energy they projected was that of a deep respect and knowingness for what I was about to experience. The one skydiver who had this look of bliss and serenity had jumped two hundred and sixty times in the past six months. I looked deeply into his gaze that past out the window and embraced the morning blue sky. The Zen that filled his eyes became my breath as I closed my eyes and meditated. There was no fear in the cockpit, only humility and joy for the honor of being able to dance with the heavens. As we reached our height destination, the paper thin side hatch opened. I looked out and witnessed God’s country like never before. As I stepped out onto the wing, everything slowed and the sound of my breath gave way to the power of the wind calling. “Ready, set, go” chanted my tandem instructor and I took a “Leap of faith” that sent me hurling toward the earth at one hundred and twenty miles an hour. The incredible rush of speed magnified the knowingness I had seen in the eyes of those skydivers in that cockpit and now felt deep in my heart. I was humbled and stripped of all complacency I may of ever felt. There is absolutely no ego as you fly through the sky without the benefit of the perfectly good airplane you just jumped out of. I felt God’s love in the knowing that today I was not going to die but live like I have never lived before. I flew amongst the heavens and kissed angels. Then the parachute opened raising me up to another level of consciousness. Silence filled the sky as we floated softly toward the green fields below. I had never seen this great and beautiful world from this vantage point and in this way. How could any of us ever believe we are so much more significant than mother earth? To be so selfish on our own paths that we hurt her again and again for convenience, progress and profit. As she reached for us with arms stretched out, I told my tandem instructor, “There is no ego up here.” I didn’t feel small, I felt at one with every element that encompassed me. I was filled with the deepest sense of gratitude. Each breath I took was timeless. I was truly present with the gift of flying that I had been blessed with. I love my wife for giving me this as my birthday gift. I had always wanted to skydive but had put the notion aside since marrying and becoming a father again. With her encouragement, I was able to take this “Leap of Faith.” I humbly thank all of you for allowing me to share this moment and my life with you. - Professor Beliso

It's Been Awhile

So much has happened since my last blog. I had a son, who is now five months old. I jumped out of a plane and watched my school grow to six hundred students. I opened a new business and weathered a challenging economy. Gratitude is my choice to live by and the law of attraction holds much truth. I am back and promise to do my best to blog. What a word blog. I will do my best to offer you my insights and thoughts on life as I experience and see it. Thank you for your patience. God loves you, never forget that. Brannon