Life Lessons of a Groundhog Who Slept For 30 Years

The Desert of Arizona
Before Sunrise 37 Degrees

RE: Life lessons of a groundhog who slept for 30 years.

Yesterday was my birthday. I’m one of those “groundhogs” born on February 2. If you’ve never known someone who’s had in his possession enough groundhog paraphernalia to open a small museum, well now you do.

As a kid, I had clocks, figurines, coins, and more. All groundhog! Some years I even went to a lady’s house in town who had MORE of the stuff. I’m pretty sure I remember she had groundhogs in her back yard too–not to mention an enormous groundhog cake.

Looking over the last 37 years of my life, I have to admit, I spent most of that time sleeping. About 30 years of it really.

It’s only fairly recently that something inside changed and I found my eyes opened to a world I hadn’t realized was there.

It is the world of power. Your own power. The power you were put here on this earth to hold, care for and share with others.

The first 30 years of my life were marked by my ability to give that power to others in just about every area of my life.

Work, school, home. You name it, I did it.

About 7 years ago, my way of being in the world began to shift. It began to erode. I went searching for where I had hidden my power. And I did some work to start getting it back.

I’m really just getting started, but here are a few of the things I’ve discovered in those seven years. Mind you, these are my discoveries, so your mileage might vary…

  • I am not broken, no one is. There is nothing to fix, so I should stop trying and actually do something good for the world. I have everything I need. This doesn’t mean I won’t get better, it simply removes any and all excuses I was using not to START.
  • Much of what the world says matters does not. We are only told to fixate on it because it keeps us needy on the inside and easy to control. Stop it. You know the truth. Deep down, everyone does. Have the courage to live that truth for goodness sake.
  • Most of the world’s institutions do not exist for my benefit. They exist to divert any and all benefit to themselves. The way this gets changed is not through anger or violence, it is through making them irrelevant–through starvation. By diverting our energy elsewhere, to things that give life instead of control or take it. I no longer validate their existence with anything of my own.
  • I am here to feel fear. It is a human emotion. It is my choice whether I take action based on that fear. This is not recommended.
  • I take action based on the direction of my internal compass. What others think of those actions is none of my business.
  • I am here to help others, not to please them. Those are often two very different things.
  • In the end, the only thing that matters is the amount of love you offered to the world. Is THAT on my to do list?
  • Stop being so scared. You might actually find yourself enjoying the gift of life you’ve been given. According to “the system,” that’s a travesty, because you will forever become uncontrollable. According to me, that’s the point.

You want your power back? Then start the journey to get it. It’s there waiting for you. But it’s in no one’s interest other than your own to reclaim it. This tool might help. P.S. I’m starting to list some feedback and comments I’ve gotten about the Client Letter and other stuff at the bottom of this page. If you have something to add that I can put on that list, please feel free to send it in! Just hit reply.