Fashion, Turn to the Left.

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Rod's World

Do you consider your self stylish and what is style anyway? Today is one of my words off the wall blogs – we are having the documentary Advanced Style where the lives of Seven unique New York women are depicted. It looks fascinating, here is the trailer for it: 7 Unique Women.

I have not been known as a stylist belonging more to the alternative scene over the years, caftans and flairs do not make many of the fashion magazines although there were some very unique clothes worn by my fashionista friends. So lets have a look at what society has to say about advanced style, here are my 15 quotes that I have chosen to consider:

1. Albert suggests that it is difficult to walk through life with a sense of style through just having knowledge, as this is limited. Imagination is what has you stand out from the pack.

2. But with no education as exists in some places in the world it is also impossible to change your circumstances and break out from the mundane.

3. One of the great stylists who has re-invented the meaning of creating your own world, Oprah shows what determination can get you.

4. Don’t young kids dressed as adults look oh so cute, not if you ask them, it’s like putting them in prison garb.

5. Lynn is one of the stars of Advanced Style, does your mother look like this at the same age, I know mine doesn’t.

6. At one stage it was Grey is the new Black as they become the majority of the population this statement is now more the norm.

7. Susan Sarandon recently went to Burning Man, this stylish actress was interviewed about her experience of the major alternative festival in the states : What did she think?.

8. Definitely one of the more stylish dressers of his age, Mark Twain AKA Samuel Clemens was a believer in age was a made up concept, and that you were as young as you felt.

9. To look fashionable you need to be original, if you buy off the rack you have a very good chance you will turn up an event in exactly the same attire as another, no imagination , no originality.

10. A man who also redefined style was Stephen Hawking, a sufferer of Motor Neuron disease from an early age, he has not let this hinder him and is one of the most sought after speakers in the world.

11. We don’t appear to be that far off when our style of transport will change dramatically. Using Doctor Who in this image points to what will be available some time this century.

12. And the greatest style advantage we have in life is that we are uniquely us, no one is more Youer than You.

13. Luckily the internet revolution has turned around people’s ability to find out what styles are relevant and allows them to learn and move on from where they are these days. Libraries are also a valuable place to attain this.

14. Malala Yousafzai (Malālah Yūsafzay: born 12 July 1997) is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate.She is known mainly for human rights advocacy for education and for women in her native Swat Valley in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of northwest Pakistan, where the local Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school. Yousafzai’s advocacy has since grown into an international movement. Her Passion and style have influenced many organisations and celebrities to take on her cause.

15. David Bowie became a stylist by writing awesome songs and changing his persona every few years. The title of this blog is taken from one of his greatest songs : Fashion, David Bowie Style.

Style is a much used word, how do you use it , in your clothes, in your ride, I have the first triathlete pushbike released in Australia, it’s very smick, or in the way you relate to others. There are many ways to be stylish.

Namaste until Easter Monday my dear friends.

Pay as you Feel or Donate, its all Giving.

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Rod's World

I wanted to write todays blog on the pay as you feel ethos, there is a chain of restaurants in my hometown of Melbourne, Australia called Lentil as Anything who do just that, you eat there and pay what you can afford. There are not many pay as you feel quotes so I have had to move over to what it is to donate or give of our time.

I give a lot of the little money I have that I can afford to give. I support guide dogs as I have a blind friend, I support Green peace and several other organisations who do good stuff around the planet and volunteer my time as well as an English teacher and a Social media nerd.

I have chosen 15 quotes that i think will allow for some interesting comment. Here we go:

1. I have a friend Emeli who runs an organisation called Collective Potential whose target audience is corporate types who have realised that the $100,000 job does not provide the satisfaction they are looking for. Frankly they never do.

2. At least several times in out lives the chance will come to make a difference to someone. I once met a person in the street who told me that I wouldn’t remember him because he used to be a drug addict but that I had saved his life in the way I had treated him as a human being and not a number when I worked for the government welfare agency. He was right, I didn’t.

3. What makes the greatest difference, the child talking to the homeless man who has not spoken to someone in five days or the millionaire making a six figure tax deductible donation. I know which one does for me.

4. Cornelia “Corrie” ten Boom was a Dutch Christian who, along with her father and other family members, helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. She was imprisoned for her actions. Her most famous book, The Hiding Place, describes the ordeal. She certainly lived the meaning of the above quote.

5. As the example of the person I met in the street who said I had saved his life thorough my actions and that of children who talk to strangers like they know the person needs love these are both moments of the above.

6. This man is a frigging saint, enough said.

7. Can I put a Dolly Parton song in this blog , yes I can : Put a little Love IN Your Heart.

8. What would it take to make a statement like this. Anne Frank was a teenage jewish Schoolgirl hiding from the Nazi’s who wrote the Diaries of a Young Girl which was made into the iconic film The Diary of Anne Frank, she did not survive.

9. Sir Ken Robinson has done four TED talks on the danger of rigid education. He points out if you buy into the mainstream you will not know how to give your gifts to the planet, they will be drained out of you.

10. In the United states there are over 100,000 people waiting for live saving organs, why do we get buried intact when we could just as easily save another’s life. I don’t think your God would notice the difference.

11. There are people who are worshipped for what they gave in their lifetimes, this man is one of them, and yes we killed him as well.

12. What every person thinks who this happens for, they may not be able to say it physically or mentally.

13. It is always valued by someone, at times you will be rewarded in person, in other times it may be your next lifetime, if you believe in that sort of thing.

14.The Tao Te Ching, Daodejing, Dao De Jing, or Daode jing, also simply referred to as the Laozi, is a Chinese classic text. According to tradition, it was written around 6th century BC by the sage Laozi, a record-keeper at the Zhou dynasty court, by whose name the text is known in China. The text’s true authorship and date of composition or compilation are still debated, although the oldest excavated text dates back to the late 4th century BC. It is full of wisdom like this.

15. The great Buddhist concept of compassion as spread by the Dalai Lama is well spoken in this quote by Steve Maraboli, the worlds most quoted man.

Will the people who are the givers of the world withstand the attack of the takers,is it really the beginning of the Age of Aquarius as is being promoted on the internet, I hope so.

Namaste until Thursday, my dear friends.

Rod Has a Way with Words.

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Rod's World

I recently have been become resistant to a growing power within me. I went through a process with my mentor Arion Light the other day and he asked me where I was resisting it most. I answered in having my new business be a success My website.

Life is based on a premise for me that to change one must be willing to step forward or your life will keep teaching you lessons until you get them. I had worked in Federal Government service until my heart told me to to leave and I did not listen and was retired never to work again.

During this time I have kept up my knowledge of editing in all its facets as I was an editor of a National Development journal back in the early 80’s. I have had a love of words my whole life and am very good at expressing them even to the point of getting my cigarette money at high school by writing other peoples essays for them. So in retirement my friends who run businesses said why don’t you start your own as they were willing to pay me to do what I was doing for them for nothing.

So what does Power mean to us, I have chosen 15 rather different quotes on the subject, lets begin our journey.

1. Knowledge gives you power when you are partaking in interactions on a daily basis, but if you have no enthusiasm for the subject the power involved tends to wane over time.

2. My business started off with a flourish, I am now working on my determination to keep going in the face of no results from my actions.

3. The only thing that is certain is our life that is it will change, we have to realise at times our mind will not want to do this as it will be uncomfortable and what our mind loves most is being comfortable.

4. In the process I mentioned at the start of this blog, Arion asked me to look at what I was no being passionate about that I loved. I think Midnights Oils Power And the Passion expresses this the best for me. Surprisingly the lead singer Peter Garrett succumbed to the power of becoming a federal politician and gave up many of his passions.

5. You cannot locate real power outside yourself, this is a lesson well learnt by many after seeking it through their career status, their amount of possessions and then they reach a point of dissatisfaction and begin the journey within.

6. Abraham Lincoln February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln led the United States through its Civil War—its bloodiest war and its greatest moral, constitutional, and political crisis. In doing so, he preserved the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government, and modernized the economy. He was one of the great examples of what a man can do with power if they do it with character.

7. Power is defined as follows:

Someone with power has physical strength or they’re in control of things. So a weakling who’s in charge of a business still has a lot of power.

Power comes from the Latin word potere, which means “to be able.” But things with power are much more than able — they’re able to exert a lot of force. “The powers that be” are those who hold authority, and “the power behind the throne” refers to the people who exert influence without being formally in charge. When used as a verb, power means “to supply with mechanical or electrical energy,” as in a nuclear-powered submarine. It is not very useful if you are going through life asleep.

8. “Do I dare Disturb the universe?”
― T.S. Eliot, The Wasteland, Prufrock and Other Poems sums up what governments do not want people to know, that they really do have the power if they are willing to take it.

9. Jimi Hendrix only lived to be 28 years old, he was one of the magic bus people along with Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison, iconic figures of their time who sang and spoke about the greatest power being Love. Here is Jimi’s opus to it Power of Love.

10. Reclaiming your Power can return you to being back on track in all areas of your life, in owning that you are off in one and doing what is needed to restore balance you are actually working on all areas.

11. When you stand in your power, your Sparkle shines through. All the colours of the rainbow included. Sparkle was a film made in 1976 and remade in 2012 that was a huge success with African American audiences loosely based on the life of Diana Ross and the Supremes Filmclip.

12. The halls of Power are not an easy climb for Women, on the way there they have many bricks thrown at them, its what they do with them that leads to the final result.

13. Many people fall by the wayside when it comes to the abuse of the power they have been gifted by their position. They did not handle the responsibility that came with the position, something I feel a bit in my business , I am learning to provide the level required.

14. John Ray was an environmentalist from the 16th century, he is best remembered for this quote around the power that comes with being considered beautiful.

15. The Power stance is part of a TED talk by Amy Cuddy that 32,154,177 have watched so it must be very informative on the subject of power : Amy’s Ted Talk. Hunched shoulders are not a sign of power

My gifts to people from my business are Proof reading, Website Polishing, Copy Editing, Slogan writing and Research. Contact and Like my Rod Has a Way with Words Facebook Page.

Namaste until Monday my dear friends.

From the Ashes Rises?

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Rod's World

I attended a seminar on the weekend called Prosper from your Passion run by Ben Harvey’s Authentic Education. The point that really stuck with me was the term you are only as sick as your secrets. The premise was if you can rise above the worst thing that has happened to you nobody can do anything to you and there is nothing you cannot do in your life because they have nothing on you.

So what does it take to rise up, rise above these secrets. The world has much to say about it, here is one definition:

rise above something to deal well with a difficult or unpleasant situation

.To successfully deal with a problem or difficulty:

cope, overcome, carry off…

to be morally good enough not to do something bad, especially something that most other people do.

To be morally good or correct:

rise above, be in the right, look good/bad…

rise above something to be better than other things of the same type

To be the best or better than someone else:

surpass, outdo, rise above…

Many people have commented on what it takes to rise up above where you have been, the 15 quotes I have chosen go as far back as 384 B.C. to Aristotle’s time, so lets begin our journey of the phoenix:

1. I sure all cat owners have seen that look at some stage in their lives, well here is the reason why. They have not given their beloved moggie their morning coffee.

2. Bruce Hornsby is an American singer and keyboardist known for the spontaneity and creativity of his live performances . As he says when we are at the beach we do not wait for the tide to rise: The River Runs Low.

3. Love or Hate is a choice. MLK’s famous quote “Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.” It takes a strong mind to rise above the weakness that allows hate.

4. The look on this swimmers face says it all. She has definitely risen above whatever concerns she had to totally enjoy the moment.

5. I have a mentor who believes that when we have risen above it all we see everything as a gift, that nothing is a mistake. Not many people have reached this lofty position as yet, we are all still rising.

6. You are a unique human being and have gifts for the planet. Some of us have just forgotten this, time to Rise UP!! I’ll Fly Away.

7. Perhaps the most famous rising quote by one of America’s founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin was a renowned polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, Freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. He certainly lived a live that followed the premise of his quote.

8. Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī (Persian : جلال‌الدین محمد رومی‎‎), also known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī (جلال‌الدین محمد بلخى), Mawlānā/Mevlânâ (مولانا, “our master”), Mevlevî/Mawlawī (مولوی, “my master”), and more popularly simply as Rumi (1207 – 17 December 1273), was a 13th-century Persian poet, jurist, Islamic Scholar, theologian, and Sufi Mystic. Rumi’s influence transcends national borders and ethnic divisions: Iranians, Tajiks, Turks, Greeks, Pashtuns, other Central Asian Muslims, and the Muslims of South Asia have greatly appreciated his spiritual legacy for the past seven centuries. His poems have been widely translated into many of the world’s languages and transposed into various formats. Rumi has been described as the “most popular poet” and the “best selling poet” in the United States. His poems go from several lines as above to several pages long enquiries into subjects. Coleman Barks is considered the greatest interpreter of Rumi, here is some of his work: Coleman reading Rumi.

9. “The Phoenix rising from the ashes.” . As the story goes, the phoenix is a mythical bird with fiery plumage that lives up to 100 years. Near the end of its life, it settles in to its nest of twigs which then burns ferociously, reducing bird and nest to ashes. And from those ashes, a fledgling phoenix rises – renewed and reborn. At times we are like phoenixes , we feel like we have been reduced to ashes. It is our journey to arise new and reborn.

10. In our country of Australia, we have a situation called the tall poppy syndrome, it fundamentally speaks to the fact that you are not meant to rise above your calling, Luckily for the new generations it is becoming an outmoded principle and we can stop bring people down. We need to have it be OK to rise up and blossom.

11. Another quote I like about rising up is Marianne Williamson’s If you’re not being crucified , you’re probably not on your mission. It takes something to achieve your dreams and at times you will feel like you are dying inside because people are still listening to you pre dream fulfilment stage.

12. The Dark and the Light, its what gives us the opportunity to rise again, So called negative emotions are not bad, its just how we relate to them. Let them overcome you then you will suffer, learn from them and you are on the rise.

13. The worlds first philosopher, his books still sell 2000 years later. He is remembered for his wisdom and propriety. He was very much a supporter of the middle way.

14. Maya Angelou is one of life’s great female orators, she is a stand for people being as unique as they can and rising as high in the sky as their efforts allow them.

15. Maya’s most famous poem is Still I Rise. Here is a recording of her reciting it. Still I Rise.

It is up to up to Rise. Whether your dream is to be the worlds greatest mum, our children’s preschool dream of being an astronaut or a fairy, to have a number one hit single it is our responsibility to fulfil our dreams, that is what we were sent here for.

Life is about learning; when you stop learning, you die. Tom Clancy

Namaste until Thursday , my dear friends

Is No iPhone the first step?

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Rod's World

I lost my iPhone two days ago, meaning when I am travelling away from my abode I am literally off the grid unless I run into someone I know. At first it felt kind of weird, but I have become more and more used to it. It made me think of a journey my friend took down the length of the Yarra River in my home city of Melbourne : The Comfort of Water

I also remember hearing about a family who travelled around their country seeking out fellow off gridders: Off-grid.net .

The quotes I have chosen are directly related to the subject with a few left field ones thrown in for good measure: Lets begin our journey :-

1. Hollywood actor Ed Begley Jr. could have chosen a life of fast cars and flashy woman. Instead after hearing a speech at the First Earth day he had his aha moment and it transformed his relationship to the planet. Here is a story about his eco-house Live by Example.

2. Lets have an unplug day a month and build up our off the grid moments from there.

3. When you go off the grid you give up your attachment to the physical things that drive most people’s lives. You still retain these essential things though.

4. Mainstream society destroys our basic needs, putting yourself off the grid trains you to be self-sufficient. Here is one of his blogs on The myth of Human Progress.

5. When we are kids we didn’t know what a dollar meant, try living off one dollar. Here is the impressive 2013 documentary on that exact subject: Living on One Dollar.

6. I’m sure many of you have visited places that shudder, there is no WiFi connection. I remember these as moments of deep connection with the people who had been brave enough to journey outside the grid.

7. Vincent Kartheiser, the actor who played Martin in the widely popular Mad Men series announced in 2010 he was taking on Simple Living. He no longer has a car and is slowly giving away everything he owns.

8. Several years ago I attended an Anti-clutter workshop at my local library. The first question the woman asked who was running it was How many towels do you have. She had people raise their hands from 4 to 30, and yes there were people who had 30 for two people.

9. Known for diverse roles such as Hellboy and Clay, president of the Motorcycle club in Sons of Anarchy, Ron Perlman is another actor who has joined the growing umber of actors who have followed this path.

10. All the characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s books would be considered off the grid. As he states, not all those wander are Lost!!

11. The quote is from a Maine organisation in the United States, but the link I have added is for off the Grid living in my home country, Australia: Is it possible?

12. I became curious writing this as to how many people live off the grid, this article states it is as many as 1.7 billion. Its informative and well written: There are lots of us.

13. I believe it would take something special like Fire in my Belly to live totally off the grid, I am very attached to my internet.

14. You can’t buy the smiles with things that these simple enjoyments put on children’s faces.

15. Earthing is seen by many as being an alternative, even maybe hippy term. But the simple act of walking on the earth barefoot is having more and more evidence support it for its health benefits. Definitely off the grid, the wearing of no shoes. This article points them out: Barefoot for better Health.

I get my iPhone back in 3 days but think I will take on the practice off going out without it and see what ensues on my path to off the grid living from there.

Namaste my dear friends and speak to you Thursday, I was a day late again as it is up to my sister what day we go op-shopping with my mum.

How do you Give?

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Rod's World

I volunteer at a local council social enterprise Darebin Intercultural Centre where we spread the ethos of Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included. I created a public open Facebook page allowing people to support this ethos : Access to the Interculturalism Page.

What has brought about the increase of social enterprises when people who make raw organic chocolates and plant trees with a percentage of their profits like Pana Chocolate in Australia go to their website. Newman’s Own is a food company founded by actor Paul Newman and author A. E. Hotchner in 1982. The company gives 100% of the after-tax profits from the sale of its products to Newman’s Own Foundation (a private non-profit foundation) which in turn, gives the money to various educational and charitable organisations. In 1982 Newman summarized his initial intentions regarding distribution of his company’s profits: “My profits will be divided between a number of tax-deductible charities and causes, some church-related, others for conservation and ecology and things like that.” This has been happening for over 30 years, a remarkable effort that has surely enlivened many great projects.

Why did people start leaving the capitalist driven mentality that its all about the profit. Lets check out the 15 quotes that look at the world of social enterprise:

1. The quote by Maya Angelou “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” also speaks to what Albert is pointing out, you can’t take it with you and what remains are people’s feelings.

2. Hard to read but the last line is clear, Leave a Legacy. There is the famous story about the lists of the worlds most famous wealthy men in the 1920’s before the Great depression. After it none of them were on it and none of them were remembered.

3. We have an education system that seems to be more and more about this, I remember the saying that when your children are born most of the tools thye use will not have been. Why do they insist on teaching children their parents and grand parents knowledge.

4. You will find in Social enterprises this is a very important part of their lives Their offices are set up as a common space so that people feel they are part of a community. Another organisation I am involved with Collective Potential is currently working out of one of the new co working hubs that are breaking out over the world, where creative’s share space and ideas. Revolver Creative.

5. Lets return to 1982 for our first song, social enterprises definitely do not cry What about Me?

6. Social minded organisations are incredibly focused on this , thats its about their customer base not themselves, with out customers there is no self.

7. A lot of Social Enterprises are about this, educating the masses to empower themselves after being in contact with their organisation. As Bob Marley sang : Get Up, Stand Up.

8. These like minded social entrepreneurs know that its not about their first million, they are here for a much grander purpose, the survival of the planet.

9. The worlds most famous Cigar smoker, Winston Churchill points out the courage of standing up for your beliefs and listening as to how they will serve the world.

10. My friend Miroslav Petrovic is one of the greatest at doing this I know The Way of the Heart. Social Enterprises do not hold back in this area.

11. I love these word circles, for Social Enterprise they are all inspiring

12. Who more than Mahatma could dare to make a statement like this, can you about your social enterprise.

13. I suppose I could not write this blog with out a mention of our friend Social Media. My backdrop picture states I only post about peace, love, truth, harmony, self-growth, bliss, beauty, life, light, wonder, happiness and the goodness on the world: only the brave will hang in with me. Social Enterprise is my tool for this at http://www.rodhasawaywithwords.com.

14. But in Social Enterprise you must always remember this!

15. George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950) was a Nobel Prize and Oscar-winning Irish playwright, critic and socialist whose influence on Western theatre, culture and politics stretched from the 1880s to his death in 1950. I see Social Enterprise as the major positive change of this century so far.

Well as you may be able to tell from my writing I see Social Enterprise as the way forward in our restitution of our society from where mainstream media and big business are trying to take us.

Namaste until next Monday , my dear friends.

‘

On the Road Again!!

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Rod's World

One date late, I was on a Monday op shopping journey with my sister from Tasmania who was over for the week and my regular Tuesday companions my Melbourne sister and my eighty eight year old mum.

I came to work and saw the headline ” My Journey, My Lucky Country ” an entirely different sort of outing, a refugee tale. It made me think what did the word journey mean to an individual was it one of the road, an inner journey of the body and mind, time spent with friends or an entirely different interpretation.

The 15 quotes I have chosen cover many different takes on it, so lets begin our journey:

1. Dr. Steve Maraboli is a life-changing Speaker, best-selling Author, and Behavioural Science Academic. His quotes and videos have become a social media sensation, being shared by millions across the globe and earning him the designation of, “The most quoted man alive.” On journeying he states that one needs to let go of what occurred yesterday to release the beauty of today’s.

2. Rainer Maria Rilke was born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, travelled extensively throughout Europe, including Russia, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, and in his later years settled in Switzerland—settings that were key to the genesis and inspiration for many of his poems, yet he believed the main journey was an inner one.

3. One of the great hits of the first great musical festival Woodstock was Canned Heats epic On the Road Again Canned Heats anthem to the Journey.

4. Ernest Hemingway , winner of the 1954 Nobel Prize for Literature, had an amazing life’s journey. Married four times, he reported from the Spanish Civil War and was present at the Normanby Landing and the liberation of Paris during World War Two. He certainly lived the ethos of his above quote.

5. In these hectic times of Internet, Facebook and many other forms of Social Media, the journey often feels more like a race. Try to slow down and find the joy that is available on the journey of life. Remember to smell the Roses.

6. How often are we reminded that the journey is not always on a straight lineal path. For me it has been mental health episodes. What have been your falls?

7. My brother left our family home and travelled to Western Australia without notice at the tender age of 17. My parents at the time did not understand this at all. I think we all have incidents in our life’s journey that are not understood by others. They are not meant to be. Its our journey and we mostly know why we are doing it.

8. All the books we are read as children have a happy ending. Yet in our lives this is not always the case, we have much more interesting stories to tell from our journey.

9. “Harness the power of today. Seize the blessings of today! Make something happen, enhance your life, make someone laugh, help a friend, love, love, love!”

10. I have been training myself recently to be in the present, it is quite remarkable how different your experience of life is when you exist from this paradigm, all experiences are more enjoyable.

11. If the Earth formed at midnight and the present moment is the next midnight, 24 hours later, modern humans have been around since 11:59:59pm—1 second. And if human history itself spans 24 hours from one midnight to the next, 14 minutes represents the time since Christ. This put our lifetimes in perspective, remember to enjoy the time you are here.

12. Big Tony point out that to be able to experience a journey you must begin it. Many people choose to never do this.

13. Many people just a few years older than me have been passing recently including a good friends father totally unexpectedly. Don’t forget the people in your life who mean a lot to you. Assuming they will be there tomorrow is just that, an assumption.

14. That’s what friends are for Dionne Warwicks divine tune on the subject.

15. And finally Snoopy has the last say, Lets bring in Willy Nelson as well On the Road Again, to me this is so true. My friends and family have been the best part of the journey.

So how ever we travel our journey, as an entrepreneur, a Nine to Fiver, a sporting hero, a stay at home mum all the advice seems to be enjoy it as much as you can because we are here for a short while.

Namaste until Thursday my dear friends.

Is Adversity Awesome?

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Rod's World

This is a great question, do we want adversity in our lives or do we want them to chug along with very few bumps in the road. I confess that I tried the latter and kept ending up in psych. units because I did not handle the former very well.

The first time was when they were going to shut down the office I worked in where we had created a special relationship with our clients and I didn’t want to lose it so I clandestinely fought it with the community and union so that they kept it partially open in a smaller site around the corner. The stress of doing this saw me start a journey were I was dismissed and put on a pension never to work again with another two admissions during the two year period.

So what can dealing better with adversity offer us? There are many quotes from famous characters in history to unknowns on the subject and it was a difficult task choosing the fifteen most relevant, but here are my favourite ones. Lets have a look :

1. One of the great tests of adversity is who stays along for the ride when the going gets tough. I know that when in deep depression I was not an easy person to stay with but there were certain friends who stayed through me trying to tell them to go away because I was not worth knowing.

2. Adversity is put in our lives to test our resolve, how we get through them increases our Strength in life, helps us get through those moments in life that truly test our ability to break on through to a stronger person.

3. Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, also known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī, Mawlānā/Mevlânâ, Mevlevî/Mawlawī, and more popularly simply as Rumi, was a 13th-century Persian poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic. Rumi’s influence transcends national borders and ethnic divisions: Iranians, Tajiks, Turks, Greeks, Pashtuns, other Central Asian Muslims, and the Muslims of South Asia have greatly appreciated his spiritual legacy for the past seven centuries. His poems have been widely translated into many of the world’s languages and transposed into various formats. Rumi has been described as the “most popular poet” and the “best selling poet” in the United States. I spoke to an Iranian friend who did not know who Rumi was but knew Mawlawi well. He says it simply but it is profound.

4. In my friends Arion’s work The Activation Program we work on an aspect of life called Renewal where we look at what controls us being more effective and look to accept this, in doing so this allows it to no longer control us, like having it blow the adversity away.

5. American author and bloggist Randi J. Fine points out that even though adversity is happening to us it is occurring for a reason, what is happening is exactly what is meant to at that moment to move us through life. You could even say from reading her site she is suggesting Don’t worry be Happy.

6. A lot of my friends lead workshops and seminars in the conscious movement and personal development areas. If you were to hear their stories as how they got there you would definitely agree that they are shining the light for other, living proof of the wounded healer stories.

7. here is one of the great natural examples of what can be created by overcoming adversity. Considered the most sough after gemstone who realises that it began its life as a piece of charcoal.

8. Discussing his quote we all think of Frank Herbert as a Science Fiction writer of note, best known for the novel Dune and its five sequels. Though he became famous for science fiction, he was also a newspaper journalist, photographer, short story writer, book reviewer, ecological consultant and lecturer. He had adversity covered in all directions.

9. It is a little known fact that many millionaires go broke several times in their life. But due to the fact they can handle great wealth they can also handle great adversity so have the ability to return to their former status.

10. John A. Passaro grew up as a wrestler and points out that is were he learnt to be a better person not in his Science and Math and English classes. Perhaps this is what Pink Floyd meant when they sang We don’t need no Education.

11. If we lived our whole lives between the lines, in the safe zone, how much meaning would there be in our lives, I often here people referring to the Nanny State these days, that everything is so controlled people don’t know what to do when they are challenged in life.

12. Climatic disasters are what this quote reminds me of. It brings out the best in people because at the heart of it, we all want to make a difference with others and these occurrences are when we are needed to do it most.

13. When we look at our politicians and how many of them have to resign due to corruption this quote from Abraham Lincoln hits home. It seems to bring out the worst of behaviour in some people who seek to be elected to make a difference. As JOhn Lennon sang Power to the People.

14. Walter Elias “Walt” Disney was an American entrepreneur, cartoonist, animator, voice actor, and film producer. He was a prominent figure within the American animation industry and throughout the world, and is regarded as a cultural icon, known for his influence and contributions to entertainment during the Twentieth century. Flowers grow in deserts and mountains , areas we do not expect them to.

15. Roads keeps us well under control, discoveries do not come from staying on the road, but trying out the adversity of the Unknown, not many life changing inventions were made driving the car down the road.

I have learnt to deal with adversity much better these days, I do not recommend waiting 58 years as I did, many of these spent trying to fix myself.

Namaste until Thursday, my dear friends.

Partake in one of Life’s Pleasure, Your Body!

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Rod's World

I up to recently had been taking a medication that increased you appetite and because of this blew out to over one hundred kilograms. My frame is not made to carry this much weight and had bits that were hanging about.

I had been going to the gym for the past two years and this did not move “The bits”, and I used to not enjoy looking in the mirror. Magically since I have come off the medication I have lost eight Kilos and my belief that I can lose the magical fifteen has become a reality not another failed New Years resolution.

What do we as a community say about Body Image, most of the quotes are aimed at women, which says something about our society I believe as I think it is a cross gender issue but has been kidnapped by the fashion and marketing industries. Let us begin:

1. I never used to believe in gyms until I started going to one, becoming the virtual gym junkie, going at least three times a week. The main benefit was one of feeling lighter of mind not body.

2. I have a friend who is known for her expression when she is impressed with something, utters the good old Australian colloquialism Fuck Yeah. Here’s another way of saying you where given your unique body for a purpose.

3. The people who suffer the most attacks on their bodies must surely be Hollywood actresses. Friends star Jennifer Aniston suggests that it is not their job to satisfy the wishes of a blood thirsty media pack.

4. We are only given one body this time around, if you disregard it too often it will burn you to the ground and you will be in the line to get the next one.

5.Simply, beautifully, wonderfully uniquely you. The gateway to your soul is not disliking what you see in the mirror, but what your beautiful Inner Pilot Light says to you when you are loving yourself.

6. Dr. Vanessa Pawlowski provides Counselling for a new relationship to your worries and your body. This is her main mantra in life, I think is should be stuck on every bathroom mirror.

7. Marilyn was the film goddess of her time. She looked nothing like the catwalk models of today or the Parisian beauties of the Seventeenth Centuries. Proof that what is accepted as beautiful changes with time.

8. I am doing some work at the moment that disagrees with this, that we hold the memories in the body Arion’s Activation School. Altering the mind works for a while but if it remains in the body, it will come back.

9. Mainstream media lost me a long time ago, images of War, Death and pestilence. The message they spread about body image are just as harmful for the general population, why do they do this?

10. Michelle M. McGrath, convenor of the Sacred Self website has this beautiful quote pointing out the Sacredness and limitlessness of our bodies. Very empowering.

11. Our song for the day from Pop Diva Rihanna Diamonds, Comfort with your body is the way she travels.

12. Kurt Vonnegut is a fine Sci Fi writer and a well known social commentator. On the subject of the Body, he reminds us it is our greatest Instrument and we should take very good care of it.

13. Could I write on Body image without mentioning the practice of Yoga that has swept the West. B. K. S. Iyengar was one of the original Yoga gurus who brought his style to the west. He refers to the body as the temple and that it should be treated accordingly.

14. Frequently attributed to C.S. Lewis the popular origins of this quote actually go back to Quakerism in the 1892 journal Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood and there is evidence it was used earlier than this date. So work on your Soul and the body will follow.

15. And the final word to Emma Watson, British actress and model whom you may know better as Hermoine from the Harry Potter film series. Emma is outspoken about the pressure put on women to fit in to the images the media creates for them. She does not agree with it.

Most of the quotes seem to be saying that we are given a body and a soul, that we should look after both as they are inter connected. Go out and do this and you will live a healthy Life. Namaste until next Monday , my dear friends.

If Liberation feels like a chore, It isn’t Really Liberation is it ?

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Rod's World

This question goes deeply into our Psyche, doesn’t it. Its point to the fact you may go to conscious dances, attend bush Doof festivals, do ten day silent meditation retreats but if it is something you are doing to fit in, or because it is something you have always done it isn’t really liberating your Soul is it.

Wikipedia defines liberation as:

noun
the act of setting someone free from imprisonment, slavery, or oppression; release.
“the liberation of all political prisoners”
synonyms: freeing, release, discharge, deliverance, salvation, rescue, relief, extrication, setting free; More
freedom from limits on thought or behavior.
“the struggle for women’s liberation”

Being set free from imprisonment is how I relate to it on a personal level, that being that my mind is imprisoned when it comes to certain beliefs, and if I do not take actions to release it from its slavery to the thoughts that have me trapped there I do not liberate myself from these situations.

The 15 quotes I have chosen cover a wide range of views on what Liberation is and how it can affect your life. Lets delve into it :

1. The story of Nelson Mandela is living proof of this, Nelson said “As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.”

2. Jeanne Moreau is a French actress, singer, screenwriter and director, stated this early in her career after struggling like many actresses to have success in her career but knew the path to liberation was not over.

3. Eckhart Tolle, best known as the author of The Power of Now and A New Earth: Awakening to your Life’s Purpose. In 2011, he was listed by the Watkins Review as the most spiritually influential person in the world. What does he mean by this statement. Liberation lies in the answer to that question.

4. What is Harriet Tubman, well known slave abolitionist pointing to here, that what is called a certain life style by one person is not seen as that by another so can not be liberated because they do not understand the concept you are talking about, the power of language.

5. This should bring up some discussion, “believes she is human as a man”. My friend Justine posted recently that women run the world so don’t need to be liberated, they just need to wake the fuck up. Here’s some of her music Ikigai’s sweet tunes.

6. This takes what the mind does to us a step further, Nisargadatta, one of India’s great philosophers blames our bondage on it, and that our mission in life is to go beyond its influence on us.

7. How many of us have seen the pictures of horses being tied to plastic chairs and elephants held by the slenderest of ropes. They could leave whenever they felt like it but remain there imprisoned by their minds training.

8. Joseph Campbell, author of the Heroes Journey points to that liberation is not hanging on steadfastly to the life we have created so far. In fact we must let go of that exact one for us to have the life that awaits us.

9. Junebug is a mythical character of the Civil Rights movement in America. Liberation is being who you truly are , not what other people want you to be.

10. Stu Mittleman lives the above quote Stu Mittleman is an ultra distance running champion, as well as a fitness/running coach and author. Mittleman set three consecutive American 100-Mile Road Race records in the US National Championships 1980–1982. He is a liberated Elder proving that life does not stop at 60 when you retire.

11. Liberation is not handed to you on a silver platter, you have to work for it on a daily basis especially in the circumstances Assata Olugbala Shakur, who is an African-American activist and member of the former Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army who resides in Cuba describes above.

12. No one could ever accuse Mahatma Gandhi of uttering a Yes to please or worse, to avoid trouble, after all he led the movement that free the second largest country in the world.

13. Personal Revolution, one at a time is Jim Morrison’s cry for a large scale liberation. He wrote a classic song about this Break on Through.

14. There are thousands of references on Google pointing to Abe Lincoln being the first gay president, not something that makes it to mainstream media but David Herbert Donald wrote an extensive biography on Lincoln in 1995 that explored this.

15. Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence of Picasso on modern visual arts, the influence of Stravinsky on music, Martha says the path to Liberation is through discipline, blessed discipline.

Liberation is as we call it is unique for each and every person and culture. I hope you have enjoyed studying the history of Liberation with me.

Namaste until next Monday , my dear friends.