60 Ways To Bring Peace To The World – Part One

Peace, in the times we live in, can seem a long ways a way but you and I can do something about that.  Yes you, if you believe you can, then results will follow.  In my writing for this I let the intuitive knowing guide me towards ways we can have the most affect on the world.  The ideas seem to flow effortlessly and so I came up with so many that I need to turn this into a two part series.  The following are 30 ideas to help make the world a more peaceful place.  Tomorrow I will present 30 more ways.  Please take the time to explore these peaceful ways and integrate the ones you connect with into the way you live your life.

1. World peace begins inside of you by finding your way to inner peace and spreading that peace out into the world. 
2. Let your mind ponder what will bring peace to the world.  Your mind will have many ideas but my heart is a better guide.
3. If you walk peaceful through you day, you spread peace just by the act of walking with awareness.
4. Your emotions can be very energizing but by turning towards them in a spirit of acceptance you will soon move into more calming waters.
5.  Feel what you feel, let go of what needs to be released and then bask in peace.
6. The busy mind is always noisy, slow it down by being mindful and without judging, as the judgment drops away so will the feelings of disharmony.
7. Slow down and let your body come to rest once in a while, sit and feel the peace of being present.
8. Find peace today by shrinking your inner critic and instead having positive and supportive self-talk. 
9. Listen to you heart and love more freely; loving makes you feel most alive.
10. Pay attention to your feelings, make sure you are doing ok; they are always guiding you towards a more peaceful life.
11. Spend time in the calmness of nature, feel the peace in the now of the natural world.
12. Take a nap and dream about being peaceful and enjoy the feelings when you wake up.
13. Always pay close attention to your intuition and act accordingly and you will know peace in many ways.
14. Be more playful, do more fun things and laugh often, let children show you the way.
15. Express yourself creatively as a way to find joy, aliveness, passion and peace.
16. Thich Nhat Hahn is great teacher of peace, “breath in peace and breathe out a smile.”
17. Sing songs that uplift you, listen to inspirational music and sense the body’s harmonic response.
18. Find where there is Dances For Universal Peace in your community and go join in the fun.
19. Go for quiet and relaxing walks, walking meditation is even more peaceful.
20. Listen to the birds sing, the sounds of a stream or the wind and in that appreciation of the now there can be peace.
21. Feel gratitude for all you have and in each moment
22. Expand your breathing and feel how alive you are, your breath is your life force and a quiet way to find peace.
23. See the beauty of the world around you; there is a deep peace in the moments of oneness with beauty.
24. Finish unfinished stuff that is bothering you; leave the past where it belongs.
25. Have friends that really listen, be a friend and give the gift of compassionate listening.
26. Change beliefs that limit you and thereby open to more freedom in life.
27. Say good riddance to guilty because it is a artificial thought/emotion you learned from others.
28. Stop watching nightly news, you will sleep much better and your mind will be more at peace.
29. Notice where fear runs you and change your thinking toward love, love always trumps fear.
30. Be kind to yourself and love and accept who you are

Tomorrow I will provide 30 more peaceful ways.  Have a good day.

Act As If

"I will act AS IF what I do makes a difference." William James

This is the third quote I came upon in the last few days that have inspired my writing.  It is tied to my quest for making a difference in the world both personally and in hopes of inspiring others to leave the world a better place.   “Act as if,” is a very powerful mind and heart set that has the ability to cause real shifts to take place.

“Act as if,” sets the mind into gear in the form of intention and attention.  Intention to do what will make a difference as defined by you and I and our thoughts.  These thoughts when aligned with purpose and attention create results.  The mind is a very powerful agent of manifesting, of bringing ideas into substance.  Focused and attentive minds with clear intentions have been the authors of almost all human change. 

“Act as if,” is an act of a courageous heart.  Courage is needed stepping into the unknown and demands of us a trusting in self and the universe.  The brilliance of the heart is because it is full of energy in motion (emotion) and a passion for living.  The emotional charge we all carry is waiting for us to direct it.  To change the world the heart’s wisdom and energy are needed.  Heart wisdom is based on compassion, which is the combination of love and understanding.  A compassion heart changes all who encounter it.

When we bring together intentional acts with compassionate doing the universal forces align with us to produce powerful results.   Think Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and other peaceful social change agents.

Take some time, but not too long, to listen inward and find out at your deepest level what difference you want to make.  This is not an ego driven difference because if it were your attention will be outwardly focused on approval.  Instead this difference needs to come from clarity of thoughts and the wisdom of your heart with a big dose of the consciousness of your spirit. 

You have not yet begun to understand the innate power you have to bring about positive changes in you, in your community, for your nation and for the planet.  When all the forces for good come together within you the light will be a beacon for those waiting for an invitation to expand into what is possible in them. 

Your unique contribution is needed today more than any other time in history.  Bloom and help end the gloom caused by narrow and fearful hearts and minds.



Still Active In Learning About Life

On my run yesterday morning, I was thinking about what forces in me and in the universe cause the results in our lives.  There are many theories and beliefs about manifesting, opening to abundance, and being receptive to flow.   It seems I have tried all of them with no clear conclusions.  That got me wondering how come people get results by following their beliefs in prayer, in visualization, in affirmations, in rituals etc.?  Could it be that whatever our beliefs are, they all work if we do what we believe in?  How much do we have to believe in something to make it work? 

These questions brought up more questions.  Is it a trusting belief or a willing belief that makes things happen?  By trusting I mean trusting that a greater force is hearing what we need and helping us.  Willing means that our force of intention makes things happen.  Maybe it is a combination of both?  For the last 30 years or more I have been exploring these questions in some form or another.  I am still unsure what the truth is but I am leaning toward the trusting of the universe with a dose of clear positive intention.

These questions are up for me because I have some projects in mind that need funding to move them forward and that funding has been slow in coming.  I have been trying the willing process for a long time with only marginal success.  As I look out across my city and imagine looking out across the planet and out into the universe, I know there is no lack of abundance, resources, possibilities and potentials.  How do I as a person make a better connection to the infinite source of supply?  As I contemplate this connection I think a couple of things.  If I figure out how to live more fully in my higher/spiritual nature do I have more access to what is possible or does that presence merely open a channel to the flow, which I now need to learn to turn on?

Is all this wanting, my ego at work pretending and saying I am just trying to be open?  That is a thought twisting possibility but in my heart’s intention I want to move beyond the wants of my ego towards the desires of my true nature to be more fully expressed.  This seeking to understand and better express my potential feels like a lot of work sometimes. 

My goal is to be open, to further express my purpose of working for peace through the expansion of consciousness.  My own consciousness needs to keep on growing and stretching towards more of what is possible in me.  I feel drawn to expand my efforts, to open my heart more, and to deepen my alignment with my spirit.  These is my latest ideas about will make flow happen.  Making my life an experiment in what works and what works better keeps things interesting. 

As you can see by what I have written here there is still much to be explored.  I would appreciate your perspective on these ideas.

Reading this quote I thought there is still more to learn.

"It is a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best you very often get it." 

W. Somerset Maugham



We Need Wisdom In Charge

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts."  Bertrand Russell

This quote from Bertrand Russell says so much about our political system that I had to write a post about it.  The fools and fanatics are those who are so sure they know what is right and they insist that their system of government, economic, commerce, religion etc is right and that people who disagree are wrong and not worth the time for a conversation. 

Look at politics and you have those who lust for power and need more money for more power.  What is good for the people is long lost because they can’t compete with the influence money.  Then there is the arrogance of being so sure that you are right, which means you are invested in being right.  A wise politician would be called weak and a flip-flopper because in their search for the truth they would change their minds and not be so certain.  The fanatics want to pay no taxes and end government and they would leave us all in chaos to hold onto more money.

Look at the talking heads who spin mistruths and their own delusions to meet their needs.   Opinion is not about truth seeking, it is about being right.  Talk radio is full of opinion and rarely truth.  The wise ones ignore the opinionaters because it is clear there is still much to be learned about what is best for us all. The fools attack in arrogance and say “no” to change.

Look at the kings of commerce and their millions for pay who only care about profits.  They seem to lack higher values, which would only get in the way of their greed.  Companies in almost every industry use the planet to make money while draining it and destroying it.  The wisdom is about sustainability, ongoing learning and finding better ways.  The fanatics want no regulations and no safety net for those without.

Look at the economic theorists who use their plans to create the best results for those who have the most influence   The U.S. form of capitalism only works for the minority of people with the majority of money.  Free trade is for those with the most resources not for the working people.  The wise know there are no perfect systems so ongoing exploration and understanding is needed.  The fools claim their system works best and throw empty ideology at their opponents.

Look at the religions who claim to be the only true ones are blinded by their beliefs.  Those that question their authority are banned from participating.  They claim God as their own so it has to be a made up God of their imagination.  Most religion is not about a personal relationship with a God but more about a huge corporation attempting to control their flock (as in sheep).  The truth is that there is no right religion and that the wise find their own relationship with spirit.  The holy fools act superior but fall way short of a deeper knowing.

Maybe it is time we all step back and question our thoughts and beliefs so that together we can find a greater knowing and a higher expression of humanity.  The mess created by the foolish experts has left much for us to clean up.



Image Maintenance 101

How much time do you spend maintaining you image for others?  How much are you run be your concerns about looking good (being right, in control, liked by your boss, ego driven success seeker etc.)?  How much do you depend on others for validation of self?  How much of your day is spent in approval seeking?  Does living your life trying to meet the expectations of others ever work? Does what others think of you really matter in the big scheme of life?  Image maintenance for many is nearly a full time job with very little down time.  Think of the energy you use to maintain your image. 

You and I live in a very judgmental world and there is no way we can make the grade in everyone’s eyes.  We are all taught to be concerned about what others think of us.  Grades in school are about societal approval.  Most families have many expectations (many of which are unspoken) of their members.  Work situations are often loaded with image expectations.  (I remember a bank I provided EAP services in which one employee said to a new one at this bank we tie our ties this way.)  That proper wearing of the tie was about image maintenance.  Society has many image maintenance ideas just look at the ads on TV.  The right shoes, clothes, jobs, car, etc. are part of what expectations we are to live up to be acceptable in the eyes of others.  Is this a way to live a life?

I want to suggest to you that most of these concerns about image do not matter and to spend much time worrying or doing what you think will look good is wasted energy.

Here are 15 of the simplest solutions to set your image straight:

1.          Stop worrying about what others think because it doesn't really matter
2.          What you think of yourself matters much more
3.          Be genuine and be yourself because that is all you can be
4.          Focus your life on realizing your dreams not meeting the expectations of others
5.          Build supportive relationships with the people that matter and your image won’t be important        
6. In work do your best but try to avoid being motivated by fear in any form
7.          Give up the need to be in control or right, or the most impressive
8.          Yes people can use their image to create more success but do so in alignment with your values
9.          Make life about being happy, loving and peaceful and you will have plenty of people who appreciate you
10.          Find respect by living by your word and acting with integrity
11.          Create your own style and be free to invent yourself
12.          If people think you are a little odd they give you more leeway in your behavior
13.          Live with purpose daily and everything drops away that doesn’t matter
14.          Be loving, kind and compassionate and you will get all that back
15.          Seek to be more in touch with your spirit and nothing else will seem that important

Sit back, be real and live life freely, joyously and authentically and there will be no need to maintain you image.



Transform Your Life

Over at Huffington Post Tony Robbins and Arianna Huffington are joining together to assist people to better their lives during these difficult times in a program called: A Chance to Break Through: How You Can Use Crises to Transform Your Life.  This is a positive program/strategy using the web, this progressive site and the wisdom and energy of Tony Robbins.  Check this out, you will find the ideas helpful. 

This got me thinking about the power of us all acknowledging what is going on and deciding to work inwardly and together to make a difference.  These times are not for timid or passive people; they will be left behind by those who are willing to assess the situation, set a plan, and take action.  There is no room for following like sheep those who claim to know because most likely they know less than you do about your own life, what you need, and what your unique contribution will be.  If you don't know what you want and what is right for you than how can you expect to get your needs met.  Time to tune in and pay attention to where the inner rushing currents of energy are trying to direct you towards your destiny.  

Now is the time to turn towards your fears, restlessness, and uncertainty and find your own way.  If the weight of the times is overwhelming, look for support and join with others, search for new ideas, and leave the past behind.  At the same time go towards what stretches you past the familiar, what pushes you towards the realization of your capacities.  The world needs you at your healthiest and energized best.

Make a commitment today:

To be more,

Question more,

Listen more.

Stretch more

Have more compassion

Simplify more,

Take more action,

Be more mindful,

Smile more

Open your mind more,

Have a more giving heart

Express your higher nature more.  

Seek out the light that wants to shine through you only in the way you can.  The universe will jump into action in support of your highest expression. 



Evil Only Exists In Our Minds

My latest reading adventure is The Interior Castle by Saint Teresa of Avila.  This is a classic spiritual book about a nun’s awe inspired passion for God.  Her passion is clearly felt in her writing.  What also jumps out at me is her regular references to evil.  

Her accounts of evil seem filled with the fear of losing one’s soul.  It is as if there are forces out there trying to take us down.  This fear stuff related to religion seems made up to keep the faithful on guard or under the power of religious authority.  What is with this devil person who seems more a character from a dark cartoon than a fallen creation of the Divine.   Shouldn’t this belief of a dark side guy in red be questioned?

Is there evil in the world?  Most would say yes.  Are there people who are born evil?   From my perspective as a mental health professional, I see people who were wounded growing up doing awful things.  People who hate, are angry, power hungry and greedy seem out of balance as if something in their development was went wrong.  I am a stronger believer in the impact of those around us as we grow up. 

Yes there are leaders of countries and companies that do evil things.  Yes there are criminals who seem heartless.  Yes there are people who seem to live without any relationship to higher values.   Yet I suspect each of them have stories of abuse or some kinds of experience that left them less than whole. 

So if there is evil is it something we created or a byproduct of our own misguided ways.  Are there evil forces in the universe?  If you have ever watched the futuristic shows like Star Wars, Star Trek and others they often encounter evil force in their travels.  Is that because evil is a part of are psyche, part of the creative process?

What experiences of true evil have you had if any?  I have seen very disturbed people but never evil forces.  I have never lived in a war zone, which could certainly make the world seem evil.  What are your experiences?

As I write this I have three additional thoughts. 

One is that I don’t want to believe in evil because it doesn’t seem to be a natural creation of the creative force of the universe. 

Second is that evil is a creation of the mind and therefore exist only in thought form. 

Third is I want to encourage the focus on what is good, positive and amazing about our fellow beings because that is real truth waiting to be discovered. 



Moving Beyond One’s Present Understanding Of Self

The insight I wrote about yesterday has provided a key understanding.  Now I must figure out how to integrate this expanded consciousness into my life.  My will-driven practices have to change so they reflect my new awareness.  How I am going to do that is yet very unclear.  I have presently dropped all my regular practices except my walking meditation.  Walking meditation and meditation in general is not driven by ego because it is about tuning in, listening and in general observing our inner processes.  An ego’s ways are often seen in meditation. 

This is not to say meditation is never about ego and will because there are those who prideful share with others their practices.  Without humility most any practice can be used to try to impress others.  The difference about meditation is that with a deepening there is more a disconnection from the self/ego.  The ego moves into the background of a person who has less sense of identity with self and more an understanding of his or her connection to all beings.  There is more of a “we” than “me” sense of the world.

If I don’t have practices of “will” trying to make things happen in my life than what kinds of practices do I do.  That “will” driven way has been much of my adult life.  “Will” seems like me so who am I free of my will’s intention?  Beyond my will and supportive thought patterns is myself more truly as my essence. 

As I write this in the moment what I am aware is my heart, my body and my thoughts which are not who I am.  The heart center in me is closer to my ultimate nature but beyond that is my spirit.  Spirit to me is who I was before the birth of my will and who I will be after I exit my body.  Spirit is light, love and the infinite connection to the Source.   If I am in the world in touch with my heart and guided by my Higher Self/Spirit then I will interact with who I am and the world from a much different perspective than ego-mind/will.  How this evolved viewpoint will reshape me is what makes life interesting because there is much mystery and exciting potential in waiting. 

I will share more as I know more.  Join me and let’s go explore who we are beyond the limits of our bodies, our thoughts, our conditioning, our past and our beliefs.  It will be transformative journey.



Our Inner Battle For Supremacy – Ego vs. Self

The reason we have blind spots is the powerful influence of the human ego.  The ego is not something we could locate as a physical presence in our body.  The ego is a concept but no less real.  Egos are about survival, fear and control and can be represented as the "self."  We also have a higher nature known as the "Self."  Blind spots come about because the small self/ego is running us and the large Self is push out of our awareness. The loss of Self due to the dominance of the ego is something the ego does not want us to notice.  Many have little or no sense of their higher nature because the ego is running their command central (the mind).

The problem with not having our Self to guide us is that we spend too much time each day in fear, distant from our emotional state, unaware of our expanded nature and possibilities, stuck in what is familiar, and spinning in self-judgment.  An active Self is tuned in and aware to out thoughts, our emotions, our heart and intuition and our body and its sensations.  This makes us conscious human beings able to express our expanded nature. 

When the ego rides herd over us our minds become like the nightly news full of chaos and fear.  When the Self guides we can be quiet inside, centered, in balance and at peace.  The ego go gets us worried and in a hurry.  The Self brings us present to enjoy what the moment has to offer.  The ego loves habits, predictability, the familiar and the past or future.  The Self flows with what is in the now towards compassion, insight and appreciation.  The ego is not bad it is just doing its thing programmed by our conditioning.  The Self is not limited by past and has the ability to create any reality it puts its attention towards.

Signs of ego: need to impress, be in control, fearful, anger, self-doubt, low energy, contraction and tension.

Signs of the Self: feeling alive, free, energized, creative, loving, aware, hopeful conscious and at peace.

Take time each day to assess which aspect of self or Self is running you?  You can move past ego if you recognize its nature.  Once you sense ego take some time to send love its way and soon your higher Self will be guiding you. 

After my first draft last night of this post I went for my nightly walk and had a very interesting insight about my ego and will power.  I recognized that my will was showing up in all my visualizations, affirmations, and self-hypnosis etc.  I was trying to make things happen through my will, which is my ego at a more subtle level.  My will was determined to keep on working its practices to make what I want come into my life.  This is ego at work and the reason my willful intentions were creating only marginal results. 

There is a much great force in the universe that is infinite in its capacity to manifest.  I now more clearly realize I need to just be open to that Force (God, Great Spirit, Divine Mother, Source, Infinite Supply or whatever name you or I are comfortable using).  Prayer and meditation are simple ways to make contact with that Source, but I also realized I have to make sure my ego/will is not involved.  I can pray and meditate without will and ego and instead do it from a point of just being open.  It seems to me in my deeper awareness that being open is the key and that includes being free from my inner efforts of will.  I now open to the effortless flow of the abundant universe today and relax into the grace that can flow my way.   This will be a fun experiment.



You Don’t Have To Feel Stuck; 40 Ways To Create Movement And Growth

It is often the simple things we don't think of when we get stuck.  Stuck means low energy and it sometimes feels like a brain freeze where we can't think of any options.  The truth is if you are not growing, moving upward in some way, you have flattened out and are most like heading downward.  Growth is essential to a positive sense of self.  Sometimes you need structure; other times you need free time.  You create your own experience of life by what you think and how you go through your day.  The same activities day after day numb you and life can feel really unsatisfying. Today do something different.

The following is a list of 40 uncomplicated things to do to promote growth and to get the life force flowing in you:

Let yourself be guided by the wisdom of your heart

Find ways to more fully love and accept yourself

Appreciate the beauty around you both natural and designed

Be in the moment as fully as you can

Tune into some aspect of nature (stream, birds, trees, breeze, sunset, etc)

Get physical, workout, stretch, build strength and endurance

Go in search of art to enjoy and appreciate

Visit the library, get a card and check out books, CD, DVD's

Be active in a support group or social network

Build relationships with positive and encouraging friends

Go for a vigorous walk or a slow meditative one

Get a bike and enjoy cruising around your town

Seek out fun activities that you have been meaning to do

Volunteer for an organization you believe in

Become a big brother, big sister for a young person

Get a pet and care for it, it will keep giving back

Take time to be quiet and open to your inner wisdom

Pick up a journal and write to express who you are, no editing

Read about and explore self-hypnosis

Have a day of silence to enjoy being with self

Set an appointment for a relaxing massage

Take a class or study an area of interest

Learn a new language

Reach out to people in need

Have a day of appreciation each week and count your blessings

Stop by an art and craft store, pick up supplies and explore creativity

Learn to relax, take a nap, and feel rested

Slow down from the hurry, worry world and smell the roses

Visit your local bookstore, there is so much their waiting to be discovered

Explore your spiritual nature in ways that are nurturing to you

Learn to meditate to give you busy mind a break

Study a martial art, tai chi, or yoga

Explore other cultures, foods, and viewpoints

Find time to play, do something just because it makes you feel happy

Make it your goal to spread some happiness each day

Figure out a more effortless way of doing things that feel like a struggle

Find your unique purpose, what feels meaningful and express it with passion

Look into nutrition so you can eat in ways that increase your health

Investigate ways to create passive streams of income

Read biographies of those who inspire you

Experiment with how you can have more freedom in your life

Find a mentor who can challenge and expand you

What would add to this list?  Which ones are you doing already?  Which ideas appeal to you? Which ones are you willing to explore in depth? Growth and expansive movement always feel positive and uplifting even when they can be difficult at times.  You can make each day feel better if you commit to keeping active and open.  There are endless new ways to explore and enjoy.



What Jolt Is Needed In Your Life?

This summer has been so hot and lately the sky has been full of lightening and thunder.  I enjoy watching the fireworks of nature from inside.  Yesterday I saw a guy walking in the storm and was thinking that he was nuts when the lightening seemed so close.  Has anyone reading the blog today ever been struck by lightening?  I read an account of someone who was not a very nice person being struck while on the phone.  The power of the lightening blew him out of his shoes and across the room and he had a near death experience.  I can't remember the name of the book.  He was never the same person again and he changed in a very positive way.

Where in your life do you need lightening to strike?  Where do you need a bolt of power?  Where do you need a major shift in your attitude?  Where do you need to be knocked out of old ways and habits?  Where do you need an experience that will leave your permanently altered in some way?

Wouldn't it be nice to get a bolt of light that fully awakened you?  Would that make you enlightened or emboltened (yes I know that is not a word but you know what I mean even if it is marginal humor?  The process of personal growth sometimes seems way too slow.  The lessons of life move us forward but why does it seem to take forever?  Life lessons probably are slow because we are not fully open.  There is a concept in the world about personal growth that if we don't pay attention to the lessons they keep coming with more volume until it takes a 2x4 to the side of the head to wake us up.  The goal is to get the lesson before the board is needed. 

How do you get in the way of your growth?  Where are you most dense about learning?  What blind spots do you have or are learning about?  What kind of feedback do you regularly receive that you need to do something about?  When are you going to do what deep inside you know you need to do? What kind of power surge do you need to further open your heart? 

There are a number of areas in which you (and the rest of us)  may be blinded by your own lack of light.  See if any of these fit for you: feeling superior to others also known as arrogance; unhealthy relationships you need to move on from; attitudes and beliefs that are not working for you but you hang on to them; unwillingness to accept important feedback; unexpressed and stored up emotions that are draining you or angering you; the need to look good and get approval from others; limiting thoughts that keep limiting you; ignoring you intuitive knowing; being stubborn about asking for help; rationalizing and minimizing what you need to look at more deeply; help is available and you turn it down; fear of being seen or noticed; depression that keeps making things seem to hard; people who care about you who offer help but you persist in doing it your way and on and on.

I have helped many with these issues and many other concerns.  The best way to make movement is to do things that alter your course.  Doing the same things over and over and expecting different results is the definition of crazy.  What ways can you break from the stuck and broken today?



Do No Harm

Lately I have been wondering how so much harm has been done for so many rationalized reasons (Gulf, Afghanistan, etc.)  War to me is the biggest rationalization of harming and killing others all because of the human ego's need for control.  The list of environmental harm done by companies for profit would be too long to record.  Still harm is rationalized daily at some level by someone who claims to have higher values through their religion, their belief system, their sense of judgment over others etc. How could doing harm to another or the planet be rationalized by someone who actually has an open heart?

Could it be that harm at a global level begins inside of unhealthy people who do themselves harm in the form of inner judgment and harsh self-criticism?  Denial of emotions is another form of harming oneself.  There are also many who abuse their bodies despite knowing what is healthy and what is destructive. 

If self-harm is a strong enough force inside, it would make sense that this self-harm could get spread to harming others.  What kind of person would make it ok inside to harm another?  It would have to be someone who is not ok inside.  We all, at sometime or another, have said or acted in harmful ways.   Human nature is less than perfect but it seems by sometime in our adulthood we could be more conscious and aware of our words and actions.  Another way of viewing harm is to be aware that most harmful words or actions really are self-directed but misfired.

Harm such as war, environmental abuse, greed directed action, abuse of any living thing, ego driven need to control etc. are part of our world yet we may be able to do something about it.  Choose with purpose some organization that is trying to prevent or remedy harm and give of your time, energy, ideas or funds to help break the cycle of harm.  Be kind with your self-talk.  Reach out to others with compassion.  Invite those who are blinded by their actions and words to turn towards more awareness.  Harming self, others or the planet does not every feel ok inside so forgiveness and kindness may be called for to help set a healthier and happier course.

First of all do no harm; then see what good you can do.

PS.  As I read this post I keep thinking about the news and wondering when will higher consciousness be raised enough so that we quit doing all the destructive things we do to each other.  The profit motive has become the guiding force for so many in DC and around the globe, that I feel greatly concerned about the welfare of us who care and attempt to live simply and do no harm.



The Seven Important Decisions For A Better Life?

The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews has been a great find at the local used bookstore.  Check the author out and thank you Andy.  This book is a story with very important lessons in it.  I decide to share the lessons and encourage you to read the interesting story.  Particularly of interest are the famous people who teach the main character about the following decisions:

Decision One – The buck stops here.  This decision is about choosing to take full responsibility for your life including: your past, your future, your thoughts, decisions, actions, emotions, body and spirit.  You create your experience so remember and respect that.  Now you must take charge of your life to make things happen as you desire.

Decision Two – I will seek wisdom.  This decision is about choosing to design your future by exploring ways to act wisely and with more awareness.  Seek the counsel of those who know, have friends that lift you up, and learn through by being compassionate and kind.

Decision Three – I am a person of action.  This decision is about choosing to: take action with energy; lead by inspiring others; make courageous decisions; and do so in the now when important decisions lead to powerful actions. 

Decision Four – I have a decided heart.  I wrote about this decision recently here at my blog.  The key points of this decision are: chose to be passionate about your vision for your life and set a clear course to make it happen.

Decision Five – Today I choose to be happy.  This decision is about choosing to enjoy life, laugh often, be enthusiastic, smile at everyone you meet and live in deep appreciation and gratitude for the life you are blessed to have.

Decision Six – I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit.  This decision is choosing to forgive.  This forgiveness is toward yourself and anyone who you have felt mistreated by.  Forgiveness allows you to release the past and be more present to yourself and those around you.

Decision Seven – I will persist without exception.  This decision is about choosing to utilize your inner drive to create successful results.  There is no quit if you have faith: in you, your purpose and the universe’s capacity to manifest whatever is clearly intended.

Pick this book (also CD and DVD) up at your local bookstore or at Amazon and learn the stories behind these lessons and you will feel it was time well spent for enriching your life.



A Life Filled With Passion

A close friend of my wife and I sent a note on Facebook and asked about finding passion and my fingers jumped into action from the wisdom of my heart and my intuition.  This is what I wrote and it comes from the creative flow of passion in me.

“Finding your passion is a process of being more conscious and aware of who you are at a deeper level.  It comes when you learn to listen inward, follow the guidance of your intuition, pay attention to what makes you feel alive and listen to the wisdom of your heart.  These ideas although they may seem trite are not.

Passion is only known from a search inward.  You have a specific passion/purpose that is unique to you and only you.  There inside the quiet moments of your life resides the beauty of your uniqueness.  Take time each day to listen inward, which can be in the shower, driving to work in the quiet of your car, a walk under the stars.  Often the inspiration comes not from you planning to find it but from the moment-to-moment awareness of being fully present in your own life.”

As I reread this I thought I wanted to share this here at my blog.  Passion is the juice of life that flows when we are in alignment with our higher nature, our soul’s journey.  To live with passion is to go fully into life with the intention of doing so with lots of energy, attention to intention and a big dose of fun.

If you lack passion then take the time to find it: beyond the busy mind; deeper into the flow of the heart; and expanding aliveness that comes from doing what you clearly desire to do.  This is desire is beyond right or wrong because it exists as your expression of you which is only magnificence waiting to be expressed. 

Peace and Passion is waiting for you.



Your Sense of Self Does Not Depend On Others

It is another warm night and I am snacking on some tasty cherries as I sit down to write my first draft of tomorrow’s (now today’s) blog.  After work I played a round of golf until it was almost dark.  Warm summer nights of golf after a busy day feel like I leave the heaviness of my work behind.

As I write this I am practicing writing without an agenda so that I just go with what inspiration flows through my fingers into my MacBook.  So far the flow is not fully engaged and that is ok because I am ok.  Regularly in working with clients and staff I am struck by how depended we become on the opinion of others. This dependency is as if we need approval of others to feel ok about ourselves?  We do not need anyone’s approval but most of us our highly trained by society to believe that to be ok and happy we need others to give us a thumbs up.

Frankly is that the way we want to live, seeking to be approved of in the eyes of those in our life?  The answer from my perspective as a mental health professional is no, our approval must come from within.  For us truly to feel self-approval we need to do a few things as soon as possible.

First - Spend time getting to know yourself by paying attention to your thoughts and being respectful of your emotions.  All thoughts and feelings are your creation from your mind.  Knowing the interior landscape let’s you know who you are.

Second - Silence your inner critic or at least get it to shut up once in a while.  Most of us are well trained (12 years of Catholic Schools for me) in self-criticism, harsh self-judgment and unkind expectations.  This training was bogus but we still buy into it.

Third – Remember you are a spiritual being having a human experience not the other way around.  Your higher nature is infinitely amazing and unlimited in its capacities to love, to be creative, to find happiness, and to live with purpose and passion.  It is time to stop hanging out and believing your limiting ego-mind.

These three alternative viewpoints from the ones most of us were raised with can greatly enrich your sense of self.  A positive sense of self is very liberating and will make you a joy ot be around.

Your sense of self belongs to you, don’t let anyone have the power to shape how you feel about you.  This is the wise way of being in the world.



The Burden Of Blinding Belief Systems On Our Planet

"Dialogue disappears when we are burdened with belief systems."  This statement comes from Osho one of my favorite non-conformist spiritual teachers.  When I read this I immediately thought of our political system and why politicians, extremist in religion, and those with big opinion in general can't get along with those who question them.  They cannot get along because there beliefs have closed them down to communicating openly with others.  Think Washington DC and the gridlock of inflexible beliefs that run so many who seem unable to look past their rigid points of view. 

Over the last month or so I have kept my social critic in check because I don't like to focus on what isn't working.  There are some things that have to be questioned so that reality wins out over the blinding beliefs of others.  Here are a few obvious blindspots at the top of my list. 

The GOP refuses to support extending the unemployment benefits and yet they want to continue the tax cuts for the very wealthy.  This seems like the working of minds stuck in a belief system that does not work for 95% of the people.  It is confusing that many don’t question it even thought this trickle down economics has been thoroughly tried and failed over the last 10-15 years.  The GOP actually want the economy to fail no matter how many it hurts so they can get back into the White House.  This ignorance of beliefs blocks dialogue that can help all of us.

Mr. Limbaugh is sounding more like a KKK member in his attacks on the President, George Steinbrenner and others.  He seems to not be concerned about facts because his point of view is skewed by anger, hate, fear and a hugely inflated ego.  Why would people listen to him unless they were locked up by their own thinking? 

The US Chamber of Commerce has their solution to the economic crisis.  They want to deregulate, cut taxes and social security, drill more oil offshore, privatize roads and cut down our national forests.  Who do they represent, the needs of the people or the greed of the corporations?  Yet masses of people sheepishly will follow these ideas because their minds ignore the facts and instead follow unquestioned beliefs.

The Tea Party links President Obama to Lenin and Hitler and calls them all socialists.  There seems to be a misfire of the brain going on here.  Obama is far from a socialist in any definition.  Lenin was a communist, which is a political system and not a socialist which is an economic system.  Hitler was a fascist and had nothing to do with socialism.  This party is all plugged up in their mixing facts with their belief system.  

The Birther’s can look directly at a copy of President Obama’s birth certificate and still not see the reality of it because they are blinded by their beliefs and run by their emotions all charged by faulty thinking.  Religious beliefs have the same blindness driven by the condemnation of those who believe differently.

It is scary to me that even very intelligent people follow blindly their beliefs even in the midst of facts that completely question and contradict their thinking.  

The saddest loss of all humanity may be the loss of an open mind.

PS.  I don’t know how come this idea popped into my head: The best form of Ex-lax for the mind is mindfulness.  

How Do You Expand Your Awareness?

It is very hot here and I sure wish we had air conditioning.  Sleeping can he a challenge because it is so warm.  My daily inspiration for this blog comes from a variety of sources.  I found my inspiration from the writings of Thich Nhat Hahn for today's title of, "How Do we Expand Our Awareness?" 

Awareness is about being conscious and awake to who you are and the circumstances of your life.  In awareness you see, feel, sense, and hear what is going on in the moment.  Awareness is only possible in the now where all of your experiences take place.  You can be aware of something that took place in the past or something you hope for in the future but those awarenesses can only happen in the present.  If you are aware of yourself and your world, you can move to create the life you want and desire.

Here are ten clear pathways to awareness:

1. Be present – awareness, as stated above, can only happen by being present to the experience of the moment.  There is only right now.
2. Be mindful – awareness comes from being mindful of what is going on in your thoughts, your heart, your emotions, your body and your more expansive nature.
3. Be awake – awareness comes from waking up to your life beyond the past experiences and limiting thinking.  The Buddha awakened and changed the world.
4. Be open – awareness is only possible with an open mind free of the clogging nature of limited beliefs, stale ideas, rigid viewpoints and the ego that can never be satisfied.
5. Be quiet – awareness happens when you quiet down.  A busy mind is too noisy to encourage insight.  In the silence of your own knowing exist great wisdom.
6. Be in your body – awareness comes through respecting your body’s wisdom.  Your body’s is your feeling center, which tells you if you are heading on course of off towards happiness or fear.
7. Be conscious – awareness is about expanding our human consciousness.  This higher consciousness comes about by exploring and expanding your capacities toward self-realization.
8. Be your feelings – awareness comes from feeling what you feel because they are indicators of your inner state of mind.  Turn towards difficult feelings and they will be transformed through awareness.
9. Be with your thinking – awareness is to know the ups and downs and the ins and outs of your thoughts and self-talk because they shape your experience of the world.  Your thinking can set you free.
10. Be your higher nature – awareness is sublime when you realize your spiritual nature is available to you and wants to be expressed in your daily living.  Touch your spirit in awareness to soar in life.

Most likely if you stop by this blog very often you have read and explored most of these ideas at times.  Have you ever committed to a deep exploration of any of these pathways? 

Awareness is a pure joy; take yourself deeper.



Do You Have A Decided Heart?

In my reading of The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews, I came upon a lesson that stated, " I have a decided heart."  Something about this statement really seems to resonate with me so I thought I would share with you my understanding of what a decided heart means and why it could enrich your life and those around you. 

Here are the essential qualities for a decided heart from my perspective: 

• A decided heart is always open to love.  Love is a powerful force and your decided heart is willing to give and receive love free of conditions.
• A decided heart is clear about what matters to you.  This clarity guides you towards the healthy choices about every aspect of your life.
• A decided heart has compassion for all beings.  Compassion is your desire to understand and feel for others as they journey through the ups and downs of being human. 
• A decided heart is able to be caring for self and others.  Caring is the act of love in which your heart reaches out to help and make a difference.
• A decided heart is kind.  Kindness is a practice of you interacting with others in a way that is thoughtful, genuine and giving. 
• A decided heart is accepting of others and situations without judging or condemning.  Acceptance is the ability of your heart to remain open to others who have a variety of points of view and beliefs.
• A decided heart is courageous because it senses deeply the importance of living by a higher truth.  Courage is the sign of your fearless heart guided by its own higher knowing.
• A decide heart is expansive because it knows no limits.  There are no limits to how much love you have inside so that means you can keep on giving and spreading your love endlessly.
• A decided heart listens beyond words and senses beyond emotions.  This sensing of your heart comes in the form of intuition, which is the key guiding force towards happiness.
• A decided heart is at peace.  When your heart is open and in the flow of love, compassion, caring and kindness you feel at peace and your peace spreads through the world.

Yes there are many hearts out in the world that are not committed to being open and may be in fact determined to stay closed.  These are not decided hearts because they are have lost the aliveness of being open.  Without openness in the heart there is no decision, there are just different degrees of numbness.  When you closed down in any way towards any person or situation you become closed down to all. 

A closed heart however can be opened easily by: a moment of insight, a glance into beauty, the sparkle of another’s heart, the uplift of an idea, the joy of the now, and so many other ways. 

A decided heart is a gift to you and to the world. 



Imagine A Better World For All Of Us Is Possible

It was Sunday evening when I sat down to write my first draft of the post for today.  Sunday evenings are a mix of taking it easy and feeling like I am not quite ready to get back to work.  The World Cup match was on yesterday but I passed on watching it because soccer is not my idea of a fun spectator sport.  Nice job Spain.  Soccer does seem to bring together the world for this event.  Anytime we come together there is an opportunity to see how close we all are to each other.

People are people and nationality is totally overrated.  Boundaries between countries are only the stuff of thinking and in reality do no exist.  Remember the first pictures from the space program and how the astronauts were impacted looking back at the Earth.  There are no boundaries that separate us from each other. 

Yes there are people of differing colors and beliefs but those don’t matter unless you have a closed mind.  With an open mind and heart we can all freely let everyone into our global family.  Yes we are citizens of Earth and that is what matters the most.  Taking care of our planet is a much more important priority that have power over others because they live in a different geographic locations than we do. 

Imagine an enlightened world of acceptance and compassion where we work together for the good of our planet.  Imagine a place where we appreciate the differences of each other because it enriches us as our blue gem of a planet floats across a galaxy called the Milky Way.  Imagine a place where opinion becomes secondary to truth and news is about people in there search for meaning and purpose.  Imagine a place where the ego shrinks into the background and instead our higher nature guides us all.  Imagine a planet full of people who have nice homes, all the food they need, life-long education, free/low-cost healthcare for everyone, the financial resources to meet their needs and no longer the dictatorship of corporations and organizations that enslave us for 40 hr work week.  

Yes a better world is possible and it seems to be up to us to make that happen. The status quo will continue to dominate until you and I change it.



7 Steps You Can Take For Peace

Today while wondering about the web I found out there is a World Peace Festival in Berlin in August 2011 and I got excited.  My wife and I need to go to this because peace to us is one of the most, if not the most important issue of our time. 

Without wars our economies would not be pouring billions of dollars into weapons and waging war.  We could use that money for health care, for schools, for treatment for mental health and addictions issues, to develop alternative energy, for research to end heart disease, cancer and all the other illnesses.  Money spent for peace has a very good return on investments.

I want to be a presenter at the conference and talked about using mindfulness, expanding compassion, raising consciousness and exploring our deep connections to each other as the genuine way to bring peace to the world.   This idea of this conference and presenting has got me even more motivated about ways to bring peace to the planet. 

Would you please join me in your own way and work for peace? 

Here are 7 things you can do starting today to work for peace:

1. Find your way to peace inside.  When you are hard on yourself and critical, you are at war with yourself.  Instead make sure all your self-talk and thoughts are supportive, encouraging and inspirational.  Accept and appreciate yourself.
2. Stop all criticism of others.  There is no need to be the judge and jury of others.  Instead look to find understanding and acceptance of others and the way they are.  Kindness works 100% better than judgment and criticism.
3. Respect every emotion within you.  There are no good or bad emotions.  When you allow yourself to feel what you feel, those feelings soon turn to other feelings and soon you will feel comfortable in your own skin.  Emotions tell you when to make adjustments to your life.  If you feel stuck, it is time to making adjustments.
4. Live each day fully present to the gift of your life.  In the now of your life every positive outcome is present waiting for you.  Today and in this moment is rich with time to: appreciate each breath, those around you, and the beauty of your own true nature.
5. Take time each day to learn and grow.  Learn about yourself and explore what has meaning and purpose to you.  Personal growth is always uplifting. As you grow you become a more conscious human being and a brighter light for the world.  More consciousness equals more peace inside and on the planet.
6. Open your heart to everyone.  Compassion is the healing energy of the planet.  With compassion, kindness, caring and love as the guide forces peace is inevitable.  Start with self-love, spread love to your family and friends, then to your community, across your nation, and eventually surround the planet with your compassion and love. 
7. Build health relationships with everyone you interact with as you live your life.  The more you and I connect to each other, the more we see how much alike we are.  In that connection you will see that we all share important values and hopes.  Explore connections to each other is a way to build peace for all. 

Peace to you.