Thankful & Grateful!!

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Rod's World

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

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

1. Start caring about your own happiness.

2. Start caring about your goals and dreams.

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

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

5. Start caring about how you treat yourself.

6. Start caring about how you treat others.

7. Start caring about how others treat you.

8. Start caring about your health.

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

10. Start caring about doing the best you can.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Be Bold or Italic, Never Regular!!

Posted on April 16, 2018 by Rod's World

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

The quote is as follows:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. I just had to include this one.

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

11. Neither does boldness!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Namaste until next time , my dear friends.

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.

There are no Traffic Jams along the Extra Mile!!

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Rod's World

Amongst Stepping Stones for March 29th is the question – How could you increase your personal effectiveness? As we all are at a different level with this our answers will differ wildly.

If we set goals in our lives or we simply go with the flow will affect our relationship to the question. A bit like Tony Robbins Vs. Eckhart Tolle. So, from what angle has the world looked at personal effectiveness, let’s have a look:

1. J.M. is not famous, no Wikipedia entry but an entry in Goodreads for this insightful quote.

2. I have dealt with many customer serivce staff who have got this dramatically the wrong way round: I Know you Care.

3. The book related to these quotes has sold 25 million copies since its first release. Covey added an 8th Habit – Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs later in his career.

4. What is the principle: 10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react: Sounds Babies Love.

5. Back to the 1700’s and 1800’s for a quote from Goethe, he was a German writer and statesman. His works include epic and lyric poetry; prose and verse dramas; memoirs; an autobiography; literary and aesthetic criticism; treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour; and four novels. In addition, numerous literary and scientific fragments, more than 10,000 letters, and nearly 3,000 drawings by him exist.

6. Self Explanatory really: Say Something.

7. Never have enough time in the day, listen to the clock!!

8. Five very costly words, try How can I Help in their place: Poeple help the People.

9. What do you communicate with your words, do they hear what you want them to?

10. It takes 21 days ot reverse a habit, begin today and May will be an inspiring month: Don’t stop me Now.

11. Not telling people what to do!!

12. Not a lot of effective listening goes on in an argumentative situation: Don’t.

13. Is your life on the right trajectory or do you have to aim just that little bit higher?

12. We love stories from our earliest years, not much changes later in life: Ohio.

15. For some people they would call the latter the shadow of a relationship, they don’t work without it.

Effectiveness is the capability of producing a desired result or the ability to produce desired output. When something is deemed effective, it means it has an intended or expected outcome, or produces a deep, vivid impression. So the question to answer for ourselves, is how much of the time do we do this in our lives, It is something I think we will continually work on over our lifetimes.

Music comes from Ellie Goulding, Sounds Babies Love, Christine Aguilera, Birdy, and then grows in Age via Queen, Shania Twain and Neil Young.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Freedom is being You, without anybody’s Permission.

Posted on March 22, 2018 by Rod's World

Let’s relate to how we think about the functions of our body compared to the function of our mind. We just go about our business walking, driving , working and playing without really focusing on it. In contrast let’s enter our mind, Can I really trust her, do they like me, What if I forget what I am meant to say on stage, etc. etc. etc. Our body communicates through its universal language: fear. Self-Consciousness, jealousy, insecurity, anxiety – they are all fear. The mind is trying to give you what you want on a 24 hour basis, unfortunately the world does not work that way.

Looking outside yourself for the answer is looking in the wrong direction, the answer lies within. Imagine what fun life would be if you didn’t have to deal with those ongoing neurotic thoughts. You could enjoy things, and you could get to know people instead of needing them.

What would the planet have to say about that solution, let’s take that journey:

1. Give up the addiction of the necessary.

2. They talk about millionaire mindset, because you have to have the ability to lose it as well as make it, most people never reach this plateau: Losing Control.

3. When was the last time you were truly amazed by something in your life?

4. Donald Arthur Carson is a Canadian-born, Reformed Evangelical theologian and professor of the New Testament. Writing books is D.A’s thing, Carson has written or edited 57 books, many of which have been translated into Chinese.

5. I call it Interculturalism – Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included.

6. Eagles fly above the storm clouds, they are truly free of the effect of the storm: Eagle Flying.

7. Albert Camus ( 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) 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 43 in 1957, the second youngest recipient in history.

8. We are sent here to do what we ought, time to begin: Freedom.

9. From one of the great peace disciples of the world, Thich Nhat Hanh attributes freedom to the universal force of love.

10. Walk straight towards you fears, and magically on the other side lies that freedom you have always been seeking: Riders on the Storm.

11. Alignment with honour, not something we see much in mainstream media these days.

12. Did it instantly come to you who Jonathan was, one of the most read transformational books of the 1970’s Jonathan Livingstone Seagull is worthy of a read at any stage of your life: Richard Bach Quotes.

13. The mind would have to be relatively quite to attain this state, I feel.

14. As a choir member and a closet shower singer, I would have ot agree with this wholeheartedly: When I fall in Love.

15. Adyashanti, author of The Way of Liberation, Falling into Grace, True Meditation, and The End of Your World, is an American-born spiritual teacher devoted to serving the awakening of all beings. His teachings are an open invitation to stop, inquire, and recognize what is true and liberating at the core of all existence.

Your mind has very little control over this world. It cannot control the weather and other natural forces. Nor can it control all people,places and things around you You have given your mind an impossible task by asking it to manipulate the world in order to fix your personal inner problems. Your mind is not qualified for that job. Fire it , and let go of your inner problems instead.

This blog is loosely based on the Untethered Soul by Michael Singer, which I am really enjoying re-reading after several years.

The music for this blog goes back to the 70’s with Richie Havens, The Doors and Richard Bach. A choir – Aquapella World Music Choir and the magnificent voice of Andrea Bocelli are closed off with Russ and a song from Moana.

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

And one day, for no particular Reason!!

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Rod's World

I was going through my books as part of my decluttering process when I came across Destroying the Joint – Why Women have to change the World. I bought it off my friend Catherine Deveny, who has a contribution to it called Destroying the joint in Twelve Easy Lessons. The stamp inside of it says stolen from the bedside table of Tony Abbott, He is Australia’s ex-prime minister who declared himself Minister for Women, a strange role for an extreme right wing bully boy, he has since been sacked by his party from both roles and wallows on the back bench.

Lesson number one begins as follows: Beware of anyone using the words ‘respect’ ‘traditional’, ‘family value’, ‘honour’, ‘unacceptable’, ‘morality’, ‘uncalled for’, ‘inappropriate’, ‘unnecessary’ or ‘offensive’. and to be particularly wary of the word offensive as offence is subjective. Catherine goes on to say just because you are offended does not mean you are right and that it is being used as a form of social control and that no one has the right not to be offended.

So I had to choose carefully today’s quotes as I did not want to offend anyone, just kidding, here we go:

1. Bryant McGill is a human potential thought leader, international bestselling author, activist, and social entrepreneur. He is one of the world’s top social media influencers reaching a billion people a year. Don’t look over there at the other person if you are offended.

2. Could being offended also be construed as speaking your truth, give it a go: Ain’t Worried about Nothin.

3. The judgement of being offended, time for a judgement detox methinks.

4. A suggestion, lock your doors and never leave your cloistered premises: Offended by Everything.

5. Deep wisdom from an unexpercted source, Bill was a baseball player for the Cincinatti Reds.

6. With the light comes the dark, doing only one of them make it hard to speak your truth: Addicted.

7. An interesting quote from a highly religious man. David Bednar is on the quorum of the Church of Latter Day Saints, a place we could expect a lot of people to make judgements about non christian values.

8. They are located reading mainstream media and the opinions spruiked from its tenuous publications and stations: Equal Rights.

9. In 1995 Lebowitz wrote Mr. Chas and Lisa Sue Meet the Pandas, a children’s book about giant pandas living in New York City who long to move to Paris. Lebowitz was born and raised in Morristown, New Jersey. Lebowitz describes her “Jewish identity [as] ethnic or cultural or whatever people call it now. But it’s not religious.” She has been an atheist since the age of 7.

10. Time to look in the mirror for the person who is doing the offending: Ego is not a dirty Word.

11. Imagine a world if everyone spoke the ones they keep to themselves. Vulnerability or madness?

12. Her 15 minutes of fame were being married to Kurt Cobain, she has also had a 40 year musical career best known for the alternative band, Hole: Uncool.

13. If you saw the number of goatee beards in the area I live in the inner suburbs of Melbourne, Australia you would be quite worried about the above statement.

14. Sprung!! : S & M.

15. Carlos Castaneda’s books and the man himself became a cultural phenomenon. The story of his apprenticeship to a shaman, a kind of hero’s journey, touched a chord in the counterculture generation and resonated as a myth of adventure and self-discovery.

The reason offended people use offense to put you in your place is in order to fortify their place, the truth being neither have greater value than the other, they are after all just our opinions. The skill one should bring into place here is the ability to not live your life from judgement moment to moment, a life long educative journey.

Music this week comes from one of the iconic 70’s Australian bands Skyhooks, Peter Tosh, Courtney Love, Rihanna, French Montana, Enrique Iglesias and an offensive number by the virtually unknown Stuart Whitaker.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends

What sets your soul on Fire!!

Posted on January 25, 2018 by Rod's World

When people find their passion, they not only love what they do but they lead a life that other people only dream about. In his book Living Your Passion Keith Abraham has a quiz in which he asks the following questions:

What does having a passion mean to you?
What was one thing either in the past or present that you were passionate about, really focused on or just loved to do?
If you won 10 million dollars in Lotto tomorrow, what would you love to do with your time and energy?
Of all the things you have ever done, what were you doing when you were the happiest?
What are the five things you value the most in your life?
In 30 seconds, write down the three most important goals in your life right now.
What have you always wanted to do but been afraid to attempt?
What type of activities or circumstances gives you the greatest feeling of importance?
What is the one thing which you would dare to dream if you knew you could not fail?

They say that 3% of people have written goals, I must know a rare breed of people because at least 50% of my friends do. So what does the world say about having and knowing your passion, Let’s have a sneak peek:

1. Want a boost of energy, follow your passion and with it comes the energy to excel.

2.The 3 P’s that fulfil my life: On Purpose.

3. You’ll know when you find it, Steve definitely found his.

4. It is said you are both a student and a teacher in your life when it comes to your passion it’s up to you: Teach Your Children.

5. How beautiful, Live it, Breathe It, Beam It. Yowzaa.

6. America’s greatest gonzo journalist often got people’s blood racing if you have ever seen the interpretation of his life in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: The hotel on Acid.

7. When your passion enters your soul, it also enters your heart and mind.

8. Passion fills you with the roar of the ocean, Its like people can hear it as you enter the room: Oceans Roar.

9. That’s why it doesn’t go away, the rest of life may be random, but your passions are not.

10. It’s Oprah time. always good advice: Born to be Somebody.

11. Converting a nation with her passion, Julia Child definitely did this. Julia Carolyn Child was an American chef, author and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef, which premiered in 1963.

12. having written over 300 blogs, I have definitely found mine: My, My, My.

13. Make me think of Jim Carrey’s Fear or Love Speech, here it is: Fear vs. Love.

14. They’re your dreams, no one elses: Live Your Life.

15. And at the end, a wall chart for you to print out.

Don’t just get up, go to work, go to bed on a daily basis: do things that make your heart shudder.

Music is from Sabrina Carpenter, CSNY, Johny Depp, Dinah Smith, Justin Beiber, Troye Sivan, Jim Carrey and T.I. Enjoy their focus on passion and purpose.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

I will be better Tomorrow!!

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Rod's World

When you read the title of this blog does it make you think you are having a bad day or having a great day and tomorrow will even be greater? Danielle writes that conscious optimism is the soul of service. On page 123 of her magnificent book, White Hot Truth there is an awesome poem titled 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 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 had 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.

Here is the link to obtain the book: White Hot Truth.

So let’s have a look at how optimism lessens the suffering of others:

1. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.

2. Cute take on words: Everybody.

3. A great quote from the 33rd POTUS. Scholars, starting in 1962, ranked Truman’s presidency as “near great”; since then he has been ranked between 5th and 9th in historical rankings of U.S. Presidents.

4. My neighbours upstairs gt their lemons from a tree up the road that overhangs someone’s fence. Hey, free lemons: Mrs Robinson.

5. The perfect 10 gymnast from the L.A. Olympics

Mary Lou has kept providing the soul of service for her now 49 years.

6. When you fall down, you can do the former or the latter. The optimist is a latter type of person, also there are other to help you get up: One More Time.

7. An optimum list that will get you through your day when it feels tough.

8. Born deaf and blind Helen Keller certainly lived a faithful life. The first deaf-blind person to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree in the United States, very little stopped this amazingly optimistic soul.: Stronger.

9. From the worlds favourite philosopher, Ms Unknown comes an analogy between pessimism and optimism.

10. His Holiness, Tenzin Gyatso, The Dalai Lama, whatever you want to call him, without his optimism the world would be a much sadder place: Be Optimistic.

11. Robert Michael Hensel was born with the birth defect known as Spina bifida. He is also a Guinness World Records holder for the longest non-stop wheelie in a wheelchair, covering a total distance of 6.178 miles. Now that’s optimism multiplied tenfold.

12. If you haven’t taken it on because of….., begin it now but don’t do it the way that has stopped you before: Solving Problems.

13. Helen Keller again, she was an inspiration to the world in the way she gave from her fullness, even though we would consider some of them disabilities.

14. Because everyone loves cat and dog drawings: We love Cats.

15. Definitely, time to delete that file.

I love Danielle’s definition of “Waking Up” –

We all need to wake up

so we can do the work

that needs to be done

to live in a world

that we espouse to want to live in.

The music this time comes from Ingrid Michaelson, The Lemonheads, Daft Punk, Kelly Clarkson, The Dalai Lama, Brent Cobb and Bemular. Different styles, but all enjoyable.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.