The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows. Buddha

With six months to go before the next election, President Obama has officially launched his campaign. This is an important time for him not to take anything for granted, but also to stay true to his beliefs and ethics.

It is extremely hard to stay balanced during difficult and challenging times, as there are always those who want to bring you down, who disagree, criticize, or act like they know better. It is obvious that it will be a nasty presidential campaign. Both Obama’s religion and his birthplace are constantly questioned yet he holds his head high, speaks calmly and intelligently, and seems to have no malice. His reaction to such dissenters has simply shown his determination to keep going forward. As he said: “What we can do, as flawed as we are, is still see God in other people, and do our best to help them find their own grace. That’s what I strive to do, that’s what I pray to do every day.”

When people speak badly about you, you should respond in this way: Keep a steady heart and do not reply with harsh words. Practice letting go of resentment, and accept that another’s hostility is the spur to your understanding. Be kind, adopt a generous standpoint, treat your enemy as a friend, and suffuse your world with affectionate thoughts, far-reaching and widespread, limitless and free from hate. Buddha

The Buddha’s teaching is based on our interdependence and interconnectedness. In a very broad sense, the role of the president is similar — to recognize how we all affect each other, which is our basic interconnectedness. Obama’s recent announcement of his support of gay marriage is an example of this, as it reflects the desire that all beings be treated equally. As Obama said four years ago: “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

We are delighted that Obama has recognized gay marriage as a fundamental right, for the soul is neither male nor female, gay or straight. The latest Newsweek features an image of Obama with a rainbow-colored halo above his head. The cover story is: “The First Gay President.” We all breathe the same air, drink the same water, eat, sleep, and want to be happy. Love is not determined by gender. Why should anyone be denied the right to live the life they want, as long as they are not creating suffering for another? When we first met with the Dalai Lama at his residence in northern India we prostrated before him, as is the custom. He quickly lifted us up saying, “We are all equal here.”

But the differences between us can be huge. Although Obama pledged bipartisanship, in the last four years we have seen the worst partisanship ever, with the Republicans determined to say “no” to whatever Obama proposes. To find unity, we have to go beyond those differences; we have to surrender our own needs for the benefit of all. In the process, our enemies can teach us great patience and even compassion!

It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways. Buddha

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule. Buddha

There have been some great achievements in the last four years as well as promises that haven’t been kept. But perfection is knowing ones own imperfections, which gives us the ability to get up each time we fall.

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. Buddha

Ed and Deb Shapiro are the authors of BE THE CHANGE, How Meditation Can Transform You And The World, with forewords by the Dalai Lama and Robert Thurman and Winner of the 2010 Nautilus Gold Book Award. Deb is the author of the bestselling book, YOUR BODY SPEAKS YOUR MIND, winner of the 2007 Visionary Book Award. They are featured bloggers on Oprah.com/spirit, HuffingtonPost.com/Living, and Care2.com. They have 3 meditation CD’s: Metta — Loving Kindness and Forgiveness; Samadhi – Breath Awareness and Insight; and Yoga Nidra – Inner Conscious Relaxation. See: www.EdandDebShapiro.com

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Gitmo or Gandhi by Ed and Deb Shapiro

Why Do We Enjoy Making Fun of Others? by Ed and Deb Shapiro

Technorati Tags: appreciation, authenticity, gay, gratitude, inspiration, personal development, politics, self-discovery, Spirituality

Every celebrity and nearly all major brands have them: a PR team of dedicated professionals to manage their image, change how they are perceived and draw attention to the good things that they do!

There is a great quote that reads ‘everything you say and do is public relations’. Hiring a PR agency or a publicist is just a way of focusing and refining the messages that you want to send out, but the truth is we are sending out messages all day long with the things we say, do and put out into the world.

The truth is, the same marketing and PR principles can be applied to your own life to take you from where you are to where you want to be, whether it’s drawing more attention to your business, playing up your good points at work for that promotion or deciding to change your image for a brand new you! Here are my top tips:

Who do you want to be?

In order to effectively change anything, you need to be clear on who and what you want to be and how you want to be seen. Take stock of where you are right now – is it working for you and what specifically do you want to change?

Before you can go about changing anything it’s really important to be clear about the direction you want to go in. What does your new image look like? If you’re going for a promotion at work, how will the new executive version of you look? Will you need to dress differently? Be really clear and gather inspiration such as photos or inspirational writing.

Once you have had an honest look at where you are right now, decide where you want to be – how does that look?

Play to your strengths

What makes you unique? Sit down and think about your story and what stands out, how and why is it special? Play up those points. What have you done that is remarkable? When taking on new clients one of the first things a publicist will try to find out is what makes that person or product special and interesting, and then go about letting as many people know about them as possible.

If you’re writing your CV, at a job interview or even on a first date, play up your good points. What makes you irresistible? Why are you the best for the job? Telling people something is one thing, showing them is another. When it comes to your personal or business life, strive to be the best you can be.

Watch your social media

To refer to my earlier point, everything you say and do is public relations. Especially when it comes to your social media. What you put on Facebook and Twitter dictates how people will see you, which can either be a very good thing, or a total disaster!

Whatever your personal opinion about how Facebook or Twitter should work or how the world should be, social media are public forums. It’s a well-known fact that employers check interviewees Facebook pages to get a better idea of the real them, and the same can be said for first dates.

Be careful with party photos. They might look fun at the time, but they can come back to haunt you and don’t give a good impression to potential employers or clients. Some companies even have a clause in their employment contracts stating that all employees’ social media must reflect the values of the business!

Look through your Facebook posts, photos and info, and your tweets. Are they in keeping with how you want to be seen? Be selective.

Look the part

Now that you’ve decided on how you want to be seen, you need to look the part. Dress for who you want to be, speaking like the best version of yourself. Model yourself on people who embody your aspirations.

In just a few short years fashion designer Marc Jacobs went from a dowdy looking wallflower to an absolute hunk! He hit the gym, changed his clothes and his style and he has never been in the press more.

Let’s take the promotion at work scenario. Are you looking like an executive? Are you as smart as you could be? Do you look successful and well-groomed and confident? Be deliberate with your image, what do you want it to say? Dress and present yourself as who you want to be.

Let people know

You can have the best offer in the world, or be as fabulously talented as you like, but unless people know about it, it’s like shouting in a noisy, crowded room. You know what you’re saying, but no one else does. Let people know, not by your words but by your actions!

You’ve decided what your new image is, you’ve played up your strengths and accentuated the good points, you’re careful with the messages you’re sending out through social media and you look the part – now you need to let people know.

If you run a business, would local media be interested in your story? If you are working for a company, show them how good you are by doing a better job, looking your best and being consistent with the messages you are sending out.

If you would like to know more about working with me please email ryan@theryanjamesconsultancy.com for a free consultation about your brand or project and how I can help.

Ryan is the founder/director of The Ryan James Consultancy, a public relations, marketing and social media consultancy specialising in the lifestyle/wellbeing sector and the editor/founder of MungBeansandChampagne.com, a lifestyle and product guide for busy, health conscious professionals.

Follow him on twitter @RyanJamesLock

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Because I Can by Edie Weinstein

I have long appreciated these words because they speak so clearly to a calling I heard as a child and was modeled for me by my parents who in addition to their full time jobs both in and out of the house,  were dedicated life long volunteers into their 80′s. It wasn’t a sense of less- than- greater- than in terms of relationship with anyone to whom they lent a helping hand. Sometimes it was anonymous. They were also just plain kind people, smiling at ‘strangers’ on the street, laughing and playing with children who crossed their paths,

The Secret’s to Your Challenges by Brandon Krieger

It’s 6:30am again and I’ve been thinking about the 2012 energy shift and the challenges people are facing before the New Paradigm Shift. Pretty heavy right?

In the last few months I’ve heard of people going through problems that would put people in psychiatric wards. It’s like everything that’s unresolved is all coming up at one time. For example if they had debt that they just put in the back of their mind and because they just couldn’t deal with it. Recently the creditors decided to call them on a daily basis if not hourly.  Plus that same person would have issues at work, sickness coming on and people who they thought were challenging in their lives now have escalated. Now they are just being terrible to them for no reason.

Technorati Tags: inspiration, Mung Beans and Champagne, Personal Image, Publicity, Ryan Lock, self actualization, self help, vivid life

“I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again.”

Stephen Grellet (2 November 1773 – 16 November 1855), a French born Quaker missionary was the  likely author, according to Wikipedia, but this quote has been attributed to William Penn, Mahatma Gandhi and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I have long appreciated these words because they speak so clearly to a calling I heard as a child and was modeled for me by my parents who in addition to their full time jobs both in and out of the house,  were dedicated life long volunteers into their 80′s. It wasn’t a sense of less- than- greater- than in terms of relationship with anyone to whom they lent a helping hand. Sometimes it was anonymous. They were also just plain kind people, smiling at ‘strangers’ on the street, laughing and playing with children who crossed their paths, offering a listening ear to anyone who happened to need it. In my childhood home in Willingboro, NJ,  we had a ‘helping hand’ sign in our front window as a signal to the neighborhood kids that ours was a ‘safe house’ in case they were in any danger.  When my parents retired to sunny South Florida, the children in the condo community would stop by to visit. The last Halloween my mom was alive, some of them came into her living room, dressed in costume and were greeted with a hug and candy. I was heartened by witnessing that they were more focused on time with her than the treats she gave them.

They encouraged us to be grateful for what we had and to share it when we could, whether it was material, financial or experiential.

I was on a trajectory throughout my life to become a ‘helping’ professional and these days, it takes the form of being a licensed social worker, interfaith minister, transformational writer and inspirational speaker. I am also known as the ‘go to’ person for promotion of folks’ service work in the world. On a daily basis, friends approach me with the request…”can you spread the word about my writing, music, art, cause…..?”  I always say yes, simply because I can. I’m not a saint, believe me, but I also know that if I have the wherewithal to do something, and if in any way possible, I can use my gift as a connector to stir up more love in the world, then it feels incumbent on me to do so. I have many friends who feel the same way and am gratified to see them do it and delighted to see the results of their kindness. On the flip side, I have also sadly observed that out of fear of competition, there have been others who haven’t been as free with their energies. My experience has been that when one succeeds, all succeed; when one reaches a hand out, it elevates all of us. Through the years, I have been the recipient of the sweetness of ‘fairy godmothers’ and ‘fairy godfathers’ who have opened doors for me and I have willingly done the same for others. I invite you to take any opportunity to don your invisible wings and flap them in support of those who cross your path.

http://youtu.be/f2H-GiiDfnE Try A Little Kindness by Glen Campbell

Rev. Edie Weinstein, MSW, LSW is a Renaissance Woman and Bliss Mistress who delights in inviting people to live rich, full, juicy lives. Edie is an internationally recognized, sought after, colorfully creative journalist, interviewer and author, a dynamic and inspiring speaker, licensed social worker, interfaith minister, offering uniquely designed spiritual rituals. In addition, she is a PR Goddess, promoting events and transformational teachers, healers, writers and artists. She speaks on the subjects of wellness, spirituality, sexuality, creativity, time management, recovery, body image, mindfulness, self esteem, stress management, re-creating yourself, caring for the caregiver, loss and grief. She is a frequent guest on radio and TV. Edie is currently writing her first best selling book entitled The Bliss Mistress Guide To Transforming the Ordinary Into The Extraordinary and is offering a workshop for women who want to re-create their lives, based on those concepts. A 20 year old journalistic vision came to pass in July of 2008 when she interviewed His Holiness The Dalai Lama. It was a potent reminder to never, ever, ever give up on our dreams. Over the years, Edie has written for mainstream and transformational publications. She has interviewed hundred of notables in the transformational fields, including Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, Debbie Ford, Leonard Peltier, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Beckwith, Jonathan Goldman, Gregg Braden, Neale Donald Walsch, Mary Manin Morrissey, Dan Millman, Alan Cohen, Ram Dass, Jack Canfield, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Patch Adams, Ben and Jerry, Donna DeLory, James Twyman, Elizabeth Lesser, Michael Franti and Jean Houston. Her website is http://www.liveinjoy.org 

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Crazy Whirled by Edie Weinstein

Music feeds my soul and singer songwriters are the farmers whose craft of cultivating fertile fields of rhythm and rhyme, harmony and lyric, bring to the table all manner of nourishment. I am blessed to know many talented musicians in this genre. Among them are a foursome that call themselves…

How to Deal with Anxiety Using the Power of Positive Affirmations by Chantal Beaupre

It can be difficult to do anything with your normal passion and excitement if you are feeling anxious. Anxiety can squelch your motivation and control your life – if you let it. If you have experienced an anxiety attack, you may be fearful of having another one; but living in such fear means you are living in a state of perpetual anxiety. This can happen just because you are afraid of the anxiety itself!

Technorati Tags: Glen Campbell, Mahatma Gandhi, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Stephen Grellet, Try A Little Kindness, Wikipedia, WIlliam Penn

It’s 6:30am again and I’ve been thinking about the 2012 energy shift and the challenges people are facing before the New Paradigm Shift. Pretty heavy right?

In the last few months I’ve heard of people going through problems that would put people in psychiatric wards. It’s like everything that’s unresolved is all coming up at one time. For example if they had debt that they just put in the back of their mind and because they just couldn’t deal with it. Recently the creditors decided to call them on a daily basis if not hourly.  Plus that same person would have issues at work, sickness coming on and people who they thought were challenging in their lives now have escalated. Now they are just being terrible to them for no reason.

I’ve also seen a lot of people passing away over the last 6 months. Normally the rule has been of 3′s from what I have found, but recently it has been the rule of 8+.  I have a theory on that but it’s more metaphysical which I will go into later.

Do you feel the pressure happening? Do you feel something is going on that you just can’t explain but you know it’s something? I am going to explain my theory of what is happening on and what I recommend you do.

First I do believe there is a shift in energy going on. Let’s talk about the physical aspect first.  I am not the type of person to get headaches, but my head has been pounding for the last 2 nights. I know it has been Winter Solstice and there is a lot of energy around these days. I’ve been keeping myself well hydrated and treating myself nightly to deal with the pressure change. I don’t know how many of you are feeling something physical that you haven’t felt before which could be the shift in energy. If you are feeling just off, find someone to connect with, someone who understands Health and Energy Healing, that is trained to be able to help you. They will be able to help you figure out if it’s just the weather and you are coming down with something or do you need to work with someone.

I know there might be some Business people and/or Type A personalities reading this who really don’t believe in this. Please be patient and read below I will get to you guys soon. 

Next let’s talk about the mental aspect. These challenges that are coming up are taking a toll on people’s self-esteem and self worth. Having to deal with all the problems coming up like someone opened up Pandora’s box. I’ll be honest with you it is just that. All your past issues that you might not have dealt with are going to come up NOW! If you don’t believe me ask the people around you what they are dealing with and ask them if they feel it’s normal. I will tell you I have asked that very question time and time again. I get pretty close to the same answer; “This is Crazy”, ” Why is all this Shit Coming up Now?”, “Did I piss God off” …etc.  Now this is just my opinion and I don’t want to offend anyone’s ego or beliefs which I know I will. So if this statement frustrates you Please Don’t E-mail me your frustrations I have enough work to do to help people.  Here it is… This has Nothing to do with a GOD the man in the sky, this is all our garbage we have not dealt with. All coming up at once for us to deal with RIGHT NOW!

This might be a harsh comment but think about the Movie “The Secret”. They talked about the universe will only give you want you can deal with, what you concentrate on will come about. If you think about the bills more bills will come. If you focus on abundance more abundance will come. Well that same universe is getting us ready for a New Paradigm but the only way we can be ready is to not bring our baggage with us. That is why all of it is coming up at once for a lot of people. Trust me I am no different my “SHIT” has been coming up as well. I am no different than any of you that are dealing with their past, except for one thing.

Here’s the secret to what is going on and that is why I have done the previous 2 posts about “The Journey” and “The Truth”. All of these “Challenges” that are coming up are things we need to face head on as best as we can. Now PLEASE do not do it alone, the goal of what I called the “Negative Ego” wants to divide and conquer. When you go and try to deal with a huge challenge on your own and get sucked into it. The “Negative Ego” has won and will start to try to keep you down as best as it can. It will make you feel depressed, tell you stories how you can’t do it, how you are not good enough, how this is all your fault, blah blah blah bullshit!  This is why when it comes to the easy stuff get it resolved and get closure as quickly as possible. When it comes to the bigger issues start connecting with family, friends, support groups, professionals… PEOPLE! Make sure you connect with the right people though, if you find the people you are connecting with are going through “The Shit” as well and are not dealing well with it, don’t jump into their quicksand with them. It just means both of you will sink quicker. Go to people who are having fun, who are grounded, people who know exactly what I’m talking about and are dealing with it. This way you can work with them to get out of your challenges quicker. Then you can work on those main principles of life I discussed in“The Truth” remember? “Bring Joy to yourself, then Bring Joy to Others”.

Ok Business People I have not forgot about you  . When it comes to all these changes going on You andYour business are really one. You are the energy of your business and if you are going through challenges your business will take on those problems. Then you will see flux in profits, staff, clients…etc. That’s why it is important to be grounded and clear personally. Then work on the professional aspect of those problems because as an entrepreneur and/or business owner you are like the Life Coach of your business. You might not be going through challenges but it doesn’t mean your staff, business partners…etc are not. Take a look at the people who you work with, do you feel they are going through challenges, not appear. The reason I say not appear because remember the analogy of the duck in water, on the surface the duck looks like it’s just swimming along nice and calm. But underneath their feet are going a mile a minute. The people you work with might be doing the exact same thing. They might be going through what appears to be their normal day but underneath it is a tornado brewing.  Take the steps to help yourself first and then start helping the people around you. Kind of like that phrase before “Bring Joy to yourself, then Bring Joy to Others”.   

I mentioned I would talk about people passing away recently more than normal. Now my theory on this and this is just my personal theory. Is that we all have a soul which we have written a contract for what we want to work towards. As well what we would like to experience. Some peoples contracts are up and they are done their work so they are passing on. Some people’s souls don’t want to come into this time so they leave very quickly. I know this is a hard theory to take in and please I am not saying you have to believe it yourself.  This is just my theory on why so many people are passing away in our lives.

If you have had a loss of someone in your life recently I am deeply sorry for your loss. My belief  is that they are still with us energetically and most of them are here to help us with the work that we need to do.

If you have any questions or need of help please do not contact me… Joking 

For sure contact me and I will do my best to help you as much as I can or refer you to someone in your local area that could.

Big Hug to everyone and make sure you deal with your “Shit”, I know I am 

Love & Chi,

Brandon

info@knssconsulting.com 

Social Technologies Coach, Holistic Lifestyle Coach & Professional Speaker Brandon Krieger is a Certified Holistic Lifestyle Coach, Social Technologies Coach, Twitter Doctor, & Professional Speaker. He has had the privilege of studying under some of the leading nutrition, exercise, spiritual and social media experts in the world. Through his life experiences, Brandon has been able to lead a legacy of educating people around the world on how to achieve their personal, professional and spiritual dreams. “I believe when you live in the now, anything is possible.” for more information e-mail— info@knssconsulting.com or Visit http://www.brandonkrieger.com 416-239-9351

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We all crave for connection. We long to love and be loved.  Even those of us who have been hurt or abandoned secretly hope that someone will come along to prove to us that love is real and intimacy is achievable. That hope is the thing that keeps us searching. It is a yearning to touch, be seen and acknowledged.  This yearning is often times covered with fear, doubt and skepticism. However, our true nature is linked to the wholeness of the universe and can never be extinguished…

Recycled Resolutions by Grace Ste. Croix

The holidays are here and many people become nostalgic. Did they accomplish the tasks and goals of the year that has just passed? What new aspirations do we have in the next year coming? 2012 is right around the corner but many people find themselves recycling their old resolutions for the year of 2011. Why do we get trapped in this cycle? How can we go forward with a resolution and actually accomplish it?

Technorati Tags: 2012, business coaching, Energy Healing, Holistic Lifestyle Coaching, paradigm shift, Personal Challenges, personal success, Professional Challenges, Professional Success

Last night at a Bliss Book signing event, I was in the company of wise women who shared what it was that helped them live their bliss to the fullest. They ranged in age from mid 30′s to late 50′s, all with enough life experience to fill an ocean. Collectively they had been married, divorced, widowed, raised children, had miscarriages, been students, teachers, healers, business owners, faced illness and injury, lost loved ones, and were immersed in  projects and passions that tickled their souls. I felt so enriched in their presence and amazed that they had come out to hear me speak.  Then the voices of two friends came echoing back from this past week. Both of these men have known me for a few decades and were accomplished professionals. Unsolicited, each had the same feedback for me as I have entered into a new phase in my life as a published book author. “Stop playing small. Stop diminishing your own gifts. Trust your own wisdom and offer it without using affiliation with other transformational teachers to validate yours.” Oh my!  Were they listening to the conversation in my head over the past few months?  Admittedly, I have placed certain people on a pedestal because they had achieved my desires, forgetting what my father often said, “They put their pants on one leg at a time, just like you do.”  One of those friends said “They have nothing on you. You offer your own unique take on the message.”  Ego flares and  humble hiding all at once as I dance that line between feeling like “I’m all that and a bag of chips.” and like the crunchy crumbs at the bottom of the bag.  Is that familiar to anyone reading this?

My friend Lisa shared a story at the gathering last night that I had heard before, but it was particularly poignant at that moment.  A man was cleaning his aquarium and had placed the fishies in the bathtub filled with water until their home was fresh and clean and sparkly. He observed with amusement, that they didn’t enjoy their new found freedom by swimming in the entire tub. Instead, they huddled in one corner, which (no surprise) was the same size of the space they had occupied in the fish tank. And so it is with many of us, myself included. How often do I play it safe, dipping my toe in the water, since I don’t want to make a big splash? I forget that as I immerse in the ocean of love and inspiration, any water that I spray about, gets on others who may be standing on the shore. They may see me having so much fun, that they may be encouraged to dive in themselves.

I’m reminded of a quote that I am paraphrasing here: We  can go to the ocean with a bucket or a thimble…the ocean doesn’t care. You are so worthy of that watery wealth.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KmKkV3ddAo

Rev. Edie Weinstein, MSW, LSW is a Renaissance Woman and Bliss Mistress who delights in inviting people to live rich, full, juicy lives. Edie is an internationally recognized, sought after, colorfully creative journalist, interviewer and author, a dynamic and inspiring speaker, licensed social worker, interfaith minister, offering uniquely designed spiritual rituals. In addition, she is a PR Goddess, promoting events and transformational teachers, healers, writers and artists. She speaks on the subjects of wellness, spirituality, sexuality, creativity, time management, recovery, body image, mindfulness, self esteem, stress management, re-creating yourself, caring for the caregiver, loss and grief. She is a frequent guest on radio and TV. Edie is currently writing her first best selling book entitled The Bliss Mistress Guide To Transforming the Ordinary Into The Extraordinary and is offering a workshop for women who want to re-create their lives, based on those concepts. A 20 year old journalistic vision came to pass in July of 2008 when she interviewed His Holiness The Dalai Lama. It was a potent reminder to never, ever, ever give up on our dreams. Over the years, Edie has written for mainstream and transformational publications. She has interviewed hundred of notables in the transformational fields, including Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, Debbie Ford, Leonard Peltier, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Beckwith, Jonathan Goldman, Gregg Braden, Neale Donald Walsch, Mary Manin Morrissey, Dan Millman, Alan Cohen, Ram Dass, Jack Canfield, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Patch Adams, Ben and Jerry, Donna DeLory, James Twyman, Elizabeth Lesser, Michael Franti and Jean Houston. Her website is http://www.liveinjoy.org 

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Doing Our Best by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

When I was growing up my father often said: “Everyone does the best they can with what they have to work with.” What I want you to know about this is that he did not say this lightly, did not come to this from a life of ease or privilege. He had grown up poor with an abusive alcoholic father and an exhausted, unprotective mother. As a child he and his mother were beaten almost every night by my grandfather who eventually (after my father was an adult) committed suicide- hung himself in the barn of the dirt farm where my father had…

5 Keys to stay Positive in Challenging times by Pragito Dove

Here are my top 5 Keys that can help you cultivate not only a positive mindset but also the feeling state necessary for the positive Law of Attraction. The more you focus on bringing awareness to accepting and loving yourself, the more your inner beauty and harmony is reflected in your outer circumstances. The Sufi master who designed the Taj Mahal based his work on meditation. It shows, doesn’t it?

Technorati Tags: Bliss, law of attraction, Motivation, reflection, The Bliss Mistrress Guide To Transforming the Ordinary Into the Extraordinary, Vision

Are you having trouble staying in a positive state of mind when challenging circumstances present themselves?  The Universal Laws state: so without, so within. Everything is a mirror. We cannot change the reflection, but we can change the original(ourselves),and then, automatically, the reflection changes.

Here are my top 5 Keys that can help you cultivate not only a positive mindset but also the feeling state necessary for the positive Law of Attraction. The more you focus on bringing awareness to accepting and loving yourself, the more your inner beauty and harmony is reflected in your outer circumstances. The Sufi master who designed the Taj Mahal based his work on meditation. It shows, doesn’t it?

1.   Relax and Accept

Relax and accept the challenging situation. Don’t fight it because that will make it worse. The more relaxed you are, the more productive you are. Creativity arises out of a relaxed state. And it’s creativity that you need to come up with solutions to the situation you are in.  Notice that I use the word “situation” and not the word “problem”. There is no such thing as a problem, only a situation. When you shift your perspective and see the situation as it is,without negative commentary, then you come up with creative solutions, and/or you find the right person to help you.

2.  Watch the Mind

Make a practice of watching the thoughts of the mind with non-judgment and compassion for yourself. It is not the thoughts that are the problem, it is our identification with them, that creates stress and anxiety.

For 5 minutes a day sit with eyes closed, body relaxed, and observe the thoughts of the mind. You don’t have to censor them, or force them to be other than they are, simply observe with non-judgment, and let them pass by.

Over time, you become less identified with the thoughts, and more connected to your creativity, wisdom and clarity.

3.  Create Positive Thoughts

A powerful way to undermine the influence of negative thoughts on your well being is to create a practice of saying positive thoughts to yourself. At the beginning these might seem tedious or silly, but, believe me, it works! The easiest way to break a bad habit of self-judgment and criticism is to create positive phrases that you repeat to yourself as often as possible. Even if you don’t really believe them in the beginning, say them anyway! Over time they become a habit and the negative thoughts simply dissolve.

4.  Surround yourself with Positive People

Be alert to people who like to complain, bad-mouth others, and/or have a depressed outlook on life. AVOID THEM. Keep yourself in the company of positive thinking people. This is a powerful way to keep yourself in a positive energy field which will LIFT YOU, rather than bring you down. Your life is not determined by outside circumstances, but rather by how you respond to those outside circumstances.

Remember that all things are possible, there is a lot going on that is unseen to you.

The more you keep yourself on a positive vibrational level, the greater your chances of having positive outcomes to challenging situations.

5.   Be Grateful, Laugh, Celebrate

Be grateful for what you have. If things are really bad, be grateful for being able to breathe, get out of bed in the morning, use your legs. Be grateful for the sunrise and sunset, for the beauty of the sky, the trees, the birds and flowers. There is always something to be grateful for. Put your focus there and celebrate what you have. Laughter is a powerful attractor factor. Seek out ways to bring more laughter into your life. You will be amazed at the miracles that occur.

Meditation: Befriending the Mind

Benefits:
When you befriend the mind you are surprised how radically life can change. It becomes much easier to disidentify from the mind’s constant chattering and see yourself, and life’s situations, with more clarity and objectivity. You see life’s dramas with perspective and compassion, and insights and understandings arise naturally.

Find ways to befriend your mind. The mind is our bridge from the subconscious to the conscious, our gateway of expression to the outer world. Be grateful for it. Find ways to appreciate the insights, understandings, and creativity it brings. See it not as an enemy but as a friend.

As this friendship with the mind deepens, your mind no longer disturbs you. You are not fighting it; you are simply letting it’s thoughts pass by.The mind and the ego want to make it complicated, but it is not. Life sings a different tune when you are not controlled by the mind. Your natural joy, spontaneity, self-acceptance, love and compassion arise quickly and easily.

Pragito Dove M.A., C.C.H. is the leading authority on Expressive Meditation in North America. Using the principles she now teaches, Pragito transformed her pain and fear into joy and inner peace. Founder of the Laughing Buddhas Network and an internationally recognized master trainer, speaker, and meditation expert, Pragito is the author of two best-selling books, Lunchtime Enlightenment (Penguin Group), and Laughter, Tears, Silence (published in six languages). She has a private practice in Northern California from where she teaches highly acclaimed programs such as the Laughter Meditation Teleclass Program Series to an international audience! Pragito’s website is: http://www.discovermeditation.com 

Read more from VividLife.me bloggers:

Stress is not what you think by Ed and Deb Shapiro

Ironically, the holiday season can be most stressful time of the year. Imagine you are trying to squeeze some toothpaste out of a tube but you have forgotten to take the top off. What happens? Deb actually did this in one of her most unaware moments and the toothpaste soon found another way out through the bottom of the tube and got all over her. It will force a hole in the side or wherever is the weakest point.

How to Express Emotions in a Conscious Way by Sarita

Human emotions are an inherent part of being alive. We may try to control them, repress them or manipulate them in some way. In spite of this, they are ever present in many unpredictable ways. Emotions are a tremendous blessing if we can understand and learn from them. In a sense, they are like weather, changeable and sometimes volatile, yet ultimately seeking a dynamic balance in our life and relationships.

Technorati Tags: Adversity, Balance, challenge, inspiration, pragito dove, self actualization, staying positive, stress, vivid life

It’s a Social Media Boot Camp for Authors!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011 from 2pm – 3:30pm Eastern (11am – 12:30pm Pacific)

During this webinar you will learn Why Facebook and Twitter work and how you can use them to build an audience and keep them engaged with you and your message.

Here is an overview of the presentation:

1. Understanding how people interact with Facebook.

2. Why Facebook works to drive engagement with your message.

3. A brief tutorial about setting up your Facebook Page.

4. Understanding how people interact with Twitter.

5. Why Twitter works to drive engagement with your message.

6. What’s with Google+ and whether you should be putting yourself there.

7. Why it’s important to listen to social media.

8. Learn how to use promotions and advertising to build up a following.

Click Here to Learn More=====>

About your Presenter:

When Angie Lile was in the second grade, she was constantly writing sentences during recess time…

“I shall not talk in class”
“I shall not talk in class”
“I shall not talk in class”

Even at a young age she was embracing her love for communicating messages. It’s no surprise that Angie has found her way into the hearts of some of the world’s most profound spiritual authors which have given her the responsibility of amplifying their messages to people all over the world.

Using the video skills she acquired from the New York-based Food Network coupled with her years of social media expertise, Angie has grown her business to include many more writers, while she continues to expand on her social media training.

Each year Angie attends Social Media Seminars led by the World’s most successful Social Media leaders in Industry Marketing. She has learned Twitter tactics from Guy Kowasaki and some really great Facebook strategies from the experts who handle Hallmark, Southwest Airlines and Sprint.

Many hours are spent each day pouring over social media news about trends and disasters, making her a literal Maven on the subject. All of her friends agree that if you mention Social Media in Angie’s presence, you might not get her to shut up!

Along with managing accounts for several authors and for VividLife.me, Angie has provided Social Media advice to some of the world’s top Authors including: Neale Donald Walsch, Author of Conversations with God and other New York Times best-selling books; Hay House Author Doreen Virtue who has written over 20 books about Angels and Spirituality; and Ghost Whisperer’s Producer and World Famous Medium, James Van Praagh just to name a few.

Here is what Neale Donald Walsch has to say about Angie’s expertise:

“Angie Lile knows the Social Media world inside and out, making it not necessary for me to. I have been able to focus on my life’s work, knowing I’ve got Angie behind me. Using the combined tools of CWG’s wonderful insights and Angie’s remarkable expertise, a wide and continuously enlarging audience has been able to be satisfied in their search for this message. When I was young, those with something to say had to find their audience. Today our audience is trying to find us. Angie’s genius is to render my message easily findable and visually accessible. All I have to do is source the material. For me this is heaven, because I don’t want to have to know all that Angie knows in order to get done all that I want to get done. Do you suppose that ‘Angie” is short for ‘Angel’?”

Click Here to Learn More=====>

Technorati Tags: Angie Lile, authors, Building a following, Consultation, creating a page, learn from home, LileStyle Productions, social media, training, understanding data, Webinar

The positive uses of social media technology are vast. People are able to get in touch with old friends, increase and advertise their small businesses and connect with others. Both professionally and personally, social media technology has offered endless outcomes for adults. However, students today are growing up around social media technology. It is not a phenomenon as it is for many adults, but a way of life. Despite age requirements and rules, many children join social media groups to connect with their friends to access information.   The once school yard brawl has now taken to the internet, where children and teens do not exchange blows but publically fight with one another over social media technology. Hurtful texts, instant messages and emails have been a problem for so many families. Bullying has taken on its own evolution to the internet; an evolution that parents should be aware of.

At one point in time, a school yard bully would harass children before and after school. The behaviour of the bully is inexcusable and the bullied child would run home, into the safety net of the house. The bullying would cease until the next day.  The bullied child had a break. Today, there is no temporary sanctuary. With the connection of text messaging, Facebook, and twitter, teens and children can easily access and alter each other’s information and continue the bullying while the child is at home. Mean texts, photo shopping pictures to put the child in an embarrassing photo, or harassing emails are just some of the ways that bullying is a twenty four hour a day action.

Bullying is instant. Before the internet, gossip took its time to spread around the school. One had a chance to fix the problem or quash the rumors. Now, a simple text to each student spreads rumors instantaneously. Bullied children are depressed, often turning to their parents for help. Parents who grew up in a pre-internet world may not understand that the bullying does not end in the school yard, but is constant and that online attacks are a permanent, searchable fixture.  Harsh words and horrible gossip can never be forgotten as it festers on the internet.

The internet and social media technology has produced so many positive results. However, schools should take the time to explain to students the severity of their words. Words, typed or said can be vicious. It is the unfortunate truth that suicide from online bullying is on the rise. If students are aware of the dangers of online bullying and respecting each other’s privacy, perhaps a few lives are saved. It is integral for parents to keep informed about social media technology. By keeping up to speed, parents will have a better understanding what sites their children are joining and how important it is to teach your children to respect each other. They do not have to like each other or agree with each other but respect the fact that information can be distorted and spread to strangers. By educating ourselves, we can help our children to use the internet positively to connect with each other.

Technorati Tags: bully, bullying, Grace Ste.Croix, Harassment, Hate, Online Bullying, Peer Presure, reflection, School, suicide, vividlife

A revealing exercise was discovered with a group of people interested in living freely, unencumbered by past definitions of themselves. When a person said her own name and then said what that name meant to her, self-definitions from childhood were exposed. Usually, if not always, these definitions of themselves were negative to at least some degree. Even if names had been changed, the old name still had hidden power, and hidden power is the most insidious. Many of these intelligent, bright, aware adults were carrying old burdens of negative self-identification within them. When a friend repeated the question, “What is your name and what does it mean?” layers of excess mental and emotional baggage could be recognized and dropped.

Naming is an extremely useful aspect of human intelligence. With naming we are able to make important distinctions. Distinctions are necessary for our survival, as well as mental and emotional growth and well being. With more sophisticated naming we develop more subtle and sophisticated distinctions. But great powers often come with a high cost. As we develop our ability to make distinctions and generate names, we usually lose sight of the connection between things.

And this is a tragic loss, a loss that generates dissatisfaction, restlessness and worse.

Names accumulate meanings associated with their owners. Over time, derogatory meanings can become embedded in our self-identification. We begin to believe that we are what our names, or labels, say we are. Even if we rebel against them, our names can seem like a kind of map of our persona, a map that defines how we are separate from others.

In the willingness to inquire into one’s own name, and with that inquiry the willingness to face unpleasant feelings, there arises the possibility to see through the name. We can see that the name has no substance by itself. We can see the unreality of the name per se, while the reality of oneself remains constant.

How burdensome these labels and distinctions are finally. All along didn’t you know your name didn’t describe who you are? And yet we spend much of life trying to accept a name as the symbol of our identity, or rebelling against one name and taking another in hopes that perhaps the new name will be a true description of ourselves. Some of us take animal spirit names, we accept names from our gurus (I did), and we have secret, special lover-given names that feel more like a fit for us. But if we tell the truth, no name can contain our true identity. Once we stop trying to name ourselves, and others, there is an obvious yet thrilling discovery. We are not actually discrete from one another, or from the “mountain” or “the ocean” or “the sky” or any other part of our universe. What were important distinctions for survival and power aren’t needed at all in self-reflection.

As Alfred Korzybski pointed out eighty years ago, “The map is not the territory.” If you only know the map you won’t experience the territory. If we try to fit ourselves, and others, into maps and labels, we will miss the essential thrill of being aware of ourselves as inseparable from all life forms.

Why not try this game with a friend? One of you asks the other, “What is your name and what does it mean.” Repeat this question for ten minutes or so before switching roles. When you are asking the question, be sure to include nicknames, and even hateful names you have been called. You can discover for yourself if you want to keep carrying around any old heavy baggage associated with any name at all.

Gangaji will present her new book, Hidden Treasure: Uncovering the Truth in Your Life Story, at a weekend retreat in the San Francisco Bay Area on October 29-30. In November and December she will hold retreats and weekends in Australia and New Zealand. Read more about Gangaji’s events and catalog of books and videos online. You can also join Gangaji in monthly Webcast / Conference Series which will begin an in depth study of Hidden Treasure in November.

Technorati Tags: Gangaji, Hidden Treasure, human intelligence, humanity, inspiration, labels, names, self inquiry, Spirituality, vivid life

Your Beliefs Create Your Reality

The first thing that we know about ‘beliefs’ is that you create your reality within the parameter of the beliefs that you hold within your own consciousness.  This is a fancy way of saying that all of the beliefs that you hold, mostly unconsciously, create a window through which you create a constrained and limited version of yourself.  Some people may argue that they are creating exactly what they want with no limitation, but this is usually the minority and many of these individuals simply do not like to be told that they have limiting beliefs.  The truth is that everyone does.  The power is in becoming aware of this fact.

Here is the trick; every single belief is ultimately a limitation in your consciousness.  That’s right, a limitation.  A belief is formed to help you cope with reality as it is, not reality as you want it to be.  In other words you create, take on, or accept beliefs because you are (at the time) unable to create your own reality exactly the way you want it to be.

For instance, you may have dreams of running a business, being an actor, flying an airplane, or being an entrepreneur.  However, unconsciously within you is instilled the belief that you need to get a college degree in order to become anyone of worth.  So, either one of two things happen.  Either a) You go get the degree only to find out that it doesn’t necessarily mean that your life goes exactly the way you want it to (because you encounter other beliefs along the way) or b) You don’t get the college degree and subsequently sabotage yourself via the fact that your worth is subconsciously associated with whether you do have a college degree or not.  Now, you have one unconscious strike against you that is registered in your subconscious mind saying, “I am less worthy and less likely to succeed because I do not have a college degree.”

Knowing who you are

Most of us just aren’t born knowing who we are and what we want to do in life.  What happens to people along the way, especially for those of us who aren’t born knowing what we want to do, is that we begin to absorb more and more beliefs into our psyche.  We read studies, watch documentaries, and read books that portray limited versions of ourselves.  We continue to absorb all of this disinformation into our psyche until we get to the point where we firmly believe that life is a certain way.  Eventually it gets to the point where we are looking to outside sources to tell us who we are.

At this point, we no longer know who we are.  Instead of the childlike innocence of creative imagination, we have a strict, limited version of how our reality is supposed to be.  Worse, now we rely upon the very sources of disinformation that put us here to continue to guide us through our now, very limited reality.

Every time you rely upon a ‘study’ to tell you who you are you are in the process of giving away your personal power.  I’ll tell you right now that no one and I mean NO ONE who ever became famous or incredibly rich did so by conforming to the mass consensus beliefs on the subject.  In fact, most of these people are those who made their own rules and lived outside of the box, way outside the box.

When you begin to realize the power of who you are and that you hold to create your own life then you will begin to see the futility in prescribing to mass consciousness beliefs.  All mass consciousness beliefs are constrictive and limiting.

Pay attention to that which you wish to become

In life we are constantly bombarded via the media with massive amounts of limiting ideas and beliefs.  Big pharmaceutical companies pay for massive amounts of advertising to insert fear based beliefs about made up diseases into the consciousness of the people of the planet.  Big oil companies pay hundreds of millions of dollars to insert belief systems about different companies and types of gas that are better for the environment.  Fast food companies pay out massive sums of money to insert the belief that certain types of food are supposed to be a cultural way of life.

How many beliefs are really yours?

Have you ever wondered that?  How many beliefs that you have in your consciousness did you actually consciously choose to accept as your belief?  Probably around 1% of them; the other 99% were inserted subconsciously.  I’m sorry to have to say that to you, but it is most likely more true than anyone knows.

Sow what do we do?

Pay attention to what you are paying attention to.  That’s a good first step.  In other words, do you automatically turn on the TV when you get home?  If so then you are probably being programmed to a certain degree.  However, if you turn on the television with a specific show in mind, then you are less likely to be programmed.  Any television viewing has limited, subconscious programming involved.  However, the more conscious your choice is in what you watch and why, the less likely chance you will have of being subconsciously programmed.

If you are a regular purchaser of fast foods then it is quite possible that you are doing so because you have been programmed to. I’m not judging you for the fact as we have all been subjected to massive amounts of programming that are designed to create unconscious beliefs within our subconscious.  Rather, I’m saying that it is time to take back your mind.  Part of the taking back is waking up to what you are doing and why you are doing it.

Meditation

For those of you who know me know what my number one cure for just about everything is, especially limiting beliefs.  Meditation has been a tried and true technique for thousands of years in its ability to help you take back the power of your own mind.  Meditation, done consistently, can help you to get to the root of your limiting beliefs deep within your subconscious mind.  From consistent meditation you will be able to, slowly but surely, unravel the layers of beliefs, ideas, and emotional patterning that has been serving to keep you rooted in the same reality over and over again.

Meditation has the ability to begin to deconstruct the limited version of reality that you have been projecting out upon the world and thus living.  With consistent meditation you will begin to notice that, over time, your reality almost appears to physically deconstruct itself, resulting in something new that you have never experienced before.  But, it takes time and the commitment to change, the commitment to become a conscious creator.  That time is yours to spend however you want to, but I ask you to consider who’s mind your mind belongs to…

Christopher A. Pinckley

Author of Reality Creation 101

Technorati Tags: abs, book it, brad yates, emotional development, emotional release, integral practice, joe vitale, law of attraction, metaphysics, one on one, oneness, rasha, reality creation 101, subconscious beliefs, t harv eker, the book, the power of your subconscious mind, unconscious, what is spirituality, what is the secret