People Who Inspire Change

Today's wise words: video of The Dalai Lama, "Peace of Mind from a Buddhist Perspective"

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 06:20:00 +0000

Today's wise words are in this video of His Holiness The Dalai Lama titled, "Peace of Mind from a Buddhist Perspective". I love watching and listening to His Holiness speak for so many reasons. He is so passionate and caring about whatever the subject, but at the same time his voice is soothing and peaceful. His sense of humor is so good and you can feel his compassion and genuine desire to help the world. Whether he is explaining the teachings of Buddhism or the serious issues facing the world, his words speak to my soul. He inspires me to become a better person.

I hope you enjoyed this and have a wonderful day!

Peace, Light and Take Care!
Exploring Life's Paths
Explore The Little Paths

Today's meditational guide: All we need to change the world is us

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 19:13:00 +0000

The purpose of today's guide is more then to provide thoughts to help us focus positively on areas of our life as we move through the day. These particular quotes were chosen because I think they explain so clearly and beautifully the tremendous effect that we as individuals have on the world. So I believe they can also serve as motivation for us to seriously begin to focus positively on ourselves, our lives and the world around us.

The following are all quotes and teachings of Osho:

"All that this world needs is a good cleansing of the heart of all the inhibitions of the past. And laughter and tears can do both. Tears will take out all the agony that is hidden inside you and laughter will take all that is preventing your ecstasy. Once you have learned the art you will be immensely surprised.

My teaching is meditation. Meditation means to me, witnessing on three levels: action of the body, thoughts of the mind, feelings of the heart. Once a person becomes aware of these three things, the fourth step happens on its own accord. A quantum leap, suddenly he is at his very center, which is his life, deathless life. You can call it his soul, his being, and it is the greatest bliss in existence. There is nothing above it.

Witnessing can be called the seed and enlightenment can be called the flowers. But begin from witnessing, and then it starts growing. Go on nourishing it, go on caring for it, go on watering it, strengthen it in every possible way -- and one day it is going to blossom. That day will be the greatest day of your life.

Bliss is the Everest. There is nothing higher than that. And unless you reach the Everest of bliss you have not fulfilled your mission in life, your destiny in life...Bliss is a strange wine - strange because on one hand it makes you fully aware, and on other hand, it makes you fully intoxicated - intoxicated with the divine, fully aware in your being.... Blissfulness is our birthright. We just have to claim it. And meditation is our claim.

It is a great opportunity that is knocking on your doors. Humanity as a whole has come to a certain point of growth from which a quantum leap is possible."

The world has always been ready for this incredible positive change, it's simply waiting for us. Are you ready?

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Peace, Light and Take Care!

A video of Deepak Chopra speaking about How to Create a New Self

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 10:15:00 +0000

The following is a video of Deepak Chopra speaking about How to Create a New Self courtesy of Fora TV. I think it is a wonderful video and I believe everyone can find something in it that can help us have more positive experiences as we journey through life.

Deepak Chopra is a world-renowned authority in the field of mind-body healing, a best-selling author, and the founder of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing. Heralded by Time Magazine as the "poet-prophet of alternative medicine," he is also the host of the popular weekly Wellness Radio program on Sirius/XM Stars.

-from about Deepak on the Chopra Center website

I hope you enjoy and please share any thoughts you have about this in the comment section!

Peace, Light and Take Care!

Meditation guide for the day:......Think of your loved ones as a garden......

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 May 2010 07:44:00 +0000

Today's meditation guide is a combination of visual and mental...........

The first part is another wonderful meditation guide from Things to be Happy About, it's a wonderful site filled with cute little tools you can use anytime you want to find something to be happy about!

The second is from me....one of my photographs that I think is a perfect companion to today's meditation guide.

When we are angry, we need to calm ourselves: Breathing in, I calm my anger. Breathing out, I take care of my anger. Undertake to refrain from false speech, harmful speech, gossip, or slander. Think of your loved ones as a garden. Gather your loved ones in your mind.

This photo is from a natural light shoot I did last spring. I didn't notice this resembled a heart with an arrow going through until I upload the images onto the computer and began viewing them. It's one of my personal favorite photographs ever.

When I was looking for a meditation guide for today, as soon as I saw this one thought of this photo and that was it! I think it's a perfect visual to use to imagine your loved ones as a garden.............

I hope you enjoy and I would love to know you what you think.....Did you like today's guide? Was it helpful? Do you have a tip or guide to share? Please add a comment below!

Peace, Light and Take Care,
Colleen

Today's Motivational Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 May 2010 21:41:00 +0000

Here is today's motivational guide from the Abraham-Hicks website.

May it show you one more sample the incredible benefits of being positive!

Enjoy!

Daily Law of Attraction Quotation

When you talk about what you want and why you want it, there's usually less resistance within you than when
you talk about what you want and how you're going to get it. When you pose questions you don't have answers for, like how, where, when, who, it sets up a contradictory vibration that slows everything down.

--- Abraham

Excerpted from the workshop in San Antonio, TX on Saturday, January 29th, 2005

Thank you Abraham-Hicks !

Peace, Light and Take Care,
Colleen
Exploring Life's Paths
Explore The Little Paths

A simple but wonderful meditation guide to help you feel more positive

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 May 2010 00:15:00 +0000

Here is a simple meditation guide to help you feel more positive about life which in turn creates positive change for every person who crosses your path............

Inherent in every intention and desire is the mechanics for its fulfillment . . . intention and desire in the field of pure potentiality have infinite organizing power. And when we introduce an intention in the fertile ground of pure potentiality, we put this infinite organizing power to work for us.

I will put the Law of Intention and Desire into effect by making a commitment to take the following steps:

1. I will make a list of all my desires. I will carry this list with me wherever I go. I will look at this list before I go into my silence and meditation. I will look at it before I go to sleep at night. I will look at it when I wake up in the morning.

2. I will release this list of my desires and surrender it to the womb of creation, trusting that when things don’t seem to go my way, there is a reason, and that the cosmic plan has designs for me much grander than even those I have conceived.

3. I will remind myself to practice present-moment awareness in all my actions. I will refuse to allow obstacles to consume and dissipate the quality of my attention in the present moment. I will accept the present as it is, and manifest the future through my deepest, most cherished intentions and desires.

Thank you to Things To Be Happy About for this motivational tip! Stop by their site for many more tips and tools to help you find things to help you be more positive!

Peace, Light and Take Care!

Temple Grandin, Ph.D.'s TED video "The world needs all kinds of minds" and interview on CNN

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:45:00 +0000

Most believe that in order to be an inspiration to others they have to be the Pope, the Dalai Lama, a priest, coach, teacher, policeman; you know, someone who basically dedicates their lives to helping and teaching others. What's funny is those people don't think they are an inspiration, in the altruistic sense, they feel like they are just like everyone else. The truth is every single person can and should be an inspiration to others. Sometimes we are presented with obvious opportunities, such as showing our children how to treat someone or diffusing a possible argument between to strangers waiting in line.

However, the vast majority of times we will never know that we have inspired someone and more importantly, when we haven't. The following two videos are wonderful examples of inspiring others as well as doing so showing the strength of the human spirit and the ability to create positive change that exists in us all.

I clicked on the first video on CNN News because of the description: "Temple Grandin, an autistic professor, speaks with CNN after her recent TED talk. She says being autistic is a blessing." My brother is autistic so I naturally focus on learning everything I can about autism. I don't care as much about statistics and data as I do learning from people who have family members with autism, work in that area and themselves have autism. Because if there is one thing that I believe to be 100% true beyond a shadow of a doubt, it's anything is possible. It explains the unique perspective that everyone has to offer and if we keep limiting the educational opportunities children have access to, just how limited the world will become.

That then led me to the TED website, which I have been a member for a few years and love. I recommend to everyone to check out the site. The description of the video from TED says, "Temple Grandin, diagnosed with autism as a child, talks about how her mind works -- sharing her ability to "think in pictures," which helps her solve problems that neurotypical brains might miss. She makes the case that the world needs people on the autism spectrum: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers, and all kinds of smart geeky kids."

I hope you enjoyed the videos and they inspire you as much as they did me!

Peace, Light and Take Care,
Colleen
Exploring Life's Paths
Explore The Little Paths

A thought for the day

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:36:00 +0000

I was writing a couple comments and working on a few articles and I thought of this:

"When a person draws a line in the sand, they limit themselves as much if not more then the person they oppose."

Let all try today to allow ourselves to be open to other perspectives, put ourselves in the others shoes, and try to see the best in the human spirit.

We can All Create Positive Change In The World, if we just:

have a little faith in humanity
hope for the future
courage to put ourselves out there

Peace, Light and Take Care,
Colleen
Exploring Life's Paths
Explore The Little Paths

inspiring quote for the day

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:11:00 +0000

"This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama

Peace, Light and Take Care,
Colleen
Exploring Life's Paths
Explore The Little Paths

Words that inspire change

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:05:00 +0000

Your beliefs become your thoughts, Your thoughts become your words, Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits, Your habits become your values, Your values become your destiny. - Gandhi

It is a great opportunity that is knocking on your doors. Humanity as a whole has come to a certain point of growth from which a quantum leap is possible. - Osho

A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history. - Gandhi

Mind is so vast, you can always choose a few fragments which will be satisfying to a particular philosophy, to a particular psychology, to a particular therapy. - Osho

In a gentle way, you can shake the world. - Gandhi

The will to power and to dominate arises only in the sick mind. It arises out of the inferiority complex. People who are not suffering from an inferiority complex do not care about power; their whole endeavour is for peace, because the meaning of life can be known only in peace - power is not the way. - Osho

You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result. - Gandhi

Mind can accept any boundary anywhere. But the reality is that, by its very nature, existence cannot have any boundary, because what will be beyond the boundary - again another sky. That's why I'm saying skies upon skies are available for your flight. Don't be content easily. Those who remain content easily remain small: small are their joys, small are their ecstasies, small are their silences, small is their being. But there is no need! This smallness is your own imposition upon your freedom, upon your unlimited possibilities, upon your unlimited potential. - Osho

Whenever you are confronted with an opponent. Conquer him with love. - Gandhi

Meditation Is in the Present. Mind concentrates: it acts out of the past. Meditation acts in the present, out of the present. It is a pure response to the present, it is not reaction. It acts not out of conclusions, it acts seeing the existential. - Osho

There is no way to peace. Peace is the way. - Gandhi

GOD is just a name of the totality of existence. - Osho

Peace, Light and Take Care,
Colleen
Exploring Life's Paths
Explore The Little Paths

"The Myth of American Exceptionalism", lecture by Historian Howard Zinn at MIT

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 04:00:00 +0000

Howard Zinn speaking at MIT, "The Myth of American Exceptionalism" on March 14, 2005.

Howard Zinn (who very recently passed away in January 2010 at 86 years old) was Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Boston University. He was a decorated war veteran, born and raised by an immigrant family in Brooklyn, and flew bombing missions in Europe during World War II, an experience that shaped his opposition to war. He attended New York University on the GI bill, graduating with a B.A. in 1951, and Columbia University, where he earned an M.A. (1952) and Ph.D. (1958) in political science.

His most recent work was a documentary feature film titled The People Speak on the history channel:

Using dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries and speeches of everyday Americans, the documentary feature film THE PEOPLE SPEAK gives voice to those who spoke up for social change throughout U.S. history, forging a nation from the bottom up with their insistence on equality and justice.

In my opinion this video is not only incredible but still very, very timely and important as well.

Copied in it's entirety from MIT World website:

About the Lecture

Americans have long embraced a notion of superiority, claims Howard Zinn. Governor Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay Colony described establishing “a city on a hill,” to serve the world as a beacon of liberty. So far, so good. But driving this sense of destiny, says Zinn, was an assumption of divine agency—“an association between what the government does and what God approves of.” And too frequently, continues Zinn, Americans have invoked God to expand “into someone else’s territory, occupying and dealing harshly with people who resist occupation.”

Zinn offers numerous examples of how the American government has used “divine ordination” and rationales of spreading civilization and freedom to justify its most dastardly actions: the extermination of Native Americans and takeover of their land; the annexation of Texas and war with Mexico; war against the Philippines; U.S. involvement in coups in Latin America; bloody efforts to expand U.S. influence in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The battle against Communism, often bolstered by arguments of America’s divine mission in the world, was merely a convenient excuse to maintain U.S. economic and military interests in key regions.

Today, says Zinn, we have a president, who more than any before him, claims a special relationship with God. Zinn worries about an administration that deploys Christian zealotry to justify a war against terrorism, a war that in reality seems more about establishing a new beachhead in the oil-rich Middle East. He also sees great danger in Bush’s doctrines of unilateralism and pre-emptive war, which mark a great leap away from international standards of morality.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Peace, Light and Take Care,
Colleen
Exploring Life's Paths
Explore The Little Paths

"I Have A Dream" speech by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:08:00 +0000

**UPDATE: I appologize if the video isn't displayed on the page, for some reason some browsers aren't showing it. Here is the direct link to the video and I thank you for your understanding.**

One of the speeches I wanted to include in this blog first was Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s, "I Have A Dream". I hope you enjoy.....

The speech copied in it's entirety from American Rhetoric Top 100 Speeches:

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back.
There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."²
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

By: Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.

Peace, Light and Take Care,
Colleen
Exploring Life's Paths
Explore The Little Paths

Jane Goodall on Google Video

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:11:00 +0000

"In the summer of 1960, 26-year-old Jane Goodall arrived on the shore of Lake Tanganyika in East Africa to study the area's chimpanzee population.

Although it was unheard of for a woman to venture into the wilds of the African forest, the trip meant the fulfillment of Jane Goodall's childhood dream. Jane’s work in Tanzania would prove more successful than anyone had imagined."

Madeleine Albright's The Mighty and The Almighty: United States Foreign Policy and God

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:51:00 +0000

"Madeleine Albright talks about The Mighty and The Almighty: United States Foreign Policy and God. The former secretary of state offers a provocative and very personal look at the role of religion in America's foreign policy. She argues that understanding the place and power of religion, and knowing how best to respond to it, is essential if America is to lead successfully around the world."

Peace, Light and Take Care,
Colleen
Exploring Life's Paths
Explore The Little Paths

Town Meeting with Howard Zinn

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:43:00 +0000

For my first post I chose A Town Meeting with Howard Zinn in honor of his memory and because I believe his books, teachings and philosophy are the perfect example of people who inspire change........

I hope you enjoy this video and if you do pass it along to others.

video platform video management video solutions free video player

Peace, Light and Take Care,
Colleen