Finding-Ourselves - inspirational writings, thoughts, poems, and quotes by Greg Campisi

The Heros Journey   /   My Own Journey   /   Dream Big   /   Free Your Feelings!   /   All Connected. All Affected
God at Last    /   A Better Way   /   Be Your Greatest Present   /   Bandage the Past   /   Step Out of Your Life
newest writing   /   Writing '09   /   Writing '08   /   Writing '07 and before

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11/08
The Hero's Journey

Many of you have heard this term before - the Hero’s Journey. It is written throughout various cultures in myths and fairy tales, and equated with such masters as Buddha and Jesus Christ. It is the journey of transformation, in which someone accepts the call to become something more, and undertakes a heroic journey filled with trials, tasks, and challenges. It is through overcoming these challenges that the person is transformed into the hero.

This journey of transformation is not just a part of our literature, but is the fabric of our very lives. Our souls agreed to undertake this journey as the human life. Our lives, here and now, are the journey, not the destination. We are on a heroic journey, to become much more than we ever dreamt possible.

We encounter many challenges in life. Sometimes we see them coming, and sometimes they blindside us and we are filled with frustration, anger, fear or doubt. These trials test us, stretch our will and our heart, and come in many ways and in many sizes. We may simply be treated unfairly, or be victim of a horrible crime. We may lose our job, or lose the life of a loved one. We may be left broken hearted by a friend or lover, or literally, by a heart attack. These hard times often seem unfair and out of our control, bringing us to our knees in tears, leaving us praying for help and asking… why?

There are many reasons for the experiences we live through, but I don’t think it is WHY they happen that’s as important as HOW we get through it all – that’s what really matters. The circumstances of our lives are the tests and challenges we all face to help us transform. It is not what happens to us but how we react to it that shapes who we really are. It’s what we do with that experience that makes the difference. At the end of the day it our choice: to be the victim – left weak, helpless and powerless, or to push through the challenge, learn, grow and strengthen our faith and our will.

For every relationship we heal, for every hardship we overcome, for every day we work harder and reach higher, we better ourselves, and those around us. We are on a journey to discover our self worth. We are here to see what we are really made of. We are all heroes in the making. If we learn to see the growth through the heartache, we will learn to be grateful for the challenges along our path, instead of cursing them. So the next time you are left asking why and feeling helpless, stop and take a look around… you may have simply stepped in a pothole on the path to greatness.

11/08
My Own Journey

I started my spiritual journey about three years ago, but this year especially, this road I am traveling has been filled with many roadblocks, obstructions, detours, twists and turns. There have been many times I wasn't sure where I was going, if I was on the right path, or if I was heading in the right direction. Traveling this path has tested my faith in God, and even more so, my faith in myself.

I have been filled with doubt and fear as I questioned myself and my new beliefs, if I was doing the right thing, and I was also questioned and even scorned by my family and friends. At times I was filled with peace and love, and at other times, I felt alone and lost, left wondering if anyone could understand, not even knowing how to explain my new life to most people. I felt as though I fell into the deepest darkest hole without a way out. I was looking so hard for the light at the other end of the tunnel that I forget why I was even on this path…

Two years ago I lost the best girlfriend I’ve ever had. A year and a half ago I lost the best job I’ve ever had. After living my whole life always being financially stable, a few days ago I was left with a nearly empty bank account and I still owed people money for projects they helped me with. I hadn’t been paying attention to my income, and I realized it was the end of the month, and my automated deductions were going to be greater than the amount of money I had in the bank. I had some checks owed to me, but I didn’t know when I would receive them, and with the economy down, I knew that I’d lose too much if I sold my stocks. I allowed myself to fall short financially and so I had to borrow money from a friend of mine to cover my bills.

I was left asking how could I let this happen? Where was I going with my life, and was I really going to get there? It was then that I looked down, and reminded myself of the very path I had chosen to be on, and I finally understood. In sulking in the darkness that I was hiding in, I blinded myself to its very purpose.

It is this journey that is important, and that is the gift… it is where I am, now, that I needed to see. It was hitting my lowest points, and living through some of my greatest doubts and fears, that had led me to appreciate all of my life, my family, friends, and everything that has lead to this point

This year, both the girlfriend whom I let go, and my old boss, have both come back into my life. I have the opportunity to create a new and better relationship with her, and I have been given the opportunity to help build a new business with my old boss. If I had not lost either, I would not truly appreciate both of the opportunities I now have in front of me. On that same note, in seeing the bottom of my bank account, I now realize that I have never really appreciated the comforts and life I lived. Moving forward, every dollar I earn, I will appreciate, and I will always have enough money to share with and help others who are in need.

This year will always remind me of what a fortunate life I have, and not to take it, or anyone in it, for granted. Today I look back knowing that everything that has happened was to prepare me for a life of abundance - a life I can appreciate every moment of, everything in it, and every person I share it with. A life I will be proud of, my family will be proud of, and a life that will inspire others to live to their highest potential. I move toward the person I know I can be, and into a new hopeful future for the world. It’s time for all of us to move forward, together, into something better.

9/08
Dream Big

I have a dream... that one day all human beings will live in peace and harmony, loving themselves, and each other, unconditionally. We will form a new way of relating to each other... living in a world of truth. I am dreaming of a better World and a better Humanity, where we are at peace with all things, and with each other. No more killing. No more fighting. No more separation, discrimination, or alienation. No more lies, cheating, arguments, fears, or even worries.

Sounds nice, doesn't it? To you, it may sound like a dream, but not a reality. That's because it is a dream... but that’s how it all starts. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream, and many thought it was crazy and impossible. He even died for it, but the dream did not die. That dream became a reality. We are living it today, and it is still evolving and growing. There have been many dreams of the past realized - from equality to technology. Many were cast aside along the way and mocked for being foolish or unreachable. But dreams do, in fact, come true. I'm looking forward to an even bigger dream than that of Mr. King's. I am dreaming bigger than a race, bigger than a gender, a religion, or even a nation. I'm looking at the dream of a United Humanity. It is a dream no war will bring about and no company will manufacture. It will be created within each of us. We must decide to stop the conflicts within ourselves, our families, our genders, races, and religions. We must learn to respect all other people's free will – a respect for all other lives, thoughts, beliefs, and dreams.

I ask you to believe in this dream with me. I ask you to believe that every human makes a difference. It only takes a few brave souls to get the ball rolling. It has been proven time and time again that one man and one woman does make a difference. We can change the world. In fact, we do every day.

It may seem like a big dream, but all dreams start somewhere. So I ask you to start somewhere, anywhere, and start small. Start by believing you can make it through the day without arguing with your family, friends, co-workers, or significant other. Start by going one day, or even one hour, without worrying about someone else. Start by doing small, kind deeds for others, even if it's holding a door open for someone, hugging someone who needs it, or offering a smile to someone who is frowning. It's the little things, the little building blocks, which build the dream. If we practice everyday, just a little, and build on that, we will eventually make this dream our everyday reality. Yes, it is a dream, and it is a big dream… but that never stopped us before.

7/08
Free Your Feelings!

Hasn't the world had enough prisoners of war?
War isn’t just raging on in other countries, but also between rival gangs, and arguing adults... it's still going on in the hearts and minds of all humanity. We are in a war within ourselves, and there have been millions of casualties and countless prisoners. Sometimes we justify reasons to unleash a torrent of accusations and pain, creating outward casualties of our own internal fight. Those casualties are all around us from our families, to our friends, to total strangers caught in the crossfires of our frustration, anger, hate, fear, sadness, and pride. We can always rationalize reasons to let it all out, even if it’s not deserved. But it doesn't stop there. Sometimes we hold back what needs to be set free. Sometimes we hold ourselves prisoner, and our minds hold our hearts prisoner. We fear letting out our true nature for fear of being judged and rejected, never expressing our true feelings. And it's not only the pain we hold inside, once we start taking prisoners, we don't stop. We begin to hold back the gratitude and the love as well. How often do we end up suppressing the positive emotions, and letting out only the negative? How often do we say one thing, when we really mean something else in our heart? The real prisoners of this war are our feelings. Let them go and set the truth of your heart free! Free your feelings and free yourself!

7/08
All connected. All Affected.

I used to think, and often still do, that my struggle was mine, and mine alone. When I am stuck, feeling lost, and disconnected, it's those exact feelings that allow me to keep myself hidden, and allow me to believe that no one can understand what I'm really thinking or going through. After all, it's my experience and perspective, and anyone else, no matter how close they are to me, will never know my exact experience. So I continued to believe that it was indeed my own struggle, and that sharing couldn't always solve it, and in fact, in sharing, if others didn't understand, my separation and struggle grew. I now realize that isn't really true.

I have come to realize that my struggle isn't just my own; It is, however, my own choice to struggle. But that still does not contain it to me. The actual struggle is indeed shared by everyone I know, and even some beyond that. Everything I feel, as much as I try keep it to myself, still emanates out of me into my world. It affects everything I say and do, and my words and actions, in turn, always affect everyone I come in contact with.

The same is true for each and every one of us. Whether or not we choose to share our struggles and hurts consciously and verbally, those around us still feel them. Sometimes we are afraid of letting it out and afraid of hurting others, but keeping it in will not only damage ourselves, but it still affects and harms those around us. When we are close to someone, and especially to those who love us... our joy becomes their joy, but our tears are also their tears. It's much easier for us to see this from the other side, feeling sorry for someone else, or being in their sadness when they are hurt, but we forget how much we affect everyone else with our own emotions. We're not doing anyone a favor, and we're not protecting anyone by concealing our frustrations, fears, struggles, and sorrows.

When we are happy, we can't wait to share it with others. We need to learn to share our pain as well. The key, however, is how we share. We need to share our OWN pain. It's not about blaming others, and it's not about dodging responsibility. It's simply about sharing our own experience, what we are going through, or how someone else's words or actions may have affected us. We're much more connected as a whole then we realize.

We’re all connected and we are all affected.

4/08
God at Last

We devote so much time and energy into balancing our lives between work, family, friends, and more. Each one requires so much attention, that it can take its toll on the rest of our lives. Sometimes we put too much focus into one thing, and the other areas suffer. Work may come first, and cost us our families. If everything else is more important, it may cost us our jobs. Sometimes our children or our friends are more important and our romance suffers. Sometimes physical health is a priority, but emotional health suffers. This is life. Learning to balance all of these things is what we do, and how we live. But something is still missing. These are all parts of our outer being, but what about our inner being? What about our souls? What about God? How often does God fall to the bottom of the list, or even off the list?

Think about how often we rearrange our schedule... missing social or family events because of working late, or missing work for weddings, funerals, and vacations. We'll leave work for a doctor's appointment, we'll drop whatever we are doing because our family or friends need us, and we'll even skip church because we have something more important to do.

Is there time made just for God? Ask yourself... "When was the last time I did something first for God?" When was the last time you left work early or went in late because you were fulfilling a spiritual obligation? When was the last time you were having a fight and stopped yourself to go pray or meditate? How many times do you miss an appointment or cancel plans because you feel God calling? I can honestly say this never applied to me until just recently. For practically my entire life, God seemed to come last. Even as I write this, I know I need more faith to always turn to God first.

It seemed that whenever a situation arose, I would call my friends or family, usually to complain and ask advice, or I would sit alone in my thoughts trying to figure out an answer. I would think about what I could do, should do, and what other people will think or say. I expected a certain reaction from them, and would doubt the outcome or doubt myself. I wouldn't even think about turning to God. There are plenty of moments these days when I get on my knees and pray for help, strength, and forgiveness, but I have only recently learned to turn to God first.

I've been rearranging a lot of my life lately, and I'm making God more of a priority... and it is long overdue. I have started my spiritual workout, and I am getting my soul in shape. We are all on different paths with different beliefs. I'm asking you to look at all your priorities, decide what matters and find a balance that includes God, our creator, in some way.

Our family and friends will always be a very important part of our lives. I look forward to the day when we all will have enough faith and enough of a relationship with God to ask Him first. We will not need to look anywhere else but within to find all the answers, knowing God will take care of us.
And at last, God will be first.

God, bless us and help us all to find our way to you, whatever that path may be.

3/08
A Better Way

What happens when things get old? We eventually outgrow them, wear them out, run them into the ground... or something new and better simply comes along. When we get new technology such as new cell phones, digital cameras, and faster computers, we replace the previous ones. If we get a new car, we stop driving the old one. Cars get faster, safer, get more miles to the gallon, or don't even use gas anymore. All of the things that once were new, exciting, cool, and fun - become quite the opposite - outdated, boring, unsafe. How does it happen? Things don't change, the world advances, and our perspective changes. We are always improving our way of life by improving the things that make life better... but these are all the things outside of ourselves.

What about the quality of life? What about ourselves? Can we be improved? Can we be faster, stronger, smarter, and better? Yes. And I don't mean physically. I'm talking about improving from the inside out, starting with our minds and our hearts. Does it mean everything we have said, thought, done, and known until now is wrong? No. It means it was the best at the time, but there's always a better way. There's always room for improvement. We can learn and evolve. We can be more aware, more conscious, and more responsible for ourselves. We put aside our old toys, clothes, computers, TVs, and cars for better ones. Why can't we replace our way of thinking as easily? We could, if we weren't so attached to it. And if we aren't sold on something new, we hold on even longer.

Should I describe the perfect future, or what Heaven on Earth looks like? I don't need to. We don't need to know what better looks like, as long as we realize we're not living it now. Our way isn't working. There's a better way of living without killing, fighting, insulting, or degrading. We already know. We know what hurts, what scars, and what kills. The new world is already upon us, and it is calling, even if we don't want to listen. We must trust our instincts and our intuition, and listen to our hearts. We have to let go of old habits, patterns, and ways of thinking. We must embrace a new way of relating, sharing, communicating, and loving each other. We're destroying our world and each other. It's about time we learned how to replace ourselves.

2/08
Be Your Greatest Present

How often do we spend our present thoughts thinking about the past or future, and allow them to keep us from doing something with our lives now? And how often are those thoughts unproductive?

We think about the could haves, the should haves, and the what ifs, and wonder where we would be today if... Why wonder about something that will never exist? We do not need to imagine where we would be today... we are right here. Now. Where would we be if we took the right road instead of the left road? It doesn’t really matter. If we didn’t take the right road, we only have one thing left - now choosing to take the other path. Regretting our mistakes doesn’t fix them, and won’t heal them. We so often get stuck in the past, and refuse to let go of it. We regret things we have done, yet are afraid to change them. We look at the wrong choices we’ve made, and are afraid to face the future, because we may just make the same mistake again.

When we’re not mulling over the past, we seem to think about our future. But we don’t just think about it. We fear it and worry about it. We worry about our jobs and about having enough money for retirement. We worry about our health. We worry about our family and friends. We even worry about people we don’t know. We worry about dating, marriage, or divorce. We worry about our children. Then we worry about what other people think. We ask ourselves what do they think about our job, our habits, our clothes, our lifestyle, and our car? We worry about saying and doing the wrong thing, and having them judge or ridicule us. We worry about what our parents think. What our friends think. What our boss thinks. What our significant other thinks. We worry about all the infinite possibilities, and we think of all the things that can go wrong. Are we trying to measure how many things can go bad? How often do we simply assume everything may go wrong if it’s not in our control?

Finally, if we’re not stuck in the past or worrying about the future, we’re comparing them to our current situation. Then we draw conclusions and judge the present, and end up confining and defining our future. If we assume that someone will never change, are we allowing them the opportunity to do so? If we do not provide the space for change, will it happen? If we ask someone to bring us something, can they move if we do not unlock the chains we have tied around them? We so often trap our future in the pattern of our past. And what does that leave us with? Nothing. We cannot move forward that way. We live in an endless cycle, going around and around and never moving forward.

There is another choice. The past is motionless, gone forever. The future is just a vision, yet to occur. Only now do we have power. We always have a choice. We can better our present relationships and situation. We can learn new skills. We can look for a new job. We can better our selves and our lives. We have two choices… we can look for new opportunities, or we can change ourselves and our views of our current situation. Regardless, change starts now.

We have control of our life now. The choices we make right here, right now, will shape the future. Years from now, we will be looking back at our lives and say, "I know I did the best I could and I know I made the right decisions" or we can look back and say, "I should have, I could have, if only I would have." The choice is mine, and it is yours. We can sit quietly, like an obedient dog, waiting for the world to call us, or we can stand up and call out to the world letting it know that we are coming for it, that we are changing it, and that we are taking back what God granted us... choice.

We can change ourselves, our thoughts and our actions - now. We can sacrifice the time and energy to save ourselves from looking back with regret. We can work hard now to make the rest of our lives easy. We can change what we have to, and live the rest of our lives the way we were meant to… or we can choose mediocrity. We can choose not to create waves. We can choose not to question how we got here. We can choose to accept the world, and assume it cannot change. We can choose to look at ourselves and talk about all the things we want to do, and could have done... or we can begin a new life, now.

I choose to use my free will. I choose to change today, for a better tomorrow. I choose to change myself. I choose to see other people's perspectives. I choose to be compassionate and to love all life. I choose to respect all other humans and their God given free will. I choose awareness and to be responsible for that awareness. I choose to have a better relationship with my friends and my family. I choose to change now, so I will be a better parent when the time comes. I choose to help save our planet. I choose to be closer to God. I choose to discover his plan for me. I choose the light from the darkness, the good from the bad, the high road from the low road. I choose to laugh instead of cry. I choose to face my fears instead of hiding them. I choose to move ahead instead of looking back. I choose to start NOW.

We can all choose to be better. Until there is peace on earth, and every human has love and respect for each other… our job is not done. We can be more understanding, more compassionate, more giving, more forgiving, and more loving. We simply have to choose to change.

We start within.
We start now.
We are our greatest gift to ourselves.
Now is our greatest present.

2/08
Bandage the Past

There's no going back. There's no changing what happened. The past is past. It still exists in some form in our memory, but that’s all it is, a stored vision in our own head, that no one else can see, hear, or feel. We laugh about it, joke about it, and reminisce about it. And that's OK, but that's not all we do. We worry about it. We regret it. We are sorry and cry about it. We hurt over it. We get angry and hate it. We fight over it. We lose our humanity over it. We kill because of it. All because of a memory. All because of something that is gone, never to return in real form. All that remains of the wound is the scar. The wound itself is gone. If we have a scar on our body, we don’t just remember how we got hurt, we have feelings left about what caused the pain. But would we actually rip our self back open, and allow ourselves to bleed again? Would we want to feel the actual pain again? No. Yet we do it with emotional wounds all the time. We keep the wound open, and don’t allow it to heal. We go back into the past and keep the wound fresh in our hearts and minds and force it to stay alive in the present. We keep tearing at it to keep it open, and so we relive the pain.

When we get cut, we know we have to stop the bleeding. So we clean it, disinfect it, and bandage it. We allow it to heal, and we look forward to the day that it does. If a scar is left, it's ok. It is a reminder that we are not the same, but we have healed. So why is it so hard to do this with our lives? Why do we hold on so tight to the past? We can't change it. We must learn to heal our wounds, instead of letting them continue to bleed. If we leave the wound open, it gets infected, and we eventually die. The only way to survive is to heal.

We must learn to heal our past, and come back to where we are most needed, most cherished, and most loved... Here and now. We must choose to heal our selves and our past, before there’s nothing left of who we are.

1/08
Step Out of Your life
a wake up call

Even if we are unsure how to change the world, even if we are too lazy to do anything about it, we are finally realizing it's not OK the way it is. Awareness is the first step… we admit there is a problem. We're all connected and all affected. We're too comfortable in our lives and in the world as we know it. Change suddenly takes too much work. We shy away from putting out too much effort and energy. Even rebelling becomes too hard. We'd rather suffer the life we’ve been accustomed to and become complacent to it, rather then fight for the world we truly want to live in. We envision it, dream about it, talk about, and write about it and in the depths of our hearts we know it is possible. But for some reason, we don’t want to accept it. It remains just that… a dream and a vision. We’re not accepting it can actually become our reality because we’re not accepting our responsibility to work for it.

We complain about the world to everyone else, and listen to them complain to us, and then we discuss all our complaints and problems, our sadness and anger, and we either feel sorry for each other or angry at each other. Then we blame one another taking no responsibility... and we DO nothing. We talk about needing change. We talk about the world needing help. We talk about how we're killing each other, but then focus on all the problems, worries, and fears we have. Then we watch some TV and go to bed wondering if we'll ever have a day without worries, stress, and fears. We wonder if there is more to life and if we can really be at peace, and yet we still do nothing. It's not even that hard of a fight. It starts with believing, add in drop of will power, a few thoughts, a dash of faith, and just one little step in a new direction... and the doors of awareness swing open and the elevator of consciousness rises. Every day, every year, every decade, and every generation there is someone who rises to the challenge, someone who inspires us. You can wait for that someone to show up at your doorstep, you can actively keep an eye out for that someone, or you can become that someone.

It's time to step out of our comfort zones. It's a time for bravery, for courage, for stepping to the forefront of our true calling. It's time for a world of Truth, Love and Understanding. The Kingdom of Heaven is approaching. World peace is around the corner, even if it can't be seen from here. We have to get up and make an effort to look around that corner, maybe even step in that direction. Life is no longer an excuse. It's not our scapegoat. It is our gift, our choice, and our opportunity. Make it what you will. Stand up and leave the old world behind. Welcome change. Don't let life happen to you, chose to happen to life. There is a light on the horizon, growing brighter and warmer everyday. Step into the sunshine of a new dawn, and leave the darkness of your past night behind you.

The future is not set. The present is only where we are, not where we're going. Don't look at the world around you decide it's not bad enough. Know that each of us makes a difference. Know that every thought more positive is a leap in our evolution. Know that in our hearts we always know right from wrong, good from bad, positive from negative. It is always our choice which one we allow in. Chose to help create a new world. Chose to help propel us closer to God. Allow your faith to be the beacon of light guiding your way through the uncharted waters of the waiting future. The world is always changing whether we want it to or not. We are always finding new truths. The world is not flat, and our lives will never be the same as they are in this moment. Step out of your current life and into a new light of awakening knowing that peace, love, and understanding is not only on the way, but also within your grasp. It is within each one of us and it is time to let it out upon the waiting world.

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