Paradise has never been about Places!!

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Rod's World

Not about a book this time, it’s about an experience. On the weekend I attended Collective Potential’s People on Purpose retreat: Here’s their contact page. My friend Emeli, the facilitator had a surprise for us on Saturday night, it would test my physical and trust issues to the Nth degree. I had to let my fears of walking down any slight slope when I inherited when I fell down an escalator drunk at the age of 18, a long time to hold onto something seeing I am now 64, but my balance has been shot ever since.

I am one of the worlds great givers, even having the nom de plume, The World’s Greatest Volunteer, but am sometimes naff at receiving, I realise there is a profound cost to this, but have trained myself harshly from the I am Unlovable shadow world.

What I learned was the power of the tribe, of true connection, can have people do things that they had told themselves they were incapable of. What has the world said about the power of connection over the decades, let’s have a look:

1. Number one spot to Brene, the Queen of Vulnerability.

2. I love the quote: You can get a kiss easily enough, having sex isn’t that hard really, but finding those people that touch your soul, that’s another thing: Listen To Your Heart.

3. Relationship 101.

4. Find Your Others: People Help the People.

5. Actions not words, true connections not Roses…

6. As James, the financial planner on the retreat said, you do not change your habits overnight, this is especially true in relationships: Time after Time.

7. For the Barbara De Angelis fan on the retreat.

8. I was the elder at 64, there were lots in their 20’s and 30’s, even a teenager I think: Human.

9. Albert was born in the 18th Century, still relevant today.

10. Too me this is more profound in shared experience: Shared Experiences.

11. They are your weirdo’s after all.

12. Has to slip in Emeli’s favourite word: Purpose: Love Connection.

13. I think I did this with someone on the weekend, we don’t meet them that often, Emeli was one for me, so glad to meet another.

14. I have had these conversations, and they have gone for days: Fresh.

15. Nada!!!

So go out there and find your others, allow true connection in your life, Collective Potential is a great place to start if you are new to the journey.

The playlist today has some certifiable classics in it: We begin with Roxette, then Birdy’s anthem to People. One of my top ten songs by Cyndi Lauper, then the bass tones of Rag and Bone Man. An unknown electronic classic by Menog. And what would a love connection playlist be without some Bollywood by Shubham Tiwari and some disco to finish off by Kool and the Gang…

Remember to show Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included until we meet again, my dear friends.

Breath in Experience, Breath out Poetry.

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Rod's World

I recently attended the most transformational training week of my youthful 64 years. It is commonly known as ISTA, short for the International School of Temple Arts: Here’s the Link. In my over 350 blogs I normally write about books on a possibility, one of the other participants asked me, You aren’t going to write about this, are you? As one of the agreements is to only share your experiences, here I go.

Some background from the source:

We live at a unique and critical time on earth. At the same time as we are faced with incredible challenges to the survival of the diversity of life and consciousness on our planet, we are experiencing an incredible awakening of human potential. Not only are new energies emerging but for the first time in history, the wisdom heritage of all our cultures and traditions is available for integration just as it is most needed.

There have always been temples and mystery schools on earth where the deep teachings on sexual and spiritual wisdom were practised, developed and taught. These centres were often the hidden cause for the advancement of civilizations. Now we have a global civilization and these temples are once again emerging into the light, blossoming like chakras and Nadi points as the light body of the earth is awakened and energized.

So what has society said about transformational experiences over the years, lets take that journey:

1. What our logical mind wants to do almost instantly, explain it away.

2. We all took the opportunities that were offered during the week to the levels our identity would allow a change in: Changes.

3. I received the gifts of Massive trust and energy from the Earth as I walk on this new planet.

4. The ISTA community, you join after spending a week in the field. Prior to that your already I have done ISTA friends will just hug you when you tell them you are going to do it: You Belong With Me.

5. To me, my priceless moment was witnessing a process and looking out over the field and realising there was nothing wrong going on, just total trust.

6. One of my top ten, have learnt so much off this beautiful spirit: Let It Go.

7. Integration time.

8. Albert Camus was a French philosopher, author, and journalist. His views contributed to the rise of the philosophy known as absurdism. He wrote in his essay The Rebel that his whole life was devoted to opposing the philosophy of nihilism while still delving deeply into individual freedom. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44 in 1957, the second youngest recipient in history: Going Under.

9. Much easier after ISTA.

10. Certainly, the journey I took has me much closer to this place: I Was Here.

11. I am so looking forward to where this new trust and energy will take me, and I don’t really care that I don’t know.

12. Back to ancient China for this one, so many of our hearts are now travelling this path: Listen to Your Heart.

13. And the ability of our skilled facilitators, Stephanie, Sean and Elaine.

14. Could my new energy take me here, Who Knows: Africa.

15. And we certainly did in that beautiful space known as the ISTA field.

The two main takeaways I received are an increase in my trust of myself and others to the Nth degree and an energy emanating from the earth that feels volcanic in nature and a sense I do not know what my future will be, and that’s a great thing.

Today’s playlist has some classic sings and songs. We begin with Mr David Bowie then one of the great pop divas Taylor Swift. A musical number from Frozen follows, then some great rock from Evanescence and her highness Beyonce. Two older memories from Roxette and Toto close out the list: Breathe in Experience, Breathe out Poetry.

Remember to show Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included until we meet again, my dear friends.

Now a Soft Kiss.

Posted on November 24, 2018 by Rod's World

I am attending a retreat next weekend organised by my friend and Anam Cara Emeli Paulo via her self-development company Collective Potential: Check them out here. One of her heroes is Joseph Campbell so I thought to revisit one of his books Pathways to Bliss: Get It Here.

Joseph Campbell famously defined myth as “other people’s religion.” But he also said that one of the basic functions of myth is to help each individual through the journey of life, providing a sort of travel guide or map to reach fulfilment — or, as he called it, bliss. For Campbell, many of the world’s most powerful myths support the individual’s heroic path toward bliss. In Pathways to Bliss, Campbell examines this personal, psychological side of myth.

In this highly enjoyable book, Campbell says: “There are something like 18 billion cells in the brain alone. There are no two brains alike; there are no two hands alike; there are no two human beings alike. You can take your instructions and your guidance from others, but you must find your own path.” Defining it as BLISS = THE TRANSCENDENT WISDOM WITHIN YOU – “Your bliss can guide you to that transcendent mystery because bliss is the welling up of the energy of the transcendent wisdom within you. So when the bliss cuts off, you know that you’ve cut off the welling up; try to find it again.”

So how does the world look at Bliss, lets take that journey:

1. Lisa starts her webpage as follows, Dear Highly Sensitive Soul, Everything happens for a reason, I am so glad you have found yourself here! Let me remind you how special and unique you are AND that there is absolutely nothing wrong with you! I know that being a Highly Sensitive Soul can sometimes feel like a curse, but in reality, it’s a blessing. You just need to know how to navigate your way through a world that doesn’t always understand what it means to feel things so deeply.

2. Make sure your daily reality is not too far from your bliss: From Little Things.

3. Probably Josephs most famous quote.

4. the ultimate form of bliss, to know self-love and love for another: All of You.

5. Not what I hold bliss to be, at all.

6. the opposite of bliss: Ignorance.

7. Thomas Gray was an English poet, letter-writer, classical scholar, and professor at Pembroke College, Cambridge. He is widely known for his Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, published in 1751.

Gray was an extremely self-critical writer who published only 13 poems in his lifetime, despite being extremely popular. He was even offered the position of Poet Laureate in 1757, though he declined.

8. If you are looking out there for it, go back, wrong way: Baby It’s You.

9. Shadow and Light, they travel together.

10. Think I found this opportunity this weekend: Soul Kind of Feeling.

11. Appears to be getting harder and harder to do in these Tinder driven times.

12. All three spiritual fields please: Mind, Body and Soul.

13. The definition of Lolly Gobble Bliss Bombs.

14. 4 great blissful quotes: Safety Dance.

15. The right ones will open.

LIFE IS CALLING but “When the call isn’t answered, you experience a kind of drying up and a sense of life lost.” Life is calling. Are you answering? If not, beware. No matter how much you try to numb yourself, the pain’s not going away. Not till you step up and answer the call. Then? Well, then God’s on the line and flowing through you. Enter: Bliss, Enthusiasm, all the things you want but are afraid you may not get so you keep on doing the same ‘ol, same ‘ol. 🙂 * ring ring * * ring ring * PICK UP, already! 🙂

Some great tracks today. We begin with Missy Higgins and Paul Kelly, followed by a John Legend classic. Then a Paramore super hit, then Beyonce. Over to our more obscure numbers, a great Aussie band The Dynamic Hepnotics, then a re-released obscurity by The Flaming Ember. We finish off with Men Without Hats with their dance ditty: Now a Soft Kiss.

Remember to spread Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included until next time we meet, my dear friends.

There is no Elevator to Success!!!

Posted on November 21, 2018 by Rod's World

I was having a deep and meaningful conversation with a friend into what prevents us from meeting our goals which made me think of Angela Lee Duckworth’s great book Grit: Why Passion and Resilience are the Secrets to Success: Get It Here.

Here are some great lines from the book:

“What I mean by a passion is not just that you have something you care about. What I mean is that you care about the same ultimate goal in an abiding, loyal, steady way. You are not capricious. Each day, you wake up thinking of the questions you fell asleep thinking about. You are, in a sense, pointing in the same direction, ever eager to take even the smallest step forward than to take a step to the side, toward some other destination. At the extreme, one might call your focus obsessive. Most of your actions derive their significance from their allegiance to your ultimate concern, your life philosophy. You have your priorities in order.”

“Why were the highly accomplished so dogged in their pursuits? For most, there was no realistic expectation of ever catching up to their ambitions. In their own eyes, they were never good enough. They were the opposite of complacent. And yet, in a very real sense, they were satisfied with being unsatisfied. Each was chasing something of unparalleled interest and importance, and it was the chase— as much as the capture—that was gratifying. Even if some of the things they had to do were boring, or frustrating, or even painful, they wouldn’t dream of giving up. Their passion was enduring.

In sum, no matter the domain, the highly successful had a kind of ferocious determination that played out in two ways. First, these exemplars were unusually resilient and hardworking. Second, they knew in a very, very deep way what it was they wanted. They not only had determination, but they also had direction.

It was this combination of passion and perseverance that made high achievers special. In a word, they had grit.”

How does the world navigate this thing called Grit: Lets take that journey:

1. John Ortberg is an evangelical Christian author, speaker, and senior pastor of Menlo Church in Menlo Park, California. One of his publications, The Life You’ve Always Wanted, has sold more than 500,000 copies.

2. Grit is a lifetime hobby: Work It.

3. John says give peace a chance, Wayne not Lennon.

4. You can have it all – that’s what we think as kids, unfortunately, this is taken away from us in our school years: You can Have It All.

5. I am ……………

6. Come across to the other side, its fun over here: On the Dark Side.

7. Passion and Perseverance – Fuck Yeah!!!

8. Minna Thomas Antrim was an American writer. She is famous for the quote “Experience is a great teacher, but she sends in terrific bills.” She was also well known for her collection of toasts: Say Something.

9. Way back to the 18th Century and Ralph Waldo Emerson for part of the recipe of Grit.

10. Thrusting, now that takes Grit: Call on Me.

11. I agree with Brene, possibly the bravest thing we will ever do.

12. Never give Up in search of your dreams: Tough Lover.

13. Ovid, way back in the times of the Roman Emperor was known as a poet of Love.

14. Jon Gordon, known for his earth-shattering book, The Energy Bus, which is said about: “If you want to fuel your family, your career, your team, and your organization with spirit read this book. Jon’s energy and advice will leap off the page and help you cultivate positive energy in everything you do—and you will make the world a better place for your having been here: We Shall Overcome.

15. How often are you unyielding, what does it take?

“In fact, when people drop out of things, they do so for a reason. Actually, they do so for different reasons. Any of the following four thoughts might go through your head right before you quit what you’re doing:

‘I’m bored.’
‘The effort isn’t worth it.’
‘This isn’t important to me.’
‘I can’t do this, so I might as well give up.’

There’s nothing wrong—morally or otherwise—with thoughts like these. As I tried to show in this chapter, paragons of grit quit goals, too. But the higher the level of the goal in question, the more stubborn they are about seeing it through. Most important, paragons of grit don’t swap compasses: when it comes to the one, the singularly important aim that guides almost everything else they do, the very gritty tend not to utter the statements above. …

Together, the research reveals the psychological assets that mature paragons of grit have in common. There are four. They counter each of the buzz-killers listed above, and they tend to develop, over the years, in a particular order.” They are Interest + Practice + Purpose + Hope.

The playlist today contains quite a few Pop divas: We begin with Rihanna and Drake, Then some rock and roll from Yo Lo Tengo and Eddie and the Cruisers. Two Christina Aguilera tracks are intersected by Eric Prydz and we complete with some wise words from Martin Luther King: There is No Elevator to Success.

Remember to provide Love and Respect for All, Everbody Included until we next meet, my dear friends.

lovelight14

To the World, You might be Just One Person!!

Posted on November 12, 2018 by Rod's World

I received a reply to the message from the woman I say I am in love with, I feel incredibly happy with this, she has been overseas the past six months. At the moment I am reading a book called Love 2.0 by Barbara Fredrickson which redefines our ability to feel the ultimate emotion: Get It Here.

We all know love matters, but in this groundbreaking book positive emotions expert Barbara Fredrickson shows us how much. Even more than happiness and optimism, love holds the key to improving our mental and physical health as well as lengthening our lives. Using research from her own lab, Fredrickson redefines love not as a stable behemoth, but as micro-moments of connection between people–even strangers. She demonstrates that our capacity for experiencing love can be measured and strengthened in ways that improve our health and longevity.

Ready for our new, upgraded definition of love? Love 1.0 = The emotion you feel for your “soul mate” or kids or family; what we hear about on the radio, etc. Love 2.0? Love 2.0 is ubiquitous. It’s that “micro-moment of warmth and connection that you share with another living being.” It’s what Barbara describes as “positivity resonance.” Love is found in those TINY moments—the micro-moments—in which we are truly present, sharing a positive experience with someone. When that happens, our brains and bodies synchronize in truly stunning ways. Sprinkle in some mutual care for the others’ well being and you have positivity resonance—aka Love. What’s exciting about this upgraded version of love is that it’s not limited to our most intimate relationships (yet, very importantly, can be practised most frequently within them—something I’ve done a bunch of times since picking up the book yesterday). When we allow ourselves to open up to this possibility, we can create more of this positivity resonance with others and experience the extraordinary gains in health and happiness that go with practising this supreme emotion.

So how do we as humans define love, here are a few of my favourite takes at it:

1. Imagine if we were in contact with those micro-moments of love 24/7. It would transform my life for certain.

2. Imagine if you glimpsed it every day, it would be blissful: A Slice of Heaven.

3. And this is what drops away.

4. And your micro-moment mission is to…: When You Believe.

5. Not really a choice is it?

6. And you, and you, and you, and you…: Better Together.

7. One never knows what those micro-moments of connection can turn into.

8. Positivity resonance at some times, our greatest fears at others, it is our time to choose: How Deep Is Your Love.

9. Not really an example of Love 2.0, but I had to fit the bard in somewhere.

10. Definitely possible in both areas of love, one and two: Soul Shakedown Party.

11. All of the emotions come with Love.

12. Love is a two-way street: Give Love.

13. But we always have a favourite.

14. And then, time for some Rumi: I Love You for What You Are.

15. And from the Love Prince, Bob Marley comes how to achieve Love 2.0.

Barbara introduces us to the fact that micro-moments of love are created by and result in changes in three main biological characters: your brain, oxytocin, and your vagus nerve. As she says: “Put simply, your body was designed for love, and to benefit from loving.”

Very briefly, when we have positivity resonance, our brains synchronize in astonishing ways. This “neural synchrony” or “neural coupling” is produced as we attune to the individual(s) with whom we’re interacting. Oxytocin, the “love hormone” is, apparently, more appropriately identified as a neuropeptide because it shows up not just in our bodies but also in our brains. Barbara talks about some fascinating research on how increasing levels of oxytocin increase trust and cooperation. Then we get to Vagus. Our vagus nerve is our tenth cranial nerve. “It emerges from your brain stem deep within your skull and, although it makes multiple stops at your various internal organs, perhaps most significantly it connects your brain to your heart.” Hmmm… A physical, biological component of our bodies that connects our brain to our hearts? I’m listening! The short story here: As per all the benefits articulated above, Optimizing our vagus nerve’s functioning is a good idea. Good news is: our “vagal tone” can be developed much like our “muscle tone.” It just takes practice. We’re almost ready for those practices. First, desire.

Today’s playlist begins across the trough from my homeland, for all you others, that’s slang for New Zealand with Dave Dobbyn, then Whitney. A few rocky numbers follow with Jack Johnson, Calvin Harris and Bob Marley. The penultimate number is some soul from Andy Grammer featuring Lunchmoney Lewis, finishing with a Bollywood masterclass.

Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included until we next meet, my dear friends:

Choose to Shine!!

Posted on November 9, 2018 by Rod's World

I have returned to Marc and Angel Chernoff’s first book 1,000 Little Things Happy Successful People Do Differently, which was the book I discovered this remarkable couple through – Get on Board. Using my write about the page you open to, I am writing about 12 Choices Winners Make Every Day. How do you relate to the term winning: Here is what Marc says about it:

‘Follow in the steps of a winner. Don’t wake up at seventy-five-years of age, sighing over what you should have tried. Just do it, and be willing to fail and learn along the way. At least you will know you gave it your best shot.

At the end of the day, whether you chose to go with it, flow with it, resist it, change it, or hide from it, life goes on. If what you did today didn’t turn out as you hoped, tomorrow is a new opportunity to do it differently or to do nothing at all. What’s important to realise is that you have a choice.”

Here are the 12 choices they suggest:

They don’t give up on the things they believe in.
They work with and spend time with, the right people.
They concentrate on the present.
They maintain a positive attitude.
They endure the pain.
They ignore the naysayers.
They live through Love.
They accept 100% responsibility for their current situation.
They take action and plant the right seeds.
They don’t lose themselves in the commotion.
They appreciate what they have.
They make a positive difference.

A pretty great list – let us look at winning:

1. A definite win in your life when this happens.

2. You don’t have to win every battle, choose wisely which ones you fight: Battle Hymn of The Republic.

3. This would be winning, in my eyes.

4. You can choose Yes or No, It’s up to you: No Excuses.

5. Another way to spell winning.

6. Renee Oldstead is an American actress and jazz singer. She is a vegan. She appeared in a PETA ad, Fish Are Friends Not Food, urging her fans to become vegan themselves. In 2012, Olstead joined PETA’s campaign to free the elephant Mali from captivity at the Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden, where she has been alone for the last three decades: Count on Me.

7. Win or Lose, it’s your choice.

8. All of your friends like this, they are your winners: Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

9. Shadow and Light, we move between them constantly.

10. Where is your winning post?: A Thousand Miles.

11. An unusual take on winning by a very famous man.

12. And you will have won: Time of My Life.

13. What are your winning values?

14. Internal not external: You can get it If You Really Want It.

15. Show me new ways, and then I can win at what I previously lost at.

Zig Ziglar has a great saying about winning: “You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.”

Today’s playlist begins with the United States Army Field Band, then pop diva Meghan Trainor. Bruno Mars then funks it up, followed by a Queen rock anthem. Then two females – Vanessa Carlton and Madonna, finishing with Jimmy Cliff.

Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included until next time, my dear friends.

Great Heart Will Not Be Denied.

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Rod's World

In their excellent book, The Tools: Get it here. Phil Stutz and Barry Michels, offer 5 tools for efficiency. The Tools is a dynamic, results-oriented practice that defies the traditional approach to therapy. Instead of focusing on the past, this groundbreaking method aims to deliver relief from persistent problems and restore control–and hope–to users right away. Every day presents challenges–big and small–that the tools transform into opportunities to bring about bold and dramatic change in your life. These transformative techniques will teach you how to

GET UNSTUCK: Master the things you are avoiding and live in forward motion.
CONTROL ANGER: Free yourself from out-of-control rage and never-ending grudges.
EXPRESS YOURSELF: Learn the secret of true confidence and find your authentic voice.
COMBAT ANXIETY: Stop obsessive worrying and negative thinking.
FIND DISCIPLINE: Activate willpower and make the most of every minute. A change in attitude won’t stop you from screaming because attitudes can’t control behaviour; they’re not strong enough. To control behavior you need a specific procedure to use at a specific time to combat a specific problem. That’s what a tool is. … The point is that a tool—unlike an attitude adjustment—requires you to do something. Not only does it take work, but it is also work you have to do over and over again—every time you get frustrated. A new attitude means nothing unless followed by a change in behaviour. The surest way to change.

THE TOOLS There are five tools. Each solves a different type of challenge and is associated with a different “Higher Force.” Here they are in a nutshell:

Tool #1: The Reversal of Desire. The Higher Force: Forward Motion.

Tool #2: Active Love. The Higher Force: Outflow

Tool #3: Inner Authority. The Higher Force: Self-Expression

Tool #4: The Grateful Flow. The Higher Force: The Source

Tool #5: Jeopardy, The Higher Force: Willpower

They say Willpower is the most important to master, how are you with willpower on a daily basis, How has society spoken about its importance over time, let us have a look:

1. I love Dan Millman’s book, The Way of the Warrior, a really deep look at Willpower.

2. Willpower does not occur overnight, it is an ongoing practice that develops over time: Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.

3. One of the great challenges of building willpower.

4. I’m going through a period of flabbiness at the moment, so glad to read this and take it on: In My Feelings.

5. Aleister Crowley was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the prophet entrusted with guiding humanity into the Æon of Horus in the early 20th century. A prolific writer, he published widely over the course of his life.

6. I remember playing football with my classmates back in the day. Three or four had the ability to make the highest level, yet only one did, what separated him was his determination to succeed at all costs: Believe.

7. On the journey to Willpower, you will discover what to let go of.

8. Yes or No?: Changes.

9. Pay the Full Price and you will reach your graduation day.

10. A very satirical poster on Willpower, do not give in: Wake Up.

11. Make Willpower one of your New Years Resolutions and keep it.

12. Known for his starring role in the Superman movie, On May 27, 1995, Reeve was left quadriplegic after being thrown from a horse during an equestrian competition in Culpeper, Virginia. He used a wheelchair and needed a portable ventilator to breathe for the rest of his life. He lobbied on behalf of people with spinal cord injuries and for human embryonic stem cell research, founding the Christopher Reeve Foundation and co-founding the Reeve-Irvine Research Centre: The Impossible Dream.

13. Mother Teresa places it at top of the list.

14. Back a few centuries for this quirky take on willpower: When a Blind Man Cries.

15. And finally, from The Girls Guide to Health webpage, a gift for you.

A final comment from the authors on Why, Willpower?

“A few rare individuals refuse to have limited lives. They drive through tremendous amounts of pain—from rejections and failures to shorter moments of embarrassment and anxiety. They also handle the small, tedious pain required for personal discipline, forcing themselves to do things we all know we should do but don’t—like exercising, eating right, and staying organized. Because they avoid nothing, they can pursue their highest aspirations. They seem more alive than the rest of us.”

Today’s playlist is dotted with a lot of rock groups and Rap artists. We begin with the Animals from back in the day, moving onto Rap with Drake. Another group in Mumford and Sons is followed by the too soon gone Tupac. A live offering from The Arcade Fire is followed by the beautiful voice of Luther Vandross. We finish with Richie Sambora: Great Heart Will Not Be Denied.

Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included until next time, my dear friends:

The Good News Is You are the Pilot!!

Posted on November 1, 2018 by Rod's World

In their inspiring book Getting Back to Happy: Change your Thoughts, Change Your Reality, and Turn Your Trials into Triumphs: Get It Here., Marc and Angel Chernoff explode myths. The one I am writing on today is that you have to wait for the “right time” to make a change in your life. The truth is it is never too late or too early to be who you are capable of being. There’s no time limit on when you can start living the life you’ve dreamed of. There is no mythical door that shuts after you turn a certain age, blocking you off from experiencing the things you want to do.

Happily, life has a way if throwing red flags when it’s time for us to make a change – we have to be watchful for them. With that in mind, take a look at this list and ask yourself: are any of these the reasons I’m unhappy with my life as it is now?

Fear is Holding me Back.
I catch myself feeding the negative.
My mind is everywhere except right here, right now.
I feel pressured to be someone other than myself.
I feel like I’m competing against everybody else.
A relationship is making me miserable.
I feel bored.
I’ve been resisting change.
Other people are writing my story for me.

If any of these resonate with you, you certainly aren’t alone. Many people are afraid to step forward and change their situation simply because they don’t know how or because they’re afraid to fail. Remember, it’s always better to take an imperfect step forward than to take no step at all.

So, it is time to have a look at what society says about this situation:

1. Without doing this you live yesterday after yesterday. I think its called Groundhog Day.

2. After several failed attempts, Danny Sullivan won the Indy 500 and totalled $2 million dollars winning from 12 starts: The Time of My Life.

3. Inspiring Buddhist nun, Pema Chodron, points out that the possibility is now.

4. You will know when: Right Place, Right Time.

5. But giving up your fear of failure will give it a more than even chance of it being the right time.

6. I vote for making it: Hustle.

7. Watch what they do, not what they say. Actions speak louder than words.

8. Don’t give up, we all have mistakes along our journey: Don’t Give Up.

9. They wrote some great song lyrics.

10. As the navigator, you have to be right here, right now: The Navigator.

11. Take that imperfect step into the above.

12. When to do it by a man who changed the direction of the United States: His Greatest Speech.

13. Begin it Now.

14. Find the Others: Friends.

15. We have the same 24 hours as Martin Luther King had, go for your dreams.

Rarely is life going to work out perfectly, and rarely will the stars align. If you’re waiting around to gather all the resources you think you need to take the next step forward, before you know it, you will have wasted all the time you have. Changing your situation is about being mindful of what you want to change- and then finding the one thing you can do first to improve it. That one action might not change everything, but it will put you on the path to something better.

The Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes classic starts the playlist today. Then the million-selling Olly Murs who I had never heard of. Jamelia funks it up next, then a superb live version of Peter Gabriels biggest hit. A grungy offering from The Pogues, then some wise words from MLK, finishing with Ed Sheeran: The Good News is That you are the Pilot.

Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included until next time we meet, my dear friends.

Take me to the River!!

Posted on October 30, 2018 by Rod's World

Several members of my year-long training program, The Warriors of Love went on an Essence outing to see Dr Joe Dispenza. He was spruiking his new book, Becoming Supernatural: How Common People Are Doing the Uncommon: Get it Here.

Joe talked about that he began to ask himself:

‘What if people begin to believe in themselves instead of something outside of themselves? What if they believe that they can change something inside of them and move themselves to the same state of being as someone who’s taking a placebo? Isn’t that what our workshop participants have been doing in order to get better? Do people really need a pill or injection to change their state of being? Can we teach people to accomplish the same thing by teaching them how the placebo really works?’

He calls this crossing the river of change. Joe speaks about this:

“Crossing the river of change requires that you leave the same familiar predictable self— connected to the same thoughts, same choices, same behaviours, and same feelings—and step into a void of the unknown. The gap between the old self and the new self is the biological death of your old personality. If the old self must die, then you have to create a new self with new thoughts, new choices, new behaviours, and new emotions. Entering this river is stepping toward a new unpredictable, unfamiliar self. The unknown is the only place where you can create—you cannot create anything new from the known.

“Some people call this experience the dark night of the soul. It’s the phoenix igniting itself and burning to ashes. The old self has to die for a new one to be reborn. Of course, that feels uncomfortable!”

So when did you last or have you ever crossed the River of Change, entered the dark night of the soul? We know our favourite cereal, or favourite cafe and our favourite TV show very well. How does the world relate to this, let’s have a look:

1. Why is it worth doing, because with the dark naturally comes the light.

2. Neruda became known as a poet when he was 13 years old, and wrote in a variety of styles, including surrealist poems, historical epics, overtly political manifestos, a prose autobiography, and passionate love poems such as the ones in his collection Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair (1924). He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971: Pablo Neruda.

3. The unknown is the only place where you can create—you cannot create anything new from the known.

4. Oh death remorseless, consume this flesh. Release this soul to begin afresh, truly magnificent: Hold On.

5. You have to pay the full price to reach the other side.

6. Many people reach out for a superior being after entering this space: I Wanna Dance with Somebody.

7. after the death of her father from cancer, Joan, a medical researcher, became more interested in the person with the illness than in the disease itself and returned to Harvard Medical School to complete a second postdoctoral fellowship, this time in the new field of behavioural medicine.

8. Free hugs gain you entry: Hugging You.

9. This may happen along the way, but your new created life awaits you.

10. Your old thoughts will hold on tightly, they will not want you to leave: The Sounds of Silence.

11. Joe must have been influenced by Carl, methinks.

12. In that dark night, it is the voice of the soul that gets us through to the other side: King of Anything.

13. Your heart burning up during the dark night of the soul. Don’t worry, it will come out all new and shiny on the other side, created by you.

14. Without the Dark, no Lights: Starman.

15. And finally what Joe says entering the dark night of the soul will provide: UncoverYourJoy.com.

I will finish with Joe’s main premise: “If this is your personality then your personality creates your personal reality. It’s that simple. And your personality is made up of how you think, how you act, and how you feel. So the present personality who is reading this page has created the present reality called your life; and that also means that if you want to create a new personal reality—a new life—then you have to begin to examine or think about the thoughts you’ve been thinking and change them. You must become conscious of the unconscious behaviours you’ve been choosing to demonstrate that have led to the same experiences, and then you must make new choices, take new actions, and create new experiences.”

Today’s playlist begins with my dear friend Kavisha Paola Mazzella, one of the truly superb voices. next Wilson Phillips, daughters of very famous 60’s musicians. Then a Whitney Houston power ballad. Over to the men for Tom Rosenthal and Disturbed. Penultimate is Sarah Bareilles, finishing with Sir David: Take Me to the River.

Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included until we meet again, my dear friends.

Self Awareness and Self Love Matter!!

Posted on October 25, 2018 by Rod's World

Up to Section 5 of Dare to Lead, Brene Brown’s exciting new book: Get It Here.

The section is titled Curiosity and Grounded Confidence and begins: “Grounded confidence is the messy process of learning and unlearning, practising and failing, and surviving a few misses. This brand of confidence is not blustery arrogance or posturing or built on bullshit; it’s real, solid, and built on self-awareness and practice. Once we witness how courage can transform the way we lead, we can trade the heavy, suffocating armour that keeps us small for grounded confidence that lifts us up and supports our efforts to be brave.” It’s unreasonable to believe that we can just rip off our self-protection mechanisms and streak through the office. Most of us armour up early in our lives because, as children, we needed to.

Brene then goes on about the paradoxes that elicit vulnerability in leaders and provides this excellent list:

Optimism and Paranoia
Letting chaos reign ( the act of building ) and reining in chaos ( the act of scaling )
Big heart and tough decision making
Humility and fierce resolve
Velocity and quality when building new things
Left brain and Right Brain
Simplicity and Choice
Thinking Global, acting Local
Ambition and attention to detail
Thinking big but starting small
Short-term and long-term
Marathons and sprints, or marathons of sprints in business-building

In a conversation with Dheeraj Pandey, CEO of a Silicon Valley IT company, Dheeraj says the following, “Leaders must learn the skills to hold these tensions and get adept at balancing on the ‘tightrope’ of life. Ultimately, leadership is the ability in the ambiguity of paradoxes and opposites.”

So, what does the world say about paradoxes and opposites, here are a few of my favourite things:

1. How well do I embrace and opposites, better some days than others, a lifetime practice, methinks?

2. Reads like lines from a really great song: Radiate.

3. The gravity man, Sir Isaac Newton, watch out for the apples.

4. The Light and the Dark, both are needed to transform: I Gotta Feeling.

5. Anything goes, it is all required in our journey of life.

6. That’s very Woo Woo, Albert: God Save The Queen.

7. Fact check, did our favourite POTUS really say this?

8. What do you say to your soul, I’m practising with I love You for five minutes in the mirror every day: A Whole New World.

9. Something Judgement 101 does not allow.

10. The classic reason why opposites attract, they are incomplete without their opposite, how many modalities teach us we need all the types of archetypes, personalities, etc. etc. etc: New Speedway Boogie.

11. I post Ram Dass daily in Booker Looker land, he is one of my top ten faves on the net.

12. More light and dark stuff, you can’t deny either for your life to work: Duality.

13. They are sent to you to learn from them, what you resist persists, an old Landmark statement from the 1990’s that still rings true to this day.

14. Best known for his book, The Myth of Equality, Wystma, a minister of the gospel helps us come to a deeper understanding of both the origins of these issues and the reconciling role people are called to play as a follower of the gospel. Inequality and privilege are real. The Myth of Equality opens our eyes to realities we may have never realized were present in our society and world. And we will be changed for the better as a result: Glory.

15. The paradox of being attracted by an opposite, what are yours, mine is booze versus sobriety.

Brene sums it up as follows ” Learning how to rumble with vulnerability is work. And vulnerability never becomes comfortable, but practising means that when a vulnerability is washing over us, we can hear grounded confidence whisper in our ear, ” This is hard and awkward, and uncomfortable. You may not know how it’s turning out, but you are strong and you have practised what it takes to create and hold the space for it.”

If you haven’t work it out from these two blogs, buy the book. It’s worth it for the free workbook and the glossary alone, not to mention the values list and the posters you get thrown in.

If you loved punk, there is a song for you on today’s playlist. We begin with a newbie for me, Hannah Kerr, then the iconic Black Eyed Peas, then the legend that is Johny Rotten leading the Sex Pistols. Another Disney classic from Alladin. An Aussie legend Courtney Barnett, then rocking out with Slipknot, then a beautifully smooth finish from John Legend: Self Awareness and Self Love Matter.

Spread Love and Respect to All, Everybody Included until next, we meet my dear friends: