There are many aspects of living a fulfilling, fun life and one important element is your health and physical well-being. How else can you live the exciting ride of your life if you don’t take care of your body?

In this article, I share a story of an individual I believe is doing a tremendous job in raising awareness about the food we eat to contribute to a better life for yourself, your loved ones, and the rest of humanity.

Recently I came across the award speech for TED Prize winner Jamie Oliver. The speech inspired me to the point of tears.

Jamie Oliver is a chef from the UK who is somewhat of a media mogul. He has TV shows, many best-selling books, a magazine, kitchen products and many other creative pursuits.

He is very passionate about saving the health of humanity with his Food Revolution project. This project is tackling the global epidemic of obesity, heart disease and other diseases caused from our modern lifestyle.

He is starting the Food Revolution in the U.S. with hopes that if he can inspire America to change, America can then lead the rest of the world to change. It’s all about community, health and living a long happy life.

His mission is:

“I wish for everyone to help create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.” -Jamie Oliver TED 2010

Please watch the inspiring video below and I hope it inspires you to take action in your own lives and the lives of those you care about. Enjoy!

As Aerosmith so eloquently put it, we’re “back in the saddle” again… and we’re ready to rock it!

After taking a short sabbatical to move to San Francisco, have some rest and relaxation, and experience new things, we are back in the saddle bringing you fresh exciting new content here at InspirationTheRide.com.

This new content, as always, will be coming purely from our spirits and quest to help humanity live a fulfilling, rewarding, and extraordinary life. We are re-charged and have many ideas for varying forms of content we will be providing in the coming months that we hope moves and inspires you.

With our move to San Francisco, we have once again recreated our lives in the vision that we created for ourselves. In the process of our re-creation and re-birth, we have gained new insights for living that we want to share. We literally manifested every single aspect of our new life here. You can do the same! (as we mentioned in our vision binder article )

With spring just a few days away, let us all be reminded of its essence signifying coming out of hibernation and into a period of renewal and change.

Let us use this period to live, laugh and love as if there might not be a tomorrow.

Thanks for all your support and we look forward to connecting with you soon.

(As an aside, the photo from above is a picture of Terrah taken in Brazil while she was traveling there for four months. You can read more about her experiences there in her popular article 13 Life Lessons Learned from My i-to-i Travel Experience.)

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” – King James Holy Bible – Galatians 6:7-9

In my previous post I discussed meditating and manifesting. In many articles on this site we discuss ideas for creating the life you uniquely desire. Overall, our purpose here is to provide ideas for achieving fulfillment; fulfillment being a deeper sense of happiness or enlightenment for yourself and those you love. (not sure what’s wrong with that!)

We discuss a variety of ideas in different areas of life that we believe are vital to achieving fulfillment including meditation, travel & culture , spirituality, philanthropy, relationships, health, well-being, and passion & excitement. We focus on all of these areas because they are part of living a well-rounded deeply-fulfilling life. We also focus on making them fun and exciting, hence our site name.

All of these concepts are considered by many to be ‘New Age’. The Wikipedia definition of New Age states it is “a decentralized Western social and spiritual movement that seeks ‘Universal Truth’ and the attainment of the highest individual human potential.”

However, many people think of ‘New Age’ as being anything that contradicts the traditional dogmatic ideals of the large religions, such as Christianity. For example, when we discuss topics on this site, some people tend to say, “I don’t believe in that New Age stuff.”

For the purposes of this article, I am referring to this latter mis-understanding of ‘New Age.’

It is this ignorance and mis-understanding of the real essence of New Age that is B.S.

After hearing many people discuss and tell me what real ‘reality’ is, I wanted to provide this article as a rebuttal and state that your reality is yours to create. That’s what every spiritual religion says and what the real essence of New Age is about.

I have provided the excerpt above from the Bible as a foundation for our Western thinking readers. Most Westerners and religious zealots call what we write about on this site NEW AGE.

None of what we discuss is NEW AGE. It has been discussed by religions and spiritual leaders for centuries from all cultures since the dawn of man. (I’ll mention some of these cultures later, but for now, I want to get to the point.)

What I want you to take away from the quote at the start of this article is the essence – You will reap what you sow.

The sowing is your unique service that should make you feel passionate, here on purpose, and inspired; the reaping is whatever you desire, be it money, love, happiness and so on.

So then, the question of your life has to be, “How can I serve?”

And as the quote alludes to, you can’t fool or mock God. God/Universal Energy or whatever you choose to call it knows when you aren’t serving through your passions, talents, and spirit; so don’t fake it for God or for yourself.

The answer to this question of service can change daily. If a family member or friend needs you, that is your service. If you have work to do that day, that is your service. The trick is to continually monitor your gut feelings or inspiration.

These inspirational gut feelings make the path unfold seemingly effortless for the creation of your life. Therefore, use these feelings, good not bad, as indicators you are on your path. You will no longer be seeking a path, the path for your life will become apparent. You will be acting from Spirit as the Biblical quote implies.

However, suffering and unhappiness enter the equation in our lives when we do not come from a state of sowing or service to others. This is what is meant by the second line of the quote above. If you act from spirit sowing for others, you will reap everything and have life everlasting; the more you give, the more you get. Life everlasting is symbolic of being perpetually in spirit while you are here on this earth. Heaven exists here on earth, if you want it.

On the other hand, if you act only for the flesh, meaning only for yourself, you will reap corruption, unhappiness and suffering. So, you must act for BOTH yourself creating the life you desire seeking enlightenment AND for others in a state of service helping your fellow man in any way you can.

Otherwise, your enlightenment and happiness will remain attached to some eventual heaven outside of yourself; when true happiness and heaven on earth has always been here for you. All you had to do was do what you love and help others. It is this attachment to everything external and not looking within that prevents you from creating your life from spirit while you are here.

The last line says never give up on your service because in due time you shall reap. You must be diligent in your pursuits. You must be dedicated to your cause. This is YOUR life.

This last line may sound difficult to some, you are probably thinking, “Shit, that sounds hard. You mean I have to actually do something and wait to receive maybe for some time?”

Well, the answer to your question is Yes. But, it is not hard. If you find yourself doing what you love and are inspired you don’t feel like you are doing anything. You feel as though time passes effortlessly. We must all find out what that service, that effortless doing is for each of us.

This question of determining what your service is, however, is not something I can answer for you. You must go inward and answer for yourself honestly. You are the only one that knows what you lose yourself in doing. You are the only one who knows you. What do you enjoy? What makes you happy? What do you have fun doing? What do you enjoy that you can find a way to make money doing?

The money is part of the reaping, but it comes from your sowing. So, instead of asking how can I make some money, ask how can I serve and the money flows.

Some people say this is not REALITY, that you must give up your dreams and get real. Real to them is to do whatever you need to support yourself and your family. And most times, this REALITY is about giving up on your dreams. THIS IS FALSE.

Supporting your family and yourself is honorable and essential for your survival (We all have to pay the bills!). But, people must know they can support their family and follow their dreams at the same time. This life is yours to create whether you want to believe it or not. You can either participate and make yourself happy, or sit back and be miserable. I prefer the former rather than the latter.

These insights come from my experience and education, i.e. experiential learning. Let me explain…

I grew up in a Catholic home. I didn’t experience it dogmatically like we have grown accustomed to in the West, but I experienced it by principle.

My grandparents, Granny and Boompa I called them, were particularly religious. However, they did not force their way of life on my family. They allowed my mother and her siblings freedom in that respect.

Although we did not follow it dogmatically, we still grew up with the principles. My grandparents and parents had the 10 Commandments on the wall. We said grace at meals. We celebrated Easter and Christmas. We went to church; more-so when we were visiting my grandparents. But, they didn’t force it upon us. They just encouraged the application of the principles of being a good person and everything else that we can learn from Jesus’ great life.

By not forcing it upon us, it enabled me to grow. It enabled me to question. It enabled me to experience.

After growing up in what I would call a more secular household with religious underpinnings, I went off to college. In the first year, I took a course called Religions of Japan & China. In this course, I studied Daoism, Mohism, Confucianism, Lao Tzu, Buddhism, and many other spiritual paths.

Additionally, over the last several years, I have been continuing my self-education, self-improvement path that has included seeking spiritual enlightenment. For example, I am currently reading great insights from Ancient Indian culture such as Transcendental Meditation, the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, and Autobiography of a Yogi.

From these studies, I noticed that the interesting thing about all of these religions and spiritual traditions is that they all say about the same thing. They are all condensed wisdom from some great spiritual leader.

Jesus Christ was a great man who walked the earth seeking enlightenment.

Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was a great man who sought enlightenment.

Muhammad was a great man who also sought enlightenment.

And, the list goes on. The life principles of these great men resulted in Christianity, Buddhism, and Islamic traditions, respectively. These are three of the major religions of the world.

All of these people were great people and you can be too. How? By following the principles and lessons of all the great people from the past and the now. What are their insights?

That is what New Age is about – seeking your own happiness and enlightenment here on earth now, as these men did. What is your life force here to do? What lessons can you learn from the great men and women of the past and the great religions and spiritual traditions that are part of our human culture?

The original Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, spoke of this. After remaining among humanity to teach the lessons he learned seeking enlightenment, he died in 483 B.C. at the age of 80 and entered into nirvana. While on his deathbed he turned to his disciple, Ananda (much like Jesus had disciples later in history) and spoke his final words:

“Even though my flesh will soon perish, my teachings will live on eternally. Thus, for this reason it is not those who see me in the flesh who truly see me, it is those who know my teachings who really see me. After my death, the teachings I have given you over the years shall be your teacher, and I shall live on through them. Therefore, look not for a refuge in anything besides yourself. Look not for a refuge in anything besides my teaching.” -As quoted from Buddhist Ethics and Modern Society: An International Symposium.

The point is to be a light unto yourself looking inward, seeking your own happiness and enlightenment. All the insights of past spiritual teachers are your key. Again, that is what New Age is all about; seeking wisdom from many religions and spiritual traditions as you find your happiness and enlightenment.

When people get into saying that they, “DON’T BELIEVE IN NEW AGEY SHIT,” what are they really saying?

What they are saying is that they don’t believe in what even their own religion or tradition says to them.

I mentioned the Bible excerpt at the beginning because I thought mentioning it would make those who grew up in the Western, other predominantly Catholic, or any dogmatic religion’s cultures realize that their religious dogma says the same thing as everyone else’s. And, one very important lesson, which I discussed in the first half of this article, is – you reap what you sow.

Now, let’s bring it all together:

If you take the concepts of ‘you reap what you sow’ and the spiritual lessons discussed so far and apply them to your life, they contain keys to happiness.

Everyone is focusing on how they are going to make money, how they are going to get by in life. This is the FAULT.

You must turn this question on its head and say, “How can I serve? How can I provide service? How can I sow so that I shall also reap?”

It is in SOWING, service, and serving where the answers will be found.

When you realize this is the question, the answers come from you pondering what your service should be. This answer comes from pondering what your inspiration in your life is.

Taking the mention of Spirit from the quote further, the root of being inspired is being IN SPIRIT. When you are inspired, or in spirit, you lose track of time. You enjoy every moment of your existence. You find yourself in pure bliss, not just on vacation, but in everyday actions.

And, when you find yourself lost in this state, this is where you should gather insights into your path to service. If you can take what you love doing and provide it as service to others in some way, you will reap the bounty of the seeds you sowed in your life.

This bounty can be anything. If it is money you want, it will come to you. If it is love you want, it will come to you. If it is happiness you want, it will come to you. It is by providing service in that which you seek, in essence you BEING that which you seek, that that which you seek comes to you, i.e. reaping it. As Gandhi, another great spiritual leader, said, “We must BE the change we wish to see in the world.”

The funny thing is that you will be coming from a state of already having or being these things you desire rather than trying to go to them because you are in spirit and radiating light.

So, to everyone that says that this is NEW AGE shit, realize that these concepts are the same thing all the spiritual teachers have said forever.

Now, go out and serve to seek happiness and truly live the life of your dreams and desires.

CARPE FUCKING DIEM! – Seize the Day!

“Practice of meditation… when you go into silence you find that silent space between your thoughts is a field of infinite possibilities, is a field where everything is connected to everything else, is a field where in the proliferation of uncertainty there are leaps of creativity. There’s nothing more joyful than a leap of creativity.

In that space there is something called observer effect which means the power to manifest through intention. Intention orchestrated in the field of silence orchestrates its own fulfillment. That’s the real law of attraction, that’s the real secret.” – Deepak Chopra as quoted from his film The Happiness Prescription.

I mentioned Deepak Chopra’s great quote because I believe it is a great insight from my comprehensive study and synthesis of information from the law of attraction, spirituality, nuclear engineering, philosophy, religion, and physics (which I mentioned studying here Destined for Greatness – A Story on the Importance of Learning How to Learn).

The insight is that simple meditation through just breathing not only helps you feel happier, calmer, and less stressed in everyday life, simply breathing also helps you manifest your heart’s desires.

The reason I included ‘a simple way’ in the article’s title is because in our society we tend to over complicate things. Sometimes things don’t need to be complicated. Therefore, make it simple and in this case just breathe.

This article provides a three-step process for a simple way to meditate and manifest by taking a moment to just breathe. Meditation through simply breathing has many benefits such as a way to relax, reduce stress, enhanced overall well being and/or finding the way to happiness and spiritual enlightenment.

When you come from a place of calm and cool in your mind/body, you are able to participate in the dance of creation. You realize that you are a part of the same source as everyone else. I am that source. We are that source. Everything is that source. And that source is all there is.

Simply breathing is a simple way to meditate. Just focus on the breath. We already have to breathe as part of our life force. Why not go the extra step and just get lost in the breath? Get lost in your life force. Get lost in the breath that continues to give you life.

By focusing on the breath, we are able to simply feel better. We allow ourselves to bring in more of the air that sustains our life force.

It is already natural for you.

The 3 Simple Step Process to Just Breathe to Meditate & Manifest…

Step 1: Find yourself in any comfortable position and quiet space. Set aside any amount of time you can, whether it is a few minutes to an hour or so. You can be taking a moment in your car. You can be just waking up in the morning. Honestly, any free second you’ll want to spend more and more time to get lost in this peace that exists within you.

• For example, if you are doing it (just breathing that is) when you first wake up in the morning, take time to become aware of the breath that has just gotten you through another night without you even thinking about it. After becoming aware of your breath, simply get lost in it.

Step 2: As you focus on the breath, what begins to happen is you inhale, exhale, and pause.

• As the space between breaths gets longer and longer you experience more and more silence. Just let go. Embrace the silence. In that space you can release and manifest your desires, the ones you put in your vision binder.

Sounds simple so far, right?

Step 3: Well, the real trick to the process is the awareness you place on your breath and yourself. You must lose yourself in the breath. Lose yourself in this space, in this silence. By losing yourself, you begin to reap the benefits of this process – reduced stress, happiness, and manifesting your desires.

Lose yourself….

Breathe in, breathe out, pause. Breathe in, breathe out, pause. Try to practice this as you are reading. You will notice a feeling of bliss encompass you if you only focus on the breath. Breathe in, breathe out, pause.

As you get lost in breath, you begin to bring in more of that vital life force. The air is composed of many elements like Nitrogen, Oxygen, Carbon, all of which contribute to our life force.

The longer you get lost in the pause, you stop thinking about everything.

Let your mind go.

Observe your thoughts arising and subsiding, then let them go. The less thoughts you begin to have, the more time you spend in the gap, the silence, the space between thoughts. This allows you to become aware that you are not separate from the source. You are the source as well as everything else in creation that moves at it’s own ebb and flow really outside of your control.

When you are in this space, you can participate in the observer effect. This allows you to manifest through intention.

Remember, it’s simple and we do it naturally every day. Just breathe. Inhale, exhale, pause.

You just have to remember to take the time to BE AWARE and PRESENT in your life.

Try it right now. Find that quiet space and get lost in the breath.  Even if only for a few moments you will feel amazing.

If you really want to feel amazing and take it to the next level, you can take this concept and apply it on your journey toward enlightenment. We’ll be writing about our research on this in future articles, but for now here’s a great quote from our research from The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali: A Translation by Chip Hartranft.

“When utterly undisturbed by breath and body motions, the surface of consciousness can become reflective enough to show pure awareness to itself and clarify the true nature of being.”

Share your thoughts by commenting or sharing below. Thanks for reading.

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season here in the states. This time of year brings about many of the essences of the human spirit that are repressed throughout the year.

We seem to forget about all these when the holidays are over. However, the keys to a happy life in general are provided in expressing them on a daily basis in all that you do; making them a part of your being.

In the past here at InspirationTheRide.com, we have discussed the importance of practicing random acts of kindness.

We discussed how these random acts of kindness not only help change the world but also how they make everyone involved HAPPIER in the process.

The person receiving the kindness, the person giving the kindness, and the person observing the kindness feel happier because of naturally raised serotonin levels from the experience.

In the same way that you would apply kindness, let us apply these essences on a daily basis as keys to achieving happiness.

We believe each of these words speak for themselves. Please take the essence of each and apply it in your daily life. Let us all really feel them in our lives and share them with others through our presence and application.

14 Keys to Happiness for the Holidays & Beyond:

1. Gratitude,
2. Kindness,
3. Family,
4. Friends,
5. Love,
6. Time,
7. Fulfillment,
8. Good Food,
9. Good Times,
10. Good Memories,
11. Giving,
12. Receiving,
13. Abundance,
14. And Emotions such as Joy, Tears, & Laughter

If you think we missed one or would like to expand on one yourself, please feel free to make a comment below and engage in your favorite social media.