I am in Charge of how I Feel!!

Posted on April 9, 2018 by Rod's World

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

If Not Now , When?

Posted on April 2, 2018 by Rod's World

“When you meet anyone, remember it is a holy encounter. As you see them you will see yourself. As you treat them, you will treat yourself. As you think of them, you will think of yourself. Never forget this, for in them you will find yourself or lose yourself.”

It is amazing how many quotes written in this and the last century still use the sexist terminology of single genders, I have taken on replacing these words with more appropriate ones that include everyone.

How do you treat your daily encounters with each person? Is it I know what they are like, so I don’t need to listen to what they’re saying or is it what can they teach me today.

How does the world look at our holy encounters, what have we said about it over the generations:

1. This would be an amazing state to be with another person, what could we learn about them?

2. For the better I hope: Change of Heart.

3. I am part of a group called Sunday Assembly, a secular group that gathers once a month and has a service to celebrate life. Our motto’s are Live Better, Help Often and Wonder More.

4. From the 12th Century comes Dante’s contribution, let’s resonate more and more: Soul Kind of Feeling.

5. It is hard to believe that the magnificent lotus begins its journey through mud.

6. The greatest form of holy encounter, and what is more powerful than anything: Love: Beauty and the Beast.

7. It was Martin Luther King day yesterday, I watched a special. It was like every word he spoke was a quote on Love.

8. That’s why I meditate daily , to be alert and awake: Say It Right.

9. Epictetus taught that philosophy is a way of life and not just a theoretical discipline. To Epictetus, all external events are beyond our control; we should accept calmly and dispassionately whatever happens. However, individuals are responsible for their own actions, which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline.

10. I think I am denying it at the moment, the feeling and events will just not go away: Only You.

11. That’s what they read out at your passing, your acts of love not your assets.

12. Too cute not to use: Elephant Love Medley.

13. In the 1950s, Mignon began publishing aphorisms that were later collected in three books, entitled, The Neurotic’s Notebook, The Second Neurotic’s Notebook and The Complete Neurotic’s Notebook. She is known for a number of quotes, among them:

“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.”
“Anything you lose automatically doubles in value.”
“Every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers.”

14. One of the great statements about self holy encounter, Helen Keller live a magnificent life with issues most of us would have given up with: God’s Plan.

15. Another take on the opening quote by Eckhart Tolle.

We decide want we want too see before we see it. We receive what we request “Projection makes Perception”. We can find – and in fact we will find what we look for in life. Our spirit or soul takes responsibility for what we chose to perceive, fear and hate or love and joy> It is up to each of us what path we go down.

Music today is from Cyndi Lauper, Australia’s fabulous Dynamic Hepnotics, Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson, Nelly Furtado, a classic oldie by the Platters, Molin Rouge and Drake.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Why Now, Why didn’t we Know this!!

Posted on March 19, 2018 by Rod's World

In her chapter Discernment is Everything – When the negative serves the positive Danielle LaPorte pens the following piece:

My new life is Golden

After I learned how to breathe under water

I knew that my lungs had all the answers.

My skills in courage were as follows:

swallowing terror whole

making good use of disgust

boring a hole in my kitchen floor with my tears

loving like what I loved was the only child ever to be

born of the sun and the moon

changing my mind while naked

breaking vows

making a new vow (only one)

leaning back and taking deeply deep breaths of space

watching the Universe reveal all of us to me.

My reward is as follows:

I get to go wherever I want now and always,

for instance

under water or

to that golden spot that I thought was only a dream

but is now my new life breathing me.

I can read the discernment in this and love her statement about being discerning:

Being discerning is not the same as being judgemental. Discernment is big-minded and awake. Judgement is narrow-minded and operates in the dark. Discernment is our wisdom coming to life.

How do we discern, how does the world discern? Let’s have a look by taking a journey around the globe:

1. Now that would be a breakthrough for all of us to relate to our lives in that way.

2. Let’s raise our courage levels so we know when to do the latter and not spend our life suffering: Walk Away.

3. It takes going to the edge to see discernment over judgement, are you willing?

4. Is your Facebook feed chock full of events run by your friends and ones that Facebook thinks fit in with your lifestyle. Time to use your inner wisdom as to which ones you attend: Invited.

5. Four interesting definitions of discernment, choosing and acting appeal to me.

6. Often people drop the first word and never reach the stage of discernment: Sound Judgement.

7. How often is your head held high in these situations?

8. I just spent three hours in a workshop today listening to the cost of giving your power away to the deity known as the religious god and that we were above this, this quote reminds me of the power George said we give away: Embrace The Day.

9. Don’t go into your life with your eyes closed.

10. Don’t let it be such a secret in your life that it impedes your chance of success: No Secrets.

11. Why I left the home pf the original sin many years ago.

12. Andy Stanley is a pastor. First thing on his google entry is – What do you do when you’re no longer content with what you wear, drive, or live in? Followed by Character, Influence, Spiritual Growth. One could ask what these two statements have to do with the prophecy of love that Jesus Christ was spreading: Doing it Wrong.

13. Love the combination of discernment and vision. Actions that will open us up.

14. To me unrenewed is when you live your life from a poor me mentality and discernment is when you are willing to confront those parts of yourself that aren’t so nice but you hold them in your heart and see what comes from that: Suspicious Minds.

15. In other words don’t push it down someone else’s throat.

Discernment isn’t easily swayed, because it has a strong sense of self. It means you will stop falling for anything and listen to your intuition more readily, building a stronger nature.

A mixture of the feminine and the masculine in today’s music – Malcolm Brown, Drake and Fine Young Cannibals from our kingdom and Christine Aguilera, Ziona, Naomi Striemer and Missy Higgins from our queens.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Only the pure of Heart can make a good Soup!!

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Rod's World

Nothing changes without Me

Sometimes, my heart is so open

I can’t tell if it is a gaping wound

or a portal for everything that ever was and ever will be.

I’ve learned to love the beautiful terror of eternity,

and scenario planning for how shattered I could be

If the dark things got tall

and if I fell backwards in my forgetting of the light.

But you can’t fall backwards in Space,

You can only only ever unfurl.

More than anything,

I’ve wed the certainty that nothing changes without me –

not coal becoming diamonds

not fertilizing eggs

or migration patterns

or medicine dreams.

And what I thought was a net cast to me from a higher God

is actually strands of truth and filaments of desire

that I have tied together with my own two hands.

And in precious encounters, I tie what I know and want to you,

so we can ride the winds of wonder.

Yes, and

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day – E. B. White

These are the first two entries in the chapter from Danielle LaPorte’s excellent book White Hot Truth on the Soul of Service: Link to the Book.

In this chapter Danielle discusses Conscious Optimism, the next quote is from Neil deGrasse Tyson:

I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday, and lessen the suffering of others. You’d be surprised how far that gets you.

Today we will discuss the second of these, how to lessen the suffering of others. To me, as demonstrated by all our great heroes and heroines it is through service this is attained.

How do we as humanity relate to this, lets have a look:

1. Although Muhammad Ali points to the other one in this quote.

2. How do we start to serve, from where we are: because From little things, big things grow: Classic Version of that song.

3. Giving from your soul turns on the love light.

4. Some beautiful words with deep insight from the master, Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī: Light a candle in your Heart.

5. A man who died freeing his beloved India but believed that the answer lied in serving the culture of his country.

6. Achieving this lets us see more and more opportunities to be of service: Wrecking Ball.

7. Erica Jong is an American novelist and poet, known particularly for her 1973 novel Fear of Flying. The book became famously controversial for its attitudes towards female sexuality and figured prominently in the development of second-wave feminism. According to Washington Post, it has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.

8. They say if you achieve this you will never work another day. A hint, look how you can serve others: Soul’s on Fire.

9. Wordy, but needs to be taken in.

10. Swami’s are meant to be very wise. This one seems to be in the area of service: Try Everything.

11. I know this is taking the piss out of Shakespeare’s more famous quote but I just had to include it.

12. Maya liberates my soul: And still I Rise.

13. You nearly need a magnifier to read this famous quote from Martin, but we all know the line anybody can serve.

14. Three beautiful gifts to give to the world: Just give me a Reason.

15. With the recent passing of Stephen Hawkings, the former president of India has a great point about the service to humanity that science provides.

And to finish some more words from Danielle that really sum service up:

Service is when spirit meets matter where it is. Service is being informed. Service is being enraged and compassionate. Service is being ruthlessly honest about the facts – then choosing to be hopeful about the future.

The music today starts with one of Australia’s preeminent Indigenous singers Archie Roach and Sarah Storer, then Paul Janz, Sarah Blackwood, Anthony Blackwood to the more well known Shakira, Maya Angelou and finishing with Pink.

Namaste until next time my dear friends.

No Grit, No Pearl!!

Posted on March 1, 2018 by Rod's World

Circumstances change and priorities change with them. Are you certain that the goals you are pursuing today are goals to which you are still committed? Alternatively, are they simply something you once thought you should pursue and you are only hanging onto them in order to ‘be right’? Remember what you wanted in your 20’s are no longer the things that matter to you in your 40’s or 50’s. So , take a little time for reflection.

One reflection to look at is Mark Twain’s quote: Do not go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first. The reflection that comes to mind from this is that it is up to me , nobody else is going to do it for me, they may assist me, bu if its my idea, its me that has to drive it.

There are a lot of quotes of the reflective nature, I hope you like the ones I have chosen:

1. Now I know what DKNY means on all those hoodies, Donna Karan comes from New York and runs a fashion label, therefore DKNY.

2. There are two choices, fix it or declare it complete and create new space for your new bold adventures: Something Better.

3. I remember being told the tale about African tribes not being able to see TV images bu my science teacher, That reminds me of this quote.

4. How did you get to know what you thought about your friends, did you ask or was it just a hunch?: Perception.

5. Also remember to hang out in the Now allowing for reflections on the past, all are needed.

6. Wise words from the man who best exemplifies this: Nelson Mandela.

7. A great mantra to reflect on Self Love.

8. A friend of mine met his life partner because he thought he had left his phone at work and went back to get it, It was in the bottom of his bag: Choice.

9. Do unto others as you wish to have happen to you, sometimes I forget!!

10. Sometimes the mind gets in the way, listen more deeply: Soul Kind of Feeling.

11. I think the new wave of entrepreneurs are part of this outlook on life.

12. I naturally think of Simon Sinek when I see a line like because we forget why we do it, here’s his inspirational TED talk on the subject: First Why and then trust.

13. There are some great quotes in the holy texts, this is one of them.

14. Proactive, not reactive is most powerful I find: The 7 Habits.

15. Trudy Symeonakis Vesotsky, what a cool name. See and be , observe and then take action. I like it!!

Some very worthwhile reflections amongst that collection, if I don’t say so myself.

Music and Worlds this week. The very dance-able Specials and Dynamic Hepnotics plus wisdom from Alan Watts and Simon Sinek and a mix of pop and rap.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

I love that feeling I Get!!

Posted on February 26, 2018 by Rod's World

Change your habits, change your life! Success in life needs to be deliberately managed. Replace three unproductive habits with three new ones that raise the bar. Success in any endeavour requires a lifestyle change and you could do all that at once! Not recommended, if you are someone who stops all action, when just one small thing gets in the way. A less painful and more sustainable way is to change daily habits bit by bit. You cannot change a habit by trying to get rid of it. You can replace an unwanted habit with a new one.

Remember to choose new ones that make you come alive, the world doesn’t need actions for actions sake, It needs people who have come alive/awake. What does the world have to say about this, here’s some of the things:

1. After talking to God, Neale came up with this very wise quote as to when we need to wake up in our lives.

2. There were about 200 versions of this quote in Google Images, I liked the simplicity of this one: Staying Alive.

3. Michael Morpurgo says “For me, the greater part of writing is daydreaming, dreaming the dream of my story until it hatches it out – the writing down of it I always find hard. But I love finishing it, then holding the book in my hands and sharing the dream with its readers.

4. Remarkably, anything can make us come alive at any moment in our lives, sometimes we forget this: Come Alive.

5. And when we discover them , that is when we are truly alive.

6. Love the irony of this: When you wish upon a star.

7. You can dance if you want to, I do every week.

8. And its called your passionate heart: Dreams.

9. Pursuing things make them come alive, make it your ambition in life.

10. You can choose to have it in your lives every day, Its always there: You and I.

11. Van Gogh was unsuccessful during his lifetime, and was considered a madman and a failure. He became famous after his suicide, and exists in the public imagination as the quintessential misunderstood genius, the artist “where discourses on madness and creativity converge”.

12. Primarily it should be yours you make come alive first: Come Alive 2

13. The scent of the ocean at full power is my favourite scent.

14. Smiling and happiness are outcomes from coming alive, fantastic results: Come up and make me Smile.

15. Fear and Love, a little bit of both to come alive, methinks.

There have been many days in my life, that when I woke up I definitely did not feel like I had come alive, I am getting better at it though.

Music is from the musicals, the 70’s and one you would never guess – The Bee Gees and Cockney Rebel, The Greatest Showman cast, Julie Andrews and Paris Hilton.

Namaste until next time my dear friends.

Today is a new Day!!

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Rod's World

Innovation, how often do you do it in your life? In his great book Living Your Passion, Keith Abraham lists 35 ways to equip yourself for your future. He starts them with the following chapter – A great author John Maxwell has an acronym for the word EQUIP: Encouraging Qualities Underdeveloped In People. The following ideas are suggestions, solutions and recommendations that will assist you in equipping yourself for your future. Select the ideas that are most appropriate for you right now.

So number one and number thirteen appeal to me:

Number 1 is Complete a personal review of yourself every six months answering four questions called the W.I.S.H. analysis – What do you do well, what do you need to improve, what strategies do you need to develop, and how long before these strategies will be developed.

Number 13 is List down 100 things you want to achieve in your lifetime, this will be the most insightful activity you will ever do for your personal development.

Some famous people have commented on innovation, let’s have a look at what they said:

1. The dude who gave us the Mac, the iPhone and the Ipad, Steve Jobs changed how the world exists. I have spent 70 percent of my life without these things and 33 percent in a world without computers, amazing!!

2. Thomas Edison‘s teachers said he was “too stupid to learn anything.” He was fired from his first two jobs for being “non-productive.” As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps: A Better Place.

3. Have you ever failed, If not, why not?

4. Thinking without follow up actions doesn’t change much: Look what you made me Do.

5. Self explanatory really.

6. Back to our childhood for this one, there is not just the past, present and future if you are willing to imagine: Oh the things you can Think.

7. You have to think of whisky to know who T. Dewar is. He and his brother turned their small family business into an international success, he visited 26 countries in 2 years to achieve this, leaving his brother to do the grunt work.

8. One of the world’s most famous quotes from the curly headed one, most people nod their heads in agreement when they read it: Tell me something I don’t Know.

9. They don’t write biographies about followers!!

10. And from the latest champion of innovation, another timely comment on failure and what it costs you: Broken Barricades.

11. Scurvy was among many diseases suffered due to malnutrition. It wasn’t until the 1930’s that Albert Szent-Györgyi discovered the chemical ascorbic acid—also known as vitamin C—that enables the body to efficiently use carbohydrates, fats, and protein.

12. It’s called science fiction until they do: In case you didn’t Know.

13, Scott Adams is one of the world’s prominent cartoonists. His Dilbert series came to national prominence through the downsizing period in 1990s America and was then distributed worldwide. Adams worked in various roles at big businesses before he became a full-time cartoonist in 1995. He writes in a satirical, often sarcastic, way about the social and mental landscape of white-collar workers in modern business corporations.

14. Not everybody will agree with you at the beginning, you need to go through the above for your innovations to stick: Human.

15. Three from Steve, probably not so many from one person since my Oprah addiction. Remember it’s OK to say no.

To remember the value of one year: Ask a student who has failed a final exam.

To realise the value of one month: Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.

To realise the value of one week: Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realise the value of one hour: Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

To realise the value of one minute: Ask the person who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realise the value of one second: Ask a person who has survived an accident.

To realise the value of one millisecond: Ask the person who has won the silver medal in the Olympics.

A mixed music bag this time around, Musicals, diva pop, 60’s classics and country – Playing for Change, Taylor Swift, Suessical cast, Selena Gomez, Procol Harum, Brett Young and Christina Perri.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Work for a Cause, Not Applause!!

Posted on February 15, 2018 by Rod's World

I was watching TED talks this morning about the dangers of volunteer tourism in developing countries. The majority of speakers said that the major problem with their projects had been they simply did not fit in with the local communities normally through lack of knowledge as to how that community ran on a day to day basis and they ended up forcing their own ideals on the community as they knew no better.

So why is the power of community such a palpable energy, allowing for results that cannot be created by individuals but when people come together extraordinary results occur.

Community is derived from the Old French word communete and relates to several situations:

noun

a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.

“Montreal’s Italian community”

synonyms:

group, section, body, company, set, circle, clique, coterie, ring, band, faction; More

informal gang, bunch

“lesbians and gays are not one homogeneous community”

a group of people living together and practicing common ownership.

noun: community; plural noun: communities

“a community of nuns”

synonyms:

brotherhood, sisterhood, fraternity, confraternity, sorority, colony, institution, order, body, circle, association, society, league;

rare sodality

“the monastic community at Canterbury”

a particular area or place considered together with its inhabitants.

“a rural community”

synonyms:

district, region, zone, area, local area, locality, locale, neighbourhood; More

informal neck of the woods;

informal manor;

informal hood, nabe, turf

“East Durham was very much a mining community”

a body of nations or states unified by common interests.

“the European Community”

the people of a district or country considered collectively, especially in the context of social values and responsibilities; society.

noun: community; noun: the community

“preparing prisoners for life back in the community”

synonyms:

population, populace, people, citizenry, public, general public, body politic, collective; More

society, nation, state, country, realm, commonwealth, homeland, fatherland, motherland;

residents, inhabitants, citizens;

humorous denizens, burghers

“we can work together for the good of the community”

denoting a worker or resource designed to serve the people of a particular area.

modifier noun: community

“community health services”

the condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common.

“the sense of community that organized religion can provide”

a similarity or identity.

“the law presupposes a community of interest between an employer and employees”

synonyms:

similarity, similar nature, likeness, sameness, comparability, correspondence, agreement, alignment, parallel, parallelism, closeness, affinity;

archaic semblance

“they had a harmonious union based on a community of interests”

antonyms:

difference, incompatibility

joint ownership or liability.

“the community of goods”

synonyms: joint ownership, common ownership, shared possession; More

joint liability, joint participation

“the community of goods”

3.

Ecology

a group of interdependent plants or animals growing or living together in natural conditions or occupying a specified habitat.

“communities of insectivorous birds”

So how do you relate to community? I belong to the Williams family community, the Warriors of Love community, the Melbourne dance community, the Sunday Assembly community and the Tai Chi community. I have different reasons for belonging to each one, but value each one for what they provide in my life.

So what have we said about the power of community over the years, some prominent people have had their say, let’s have a look:

1. Mark Hyman, MD, believes that we all deserve a life of vitality—and that we have the potential to create it for ourselves. That’s why he is dedicated to tackling the root causes of chronic disease by harnessing the power of Functional Medicine to transform healthcare. Dr. Hyman and his team work every day to empower people, organizations, and communities to heal their bodies and minds, and improve our social and economic resilience. He clearly believes in the power of community to prevent illnesses vs. the after cure of the medical system.

2. Mitch doesn’t say create more money, he says something that gives you purpose and meaning. Do you have that in your life: On Purpose.

3. The practice of community takes us out of our cocoon into areas of action that call on us to be bigger than we think we can be for the sake of others.

4. Moving from successful Hollywood film director to a seeker of the truth after a serious pushbike accident then creating the doco I Am The film asks the question: “What is wrong with the world, and what can we do about it?”, and explores Shadyac’s personal journey after the accident in 2007 that led him to seek the answers to “the nature of humanity”, “the world’s ever-growing addiction to materialism”, and “human connections” . The quote sums up where the journey took him.: Loving Kindness.

5. Something a lot of foreign aid projects get wrong, its not about changing cultures.

6. Did you fill your heart when you had the conversation with your career guidance counselor at High School, when you chose your major at Uni, when you got that promotion at work. To live in service to humanity, your community gives you the opportunity to do this: Focus on Humanity.

7. The curly headed one, Albert was awarded the Nobel Prize for his service to others.

8. This made me think of Gordon Gekko’s Greed is Good speech for some reason. How much do you hold in your heart?: Big Spender.

9. The remainder of this lengthy quote by Joe Biden is as follows – For too long as a nation, we have been lulled by the anthem of self-interest. For a decade, led by Ronald Reagan, self-aggrandizement has been the full-throated cry of this society: ‘I’ve got mine, so why don’t you get yours’ and ‘What’s in it for me?’

10. Life is a boomerang. What you give, you get. If you are always throwing out negativity then you should not be surprised when this is what you get in return. On the other hand if you are always positive then this is what you will receive as well. Be kind and compassionate to others because you never know when you may need kindness or compassion as well. Don’t judge or you could find others judging you. Some people spend their whole lives miserable and complaining, and they wonder why their life is so negative but they refuse to make an effort to change things or alter their outlook and attitude. If you want to get positive people and emotions in your life then you have to be positive in your dealings with others. If you are not willing to do this then you can not expect others to treat you this way in return. Always remember that fate can be fickle, and you should expect to receive what you give so make sure you give what you want to get. Boomerang.

11. There are many terms for community, here are some of them.

12. My friend Chris was responsible for a community building program in the culturally diverse public housing estates in my home city of Melbourne. How did he do it, creating community gardens: The Garden.

13. There is no I in Community.

14. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said the world will be saved by western women and most successful aid projects make sure that women are involved. This statements points as to why: Can’t hold us Down.

15. Steve Maraboli was selected by Inc. Magazine as a, “Top Leader to Follow”, while dubbing him as, “The Most Quoted Man Alive” (2016).

From the Pope, to the Dalai Lama, to Grammy Winners, to World Champions, to Oscar Winners, to Presidents and Prime Ministers… Steve’s life-changing words are shared and published throughout the world by media, global leaders, athletes, celebrities, and individuals across a wide-range of platforms.

Google Facts has Steve Maraboli referenced or quoted in over 2,000 books in their database.

What communities do you claim as your own, we all have them. Now the more relevant question, what do you contribute and give back to them.

Music is dominated by female artists today. Sabrina Carpenter, Ashana, The Sweet Charity dancers, JoJo Siwa, Kari Jobe and Christine Aquilera. The one male contribution is from Jim Carrey and his cohorts.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Do what makes your Soul Shine!!

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Rod's World

In the Google Images page for quotes to avoid stopping this beautiful quote that is the title of this blog appeared, seems strangely out of place. The subject for today’s blog is taken from Time for my Life, Thea Westra’s excellent book; Here’s the link to her Website. It comes from the challenge for February 12 – face the situation and just complete whatever you are avoiding.

I think we spend as much energy on avoiding things as we do in completing them if we do not set our goals up to act on a daily basis. It’s easy to roll over for another half hour if we have no plans for the day. I tend to not make to many though so there is space for unexpected actions that I need to take. Two to four definites works for me.

So what do our fellow humans have to say about avoidance in their lives, here’s a few cuts at it:

1. If you don’t face it, will it ever go away? Turn around and walk towards it, time to stop running.

2. Reach out and Touch Somebody else. If you don’t do this, they may stop calling: Reach out and touch somebody’s Hand.

3. Adeline Virginia Woolf was an English writer, who is considered one of the foremost modernist authors of the 20th century and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device. Woolf became one of the central subjects of the 1970s movement of feminist criticism, and her works have since garnered much attention and widespread commentary for “inspiring feminism”, an aspect of her writing that was unheralded earlier. Her works are widely read all over the world and have been translated into more than fifty languages. She suffered from severe bouts of mental illness throughout her life and took her own life by drowning in 1941 at the age of 59.

4. And also those who saw the gulp and stood by that person in their pain: Feel the Pain.

5. Lots of hashtags for this simple Nike like quote.

6. What was that you said? Oh, nothing, I suppose I will have to make up what you are thinking, then: Sounds of Silence.

7. And this may be one of the things I make up in my frustration at the silence.

8. The worlds greatest philosopher, Ms. Unknown chimes in with the formulae of acceptance, as resistance if futile in making something cease happening: Let it Be.

9. A mixture of both works for me!!

10. Fill in the missing words……: Let’s Hurt Tonight.

11. Founding Honda Motor company in his back shed in 1948, three years after Japan had been bombed into oblivion, Soichiro Honda definitely did not avoid the challenges and vision he saw. The possibility of failure must have been great in the beginning.

12. If you don’t know what you want, spend more time on finding out what you don’t so you create space for the former to surface: Look what you made me Do.

13. My friend Lissa Rankin says there are two types of fear, real fear and suggested fear. I think RD Laing is making the same point in this quote in regard to pain.

14. Other ways to spell inspired action and why avoidance sucks big time: Stronger.

15. And there are plenty more quotes to help you break through the avoidance, actually 51 in the area of overthinking, a classic avoidance method.

Often in avoidance we are facing the wrong direction, pain we are running away instead of turning to face what it has to offer us, what if …. we are facing the circumstances that stop us beginning when we should be facing the other direction of taking the action that compels us forward towards our bright future. Yes, it’s that time!!

Music today is from two different eras, the 60’s offering is Diana Ross, The Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel. Today’s are Kanye West, One Republic and Taylor Swift.

Namaste until next time my dear friends:

Invest in People who Invest in You!!

Posted on February 5, 2018 by Rod's World

I have 4,,828 friends on Facebook. I use the principle if we have 100 mutual friends and we have not met that we eventually will. This means I have a lot of the Melbourne Conscious Movement, musicians and female American life coaches as friends. I write a Facebook birthday card for each and everyone of them. Today one of the people was my friend from Landmark Education Thea Westra. As I wrote it I started to think about her remarkable book Time for My Life, 365 Stepping Stones, 2843 Life Power Boosters at your fingertips.

Thea wrote a book that has a page for every day of the year that has a stepping stone, action, challenge, quote, clearing, question and affirmation for you to contemplate. As an example her is today’s page.

Stepping Stone – Be willing to accept. A gift given and received requires two parties. The person who is giving the gift and the person who is receiving the gift. You must be open to receiving after you ask something to happen or to come your way.

Action – Today is the birthday of the author of this book. Send Thea Westra a hello birthday greeting. Just use the Contact Form at http://www.myforwardsteps.com . Your message will go directly to Thea’s inbox and she will reply.

Challenge – Be patient and focus on daily changes, rather than waiting for revelations.

Quote – Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non- essentials….Lin Yutang

Clearing – Check chair/table legs to see if they need new protective caps.

Question – Can you distinguish essential from non-essential?

Affirmation – I choose to be debt free.

So, do you allow time for your life? How does society relate to this noble practice, lets have a look:

1. The one time this happened to me was in a motorcycle accident and memories of people who were special to me filled my heart and mind.

2. I didn’t know Marilyn was a fan of Eckhart Tolle: Teach me Tiger.

3. The problem with this is that if the person you are talking about departs, it leaves a huge gap. Working on self love as the driver might be more useful then it can’t be taken away when someone leaves.

4. As we make more and more time for our life, we learn to stop doing the things that do not come from our passions: Lights.

5. They say the magic is in the silence not the small talk.

6. So many of the business gurus I read say it isn’t about the money, It’s about the time and to stop wasting time doing things you regret later or do not enjoy. It’s probably because of the second sentence above: No Regrets.

7. Seems a bit contrary, If you are in the Now why would you also be living life as I can’t wait to get to the future?

8. The 27 Club is a list of popular musicians, artists, or actors who died at age twenty-seven. It originated with an unsupported claim of a “statistical spike” for the death of musicians at that age, but this has been repeatedly disproved by research. Members are Jimi , Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Brian Jones in the 1970’s and recently Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse: “27”.

9. At what age did you stop doing this with your friends, It’s supposedly when we grow up.

10. They say we meet a few people in our lives who we can be separate from for years but when we get back together it feels like five minutes, I think that’s because they have placed themselves in our hearts: You’re in my Heart.

11. I love the last line, sometimes I get stuck in the belief its a permanent fixture.

12. Don’t forget the people who teach you the hard lessons: Difficult.

13. It’s like the saying, if the door doesn’t open for you – It’s not meant to at that time in your life.

14. What if, why did that happen to me, etc. etc. Turn around and walk towards to your dreams: Mr. Brightside.

15. Rabindranath Tagore, also written Ravīndranātha Thākura, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped Bengali literature and music, as well as Indian art with Contextual Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Author of Gitanjali and its “profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse”, he became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. Tagore’s poetic songs were viewed as spiritual and mercurial; however, his “elegant prose and magical poetry” remain largely unknown outside Bengal. He is sometimes referred to as “the Bard of Bengal”.

You can contact Thea via http://www.forwardstepsblog.com, it seems these days you receive a free 179 page eBook and for a paltry $10 Australian you can purchase the eBook of the book I am talking about in this blog.

Music is from Marilyn Monroe, Ellie Goulding, The Walker Brothers, the unknown Maria Stoian , Rod Stewart, Eminem and the Killers.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends