Reflective Jules

Deepak Chopra Web Series

noreply@blogger.com (Life is good!!!) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:37:00 +0000

Intention is the topic of Deepak's Namaste newsletter this month. It is so very perfect right now, for me... I am working on my Vision board... creating my Intentions... visions of what I want to see...

Intention is the starting point of every spiritual path. It is the force that fulfills all of our needs, whether for money, relationships, spiritual awakening, or love. Intention generates all the activities in the universe. Everything that we can see – and even the things we cannot – are an expression of intention’s infinite organizing power.

As the ancient Indian sages observed thousands of years ago, our destiny is shaped by the deepest level of our intention and desire. Once we plant the seed of an intention in the fertile ground of pure potentiality, our soul’s journey unfolds automatically, as naturally as a bulb becomes a tulip or an embryo becomes a child. With this issue of Namasté, we invite you to explore the power of intention and harness it for deeper fulfillment.

“The winds of grace are blowing – it is you who must raise your sails.” ~ Rabindranath Tagore

Here a few recommendations for using intention to the highest possible benefit:

Set your intentions high. Aim to be a saint and a miracle worker. If you know that the goal of inner growth is to acquire mastery, then plant the seed for mastery as soon as possible. Don’t strain to work wonders, but don’t deny them to yourself either. The beginning of mastery is vision; see the miracles around you, and that will make it easier for greater miracles to grow.

Unmask your false intentions. False intentions take the form of guilty desires: I want someone else to fail. I want to get even. I want to see bad people punished. False intentions can be elusive, but you will notice their existence by the feeling connected with them – a feeling of fear, greed, rage, hopelessness, and weakness. Sense the feeling first, refuse to buy into it , and then remain aware until you find the intention lurking beneath.

Nurture your intentions every day.

Everyday life surrounds us in a swirling chaos, and it’s easy to fall into the grip of our ego’s fears, demands, and confusion. You need to remind yourself – daily – of your intentions and purpose. Some people find it helpful to write down their intentions and review them each day; for others, periods of regular meditation and prayer are invaluable. Find your center and don’t let go of your intention until it feels centered inside yourself.

Detach. Intend for everything to work out as it should, then let go and allow opportunities and openings to come your way. Don’t listen to the voice that says you have to be in charge, that constant vigilance is the only way to get anything done. The outcome that you try so hard to force may not be as good for you as the one that comes naturally.

Remember to REACH FOR THE STARS!!!

OH, and remember... you have to BELIEVE!

Much Love, Juli

Andrew Cohen and Eckhart Tolle Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Life is good!!!) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:49:00 +0000

Ripples on the Surface of Being

An interview with Eckhart Tolle by Andrew Cohen from "What is Enlightenment?" magazine This interview was re-edited and reprinted with a special introduction for our 15th anniversary edition. Click to read the new interview or to view the full issue.

Eckhart Tolle

Bio & resources

This interview was re-edited and reprinted with a special introduction for our 15th anniversary edition. Click to read the new interview or to view the full issue.

ANDREW COHEN: Eckhart, what is your life like? I've heard that you're a bit of a recluse and that you spend a lot of time in solitude. Is that true? ECKHART TOLLE: That was true in the past, before my book The Power of Now came out. For many years I was a recluse. But since the publication of the book, my life has changed dramatically. I'm now very much involved in teaching and traveling. And people who knew me before say, "This is amazing. You used to be a hermit and now you are out in the world." Yet I still feel that inside nothing has changed. I still feel exactly the same as before. There is still a continuous sense of peace, and I am surrendered to the fact that on an external level there's been a total change. So it's actually not true anymore that I am a hermit. Now I'm the opposite of a hermit. This may well be a cycle. It may well be that at some point this will come to an end and I will become a hermit again. But at the moment, I am surrendered to the fact that I'm almost continuously interacting. I do occasionally take time to be alone. That is necessary in between teaching engagements. AC: Why is it that you need to take time to be alone, and what is it that happens when you take the time to be alone? ET: When I'm with people, I'm a spiritual teacher. That's the function, but it's not my identity. The moment I'm alone, my deepest joy is to be nobody, to relinquish the function of a teacher. It's a temporary function. Let's say I'm seeing a group of people. The moment they leave me, I'm no longer a spiritual teacher. There's no longer any sense of external identity. I simply go into the stillness more deeply. The place that I love most is the stillness. It's not that the stillness is lost when I talk or when I teach because the words arise out of the stillness. But when people leave me, there is only the stillness left. And I love that so much. AC: Would you say that you prefer it? ET: Not prefer. There is a balance now in my life, which perhaps wasn't there before. When the inner transformation happened many years ago, one could almost say a balance was lost. It was so fulfilling and so blissful simply to be that I lost all interest in doing or interacting. For quite a few years, I got lost in Being. I had almost relinquished doing completely—just enough to keep myself alive and even that was miraculous. I had totally lost interest in the future. And then gradually a balance re-established itself. It didn't re-establish itself fully until I started writing the book. The way I feel now is that there is a balance in my life between being alone and interacting with people, between Being and doing, whereas before, the doing was relinquished and there was only Being. Blissful, profound, beautiful—but from an external viewpoint, many people thought that I had become unbalanced or had gone mad. Some people thought I was crazy to have let go of all the worldly things I had "achieved." They didn't understand that I didn't want or need any of that anymore. So the balance now is between aloneness and meeting with people. And that's good. I'm quite attentive to that so that the balance doesn't get lost. There is now a pull toward increasing doing. People want me to talk here and talk there—there are constant demands. I know that I need to be attentive now, so that the balance is not lost, and I don't get lost in doing. I don't think it would ever happen, but it requires a certain amount of vigilance. AC: What would it mean to get lost in doing? ET: Theoretically, it would mean that I would continuously travel, teach, and interact with people. Perhaps if that happened, at some point the flow, the stillness, might not be there. I don't know; it may always be there. Or physical exhaustion may set in. But I feel now that I need to return to the pure stillness periodically. And then, when the teaching happens, just allow it to arise out of the stillness. So the teaching and stillness are very closely connected. The teaching arises out of the stillness. But when I'm alone, there's only the stillness, and that is my favorite place. AC: When you're alone, do you spend a lot of time physically being still? ET: Yes, I can sometimes sit for two hours in a room with almost no thought. Just complete stillness. Sometimes when I go for walks, there's also complete stillness; there's no mental labeling of sense perceptions. There's simply a sense of awe or wonder or openness, and that's beautiful. AC: In your book The Power of Now you state that "The ultimate purpose of the world lies not within the world but in transcendence of the world." Could you please explain what you mean? ET: Transcending the world does not mean to withdraw from the world, to no longer take action, or to stop interacting with people. Transcendence of the world is to act and to interact without any self-seeking. In other words, it means to act without seeking to enhance one's sense of self through one's actions or one's interactions with people. Ultimately, it means not needing the future anymore for one's fulfillment or for one's sense of self or being. There is no seeking through doing, seeking an enhanced, more fulfilled, or greater sense of self in the world. When that seeking isn't there anymore, then you can be in the world but not be of the world. You are no longer seeking for anything to identify with out there. AC: Do you mean that one has given up an egotistical, materialistic relationship to the world? ET: Yes, it means no longer seeking to gain a sense of self, a deeper or enhanced sense of self. Because in the normal state of consciousness, what people are looking for through their activity is to be more completely themselves. The bank robber is looking for that in some way. The person who is striving for enlightenment is also looking for it because he or she is seeking to attain a state of perfection, a state of completion, a state of fullness at some point in the future. There is a seeking to gain something through one's activities. They are seeking happiness, but ultimately they are seeking themselves or you could say God; it comes down to the same thing. They are seeking themselves, and they are seeking where it can never be found, in the normal, unenlightened state of consciousness, because the unenlightened state of consciousness is always in the seeking mode. That means they are of the world—in the world and of the world. AC: You mean that they are looking forward in time? ET: Yes, the world and time are intrinsically connected. When all self-seeking in time ceases, then you can be in the world without being of the world. AC: What exactly do you mean when you say that the purpose of the world lies in the transcendence of it? ET: The world promises fulfillment somewhere in time, and there is a continuous striving toward that fulfillment in time. Many times people feel, "Yes, now I have arrived," and then they realize that, no, they haven't arrived, and then the striving continues. It is expressed beautifully in A Course in Miracles, where it says that the dictum of the ego is "Seek but do not find." People look to the future for salvation, but the future never arrives. So ultimately, suffering arises through not finding. And that is the beginning of an awakening—when the realization dawns that "Perhaps this is not the way. Perhaps I will never get to where I am striving to reach; perhaps it's not in the future at all." After having been lost in the world, suddenly, through the pressure of suffering, the realization comes that the answers may not be found out there in worldly attainment and in the future. That's an important point for many people to reach. That sense of deep crisis—when the world as they have known it, and the sense of self that they have known that is identified with the world, become meaningless. That happened to me. I was just that close to suicide and then something else happened—a death of the sense of self that lived through identifications, identifications with my story, things around me, the world. Something arose at that moment that was a sense of deep and intense stillness and aliveness, beingness. I later called it "presence." I realized that beyond words, that is who I am. But this realization wasn't a mental process. I realized that that vibrantly alive, deep stillness is who I am. Years later, I called that stillness "pure consciousness," whereas everything else is the conditioned consciousness. The human mind is the conditioned consciousness that has taken form as thought. The conditioned consciousness is the whole world that is created by the conditioned mind. Everything is our conditioned consciousness; even objects are. Conditioned consciousness has taken birth as form and then that becomes the world. So to be lost in the conditioned seems to be necessary for humans. It seems to be part of their path to be lost in the world, to be lost in the mind, which is the conditioned consciousness. Then, due to the suffering that arises out of being lost, one finds the unconditioned as oneself. And that is why we need the world to transcend the world. So I'm infinitely grateful for having been lost. The purpose of the world is for you to be lost in it, ultimately. The purpose of the world is for you to suffer, to create the suffering that seems to be what is needed for the awakening to happen. And then once the awakening happens, with it comes the realization that suffering is unnecessary now. You have reached the end of suffering because you have transcended the world. It is the place that is free of suffering. This seems to be everybody's path. Perhaps it is not everybody's path in this lifetime, but it seems to be a universal path. Even without a spiritual teaching or a spiritual teacher, I believe that everybody would get there eventually. But that could take time. AC: A long time. ET: Much longer. A spiritual teaching is there to save time. The basic message of the teaching is that you don't need any more time, you don't need any more suffering. I tell this to people who come to me: "You are ready to hear this because you are listening to it. There are still millions of people out there who are not listening to it. They still need time. But I am not talking to them. You are hearing that you don't need time anymore and you don't need to suffer anymore. You've been seeking in time and you've been seeking further suffering." And to suddenly hear that "You don't need that anymore—for some, that can be the moment of transformation. So the beauty of the spiritual teaching is that it saves lifetimes of— AC: Unnecessary suffering. ET: Yes, so it's good that people are lost in the world. I enjoy traveling to New York and Los Angeles, where it seems that people are totally involved. I was looking out of the window in New York. We were next to the Empire State Building, doing a group. And everybody was rushing around, almost running. Everybody seemed to be in a state of intense nervous tension, anxiety. It's suffering, really, but it's not recognized as suffering. And I thought, where are they all running to? And of course, they are all running to the future. They are needing to get somewhere, which is not here. It is a point in time: not now—then. They are running to a then. They are suffering, but they don't even know it. But to me, even watching that was joyful. I didn't feel, "Oh, they should know better." They are on their spiritual path. At the moment, that is their spiritual path, and it works beautifully. AC: Often the word enlightenment is interpreted to mean the end of division within the self and the simultaneous discovery of a perspective or way of seeing that is whole, complete, or free from duality. Some who have experienced this perspective claim that the ultimate realization is that there is no difference between the world and God or the Absolute, between samsara and nirvana, between the manifest and the unmanifest. But there are others who claim that, in fact, the ultimate realization is that the world doesn't actually exist at all—that the world is only an illusion, completely empty of meaning, significance, or reality. So in your own experience, is the world real? Is the world unreal? Both? ET: Even when I'm interacting with people or walking in a city, doing ordinary things, the way I perceive the world is like ripples on the surface of being. Underneath the world of sense perceptions and the world of mind activity, there is the vastness of being. There's a vast spaciousness. There's a vast stillness and there's a little ripple activity on the surface, which isn't separate, just like the ripples are not separate from the ocean. So there is no separation in the way I perceive it. There is no separation between being and the manifested world, between the manifested and the unmanifested. But the unmanifested is so much vaster, deeper, and greater than what happens in the manifested. Every phenomenon in the manifested is so short-lived and so fleeting that, yes, one could almost say that from the perspective of the unmanifested, which is the timeless beingness or presence, all that happens in the manifested realm really seems like a play of shadows. It seems like vapor or mist with continuously new forms arising and disappearing, arising and disappearing. So to the one who is deeply rooted in the unmanifested, the manifested could very easily be called unreal. I don't call it unreal because I see it as not separate from anything. AC: So it is real? ET: All that is real is beingness itself. Consciousness is all there is, pure consciousness. AC: You're saying that the definition of "real" would be that which is free from birth and death? ET: That's right. AC: So only that which was never born and cannot die would be real. And since the manifest world is ultimately not separate from the unmanifest, according to what you are saying, in the end, one would have to say it's real. ET: Yes, and even within every form that is subject to birth and death, there is the deathless. The essence of every form is the deathless. Even the essence of a blade of grass is the deathless. And that's why the world of form is sacred. It's not that the realm of the sacred is exclusively being or the unmanifested. Even the world of form I see as sacred. AC: If someone simply asks you, "Is the world real or unreal?" would you say it was real or would you have to qualify the statement? ET: I would probably qualify the statement. AC: Saying what? ET: It's a temporary manifestation of the real. AC: So if the world is a temporary manifestation of the real, what is the enlightened relationship to the world? ET: To the unenlightened, the world is all there is. There is nothing else. This time-bound mode of consciousness clings to the past for its identity and desperately needs the world for its happiness and fulfillment. Therefore, the world holds enormous promise but poses a great threat at the same time. That is the dilemma of the unenlightened consciousness: it is torn between seeking fulfillment in and through the world and being threatened by it continuously. A person hopes that they will find themselves in it, and at the same time they fear that the world is going to kill them, as it will. That is the state of continuous conflict that the unenlightened consciousness is condemned to—being torn continuously between desire and fear. It's a dreadful fate. The enlightened consciousness is rooted in the unmanifested, and ultimately is one with it. It knows itself to be that. One could almost say it is the unmanifested looking out. Even with a simple thing like visually perceiving a form—a flower or a tree—if you are perceiving it in a state of great alertness and deep stillness, free of past and future, then at that moment already it is the unmanifested. You are not a person anymore at that moment. The unmanifested is perceiving itself in form. And there is always a sense of goodness in that perception. So then all action arises out of that, and has a completely different quality from action that arises out of the unenlightened consciousness, which needs something and seeks to protect itself. That is really where those intangible and precious qualities come in that we call love, joy, and peace. They are all one with the unmanifested. They arise out of that. A human being who lives in connectedness with that and then acts and interacts becomes a blessing on the planet, whereas the unenlightened human is very heavy on the planet. There is a heaviness to the unenlightened. And the planet is suffering from millions of unenlightened humans. The burden on the planet is almost too much to bear. I can sometimes feel it as the planet saying, "Oh, no more, please." AC: You encourage people to meditate, to as you describe it, "rest in the Presence of the Now" as much as possible. Do you think that spiritual practice can ever become truly deep and have the power to liberate if one has not already given up the world and what the world represents, at least to some degree? ET: I wouldn't say that the practice itself has the power to liberate. It's only when there is complete surrender to the now, to what is, that liberation is possible. I do not believe that a practice will take you into complete surrender. Complete surrender usually happens through living. Your very life is the ground where that happens. There may be a partial surrender and then there may be an opening, and then you may engage in spiritual practice. But whether the spiritual practice is taken up after a certain degree of insight or the spiritual practice is just done in and of itself, the practice alone won't do it. AC: Something that I've found in my own teaching work is that unless the world has been seen through to a certain degree, and unless there is a willingness based on that seeing to let go of it, then spiritual experience, no matter how powerful it is, is not going to lead to any kind of liberation. ET: That's right, and the willingness to let go is surrender. That remains the key. Without that, no amount of practice or even spiritual experiences will do it. AC: Yes, many people say they want to meditate or do spiritual practice, but their spiritual aspirations are not based on a willingness to let go of anything substantial. ET: No, in fact it may be the opposite. Spiritual practice may be a way to try to find something new to identify with. AC: Ultimately, would you say that real spiritual practice or real spiritual experience is meant to lead one to the letting go of the world, the transcendence of the world, the relinquishment of attachment to the world? ET: Yes. Sometimes people ask, "How do you get to that? It sounds wonderful, but how do you get there?" In concrete terms, at its most basic, it simply means to say "yes" to this moment. That is the state of surrender—a total "yes" to what is. Not the inner "no" to what is. And the complete "yes" to what is, is the transcendence of the world. It's as simple as that—a total openness to whatever arises at this moment. The usual state of consciousness is to resist, to run away from it, to deny it, to not look at it. AC: So when you say a "yes" to what is, do you mean not avoiding anything and facing everything? ET: Right. It's welcoming this moment, embracing this moment, and that is the state of surrender. That is really all that's needed. The only difference between a Master and a non-Master is that the Master embraces what is, totally. When there is nonresistance to what is, there comes a peace. The portal is open; the unmanifested is there. That is the most powerful way. We can't call it practice because there's no time in it. AC: For most people who are participating in the East-meets-West spiritual explosion that is occurring with ever-greater speed these days, both Gautama the Buddha and Ramana Maharshi—one of the most respected Vedantins of the modern era—stand out as peerless examples of full-blown enlightenment, and yet, interestingly enough, in regard to this question of the right relationship to the world for the spiritual aspirant, their teachings diverge dramatically. The Buddha, the world-renouncer, encouraged those who were the most sincere to leave the world and follow him in order to live the holy life, free from the cares and concerns of the householder life. Yet Ramana Maharshi discouraged his disciples from leaving the household life in pursuit of greater spiritual focus and intensity. In fact, he discouraged any outward acts of renunciation and instead encouraged the aspirant to look within and find the cause of ignorance and suffering within the self. Indeed, many of his growing number of devotees today say that the desire to renounce is actually an expression of ego, the very part of the self that we want to liberate ourselves from if we want to be free. But of course the Buddha laid great stress on the need for renunciation, detachment, diligence, and restraint as the very foundation on which liberating insight can occur. So why do you think the approaches of these two spiritual luminaries differ so widely? Why do you think that the Buddha encouraged his disciples to leave the world while Ramana encouraged them to stay where they were? ET: There's not one way that that works. Different ages have certain approaches, which may be more effective for one age and no longer effective in another age. The world that we live in now has much greater density to it; it is much more all-pervasive. And when I say "world," I include the human mind in it. The human mind has grown even since the time of the Buddha, 2,500 years ago. The human mind is more noisy and more all-pervasive, and the egos are bigger. There's been an ego growth over thousands of years; it's growing to a point of madness, with the ultimate madness having been reached in the twentieth century. One only needs to read twentieth-century history to see that it has been the climax of human madness, if it's measured in terms of human violence inflicted on other humans. So in the present time, we can't escape from the world anymore; we can't escape from the mind. We need to enter surrender while we are in the world. That seems to be the path that is effective in the world that we live in now. It may be that at the time of the Buddha, withdrawing was much, much easier than it would be now. The human mind was not yet so overwhelming at that time. AC: But the reason that the Buddha preached leading the homeless life was because he felt that the household life was full of worries, cares, and concerns, and in that context he felt it would be difficult to do what was needed to live the holy life. So in terms of what you're saying about the noise and distraction of the world, that is actually precisely what he was addressing and why in fact he led the homeless life and encouraged other people to do the same. ET: Well, he gave his reasons, but ultimately we don't know why the Buddha put the emphasis on leaving the world rather than saying as Ramana Maharshi did, "Do it in the world." But it seems to me, from what I have observed, that the more effective way now is for people to surrender in the world rather than attempt to remove themselves from the world and create a structure that makes it easier to surrender. There's a contradiction there already because you're creating a structure to make it easier to surrender. Why not surrender now? You don't need to create anything to make surrender easier because then it's not true surrender anymore. I've stayed in Buddhist monasteries and I can see how easily it can happen—they have given up their name and adopted a new name, they've shaved their heads, they wear their robes— AC: You're saying that one world has been abandoned for another. One identification has been given up for another; one role has been dropped and another has been assumed. Nothing has actually been given up. ET: That's right. Therefore do it where you are, right here, right now. There's no need to seek out some other place or some other condition or situation and then do it there. Do it right here and now. Wherever you are is the place for surrender. Whatever the situation is that you're in, you can say "yes" to what is, and that is then the basis for all further action. AC: There are many teachers and teachings today that say that the very desire to renounce the world is an expression of ego. How do you see that? ET: The desire to renounce the world is again the desire to reach a certain state that you don't have now. There's a mental projection of a desirable state to reach—the state of renunciation. It's self-seeking through future. In that sense, it is ego. True renunciation isn't the desire to renounce; it arises as surrender. You cannot have a desire to surrender because that's non-surrender. Surrender arises spontaneously sometimes in people who don't even have a word for it. And I know that openness is there in many people now. Many people who come to me have a great openness. Sometimes it only requires a few words and immediately they have a glimpse, a taste of surrender, which may not yet be lasting, but the opening is there. AC: What about the spontaneous call from the heart to abandon all that's false and illusory, all that's based on the ego's materialistic relationship to life? For example, when the Buddha decided, "I have to leave my home behind—it would probably be hard to say that was an egotistical desire, looking at the results. And Jesus saying, "Come follow me. Let the dead bury their dead." ET: That is recognizing the false as false, which is mainly an inner thing—to recognize false identifications, to recognize the mental noise, and what had been identification with mental images as a "me" entity, to be false. That is beautiful, that recognition. And then action may arise out of the recognition of the false, and perhaps you can see the false reflected in your life circumstances and you may then leave those behind—or not. But the recognition and relinquishment of all that is false and illusory is primarily an inner one. AC: Those two cases, the Buddha and Jesus, would be examples of powerful outer manifestations of that inner recognition. ET: That's right. There's no predicting what is going to happen as a result of that inner recognition. For the Buddha, of course, it came because he was already an adult when he suddenly realized that humans die and become ill and grow old. And that was so powerful that he looked within and said that everything is meaningless if that's all there is. AC: But then he was compelled to go off, to abandon his kingdom. From a certain point of view he could have said, "Well, it's all here right now, and all I need to do is just surrender unconditionally here and now." Then I guess the result could have been very different, he could have been an enlightened king! ET: But at that point he didn't know that all that was necessary was surrender. AC: Yet, when Jesus was calling the fishermen to leave their families and their lives to follow him and, similarly, when the Buddha would walk through towns and call the men to leave everything behind, their surrender was demonstrated in the actual leaving, in saying "yes" to Jesus or the Buddha and letting go of their worldly attachments. And obviously there would also be their inner attachment to let go of as well. In these cases, letting go wasn't only a metaphor for inner transcendence; it also meant literally letting go of everything. ET: For some people that is part of it. They may leave their habitual surroundings or activities, but the only question is whether or not they have already seen the false within. If they haven't, the external letting go will be a disguised form of self-seeking. AC: For my last question I'd like to ask you about the relationship between your understanding of enlightenment, or the experience of nondual consciousness, and engagement with the world. In Judaism, fully engaging with the world and human life is seen as the fulfillment of the religious calling. In fact, they say it is only through wholeheartedly living the commandments that the spiritual potential of the human race can become manifest on earth. Jewish scholar David Ariel writes, "We finish the work of creation . . . God stands in need of us because only we can perfect the world." Many enlightenment or nondual teachings like your own emphasize the enlightenment of the individual. Indeed, transcendence of the world seems to be the whole point. But our Jewish brothers appear to be calling us to something very different—the spiritualization of the world through devoted men's and women's wholehearted participation in the world. So is it true that nondual enlightenment teachings deprive the world of our wholehearted participation in it? Does the very notion of transcendence rob the world of the fulfillment of our potential to spiritualize it as God's children? ET: No, because right action can only flow out of that state of transcendence of the world. Any other activity is ego-induced, and even doing good, if it's ego-induced, will have karmic consequences. "Ego-induced" means there is an ulterior motive. For example, it enhances your self-image if you become a more spiritual person in your own eyes and that feels good; or another example would be looking to a future reward in another lifetime or in heaven. So if there are ulterior motives, it's not pure. There cannot be true love flowing into your actions if the world has not been transcended because you're not connected with the realm out of which love arises. AC: Do you mean pure action, untainted by ego? ET: Yes, first things first. What comes first is realization and liberation, and then let action flow out of that—and that will be pure, untainted, and there's no karma attached to it whatsoever. Otherwise, no matter how high our ideals are, we will still strengthen the ego through our good actions. Unfortunately, you cannot fulfill the commandments unless you are egoless—and there are very few who are—as all the people who have tried to practice the teachings of Christ have found out. "Love your neighbor as yourself" is one of the main teachings of Jesus, and you cannot fulfill that commandment, no matter how hard you try, if you don't know who you are at the deepest level. Love your neighbor as yourself means your neighbor is yourself, and that recognition of oneness is love.

Lance Armstrong - Return to Professional Cycling

noreply@blogger.com (Life is good!!!) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 02:21:00 +0000

Yes! Thank You Lance... for continuing to push all limits... for being a role model with integrity!!

AUSTIN, Texas – September 9, 2008 – Today, Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor, founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and cycling champion, released the following statement regarding his return to professional sports:

“I am happy to announce that after talking with my children, my family and my closest friends, I have decided to return to professional cycling in order to raise awareness of the global cancer burden. This year alone, nearly eight million people will die of cancer worldwide. Millions more will suffer in isolation, victims not only of the disease but of social stigma. After the passage of Proposition 15 in Texas, a $3 billion investment in the fight against cancer which is helping to make this disease part of the national dialogue in America, it’s now time to address cancer on a global level.”

Mr. Armstrong will discuss his cycling program and an international LIVESTRONG strategy on September 24th in New York City at the Clinton Global Initiative.

Ten Rules for Being Human

noreply@blogger.com (Life is good!!!) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:06:00 +0000

# 1) You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it's yours to keep for the entire period. # 2) You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, "life." # 3) There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately "work." # 4) Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson. # 5) Learning lessons does not end. There's no part of life that doesn't contain its lessons. If you're alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned. # 6) "There" is no better a place than "here." When your "there" has become a "here", you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here." # 7) Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself. # 8) What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours. # 9) Your answers lie within you. The answers to life's questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust. #10) You will forget all this.

Do things increase your sense of worth and therefore the lack of them diminish your sense of self?

noreply@blogger.com (Life is good!!!) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:47:00 +0000

....was the questioned asked on the Self Growth site I am a member of... and my answer was.....Me personally...? NO! Not anymore। I used to buy into the worlds facade, surface level, play acting, baloney. When I could no longer live in that shadow... it became life or death for me... I chose life, but not until after I chose death. I got a second chance... to rethink, to rearrange my life, my priorities. I gave away everything... everything that was ever "mine"- except a bit of clothing, shoes and books. I had beautiful, lovely things... I had worked like a dog all my life for those things. I had started w/nothing... barely 18 yrs old... pregnant and very alone. I never really thought I was going to be "anybody"... there was a seed inside me that knew I would, but from the outside in, life was bleak. I was too stupid, too fat, too ugly, too passionate, too sensitive and way too much of a trouble maker. You see, I liked to go against the current... I didn't believe "who" you were, what you looked like, what you had or what label you put on anything, had to do w/anything. What mattered to me was how deep inside your soul would you allow yourself... or anyone else, to go. How thin was your mask, was all I cared about. So it seemed, most of the world didn't work that way. It seemed to me, the thicker your mask, the better play acting you did, the more you were accepted. I really tried hard to play this game, to look like a winner to others, to feel like a winner inside. No matter what, I never felt I could win that battle, the current was too great... when you're swimming up stream... you can only do it for so long...you just become too pooped to paddle, especially when you are doing it all on your own. Well, I lost that battle, my facade became my shadow, I knew I was playing, I knew I became a fake, an imposter... I did not like what I saw in the mirror, my Self knew better. My Self always knew better... that little seed wanted to grow and flourish, it became my anxiety... not listening to my Self became uneasy, a dis-ease in my body. I was de-pressing my Self... I had numerous addictions... one after the other and all together. This play went on for years and years, but nobody really knew... my facade was "DOING GREAT!!" I was the one everyone turned to, how could I tell anyone "it is so dark in here... I am so afraid... I don't know how to get out... I don't know if I want to come out... maybe it isn't just a shadow... maybe it's all real... oh god... there is no hope. I could no longer take it, I was hurting my Self, I wasn't "good" for anyone around me.

I was "resurrected".... I fought the real battle this time... the one w/ my Self. The one that knew the truth all along... we are all the same, we are all perfect the way we are, we just make the mistake of listening to Ego- the one that tell us lies.... like, how great we could be if only we got/had.................................

Remember... you're perfect... you need no thing... your seed inside you is everything you need... just nurture it... allow it to thrive!

Gasshō, (recognition of the oneness of all beings)

Juli

Ahhhhh.... Mexico

noreply@blogger.com (Life is good!!!) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:35:00 +0000

I took a girlfriend (my friend and Reiki healer) with me to Mexico a couple months ago. I really needed a week of quiet... meditation time. I knew at that point, she was the only person I could be with that I could "just be" - whatever I needed at any moment, for a week, with no expectation of going or doing... anything. There are very few people I know, that can just be still. A lot of people feel the same about me. I know people see me as very outgoing, very excitable... but, what most people don't know, is that I spend a great deal of my time alone. I love peace and quiet, no TV, no radio, no noise whatsoever. I spent most of my life being the very opposite, fortunately, I've changed almost everything about my life and that was the biggest for me. I'm free at last... I no longer need to cover the anxiety... the "I should be...." Mexico was everything I imagined and more. We stayed in a gorgeous little gated community up against the Pacific Ocean, an hour away from any sort of town. When I walked through the community the day after we arrived, I had a strong curious sense that I had lived there before, not only that, it felt like that was where I belonged... I was home... this is where I came from or need to be. It was an incredible experience, magic like, I was so in awe. The people so friendly, kind, generous, happy, spiritual, loving, so family oriented... I think the stork dropped me in the wrong place... it forgot to head south for the winter... I guess that doesn't make sense, I was born in July. Well... whatever... the egg landed in the wrong part of the world. Don't get me wrong, I love where I live, it is so beautiful, so peaceful, so everything I need right now... I am very grateful I was "brought here"! It is just interesting though, when you feel that moment that "you have been there before," that you are in the right spot, at the right moment and this is your family, your people, your tribe... they immediately connect with you, unlike your own home, your own family, it was so "spiritual", so.... magic like... You know how when you get back from vacation, and a couple days later it doesn't feel like you ever left... I felt that way, yet I still feel Mexico in me when I take a moment to breath and be in awe with life.... I see/feel it in "my body/soul/mind". Have you been somewhere that felt like you have "come home"... or you've been there before... yet, not in this life... that you recall...!!?? Is it a fleeting moment or can you bring it back at anytime... Is it "Deja vous" - "Past life".......? What do you think....!!?? The wonder of life..... Your friend, Juli

Magnanimous (Generous in Spirit) Gatherings

noreply@blogger.com (Life is good!!!) — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:03:00 +0000

Let’s Create an Instrument through which Spirit can Blow

Two of my best friends died a few years back, they were my best friends because we told each other everything, we could be absolutely raw with one another... whatever was felt or thought was said, no mask. For 22 years we were really there for each other. When my second friend was dying, I was working at the hospital at night and taking him to chemo and his appointments during the day (they both fought to the very end) On one of the days I was taking him to his appt, I sensed it was one of the last times I would speak to him and I knew I had to ask him, "what do you have to say to me?" (I know about dying, I've been around it all my life... I know at that point you are most surely "closest to spirit" "are a channel to god" more so than ever and I wanted to know what he felt he needed to say) What he had to say I will never forget.... "Keep showing up Jules, just keep showing up." I thought I knew what he meant at the time, but years more down the road... I hope a little more wise and closer to spirit myself... I so very much understand. I not only understand, but I consciously try to make it a practice. It took me a while Greg.... but I am so thankful for your spirit "ringing in my ears." Thank you Greg! "Showing up... being present is often the greatest, most precious gift we can really bestow on anyone. To be in another beings company with our heart open, porous... to see and be seen, to know and be known, something gets born in the soil of our having come together that would not have been born had we not joined hands and hearts in the same moment, same place, at the same time. Just by being here we create an instrument through which spirit can blow... so we can see one another, know one another, listen to one another. It's about trusting the grace in people, the wisdom, the courage and all the kinds of capital that there are in the world besides money (courage, wisdom, enthusiasm, hope, joy) capital that needs to be liberated, generosity that doesn't need to be taught, it needs to be liberated somehow. People ache to be kind, people ache to give what they have, to offer their gift, to bring something for nourishment to the table, for the community for which they belong and they ache to take something in return... this precious river of giving and receiving... our call, we imagine, is to be a generous life. We feel under nourished because we can't give what we ache to give, not because we are not getting enough." I am creating a group called "Magnanimous (Generous in Spirit) Gatherings" This gathering is for those who wish to see the gifts (miracles, abundance, wonder, joy, magic...) of life... We talk so much about things that aren't working or how we are "just okay"... I want to hear about what is working in your life, where you see the "magic & miracles happening"... synchronicity... “coincidences” what you are attracting with your positive "new vibrations"... "The more we see, the more we create... & vice versa & so on & so forth.... May you see the wonder... the awe in life... Your friend, Juli

Lifelong Struggles with Power and Surrender

noreply@blogger.com (Life is good!!!) — Sat, 03 May 2008 17:12:00 +0000

I was talking with my dad the other day... I told him I remember when I was a teenager, he and I were standing in the kitchen talking about my relationship with my new boyfriend... and my dad said to me "Juli, you are like a bulldozer and some things just can't be bulldozed." My dad of course, doesn't remember saying that, but it stuck with me. I thought about it now and then through the years, but I always brushed it off... I didn't really get it... by then I was already deep in denial of everything in my life except feelings of emotional highs/lows, I had been an insane bulimic for two years by that time. I was way deep in hating myself... and the hate had begun at the age of 14... about the same time I broke up with my first boyfriend, my parents split up and I took on the role of my mothers "protector" and my sisters "mom"... it wasn't long before they treated me as if they couldn't stand me either... they didn't want "to be seen with me".... so life became just me and how I could prove I was worthy... the dance, how could I be "enough" /maybe I am enough/never quite being enough. Maybe that's when the bulldozing started, I don't know and I'm not going to analyze it. I thought it probably started in the womb... dad said I almost got my head shaved coming out (dad also said, when I was born I was so hairy he thought my mom had been fooling around in the zoo) I didn't wait for the doctor to deliver me, no episiotomy, just getting shaved and I ripped right through... I didn't even say "I'm sorry"... I'll have to do that... on my 48th birthday (about 2 mo. from now... God, I really love getting older) I'll send mom a "better late than never" card. So, you can see why I thought it began in the womb... I think coming into the world that way... could be considered "Bulldozing"! Ok, so here I am now, conscious of when I'm having my bouts and fits of pushing too hard. I don't always notice it raising up in me immediately, yet, it is obvious when the frustration kicks in. So, the balance for me comes in conscious awareness of living life in flow, sometimes pushing but, yet.... when I come to the moment the pushing feels like I hit a wall and I begin to struggle... it is time to surrender. I try to live my life mostly in the flow, surrendering to the presence... absolute trust Spirit, the universe is moving around and through me. I do not regret any of my life, I feel sad about some things... it took every one of my steps to get to where I am in this moment... and I very much love this life I live... I trust I can touch yours... because you will touch another's..... May you allow love to live through you... Your friend, Juli

Why We Give...... DonorsResource.org

noreply@blogger.com (Life is good!!!) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 13:53:00 +0000

When I gave away everything I owned, I had some friends, Della Rosenthal & Deborah Waggoner, who had just established Sisters of the Community, the parent nonprofit of DonorsResource.org, come and take everything they could - to give to families who really needed what I had. They are doing such incredible work for the community... it's a win - win for all! I just want to encourage you to let go of material things you are holding on to (it's very freeing) and give to those who could really use them. Here is what the founders have to say..... "Have you thought about why we give? Helping your family, friends and other people is often taken for granted as part of our life, and we forget how wonderful an experience it can be. People always have something to give, but they don't know how and where. There is a huge communication gap between people's desire to give and what low-income families need to have. Please think about it. On one hand, you have three blankets, an air mattress in your closet and you barely use them. On the other hand, there are kids sleeping on the floor with no blankets. You have plates and pots in your kitchen cabinet and the last time you used them was three years ago. There are mothers who do not have the pots and plates they need to feed their children. What a gap. Please review what you have in your kitchen, bathroom, closets, living room, bedroom, and basement. Think about who may need these items. Imagine how excited they will be by receiving these items. Then visit our website and directly connect with nonprofits that need what you have. You'll be surprised how fun and moving the process will be." Please.... pass on the love! Your friend, Juli

Don't forget in the dark, what you saw in the light!

noreply@blogger.com (Life is good!!!) — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 17:15:00 +0000

Yeah, yeah yeah......... You've heard it before.... and you will hear it again and again and again.... until you stop lying to yourself and begin to see who you really are. "When you see who you really are, you stop wasting your time. You stop wasting your time on things... on bad relationships... on pleasing people... your ego... and you become more focused on your purpose... on being" Stop pretending the life you are living isn't effecting you or those around you. Can you continue to pretend the thoughts and feelings in your body don't gnaw at you!? Your spirit begs you to act, to get back into balance. What we learned was a lie (just like our one time belief the world was flat... people said it was so... so it must be...) what we have been taught, conditioned to do, is cover over everything and we continue to do so because we want what we think is easier.... and we want it now! We believe we are a material thing, an inanimate object... like a table we can just throw around and destroy.... instead of a spiritual being whose very essence is light, honor, love and abundance. We don't do the "right" thing for ourselves, don't respect ourselves, yet... by God..... everyone else should!! Then we go around... once again, lying to ourselves (and everyone around us) complaining and feeling like we are a victim, that everything is "happening to us"..... we are literally de-pressing ourselves... depression isn't out there coming at us, we are creating it. We are abusing ourselves, pretending it is everyone else doing it so we don't have to take responsibility for our lives, so we actually have to do the work to change it. The truth is... it's a very good thing... from my perspective... you can actually do something about it.... isn't that what you say you want... "control over your own life!?" I am not here to tell you what to do or give you answers. I'm here to provide you with information, assist you, be your mirror and your mentor (maybe you need one, maybe you don't) I know you probably want something different for your life, you want to stop the madness, a circle of habits, you want to feel well, feel alive, feel inspired and have the energy to fulfill your purpose... your dreams.... and I'm here to tell you - if you want it, you are willing to do what it takes.... it will be! You can say to yourself "oh, sure... it's easy for her to say... she hasn't.... felt this... gone thru that, been thru what I've been thru... I'm special... no one can understand me, my circumstances, what I've been thru... going thru...." but you would be wrong! I've said and thought the same thing. It's just another lie, another excuse of why you can't, won't, don't do what you know you need to and truly want for your life... just another excuse why you live half-ass... you get what you give in this life and there is no way around it! Yeah, "my story" - I've been to the bottom, I've been to hell... a good part of my life, matter of fact... (I had many days that looked good) and sometimes it took more than I thought I had in me, more than I thought I should have to have, to be where I am today! Many days I wasn't sure it mattered if I pulled myself up anymore... the voices I heard were not generally encouraging.... they were.... so opinionated... so judgmental... snobs... with their noses in the air... (although, obvious to me now... they weren't feeling up to par either, but instead of feeling love and compassion they were competitive and vicious) "we're going to be someone... but you... there is something wrong w/you... you're never going to make it, you're not smart enough, look good enough, you're too loud, too bold, too emotional... too embarrassing... so just stay in your box or get your shit together - go get fixed for godsakes... and until then we don't want to have anything to do w/you!" There are "pros and cons" to this story, that was "my life"... the sad thing is that I grew up believing this was love, leave people behind if they do something you don't think is "right"... I never learned to be part of a team... I felt I was completely on my own... that no one "had my back," that everyone was a competitor... everyone else's opinion was more important than mine... (if you don't agree, you're done) and the rest of the time.... pretend as if none of this is happening... elephant!? What elephant!? There is no fucking elephant in this room, we don't know what you're talking about, you're just crazy!!! The Pros... I have benefited from it!! I have a strength now that can't be broken... I have a passion, a love... I call it magic... that no one, no thing can take away! I am passionate & compassionate... the very things the voices didn't like about me are my very best qualities... the things I really like about me - the things most people like in me... it's ok to be me, there really isn't anything wrong with me.... just like there isn't w/you - maybe there are unhealthy habits and behaviors - work on changing those and keep the others. I don't pretend I don't feel something in my body anymore... or cover over it, I will touch on subjects with people that others won't, I have learned to trust myself... trust the universal energies - God - whatever you happen to call it, I can listen to my intuition and have the courage to go against the crowd when it is important to me - if I don't like a path, I won't follow it - I create one, I can stand alone yet like to work as a team, I encourage others to be their self, trust themselves and no matter what they dream I am behind it all the way... nothing is impossible - no matter what the voices say! I was a good mommy (except for a brief period when I lost compete faith in myself - she lost faith in me too, although I understand - that is - fucking hard - that was #1 to me) I held her... talked with her... called her sweetheart (she couldn't say sweetheart when she was little - so she said feetheart) I made sure my daughter believed in herself, had trust in herself, that she was an important, intelligent person that made wise decisions and that absolutely... without a doubt... I believed in her - I "had her back"! That I supported her decisions. That she is a light in this world!! AND...... I have become a very good CHEERLEADER!! The Cons.... well.... a little more time then I would have preferred in my "suffering role" before I fell flat on my face. However, I did wake-up, was "resurrected" - it was the worst, yet greatest moment of my life! So, baby...... let's keep your pilot lit.... you/we need your light!! Your friend, Juli

~ Louise Hay wrote "You can heal your life" ... so, imagine it!

noreply@blogger.com (Life is good!!!) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 01:01:00 +0000

My minister used to tell a story... unfortunately, I don't remember it, except the gist I got from it... If you were called to be healed... would you be!? You may think this an absurd question... I certainly did at the time... but now I understand... and maybe you do too... it's worth asking again. If there was a pool filled w/water that had healing properties so great that if you were to step in, you would be healed (stop your "suffering") of whatever is weighing on you!? ...... So.... would you be... would you let go and allow yourself to be healed? What would the healing solve? What would change/be different? How would it change/be different? Would you really allow yourself to be at peace, finally be the happy person you think you would be.... "only if"... or would you find something else to be bothered by or unhappy about? What fears would it bring up? What is your pay off now... what are you getting out of this "suffering" you are experiencing now? And... sorry... the answer is not "nothing"! Some actually like being "poor me"... it's their unique power, some know no other way, some it's become habit, some are so "noble and selfless".... preferring to give up their dreams and desires to seemingly make everyone else happy, some are afraid to give up their suffering... fearful that the next step will only be even more suffering or they believe there really isn't a next step for them. Ok, so... if nothing else.... humor me... let's say we trust in ourselves and God/Universe/Energy/Spirit/Cows... (whatever name you use) we have stepped into the pool, we close our eyes and the miracle takes place... write out your vision... "A Vision for Wellness" What would it look like? What kind of attitude would you have? How would you behave? What would your energy level be? How about your relationships? How would your body feel?...... Do you like what you envision? If your answer is "Yes!" As you are going through your day, weeks, months, years.... be mindful of your thoughts/your choices. Does this take me towards or away from my vision? If "away"... what's the pay off... is the life you say you want truly worth a moment of... "pleasure"? (Is the long-term worth giving up for short-term "unconsciousness"... "anesthesia".... hmmm... maybe the unvarnished word would be "lie") ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Farewell, Juli

Meditation, led by Thich Nhat Hahn....

noreply@blogger.com (Life is good!!!) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:52:00 +0000

I gave this "homework" to a friend and thought maybe it would be a good idea for you also..... Please take 8-16 minutes of quite time.... clear your mind for a moment..... open this page.... it should play right away.... http://www.shiftinaction.com/node/892.......... if you hear nothing... click on "Thich Nhat Hahn Room" watch the slideshow and let the sounds and words resonate deep in the cells of your being... if it "touches you"... play it again... this time with your eyes closed... breathe slow and deep.... and let go... feel the peace, joy and love in your soul.... let it move your spirit.... feel that warm energy flow thru you............................................. This, is your authentic self.... may you know this more and more..... Gasshō, Juli An Panfilio "Life is good...... Do what you love, love what you do!"

Jack in the Box

noreply@blogger.com (Life is good!!!) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:37:00 +0000

Remember the toy named "Jack in the Box"? Oops! Sorry, I forget a lot of you are younger than I am. When I was child, I had this toy, it had a little handle on the side of it, you had to wind it around and around and around until this little hatch opened and out popped "Jack"... it was like a new surprise every time (you can shut the hatch, Jack goes back inside and you start all over again) I don't really want to discuss the toy it's self (although I'm willing ;-) I want to talk about how I see that many of our lives are sort of like that toy. A good many of us have lived inside a box. Many don't even know they are in one, and if they discover they are, have no idea how to get out, and if, and when they do, it is a big surprise.... an "Aha! Moment..." Some people see that light, then crawl back in... dismissing it as something weird and never come back out again. Some see the light, go back in, then curiously peek out once in a while wondering "What is this? "This is very interesting!" "Maybe I'll check this out!" Then come up with every excuse why not to or why they can't. Some come out and say "This is mostly better than being in the box" but live forever in the suspended state of "Well.... at least I'm not in there anymore, I'm doing good enough," "I'm better off then some" or "I'm better than I was" and then continue the rest of their lives thinking "Since I'm out of the box, I guess my life must be ok. Although, if this is all there is... maybe I'd rather go back in, I don't see anyone one else trying." Some come out because "That damn person kept winding my box" yet now out, says "Ok, I came out for you, are you happy? "Well that is just #@%$^ great, I'm here now, so make me happy, and by the way, you are responsible for my life from now on." There are people that come out and are thankful and joyous, then there are the ones that jump out "OMG... this is soooo great.... we have to get everyone else out of those damn boxes... they have to know what they are missing... it doesn't have to be the way they think!!" (Hmmmm, I'm still trying to decide which one I am!!?? ;-) The big news is that the handle on the side of the box, that you wait for others to turn, to get you out of that box.... it's an illusion... you open the box from inside... it was always there for you. Down through the years, few were spared "The conditioning." Conditioning to make us believe that everything was, is and will be a certain way. If you try to veer off that track, they laughed at you. They thought you stupid or a fool if you didn't go with the crowd... yet, as a teenager we hear "Just because everyone else is jumping off the bridge, does that mean you should too!?" Fortunately (for who, I'm not sure... except for myself) I was too stubborn to do what anyone said... I didn't have an army, I was my own army. Some of us were fortunate enough to be raised around "Cheerleaders," knowing we were as powerful as we believed we were and knew that life had no limitations, except the ones you put in front of you. Many of us were raised to believe there were limitations and you are a fool to dream, to try, to compete or to pursue..... "Don't even hope, you will be disappointed" or "Don't you know your place in this world!?" Some of us were raised believing we were a Prince or Princesses and the world revolved around us. Then some of us were raised to believe we were nothing, had no power, and that we or our lives were never going to amount to anything. .........Crap! Now that I'm on a roll.... I forgot my point.... I have to go back in the other room for a moment so I can remember what it was....... old age ;-) Oh, yea...... I'm the Cheerleader..... However you were raised, whatever you believe about yourself or life.... I ask you.... or I'll even beg if you want me to, I'm not above that..... Please.... be curious about life, open the hatch, just begin to look or explore outside this box. You will begin to see more and more.... you will learn life is most likely not what you thought or were taught to believe. Don't look at yourself as "Just a human being".... that title seems to limit people.... look at yourself as an artist, a creator of what you see. You are not only the potter... you are the clay and the wheel... What do you want to create!? ***Focus on what you do want, not what you don't want... you'll get what you focus on... so be clear about what you are believing, thinking, saying and doing. ***When you are trying to expand your life it is important to surround yourself with people who believe in the magic of life and big thinking..... oh.... and actually live it! ***Approve of yourself!! Don't allow others to be the judge of your worth.... but if you must seek approval, be careful in choosing the right audience to seek if from. ~Be Well~ Ciao, for now... Juli

"Welcome to Everywhere!"

noreply@blogger.com (Life is good!!!) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:17:00 +0000

Hello... Yes, this is my first blog post... no, this has nothing to do w/Coaching... yet, I do find it somewhat inspiring... I'm a little excited and wanted to share it... incase you didn't know, and like me, were also interested in traveling, seeing new sites. I bought the 1st issue of a new magazine called "Everywhere".... I have to say "I am very impressed!" The photos themselves are magnificent (I'm not a Pro but I grew-up around them) and the writing is on a more personal note (I'm not a Pro at that either... except the personal part. I have never been a "writer"... matter-of-fact, I was never good in English classes. I was considered slow... that was before they saw me on the road ;-) I'm writing now because it is important to me to reach you... and I no longer care about others opinions of me... actually more of the truth is, I now really like me and no longer fear what others think) anyway... The CEO and publisher of Everywhere says "We set out to revolutionize the way magazines are made. Many people believe the web is going to kill off print magazines, but we think it is just the opposite... At Everywhere our editorial process is not only different from that of every other magazine, it's the exact opposite. We have the largest staff of any travel magazine in the world, because our readers are our contributors." Yes! They say; 1)See the world 2)Document your trip 3)Upload - your travel tips and pix 4)Peer review - the community votes on favorites 5)Final selection - editors curate the best of the best 6)Publication - published contributors get paid and a free subscription. So... if you have ever had a dream to get your stuff out there (DO NOT LISTEN to that little voice that gives you all the reasons you can't/shouldn't... if the voices won't shut up... guess who you should call! No, not Ghostbusters! Yes! You are welcome to contact me... my website will be up very soon... Remember, check out the first issue of Everywhere... go to the website, click on "issues." http://www.everywheremag.com/ Ciao, for now... Juli