I trust you are ready for a good week. I have been writing lately about ways to bring order to today’s world, which is so often spinning at a high rate of change. I want to share with you one of my favorite strategies for chaos management: inspiration. When I feel overwhelmed, I find it very helpful to be uplifted, to explore expansive ideas, to be inspired by new ways of looking at life on our planet. This weekend was full of those experiences and I am not even sure how I ended up with so many interesting things going on.
I invite you to explore some of these sources of inspiration and to make a list of others for yourself so when you feel the need to expand your thinking, you will have them. Here is inspiration sure to take you higher:
Laughter Yoga is so much fun. I was attending a conference about peace and there was a workshop on Laughter Yoga. If by chance you like to laugh or have fun this is an activity that is just what you need. We laughed, breathed, stretched and interacted with each other in ways that were so enjoyable. Check out LaughterYoga.com and find a find a Laughter Club in your community.
At this same conference about peace (peaceful people really know how to have fun), we did a drumming circle. Have you ever been involved in one? If so you know how powerful they are at altering your state. If you haven’t had the pleasure then it may be time to seek out a drumming circle in your community. In Santa Barbara where I use to live there was drumming circle that met down by the ocean, in other communities I have live in there are weekly gather places to meet with other who want to drum. I use to be in a drumming group that also sang chants and other songs. Those groups took me into wonderfully expansive experiences. Check out drumcircles.net
On Friday evening I had the priviledge of listening to Malidoma Some’ share his wisdom about us human beings. He is a West African who speaks of his native traditions especially around ways of spirit and about his communities unique traditions. His mission is to share with Western cultures the richness of native primal practices and points of view. He stories are powerful as they thoughtfully question the way you and I are in the world. Use your favorite search engine and explore Malidoma Some' for lots of opportunity to find out more.
The peace conference I attend was part of a move in this country to create a Department of Peace in Washington D.C. Obviously this Department is badly needed. The conference was small but full of well-intended people, who share a mission my wife and I have. We want world peace and we think together we can make that happen. If you want to find out more go to ThePeaceAlliance.Org
Last night after a very full weekend we sat down and watched a movie called August Rush. This is a very inspirational movie and one I highly recommend. It is about a boy driven by passion and a genius for music and how he used it to change his world and those around him. August Rush is a wonderful story.
One last brief note: Martin Luther King has been the greatest source of inspiration for me and my life. Take a moment and remember on the 40th Anniversary of his passing that the power of force for positive change in Dr. King is in you.
Have a week inspired by the best ideas and highest desires to be the change you want to see in the world.