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.

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.

The Heart wants what it Wants!!

Posted on March 5, 2018 by Rod's World

Have you ever heard of Marc and Angel Chernoff? They wrote a magnificent book 1,000+ Little Things Happy Successful People Do Differently a few years ago. It is great list upon great list that help you lead an outstanding life. If you would like a copy of it, act fast, Marc and Angel are taking it out of circulation soon to update it, here is the link: Marc and Angels book. Did I mention Angel is a Facebook friend of mine, its an honour for me all the way down here in Melbourne , Australia.

Each list has many pieces of home spun wisdom in it, today I chose to comment on 10 Things to tell Yourself Today and specifically number eight from that list: There is enough time today to do something I love. Here is what they wrote under that heading:

Where did you leave your happiness? With an old Lover? In a city you once lived in? In a story you never finished writing? In a dream you gave up on? In a hope you got to weary to carry? Wherever you left it go back and retrieve it. If you don’t remember where you left it, dedicate a little time today to doing something you love to do, and you will find your happiness somewhere nearby. Such beautiful and simple advice, that is why I love the book, its easy to understand and implement.

So what does the world say about doing something you Love, quite a lot actually, here are some of my favourites:

1. A life full of purpose and that flows a lot easier, I’ll have one of those please.

2. When I did the Landmark Forum they used to do a trying simulation that pointed out trying doesn’t get you very far, its actually doing that does:Try a little Tenderness

3. A worthwhile question to ask yourself, when were you last truly amazed in your life?

4. Over the time of writing my over 300 blogs, I have noticed that baseball players have contributed some great quotes to our society, Al is one of them: Love is the Drug.

5. And the classic quote about doing work you love is…..

6. Often called unconditional love: Unconditionally.

7. No Wikipedia for Dylan Laurence so I leave it up to your imagination who he is, great quote though.

8. From little things, big things grow, here is the song that most displays that: From little things, Big things grow.

9. And then movies throw us great moments of doing what we love.

10. Unknown in Australia, Jeff Foxworthy makes a living telling redneck jokes, obviously he found what he loved doing: Try.

11. “So well that people can’t take their eyes off you”, no wonder Maya spoke at a presidential inauguration.

12. Sometimes people forget where children learn their behaviour from, time to step up: When you say nothing at All!!

13. Famous for the novel and film “The perks of being a Wallflower”, Stephen Chbosky points out the importance of self love and how it may limit our ability to let love in.

14. As I take on my 12 month plan in my mentor-ship program Warriors of Love of returning to my 2011 weight of 80K, a mere 20k’s away, I think I’ll write this on my mirror: Good Times.

15. And we leave it up to the Fab Four to make the last comment on doing something you love.

I will finish with the intro that Marc and Angel used for this list:

Count your blessings, not your troubles. Love one day at a time. Let the wrong things go. Give more than you take. Look for the good in people and situations. Make time for those who matter. laugh when you can. Cry when you need to, Focus on your priorities. Make decisions, not excuses. And always stay true to your values.

Yes, today is the perfect day to stand up and say….

The music comes from several genres today. The rock of The Commitments and Missy Higgins, John Butler and Dan Sultan doing one of Australia’s iconic songs, the pop diva’s Kate Perry and Pink, The soul of Grace Jones and Chic, and the mellow country of Allison Krauss.

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.

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

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

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

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.