Fresh Connect Focus

Fear - Preventing Loss

2009-11-17T14:14:00.000-08:00

People move faster to prevent losing something then they do to acquire something new or more.

Ask yourself - What are you neglecting to take care of in your life? What is it you take for granted on a daily basis? Are you willing to lose your dream or is your dream of little or no importance to you?

Ironically - By accepting the idea that you could lose something, it prevents you from losing it all together and the act of ignoring what you already have makes you tend to lose it.

Fear is not a bad thing. If we are fearful, we must acknowledge it. Fear can be a very strong motivator. Fear is simply the other side of a very important coin called "Emotion". By denying Fear and ignoring it, repressing it, we are in fact attracting more Fear to us. By acknowledging our Fear, we in fact process that Fear in to a more productive and beneficial energy.

Remember - Do not be driven by Fear. Acknowledge it and become the master over your fears.

Check yourself - Check your life

Editor: Chris Earl

The Perfect "You"

2009-11-16T08:16:00.000-08:00

You are the perfect “You” there ever was, is or ever could be. You are the perfect “You” and no one can replace you. You are the perfect “You” for the job.

Out of every spirit in the universe, you were picked to come to this Earth to do what it is you do at this very point in time. You might not know why exactly you are here, but you are here for a purpose. Whether you are conscious of your life purpose or not, you will do exactly what you were meant to do, exactly when you are suppose to.

There could be no person more perfect for the job then you.

In all of your goodness - In all of your not-so-goodness - In your smallness and in your greatness

You are perfect! God doesn’t make mistakes. Claim your perfection! Do what it is you do best.

What is it you do best?

Do you enjoy creating? Then create.

Do you enjoy being social? Then be social.

Do you enjoy working hard? Then work hard.

Do you love to love? Then love!

Be the perfection that is “You”. You can be no less.

Editor: Chris Earl

Personal Truth: March To Your Own Beat

2009-11-09T13:42:00.000-08:00

Aside from our own personal demons, everyone’s beliefs and convictions are different; all spawned of a holistic, beneficial, altruistic intent. Each person honestly believes their way (their belief) is the best. What we must realize is this - Regardless of whether we are conscious of it, we all march to the beat of another drummer. Who is this drummer? Our own personal experience. Conscious experience is the only “Real” Truth in the universe. Even if Universal Law is concrete, immovable and absolute, unless we acknowledge these Truths it is not so. Ultimately - It is what we are consciously aware of in our experience that writes the book of Truth.

Case & Point: What is Gravity to a Caveman!?!

Answer: Insignificant, Inconsequential & Irrelevant.

Editor: Chris Earl

Live Consciously

2009-11-05T16:43:00.001-08:00

If you are leading an unconscious life in which your habits and desires drive you, giving little thought to how you can actively alter your current and/or future circumstances, then you become subject to the positive & negative forces in the universe.

Those who are wide awake & conscious of their circumstances have the obvious edge in the matter. Those conscious of the flow of creation have the opportunity to actively influence it.

Those who are unconscious to the flow of events will be thrown about & will not know how or why.

Those conscious & self-aware have little concern with playing the victim & are more concerned with being an active creator. You will never be able to effectively control your life while being in a state of victim-ness.

Start with being aware of where you stand in the current moment. By simply being aware in the Now, you are conscious. You are creating.

Editor: Chris Earl

Perfect Progression In All Things

2009-10-29T12:02:00.001-07:00

There is only perfect progression in the universe. There are no accidents. Everything that happens in your experience is for a reason. Your job is to find out what that reason is.

If you are anywhere at any given point in time, it's because at some point, you either made the choice to be there to experience what it was the universe had to offer or... you chose not to choose. Either way... you made the choice.

Where you are is where you are meant to be. But never let your current situations determine your future. Grow, Explore, Experience. Claim your birthright and become a conscious creator of your life. You always have that personal choice, whether you acknowledge it or not.

Enjoy everything life has to offer. If you can't enjoy it, learn from it. If you can't learn from it, acknowledge it. The worst thing you can do is to ignore life.

Editor: Chris Earl

Evolution In Chaos

2009-10-29T11:58:00.000-07:00

When it seems like your life is turned upside down and things just don’t make sense any more, that is when you need to pay the most attention. The universe is trying to tell you something. When chaos breaks out in your personal life or in the world in general, it is the universe’s attempt to correct incorrect thinking and to give you the opportunity to exercise your sacred uncompromising power of choice.

In times of great upheaval (personal or global), remember… there is evolution in chaos. It serves to introduce new, uniquely fulfilling paradigms in the human experience. It serves to galvanize your personal truth and slough off old ideas than no longer serve you. Without the fires of chaos, the old would not fall away and the seeds of new experience would not bloom.

Change is the only constant in the universe.

In times of chaos, remember to stay centered, trust in yourself and in the universe to see you through. But also, ask yourself -- “What am I to learn from all of this?” “Why is my life unbalanced?” “What am I missing in my life?” “What do I need to do to return balance and harmony to my life?”

Start with yourself and the outside world will correspond to that inner peace and harmony.

Editor: Chris Earl

Learn By Teaching Others

2009-10-26T20:02:00.001-07:00

Have you ever wanted to learn something, understand something? Have you ever wanted to become something?

If you want to drastically improve your life, your circumstances and/or performance, teach what it is you're trying to learn to someone else. Releasing this knowledge magically makes it become a part of you. By teaching things, giving this knowledge away, you automatically become the master and the one receiving the information the student.

As soon as you have taught an idea or principle to someone else, your mind & body magically assimilates that information. All resistance to that idea is abandoned & that knowledge finds truth deep within you.

Editor: Chris Earl

Be-Coming Truly Successful

2009-10-26T13:16:00.000-07:00

To become truly successful in whatever it is you wish to succeed in…

You must “Be” that which you wish to Become.

The difference between those that "Do" and those that “Are”…

Those that “Do” struggle through their “Success” with a grimace,

Never truly trusting in themselves and their capabilities.

Those that “Are” breath, eat, and sleep their success
every second of every day, truly enjoying the entire experience.

It quite literally becomes a part of who they are.

As vital and integral as your brain or heart.

Regardless of your definition of success…

A parent, a school teacher, a construction worker, a business owner…

The one thing that defines your success is…

- Your dedication to an ideal and truly
“Being” to the best of your ability.

You want “Success”?

Define it - Believe it - “Be” it - Live it

Editor: Chris Earl

True Abundance: Life Guide - A Sage Post

2009-10-26T13:03:00.000-07:00

Author: Jason Ray France

True Abundance Life Guide:

How do I learn to appreciate and increase my blessings?

1) Make it happen. Don’t wait for permission to live your best life. Act the part and it will become a reality. This is sometimes referred to as faking it until you make it. You can visualize all you want, but there is nothing that compares with making it happen!

2) Have an attitude of gratitude. Are you so busy focusing on what is lacking that you have lost sight of what you have? It is possible to have little but to want for nothing. Gratitude is an essential element of love, which is the greatest form of abundance.

3) Let it go. Abundance has a flow. This flow comes in and goes out like the tides of the ocean. There is give and take in everything. For new things to come into your space, you must be willing to let go of the old. This is what it means to develop a healthy balance in life.

4) Accept the unexpected. Abundance comes in many ways. There is no limit to it. Any seeming limitations are placed there by you. Have you rejected blessings because it hasn’t looked the way you thought it should? Abundance will flow into your life if you get out of your own way.

5) Create your own. Too many people consider abundance to be measured in dollars. Abundance may be the freedom to do what fulfills you and to spend time with your family. People may not always recognize such abundance, but it’'s all a matter of perspective. Wealthy people can still be miserable.

6) Trust Yourself. There will always be plenty of people that are willing to give you free advice. These are the self appointed authorities of what is best for you. You are the only one that can determine your direction in life. Hold firm to what you believe in, thank them for sharing, and go about your own way of doing things.

7) Have the courage to succeed. Do you feel that it’s somehow noble to do without? Are you afraid that if you have more, you’ll value it less? Take the time to get clear on what your limiting beliefs are, so that you can break these harmful patterns. The results of your fears are evidenced in the quality of your life.

8) Be a source of love. You were created for a distinct purpose that is influenced by the choices that you make. The desire to love and be loved is natural. Unconditional love is the only kind of love that there is. To choose into this powerful way of being is to know what joy is.

9) Love Yourself. Without love for yourself, you are incapable of receiving it. No matter how powerful, it cannot penetrate if you are not open to it. The potential for love is all around you. It comes from within and without. Allow yourself to feel genuine love for yourself, and you will also feel it from others.

10) Know your worth. You deserve to have an abundant lifestyle. This includes financial security. Many claim to appreciate what they have, yet don’t feel deserving of more. This in itself will prevent you from acquiring true and complete abundance. How will you realize your potential if you don’t value who you are?

Pondering Abundance:

1) What means the most to me in life?

2) Do I value myself and my journey?

3) Do I give as readily as I take?

Example of Abundant Living: Joel Osteen has assisted people in realizing that abundant living doesn't only mean having a large bank account. He is a popular Televangelist, but he definitely has a style that is all his own. He has also touched lives through his writing. One of his popular books is titled, "Your Best Life Now." He teaches that we are constantly making deposits and withdrawals in the lives of the people we associate with. We are faced with these choices every day. We can either make withdrawals by being angry and impatient, or we can make deposits by being kind and loving. Abundant living is the result of caring enough to know the difference.

Abundance Quote: "Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into." -Wayne Dyer

Abundance Challenge: Assist someone to recognize true abundance in their life by looking on the bright side.

*For more free inspiration, go to Sage Scrolls International at http://jasonrayfrance.webs.com/. Owner, Jason Ray France, is also the Host of The Sage Round Table, and Founder of The Sage Network. To manage his lifelong challenges with anxiety and depression, he specialized in Life Mastery. He teaches that there is wisdom in all of us and promotes a world of healing, openness, and inspiration.

Extraordinary Wealth

2009-10-20T03:45:00.000-07:00

Only extraordinary people achieve extraordinary wealth. Not because “Normal” people don’t deserve it, but because extraordinary people do extraordinary things to attract that wealth to them. They understand the principles of wealth. They understand the process of attracting all good things to them. This is true wealth.

The question is - Are you willing to settle for ordinary, or… are you willing to separate yourself from the pack and do the extraordinary things that are required to attract extraordinary wealth to you? The one thing you have to understand is this… it takes commitment to be extraordinary. If you’re not willing to commit 100% to your ideal, all you get are ordinary results.

Editor: Chris Earl

Your World

2009-10-18T15:27:00.001-07:00

You might ask - “What kind of world do we live in?” It’s simple! The question is, what are you focused on; the positive or the negative? Are you focused on war, death & famine, or… are you focused on creation, life & abundance? What ever it is, this is your world.

The one thing you have to realize is this. That everyone has their own version of reality. Just as we are all special & very different individual souls, so is the fabric of our realities. This universe of yours is the product of your own perspective, imbued with the power of your feelings, beliefs and experiences.

Your world is just as uniquely different as your fingerprint. It would be impossible to find an identical reality to yours. Because reality is born of personal perspective, it is sacred. No one can own your perspective. This reality you perceive is yours. Your very own! And you hold the permanent copyright to it. So take ownership and actively create the life you want to live.

Editor: Chris Earl

Jennifer Connelly

2008-09-03T03:36:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Connelly

An amazingly talented actress.

Jennifer Connelly has acted in movies like The Labyrinth, The Rocketeer, A Beautiful Mind, etc.

"I felt for a long time that this is what I want to do so I'm happy at this point to just take my time and work on projects that I feel strongly about, and the rest of the time just live my life."

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- Movies -

Reservation Road (2007)
Blood Diamond (2006)
Little Children (2006)
Dark Water (2005)
House of Sand and Fog (2003)
Hulk (2003)
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Pollock (2000)
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Waking the Dead (2000)

Dark City (1998)
Inventing the Abbotts (1997)
Far Harbor (1996)
Mulholland Falls (1996)
Higher Learning (1995)
Of Love and Shadows (1994)
The Rocketeer (1991)
Career Opportunities (1991)
The Hot Spot (1990)

Some Girls (1988)
Étoile (1988)
Labyrinth (1986)
Seven Minutes in Heaven (1985)
Phenomena (1985)
Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

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The Labyrinth

Editorial Review

Sarah (a teenage Jennifer Connelly) rehearses the role of a fairy-tale queen, performing for her stuffed animals. She is about to discover that the time has come to leave her childhood behind. In real life she has to baby-sit her brother and contend with parents who don't understand her at all. Her petulance leads her to call the goblins to take the baby away, but when they actually do, she realizes her responsibility to rescue him. Sarah negotiates the Labyrinth to reach the City of the Goblins and the castle of their king. The king is the only other human in the film and is played by a glam-rocking David Bowie, who performs five of his songs. The rest of the cast are puppets, a wonderful array of Jim Henson's imaginative masterpieces. Henson gives credit to children's author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, and the creatures in the movie will remind Sendak fans of his drawings. The castle of the king is a living M.C. Escher set that adults will enjoy. The film combines the highest standards of art, costume, and set decoration. Like executive producer George Lucas's other fantasies, Labyrinth mixes adventure with lessons about growing up. --Lloyd Chesley

Provided by Amazon.com

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The Rocketeer

Product Description

The discovery of a top-secret jetpack hurls test pilot Cliff Secord into a daring adventure of mystery, suspense, and intrigue! Cliff encounters an assortment of ruthless villains, led by a Hollywood screen star who's a secret Nazi spy (Timothy Dalton). With the help of his actress girlfriend, the young pilot battles enormous odds to defeat his foes who are anxious to use the device in an evil plan to rule the world! The dangerous mission transforms the ordinary young man into an extraordinary hero!

Editorial Reviews

Based on a retro-styled comic book hit of the '80s, this Disney film was meant to launch a whole line of Rocketeer films--but the series began and ended with this one. That's too bad, because this underrated Joe Johnston film has a certain loopy charm. The story centers on a pre-World War II stunt pilot (Bill Campbell) who accidentally comes into possession of a rocket-propelled backpack much coveted by the Nazis. With the aid of his mechanic pal (Alan Arkin), he gets it up and running, then uses it to foil a plot by a gang of vicious Nazi spies (is there any other kind?) led by Timothy Dalton. Jennifer Connelly is on hand as the love interest, but the real fun here is when the Rocketeer takes off. There's also a nifty battle atop an airborne blimp. --Marshall Fine

Provided by Amazon.com

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A Beautiful Mind

Product Description

Winner of 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture A Beautiful Mind is directed by Academy Award winner Ron Howard and produced by long-time partner and collaborator Academy Award winner Brian Grazer. A Beautiful Mind stars Russell Crowe in an astonishing performance as brilliant mathematician John Nash on the brink of international acclaim when he becomes entangled in a mysterious conspiracy. Now only his devoted wife (Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly) can help him in this powerful story of courage passion and triumph.System Requirements:Running Time 136 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG-13 UPC: 025193026521 Manufacturer No: 61030265

Provided by Amazon.com

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House of Sand & Fog

Product Description

Academy Award winners Ben Kingsley (Gandhi) and Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) deliver stunning performances as two strangers whose conflicting pursuits of the American Dream lead to a fight for their hopes at any cost. What begins as a struggle over a rundown bungalow spirals into a clash that propels everyone involved toward a shocking resolution. "The surprise ending will leave you breathless!" (Clay Smith, Access Hollywood)

Editorial Reviews

Jennifer Connelly followed up her Academy Award for A Beautiful Mind with this dark but moving story of small mistakes that escalate, with tragic necessity, to disaster. In House of Sand and Fog, Kathy (Connelly) gets evicted from her house for failing to pay a tax she never should have been charged in the first place. The house is swiftly put up for auction and bought by a former military officer from Iran named Behrani (Ben Kingsley, Sexy Beast). When legal efforts fail her, Kathy turns to a sympathetic cop (Ron Eldard, Bastard Out of Carolina), who wants out of a loveless marriage and who's willing to step over legal boundaries if it might give him a fresh start. Topnotch performances by the entire cast make House of Sand and Fog a compelling psychological drama; your sympathies will be pulled in all directions. --Bret Fetzer

Provided by Amazon.com

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Dark Water

Customer Reviews

Dark Water is Creepy and Murky
The ever reliable Jennifer Connelly gives another very convincing performance in this atmospheric film. The supporting cast is perfect and believable. The direction is clever and well-paced, but not heavy-handed for this genre. The scriptwriters created terrific characters and believable plot twists in this very suspenseful and eerie film.

This is another well-adapted and even improved version of the original Japanese horror flick, but it isn't in the same vein as The Grudge although it is influenced by it. It is much more subdued and darker than that film and is more character driven. Some may not like this slower, more deliberately paced chiller, but that is what gives it momentum and suspense. I think it's very well-paced for the genre it falls into which is the traditional haunted house kind of film.

This film is worth owning, but not having seen the film in the theaters, I have no clue what was added to this "unrated" edition of the original PG-13 theatrical release. I can say that I found nothing objectionable in it as sometimes happens with these "unrated" releases. Less shocking and intense than other Asian horror imports or influenced films, but that made this a fun popcorn film for me and my family as there is no bloodshed, violence, sex, or nudity in this film.

Provided by Amazon.com

Hurt - Walk The Line

2008-09-03T03:21:00.000-07:00

Another favorite of mine - Hurt by Johnny Cash
The original song was written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nines. The Johnny Cash version is a cover song, though I'm sure he identifies with it as if it were his own. I love this song because it is so true. We can accomplish our dreams in life, but what does it really matter in the end?

I would have to say...it's the family, friends and relationships that we cultivate. All the prizes, accomplishments, and trophies mean nothing if you don't have your family and friends in the end.

Side note: I also really like the Johnny Cash movie Walk The Line.

This movie is an amazing depiction of what Johnny Cash went through and experienced. Very enjoyable, but very disturbing in parts. Sometimes when you fulfill your deepest desires in life, they have the potential to take over your life like a run-away train.

But with anything in life, it can be over come.

Customer Reviews

They Got Married In A Fever
I will preface this by saying I was never a big Johnny Cash fan, but after seeing the excellent way Hollywood handled Ray Charles ("Ray") and Bobby Darin ("Beyond the Sea") I was anxious to see what it would do for The Man in Black. The results are phenomenal. Now, I'm sorry I didn't pay more attention to John and June when they were still living.

Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon are phenomenal as Johnny and June Carter Cash. This unlikely casting yields such outstanding results that I would hand them both the Oscar right now if I could. I read that Reese almost bailed on the project when she found out she had to do her own singing, but you would never know it from the great vocals and spunky performances she delivers.

The film focuses on their love affair, first as friends and then torrid even while he was married to his first wife and the mother of his children. His drug abuse is highlighted but it is Johnny Cash, the complex man and his love for June Carter, darling daughter of the close-knit and totally supportive Carter clan, that comes shining through and makes this a totally enjoyable movie.

Two big thumbs up for a movie that thrills from its opening at the infamous Folsom Prison to its spectacular closing.

Provided by Amazon.com

Find Your Passion

2008-09-03T03:20:00.000-07:00

Finding Forrester

An excellent story about a young man in the Bronx who aspires to be a writer, but society has deemed him unworthy. He discovers, by accident, a famous writer who has gone in to seclusion. With this new discovery, the young man is given help with his writing and is encouraged to follow his dream.

A wonderful story!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Finding Forrester could have been a shallow variant of The Karate Kid, congratulating itself for featuring a 16-year-old black kid from the South Bronx who's a brilliant scholar-athlete. Instead, director Gus Van Sant plays it matter-of-fact and totally real, casting a nonactor (Rob Brown) as Jamal, a basketball player and gifted student whose writing talent is nurtured by a famously reclusive author. William Forrester (Sean Connery) became a literary icon four decades earlier with a Pulitzer-winning novel, then disappeared (like J.D. Salinger) into his dark, book-filled apartment, agoraphobic and withdrawn from publishing, but as passionate as ever about writing. On a dare, Jamal sneaks into Forrester's musty sanctuary, and what might have been a condescending cliché--homeboy rescued by wiser white mentor--turns into an inspiring meeting of minds, with mutual respect and intelligence erasing boundaries of culture and generation.

Comparisons to Van Sant's Good Will Hunting are inevitable, but Finding Forrester is more honest and less prone to touchy-feely sentiment, as in the way Jamal and a private-school classmate (Anna Paquin) develop a mutual attraction that remains almost entirely unspoken. The film takes a conventional turn when Jamal must defend his integrity (with Forrester's help) in a writing contest judged by a skeptical teacher (F. Murray Abraham), but this ethical subplot is a credible catalyst for Forrester's most dramatic display of friendship. It's one of many fine moments for Connery and Brown (a screen natural), in a memorable film that transcends issues of race to embrace the joy of learning. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Finding Forrester - Truly inspirational!
In "Finding Forrester" you can find no better story! Finding Forrester is just a wonderful, melodramatic tale that is told from the heart and is quite uplifting. Sean Connery gives a stunning performance as an agoraphobic man devastated by personal loss. Newcomer Rob Brown's performance as an extremely intelligent, but held back by his surroundings youth is nothing less than outstanding and Anna Paquin whose performance is right on with her usual high standards.

The premise: MINOR SPOILER

The main character played by Rob Brown is an extraordinarily intelligent sixteen year old living in the South Bronx. As a dare, he is challenged to sneak into "the man in the window's" home and bring something out. Connery scares him out of his home, causing him to leave behind his book bag with all of his stories in it. After critiquing all of his work, Connery drops his book bag down on the street for him to recover. What follows from this point is the development of an unlikely relationship between two people from entirely different worlds. As Connery's character mentors Brown's character in his writing and during the young mans transition from an inner city school to a private school and Brown's character helps to bring Forrester out of his agoraphobic shell. {ssintrepid}

Provided by Amazon.com

I especially love the soundtrack. Wonderful scores!