Every Person’s Map of the World is Unique as Their Thumbprint!!

Posted on December 16, 2019 by Rod's World

This quote finishes with the following – ” There are no two people alike. No two people who understand the same sentence the same way…So in dealing with people, you try not to fit them in with your concept of what they should be.”

I relate this to the fact we are all born with a Superpower to gift to the planet but over time we are trained out of them to fit into society. Remember as a child when you ran around enacting them, what happened? I think we go through a period where we forget it, and at some stage in our lives many of us take the actions to recover them, this may not be an easy path but it is truly worthwhile.

My superpower is to have Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included to be present in interactions, on the person to person level to a world scale. I was at an event on the weekend helping set up when a woman asked me to help unpack her car. I was called to ask her what was her superpower, she replied she hadn’t really thought about it. This woman helps create the largest women’s gathering in my home state of Victoria if not Australia. So it sort of shocked me that she did not see this as a superpower as I imagine the 3,000 plus women who attend the event certainly would.

I have found my friend Marc Chernoff’s list 12 Things you should be able to say about Yourself useful in having mine present on a daily basis, here it is:

I am following my heart and intuition.
I am proud of myself.
I am making a difference.
I am happy and grateful.
I am growing into the best version of me.
I am making my time count.
I am honest with myself.
I am good to those I care about.
I know what unconditional love feels like.
I have forgiven those who once hurt me.
I take full accountability for my life.
I have no regrets.

So what does society say about our superpowers, let’s have a look:

2. Lena overcame the colour and sex barrier that has existed in the comedy industry in America for eons to win an Emmy for her writing.

2. It is said that the minute you become a parent, your superpowers multiply tenfold, the above quote supports that: Baby Bielanko.

3. This is what Sylvester wrote about the journey: After being ejected as collateral via my parent’s breakup; After being lied to, cheated on and subtracted from all equations of love; I determined that things were not adding up any more. I knew that I deserved to be loved every day, not only with words but with actions. I found a great deal of power in learning about love. I had been confused this whole time as I believed what we were all taught to believe as children – that love was something you find inside of another person. This journey allowed me to heal, forgive and accelerate my life towards love. Our journeys have different titles but we are all out here walking together toward the same goal. People with different skin tones, speech variations and socio-economic status all deserve love. This is The Dear Queen Journey: A Path To Self Love.

4. How could I write on Superpowers without using a Stan Lee quote: Stan.

5. And this is when your superpowers are most powerful.

6. The superpower of true Love: Unconditional Love.

7. This is very rarely thought of being a superpower that is needed but is incredibly powerful for the kids involved.

8. Pharrell did it with this amazing song he wrote: Happy.

9. It’s not in the wearing of a cape.

10. Mahatma points out why we need our superpower at times: I Stand Alone.

11. As I said my superpower is Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included, What’s Yours?

12. From one of the people using her superpower for the good of the planet at the moment: Thinking Outside The Box.

13. For your superpower, you get to write the manual.

14. Stan reveals the answer to what is the greatest superpower: Get Lucky.

15. And for the final lesson, is who give our superpower purpose, look in the mirror!!!

Life is not complicated, We are complicated. When we stop doing the wrong things and start using our superpower to do the right things, life becomes simple.

The playlist begins with today’s unknown artist Monica BieLanko then some Eminem. Donna Summer and Pharrell Williams lift the mood in the next two numbers. Godsmack squeezes out some hard rock before the penultimate number by Ben Lee, finishing with the funk of Daft Punk: Every Person’s Map of the World is Unique as Their Thumbprint!!

So, I have revealed my superpower to you. In having you ponder yours I am sure that mine: Love and Respect For All, Everybody Included will make a huge difference on the planet with the support of whatever you reveal for yourselves. Until we meet again, my dear friends.

You are not a Pretzel!!!

Posted on December 2, 2019 by Rod's World

Just got back from a Warrior of Love Retreat, this is us at the end:

The theme was Belonging, to community and self. We did an interesting practice called the quadrant where you got to hang out in four fields – The Pleaser, The Lone Wolf, The Village and The Leader. I discovered that I am a bit of a pleasing lone wolf who likes hanging out in villages in the hope it will rub off on me.

So here is an exercise to help empower your situation :

A silhouette of a human being stands before you, perhaps a friend, perhaps a lover, perhaps a perfect stranger: They need you to connect with them, they need you to share this moment, they need you to be you – just the way you are. And they need you to respect them, just the way they are. Here are 13 practices to help achieve this:

Smile without hesitation
Give without expectation
Comfort without lying
Guide without misleading
Forgive without resentment
Rest without judgement
Notice with critiquing
Appreciating without comparing
Listen without interruption
Question without objection
Challenge without mocking
Consider without doubting
Discuss without criticizing

These exercises help you become more of the real you, what do we say about truly being you, here are some examples from over history:

1. It seems Beyonce can do a little more than making sexy Youtube videos and sing.

2. I like this quirky to be list: Mama, Weer All Crazy Now,

3. Turning down all those doubts in your head help free your heart.

4. Stay true to your school, you are its main student and you choose who the other students are: Be True To Your School.

5. You were in a unique line of one when you arrived.

6. Find your Others: Self-Care.

7. There are 7 billion people on the planet, not all of them will like you.

8. From my second favourite Buddhist master, Thich Nhat Hanh comes this powerful insight: Who You Are.

9. Two things we know will happen – birth and death, the in-between is your life to live.

10. Moment to moment your life can change, unfortunately, we do not live our lives like this for quite a bit of our lives: Lose Yourself.

11. My name is Rod Williams, my unique version of that name.

12. The philosophy of the woman who changed the Beatles forever: Walking On Thin Ice.

13. Edwin Elliot or Edwin Bailey Elliott was born June 1, 1851, in Oxford, England and died July 21, 1937, also in Oxford, England. He was a mathematician who worked on invariant theory. Outside mathematics, Elliott had many interests. Music, natural history and literature were all high on his list of hobbies. However, these were often more than mere hobbies. For example, he founded the oldest literary society in Queen’s College.

14. You are your own superpower: No One.

15. And for your final lesson on being you, being your unique self is how people can best enjoy you. If they don’t, time to move on.

fate controls a lot of who walks into your life, but you decide who you let walk out, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go. In choosing to be a Warrior of Love I am surrounding myself with people who make me a better person, and I choose who to let go of those who don’t.

The playlist today begins on the last century with Slade and The Beach Boys. We then return to modern times with Savanahh Christina and Jessie J. Some rap from Eminem next and a surprisingly tuneful number from Yoko Ono follows. We finish with Alicia Keys: You Are Not a Pretzel!!!

Learn to accept that is often not people who have been in our lives we miss but the feeling we had when we were with them. Times change, and what presences Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included may as well. Remember you can get these blogs in your inbox by filling in the form on the right-hand side. Until we meet again, my dear friends.

Don’t Wait Until You’ve Reached Your Goal!!!

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Rod's World

Celebrate, Celebrate Good Times: Great song, it will probably be on the playlist but is what it is saying true. I beg to differ, I think our purpose in life is to celebrate all times and that our ups and downs in life are our training ground to have this occur.

I have 5,000 Facebook friends, some I know better than others but I send all of them a Facebook Birthday card, somedays it is up to 30 people but this is one form of celebration I have taken on so I have not limited the time it takes me. I do have a standard male and female formulae and some of my close friends I do special ones for. I am surprised by how many people contact me personally and thank me. So as birthdays and deathdays are our main forms of celebrations what about the other days of the year?

I went to a friends birthday at the Abbotsford Convent yesterday, Dan is a beautiful man, there was his partner Theresa and our mutual friend Karina there. I met two of my 5,000 FB friends for the first time, Shanti and Roman, great people, all of who have interesting things to contribute to a celebration. Remember, as we mature it becomes less important to have a lot of friends and more important to have real ones.

So what do friends do differently to people who just walk past each other on the street:

1. They face problems together

2. They give what they can because they truly care.

3. They make time for each other.

4. They offer each other freedom.

5. They communicate effectively.

6. They accept each other as is.

7. They are genuine and accept genuineness.

8. They compromise.

9. They support each other’s growth changes.

10. They believe in each other.

11. They maintain realistic expectations of their relationship.

12. They honour each other in small ways on a regular basis.

13. They listen, and they hear every word.

14. They keep their promises.

15. They stick around.

What has life said about celebrating friendship and life in general, here are a few of my favourites:

1. Why do we not celebrate many moments between life and death?

2. Remember, you came here for a purpose, lets make it an inspiring one: Message In a Bottle.

3. Oprah would have something to say about this.

4. A great thing to celebrate: Celebrate Good Times.

5. Love and Gratitude are two other words that are part of the celebration recipe.

6. George Bernard Shaw, known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond: Laughter In The Rain.

7. The celebration is not always about happy, happy.

8. Choose to be alive: Born To Be Alive.

9. What happens to celebrations when the festival season is over.

10. Hathaway supports several charities and causes. She is a board member of the Lollipop Theatre Network, an organization that brings films to sick children in hospitals, and advocates gender equality as a UN Women goodwill ambassador. She is married to businessman Adam Shulman, with whom she has a son: Unconditionally.

11. Your Celebrate Life fridge magnets.

12. How would you live your life differently if the life expectancy age was 40: Africa.

13. The Greatest gift you can give to another.

14. More fridge magnets: Hallelujah.

15. And for our final lesson today, be all there.

Remember, life is kind of like a party. You invite a lot of people, some leave early, some stay all night, some laugh with you, some laugh at you, and some show up really late. But after the fun, there are a few who stay and help you clean up the mess. And most of the time, they aren’t even the ones who made the mess. These people are your real friends in life. They are the ones to celebrate life with.

How did Neil Sedaka, Kate Perry and KD Lang get on the same playlist? They all sing songs of celebration. We begin with The Police, followed by Kool and the Gang. Neil is next, then back to disco and Patrick Hernandez. Kate drags us back to the present. We finish with Toto and KD: Don’t Wait Until You’ve Reached Your Goal!!

So, I reckon if we all chose to celebrate life more, my ethos of Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included would occur sooner than later. Remember you can have these blogs sent to your inbox from the box on the right-hand side of the main page. Until we meet again my dear friends.

Stand Up Straight and Realise Who You Are!!!

Posted on November 21, 2019 by Rod's World

The title of this blog is part of a Maya Angelo quote, the final line is that you tower over your circumstances. Do you let adversities stop you in life? Here are some questions to make you think about it:

1. What stands between you and happiness.

2. Are you holding onto something you need to let go?

3. Decisions are being made right now. The question is, are you Making them yourself or are you letting others make them for you?

4. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?

5. What is the biggest challenge you face now?

6. If the average life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?

7. What’s something that happened to you that made you stronger?

8. What is worth the pain?

9. Are you aware someone has it worse than you?

10. What’s missing in your life?

One of my adversities is my families pre-edification to suffer from gout. I have not had it for one and a half years and I was asked about it by my naturopath two days ago, and yesterday I woke up with it. Ouch, this lies in the do not push your luck arena.

So what does life say about adversity, here are a few quotes that express it rather well:

1. With her two most prominent roles challenging gender stereotypes and norms, The New York Times said Mary Tyler Moore’s “performances on [The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show] helped define a new vision of American womanhood.” The Guardian said “her outwardly bubbly personality and trademark broad, toothy smile disguised an inner fragility that appealed to an audience facing the new trials of modern-day existence.

2. Best known to the general public for his mass-energy equivalence formula E = Mc squared, which has been dubbed “the world’s most famous equation, from the misogynistic earlier part of the Twentieth century, I’m sure this relates to men and women: We R Who We R.

3. All butterflies have “complete metamorphosis.” To grow into an adult they go through 4 stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Each stage has a different goal – for instance, caterpillars need to eat a lot, and adults need to reproduce.

4. I suggest looking at the different styles of the last two POTUS’s to understand this quote: Don’t Give Up.

5. Barbara De Angelis is an American relationship consultant, lecturer and author, TV personality, relationship, personal growth adviser and spiritual teacher. Her infomercial “Making Love Work” won an award as Best Infomercial of 1994.

6. What can you do now you couldn’t last year? That’s called overcoming adversity: Look What You Made Me Do.

7. From the man who went through his and freed a country.

8. Simply for the Image: Sing For The Moment.

9. Turn around, overcoming adversity happens the other way.

10. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee: Black Superman.

11. One of the ways to overcome adversity quickly is to learn the art of acceptance.

12. Marty Rubin, a South Florida gay activist, author and journalist, Mr. Rubin died after a struggle with AIDS. He was 64: Live It Up.

13. Six powerful words.

14. I love the zen of Japanese philosophy: Walking on the Moon.

15. For your final lesson, remember flowers grow between cracks in the footpath.

So, a few words on adversity to finish; You never know how really strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.

Today’s playlist contains some Sesame Street, a daggy song, an Aussie classic and two pop divas, surprise, surprise. We begin with Kesha, then Bruno Mars. Pop diva Taylor Swift follows, Eminem raps a tune out next. The ode to the Black Superman by Johny Wakelin brings the seriousness down a bit. Back to Australia for Mental as Anything and we complete with British supergroup The Police: Stand Up Straight and Realise Who You Are!!!

So when adversity arises in my life, I return to my ethos of Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included and get back on track. P.S. I found some joint cream I brought several years ago, It works. Until we meet again my dear friends.

The Heart wants What It Wants!!!

Posted on November 4, 2019 by Rod's World

Another thing I have got out of Awakening Connections is the ability to feel the love being directed at me. I was at Mojo – The Dance of Connection on Saturday night for my crewing role as chai maker extraordinaire, and it felt different. There were people, particularly women who have been coming for ages who kept hugging me and kissing me at the end of a dance, some I even kissed back. I have taken on a practice to allow this love in, reciting some mantras from my friends Marc and Angel Chernoff through a practice we call Dragonspeak in the Warriors of Love, my go-to 12-month training program to empower the lifeforce that runs through each of us: Some WOL info.

The mantras are as follows, they help me love people, not judge them or ignore them:

1. The most beautiful thing is to see a person nearby smiling. And even more beautiful is knowing you are the reason behind it.

2. If I have the power to make someone happier today, do it. The world needs more of that.

3. Some people build lots of walls in their lives and . not enough bridges. There’s no good reason to be one of them. Open me up. Take small chances on people.

4. Never stop doing little things for those around me. Sometimes these little things occupy the biggest parts of their hearts.

5. Too often I underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of love – all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

6. Be present, Be thoughtful. Compliment people. Magnify their strengths, not their weaknesses. This is how to make a real and lasting difference in my relationships, new and old.

7. I don’t always need to give advice. Sometimes all people need is a hand to hold, an ear to listen, and a heart to understand.

8. Today, just be 100 per cent present with those around me – be all there. That is enough.

9. There’s no such thing as “self-made”. Someone else believed in me. Someone also encouraged me. Someone else invested in me. Someone else prayed for you. Someone else spoke life over me. I will be that someone for others too.

10. It’s practically impossible to love my neighbours if I don’t know them, and yet that’s oftentimes the case. I live in such a hyper-connected world with such limited or nonexistent connection. Remember this: Relationships matter. Stories matter.

11. In human relationships, distance is not measured in kilometres but in affection. Two people can be right next to each other yet miles apart.

12. Stay in touch with those who truly matter to me – not because it’s inconvenient, but because they’re worth the extra effort.

13. The single greatest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. Too often we don’t listen to understand, we listen to reply. Bring awareness to this. And listen for what’s truly behind the words.

14. Set an example. Treat everyone with respect, even those who are rude to you – not because they are always nice, but because I am ( And do my best to be thankful for the rude and difficult people too, they serve as great reminders of how not to be.)

15. Sometimes it is better to be kind than right.

16. People are much nicer when they are happier, which says a lot about those who aren’t very nice to you. Sad, but true.

17. The real test comes when I don’t get what I expect from people. Will I react in anger? Or will calmness be my superpower?

18. The way I trust people I don’t understand is a report card on what I’ve learnt about love, compassion, and kindness.

19. Be kinder than necessary. What goes around comes around. No one has ever made themselves strong by showing how small someone else is.

20. The best relationships are not just about the good times I share, They are about the obstacles we got through together and the fact that I still say “I Love You” in the end.

So how does the world talk about love, here are a few of my favourite things:

1. A required part of the recipe of life.

2. Not always loved by her critics, great people always seem to have them, the people of the slums idolised her: Is This Love.

3. Simply, Boom!!!

4. From the world’s best-known philosopher, Ms Unknown comes some worldly advice about the importance of self-love: Lose Yourself.

5. These are the people who showed up when your soul said to you, find the others.

6. One of the founders of the Black Panther movement who after exile returned to the States to become a conservative Republican and Christian, Eldridge travelled an extreme journey to discover love in his life: Blowing In The Wind.

7. Don’t look in your logical mind for love, it’s your like zone.

8. The area of life that blows away Simon Senik’s statement you have to know your why: To Love Somebody.

9. It’s in both your DNA’s.

10. And she: Born To Be Yours.

11. Sage advice from the writer of many a great love song over her long career.

12. Working on both these areas in my life: The Climb.

13. Remember to keep an eye out for this.

14. Yep to this: A Song For You.

15. For our final lesson, a short sermon on how to let love in.

So lets address loving those offensive people we find so hard to love. Marc has a trick: Mentally hug them and wish them better days. We can have compassion for this broken person because we all have been broken and in some pain at some point too. We’re the same in many ways. Sometimes we need a hug, some extra compassion, and a little unexpected love.

Our playlist today begins with Bob Marley, the king of Love in my humble opinion. The rapping out with Eminem. Some folk from Peter, Paul and Mary follows. From the same era comes The Bee Gees. We come forward to Kygo and the imagine Dragons and Miley Cyrus and complete with the soulful tones of Donny Hathaway: The Heart Wants What It Wants,

Letting love in and expressing it outwardly will certainly support my life’s ethos of Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included. Remember you can sign up to receive these blogs in your inbox on the right-hand side of my main page. Until we meet again, my dear friends.

Open Heart, Open Arms. Open Mind, Open Eyes!!!

Posted on November 1, 2019 by Rod's World

I was going to write this blog on what had been added to my persona from doing Awakening Connection, Level 2 last weekend. But there are not a lot of quotes about adding things so instead, I am using one of my new vows: I vow to have an open heart all the time. This is a new daily practise for me, as society trained me not too, from early on in my family to cultural expectations as I grew up. It peaked as mental health issues and six hospitalisations in 5 years. I discovered the conscious community of Melbourne at 59 and have been on a heart-opening journey ever since.

I was reading my friend Mark Chernoff’s 1000+ Little Things Happy Successful People Do Differently and was drawn to a list he has created to write a life story worth living: He begins with:

When writing the story of your life, don’t let someone else hold the pen. Make conscious choices every day that align your actions with your values and your dreams; the way you live each day is a sentence in the story of your life. Each day, you choose whether the sentence ends with a period, a question mark, or an exclamation point. Here are Marc’s ten ideas and my added one for writing a story worth living:

Find a passion that makes you come alive.
Work hard on that passion.
Live happily in your own way.
Change your path when you must, but keep moving forward.
When the going gets tough, keep fighting.
Let go of the past and live consciously in the present,
Embrace new ideas, lessons, and challenges.
Appreciate the little things in life that mean a lot.
Live honourably through kindness.
Spend quality time with people you love.
Keep your heart open at all times.

What does the human race say about having an open heart, here are a few of my favourites:

1. Vulnerability, Open Heart, Brene Brown – Snap!!!

2. Can you hear it across your airwaves? open your heart: Gorgeous Heart Chakra Music.

3. Shadow and Light, as we open our hearts, at times it will break or be broken.

4. Not a second Ferrari, or a yacht, or beach house: Smooth.

5. The long journey was finally over as her heart opened fully.

6. Debra is the International Best-selling author of Soul-Hearted Living; A Year of Sacred Reflections & Affirmations for Women, Being Love: How Loving Yourself Creates Ripples of Transformation in Your Relationships and the World (Inspired Living Publishing) and the author of Soul-Hearted Partnership: The Ultimate Experience of Love, Passion, and Intimacy, which garnered four book awards including the Eric Hoffer award.: Unconditional Love.

7. Love and Respect For All, Everybody Included.

8. What a gift to yourself, the sky is now yours, well done: To the Sky.

9, I have begun noticing the differences in the past week.

10. These are the things that will travel with your heart as well: Who You Are.

11. To achieve the opening there are things we need to let go of, it takes practice.

12. Carlos Santana, one wise dude around this subject: Peace Train.

13. At 65, I can’t do the pose, but I can open my heart to life.

14. What you hear with your heart open is extraordinary, a librarian gave me her number unsolicited because she wanted to continue our conversation, I had met her 20 minutes earlier: Seasons of Love.

15. As the cardiganed one, Eckhart Tolle says over and over, The Power of Now.

What does living with an open heart allow for? My friend Marc sums it up pretty well: Life can only be understood backward, but it must be lived forwards. The past is a good place to visit on occasion, but not a great place to stay. Don’t waste time trying to relive or change your past when you have priceless moments unfolding in front of you right now.

Today’s playlist begins with some Chakra Music by Divine Love. Then Santana’s track that relaunched their career. Tupac raps it out next. Owl City, who are new to me are next, I love owls. Jessie J is today’s pop diva offering. The penultimate track is Cat Stevens and we complete with a musical number from the cast of Rent: Open Heart, Open Arms, Open Mind, Open Eyes.

My world paradigm: Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included relies on more and more people reaching this euphoric state. Until we next meet again, my dear friends. Remember you can subscribe to my blog on the right-hand side of the main page.

You Can Never Go Back!!!

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Rod's World

After doing 9 transformational workshops in 2018 it has been a bit quiet on that front this year. Just my first stop year-long training Warriors of Love with the Essence School: For your edification up until now. I have completed a one-day vulnerability workshop and the amazing Awakening Connections. Level Two in the past two weeks. Both provided a new level of being alive. Here is the mission of Awakening Connections:

We believe that at our human core our greatest longing is to be seen, felt and heard by those we love.

Awakening Connections is a new paradigm of relating that empowers people to come into deeper wholeness, love and truth.

We know a world exists where humans feel enlivened within themselves which in turn creates an opening for healthy, sexy and inspired relationships.

Relationships with self and others are the most challenging emotional experiences we face, asking us to continually evolve and grow.

We give people the ability to really step into and navigate the challenges we face and turn them into gold.

Awakening Connections celebrates the journey of relationship through embracing both its ecstatic potential as well as the gritty, real and raw nature of the human experience.

It’s time to create extraordinary relationships, are you ready?

Did they deliver on this, I would have to say FUCK YES in spades. For privacy reasons, even though as adults we did not have this agreement to reveal the contents of the course I will reveal the last practice at the end of this blog. But lets have a look at what society has said about the values of transformational experiences over time:

1. Yes, he is a chef, a quite famous one, but this so relates to our lives.

2. Have you seen that meme of the guy on the bike riding what we think life is like and the one below with the entangled ball of string that represents what life is truly like, this is saying the same thing, be courageous: Live Your Life.

3. Sir Richard’s take on it.

4. This was written quite a while ago, to me he is still speaking the truth: Free.

5. From the world’s best-known cardigan wearer comes this powerful statement on transformation.

6. I think it says Patti Smith, not sure: Because The Night.

7. My man Thich Nhat Hanh, you rock.

8. We discussed trust and safety quite a bit over the four days of the journey: Surrender.

9. Lot’s of Heart opening too.

10. I had the privilege of seeing one of the other participant’s souls, it was an ecstatic experience: Soul Sacrifice.

11. What is wonderful about this type of workshop is you can go the whole gamut of life from rage to silence and this is what is provided.

12. From ancient China is the offering of the whole world when it lands in your soul: We are the Champions.

13. Welcome to your new career, my fellow participants.

14. So here is a song that was played towards the end, not nearly loud enough. This song is meant to be so loud it rocks your soul: Lust for Life.

15. And for the final lesson, this is what transformational experiences do. It turns the numbness and the noise down. And you get to hear your soul’s passion.

On the final day, we gave up our old lives, asked our partner to hold our old fears, mine was: Will you hold my Neediness of and total mistrust of women, she accepted. We walked down the aisle and my new vows are:

I vow to stand in my power, I vow to be a legendary lover, I vow to do what it takes to get the job done, I vow to have an open heart at all times, I vow to let love in and I vow to be part of healing the planets pain schisms through spreading Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included across the Globe.

The playlist today begins in the now and then goes back to the past to some of the classic transformational anthems: We begin with T.I. and Rhianna, moving on to Rudimental and Emeli Sande. Patti Smith then rocks your world, back further to the king Elvis. Then we complete with two out of the final three tracks being my all-time favourites. Santana from Woodstock, Google it if you don’t know what Woodstock was, followed by Queen telling you who you are, then completing with Iggy Pop as we did on the final day, remember as loud as possible: You Can’t Go Back.

So if you get to create your vows in such a supportive bubble your life with be different from the moment you take them. Thank you so much, Alley, Shaney and Jared, we owe you big time. Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included.

I Trust My Intuition and Live a Courageous Life!!!

Posted on October 17, 2019 by Rod's World

I have attended two meetings in the same room over the past three days. One was on the future of Interculturalism in our local council area, which I love and the second was on Race discrimination and racial and religious vilification which I despise to the core of my bones. At each meeting, there were different energies, one of what was possible and the other what to do when it all goes wrong. It made me think of what effect energy has on a situation and is that the primary driving factor of any situation.

My friends Marc and Angel Chernoff wrote an immensely popular blog called “30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself”, it was an instant hit. Soon they started receiving this request: “I would love to see you revisit each of these thirty principles, but instead of presenting us with a ‘to-don’t’ list, present us with a ‘to-do list’ that we can start working on today together ” Here is the list they created in response to that request:

Start spending time with the right people.
Start facing your problems head-on.
Start being honest with yourself about everything.
Start making your own happiness a priority.
Start being yourself, genuinely and proudly.
Start noticing and living in the present.
Start valuing the lessons your mistakes teach you.
Start being more polite to yourself.
Start enjoying the things you already have.
Start creating your own happiness.
Start giving your ideas and dreams a chance.
Start believing you’re ready for the next step.
Start entering new relationships for the right reasons.
Start giving new people you meet a chance.
Start competing against an earlier version of yourself.
Start cheering for other people’s victories.
Start looking for the silver lining in tough situations.
Start forgiving yourself and others.
Start helping those around you.
Start listening to your own inner voice.
Start being attentive to your stress level and take short breaks.
Start noticing the beauty of small moments.
Start accepting things when they are less than perfect.
Start working towards your goals every single day.
Start being more open about how you feel.
Start taking full accountability for your life.
Start actively nurturing your most important relationships.
Start concentrating on the things you can control.
Start focusing on the possibility of positive outcomes.
Start noticing how wealthy you are right now.

So that is a pretty awesome list, I would suggest picking a few favourites and work on those for a while, attempting all of them at once would be a case for overwhelm, methinks.

So when the world looks at positivity, what does it have to say, here we go:

1. Without providing these basic and essential ingredients don’t expect to be on the A list for very long.

2. Simply walk the talk is what this says to me: Listen to Your Heart.

3. Such beauty in the words. “Building a thoughtfully crafted life”.

4. As I am writing this in the Darebin Intercultural Centre I sure this is deeply profound and very positive,: Shab be oon cheshmat khab narese

5. The adage you can’t take it with you is addressed in this quote.

6. That one life has breathed easier because you have lived, a worthy task to take on: Breathing.

7. Printers don’t work if the paper is crumpled, if you stop living a positive life by burning the trust in it, you will probably attain the same result.

8. From little things big things grow: From Little Things.

9. My friend Fleassy talks about your comfort zone and your safety zones. The comfort zone is what you challenge for positive growth in your life, your safety zone is your declared boundaries, to be protected for all you are worth.

10. How about every new acquaintance in your life you greet with these words: Rise Up.

11. You can always get more money, but you have a finite time to live a life of positivity.

12. It is also great to remember that positive doesn’t necessarily mean neat and tidy: Messing with the Kid.

13. Works for my life essence of Curiosity.

14. There are many different versions of positivity, pick your favourite: A Few of My Favourite Things.

15. And for our final lesson, I reveal the part of your body that your positivity resides in.

Right now is a miracle. Right now is the only moment guaranteed to you. right now is life. So stop thinking about how great things will be in the future. Stop dwelling on what did and didn’t happen in the past. Learn to be in the “here and now” and experience life as it is happening. Appreciate the positive attributes that it holds, right now.

Today’s playlist contains Ireland’s greatest rock guitarist, and he’s not in U2, a jazz legend and a new version of one of Australia’s greatest songs. Roxette opens up, followed with a tune from Persia by Ebi Gheseye Eshgh. Then the pop diva track from Ariana Grande. John Butler, Missy Higgins and Dan Sultan rejig a great Australian anthem allowing the sultry tones of Andra Day to lead in the rocking guitar of Rory Gallagher. We finish with the majestic notes of John Coltrane Live: I Trust My Intuition and Live a Courageous Life!!!

In the meeting about the Intercultural Centre, it was grand to see up to 10 different cultures being positive together. It gives me hope that there is a future for ny ethos of Interculturalism: Love and Respect For All, Everybody Included. If you enjoy reading this ode to possibility register yourself to receive future blogs in the space on the right-hand side. Namaste until we meet again, my dear friends.

If You Focus On Change, You Will Get Results!!!

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Rod's World

I chose todays subject from a list of productivity questions called Productivity questions to make you think. There are nine of them, here they are:

What could you AVOID to improve your productivity?
What is WORSE, failing or never trying?
When it’s all SAID and DONE, will you have said more than you’ve done?
If not NOW, then when?
So far, what has been the primary FOCUS of your recent life?
What do you do when you feel like giving up?
What are you one step CLOSER to today than you were yesterday?
What PEOPLE and ACTIVITIES energize you?
What are you GLAD to quit?

You could spend the next month focusing on just one of them and in the resolution of it would transform your life, the one that calls to me is number 5 – So far, what has been the primary FOCUS of your recent life? My answer would have to be resolving the issues in my life that prevent me from having a partner. A little bit of history, my last serious relationship was just over ten years ago and when it broke up in less than pleasant circumstances I unconsciously made a decision that I am not going through that again and I will be single the rest of my life.

I discovered this after quite a bit of work on myself and have decided to cancel the request. Some opportunity has shown up but I still have a ways to go. So how has the world chosen to write about the focused life, here are some good ones:

1. Netflix, Netflix, Netflix!!!

2. You just have to love a great acronym: I’m Gonna Be.

3. There will always be obstacles, that is a given. It is how you handle them that will get you the outcome.

4. I used to play golf. To be any good you need extreme focus which I didn’t have: The Greatest.

5. Refer to the title of this blog.

6. People, Debts, Actions, it seems miraculous but focusing is like that, a real cleansing balm: I’m Falling Away.

7. Even in Ancient Greek time, it was a subject discussed by the great philosophers.

8. Much too cute not to include: Rabbit Song.

9. We move on from rabbits to dogs, both quotes point to the same thing.

10. I once said in a very drunken stupor to a wise woman friend that I was looking for a girlfriend. She said the same as this using different words. Sometimes hard to do when you are alone: Can’t Fight This Feeling.

11. From the world’s most well-known philosopher Ms Anonymous comes this piece of pure wisdom.

12. And here are the gifts you receive from choosing to focus: Lose Yourself.

13. And the other great philosopher, Mr Unknown.

14. We all know the noise that this is referring to, don’t we, the noise that lives in our head: Little Talks.

15. And our final lesson for the days lies in the heavily underlined word, your wants not what others want for you.

My friend Marc Chernoff writes: It is said that highly productive people recognize that not all hours are created equal, and they strategically account for this when planning their day. For most of us, our minds operate at peak performance in the morning hours when we are well-rested. So obviously it would be foolish to use this for a trivial task like reading emails. These peak performance hours should be 100 per cent focused on the tasks that bring you closer to your goals.

Today’s Focus playlist begins with the Proclaimers with that karaoke song. Sia is next then I feature an ad from Sprite. Boy and Bear lead a trio of male voices followed by REO Speedwagon and Eminem. We finish with Of Monsters and Men: If You Focus on Change, You Will Get Results!!!

I also focus on Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included. If we related to each other from this paradigm, the world would be a different place. Remember, if you wish to receive these blogs in your mail, sign up on the right-hand side of the blog. Until next time we meet, my dear friends.

Take Time To Connect To The Divine.

Posted on September 30, 2019 by Rod's World

I spent the weekend at three entirely different connections in my life. Friday night I made chai at Dancing Freedom, Saturday I crewed on a Spring Chant Meditation and Sunday I attended Sunday Assembly. Each fulfils a different part of my soul and the people come from completely different parts of society.

I believe the more parts of society I have contact with it helps me able to strengthen my resolve to see the ethos, Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included become accepted across the planet. I am working on the Act Local, Think Global principle. I live in the Darebin Council area in Melbourne, Australia where there are over 150 different cultural groups residing and volunteer at the Darebin Intercultural Centre where differences are Acknowledged, Explored, Understood and Embraced.

How has the world look at connecting in this time of world leaders talking about nationalism vs, Globalism and the difference which of these being dominant will make to human beings connecting with each other? Lets have a look over time:

1. From Hollywood, the land of fables comes this wise insight regarding human connection.

2. Jacqueline is an entrepreneur who left the banking industry to make a difference in the area of global poverty: We are all Connected.

3. In our instant gratification times, we can easily miss the message of deep connection.

4. The We are all Starseed conversation: Across The Universe.

5. It can be as simple as eyes locking across a crowded room at a party.

6. Harvey grew up openly gay at a time when very few celebrities were. So to have the above be true he must have had a strong belief in universal connection: You’ve Got A Friend.

7. Hip Hop artist Dramatik of the Wolves speaks about the mind, body and soul connection we make with certain individuals we come across in our life journey.

8. Don’t really know what Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg . is referring to here, although I know I have connected to quite a few people on a deep level across the airwaves: So Far Away.

9. I agree, if you can discuss your shadow and light with your connections, they tend to be more intimate than just making polite conversation.

10. Our roots are our common humanity: Human.

11. Connection isn’t always about spoken words, it may be a shoulder to cry on.

12. And then there is the special one: We Found Love.

13. One World.

14. John is known for his work on marital stability and relationship analysis through scientific direct observations, many of which were published in peer-reviewed literature. The lessons derived from this work represent a partial basis for the relationship counselling movement that aims to improve relationship functioning and the avoidance of those behaviours shown by Gottman and other researchers to harm human relationships: Steady Love.

15. And our final lesson is from Steve Maraboli, I spend my time on how to make all relationships like this. Imagine that world paradigm.

A short blog today, Dancing Freedom fuels my body transformation connection. Chanting my heart connection and Sunday Assembly my desire to connect to humanity through service.

Today’s playlist begins with one of the most unusual songs I have used, it is a group of scientists known as Symphony of Science. Then a cover by Rufus Wainwright followed by two songs by Carole King and James Taylor where they reverse roles. The beautiful anthem by Rag N Bone Man is next, the penultimate song is by Rihanna and we complete with the golden voice of India Arie: Take Time To Connect To The Divine.

A dear friend who passed way to early, said that Love was the Answer. I agree, the more we communicate it the closer we will get to having Love and Respect For All, Everybody Included in all our relationships. Remember, if you wish to receive a reminder about when I have done my latest blog, sign up on the right-hand side. Until we meet again, my dear friends.