The real Santa Claus is at the Mall!!

Posted on May 17, 2018 by Rod's World

I have found an old favourite book of mine: Debbie Ford’s The Dark Side of the Light Chasers: Reclaiming Your Power, Creativity, Brilliance, and Dreams. I suspect it may not be my copy as there are quite a few underlined sections in it. I suspect that it may belong to my sister, Ruth. It is one of these under-linings that caught my attention, the statement We only see that which we are.

This statement brings to mind the premise that we judge our lives based on that which we believe to be true and that this is not necessarily the case. So how do we break out of this lifelong habit of assuming that our world is fixed? It covers all areas of our lives and there have been many fine quotes written about it, here are a few of my favourites:

1. It is often difficult to remember that failures occur to point us towards that we are truly meant to be doing. For some time it feels like life sucks big time.

2. Unfortunately, one thing we cannot keep only seeing that which we are: Planet Earth.

3. The planets favourite bard has a go at it, pointing out that it takes our relationship to others to make up our daily lives.

4. Adams was an advocate for environmentalism and conservation, a lover of fast cars, technological innovation and the Apple Macintosh, and a radical atheist which makes his statement a bit contradictory: Stuff that Works.

5. Takes the half glass full to an entirely new level, doesn’t it?

6. And how C.S. went about changing our beliefs with his classic novel The Chronicles of Narnia: Who You Are.

7. They say you can change a habit by doing something else for 21 days, is it the same for our beliefs?

8. I think we have all had those moments where we feel we need to contact someone even though we haven’t heard from them when these arise they may contact you out of the blue: As you Are.

9. Peace cannot happen through the use of weapons, books are another matter.

10. It’s up to us because we can, It’s our time – Rod Williams: What About Us.

11. What history are you on the planet to make?

12. Remember to breathe next time we meet: The night we Meet.

13. Even for the mountain climbers, this is true.

14. And that which we are is Enough, always Enough: Never Enough.

15. And I finish with the quote I have on the side of my altar, often credited to Nelson Mandela, but actuaally it’s from Marianne Williamson here.

Debbie says – I like to think of it in terms of energy. Imagine having a hundred different electrical outlets in our chests. Each outlet represents a different quality. The qualities we acknowledge and embrace have cover plates over them. They are safe, no electricity runs through them, But the qualities that are not okay with us, which we have not yet owned, do have a charge. So when others come along who act out one of these qualities they plug right into us. She finishes the paragraph with the line: It is only when you’re lying to yourself or hating some aspect of yourself that you’ll get an emotional charge from someone else’s behaviour. So it’s up to you to keep working on those areas and install a cover plate.

The music for today begins in the past with Duran Duran and Texan singer Guy Clark. We then return to this century with Jessie J. A recent discovery of mine, Rag and Bone Man is next, then the versatile Pink. Someone new to me, Lord Huron follows finishing with one of the magnificent tunes from The Greatest Showman soundtrack.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

I didn’t change, I just found Myself!!

Posted on May 14, 2018 by Rod's World

The title of this blog comes from one of the great musician/philosophers, Bob Marley. Today I would like to put lists within a list, one of them being quite long. They are the list of lessons for finding your strength in hard times. There are forty of them so it will take a while to ponder them all. They come from my friends Marc and Angel Chernoff, I have the honour of being a Facebook friend of Angel. here they are:

You are not what happened to you in the past, Focus on what you have, not on what you haven’t. Struggling with problems is a natural part of growing. it’s OK to fall apart for a while. Life is fragile, sudden, and shorter than it often seems. You will fail sometimes. You have the capacity to create your own happiness. Emotionally separate yourself from your problems. Don’t make a problem bigger than it is. Everything that happens is a life lesson. View every challenge as an educational assignment. Things change, but the sun always rises the next day. Giving up and moving on are two very different things. Distance your self from negative people. Perfect relationships don’t exist. You must love yourself too. Don’t let others make decisions for you. Resentment hurts you, not them. You’re not alone. Everyone has problems. You still have a lot to be thankful for. Consciously nurture your inner hope. It’s better to be hurt by the truth than comforted by a lie. It’s hard to tell how close you are to success. Not getting what you want can be a blessing. Laughter is the best medicine for stress. Mistake are important to make. Worrying is literally a waste of energy. Even when it’s hard to move, take small steps forward. There will always be people that dislike you. You are better off without some people you thought you needed. You are ONLY competing against yourself. You can’t control everything that happens to you. Life is NOT easy. Your future is spotless. You are not trapped: you just need to re-learn a few things. Everything in life is two-sided. You always have a choice. Let others in when you are in a dark place. If you ask negative questions, you will get negative answers and The end is a new beginning.

Pretty cool list. But I wish to ponder how society deals with our strengths, sometimes we have to go through a lot to realise them. It’s a common human frailty, a thing you will notice in the quotes I have chosen as examples, here we go:

1. We all feel better in summer under the sun. Remember to use winter to recuperate and allow your inner strength to shine when it needs to.

2. Reminds me of the last few kilometres of the first marathon I ever ran. I wondered why all the people around me were talking to themselves, and then realised I had said that out aloud: Not Afraid.

3. My name is Brigitte Nicole I am a writer, specifically quotes and self-help material. I dedicate myself to providing help through my writings to people who are struggling with life. My goal is for my page to revolve mine around my writings, which I fondly call “the art of words”, for I believe in the power of words to induce change personally and globally.

4. Heart, mind and spirit. In the training program I am in called Warriors of Love it is your seed essence: Spirit Bird.

5. Just your best, it may be as simple as sleeping all day some days.

6. The day after mothers day, I am reminded of how my mother held on for three months without really eating at the end of her precious life. How much did we put our mothers through: Superwoman.

7. You are here for your unique reason, some days you are closer to it than others.

8. A bit like the perfect relationship does not exist, even the one with yourself. Remember to look beyond the imperfections: Perfect Day.

9. The honour of not hiding your vulnerabilities anymore, your life empowered by the strength that is given to you by this not so simple action.

10. I have been asked to list my perfect life several times, I always seem to leave out the pain that life included in its recipe, Oops: My Immortal.

11. How many times have you been broken? Congratulations, you are still here, that strength within got you through, Yay!!

12. There will always be things that happen in our lives that as young innocent children we could never imagine. Well done for still being here: Imagine.

13. As a qualified proofreader, it amazes me that they can create these images and leave words out. But you get the drift without the to.

14. Mahatma was a dude: Everybody Hurts.

15. American-born author Aberjhani (born July 8, 1957, in Savannah, Georgia) is a historian, columnist, novelist, poet, and editor. Although well known for his blog articles on literature and politics, he is perhaps best known as co-author of Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance and author of The River of Winged Dreams. The encyclopedia won a Choice Academic Title Award in 2004.

Everyone you meet, everything you encounter, etc. They’re all part of the learning experience we call ‘life’ Never forget to acknowledge the lesson, especially when things don’t go your way. if you don’t get a job you want or a relationship doesn’t work, it only means something better is out there waiting. And the lesson you just learned is the first step towards it.

The music today begins with some rap from Eminem, then the beautiful Spirit Bird from Xavier Rudd, followed by Alicia Keys anthem to women. Back to the 70’s with Lou Reed and Jools Holland, followed by a little bit of rock with Evanescence. Then hope for the world with John Lennon and finishing with the powerful pop divas, Kelly Clarkson and Pink.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

The biggest Adventure you can Take!!!

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Rod's World

The biggest adventure I have taken in my life was to go to the then Soviet Union and Run the Moscow Peace Marathon the year before the Berlin Wall came down. Back then my passion was to make a difference on a world scale by ending world hunger. We ran under the badge of WorldRunners, a group based out of America. It was an amazing experience worthy of its own book but I actually wish to write about what makes something our passion for Life.

Marc and Angel Chernoff ask 10 questions around this subject:

1. What will you never give up on?

2. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?

3. What activities make you lose track of time?

4. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?

5. What fascinates you?

6. What is something you would hate to go without for a day?

7. What’s something you would do every day if you could?

8. Would you rather have less work to do or more work you actually enjoy doing?

9. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?

10. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?

I suppose number six comes closest to answer my passion for blog writing as my I am an Interculturalist blog now number over three hundred. But what has the world said about our passions, let’s have a peek at some of these powerful quotes:

1. The richest man in the world is a living example of this – Bill Gates, Right, he created Microsoft. Long before that, however, he was an amateur programmer who was passionate enough about computers that in the eighth grade, he managed to get excused from math class to design things like early video games.

2. These people are the people who are the ones who take the first steps when there was no agreement and keep putting their feet in front of each other whatever happens to reach their goals. Think Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and their ilk: The Impossible Dream.

3. One word, Gandhi

4. Gary Vaynerchuk has 1.1. million Twitter followers yet posts on the subject Numbers don’t matter, Influence does because he knows that passion matters, not mere numbers: Priceless.

5. Boredom, a word much overused these days of instant gratification.

6. The timing between a gold medal performance can be as little as a microsecond, microseconds are also called passion: When you Believe.

7. Never used one!!

8. When was the last time you were abuzz with the energy that passion fills your body with: Come and Get It.

9. From sex worker to reciting one of her poems at Bill Clinton’s inauguration, Maya Angelou lived the above mission her whole life.

10. Make your soul grow, Yes Please: Make your Soul Grow.

11. This often occurs when you meet your beloved for the first time, I think I have goosebumps.

12. Now, Now, Now: Don’t Stop Me Now.

13. One of Steve Jobs great calls to the extraordinary, as he says you will know when you find it.

14. I read about Jon Bon Jovi opening pay as you feel cafe’s so that people could get healthy food, the act of a passionate man: We Weren’t Born To Follow.

15. Leave your comments at the bottom as to what you think this means.

So as you will have read my new passion is the blogs of I am an Interculturalist, where I spread my love of possibility, what’s yours?

Music for today is from the evergreen Tom Jones, a country number from For King and Country, the uplifting The Lion King, a pop diva number from Selena Gomez, a short speech from Sir Ian McKellen, then two anthems from Queen and Bon Jovi.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Thankful & Grateful!!

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Rod's World

I opened Marc and Angel Chernoff’s fine book 1,000+ Little Things Happy Successful People do Differently to the article: 12 Things to start caring about today. It begins “Life is about taking chances. it’s about doing something you initially thought you could never do. It’s about being a little bit crazy, following your heart, and not worrying about every detail of what everyone else thinks. And above all, it’s about learning to love who you are and what you have.”

It then follows with the 12 self-caring tools, here they are:

1. Start caring about your own happiness.

2. Start caring about your goals and dreams.

3. Start caring about how you invest your time every day.

4. Start caring about how you think and what you think about.

5. Start caring about how you treat yourself.

6. Start caring about how you treat others.

7. Start caring about how others treat you.

8. Start caring about your health.

9. Start caring about your education and your personal growth.

10. Start caring about doing the best you can.

11. Start caring about all the wonderful things you have right now.

I must admit I fluctuate between fulfilling these things on a day to day basis, I suspect that society does too. Let’s have a look at what they say about caring:

1. Rule 6, Take care how you treat others, there is such a thing as karma.

2. If you worry too much, you are not giving Peace a chance: Give Peace a Chance.

3. Rule ten for me, be the best you can.

4. How many lives have you turned around, include your self in the total: Stand up for Something.

5. Really an Eckhart Tolle moment, Live in the Now.

6. As I say to the woman I love, remember to breathe next time we meet, that’s what love does to me: I will always Love You.

7. Joel Scott Osteen is an American televangelist based in Houston, Texas. Osteen’s televised sermons are seen by over 7 million viewers weekly and over 20 million monthly in over 100 countries. His sermons also broadcast 24 hours a day on Sirius XM Satellite Radio, Channel 128. Osteen has written seven New York Times Best Sellers. In 2004, his first book, Your Best Life Now, was released by Time Warner and debuted at the top of The New York Times Best Seller list. The book remained on The New York Times Best Seller list for more than 200 weeks.

8. Uncanny, it’s rule eight, take care of your health, both mental and physical: I’m Gonna Be.

9. Without the latter the former do not matter at all, they would be meaningless moments.

10. Imagine if every day was like a surprise birthday gift. Go on, you can do it: If Today Was Your Last Day.

11. Comes under rule nine for me, especially if you were or are parents. Start caring about their education and personal growth.

12. A mild harsh, but resonates being close to the truth for me: Making Excuses.

13. When is the right time and place to care, right here, right now…

14. The Buddhists have the four noble truths, so does the world of caring: If I sing you a Love Song.

15. Mandy Hale is affectionately known as The Single Woman TM around the world. In just over two years, Mandy has garnered a massive Twitter following of a half a million people from across the globe. With a heart to inspire single women to live their best lives and to never, ever settle, Mandy cuts to the heart of the matter with her inspirational, straight-talking, witty, and often wildly humorous take on life and love.

I have decided to finish this blog with Marc’s introspection for rule twelve: When I watched the Grammy Awards recently, I realised that many of the speeches musicians make when they accept an award go something like this: ” Thi means so much to me. My whole life has been leading up to this moment.” But the truth is, our whole lives have been leading up to every moment. Think about that for a second. Every single thing you’ve gone through in life, every high, every low, and everything in between, it has led you to this moment right now. This moment is priceless, and it’s the only moment guaranteed to you. This moment is your ‘life’. Don’t miss it.

If you are a regular reader you may have noticed I have a love affair with the work of Marc and Angel Chernoff, it has helped me through many a dark moment, I thank them for it.

Music today goes way back for a few – John Lennon and Yoko Ono start the journey, then we return to the present day with Andra Day, then flip back with Whitney Houston and The Proclaimers. Some rock from Nickelback, the little known Mr Heavenly, closing out with Bonnie Tyler.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Practice creates the Master!!

Posted on April 23, 2018 by Rod's World

I remember one of my teachers saying a master was someone who had been alive longer than you had. I never really understood what she meant until coming across the saying “You are either a teacher or a student .” Vincent Van Gogh said If one is master of one thing and understands one thing well, one has at the same time, insight into and understanding of many things. So if you could master and learn one thing – what would it be?

Mastery has sort of been stolen by the Law of Abundance market as the way to make a fortune but I believe as Vincent says it relates to each and every area of our lives. How has the world related to it over time, what have the masters themselves said about it:

1. The curly headed one, Albert Einstein says that we need to give our all to obtain it, no Netflix for masters.

2. From the Buddha to Steven Covey, these quotes over the Ages give you wide choice to achieve Mastery: Know Yourself.

3. Mastery is obtained by giving time to something, money cannot buy it for that you, yourself wish to master.

4. Gold Medallists do not just happen, they occur from a well-executed plan from an early age to them stepping up on the podium: God’s Plan.

5. Passion is also required to achieve mastery, it lives in your heart.

6. Author of the Classic As a Man Thinketh, another part of the recipe to obtain mastery, Calmness on the journey: A Thousand Years.

7. As Vincent says, mastery is obtained by concentrating on a particular field of knowledge which then allows you to obtain it in others.

8. When I complete online surveys I never give anybody a score of ten, this quotes points as to why: The End.

9. For nearly 80 of his 91 years, Picasso devoted himself to an artistic production that he superstitiously believed would keep him alive, contributing significantly to — and paralleling the entire development of — modern art in the 20th century.

10. What a beautiful line of wisdom – Only we can control our appetites and passion, says it all about mastery really: Love Story.

11. Where did we go wrong on supporting mastery with our education system? Thank god for the teachers that recognise the gifted ones.

12. Explains Mastery perfectly, this quote does – Tribute to the Best Human Being.

13. My brother is a computer Luddite if anything goes wrong with his technology his eyes roll over. But ask him about music and he can answer any question.

14. Another part of the recipe of mastery, acceptance of fear and keep on going, Mention of the word fear equals Jim Carrey’s video: Love or Fear.

15. And finally, from one of my favourites, Deepak Chopra, the final part of the recipe for mastery: do not take personal offence.

My master also gave me an exercise to practice she said would help with mastery – Hold an optimistic view of the world – All Day.

Our Music today is two Drake songs in a row, the beautiful Christina Perri, the ever haunting anthem by the Doors, Pop Diva Taylor Swift, a tribute to Bruce Lee, ending with the iconic speech by Jim Carrey.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

All you need to get started!!

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Rod's World

I attended a free workshop called Present Your Message by my friend and old choir leader Richard Lawton last night, he is known as the Voice Doctor having been an actor, theatre director, singing coach and presentation coach for over twenty years. He has written a book called Raise Your Voice: Transforming How You Speak, Sing and Present – the book’s website.

When I was in Soulsong, that’s the choir’s name we used to do 17th-century french line dancing as the warmup as well as German drinking songs to the tune of Beethoven’s Ninth.

Richards ability to get you out of your head when speaking in public is remarkable because as we all know, this is a human beings greatest fear.

He asked who likes hearing the sound of our voice being played back, one out of twenty people put their hand up. Then we had an enquiry into why we thought that was the case because if he had asked children the numbers would have been reversed.

Where did we lose the love of our voice, when did we make that decision and what does society have to say about the power of the voice:

1. How many people do you have in your life that this happens with? These are the ones you trust.

2. Don’t let your inner voice be one of your main hecklers, there are plenty of others whose opinions do this for us. Hands on heart and step forward courageously: The Voice.

3. What do you want the Universe to hear, for me, it’s Love and Respect for all: Everybody Included.

4. Possibly the sexiest voice in the world, Tom is a fine example of someone who fully expresses his voice: Kiss.

5. Someone who did not listen to the inner critic, judge and censor that lives within us all, Malala has created a worldwide movement, do you think you can?

6. Laurie Halse Anderson writes children and teenage books that make them think as well as battling censorship and the need for diversity in publishing: Express Yourself.

7. You do the world an injustice when you withhold your truth because you feel they might get upset.

8. Perhaps he would have made a better opera singer than an emperor, in the end, he wasn’t too great at that: Best Day of My Life.

9. When I read his name, I must confess the words to The Year of the Cat entered my head.

10. Echo has five different meanings in the online dictionary, I think what this quote is talking about relates to this one: one who closely imitates or repeats another’s words, ideas, or acts – The Voice Within.

11. I’m sure many of you have seen Wild, Wild, West, the doco on Netflix that belittles Osho and his followers. My take on it, Everybody has Shadow and Light: I relate to the wisdom and freedom that his words and insights provide for humanity.

12. Remember their opinion isn’t about you, It’s always a reflection of the person saying it: Ironic.

13. So when you are about to present to 2,000 people you are imaging all of them to be naked this is the voice to listen to.

14. Or another way of saying it is, you can’t get the moment back. Hand on Heart, stride forward powerfully and say what has to be said: Opportunity.

15. And of course, the last one must be the most serious and profound.

I mentioned the Judge, the Critic and the Censor under one of the quotes. Richard says these are the three characters that take our vocal power away. The Judge will give you a mark out of ten (usually three or less). The Critic will tell you that not only is this rubbish, but it’s the same rubbish you did last time and the time before. The Censor will tell you to keep your head down, keep quiet and wait till it all goes away.

So how do we get past this, my recommendation is BUY THE BOOK.

Music for this blog is one of Australia’s icons, John Farnham, The sexy Tom Jones, the ever eternal Madonna, newbies American Authors, the versatile Christine Aguilera, The woman who played God – Alanis Morrisette and ends with the sultry Sia.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends

Be Bold or Italic, Never Regular!!

Posted on April 16, 2018 by Rod's World

I really like the quote in today’s Forward Steps – the fantastic book compiled by Thea Westra: The link to her site. that allows you to take an action, a challenge, read a motivational quote, take a clearing, answer a question and have an affirmation for the day.

The quote is as follows:

I love the phrase: ‘In a world that’s round, it doesn’t make sense to take sides’. So with skills I do not have to position myself against anyone, I become curious about them and I want to teach them about me. When I approach communication and conflict management from that place< I am not butting heads with anyone, I am learning or teaching: Dr Rhoberta Shaler.

To relate to the world in this way seems to me to be an act of boldness, not to but into the run of mill way we are expected to live our day to day existence. How do you relate to boldness, there are some famous quotes on the subject, let’s have a look at them:

1. My friend and Anam Cara Emeli always reminds me to use the koan: remember to ask, the worst thing they can say is no.

2. They say one is the loneliest number you will ever know, I say only if it’s about you and you do not provide service to others: One.

3. Here’s the most famous quote on boldness, the one most people can finish when someone starts it.

4. Have it in your muesli every morning: Bold.

5. Dumas won the Pulitzer Prize for history for his six-volume history of Franklin, Critics accuse him of sheathing his boldness when it comes to the well-known relationship Franklin had with his slave Sally Hemings.

6. If you are going to make mistakes make them bold ones, they allow you to recover in a more audacious way: Space Oddity.

7. George definitely did this in his own life. Shaw’s expressed views were often contentious; he promoted eugenics and alphabet reform and opposed vaccination and organised religion. He courted unpopularity by denouncing both sides in the First World War as equally culpable.

8. The latter statement could be called the day your Boldness is born: You are Alive.

9. I just had to include this one.

10. Reminds me of the statement about baby birds, they jump off and learn to fly on the way down: I’ll Fly Away.

11. Neither does boldness!!

12. Not knowing what Chamba meant I looked it up. It’s a district in India according to Google, don’t know what it’s got to do with bad business. But I love how he states success can be achieved: Changes.

13. These are becoming more and more a part of my life as I enter the world of boldness through self-love and self-belief.

14. For each traveller they are a different love story, we get to be who we want to be in new and wonderful places that are just a name on the map until we get there: Gypsy.

15. And a friendly reminder what not being bold can cost you.

The clearing for today is Decide on actions, and with as much clarity and boldness as possible. Time to act on these decisions.

Music for today begins with one of Australia’s icons: John Farnham, then rapper Lil Lonnie, the masterful David Bowie, new to me Fragma, the superb Gillian Welch, from the land of movies Shrek and finishes with pop diva Shakira.

Namaste until next time , my dear friends.

Intention + Action = Magic!!

Posted on April 12, 2018 by Rod's World

Take a moment and consider whether you’ve ever experienced something extraordinary or unexplainable, something that didn’t make sense to your cognitive mind. Have you ever known something you shouldn’t know? Have you predicted some future outcome in a dream? Have some called you when you were thinking about him or her? Have you been seized by an unexplainable impulse to do something that wound up helping another person who was in crisis?Have you experienced synchronicities you can’t write off as mere coincidence? Reflect upon your past and consider whether you’ve ever felt guided, either by your own intuition, another person’s guidance, or external “signs from the universe” in a way that protected you or someone else from harm.

This exercise is from Lissa Rankins excellent book The Fear Cure, specifically the chapter titled it’s a purposeful universe, for more info on this transformational book look here: Lissa’s website.

How does the world relate to living in a purposeful universe, here are some of my favourites quotes on the matter:

1. After publishing a string of best-selling books on the practical psychology of self-improvement, Dyer felt a shift occur in his thinking that led him to explore the spiritual aspects of human experience. “My purpose is to help people look at themselves and begin to shift their concepts,” he said. “Remember, we are not our country, our race, or religion. We are eternal spirits. Seeing ourselves as spiritual beings without a label is a way to transform the world and reach a sacred place for all of humanity.”

2. Let go of the control in your life and miracles can happen: Across the Universe.

3. One word says it all, Rumi!!!

4. During my Buddhist years, I did several community ten-day meditation retreats, you had the choice of doing it in Golden Silence. I did this several times and remember the local airport being so noisy after the experience: Silence is Golden.

5. Hate has never resolved anything in history, never.

6. The reason why indigenous cultures say that age on its own does not give you the right to be called an elder: Faith.

7. One of the grand purposes of life.

8. I recently gave up trying to be someone I am not, I feel so ridiculously free: I’m Free.

9. Remember your childhood dreams, at what age did you give them up?

10. Not over there in someone else, you are the one, own it: Star Trek – The Inner Light.

11. I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.

12. Your part is just as important as everyone else’s: You are Eternal, The Universe.

13. We may be seeing the beginnings of the reintegration of our culture, a new possibility of the unity of consciousness. If so, it will not be on the basis of any new orthodoxy, either religious or scientific. Such a new integration will be based on the rejection of all univocal understandings of reality, of all identifications of one conception of reality with reality itself. It will recognize the multiplicity of the human spirit, and the necessity to translate constantly between different scientific and imaginative vocabularies. It will recognize the human proclivity to fall comfortably into some single literal interpretation of the world and therefore the necessity to be continuously open to rebirth in a new heaven and a new earth. It will recognize that in both scientific and religious culture all we have finally are symbols, but that there is an enormous difference between the dead letter and the living word.

14. We are sent here to provide the piece of the puzzle we came here to contribute: Live Your Life.

15. I think the human condition makes that wait without anxiety something that we have to work on our entire life.

So how did you react to these purposeful moments provided to you by the Universe – Lissa asks: did you ignore it? did you rationalise it away, did you trivialise it and write it off as coincidence, do you make up implausible stories to explain it? Did you tell others your story? Did you keep your experience a secret? Did you have a “This changes everything” moment? Or did nothing change?

Remember to listen to the Universe, it has your back.

We have 60’s music to begin with, The Beatles and the Tremeloes, followed by some boppy George Michael. Then mainstream Kenny Loggins followed by some Star Trek music and Alan Watts wisdom. We retun to this century to finish with some rap from T.I. and Rhianna.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

I am in Charge of how I Feel!!

Posted on April 9, 2018 by Rod's World

Marc and Angel Chernoff’s book 1,000+ little things Happy Successful People do differently is one of the best buys I ever made. Unfortunately it is not available at the moment because it has gone for re editing. They are releasing a new book Getting Back to Happy: Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Reality, and Turn Your Trials into Triumphs: which ships 22nd May 2018. Their website http://www.marcandangel.com/ has all the details and many of their fantastic lists to help you live a great life.

I opened the book today and the page was entitled Self Love Questions to make you think. The first question is : If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow that person to be your friend? There are nine other questions just as confronting and insightful about how we relate to self-love.

So what vignettes do we release into the world regarding this often hard emotion, let’s take a journey:

1. At times we need to do this to our dear old brain. its our own worst enemy.

2. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, remember to behold yourself first and foremost: Beautiful.

3. Lalah Delia is the founder of VibrateHigherDaily.com and Vibrate Higher Daily Blog. Vibrate Higher Daily is a sacred online space for personal growth, elevation, and transformation. By creating the hashtag #VibrateHigherDaily as a personal journey mantra and reminder, a new path was born. Soon, many others also journeying towards living their highest potential took community and joined in.

4. Not taken or single – Self Loved: I’m Real.

5. Such beautiful words to remember: You can’t lose you.

6. I had a session with my mentor the other day, He asked me who was I trying to be, and that wasn’t who I really was. I have fallen in love with the fact I will never be this more available Rod, I will be kind, supporting and loving Rod: I will Survive.

7. Or your kingdom, I think all of humanity could do with this list.

8. We all abhor violence toward others , why do we insist on regularly doing it to ourselves: Self Esteem.

9. How much has the person in your mirror been through, three cheers, they are still standing!!

10. Handed out at birth, keep working on it: Superpower.

11. Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, Never Ever.

12. Pierre was a French tragedian in the 16th century. He probably wrote this so we could avoid this other works: Alive.

13. André Gide (French: was a French author and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1947 “for his comprehensive and artistically significant writings, in which human problems and conditions have been presented with a fearless love of truth and keen psychological insight”. That’s one hell of a way to say Self-Love.

14. We can see the magic in you so don’t forget that it’s there: All of Me.

And finally, remember self love can not come from another.

One more question from Marc and Angel: What’s something Nobody can ever steal from you – let’s go for Self Love.

Our music today is dominated by women. We start with Christina Aguilera, then Jennifer Lopez, travel back to the 70’s with Gloria Gaynor, then a sad number from The Offspring, to the mighty Beyonce, followed by Sia ending up with John Legend.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Always desire to Learn Something Useful.

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Rod's World

Once again we return to Danielle LaPorte’s great book White Hot Truth for today subject, that often misunderstood emotion called desire: Here’s the Link.

The chapter on desire is subtitled a broader view for creating reality and begins with the following poem:

Dear Infinity

soon

enough

My Future

will be

now

and my scars will have grown into

sacred geometry

(circles of Dignity, pyramids of Will, vortices of Love)

I hide what I have to let go of in furrows

behind a tail gate

and I whisper wishes

into every victory seed

I plant –

every one hears this prayer

Dear Infinity

Breathe life into

my every desire.

To give some context to desire let’s have a look at how different parts of society view it:

The Catholics: If you want it, you have to go through God to get it.

The Buddhists: Your problem is that you want it.

The Zen Buddhists: What’s to want?

The Hindus: You wanted that in your last life.

The Capitalists: You got to want it more than anyone else.

The New Agers: Just keep telling the Universe how much you want it.

I have followed Danielle’s Core Desired Feeling for over four years now, freed from my to do list perfection after one or two. So how do we as a society relate to this often verboten subject that is desire:

1. Some people say Donald Trump is Ayn Rand’s love child. He obviously forget this piece of advice.

2. I love this statement Tom Krause wrote about teaching, Welcome to teaching!!! You are now part of a profession solely dedicated to helping students of all ages learn. It is a profession where the more you give of yourself, the more you get in return. Most famous people are eventually forgotten. Teachers live on in the hearts and minds of their students for a lifetime: The Rose.

3. “Dreams do come true, if only we wish hard enough. You can have anything in life if you will sacrifice everything else for it.” “There are so many ways to be brave in this world. Sometimes bravery involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself, or for someone else.

4. 3 percent of people write their goals down. In a study they earned on average 10 times more than the other 97 percent. Do you write down your passions, your desired feelings: Change.

5. Are you lost?

6. And the surest way for them to be uncontrolled is to deny they exist and not deal with them: Scary Monsters.

7. Whoever wrote this must have been following me around for a long time.

8. I think the last word is praised: Praise You.

9. But what if your fantasies become your reality: Yummy!!!

10. A force to be reckoned with, desire can take you to some strange places:

11. A photographer by trade, Jason uses his images and wealth to combat the negative effects ethnic identity has on the human race.

12. Blind from the age of 7 to 15 after falling down the stairs, Eric Hoffer is famous for this insight – A movement is pioneered by men of words, materialized by fanatics and consolidated by men of actions: Opportunity.

13. A prolific quoter, T. P. Chia has a site with over 800 quotes on it. Many of them pointing to it is up to us to fulfill our desires and turn them into achievements.

14. A synonym for desire, curiosity is defined as a strong desire to know or learn something – “filled with curiosity, she peered through the window. Other ways of saying it are inquisitieness, interest, and spirit of enquiry: Curiosity killed the Cat.

15. How many times has this happened in your life, never knew there was such a sexy word for it.

Danielle comments that in her experience, desire works best when you have intersecting reasons for wanting what you want. Yu want it for yourself, and you want it for others. You want it for pleasure, and to be of service. You want it because having it gives you joy, and you can send that joy ( or money, or resources, or healing ) out in other directions. I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment.

The songs this time begin with a classic Bette Midler tune, then the pop diva Taylor Swift. We then return to the 80’s with Bowie followed by Fatboy Slim. Then a Bollywood tune from the Havoc Brothers, some Sia ending with an Australian icon Little River Band.

Namaste until next time , my dear friends.