Living Consciously

Me and You

2008-05-14T16:26:00.000-07:00

Business strategist and psychologist Don Tapscott coined the term "Net Generation" for Generation y (individuals born from 1983 to 1997), pointing at the significance of being the first to grow up immersed in a digital and Internet driven world.

We are all so connected and yet we feel more alone than before.

I think Hank in Californication sums it up quite well. "At the edge of western civilization, all of us are so desperate to feel something, anything that we keep falling into each other and fucking our ways to the end of the day."

Frankly, most of us are lost. We distract ourselves with booze, sex, TV series...anything that would temporarily shut our 'self' down. We dont want to be told that we are wandering endlessly in cycle of feeling awesome-> good-> lost- depressed....etc

Do what you love now, be crazy about everything, be grateful with all you have.

Be the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars."

Jack Kerouac

We are young and everyday is an opportunity for us to celebrate life.

Live and Let Live.

On Life

2008-04-13T18:53:00.001-07:00

I came to this realisation last night.

We are all scared deep down, scared of being judged, scared of being rejected and scared of being totally vulnerable.

Yet being vulnerable is the most attractive quality we all possess.

If you ask me, my deepest fear (since doing the heart chakras meditation) is that I wont be able to OPEN my HEART totally and completely to every moment of my life.

To go through life without loving everyone deeply without conditions and with that mutual respect that we all born to entitle is depressing.

Yet my optimism stems from the notion that we can all choose to be LOVING right now, THIS MOMENT as Stephane said.

Its the conscious choice that we made after all.

Of course I was disappointed with the result that I had with this beautiful girl, but a voice inside me asked, " I know this is a scary moment for you, are you paying attention to it?"

I am

I am paying attention to it now.

The voice said, " then Just let it be."

I think part of being a Man, is knowing that Life will keep hammering you with hardships in service of your evolution of your consciousness and yet accepting the truth that everything is going to be fine.

By being totally vulnerable and honest with who you are and what you want, you "allow yourself to be thrown off the cliff, and find yourself washed up on the beach; a real man, mature, with a real life" David Deangelo

Life is life.

Because deep down you know that, you just know that

YOU are truly loved.

Living Consciously

2008-04-05T04:52:00.000-07:00

There is a lot happening lately. If there is a period of time where I excel so much spiritually, it is NOW. It is these couple of weeks from hitting rock bottom (scarce mentality) to what Hawkins' 540 Level of Consciousness ( the persistent state of Joy).

Once I catch a glimpse of the intense happy and compassion that I feel, I no longer want to go back to the lower level. The solution is easy: Be responsible for your thoughts->

JUST LOVE.

To be loved simply be lovable. Be and do all of this without agendas. If you're loved back, smiled at, kissed, judged, ridiculed, punched, it doesnt matter.

Simply hold your frame.

Love is all there is.

"Make a gift of your life and lift all mankind by being kind, considerate, forgiving, and compassionate at all times, in all places, and under all conditions, with everyone as well as yourself. This is the greatest gift anyone can give."

This is what Living is: Peace by Inches

2008-02-24T06:17:00.000-08:00

A Man of Wisdom

2008-02-24T05:44:00.000-08:00

My friend shared the following quote with me during my visit in Shanghai. I found it to be empowering and at the same time liberating. Here it goes

"A man of widsom goes out into the world acting as though what he does matters...but when finished he returns home knowing that it doesn't.

Parapharisng Wayne Dyer quoting Carols Castaneda

At first glance, the quote seems to suggest the general notion that we shouldn't take life so seriously.

However, I believe that there is a deeper understanding of Masculinity which can be found in this quote.

That is the importance of speaking one's truth and start LIVING it.

It is extremely common for us (myself included) to live in a state of denial. On the surface, we pretend to be someone more than who we are and that we are 'happy' with the present circumstances. Deep down, we all know that there are areas in life that we fail to live up to (our own standards). We feel inadequate to confront it due to either social conditionings and other reasons.

My forum friend Eric once wrote, 'Most boys out there these days are like leaves in the hurricane of life, and you know it.

With who you are and what you know, you have a better idea. You can be the hurricane.

But it all starts by speaking your truth.

Do not become someone you are not. Become more honest about who you are.'

By speaking your truth and actually living it, you become the director of your own destiny. You are more willing to TAKE RISKS. I know it's hard, I know it's 'impossible' but it's REALLY REALLY WORTH IT!!!

You begin to live your own life, you become a person with high self-esteem and most importantly, you are able to cultivate amazing memories and find glory not only in the destination but also in the process of self-actualisation.

2008-02-04T06:11:00.000-08:00

The Joy of Being

The philosopher Nietzsche once wrote, "For Happiness, how little suffices for happiness!... the least thing precisely, the gentlest thing, the lightest thing, a breath, a wisk, an eye glance- little maketh up the best happiness. Be still!"

Many people tell you that true happiness is not caused by external things. What is it then?

Awareness, period.

Quiet the inner chatter in your mind, turn off all the external disturbances (I guess you can keep the music on ;P). Be still, Look and Listen. Be fully present.

Food for thought

2008-01-16T17:45:00.000-08:00

"The deepest hunger in life is a secret that is revealed only when a person is willing to unlock a hidden part of the self... A poetic way of [expressing this notion] is that you have to swim far out beyond shallow waters, plunge deep into yourself, and search patiently until the pearl beyond price is found."

Deepak Chopra

Transformation Finale: Love is all there is and there is nothing to worry about.

2008-01-15T00:12:00.000-08:00

In kindergarten your idea of a good friend was the person who let you have the red crayon when all that was left was the ugly black one.

In first grade your idea of a good friend was the person who went to the bathroom with you and held your hand as you walked through the scary halls.

In second grade your idea of a good friend was the person who helped you
stand up to the class bully.

In third grade your idea of a good friend was the person who shared their lunch with you when you forgot yours on the bus.

In fourth grade your idea of a good friend was the person Who was willing
To switch square dancing partners in gym so you wouldn't have to be stuck

In fifth grade your idea of a friend was the person who saved a seat on the back of the bus for you.

In sixth grade your idea of a friend was the person w ho went up to Nick or Susan, your new crush, and asked them to dance with you, so that if
They said no you wouldn't have to be embarrassed.

In seventh grade your idea of a friend was the person who let you copy the social studies homework from the night before that you had.

In eighth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who helped you pack up your stuffed animals and old baseball but didn't laugh at you when you finished and broke out into tears.

In ninth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who would go to a
party thrown by a senior so you wouldn't wind up being the only freshman there.

In tenth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who
Changed their schedule so you would have someone to sit with at lunch.

In eleventh grade your idea of a good friend was the person who gave you rides in their new car, convinced your parents that you shouldn't be grounded, consoled you when you broke up with Nick or Susan, and found you a date to the prom..

In twelfth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who helped you pick out a college/university, assured you that you would get into that college/university, helped you deal with your parents who were having a hard time adjusting to the idea of letting you go...

At graduation your idea of a good friend was the person who was crying on the inside but managed the biggest smile one could give as they congratulated you.

The summer after twelfth grade your idea of a good friend was the person who helped you clean up the bottles from that party, helped you sneak out of the house when you just couldn't deal with your parents, assured you that now that you and Nick or you and Susan were back together, you could make it through anything, helped you pack up for university and just silently hugged you as you looked through blurry eyes at 18 years of memories you were leaving behind, and finally on those last days of childhood, went out of their way to give you reassurance that you would make it in college as well as you had these past 18 years, and most importantly sent you off to college knowing you were loved.

Now, your idea of a good friend is still the person who gives you the better of the two choices, holds your hand when you’re scared, helps you fight off those who try to take advantage of you, thinks of you at times when you are not there, reminds you of what you have forgotten, helps you put the past behind you but understands when you need to hold on to it a little longer, stays with you so that you have confidence, goes out of their way to make time for you, helps you clear up your mistakes, helps you deal with pressure from others, smiles for you when they are sad, helps you become a better person, and most importantly loves you!

-------------------------------------

The story which you read above will probably make most of the people feeling rather emotional. I suspect there is lots of HEART energy flowing through you right now which is a beautiful thing. You begin to develop real compassion for yourself and others. You begin to realise that the stuff you worry about an hour ago matters no more.

There is nothing to worry about.

What I am about to write is hard to understand in an intellectual level because there is nothing intellectual that you should understand, there is nothing that you should do. It’s all about BEING.

It is the ability to dial back to that state of mind where you are blissful and carefree regardless the external situation that you are in.

It is when you can be like a baby living life in the most vulnerable and expressive way ever.

It is when you can say:

I am truly loved.

I think this is it. There is nothing more that I can say.
If this post rings true to you, I believe a little “transformation’: a rise of consciousness/ enlightenment has already taken place. Don’t force it, let it be.

Nasmate,
Will

Transformation 4/5: Experiencing Life to the fullest

2007-12-21T07:43:00.000-08:00

A. Appreciation of what is around you

"See the fullness of life all around you. The warmth of the sun on your skin, the display of magnificent flowers outside a florist's shop, biting into a succulent fruit, or getting soaked in an abundance of water falling from the sky. The Fullness of life is there at every step."

Eckhart Tolle

How often do we get so caught up in life that we forget to stop and really experience and appreciate life? Things that are around you, your partner, your family, your colleagues....

When's the last time you really 'spend time' with someone?
Offering your fullest attention to him/her and making sure your conversations devoid of any worries and past pains, you see, your total presence is the greatest present you can ever give to a person.

When's the last time you really take a mental picture of the person in front of you, taking in all his/her physical features and see the beautfiul spirit that resides in their body?

The ability to see beauty in life everywhere is a key to lead a blissful life because positive emotions spring from within not from the external circumstances.

Change is the only truth. Let go of your attachment to anything, let go of the 'bad' relationship decisions that you made, let go of the 'mistakes' you made in your past....

It is what it is.

Embrace life, Enjoy living and be happy without any reasons.

Having Compassion for yourself and others is the only way to high self-esteem. With all these good, positive emotions rooted in who you are, you come into alignment with the world.

B. Focus on depth

The Intensity and glory of life can only be found in exploring the depth of all things.

But How?

The answer lies in the appreciation of what is around you, welcoming and embracing changes and bringing yourself into every moment of life with all these positive emotions:

1. Seeing the goodness in people
2. knowing that you are truly loved
3. Life is amazing and easy.

Merry Christmas!

Will

Transformation 3/5 : Living your truth

2007-12-07T02:06:00.000-08:00

My friend was talking to me about this program he was listening to. Its about masculinity and man on mission. Here is a few points worth highlighting.

“Character is Destiny,”
Sigmund Freud

Who are you? What is your identity? What is your purpose?
Before we explore these important questions, let me share a story with you guys. It is “The Count of Monte Cristo” written by Alexandre Dumas.

The Count of Monte Cristo
It is a classic story about an innocent man (Edmond Dantes) being wrongly imprisoned and his brilliant strategy for revenge against those who betrayed him.

While he is sent to the infamous Chateau d’If where the most dangerous political prisoners are kept, he meets an Italian priest and intellectual Abbe Faria who bequeaths to Dante’s a large treasure hidden on the island of Monte Cristo. When Faria died, Dantes jumps off the cliff, thrown himself into the sea and swim to freedom.

At the end, he transforms himself into the wealthy count of Monte Cristo and cleverly integrates himself into the French nobility and destroys those who betrayed him.

The symbolism of the Cliff
Imagine you are Dantes standing at the edge of the cliff, what are the emotions that are running through you right now?

What are the questions that you will ask yourself?
Is it worth it?

The real question then becomes whether you can summon enough courage and emotional leverage to allow you to step into the unknown future.
To me, the edge of the cliff can be seen as the end of a particular lifestyle that you are having at the moment and a new door allowing you to access a radically different lifestyle and adventure.

When Edmund Dantes told Priest Faria that, “I don’t believe in God,” Faria responds with the following,
“That is no matter, Edmund, for God believes in YOU.”

In other words, whether or not you are afraid if you will survive, life will keep hammering you with challenges because we all know that you will be right. “ Allow yourself to be thrown off the cliff, and find yourself washed up on the beach; a real man, mature, with a real life.” David

The meaning of life:
It is everything that you decide.
It can be what Roberto Benini said “Life is beautiful” or Ernest Hemingway ‘s quote, “Life is a tragedy.”
It doesn’t matter. It is up to you ultimately.
Personally, I agree totally with David Deida’s notion that Most men’s ultimate reason for doing anything has to do with discovering their deepest truth, enjoying total freedom and love, and giving their fullest gifts.

Discover Your purpose now:
Steve Pavlina offers an excellent way to identify your life purpose/ values.

What’s the point? The answer is being happy and being free.
When you start making everyday of your life a process of being who you really are, living you own truth then you become a purpose-driven person.

You know who you are….

You know what you value……

You know what your personal BOUNDARIES are….

You become a person who is naturally centered and THIS alone will allow you to create and live the type of Life that you want to live.

Transformation 2/5 : It is what it is

2007-12-04T07:39:00.000-08:00

Have you ever felt bored? Not because you are ‘bored’ but because there is this little voice inside your head that tells you to feel this way.

Wait A sec.
What do you mean? You are not making any sense. You are saying as if I have a choice not to feel a particular way.

I am telling you YES!!!
Life is Choice even the state that you are feeling RIGHT NOW can change instantly for E MOTIONS is basically energy in motions. Tune into your FAVOURITE ‘clubbing’ music feeling the beat and singing along with it. I bet you will feel like going out and partying.

In addition, I am proposing something different:

Total Surrender to Reality + forever playful attitude

Total Surrender to reality basically implies the realisation that it is what it is. If you want to lead a blissful life, you really have to carry with you a mindset of total acceptance to any situations.

I understand how hard it is not to follow our natural instincts to label and judge a particular situation. Be patient with yourself.

1. Awareness: Catch yourself judging or labeling a particular situation
2. Deal with the voice (your ego) inside your head: tell it to either shut up or let it build up and it will disappear eventually. The key is not to resist or judge.
3. Repetition: you just have to consciously apply it everyday to make it a natural part of mental process.

Why is it that we have to stop judging and labeling?

;)
Reality is so illusive and deceiving that we can hardly come up with the “RIGHT’ solution or response. Just Go with it man.

You see, I personally really admire the character Vincent Chase in Entourage. His mindset absolutely rocks!!! Every time when the shits hit the fan, he will respond with something along the line, “Dude don’t worry, it always works out well.”

In reality, it always does.

Everyday Tips:
1. Start the day by telling yourself (Breath deeply as well) , “Today I will judge nothing.” From Deepak Chopra
2. Be Happy and Playful without any reasons. That’s the only way to live life (at least in my opinion.)

Thanks for reading.

Transformation 1 / 5 : The Power of Living in the Now Moment.

2007-12-03T05:07:00.000-08:00

If there is one thing that can transform your life right now, it is from now on focus on nothing else but

Living in the NOW moment, right here right now!

People often say that an exciting life requires constant energy and intensity. It is so true. Ask yourself and your friends: why is it that we love extreme sports like skydiving and boxing so much?

It is precisely because it forces us to focus on the now and causes our awareness to expand exponentially.

How often do we find our mind slips away from the present and endlessly anticipating a ‘better’ future hoping that it will fill the void within us?

Is it then possible to suggest that our worries stem from our mind spending too much time in the future rather than the present?

Deepak Chopra once remarks that, ‘when the present moment becomes filled with a presence that is all-absorbing, completely at peace, and totally satisfying, you are in the now.’

Living in the now therefore implies a certain degree of awareness: noticing all those around you for ‘there are no ordinary moments’. (Peaceful Warrior)

The advantages of living in the NOW
The power of living in the now moment allows you to achieve the following things:
1. Grants you the power to create your own reality for you no longer bring any preconceived notions or judgments to a situation. You are, after all, the creator and co-creator of your own reality.
2. Eliminate worries which are rooted in the endless anticipation of the future.
3. You become authentic, attractive, confident and naturally who you are.
4. Because you live in the now, you therefore convey a degree of presence when you are around people.

Quick tips to help you living in the now
· When you catch yourself not paying attention or your mind wandering, come back to where you are.
· Breathing deeply for a minute or two will definitely help you to expand awareness and eliminate the feelings of anxiety, boredom, worrying or insecurity..due to wandering in the future.

Recommended Reading
· Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now”
· Deepak Chopra’s “The Book of Secrets.”

The Course in Miracle once said, “your good intention is not enough, your WILLINGNESS is everything.”

Start applying it to your life everyday.

My Motto for this coming year

2007-10-31T17:31:00.001-07:00

Turning 20 certainly is exciting, joyful and NICE. (I guess)

The idea of being an adult taking real REPSONSIBILITY of everything that is happening in my life proves to be harder than I thought for your ego is always on the way making excuses.

Moderation? It's mediocrity, fear, and confusion in disguise. It's the devil's dilemma. It's neither doing nor not doing. It's the wobbling compromise that makes no one happy. Moderation is for the bland, the apologetic, for the fence-sitters of the world afraid to take a stand. It's for those afraid to laugh or cry, for those afraid to live or die. Moderation...is lukewarm tea, the devil's own brew.

Dan Millman- The Way of Peaceful Warrior

My guilding principles for this coming year stating from this second are:

Focus living in the now moment! Offer my fullest attention to it with no judgments.

Taking Risks regularly! Because the greatest failure in life is to risk NOTHING.

Be Happy without any Reasons, for this is the only way to be truly happy.

With these principles in mind, I am WILLING to live every second of my life according to them.

The ‘Worldly Race’ vs. our internal Reality

2007-10-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

Has your mum ever ‘complained’ to you that someone is doing quite well these days, you know, she/he is earning seven figures salary, own their own production company…etc?

I am sure we all go through the phrases of constant comparing and competitions during certain stages of our lives. All these external pressures from parents and society expectations can be argued to motivate us to strive forwards to achieve ‘better’ and ‘grander’ things.

But my question is that Is this the way to go? To strive to come first in this ‘worldly race’?

Are those who appear to be so successful externally winning the race or will they get tired, frustrated and lost before the race finishes? I don’t know.

I guess what I am trying to highlight here is that the struggle and frustration that comes in a package deal when we constantly chasing after the illusive notion of security to fulfill our wants.

Rather than going through the fire of initiation, gradually transforming and fine-tuning ourselves from metal to gold, those who focus on achieving externally tend to put gold glitter on themselves to cover up their problems that are desperately waiting to be addressed.

I work as a part time tele-interviewer for a market research company. I wouldn’t say I have a good voice but I tend to end up conducting the most interviews at the end of each shift EFFORTLESSLY as opposed to people who TRY to get more interviews done by dialing more numbers.

I think all it comes down to is ALIGNMENT: It is all about BEING, coming from a place where you are totally natural, joyful and offering values (love, gratitude and appreciation) to others.

When we surrender ourselves to reality, knowing that it is through going through the fire of initiation, learning from those experiences and lessons, only through that can we truly transform ourselves from medal to gold.
Once it is done, your inner qualities will shine through effortlessly and everything else will come together in perfection.

Self-Improvement vs Accepting the way we are

2007-10-18T07:09:00.000-07:00

It’s funny how the 21st century is filled with products which are labeled as ‘personal growth’ and ‘deep personal identity change’ …etc The question is do we really need these products?

The truth is that while we all busy looking for the perfect product/ magic pill which can transform our lives in every areas instantly. We seem to forget one thing: that is to accept fully who we really are.

Accepting fully the way we are is definitely not doing nothing and watching heroes or prison break all day. The mindset behind self-improvement is important. When you come from a place where you fully accepting the way you are and therefore aligning yourself with the universe, you will set up situations for yourself to grow and learn from those experiences.

The key is to remember that everything that happens to you up till now is PERFECT and those are the experiences you need to learn from.

Start by fully accepting yourself the way you are, right now!!! Before you start a new day, empty your mind and thoughts and tell yourself that I now fully accept the way I am. Notice how empowering this feels for you are no longer tangled by what others and your ‘ego’ thinks of you.

You see being authentic is to accept everything that you are. The good and bad, the loving and unloving and by embracing those ambiguities within yourself, you become grounded in your own truth.

First Post

2007-10-16T22:55:00.001-07:00

I have decided to start up a blog just sharing thoughts and personal journey for those who are interested in or already committed to living consciously. Make no mistake, I just started embarking on the journey of living consciously: living in the NOW moment and completely surrender to reality.

With this in mind, I am sure that every step that I take will lead me closer to the truth.

I was listening to Marianne Williamson's 'A Course in Miracle'today. Marianne conveys a couple of absolutely beautiful spiritual messages.

1. The work of religion is to go within us to go explore our own values.

2. Expect the best of people. PRAY for those who you have problems dealing with. Remember these people in whatever ways who are not manifesting love are not because they are bad but wounded. Find the love and acceptance within you to pray and bless for the people.

3. The power of our mind to bless people is far greater than the power of money, science and technology. The power to destroy is nothing compared to the power to create.

4. Deeper level of spirituality: letting God to be your pilot, being little children relaxing in the arms of the parents. Trusting God that he/she is the way. When we try to take control (that is to resist reality), we are interfering with God's plan.

5. The Ego mind speaks first and speaks the loudest.

6. The consumer culture constantly tells us that we are not good enough. The fact is that we are ENOUGH. We truly are.

Empty your mind everyday. Don't let your attitude and emotions take charge for judgments and labelling will appear.

The spiritual journey is to unlearn, letting God come into our mind and following your heart- your higher self.

I am doing an experiment at the moment:
Wishing everyone that I come across with true happiness and joy.

Interesting what this experiment will bring

thanks for reading