Life Is A Brief Intermission!!

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Rod's World

I had the honour of meeting Nicole Gibson recently. Nicole was appointed Australia’s national Mental Health Commissioner at the tender age of twenty-one. A survivor of anorexia, which Nicole proclaims as her mental illness journey. Nicole has written a fabulous book: Love out Loud – A Millennials Guide to Enlightenment : Get It Here. The focus of the book is to spend your life enquiring into Love and what it means for you. writes the following: “It’s important that all of us are given a roadmap to understand the journey of self-love so we know and accept our need to love and to be loved. It’s beyond me as to why and how this has not yet been incorporated into our education systems. Love has been the single most transformative energy in my life, both in how it’s shaped and moulded my healing and my journey, as well as the transformative impact I’ve been able to have on hundred of thousands of people. Sometimes people hesitate when they hear the word “love”, and that’s because of its deep confrontational nature. Love has the power to light all our shadows and to birth us into a new state of being. Now is the time for this to happen. In 2020 mental illness is set to be the world’s leading epidemic and the biggest health epidemic in history to date. Suicide is now the leading cause of death in under 45’s in Australia – more than car accidents, cancer and overdoses, taking the lives of eight Australians a day. We have half of Australians battling mental illness at some point in their life”

So I wish to put forward the premise that a lot of this is caused by the way mental illness is treated, even the name mental illness suggests to me that we have the treatment of it arse about. My six-year bout was caused by extreme despondency and sadness, my treatment was medication to numb it and six visits to psych units because all it did was tried to hide what I was going through, not actually treat the symptoms. Don’t get me wrong, medication is a necessary part of some people’s treatment but what put me on the path to recovery was when my sister Ruth said something like the following: It doesn’t matter what you do to me, I will still love you. Through all the pain I heard this magnificent act of love and my healing journey began.

So using my formulae of writing about the subject on the page I open, on page 94 is the heading: LOVE HELPS PROCESS PAIN, INSTEAD OF AVOIDING IT.

What a radical idea, and how has the world processed pain over the centuries, let’s have a look:

1. All we have to do is talk to our mothers and the pain they go through at the conception of their beloved children. Very few choose to continue the suffering as soon as they see the bundle of joy that has arrived into their lives.

2. The old giving the power over to another trick, this works in the area of love too. Self love is self-responsibility: Who Says.

3. As with my experience, and also Nicole’s recovery takes a long time, and there are no physical signs that you are “ill” so often people make the assumption that all is well far too early.

4. All that efforting to not worry your dear ones that there is nothing wrong. What is we could use that energy to actually express our true feelings of pain and sadness and get the help we truly need: Stronger.

5. I love this outlook on the use of words : “I choose to choose few words each day. Yes! few words that count. Few words that can make impact. Few words that talk much. Few words that can make people ponder to wonder. Few words that are indelible. Few words that can leave distinctive footprints on minds. Though we may fail to mind our words, we shall never fail to mind the works of our words.” by Ernest Agyemang Yeboah.

6. What you cannot feel you cannot take care of – a revolutionary thought in our instant gratification driven society: Feelings.

7. As neither is an excellent life, you must deal with it all, the dark and the light, the pain and the joy, etc., etc.

8. Known as possibly the world’s greatest artist who suffered severe bouts of depression Vincent speaks to how being over zealous can have counter effects to what you are seeking: Vincent.

9. A question that we can answer about very few of the 7 billion humans on the planet. We come to most of our relationships with our box of what it will be well in place.

10. We need to build a bridge to get over and out of these situations: Bridge Over Troubled Water.

11. And they are out there, we just must make that journey.

12. I can write the words, but have great difficulty shedding tears, how are you with doing it: Teardrops.

13.

Dale Harbison Carnegie spelled Carnagey until 1922 was an American writer and lecturer and the developer of famous courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking, and interpersonal skills. Born into poverty on a farm in Missouri, he was the author of How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936), a bestseller that remains popular today. He also wrote How to Stop Worrying and Start Living (1948), Lincoln the Unknown (1932), and several other books.

One of the core ideas in his books is that it is possible to change other people’s behavior by changing one’s behavior toward them.

14. The pain of flashback, when we tell ourselves we are over him or her, but each time we see a reminder it comes back in all its glory: Papa Was a Rolling Stone.

15. All of it, The light and the dark, really!!!

Nicole makes three points in the chapter:

Hold people in their pain, rather than rescuing them. When we are the hero. others become the victim.
Endings are always followed by beautiful beginnings.
The key is to celebrate the growth, rather than wallow in the loss.

It’s a special ove when you love someone enough to be with them in their pain, instead of trying to save them from their pain. To save someone from their pain is to rob them of a deeper connection to love. Allowing them their darker experiences whilst supporting them to work through them is the ultimate gift you can give somebody.

The playlist for this blog is truly a blast from the past. It begins in our current century with Selena Gomez and Kelly Clarkson but then retreats to the time of flares and quirky dancing with Andy Williams, Don Mclean, Simon and Garfunkel, Womack and Womack peaking with a Temptations classic. Here is the Youtube playlist for your listening pleasure: LIfe Is a Brief Intermission.

Namaste until next time we meet, my dear friends.

Headphones On, World Off!!

Posted on July 19, 2018 by Rod's World

I am reading Brene browns new book, Braving the Wilderness: Brene’s Website. Using my formulae of writing about what is on the page I open the book too, today we are discussing the rise of loneliness amongst our society. Sorting, or living and hanging around with people who hold the same beliefs as you have become more prevalent: in the American 2016 election 80 per cent of counties gave either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton a landslide victory. In 1980, 20 per cent of American reported they were lonely; the figure is double that now.

This seems counterproductive, sorting and loneliness. If we are living in a like-minded community, shouldn’t we naturally feel like we belong? In her book, Brene quotes neuroscience researcher John Cacioppo of the University of Chicago who has been studying loneliness for over 20 years. He defines loneliness as “perceived social isolation” and states we feel loneliness when we feel disconnected. At the heart of loneliness is the absence of meaningful social interactions —- an intimate relationship, friendships, family gatherings, or even community or workgroup connections.

So, what does society have to say about the state of loneliness? There were many negative quotes, but I have chosen to stay with the more positive aspects of loneliness:

1. Rocker philosopher Henry Rollins paints a beautiful scene with his words on the matter. How great is the term “A Special Burn”.

2. Can’t quite make out the name of who said this, but how many times have we curled up in life to our favourite tracks hoping that they will make the pain of loneliness go away: Perfect.

3. During my Mental Health crisis of six years, this thought was always in the background.

4. On this walk, you get to realise that it is you who has to make the final decision, alone or not: You’ll Never Walk Alone.

5. Two words – Self Love.

6. How we define a situation can clearly give it a different meaning: Solitude.

7. For those who have suffered the abuse, we wish didn’t exist on our planet.

8. Some people use escapism to get away from it: Time After Time.

9. There is someone I am hoping is thinking this at the moment.

10. John Steinbeck wrote this quote. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature” for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humour and keen social perception.” He has been called “a giant of American letters,” and many of his works are considered classics of Western literature: Precious Things.

11. We assume that our life will remain the same, change is the reality.

12. Carl Jung knew that speaking up was the solution to loneliness. Time to make some requests: Don’t Speak.

13. I was not a hugger for 59 of my 64 years. They work.

14. Time to reach out when Satre’s prognosis is in place: Bad Company.

15. Find the Others.

Here are the final remarks from an interview between Bill Moyers and Maya Angelou:

Moyers: Do you belong anywhere?

Angelou: I haven’t yet.

Moyers: Do you belong to anyone?

Angelou: More and more. I mean. I belong to myself. I’m very proud of that. I am very concerned about how I look at Maya. I like Maya very much. I like the humour and courage very much. And when I find myself acting in a way that isn’t…that doesn’t please me—then I have to deal with that.

Today’s playlist begins with pop icon Ed Sheeran, then we fly back to the 1960’s with Jerry and the Pacemakers. Even further back to Billie Holliday. Then three fine female singers: Clare Danes, Bic Runga and No Doubt. One of the classic English rock bands Bad Company brings it to a close. Here’s the video playlist: Headphones On, World Off.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Never, Never, Never Give Up.

Posted on July 5, 2018 by Rod's World

Back to Marc and Angel Chernoff’s iconic first book: 1000+ Little Things Happy Successful People Do Differently. Using the write about what is on the page you open on theory today we discuss the 11 things Everyone needs you to know. They are:

You never really know how much the people around you are hurting.
The most important trip you will likely take in life is meeting others halfway.
Relationships don’t create happiness, they reflect it.
Compassion comes back around.
Timing is Everything.
Actions are the loudest form of Communication.
A loving relationship creates freedom and abundance.
People are more of what they keep silent than what they say.
What others say and do is often based entirely on their own self-reflection.
Sincerity is giving without expectation.
Not every relationship is meant to last forever.

So what do you need to know to support those people who pop up in your life, here are 15 ways that we can do that:

1. The way through to growth is through education, finding out what you don’t know and getting out there and learning it, begin today.

2. Do you know your place in your communities, your family, your friendships, a worthwhile practice to take on daily: Somebody I Used To Know.

3. On a need to know basis this is quite useful.

4. Is a riskless life worth living? Not for this little black duck:

5. What are your wants, mine is to see the world live from the paradigm – Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included.

6. A worthwhile thing to stick on your fridge: Learn to Fly.

7. What you need to know it is your actions not what you say that makes the difference.

8. I was just curious what this pack of extraordinary looking people needed to know by being at Stonehenge: Mr Curiosity.

9. Very salient for point eleven – Not every relationship is meant to last forever.

10. Left the is out, they did, love the grace in it though: Grace Live.

11. Now let’s get to the juicy details. The lunula can reveal important secrets about your health. For instance, a smaller lunula can indicate anemia or malnutrition. Also, a small one might indicate indigestion from a slow metabolism. If it is blue-coloured, this lunula could indicate diabetes. And if it is tinted red, it might indicate signs of heart disease.

12. There are over 7 billion versions of this reality on the planet. You may not agree with quite a few of them: Happier.

13. I have many “tree” friends, I love them for what they provide in my life:

14. At Dancing Eros for Men last night we changed the life of our priestesses by honouring them with a ceremony from the heart – we also gave them flowers: Believe.

15. Find your passion and you will never work another day in your life and you will not need to take holidays to recover.

Love doesn’t close the door against all that is good, that’s a little practice the human race came up with. How can you reverse the situation on your life in practical terms?

The playlist today begins with Gotye’s breakout hit, then the sultry Miley Cyrus, followed by some rock from Foo Fighters, Then a group of boys – Jason Mraz, Jeff Buckley, Ed Sheeran finishing off with Mumford and Sons. here’s the link to the Youtube playlist, music is better with pictures: Never, Never, Never Give Up.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends:

Let Yourself Be Silently Drawn!!

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Rod's World

Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams. Live the life you want to live. Be the person you want to remember years from now. Make decisions and act on them. Make mistakes, fall and try again. Even if you fall a thousand times, at least you won’t have to wonder what could have been. At least you will know in your heart that you gave your dreams your best shot.

Each of us has a fire in our hearts burning for something. It’s our responsibility in life to find it and keep it lit. This is your life, and it’s a short one. Don’t let others extinguish your flame. Try what you want to try. Go where you want to go. Follow your own intuition. Dream with your eyes open until you know exactly what it looks like. Then do at least one thing every day to make it a reality.

Two inspirational paragraphs from Marc and Angels first book – 1,000+ Little Things Happy Successful People Do Differently, what do you do to follow your heart and intuition.

What has the world said about being in contact with your heart when it comes to fulfilling your dreams, here are some of them:

1. Regrets, you will have a few if you do this.

2. You do not read the answers to the questions and demands that this pair will ask of you: Listen to your Heart.

3. You will never have to worry about being lost on your life’s path if you do this.

4. And you do really know what it is that is good for you, stop running away from it: Soul Kind Of Feeling.

5. Feel your heartbeat increase as your belief in the good things in your life increases.

6. Maybe, what if, it mightn’t work out, all brain food. Eat from the heart and go for it: Do It Again

7. Time to follow the Silly manifesto – your heart is calling you.

8. How long is it since you have really articulated your truth in life, find a buddy to do it with weekly: Get Up, Stand Up.

9. What happens to us that we forget this?

10. Reward Offered: Mind lost somewhere on the path of my magnificent heart journey: Let Me Blow Ya Mind.

11. The heart knows rules are meant to be broken!!

12. Can we ever really turn that voice in our heads down long enough to feel the yearning of our hearts: Too Much.

13. Angie Karan is a nurse who lives in Sydney, Australia and writes a great blog called: Angie Karan – quotes, poetry, love & inspiration.

14. Pharrell instantly comes to mind after reading this quote: Happy.

15. We finish with 80’s pop icon Patti Labelle giving you the main reason to follow your heart – if you don’t your dreams get crushed.

The last paragraph in the 12 things you should be able to say about yourself is entitled I have no regrets: Follow your heart. Be true to Yourself. Do what makes you happy. Be with who makes you smile. Laugh as much as you breathe. love as long as you live. Say what you need to say. offer a helping hand when you’re able. Appreciate all the things you do have. Smile. Celebrate your small victories. learn from your mistakes. Realize that everything is a lesson in disguise. Forgive. And let go of the things you can’t control.

The playlist this week begins back in the 70’s and 80’s with Roxette, classic Aussie R and B band Dynamic Hepnotics, Steely Dan and then Bob Marley. it then moves forward to present days with Eve, Drake and Pharrell Williams. I am now making Youtube playlists of them to make your listening pleasure easier: Let Yourself Be Silently Drawn.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

I want you to take off your Clothes!!

Posted on June 15, 2018 by Rod's World

Forgot Brene again, so instead of Daring Greatly we get to look at sexuality and vulnerability today. I am doing a course called Dancing Eros for Men: Info Link. at the moment and it is transforming me molecule by molecule. I cannot talk about the practices, only my experience of them. last night we did the one that prudish Rod was going to survive, it was around our unleashed sexuality. I rated myself about two out of ten in this area at the beginning and moved to about a four.

What I did discover was that what had turned me prudish was an event that one could relate to as a males ultimate fantasy. I used to hang around the Rythm and Blues scene in Melbourne as a door bitch and a sometimes sound guy. We did a gig south of the river, Melbourne is split into Southside and Northside by the Yarra River and you have a favourite side. I lived north of the river and eventually got home late in the morning after drugs and alcohol. Comes a knock on the door ten minutes later, it’s the amazing looking woman from the gig. Her – I am here to fuck you. We did, I never knew her name or saw her again. I felt a deep shame about this even though she had instigated it and left the music scene never to return soon after.

So what are you vulnerability edges, what have people said about it over the ages, here we go:

1. Possibly one of the worlds most famous TED talks, the book I meant to bring Daring Greatly is what Brene based this TED talk on.

2. It’s not about the bodies that take part, its so much more: Sex with Me.

3. Hot Chocolate – You sexy thing!!

4. Pleasure me and you as part of the deal or if you are polyamory as many as you feel like: Is This Love.

5. I am learning this more and more in Dancing Eros. I get to see how really, truly I have shut these areas down in my life, and yet they are a crucial part of who I am.

6. Courageously show up and you will get what you need in all areas of your life, including your sexuality: Thinking Out Loud.

7. As true as 50 is the new 30, or in my case 63 is the new 30.

8. Self Love 101. master this and you become one sexy motherfucker: We R who we R.

9. I think I’m one of these, will I change from Dancing Eros?

10. Nudism is a natural state, negative thoughts about it are clearly not: Show me your Pussay.

11. Handle the body to body stuff, then go for this. Yes, Please.

12. the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst. Hence the creation of the patient couch: Vulnerable.

13. More from the fabulous Brene, after all, she is the Queen of the subject.

14. How many types of sexual are there, many to chose from these days: Demisexuality.

15. What would the world be like if we all walked on this earth letting ourselves be truly seen?

So I have quite a journey still if I am ever to feel the pure joy of ten out of ten in this area, although I think a little bot is sneaking in, nanoseconds of it, time will tell.

The playlist for today begins with Rihanna being hot and sexy, followed by a classic from Bob Marley, then the uber raunchy Kesha. Lords of Acid then put it in your face, finishing with a milder Roxette and an info video on Demisexuality.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Cats, as you know are impervious to threats!!

Posted on May 28, 2018 by Rod's World

Yes, the blog title did appear as a quote for giving some things up in Google images and I fell in love with it because it is so true. page 114 under Perspective in Marc and Angel’s book Getting Back to Happy: Here’s the link. The title is We have to give up some things to get what we ultimatley want in life: Marc and Angel write, This might be one of the hardest truths to swallow, and that;s why we mention it several times throughout this book. We have to say no to good things to be able to say yes to important things. We simply can’t do it all. So be mindful, and choose wisely. What you choose to focus on grows stronger in your life. At every moment, thousands of little things are competing for your attention. All of these fall into two categories: things that are priorities and things that are not.

So, what are your priority things versus your things that are not? For each of us they are profoundly and subtly different on each day. What have we said about what we need to give up to fit in those things that deserve our priority, here’s a few goes at it:

1. I regretted not travelling more in my youth, now my body is not so sure about climbing mountain peaks and thin air like in Nepal.

2. When were you last broken down? It doesn’t feel good but you are still here walking the path one step at a time: Break Free.

3. Is your life over because those bad things happened to you. The answer is no, you are still on this planet to fulfil your destiny.

4. Being patient, believing and never giving up, the recipes to your dreams: Don’t Give Up.

5. Time after Time, the journey to greatness.

6. I am accused of smiling far too much: Make me Smile.

7, I keep thinking about my Intercultural slogan for the new world paradigm: Love and respect for All, Everybody Included.

8. From the great philosopher Ms. Unknown comes the great line: Success is failure turned inside out: Teardrops.

9. I have not given up on you, remember to breathe next time we meet.

10 Put on the glasses to read this one. Ten things to do at number 10: Fast Car.

11. The grandfather of the positivity movement, Dale Carnegie reminds us of a poignant fact.

12. Faith

a : allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty

lost faith in the company’s president

b (1) : fidelity to one’s promises

(2) : sincerity of intentions

acted in good faith

2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God

(2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion

b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof

clinging to the faith that her missing son would one day return

(2) : complete trust

3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs

the Protestant faith

— on faith

: without question

took everything he said on faith: When We Were Young.

give up 13

13. It is one of the most awesome things in the world, because it is known as unconditional love.

give up 14

14. I spent 8 years as a devout buddhist praying every day, some of the things in my life now were’nt in the pictures I was imagining: Black Hole Sun.

15. Mary Anne Evans known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. Back in the 18th century women didn’t write books.

The point Marc and Angel make finishes with these words: Focus on the few key things that are most important for you to succeed today – to take another small step forward. And too remember that giving up other things isn’t just about making small immediate sacrifices; it’s also about gradually gaining the resources you need to do something significant. If you want to achieve an important goal or outcome in your life, you have to give up the things that conflict with it. That doesn’t man you have to intentionally suffer. it just means you can’t have it all – you have ot sacrafice something that you value less than whatever it is to you ultimately want to achieve.

The playlist for today comes from a different method, the first six songs followed each other on Youtube and the last is a beautiful tribute to someone who gave up, Chris Cornell. Pop diva Ariana Grande, Pop icons Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush are followed by 70’s star Steve Harley. Then on to the 80’s with Womack and Womack and Tracy Chapman. then we return to this century with Adele and Norah Jones.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Dig the well before you are Thirsty!!

Posted on February 1, 2018 by Rod's World

The title of this blog is an ancient Chinese Proverb, they are great with wisdom and go back a long way to people such as Lao Tzu and Confucious. In this time we call it being proactive. In his book Live your Passion Keith Abraham has come up with a list to help with this. Here it is:

1. Use a diary or a planner on a daily basis and group activities together – phone calls; trips to the shop; meetings.

2. Have a big clean out and get organised. Clean out your desk; your garage; your office and your wardrobe.

3. Look at things you can do to save minutes. Save 10 minutes each day = 36.4 hours per year.

4. Plan today; for tomorrow and list your daily goals down.

5. Before you say “Yes”, check your priorities and schedule.

6. Maintain a focus on the things that count for that day.

7. Complete the toughest task first, and everything else becomes easier.

How does the world look at being proactive, there are many versions of it and here are just a few:

1. Probably the more famous ship quote is “Ships in the harbour are safe, but that is not what ships are built for” Both about being proactive.

2. People will offer to help at times, but what about those days no one is around, these have to be your proactive days: Drive All Night.

3. We cannot live a productive life if it is based on a negative what if fear-based scenario. If it is from a what if, and you are finding the solutions before it happens that is a different matter.

4. Have your actions be daily little steps that fulfil your bucket list of life: Diamonds.

5. The king of being proactive and the author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey was heavily influenced by Peter Drucker and Carl Rogers. Another key influence on his thinking was his study of American self-help books that he did for his doctoral dissertation. A further influence on Covey was his Mormons beliefs. According to Clayton Christensen, The Seven Habits was a secular distillation of Mormon values.

6. Here is a more direct way of saying, be proactive in your life: The Greatest.

7. This takes daily practice, we don’t wake up this way every day.

8. Great list if I don’t say so myself: Be Prepared.

9. Plans are completed by the three percent of people who actually write their goals down on a daily basis and take action.

10. Will Rogers was the #1 radio personality, he was #1 at the movie box office, he was the nations #1 most sought-after public speaker, he was the #1 most read newspaper columnist, he wrote books, travelled the world and gave liberally to charities around the world. Will Rogers was beloved by all. He was also a Cherokee Indian so the fact he achieved these things is all the more remarkable given how American Indians were being treated at the time: Will Rogers.

11. We get to say, do you say yes or no?

12. I don’t know the exact origins but for many years now I have often said to colleagues that we have two eyes, two ears and one mouth, and that is the proportion in which we should use them. The management literature abounds with entreaties for us to listen better, to develop listening skills, to be reactive listeners, and to listen first before speaking. But have we learnt the lesson: If I were a Boy.

13. Is yours?

14. Don’t just eat breakfast, drive to work and home again, eat dinner and go to bed – be curious on a daily basis: Curiosity Killed The Cat.

15. From the world’s most prolific curly haired genius comes the definitive statement, that knowledge is not the be all and end all. Even though he knows a shitload, Albert knew that without imagination it was extremely limited.

So from Lao Tzu’s time to Stephen Covey, the message is still very much the same, by managing your priorities effectively you move from being out of control to being in control.

Music is from iconic 70’s Australia – Little River Band, pop divas Sia, Beyonce and Rihanna, uber-talented singer-songwriter Glan Hansard, Disneys the Lion King and James Blunt.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends

They may forget what you Said!!

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Rod's World

How many times do you have to repeat what you said to somebody? Human beings have a habit of waiting to reply, not listen when in conversation. This trait does not lead to powerful interactions that create the most useful actions in our day to day lives. So, is it the way we are educated so that we grow up thinking that we are meant to know the answers already versus a genuine curiosity in life.

When did education become about rort learning for each student being rated against each other in one or two exams instead of empowering them in what they are great at, let’s enquire into how society defines this:

1. How much of the math you learnt at school do you remember? A math major may say a lot, but the students focused on another calling would probably say ver little as they were not involved in it.

2. Way back in the olden days of the education system in my schooling, I remember having a piece of chalk thrown at me for asking a question that did not fir the cirriculum: Don’t ask me Questions.

3. And with the curing of this habit, we could do this in a relatively short time.

4. How would it be if we used this premise in dealing with each person in our lives, transformational methinks: You are my Sunshine.

5. Was she referring to her new compatriot in World leadership when she penned this. Only time will tell.

6. Rollo Reese May was an American existential psychologist and author of the influential book Love and Will (1969). He is often associated with humanistic psychology, existentialist philosophy and, alongside Viktor Frankl, was a major proponent of existential psychotherapy. These are all schools of thinking that champions communication over silence: Intimacy.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDkoknFMvfI

7. Just assuming that people are listening to you is a wide stretch of the permission they have given you, you need to earn their respect.

8. As Thomas says, take action, observation will only get you so far. Remember the classic quote, they do not remember you for what you said, but by your actions: The Hokey Pokey Song.

9. Engagement is just not in the physical, but also the etheral.

10. Bill Gates, Steve jobs and the Dot.com gurus are probably the greatest examples of this in recent history: Love.

11. Dale Harbison Carnegie spelled Carnagey until c. 1922; was an American writer and lecturer and the developer of famous courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking, and interpersonal skills. Born into poverty on a farm in Missouri, he was the author of How to Win Friends and Influence People in 1936, a bestseller that remains popular today.

12. I think the question she is asking is how do you turn your students into the next leaders of the planet: Survivor.

13. If you get people’s attention, they are willing to believe it and grow from it.

14. To become the female leader of a muslim state, Benazir must have had remarkable skills at both of these things: Give Peace a Chance.

15. The Road Less Traveled, published in 1978, is Peck’s best-known work, and the one that made his reputation. It is, in short, a description of the attributes that make for a fulfilled human being, based largely on his experiences as a psychiatrist and a person. The book was broken up in four parts – Discipline, Love, Religion and Grace. The book took off only after Peck hit the lecture circuit and personally sought reviews in key publications. Later reprinted in paperback in 1980, The Road first made best-seller lists in 1984 – six years after its initial publication.

So from these interesting takes on engagement and listening to people when they speak, we can see that there are many diverse takes on actively engaging in life, so let’s get out there and do it.

The music today comes from Graham Parker, The Civil Wars, an obscure singer songwriter, Hannah Sutherland, Debbie Doo Kids TV, Lana Del Ray, Destinys Child and John Lennon. Enjoy this quite diverse offering.

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.

You have my Whole Heart!!

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Rod's World

My, how music has changed. I recieved a post in my news feed thta told me I had listened to 24,000 minutes and 192 artists via Spotify and made recommendations to artists I might like in 2018 based on who I had listened to in 2017.

To me, music is a very personal thing. As the blogs title says You have my whole heart, I think that is what our favourite music has too, our whole heart and probably our soul as well. My taste in music is very ecelectic, and yes I like both types of music as well, country and western as well as everything from freeform jazz to pop diva’s, a bit of Beyonce will lift your spirits any day of the week.

How many ways can we say we love our music, let’s have a look:

1. Having been involved in the Melbourne music scene for 40 something years quite a few of my Facebook friends are musiciaans I have come across on this journey. Each is an artist in their own right.

2. The band’s name is derived from a passage from the Virginia Woolf story “The Mark on the Wall”, which reads, “I wish I could hit upon a pleasant track of thought, a track indirectly reflecting credit upon myself, for those are the pleasantest thoughts, and very frequent even in the minds of modest mouse-coloured people, who believe genuinely that they dislike to hear their own praises: The World at Large.

3. Due to my age I also remember cassette tapes we burnt for our friends which were replaced by CD’s, then MP3’s and now USB stick playlists of a few thousand songs.

4. I know some of my deepest romantic flings have been based on a similar taste in music: Fallin’.

5. 401 years since his death at the relatively young age of 52, the bard hits the spot on music’s influence.

6. Have you found your love wordsmith: I will always love You.

7. Time after Time does this for me, different versions included.

8. And then there are the songs you hear when this happens to you, and they will never be the same again: All of Me.

9. Sums up what music means to me really

10. What genre do you unleash your rhythmes to: I want your Love.

11. As Joni Mitchell so prophetically sang, You turn me on, I’m a radio.

12. I have a musician friend who has made his living from it for over 30 years, he can sing in seven languages and play 10 instruments, and he will also wear lederhosen to fulfil the last statement of this quote: Yalla.Yalla.

13. And then it becomes our song.

14. The joy of childhood when half of us our going to be the next big thing: Can you feel the Love Tonight.

15. My addiction, Spotify, Applemusic, 49,000 songs on Itunes, Mixcloud, Soundcloud, enough said..

There are as many styles of music as there are cultures in the world. Your mission if you accept it is to study a new culture a month and learn to appreciate their music as well.

The Music, Whitney Houton, The Lion King, local Melbourne middle eastern band Yalla, Modest Mouse and a must watch Chic with the Soul Train disco dancers.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.