Sometimes I feel like I’m engulfed in red flames. I don’t want to be afraid or anxious any more.

There are two banks to the river: on one bank are all the regrets, guilt…past.

On the other bank are all the worries, anxieties…future.

I lived most of my life on the bottom of the river, clinging to my fears of being swept up by all the currents. It’s hard to let go. I was afraid to crash into the banks. Everyone else around me was scared also.

But the only way to get to the ocean is by letting go of the fears and anxieties. By not clinging to what was stolen so you can enjoy the energy that is yours forever.

I know it’s easier said than done, but this helps me. I hope it helps you too…

Everyone knows the first one:

1) You are the average of the five people around you.

This isn’t quite true but you get the idea. Be around people who love and inspire and respect you and who you respect. Every moment otherwise is a waste.

That’s the first. But there are other “five things” that are important.

2) You are the average of the five things that inspire you the most.

It may sound corny but surrounding me in this room…

• The original sketches Joe Harris put together when he was pitching his 60s cartoon “Underdog”. I always feel like the Underdog. I WANT to be the Underdog.
• An animation cel from the opening sequence of “I Dream of Jeannie”. I like to believe in magic. I like to believe everything I don’t know or understand is magic. And Barbara Eden is sexy. She’s 80 year old sexy now.
• An animation cel from “Alice in Wonderland”. I went down the rabbit hole in 2010 and never looked back. I don’t even know what I mean by that but I’m in wonderland.
• A photo from the 1957 World Go championship with Sakata Eio staring at the board with such intensity. I wish I could be that intense even once in my life. And in the photo, there’s one tooth that juts out and you know it’s enough to just kill you. I write about it in my post, “The Tooth“.

3) My thoughts are the average of the five things I think about. 

I try for it to be gratitude, abundance, health, value, and WOW! In reverse order.

4) My body and mind are the average of the five things I “eat”.

I put “eat” in quotes because I include mental food. For instance, I don’t put junk news, junk articles, junk tv in my head. And I (try) not to put junk food in.

5) I am the average of the five things I do to help people each day.

If you can’t think of five things, then build up. This is not only how you avoid the banks of the river but how you move down the river.

So that’s five things of 5 things.

If all I do is focus on this little “power of 5” then I know I won’t hit either bank of the river. In the comments, put your five things most important to you.

When I’m tired I float on my back and stare into the sun and when I close my eyes the sun is still there in blue and fire.

P.S.: Take action today:  (1) Find your five people… thoughts…objects… ways you help people.. and things you consume (food and mental ingestion)   (2) Share your insights in the comments (3) Congratulate yourself, you’ve identified them!