Five Things You Can Do To Change the World

You and I can do something positive for all that share this planet. Here are 5 ways you can make a real difference. Take the time necessary to make each one of these a reality in you. You can be a wise and conscious human being and be a positive force for a better world.

1. Develop Compassion – You were given a heart to fill you with life and love. This world needs lot of love, understanding and compassion. The more you are able to be guided by your heart, the better you will feel and the more caring and kind you will become. Real compassion is listening, seeking understanding, being there for others, and loving with an open heart. Step beyond the fear and be led by you heart. Find ways to be compassionate in what you say, think and do each day.

2. Stop Judging and Start Accepting – Begin by accepting unconditionally who you are. You and your uniqueness is a gift to the world. End all self-judgment and instead be self-appreciating. The next step is to turn off the judging machine inside of you (your mind) towards others. Stop judging people’s beliefs and ideas as wrong and instead seek to understand and accept differences. Explore ending the labeling everything as either “good” or bad” and try just being with what is.

3. Respect All Of Life – All life on the planet deserves your respect. As a species, it is time for you and I to end the killing of others and the Earth for power and greed. This includes ending all wars and the corporate irresponsibility towards humans and other living things including the planet. This is a challenging one that may seem beyond what you can do. It isn’t because you and I can speak up and demand that our government and our companies do what we know is right. This will take real courage and determination.

4. Realize You Are More The Your Thoughts And Feelings – This is a big step. Your thoughts and feelings are not you. Who you are existed before you inhabited this body and will continue after you die. Find out who this person is beyond the personality, beyond the 50,000 thoughts a day, beyond the roller coaster of emotions. There is in you vast resources of wisdom, consciousness, compassion and energy. You have within you a world changing purpose that only you can fulfill. Be that expansive purpose.

5. Realize That We Are All Connected – This is a very important concept to live by because it is radical to most people’s thinking. There is much more in common between you and all others then there are differences. Sure there are different beliefs and ideas but under all that are shared hopes for a life of love, friendship, kindness, prosperity, opportunity, a nice home and our needs being met. Begin to expand your thinking and explore unity consciousness. There is a place in you that is deeply connected to all living things. Open to that place and realize the profoundness of our connection.

You and I can explore these ideas and integrate them into who we are now. Then we can spread the ideas around the Earth and the glow of peace and consciousness will shine throughout the Universe.

Do Absolutely Nothing

I was thinking about the way I go about trying to be a more aware and conscious human being. I actively seek my own growth because I feel there is much potential in me yet to be tapped. My latest awareness about personal growth and development is that effort may be over-rated.

Here is a quote about what you have to do to wake up to your true self from Gangaji a spirit teacher I have a great respect for and truly value her perspective.

“You have to do nothing to wake up. Nothing! Isn’t this the last thing you expected? This is the last place you thought to look. Everyone is scurrying to do something to get awareness. Everyone is reading, retreating, and practicing just to wake up. If it is as complicated as doing something then this implies that you are separate from that which is awake.

You are not separate from what is awake. You are That. Don’t do anything. Don’t even not do anything. Be absolutely still. “

Take some time to carefully consider and contemplate this teaching from Gangaji. If you can fully understand what this means in your heart and soul; you are free.

Her book Diamond in Your Pocket is very expansive and full of teachings like these.

At this time in my life, I am drawn intuitively to traveling down this simple but challenging path to self-realization. The form is uncluttered but the path of inquiry takes focus and commitment. Or am I making in more complicated then it is? I will let you know. Try these ideas on and see where they take you.

Be expansive and live from heart.

The Beaver Who Taught Me About Life

I live in a place where there are lots of animals. The horses, donkeys and cows are the domestic ones and the geese, ducks, fox, skunks, and coyotes are the wild ones. Most nights I stop by the horses and feed the mom carrots and pet the young colt. I often have to avoid the skunk who doesn’t like to go off course even if it means coming straight at me. I give him all the room he needs or else he will raise a big stink. I noticed the other morning there was a family of you fox and the little ones were hoping around trying to see over the grass. I don’t know what it is but being amongst these creatures feels really good as if they are part of my family.

I want to tell you about a beaver that I had a really special encounter. I use to live along a river and one evening I was out doing my walk on the path the followed the stream. I had often seen beaver but they never seemed happy about it. The usually flap their tails and try to chase me away. I don’t know if you know this but they can be quite ornery. I saw this beaver and I thought, we share this planet together and I was wondering if we couldn’t connect as fellow inhabitants of this river area.

So I walked down to a very small beach like area and stood very still. I began to feel like my heart was extending an invitation to this little brother. I kept on saying very silently, “you are safe, we share this planet together and I send you love. The beaver began to swim closer and closer as if to check me out. I stood still and kept sending the silent messages from my heart. The beaver then came onto the shore and walked up to about 3 feet away, stood up and looked right into my eyes. We checked each other out for awhile. After about 10 minutes I had a thought that it was getting late and I better go. I did not move but as soon as I had the thought, the beaver walked back into the water and swam away.

I felt as if nature had touched me in a special way and that some how we had come together as fellow members of the earth family. I will always remember that encounter as if it happened just yesterday. I wonder about how the beaver and I could connect so easily and it seems so obvious now. The heart is a very powerful connector.

I think if the beaver and I could meet in the common ground of the heart then all humans could do the same. I believe all wars, all conflicts, all relationship challenges are resolvable if the heart is involved.

Isn’t it time we start coming together out of love? Isn’t it time we evolve past the need to kill each other to have our way. If we are willing, we can sit down together and work out our differences. Those that are too closed in the heart need to be excluded from these conversations. They need more love and support to open up. Those with open heart can lead us away from wars and into a world were peace is possible and compassion is the guiding principle. Isn’t it time we lead with our hearts and our understanding rather then our egos and our hunger for control.

I challenge you to find where you need to have more heart in your life and grow into being a more loving human being. The times we live in need your heart, your compassion and your understanding. Are you ready to show up as a heart centered person? If you do, all will be altered and soon the you will find yourself living in the kind of world you long for deep inside.

What Is An Authentic Person?

Last night I attended a talk and discussion at Naropa University in their Authentic Leadership Series. Peter Goldmark presentation was titles “Non-Profits, On Your Mark: Running the Most Important Race Humans Have Ever Run." He is a person dedicated to saving the environment and is fully living his purpose. He feels all of us out there running NGO’s (non-government organizations) are making a difference in the world. His passion, his heart, his wisdom was shared about the important of everyone doing what they know they must do and how important that is today. I found him authentic and inspirational. I have been very fortunate lately with so much inspiration available through talks, reading, videos and other resources. I feel grateful for all this.

I was thinking what is an authentic person. The qualities that come to mind are: genuine, real, purposeful, spontaneous, passionate, creative, self-realizing, open, understanding, inclusive, self-aware, accepting of who they are and free to express their uniqueness. These qualities add up to the kind of person I want to be and I suspect so do you?

Let’s talk about some of these qualities and how you and I can nurture them in us. Genuineness and realness are two qualities that share similarities. To be genuine and to be real means you have to have some sense of who you are. This sense of self allows you to be in the world as you are. A genuine person is real with themselves and others. The need for approval does not drive a genuine person. Being real often means doing what you know is right for you even though others may want you to be more conforming.

Having a purpose and living it passionately is what an authentic person does. If you know who you are, what your mission is in this life and you live it as full as possible, you are true to yourself.

With authenticity comes a flow of creativity and spontaneity. Following the flow of who you are opens you to much inspiration and inner guidance. You tend to be responsive and intuitive in a relaxed and easy manner. You can be real in the moment and that can be a real joy to be around.

Self-realizing is a great making quality of the authentic person. To live with the intention and commitment of realizing your potential, is truly a powerful way to be in the world. Exploring and expressing your highest possibilities is of true benefit to the planet.

Open and inclusive are qualities that show expanded consciousness. When you drop your need to be run by judgments you open yourself to accept and include people of all ways of life, cultures and beliefs. This inclusive way of being in the world shows a real comfort with who you are and an openness to be with who others are.

So how do you grow the authentic you? Begin first by committing yourself to accept who you are. Drop the self-judgment and be simply ok with who you are. That will take some practice because most likely you have been conditioned to believe more in what others consider your faults. You are much more then any limitations you may have picked up along the way

Developing a more objective observer in you will help you grow as a human being and encourage you being authentic. Meditation and other contemplative practices are very helpful in your pursuit of realness and in helping you to see yourself with greater impartiality. Keeping a journal of what you learn about yourself can also help you to be more self-aware and conscious of who you are.

This life is a journey and the more you grow and learn, the more you will tend to be comfortable in your own skin. With and openness to who you are and the pursuit of what you are here to do, you can learn to live an authentic life. Enjoy it and feel the gratitude of such a wonderful blessing.

The authentic self is the soul made visible.
Sarah Ban Breathnach

And live now. . . And enjoy now like a child. And be your authentic self.
Jim Carrey

Feelings or emotions are the universal language and are to be honored. They are the authentic expression of who you are at your deepest place.
Judith Wright

The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering.
Ben Okri

Opening Your Heart to Everyone Now

Today, I was reading through some inspirational writings and I came upon this wonderful short reflection by David Deida. I thought I have to share this because it speaks to me so deeply. When things speak to me deeply, then I know they are important. I hope this speaks to you also.

Right now, and in every now-moment, you are either closing or opening. You are either stressfully waiting for something – more money, security, affection – or you are living from your deep heart, opening as the entire moment, and giving what you most deeply desire to give without waiting.

If you wait for anything in order to live and love without holding back, then you suffer. Every moment is the most important moment of your life. No future time is better than now to let down you guard and love.

Everything you do right now ripples outward and affects everyone. Your breath can radiate love; your glance can awaken joy. Your words can inspire freedom. Your every act can open hearts and minds.

Opening from heart to all, you live as a gift to all.

Doesn’t it seem to you that the world needs more love? Couldn’t love resolve most of the problems of the world? Yes love is a very powerful answer to what is needed in your and my life and everywhere on the planet. Are you willing to open up, to let your light shine, to take a risk and have compassion for everyone you meet? Life is so precious when love is the way.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I spend too much time waiting for what I hope will happen and that does cause me to lose the full joy possible in each moment. I keep feeling when there is enough of what I need then I can be free to enjoy life. Actually I am free right now to love and enjoy life completely and fully if I choose to do so.

I am recommitting myself to live as fully in each moment. Would you like to join me in making this commitment: I will be fully in each moment with an open heart and a willingness to give and live with all the joy I can. Write this on a piece of paper and carry it with you and repeat it so often that it becomes the reality of your life.

What we are looking for is what is looking.
Saint Francis of Assisi

This is the time. This is the place. This is the vastness. Right here (and now) is paradise.
Byron Katie

You are the truth from foot to brow.
Now what else would you like to know?
Rumi

The World Needs You

Today is a day to celebrate. I have now written 100 blogs , actually this is the 102nd. I have been very dedicated to my writing for this blog and I feel positive about what I have accomplished. The results are 100 quality posts that I am confident have spread some inspiration, consciousness and encouragement to the readers. I began the blog in February and my numbers of viewers have more then doubled every month. I write because I am on a mission to encourage the best in people, to spread inspiration, consciousness and peace. Thank you very much to you readers; your taking the time to read my words is a genuine gift to me.

The world we live in is rich with possibilities and challenges. You and I need to have all the resources available to us to live fully our purpose with passion. Every desire in you is a call for you to be more, to express all that you are here to be in this life. Paying attention to what you feel drawn to, is very important. Listening to your inner callings will guide you to your fullest realization of self. Yes you are key piece in the whole picture of planet. Your fullest expression is needed more today then ever. You have things to do and what you do can make a real difference.

We live in a world where there is a need for a huge variety of skills and talents. There is a purpose for you that you can do better then anyone else. Which one(s) call you to action?

The world needs people who:
• Are guided by their inner wisdom
• Have heart and real compassion
• Live by a higher truth
• Can communicate, listen and build health relationships
• Are committed to peace
• Pursue consciousness and higher wisdom
• Expand our points of view
• Are creative in their expression
• Seek collaboration and connection
• Appreciate diversity and uniqueness
• Respect all living things;
• Value nature and want to take care of the planet
• Will pursue justice for all
• Care about those in need
• Appreciate beauty and wonder of all of life
• Can teach humility and self-respect
• Value balance and harmony
• Know how to use money for the good of all
• Can think ahead for future generations
• Know how to educate about universal values and awareness
• Understand sustainability and can show us the way
• Can guide us all to take full responsibility for our lives
• Know how to lead from values and for the good of all
• And more

You are called to be somebody unlike anyone else, totally unique in what you have to offer. Be you, live your passion and together the world will be transformed to the place we can all live in peace, prosperity, compassion and joy.

Thank you for being you.

(The comment section was misbehaving yesterday.  Please feel free to email me with any comments about the blog on Radical Self-Acceptance or any others at   explorelifeblog@gmail.com )

Radical Self-Acceptance

There are so many things I want to do in this lifetime. It seems that with the passing of each year, I gain a greater appreciation for myself and for all that my life has to offer. When younger I struggle as to who I was and worked too much on gaining the approval of others. Now the struggle seems less personal and I feel a positive sense of self-acceptance. Ram Dass a great teacher puts it this way, “When I was younger I was run by my neurotic desires and emotions. Now that I am older I just sit and have tea with them.”

Life along the way has its ability to grow you and I as human beings. We come into this journey very small and fragile. Growing into our adult size bodies can come with lots of bumps and bruises. Then we go out into the world of career and try to accomplish what we think we should. We create a family and become responsible and try to do the right thing. This right thing is very conditioned and somewhere along the way we may actually question who we are, what we want, and can we be ok with being our unique self?

This questioning is a very important phase. This is when you as an individual is reborn. You know there is something different in you that won’t let you be part of the mass conditioned herd. If you have ever read Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach, then that is what I am talking about. You step into a place of self-exploration and you leave the pack behind. This takes courage and an acceptance of self despite your differences from others. Joseph Campbell calls this the Hero’s Journey. This journey is one of following you unique expression and purpose. No one else ever has had you unique calling, your exact purpose.

Now at this point in your life, you want to realize this purpose as much as possible. If you have separated yourself from the group think, you know there are things to do and you feel you are here to do your part. The planet, your country, your family all need you to be you as fully as you can be. There is an expansive heart and a great inner strength in you waiting to be called into action.

Start with a radical acceptance of who you are. There is simply no one else like you on the planet. Stand in front of the mirror and realize your uniqueness. Look into you eyes and recognize the special genius you were given to accomplish your mission. You might be a great people connector, a visionary, a leader, a source of inspiration to others, an innovator, a creative artist, a compassionate human being, an idea generator, a social change artist, a master investor and money maker, a philanthropist, a kind friend, a peaceful spirit, a teacher of consciousness, a builder of dreams, or any of an unlimited number of other possibilities.

Most likely you are now growing into this mission and the realization of who you are and where you want to go with this life. Everything else is secondary to you pursuit of this self-realization. Yes those you love are very important. Your love for them however is lessened if your love for yourself and your journey is compromised.

Consider this, if you were to commit fully to this heart filled purpose, what would you do today to move your mission forward? What do you need to do to take this life of yours to the next level of realization? Where as a person do you need to grow to accomplish what you are here to do?

Know this without a doubt: you were given all the tools you need from Day One to accomplish what you are here to do. Trust yourself; pay attention to you inner callings, your intuitive knowing and you will always be shown the way. A radical self-acceptance of all you are and all you are guided to be is what is called for here. Are you ready? Of course you are.

Here are few inspirational quotes from the great mystic poet Rumi. Enjoy, expand and realize.

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there.”

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

“Only from the heart can you touch the sky.”

“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.”

“You were born with wings. Why prefer to crawl through life?”

Let Nature, Drawing and Travel Enrich Your Life

(I had technical problems today :-(  Sorry about the blank page or whatever you saw.) 

The warm days have begun to show up around here and it sure feels nice. Yesterday Bobbi and I hiked up into the mountains near our home where the wildflowers, the smell of the forest, the views and being in nature felt so nurturing to our spirits. Being out in nature always seems to make me feel good. The hike reminds me that I need to do this more often. This time of year is great for walks in the woods.

We brought along sketchpads on our hike and did some drawings. I think drawing, even if you can be challenged like me at it, does something with the brain that is calming and balancing. When you are feeling out of balance or your mind is too charged up take a few minutes and draw something you are looking at. It doesn’t have to be well done, as I was saying, but the effort will have a positive affect. I find drawing really improves a lot with a little practice.

A few years ago while traveling in Europe, I had a very small notebook that I drew in and by the end of the 6 weeks my drawing was beginning to look like I knew what I was doing. I remember a wonderful home I was staying in the Italian Alps and the drawing of that place is still my favorite.

That trip was wonderful for all the beauty of the places I saw. Paris was an amazing city full of endlessly interesting neighborhoods, history, famous sites, museums and friendly people. Lourdes, in the south of France, is known for its healing waters and the nightly procession of lights of people from all over the world. I had to go there because as a child I was told it was a holy place. The beauty of the place, the mountains, the people, and the sacredness of the intentions of so many that come there, did make it a special place. Avignon was another French city I enjoyed. It was full of history almost like a little walled in Paris in some way.

I also travel to Spain, Greece and Italy on that trip. Italy stood out because it seemed the friendliest and the language is so great to listen to. I remember coming into the train station in a small town called Santa Marguerita and hearing the Italian being spoken over the loud speaker and it felt like I had returned home. I have never been to Italy nor is their Italian in my heritage as far as I know. Something about this country spoke to me and ran through my veins. Maybe it was the great food? I was in heaven there as I traveled around. My favorite place of all in Italy was Assisi. This wonderful little town out in the country was where Saint Francis had lived. I walked where he had walked and visited the church that holds his remains. Assisi truly felt like a holy place to me.

Well I am not sure how I became a travel writer today but that is where my intuitive guided fingers took this journal entry. The walk in nature, the drawing and travel all do tie together for me. They are each ways of self-care and freeing the spirit in me. Travel does so much to make me feel new, fresh and alive. As I said above nature and drawing can be offer soothing balance and restore a sense of inner peace.

What works for you when you need to find your balance, return to your inner peace, and refresh your spirit? What calms you down? What makes you feel alive? What gives you energy? What is calling you now in life to bring you more into balance and harmony?

Have a good week and listen for what you need. Summer is an excellent time for doing what feels good. Go on a trip, walk in the woods, take up drawing or whatever would feel like the inner you is being taken care of come kind and loving way. You will feel better for doing so. Encourage the same self care in those you love and together you can enjoy the celebration of life.

Time To Be Creative

Today I wanted to write about creativity. There is in you and me a need to express creatively. Why is that? I find that when I explore my creative urges I am inspired, I feel alive and full of the energy of life. Creativity is you and I traveling on the road of who we are and what our potential is. To create is to express and expression is positive and self-nurturing. Creativity can be expressed through painting, writing, collage, song writing, design, sculpture, presentations, humor, gardening, innovations in business, photography, movement, relationship building, fiber art, parenting, crafts, play and other ways. What forms of expression do you like to explore?

Today I want to do some writing, drawing and maybe painting. As you can see my writing has happened. I love blogging because I get to explore my creativity every day.

I feel the urge in me to play with the unexpressed. Creativity is a natural way to see what needs to be expressed. When I sit at my computer or take out my brushes and pens, I can allow them to say what they need to say. That expression sets me free. Sometimes emotions and thoughts come out in paragraphs, blobs or interesting forms. Other times ideas come into shape and evolve.

The whole process is interesting to watch. I find it most powerful if I can step aside and allow my art or my writing to just express. Stepping aside means I allow what wants to be expressed to come out without trying to make it happen. In writing when I allow, I get an energized flow of words that dance from my fingers onto the screen. In painting, the colors start to call me onto the surface I am working on. I often have no idea where the writing or the painting will go. This spontaneous expression feels full of life and so freeing.

What ways do you allow a creative flow to come through you? Too many people think of themselves as not being creative. That is simply not true. Everyone was born with creativity (just watch children if you have any doubts) but somewhere along the way it got blocked or in some way lost.

Now is a good time now to rediscover what creative urges are waiting to express themselves. If you already have good channels for expression, take a risk and explore new ones. The more you let the cat out of the bag, the more you can purr with the joy of expression.

Have some fun today or soon with your creative expression. I will let you in on my adventures. Please let me in on yours. I would be willing to show your photos and art expressions, a poem, other writings here on this blog if it seems to fit with my themes. Maybe we will have summer creative expression displays throughout the next few months? This sharing and summer expression just came to me now so the form is in very early birth. Please if you have ideas or something to share, leave me a comment or email me at explorelifeblog@gmail.com

The Power of Focus

Do you know what you want to create in your life? I use the word create her because it is the creative part of your mind/heart/spirit that is the most powerful force within you for manifest in the world. Aligning with these creative forces allows you to bring into the world what is most important to you. With creativity, intention and focus you can take charge of your life.

A few years ago I came upon a very good book for focusing called The Circle by Laura Day. The book talks about using the circle as a way to focus yourself on what you want to bring into your life. This book’s ideas work very well. The power of the circle is recognized across cultures.

Imagine the circle as a place of power. You place in the circle an intention for what you want to create. Then you charge the circle with the energy of you passion, desire and purpose. With that circle power flowing out into the world you ready yourself for the possibilities that come your way. You make room to receive what you want and do what it takes to actively participate in making it happen. The details of this book will spell this journey out for you. The power of focus is in the circle and in you waiting to be of service.

Another excellent resource for focusing in Wayne Dyer's book called Intention. His other books are good but to me this one has real power. Get a copy of the book, read it and then use his ideas to focus your efforts. When you have a clear intention you can create amazing results. He write about a variety of focusing subjects including: being on purpose; growing your self acceptance; being authentic; learning to relax and let go; attracting abundance; living in appreciation; and much more.

Books are friends that can set you in the right direction. Reading ideas that charge up your focus can make you more effective at bringing about the life you want. Keep exploring and learning and one day soon you will wake up and realize you have created the life you have focused on. That will be a day to appreciate and celebrate. Congratulations on being the creator of your life. 

A Question Of Balance

I realize lately that I have been very focused at making this blog a success and less focused on the quality of the journey and the people in my life that I care about. I am writing this blog today as a reminder to myself and to you about the importance of balance. Caring for our relationships, for our health, for our peace of mind, for ourselves financially, are all part of keeping in balance.

My wife Bobbi and I spend many hours together working on our computers. I call this co-doing and it is not to be confused with really being with someone. We both noticed that our relationship has played second place to our creating the results we want. It is too easy to forget what is most important and instead get caught up in the effortfulness of making things happen. We are still doing well and we realize that keeping are hearts fully open to each other is really what matters. So being together in ways that keeps the love growing is essential.

The quality of the journey is a key to an enjoyable and satisfying life. I have to remind myself to live as fully as I can and not to get too caught up in chasing the results I think will make me happy. It is never the results that make me happy any way. Results are an outside thing, happiness is an inside thing. I can have great results but if I am unhappy inside, if my heart is shut down then I cannot enjoy life.

I want very much to have my blog prosper and make a positive difference in the world. If however along the way, I forget to life in my heart then I would have messed up what is most important. Balance is a key here. Consider how well you are doing with these key areas of your life:

How well do you tend to the needs of your heart?

Do you nurture the child in you and remember to play?

Do you take care of your body, keep fit and eat well?

How do you give attention to your feelings?

How well do you listen to those who matter to you?

Is your mind able to focus, to be present, to find stillness?

How often to you appreciate the beauty of nature and have gratitude for each breath?

How do you nurture your spirit?

How do you express yourself creatively?

Are you continuing to grow and keeping your mind open?

Are you having fun, loving and enjoying life?

I hope you find these questions helpful. Each day self-care is important and so is creating the life and results you want. Balancing the attention to self and others and to your goals will make your life work so much better.

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony.
Thomas Merton

Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Robert Fulghum

My private measure of success is daily. If this were to be the last day of my life would I be content with it? To live in a harmonious balance of commitments and pleasures is what I strive for.
Jane Rule

The Nature of Who We Are

I was walking along the stream behind my house this morning clearing the path from all the fallen branches after a very windy night. I was thinking what great metaphor for this blog. I write to clear the debris from the thoughts and emotions that clog up your and my life. I help clear the path to more awareness and consciousness. At least I think I do? I hope that is your experience?

Let’s take this a little higher today and explore who you and I are. I was thinking about who I was in the way of self-inquiry. I find self-inquiry important to do regularly because exploring my nature seems essential to growth. The by-product of that self-searching always feels positive to me. I feel very alive and connected to a part of me that seems almost endless. That may sound kind of odd but from what I can tell quite possible.

Let me tell you more about what I was exploring from a kind of intuitive/awareness place in me. Hang in here with me because I think you will find this interesting. I was more aware that there is a part of me that has always been and will always be. I, in some form, existed before this birth and that form will continue after I die.

How did I come up with that idea? Well I started asking myself who I was. I inquired into what made up this person writing this blog. I first thought about my ego and personality. I decide that wasn’t me but more my learned ways of adapting to the conditioning I have received.

I also sensed that I wasn’t my thoughts or my feeling since they seem to come and go without any ground in a deeper reality. Yikes this is sounding kind of out there isn’t it? Be aware what feels right to you as I go along this path.

Next I considered the body as my defining moment but it isn’t. Instead, my body feels much more like the frame I am in, rather then who I am. So if I am not my body, mind, emotions or personality, then who am I?

This part is much more challenging to write because words seem so limited and confining? Here is what it seems like to me. I am moment to moment awareness living in the story of me. Much of the time I fall out of awareness and instead walk the trance of life and live it as if it is real. Does this make any sense to you?

The story of your and my life seems real much of the time. Is it? Are you and I this life we have created or something different. I highly suspect we are much more then our life and the story we are living in. Let me offer an idea here. This idea, that the story we are living in is real, is the cause of all of our suffering and struggle. Imagine if you could step aside and see the story as just a story and that you could watch it impartially. Can you imagine that? How would your experience of life change if you were able to be free enough to be in it but not caught up in the drama?

This self-inquiry is very powerful because the more you do it the more clarity you gain and the less you are attached to the story. This does not mean you pull away and don’t care. It is more that you are can travel through your life in the freedom to be moment to moment with joy and love always at your side. Free to be, free to love, free to be joyous, free to be at peace.

I hope you found this exploration helpful and that in some way the path was made clearer. Please let me know by comments or email at explorelifeblog@gmail.com.

There is a wonderful teacher of self-inquiry in Ojai, California who has a website with writings and podcasts that always takes me higher. His name is John Sherman and his site is www.riverganga.org.

Life is Precious, Can You Feel It?

Today began in an interesting way. I went to a small University near where I live and helped the staff grieve and cope with a co-workers suicide. I have been doing this sort of onsite support over the years. To sit with a group of people struggling and hurting and to bring some light to the conversation is a great gift for me. This group work closely together and none of them knew that he was going to kill himself on the weekend. He was loved by his co-workers and they all feel his lost deeply. The sharing in the group today was full of emotion and thoughtfulness. I assisted by encouraging them to speak and feel. It was clear to me that his loss will be felt for a long time and each one of these individuals has been enriched by his life and his death. His taking his life stirred up this group in ways that will encourage much introspection, awareness and compassion.

Times of loss often pulls people together. This group will always be closer because of this shared experience. Many reported feeling more then in a long time. It is very naturally to go through a roller coaster of emotions. One guy shared that so much emotions has come up that the yesterday he couldn’t stop crying. He spoke about knowing much of his inner turmoil is not only about loosing a friend but also about a lot of emotions baggage he has been carrying.

Several felt very critical of themselves for not helping more or for feeling weak with emotions. These ideas are simply not accurate and reflect more faulty beliefs then reality. The power of a group like this is they can clearly contradict these ideas about one self. This group was able to share so new and kinder perspectives with each other.

I left the group feeling like I had been of service to them. They all told me I had and I also could feel that was true. I feel blessed by the realness and rawness of what they shared. I was allowed into the very private space of the human hearts of all those there today.

When things like this happen you and I are forced to step back and take a look at ourselves and our lives. This stepping back is a really positive thing to do. It has great benefit. Like these co-workers, you and I have to evaluate what has happened, where we are headed, and what is most important to us? This self-evaluation forces us to change from full speed ahead and instead to stop and look around at our lives. As you well know, it is so easy to get caught up in the dramas of life and forget to actually pay attention to how you are doing? Are you taking time to check-in with yourself? Are you letting people in on how you feel? Are you reaching out for support when you need it? Also are you checking in with others, asking them how they feel and giving support to those in need? Compassion and caring for yourself and those around you is called for every day. The world is a better place when you tune inward with care and reach outward with compassion.

I hope you day goes well and that you have a moment here and there to feel grateful for the life you have.

10 Ideas To Bring Out The Best In You

Yesterday I wrote about the benefits of meditation and quiet contemplation for living an inspired life. Why settle for anything less then having the life you desire fulfilled. Your desire is your calling to express yourself more fully. I have put together 10 ideas to provoke you toward not only living fully with passion and aliveness but also so that you can be an inspiration to all those who know you.

1. Change your inner dialogue so that it is supportive and encouraging. You must learn to be your own best cheering section. If you don’t appreciate who you are, then who will?

2. Take full responsibility for your life. Stop blaming and complaining immediately because it is nothing but a crap magnet. If you don’t like how something is, change it now or change your reaction to it.

3. Walk on the earth with awareness about the footprint you leave. Mother earth needs everyone to understand that we are all one. All must be cared for; all relationships are precious and worthy of our attention.
4. Explore and expand your heart as if that is why you are here. It is. Love as much as you can. Spread your love so it covers the planet in a warm blanket of compassion and understanding.

5. Live with direction, passion and purpose. Stop walking around in a daze, break your routines and leave the trance of life behind. You have a purpose and mission only you can fulfill.

6. Take naps, relax and rest often. There are times that call us to charge into the world and fight with the courage of a Gandhi or Martin Luther King for what we believe in. Be rested and ready to go. Your time is coming soon.

7. Let go and move on. Take out a journal and start writing until you have written about everything you no longer want to carry with you. Forgive and be whole again. Lighten up, laugh often and don’t let your ego dictate the journey.

8. Live in amazing wonder of all living things and the beauty nature has created. Have a deep respect and appreciation for all of life. Be in wonder and profound respect for the beauty you are as a creation of the universe.

9. Commit yourself to always learning and growing. There is still great potential in you waiting to be explored. Follow the guide of creative and intuitive urges to take you to new levels of expression.

10. Play, dance and sing and bring yourself back into balance. Avoid going astray in attacks of misguided seriousness. The child needs release and play or it will sabotage your chance for success. Having fun and enjoying life are your priorities or something has gone wrong.

This is a collection of quick reminders to wake you up and get you headed in the right direction. You and I always need reminders about what is important and essential.

If you like these quick tips you will also like my Instant Inspiration series of which the first two ebooks are now available on money magnetism and raising consciousness. See the books on the right hand column.

Take these tips and live them as fully as you can. The world truly needs you to play your notes in the musical of life; then all can be a celebration.

Inspiration Through Contemplation

I was in Costco yesterday and I was tasting food and looking at the books, products and all the other things and I got inspired. I never know where inspiration will come from. This morning I was out for a walk checking on the new horses that have arrived in my neighborhood and I got inspired again with another idea. When I am quiet inside and open to what is going on around me, I am often inspired by life. This being quiet inside is an important key.

I would like to share with you some ideas that are powerful and transformative. I strongly believe in the benefits of meditation. Recently I mentioned research supporting the benefits meditation has had in communities. Today I am writing about the benefits meditation has inside of you. As you well know you and I live in a very busy world where the pace of life often is buzzing by and we hurry about in a mad rush to survive. Maybe that is slightly overstated? To offset this hurry and worry pace meditation is a wonderful balancer.

Meditation is a practice for calming the mind, body and emotions. It has a rich tradition in the East and definite application in the West. Meditation comes in a variety of forms from traditional sitting practices, walking meditation and chanting/singing to prayerful practices and quiet contemplation. All have the ability to take you into a more expanded and peaceful place. These practices offer a break from the harshness of our mind and world and nurture the spirit in us.

How come these practices work so well? Meditation and the other practices alter you state; change the way you experience yourself and the world around you. Life is often run by habit driven ways, thought patterns and the trance of repetitive behavior. Sitting quietly breaks the patterns, calms the endless stalking mind and helps you see from a more expanded viewpoint. When you slow down and calm your mind you are better able to step off the hyper treadmill of life. In stillness there is a calmness and a vastness of wonder and wisdom waiting for you.

Here is a simple practice that you can do right away and in a short time feel the benefits. Find a quiet place and sit comfortable. It can be in your home, car, library, back porch, out in nature or wherever works for you. Begin by noticing your breath flow in and out. A simple way is to notice is by experiencing the expanding and relaxing of your chest with each breath. As you attune to your breath, you will naturally begin to slow down. Invite your mind to quiet down also. Be aware of the sensations of your body and emotions as they too rise and fall with your breath. Hear the thought patterns and let go. Nothing matters except that you are sitting and welcoming awareness. Let go of trying to get somewhere or accomplish something in your time for quiet contemplation. Enjoy the slowing down and relax into it. With practice you will find yourself more and more comfortable. The disturbances of life will attempt to pull you away but remain calm and just notice all as it rises and releases in your life.

There are many practices and teachers out there who can help you deepen your meditation. If you find yourself drawn to a teacher or method go and explore. The simple practice above can take you far on your own.

Enjoy an inspired life by first finding it inside.

“Meditation is an effort in the beginning. Later on it becomes habitual and gives bliss, joy and peace

"If you have controlled your mind you are the conqueror of the whole world." - Swami Sivanada

Gardening for Your Soul and Your Success

Today I planted a bunch of new plants. I got some herbs, flowers, cucumbers and squash. I also got an organic spray for my tomatoes, which seem to be bugged about something. I enjoy tending to my plants, making sure they are watered and fertilized. I feel as if I am doing something worthwhile.

There are many things that can come out of a successful garden. I enjoy the flowers, eat the vegetables, and cook with the herbs. Each day I watch their progress with anticipation and satisfaction. I really enjoy watching plants grow and produce food and beauty. Maybe the best is the satisfaction of success and being a part nature at work. I feel like I am touched by the plants and their progress in way like I am touched by those who actively grow as human beings.

I appreciate watching the cycle of life that plants model so well. There is a seed. Then the seed is germinated. After first action comes the plant to the surface, into the light. It grows well with good care. When it bears fruit the cycle is at its most robust phase. Harvest extends for a while and then the plant goes quiet and readies to return after sleep or ends it’s cycle.

The sounds a lot like us humans. We begin as a very small unit of life, seed or egg. Then germination takes place and this life moves into gear forming the body, which will eventually come out into the light. From there comes the cycles of childhood, teenage adjusts and young adulthood. I watch young parents and know they have to be at a very robust place to thrive in the midst of raising a family. When the family grows up and goes away we humans adjust by focusing on other things. In India many later in life focus on their inner work trying to be fully conscious. After awhile we age and get old. Then we leave this life and body behind. If you believe in the transmigration of the soul then you think of yourself coming back again like a plant who reawakens.

If you have a nice size pot or several pots, or a plot of land you can use them plant a garden and enjoy the cycle of planting, growing and harvesting. They are a great reminder of our own journey and actually represent a great plan for success. Plant the life you want with intention, grow the ideas, take care and take action and reap the benefits. A plan you can follow that is simple like nature and a fully of possibilities and potential to enrich you and your life.

Let me know how things grow.

At an Earth Fair and in Unity Consciousness

I spent much of today at an Earth Fair in Denver talking to people about peace. I have been quoting Blessed Unrest by Paul Hawken as a book that is an inspiration to everyone out there doing what they know and feel they need to do to make a difference.

I talked to two women dispensing advise about gardening who had a sparkle of aliveness, questioning and revolution in their eyes. Not the armed kind of revolt but one driven by reason, truth and heart. I talked to a modest man, I assume a doctor, who had been to Cambodia on a medical mission to help those in need. He couldn’t wait to return to do something that really mattered to him and those he helped. Others shared their excitement for life and we smiled and wondered what was possible. Have you ever read Be here Now by Ram Dass? The brown section of that book must be dipped in something that is mind expanding.

I looked up into the sky and saw the blue beauty of midday and the dancing green leaves so clearly. Everything in the park was aglow and vibrating with life. I see so much more when I am feeling full of life and purpose. It is as if there is a greater me in that expansive state beyond ordinary boundaries. There is a knowing in that space of total connection to all living things as if the world was all unfolding in me. I hope you have been there too? It is place I call unity consciousness and it is located somewhere in you waiting to be realized.

Please take the time to find yourself. Don’t settle for less then all that you are. I smile when I feel the connection we all have and I want to meet you in that place where we are one in knowing. Remember the sense you have about this expanded possibility and journey there through the silence. You know the way because it has been calling you for so long. Isn’t it time to listen?

Meet you there or back here soon.

Self-Realization For You and All Human Kind

I was thinking, while reading something last night, how can I take this blog higher? By higher I mean to take myself and you the reader into higher levels of awareness, consciousness and self-realization. Years ago I read a very fascinating book called the Autobiography of a Yogi by Yogananda. The book took me on a journey of about self-realization and the inner capacities we possess. Yogananda was a highly conscious human being who came to America from India. Although he died years ago his influence is still with us. There are communities around the world that live by his guiding principles. There is a place in Los Angeles called the Lake Shrine were Yogananda spent time and if you walk in awareness there you can still feel his presence.

I was thinking of others who I have been acquainted with at least on a soul level. I have sat and walked in meditation with a number of deeply spiritual souls and doing so always expands me. There is something so special about being with others human beings who have tapped into the vastness of consciousness, into who they are at a spiritual level. If you have an opportunity to go sit with or take in the grace of a holy person do so. There are several wonderful women who have the realization of the Divine Mother who travel about and to sit with them opens your heart. Ammachi and Mother Meera are two that will touch you deeply.

Yesterday I was reading an article about meditation and intention. There is a gather amount of research that shows that people meditating together with intention can have a very positive affect. That creates a positive picture in my mind of people together in stillness surrounded by light and that light flowing through communities and cities calming the hearts, minds and souls of everyone. One of the research projects was in Washington DC and was focused on reducing crime during the summer when there was usually a spike in trouble. The research was very controlled as far as variables and the results were interesting. The crime rate actually went down by 20%. Maybe, we could gather in meditation around Congress and the White House and to spread light and inspire great leadership.

So if you were to take some time to quiet yourself and tune in what do you think the benefits would be? Meditation comes in many forms but at its simplest form it is sitting quietly in awareness. In awareness for mediation purposes means tuned into what is going on in you, your thoughts, feelings, and sensations. Watching yourself, your breath and your internal dialogue can be very enlightening. In quiet contemplation you have a direct pathway to all that you are and can be.

I have an idea that involves you. I would like to propose that each day you sit or walk in silence and tune into the more expansive possibilities in you. Take as much or as little time as works for you. Together we share an intention to make the world a more peaceful and compassionate place. If you have friends who want to join you please have them do so. If you live in DC or near your State Capitol you could have your intention focus on sending more light to those places. I use light to mean insight, wisdom and compassion. Does that work for you? The other place we can send light is to all those big and little organizations around the world working for a better planet. Transforming us and our fellow humans is the goal so that all can be self-realized in heart, mind. body and spirit. Now imagine the earth when we are successful.

This is Part One of a journey to higher self-expression. I hope you are coming along for the ride. Please feel free to share your experiences as we go. You can share by pushing the post a comment button below and add what you want to share or you can send me an email at explorelifeblog@gmail.com. Your comments and shared experiences are greatly valued by me.

In the Flow Of Life

The day has started I am up and moving. I usually go for walk to let the inspiration kick into gear. Then I go downstairs to sit in front of my computer and let the blog start to write itself. I find the more I am relaxed the easier the process. I now have over 80 blogs written and have learned to trust the process. You know, trust is a very important part of writing and of life. I have found the more I trust the more the flow.

I feel open to the flow of wisdom, creativity, love and abundance that is all around me. The universe is made up of an endless flow of all this and much more. I walk along this beautiful path in the morning and I am struck with the abundance that surrounds me. The varieties of grasses, plants, trees, flowers, birds seem endless. Even the stream is full to the brim as if meanders through my neighborhood. It seems when I appreciate the amazing richness of the natural world I feel uplifted and inspired. Does that happen for you too?

Life is such a gift and each day an opportunity to live as fully as I can. I want to be rich in consciousness and spread it everywhere I go. I want to see the beauty around me and live a beautiful life. I want to live in flow of money and abundance to experience the freedom and to invest in a better world. I want to love and have compassion for all living things. I want to let creativity express through me and spread a bouquet of words, colors and musical notes around the globe. I want to feel the joy and laugh enough to have my eyes sparkle like the stars. I want to sit quietly and know peace and let that peace spread like a wildfire into the hearts of all humankind. I want to dance, run, bike and enjoy my body healthy, fit and alive. I am you; can you feel the flow going through us?

Today let you life focus on the inspiration in you and around you. Look around and see all there is to love and appreciate. Find things of beauty and recognize that in you. Read writings that uplift you and carry those words as yours. Gaze into the face of child and remember the one in you. Feel the urge to play and cut loose and step away from the routines, at least for a while. Take a moment to say thank you to yourself for being who you are and for following your desire to express even more of yourself. Yes you that extraordinary person waiting to express him or her self.

In the flow and together we let things go, we relax, we enjoy, we express who we are and the world changes naturally to reflect our expanded hearts, minds and souls. Shall we dance?

Peace, Cindy Sheehan, You and Me

I read with sadness an article about Cindy Sheehan resigning as the “face” of the Peace Movement. She has been very brave despite all the attacks directed at her for standing up to the president. There have been many false accusations about this well intended mother on a mission. Why do many Americans speak so strongly of rights of the Constitution yet do their best to try to quiet opposition? Cindy’s point about people being more concerned about the result of the American Idol show then what is going on in Iraq was a powerful one for me. That point got me thinking about why that could be true?

It is easy to focus on entertainment and feel it matters because it is pleasant and interesting. It is not easy to focus on war because it is very unpleasant and hard to watch. So in the busy lives most of us live, it is easier to choose entertainment as a way to try to balance all that seems off balance. To spend time actually getting informed about what is happening in Iraq would not exactly be uplifting.

How do you decide what to take on and when to take care of yourself? What issues are worth your time and energy? How can you feel empowered enough to do something? Is it better to find your own peace first and then work on things that matter to you?

I have lots of questions but few answers. I find myself thinking of a Martin Luther King quote that says, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” You and I must learn to hear the calling inside as to what does matter. I know peace does matter to me and every day I do something to spread peace and consciousness. This blog is for me a way to help people find their own purpose and peace.

Back to Cindy who has been kind of a hero for me as she did what she felt she had to do. Her courage has inspired many. She is very disappointed that on a political level nothing seems to be changing. I share in the frustration and yet there is a part of me not the least surprised. This war has become a real problem created on political level of consciousness. The same level of consciousness that created the problem is incapable of creating a solution. It is mired and only a higher/different level of consciousness can move it towards some kind of positive end. Does that make sense to you?

I am sure the American Idol show has value and a choice to focus on that is perfectly ok. Then if you can be aware that while watching it you are taking care of yourself in some way that is great. When you are ready, you are invited to get up off the couch and stir things up in some way that matters and feels full of positive purpose. When you do, you become a wonderful gift to the world. Then your performance will shine as bright if not brighter then any entertainer and you will become my American Idol.

Be you, be bold, be passionate, be the change you want to see in the world.