Archive for the ‘Behavior’ Category

What if I told you that at this very moment a new, comprehensive software upgrade is being downloaded that will enable you to perform with unprecedented speed, scope and accuracy in everything you do? Would that be of interest?

Good. 

Well, that very download is, in fact, in progress as you’re reading these words. Its just not into your computer.

It’s into you.

Yes, that’s right. You’re consciousness is being upgraded in order to support you in dealing with the global paradigm shift we are experiencing. And in case you’re wondering how all of this came to be, or plays out for that matter, read on.

You know the expression “as above so below”?  Well, that’s how we invented computers to begin with. They are the microcosmic version of the macrocosmic way in which all Creation came to be. Without some frame of reference or idea of what a computer actually was it would have been impossible for anyone to have imagined or envisioned its existence. The “prototype” if you will for the creation of the computer with a hard hard drive that houses certain permanent and/or operating material and programs plus the capacity and capability to receive and periodically upgrade additional material and programs was how (in an admittedly finite sense) God created us.

Now you have to cut me a little slack here as I am not all that savvy on the technology or the lingo,  but whether you utilize Symantec’s Norton Anti-Virus or MacAfee or whoever to keep your computer programs running bug and virus free, it’s safe to say that it’s necessary, periodically, to upgrade those programs as advancements in the technology take place.  Those advancements come to you as downloads, automatically, as part of the service.  And it’s also accurate to say that without such protection, you could lose part or all of your data…and possibly experience permanent damage to your computer…under adverse conditions.

So what’s this got to do with us…and now?

Have you noticed that very little of what is being implemented to “fix” our existing problems is working? Are you finding that not only are your efforts, but also the efforts of everyone you know or hear about, to climb out of what seems like an economic nightmare are not working? Are you stressed because the life you were living seems to be gone and you don’t know what is about to take it’s place? Are you somewhat frantic over all the “bad” news and feelings of helplessness that accompany it?

Take heart.  Here’s the answer.

When your computer is in the middle of a system upgrade you have to wait until its done and reboot, don’t you, in order to have use of the benefits of the upgrade?  Well…

God noticed that we needed an upgrade. We were under attack from some pretty nasty bugs called greed and lack of personal responsibility. And so “technological” (a/k/a “spiritual”) advances to combat the problem are being installed via a download. In the meantime, while the download is occurring, you have to sit back and wait. Then, when it’s time, reboot.

The thing is, we’re smack in the middle of that download.

Trying to operate the computer with the older software…while the upgrade is being installed…is just going to create chaos, prolong the download and is potentially hazardous to your system (a/k/a/ your consciousness).

So, to mix metaphors. Get your hands off the wheel, get out of your own way (not to mention God’s) and kick back.  Go do something else until its time to reboot. In the meantime, handle what’s in front of you each moment and stop worrying. Help is more than on the way, its here. It’s just taking some time…Divine Time…to do what needs to be done in order to be up and running to process the challenges of tomorrow.

For now, leave tomorrow to God and live fully in the Now. You’ll get a notice when the download is complete and its time to reboot.

    There’s a lot of talk these days, both
pro and con (although admittedly mostly con) about the need, perhaps,
to nationalize the U.S. banking system in order to stem the economic
hemorrhaging.  The word “nationalization” comes with a great deal of
baggage, both politically and socially, and so raises the specter of
fear in many.  For some, it’s Socialism plain and simple.  Politically
its seen as a giant step by those seeking to undermine the intention of
the Founding Fathers. Socially, it’s condemned as yet one more action
by the Federal Government, and the “powers that be”, which continue to
erode both the individual’s rights and the free choice of our citizens.

    While I may have some personal thoughts on the subject, my
immediate concern is that the type of unity and “pulling together” we
need going forward during these challenging and transitional times
cannot be mandated or legislated by government, but rather must be born
in the hearts and minds of each of us as we realize what true unity
looks and feels like.

    The unity of which I speak is
Oneness. It is the kind of experience we often have following a natural
disaster or upon hearing of the plight of a suffering people. It’s when
we, as individuals, intellectually comprehend and emotionally respond
to the needs of someone less fortunate or in dire need. It’s
compassion…the highest expression of Love.

    It is said
that extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. In fact, it
is just this argument that has been the basis for the passing of
massive amounts of spending in recent weeks since election of our new
President and Congress. And while there can be little doubt that we are
living through an extraordinary time, the extraordinary means must be
predicated upon where it is we want to go.  As someone once said, “if you want to go to Santa Fe, you can’t get there on a road leading to Anchorage.”

    Since I believe we, as a people, want to get someplace beyond where we were before
the economic crisis hit, I think we need to go down a different road
than the one that got us there in the first place. It’s not a return to
economic boom times that we seek so much as an aspiration to a better
quality of life that holds out more meaning, promise and passion.

    Therefore, the extraordinary measure I suggest we take is to enter into a permanent state of Collective Compassion.

    Let’s not need a tsumani, 9/11 or Katrina to finally grasp that we
are all in this together…that diversity of color or culture is
irrelevant to Oneness…and that without a commitment to the highest
good for all concerned we can ultimately achieve no more than the least
of us. Let us each know deeply in our hearts that “I am not so much my
brother’s keeper as I am my brother.”

    Some may call me a
naive Socialist for proposing such a remedy. I would reply that
separation and difference, in the extreme, have gotten us where we are
today and that while we may have been able to attain and maintain a
high degree of material and technological successes for a time…we
have been unable to sustain them because what’s been missing is
the solid foundation upon which they must rest. That foundation is the
fact that all of the achievements are for no other reason than to
elevate the human condition and expand the human consciousness…for
All.

    While I would not ever want to take away our
individual right to live the life we choose and pursue the endless
array of possibilities we each hold in our individual
imaginations…these must be powered by a collective heart that feels the importance of working in unity and harmony in
every moment and by every action so that we bring no more fear or
violence into the world and instead plant the vibratory seeds of Love
and Peace.

    Will it work?

    I only know for certain that nothing else has so far so what, really, do we have to lose?

    And just imagine what it will be like if does work.

When I was in the 6th grade I memorized a poem by Rudyard Kipling called “If.” It’s been one of those inexplicable occurrences in life that decades later I can still remember every word and have often quoted it throughout my adult life. In case you’re unfamiliar with it here are the first few lines:

  “If you can keep you head when all about you,
    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
    If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
    But make allowance for their doubting too,…”

May I suggest you take just a few seconds and read those opening lines again because they hold the secret for how to get through the uncertainty and apparent difficulties we are now experiencing personally, nationally and globally.

By now most of us have begun to realize that all of the “experts” don’t really know what’s going on either and, therefore, are unable to “fix” any of it. In fact, it seems the more they try the more enmeshed we find ourselves in, what feels like, quicksand…or at least flypaper.  The confident steed called “Change”  that so many Americans rode into the White House on has begun to look more like a newborn foal, stumbling around the grazing field on obviously shaky legs. 

Which is why Kipling’s “If” is prophetic and helpful.

Almost everywhere you turn, systems that have been in place for decades, centuries or even longer are no longer helpful in creating the ends they were designed to meet. And I’m talking systems that cross all disciplines: economic, political, even spiritual.  This systemic breaking down, or ineffectiveness, is generating a lot of fear. Individuals feel powerless to do anything about the magnitude of the apparent chaos.

So what is it that we can do as individuals? 

Go back and read Kipling again. Really. Read it for the third time. Go on, Just humor me.

The reason I want you to read it three times is to imprint it in your mind. It’s really brilliant.  It’s a road map for traversing this rocky road we find ourselves on because what you can do… what you must do… what you are designed to do..is start small and trust your inner guidance.

What exactly does this mean?

Forget the big picture. Yes. Forget it. Stop focusing on the economy, the country’s problems, the world’s problems. Start focusing on what is closest to home, immediate in your life, and tend to those people and issues based upon what your inner guidance tells you …whether or not it’s what you’ve always been taught is the way to handle life.  When it’s so obvious that no one seems to have the answers for how to travel this uncharted path, why would you listen to or follow anyone by giving them more credibility or more authority than you’d give to yourself and your own perceptions?

    “If you can keep your head when all about you,
     Are losing theirs and blaming it on you…”

During all of the current uncertainty and coming confusion stay grounded, inner-directed and heart-centered. There will be endless efforts to put the “blame” on various groups and individuals for all that appears to go awry and sometimes that target may even be you. Those are the times when it will be most important to “‘keep your head” and follow those three principles I just set down: staying grounded, inner directed and heart-centered.

    “If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
     But make allowance for their doubting too,…”

Maintaining trust in your own capacity to make choices and create a life that is consistent with who you are and what you believe in will also be key. There will likely be more people than you care to think about who will want to tell you that your “way” is clearly wrong and theirs is right.  Allow for the possibility that theirs may be right for them while at the same time holding on with confidence in the decisions you make for yourself based upon your experiences and inner guidance.

We are entering an evolutionary phase wherein each individual will come to realize she or he has the capacity and inner-knowledge to not only handle life’s dilemmas but also to blaze new and exciting pathways in creating a truly unique existence. 

I love this story. A man named Henry dies and goes before God and God asks him how he lived his life. Henry replies ‘Well, I wasn’t as hospitable as Abraham and I wasn’t as brave as Moses and I wasn’t as loving as Jesus. Whereupon God replies: ‘I already had an Abraham, a Moses and a Jesus. Were you the best Henry you could have been?”

Every age of humankind’s development passes through some unique territory. We are passing through the Age of Personal Creation and Personal Responsibility. Creator has encoded each of us with the guidance and energy necessary to live lives that are bounded only by the limitations of our individual imaginations and capacity to love. That encoding has laid dormant for thousands of years but is now being activated.

With courage and the understanding that we are all personally responsible for both what we create as well as how we manage and respond to it, we can move into these times of apparent unrest and uncertainty with the exhilaration of explorers and adventurers embarking upon the only journey worth taking.

For a complete reading of Kipling’s poem, “If”, click here.

       
    

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    As
the country and the world revel in this defining moment of our
collective history with the election of President Barack Obama, it is
wise to step back from the momentary celebration and take a realistic
look at the broader picture. Yes, our spirit as a nation has been
re-energized and uplifted. This was a state of both spirit and mind
that was long overdue. Let’s pray we’re able to sustain it.

    We’re going to need it to get us through the challenges that lay ahead.

 
  Just 48 hours into this Presidency, there are more than rumblings
about our economic future. As a contributor to Andersen Cooper’s AC360
blog, David Gergen,CNN Senior Political Analyst writes today
of the very vocal concerns within and among economists and politicians
over how to pull the nation through perhaps the most serious economic
downturn in history. And I’m certain great minds are pondering that
problem and it’s possible solutions as I write.

    But what
about you and me? What is our part in all of this and what can we do to
positively effect the outcome? I have one overriding suggestion.

    Keep in mind that there is only One of Us.

 
  Having spent most of my life feeling separate from other people,
imagine my joy to awaken in recent years to the realization that we are
all connected to each other in the most profound way. Not just as
members of a common species, community or nation, but as individualized
aspects of One Source. For when we trace our origins back to “the
Beginning,” whether through the pathway of science or religion, what we
often stop short of fully grasping is that both of these pathways lead
us to a single point beyond space and time…a single Source for All
That Is.

    The logical conclusion to be drawn from this
realization is that originating or emanating from a single Source makes
us, and everything else that has ever been or ever will be, an individualized aspect of that Source. This then makes it accurate to say with confidence and certainty that there is, ultimately, only One of Us.

    Awareness of this fact changes how you see and act in the world.

 
  If I have a home in which I safely live with sufficient food for
daily nourishment and someone I know, or know of, does not…and I do
nothing to try and aid their situation… I am consciously choosing to
allow myself to suffer. Remember, there is only One of Us. For
example, if I use my left hand to smack my right, am I not the cause of
my own suffering? Can I really tell myself that 1) I don’t know where
the pain is coming from and 2) that I don’t know how to stop it?  I am
either self-inflicting pain or permitting it to continue when and where
I have the power to stop it.

     If there is only One of Us,
and I believe that to be true, then it’s equally true that if I hurt
another or disregard another I am hurting or disregarding myself. And
if I fail to take steps to positively impact another’s suffering I am
allowing myself to needlessly suffer. The highest good for me,
therefore, becomes the Highest Good for you. Which is why the
contemporaries Jesus and Rabbi Hillel said “Do unto others as you would
have others do unto you” and “Do not do to another that which you would
not want done to yourself.” It turns out size=”4″ face=”Garamond”> I am not so much my brother’s keeper as I am my brother.

      So what’s all this got to do with a new President and an ailing economy, you ask?

 
    We’re all in this one together and the sooner we realize that
there’s only One of Us the sooner we can pull together to make sure no
one crawls out of this hole at the expense of someone else’s survival.
For when that happens, it simply sows the seeds of future devastation. 

 
     In order to break the pattern of thousands of years of selfishness
and greed based upon a mis-perception of separateness, it is our job now, yours and mine, to understand on the deepest levels that there is no you and there is no me. And when we are in that place together, there is only One of Us.

       And that’s exactly the meaning behind the Hindu salutation, Namaste.

REMEMBER, click here to download a FREE copy of my e-book, “Too Many Secrets.”

       

It’s been awhile since my last entry. As I begin to write I can only hope that you have been patiently awaiting my return. Actually, that’s the gist of this whole entry.

Patience.

As I look around and talk with people, it seems that there’s a pretty common feeling most people are experiencing. That feeling is one of frustration in not being able to make things happen as quickly as they would like. Whether it’s finding a new job or your life’s purpose or turning around the economy…things just seem to be moving much slower than we’d like them to be. So allow me to dispel the illusion. Far from moving slowly, we are actually living in a time when change is occurring at such a rapid rate that we can barely keep up.

So, what’s all this frustration born of the illusion that things are moving slowly…or not at all? Well, 3 points need to be made here.

1.  The Pace of Technology

We’ve become spoiled… and not in a good way.

Personal, social and spiritual progress simply don’t occur at the same “rate of speed” that we have come to perceive as “normal” based upon technological advance s made in the last 50 years. To quote Captain Kirk, technology proceeds at “warp speed” while all other development more likely resembles a process over time. Because we have become so dependent upon and enmeshed in our technological advances, we have become impatient with anyone and anything that moves at a slower rate of development. This, of course, is an impossible standard to match.

Contrary to technology, human behavior usually requires that we go through stages of understanding followed by determined efforts to modify existing patterns of behavior before we move beyond where we are. Again, this is a process that is time dependent. Even if you can expedite the modification piece by rapidly making changes in your behavior, there is almost no way around the time it takes to gain an understanding of how our existing patterns of behavior no longer serve our intended goal.

Simply put, a personal relationship doesn’t progress in the time it takes to text message and you can’t fix an failing economy as quickly as you can microwave a baked potato. But we have come to think we should be able to. And so our resulting impatience.

2.  The Collective Unconscious

Swiss psychiatrist and influential thinker Carl Jung wrote much about the power of humanity’s collective unconscious thoughts in shaping both behavior, and I would argue, reality as a whole. I think that somewhere in that collective unconscious is a memory, and therefore a true knowing, of our ability to actually instantaneously manifest into physical reality what we passionately desire.  To support my belief have emerged the thinking and systems that are now becoming widespread such as revelations like “The Secret” and the teachings of Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Louis Hay, and Greg Braden, to name a few. But these are just contemporary voices echoing timeless wisdom that has been imparted to us by way of both behavior and the written word throughout the ages by the teachings of Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Kabbalah, Krishna, Lao Tzu, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, The Zohar, The Upanishads, and the The I Ching.  

This memory, or knowing, which is now rising from our unconscious into our conscious awareness is the driving force behind our collective impatience. If I know with certainty that I can change things now simply through my desire, will, thoughts and deeds then why wait?

3.  Divine Timing

As ancient and certain as is this knowing of instantaneous manifestation, so is the age and certainty of a corresponding teaching that says, “To everything there is a season; A time to every purpose under Heaven.” (Koheleth/Ecclesiastes 3:1).  We need only look to Nature to see the truth of that statement. And so it is the same with us for we are part of Nature. While we may think we know best the timing of certain occurrences, there is a Knowing that supersedes our limited perspective…at least for the time being.

I like to think of it this way.

When we are sleeping and in a deep dream state and someone or something awakens us suddenly without the ability to transition out of that deep dream state, the awakening is startling and disorienting. It often takes us a few seconds, or longer, to realize that we have left one reality and entered another.

So it is for us now.

It’s as if we have been in a collective, deep sleep and are just now awakening to a new reality. It will not serve us to awaken too quickly and find ourselves startled and disoriented. Rather it is necessary to awaken gradually in order to become accustomed to the new surroundings… the new paradigm…the new Reality.

Let us put the technology in perspective and look forward to instantaneous manifestation. But in the meantime, let us trust in Divine Timing born of a wisdom that both precedes us and sustains us. If we can do that we will eliminate impatience…the fundamental source of stress and frustration. Wouldn’t that be lovely?

And by the way, I would like to have written all of this sooner but I was being patient in allowing the message to fully form in my mind rather than forcing my Will, and something of lesser value, upon you. 

If the message resonates and is helpful…well, that’s Divine Timing.

REMEMBER to click here to download a FREE copy of my e-book, “Too Many Secrets.”

I’m in the business of Hope.

It’s very rewarding work. Let me give you an example of what I do.

Recently, I attended a women’s networking luncheon sponsored by a law firm. You see, I used to be a lawyer and was invited through my law school alumni association. It was set up like “speed-dating”….exchanging 5 minutes with each person present to share what you do professionally and see if you can make any lasting or lucrative business contacts. As I said, a former lawyer, I attended to market my current field, which is Life Coaching. Since I was certain that every other woman there would be a lawyer, I saw it as a great opportunity. But an interesting thing happened on the way to marketing my Life Coaching.

Hope happened.

In the process of those 5 minute exchanges, I encountered three special women. One was a young lawyer from China who had moved to the United States 5 years ago and had just obtained her license to practice in the U.S.  The other two were recent law school graduates looking to make contacts to find a job. And while I couldn’t offer any of them a job, I was able to give them something of great value. I gave them each a much needed dose of self-confidence, renewed faith in a positive outcome, and hope. I just didn’t know that’s what I had given them until the luncheon was over.  As I was sitting in a corner talking with another attendee, each of those three young women went out of their way to find me and thank me, in their own way, for what I had given them.  Each had a big smile on her face and obvious renewed purpose in her voice and eyes. I was happy for them.

After the luncheon I was wondering whether going had been worth the time and effort since I wasn’t sure if I actually made any contacts that would turn into future business. And that question stayed with me until the next morning when, engaged in my routine meditation practice of starting each day, I got my answer. For in the middle of my meditation, I became overwhelmed with a loving feeling around what I had been able to do for those three young women and had the realization that they were actually the reason I had been guided to go to that event.

Whether I get business out of it is irrelevant. 

We are all here to serve in some way….to support the highest good for the Earth and It’s inhabitants.  This is the only real meaning that Life can have and its also the only thing of lasting value. Some of us figure that out sooner than others. I’m one of the late bloomers. It’s not that I’ve never known that what I routinely do is gain insight into what people are struggling with and throw them a lifeline, its that its only recently that I’ve realized it’s my Life’s Work.  It’s my purpose, my calling, it’s Who I Am. 

Because we live in a society where materialism reigns supreme and you are what you produce or earn in dollars, we are not encouraged to know the necessity and importance of identifying what makes our Soul sing or the mandate to then sing that song.

As a nation and a species we are passing through very challenging times. Many people are feeling lost, frightened and insecure about the future. I don’t know about the need for lawyers or Life Coaches during such transition, but I know with certainty that there will be plenty of work for someone in the business of Hope.

As for what the job pays…well, that’s not all that important to me.

You see, when doing God’s work, everything you need is provided by your Employer.

REMEMBER to click here to download a copy of my FREE e-book,”Too Many Secrets.”

It’s been a week since my last entry. Not something I’m proud of but I’ve been really preoccupied. I’m closing in on the trial date for my divorce (November 19th). Even though I have a lawyer, and I’m a former one myself, it doesn’t change the emotional stress or time-consuming preparation that go with it. Add to that the fact that I’m co-trustee, along with my sister, for assets managed on behalf of our 93-year-old Mother in this economy…well, watching the portfolio decline day after day is no barrel of laughs either.

So what’s a girl to do?

Well, today I read someone else’s blog about the importance of preparation and thinking in advance. Seems the theory is that if you prepare in advance in your mind for possible outcomes….you’re less likely to be surprised or caught unaware. So I tried to apply that, in hindsight, to where I find myself in the moment. I asked myself if forethought would have changed anything about these two challenges I now face, simultaneously.

Did I mention I’m also recovering from a torn tendon in my ankle…7 weeks in a cast…and now 8 weeks of physical therapy ahead of me?

Could I have planned for my divorce? Would advanced thinking have changed anything? Well, remember, I’m a former divorce lawyer so I guess, from a legal standpoint, I could have insisted upon a prenuptial agreement and that would have settled the financial aspects of it all. But I never gave it a second thought because to me, a pre-nup is pretty much like hedging your bet and saying “part of me thinks this is a losing proposition.” 

Not exactly the way I wanted to enter into marriage.

As for the whole “Could I have planned for the emotional let down and pain of parting with someone I thought would be my best friend for life?” possibility…I don’t think so. I think if you go into love full throttle forward, with no holding back, you run the risk of getting your heart stomped…but what a ride if you don’t… or until you do!  I don’t think I’d want to play it safe and miss the fullness and richness of that experience for the safety of reserving some of my feelings for a possible rainy day.

As for the trust assets?

Well, it’s only one-quarter of them that’s heading south. The other 75% are pretty solid, so in some sense there was some advanced thinking and planning or it would all be heading in that direction. As for the severity of this downturn or the longevity of it…Life is chance and there are no guarantees. If worrying about money is the most important thing we’ve got going for us… well, perhaps we’re missing the whole point of this ride called Life.

So what’s my answer if not “better advance planning?”

It’s higher values, acceptance and trust.

I think that if we devote our energy to being the best we can be and seeking the highest good for all concerned in every situation we will automatically be prepared in advance for any occurrence. That appraoch makes it possible to live fully in the Now.

If we accept that what shows up in our lives..the seemingly good, bad and the ugly…are all for us to learn from, then we have no regrets, but instead look upon every occurrencey as a potential growth experience.

If we trust that the Universe (and our higher Self) know what we need and will provide it, we can anticipate the best, instead of preparing for the worst, and in so doing create a more meaningful outcome.

I love to play with words. The first letters of higher values, acceptance and trust are HAT. 

Next time you’re in a situation such as I am in right now…lots of stress and challenge…just change HATs.  Take off the worry hat and go for the Hhighest good for all concerned while Aaccepting what is and Trusting what will be.

I just did and I feel better already.

REMEMBER to click here to download a FREE copy of my e-book, “Too  Many Secrets.”

 

I doubt there is one of you out there reading this who is not currently struggling with one or more aspects of your life.  It seems to be a sign of the times that we are all being asked to deal with extraordinary difficulties and challenges. From the economy to relationships to health issues, there seems to be no end to the onslaught of problems needing not only our attention but also our strength and our resolve.

Why is it suddenly so difficult and why are all those tried and true ways of handling things not working?

In a word: Authenticity

We are, collectively, waking up from a long sleep, of sorts, where partial fixes and inauthentic behavior were good enough to get us by….until the next time.  Just what is inauthentic behavior?  It’s living in greater or lesser degrees of denial. It’s settling for less than what you instinctively know to be the highest good. It’s putting forth less than your best effort. It’s saying one thing and living another.

When you’re asleep… unconscious…you are somehow less than responsible. You don’t have to feel everything that you’re experiencing. You can go numb, so to speak, through denial or distraction or drama or all of the above.  It’s a way to behave with varying degrees of integrity and temporarily bypass the consequences of your decisions and your actions.

The operative word being “temporarily.”
 
All you’re really doing when you’re un-conscious and acting inauthentically, is delaying the consequences of your actions, not eliminating them. The inevitability of cause and effect is a fact both scientifically and spiritually. The old saying “no pain, no gain” is true. So what we really accomplish by participating in inauthentic behavior in order to circumvent the pain associated with growth is simply delaying growth. Period. Of course, behind all the effort to delay is fear.  We’re afraid to feel, literally, the pain associated with growing so we trade progress for paralysis and call it life.

Which is why all suffering is joyful. I love the Buddhist saying that the purpose of pain is not to make you suffer…the purpose of pain is to bring you present. Or, you could say, to wake you up. Wake you up from a state of un-conscious behavior to a conscious state of authentic behavior wherein you feel everything and take responsibility for everything you create by thought, word and deed. This is the definition of an authentic life.

So, now that we’re smarter and more awake around all of this, let’s revisit all these difficulties and challenges you’re facing in your life right now.  Surrender to them. Feel the pain associated with them. By your surrender and the accompanying pain, you are becoming fully alive, awakened and conscious. You are embarking upon an authentic life wherein there is no room for half-hearted attempts or untruthfulness and where the pain of growth is eclipsed by the joy of being your authentic Self.

So, suffer these challenges joyfully and use the pain to awaken in you the aliveness for which you’ve hungered. The alternative, to stay unconscious, is of an old reality that can no longer provide you the nourishment you need.

Just when you’re thinking there’s nothing you can do to help the world economy, save the environment and promote peace… up pops a simple way to do all three at once! 

Think I’m kidding or just delusional? Read on.

Lots of people have theories about why the former Soviet Union collapsed when it did and most Republicans, not to mention Americans, like to say it was President Ronald Reagan’s in-your-face-cowboy-stand that did it. But Thomas L. Friedman, author of “Hot, Flat and Crowded” has put forth an intriguing and, I dare say, logical alternative that is based less on hubris and more on economics and the environment.

In his latest book, Friedman shares a conversation he had in 2007 with Vladimir Mau, director of Russia’s Academy of National Economy wherein Friedman posited whether it was “$10-a-barrel oil, not Ronald Reagan, that brought down the Soviet Regime?” Mau’s unhesitating reply was that it was actually “$70-a-barrel oil followed by $10-a-barrel oil that killed the Soviet Union.”  The high oil prices of the 1970’s that resulted from both the Arab oil embargo and the Iranian revolution seduced the then Soviet Union into living off of the rich oil revenues it was the beneficiary of while at the same time promoting and subsidizing all kinds of inefficient industries rather embark upon real economic reform. When the price of oil then collapsed in the 1980’s and 1990’s, an ill-prepared and antiquated Soviet Union collapsed along with them as it had neglected to make the real changes that would have allowed it to bring it’s economy and it’s industries forward into a global marketplace.

So, what’s that got to do with you? 

Well, current seemingly dark times can have a “silver lining” too. Check out today’s CNN story about falling oil prices http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/26/gas.prices/index.html . It seems that the shaky world economy is having it’s impact on oil. For several reasons. But your contribution is that you’re using less gasoline and watching you oil consumption because dollars are in short supply and you’re not sure what the future holds.  The resulting decline in the price of oil is hurting guess who? That’s right. The producers and sellers of oil…all those countries that would like to see the United States, and the rest of the free world, brought to their knees. So to the extent that countries such as Iran and Venezuela have neglected addressing real economic reform and other necessary changes because they have been resting on the laurels of their oil revenues….well, you get the picture.

Now, if you use less oil and oil related products, thereby causing a continued drop in the price of oil, you may just make a difference in the economic stability of oil-producing nations similar to what occurred in the former Soviet Union.  And if you destabilize those regimes you may make way for new and alternative means of governance. Perhaps more humanitarian and more peaceful governance. And, if you use and consume less oil and oil-related products you positively impact the environment and reduce CO2 emissions.

So, there you have it.  You’ve just helped the economy, the environment and promoted world peace just by the choices you will make today around oil consumption.  It’s not a guarantee, of course. It could just be my fantasy or a mixed metaphor. But just thinking it might work gives you something to mull over and perhaps, even something to do (or not do) today.

In a world so seemingly out of balance with so many challenges, I like having something I can actually do that may make a positive difference. It’s empowering. 

When was the last time you felt empowered?

REMEMBER to click here to download a FREE copy of my e-book, “Too Many Secrets.”

Note: This is actually something from the Inspirational Thoughts page of my website carolegold.com. It was written over a year ago but, when I re-read it today, I thought how helpful it could be right now… so here it is. Enjoy!

Personal and professional relationships are vehicles we use to learn about ourselves in ways we are unable to explore on our own. Unless we experience our behavior and its consequences through the responses of other people, we lack the gift of reflection that allows us to see ourselves more honestly and more completely. Others are, in essence, our “mirrors” and provide us with a unique and multi-faceted view of ourselves. I’m certain that’s why we are born into a world populated with other human beings.    
   
However, this gift of reflection, like so many of life’s gifts, is often taken for granted. Too frequently, we ignore the potential benefit of difference and instead pursue the comfort of similarity. Whether it’s an individual or a group of individuals with whom we disagree, our failure to embrace these differences or worse, to fear them, deprives us of the opportunity to learn and grow in new and meaningful ways. Sadly, the early part of the 21st century finds this tendency permeating not only our personal lives, but our national political life and our spiritual lives as well.
 
Personally, we tend to align ourselves with like-minded people and groups. It’s the rare individual or group enlightened enough to give differing opinions the respect they deserve. Politically, we have become a nation of two camps, Democrat and Republican, each of which has perfected the art of divide and conquer through misuse of both the influence of the media as well as the financial power of large corporations. And finally, spiritually, the world looks increasingly like three locomotives – Jew, Christian and Muslim – all speeding toward a disastrous, head-on collision.

The irony in all of this division and opposition is that every important historical document and every major religious tenet supports and encourages unity. Each one praises and extols the concept of Oneness, not in the sense of a loss of individual identity, but rather in the sense of comprehending the value of our relationships to and with one another. This sense of Oneness has been the aspiration and realization of all great thinkers and leaders throughout the history of humankind.

So why is it so hard for us to hold on to this vital concept of Oneness and how do we change direction and leave the lonely path of separation? The answer is a two-step process that is relatively simple to comprehend and only slightly more difficult to apply.  
 
First we lessen our dependency upon a media empire that feeds and prospers off of our fears and our need to belong. Television can be not only mind-numbing but also dangerous. It bombards us with at best half-truths and, at worst, lies about who we are, who others are, and what it takes to live prosperous and satisfying lives. It is illusion we reinforce each time we invite it in by tuning in. And, as a culture, we tune it in too often. Print, radio and the internet are not far behind. Each of these mediums is ready and willing to help us define ourselves in ways that allow others to stay prosperous and in control of our lives. So, the first step is to turn inside ourselves and begin to define your life by what your inner voice is saying rather than by the collective voice of countless others.

The second step is to learn how to hear your inner voice. This is the easy part since there’s a “channel” you can access to tune in and receive your own personalized messages. The way to access the channel is prayer. Not prayer as we generally think of it. Not a plea for help during difficult times or a request for fulfillment of your material wants. Rather, prayer as quiet time to go within yourself and listen to what you really want so that you can know what it is you really need to do. Becoming quiet and still is simultaneously the doorway to the path of oneness and best way off the path of separation.

When all the externally imposed, meaningless messages of need are removed, you become able to focus on the true yearning that originates from within. That yearning is the same for every human being. It’s the yearning for Oneness and peace. Personally, I find this quiet place every Sabbath for I am a Jew and the Sabbath is an opening in time for me to go within and listen.
 
But such a space is available to every human being with or without religious affiliation. To become quiet and go within is to replace the outward illusion with the inner reality. The method is prayer; oneness and peace the vision. Both attainable goals. Simply begin by first turning down (and later turning off) those voices that say they know better than you what it is you truly desire.

Then when it gets quiet, just listen.                     

REMEMBER to click here to download a FREE copy of my e-book, “Too Many Secrets.”