Lost and found

May 29, 2009 | Filed Under Consider this, Moment of Truth, Thoughts | Leave a Comment 

Sometimes you have to lose yourself to truly find yourself.

We’re always going to go through things in life that challenge us, that put us face-to-face with the idea of ourselves that we have and the real version of ourselves that we’re being. Make it all worth it by taking from it all the lessons, all the good stuff, and dropping the rest. Don’t beat yourself up. If there was ever a time to be your own friend, it’s when you feel lost. Be honest with yourself. Decide what changes you want to make and why, then hold yourself accountable.

Personal power and self love

May 28, 2009 | Filed Under Consider this | 1 Comment 

The topic of last night’s We Think Radio show was power. We asked with whom does power reside: people, industries/systems, or the government? Ultimately, we came to the conclusion that power should be with the people, but for various reasons, people don’t believe they have power, and accordingly, don’t. When people decide they do have power and begin to act with that power, there will be a monumental shift in the understanding of who wields the most power.

Power belongs to the entity or individual(s) with the least fear and/or with the ability to induce the most fear. Fear and power go hand-in-hand, the same way that fear and powerlessness do. When we, as individuals, no longer carry so much fear in our hearts, collectively, we will exercise the most power. Check out V for Vendetta.

After the show, I thought of a question I wish I’d thought of during the show: Maintaining one’s personal power doesn’t necessarily preclude a love of self, but can people truly love themselves and give away their personal power?

I don’t have an answer, but I’m sure you have some thoughts. Please share.

Power to the…?

May 27, 2009 | Filed Under Listen | 1 Comment 

TONIGHT’S TOPIC: POWER…ultimately who has it? The government, corporations or the people? Tune in and join the discussion. Tonight’s guest host will be Kwesi Ronald E. Harris of www.khepera.org.

What My World Sounds Like: Esthero

May 22, 2009 | Filed Under What My World Sounds Like | Leave a Comment 

Esthero, the pink pirate. The voice is nice. The lyrics are great. The attitude is adored. What’s not to like?

Listen and love.

Esthero – “When I Fall in Love”

Gratitude

May 21, 2009 | Filed Under Challenge, Random | 3 Comments 

1. loved ones
2. love
3. blessings
4. sunshine
5. fresh, clean drinking water
6. music
7. movies
8. flip flops, and shoes in general
9. spandex
10. nice gyms
11. being able to take showers for granted
12. young people
13. teachers
14. artists
15. peanut butter (make your own)
16. the internet
17. books
18. lazy sundays
19. pdf documents
20. mp3 players (we’ve come a long way since cds)
21. magazines
22. yoga
23. electric woks, rice cookers, blenders, and other electric kitchen gadgets that allow me to cook in a kitchen-less room.
24. dresses
25. lip balm/gloss
26. smiles
27. fruit
28. bulk food sections of the grocery store
29. whole foods…and Whole Foods
30. airplanes
31. warranties and replacement plans
32. geniuses
33. Wordpress
34. Amazon.com
35. true friendship
36. passionate kisses
37. high fives
38. corny jokes
39. sarcasm
40. progress
41. forward-thinking people
42. jazz
43. nature
44. salads
45. dried fruit
46. cake (especially vegan cake from Blind Faith Cafe in Evanston, Illinois)
47. raw and vegan restaurants
48. Google
49. massages
50. comfortable, quiet moments shared between lovers
51. phones with full keypads, internet and email capabilities.  intrusive and splendid.
52. stretches of time inundated with joy and peace
53. social networks
54. humanitarians and philanthropists
55. sustainable human development practices
56. social entrepreneurs
57. creativity and folks submerged in it
58. that feeling when you hear new tunes that connect with your spirit and make you smile from the inside out
59. shea butter
60. colloquialisms
61. money…or what it represents…in abundance
62. Earthships
63. tear-shedding, ab-hurting laughter
64. respectful debates
65. digital cameras
66. inspiration
67. learning
68. hugs
69. affable people
70. compassion
71. the sound of waves and the smell of fresh bodies of water
72. conquering fears
73. holistic practitioners
74. efficient transportation systems and well-designed cities
75. admiration and respect
76. food delivery
77. FedEx
78. electric heaters…because i seem to always have one on
79. honesty and integrity
80. faith
81. intelligence
82. patient people
83. travel
84. motivators
85. windows that open and allow access to fresh air
86. electric cars (Tesla Motors)
87. mail
88. handwritten letters
89. surprise gifts
90. long, engrossing emails
91. information exchanges
92. the wise
93. cashews, almonds, macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, walnuts, pecans, pistachios…
94. miso soup
95. short grain brown rice
96. mango, sal, chile y limon
97. city life
98. diversity
99. laptops with a lot of RAM and hard drive space
100. vibrant energy

What are you grateful for?

We Think Radio is thinking about race

May 20, 2009 | Filed Under Listen | Leave a Comment 

TONIGHT’S TOPIC: Tune in and join our discussion on race — is it still a relevant issue that holds people back?  If so, what are some solutions?  The guest host for tonight’s show is fellow thinker, Preacher Moss of “The End of Racism Comedy & Lecture Tour”.

Be with the storms

May 19, 2009 | Filed Under Moment of Truth, Rewritable words, Watch this | Leave a Comment 

How to free yourself from the grip of storms? This is the only basic problem in this universe. The first thing is to become aware of it and stop regretting it. Like waves come and go, storms in your life too will subside. No one storm can be there for ever. One storm comes and subsides, another comes and subsides and it goes on. As the storm subsides, you experience that inner cool, soft, delicate aspect of yourself. In that space of calm, all the anxiety, fear, feverishness lose their grip on you and you become yourself again. Love dawns.

When you stop resisting the storms of life and start accepting them with open arms, they will subside on their own. That is the purpose of all spiritual practices, or sadhana, and meditation. When you realise that somebody really cares for you, you feel at rest and all fears and insecurities drop off.

You keep running away from small things — your feelings, sensations, desires — and this leads to more feverishness. Realize that like the ocean cannot be there without the waves, storms are inevitable in your life. Every storm touches you somewhere and makes you grow stronger. A storm pulls you out of your likes and dislikes and purifies you. So accept all that comes with both arms open. [...] Even when the storms come, you are still the same ocean, as deep as ever.

This realization is the culmination of knowledge. When this knowledge dawns, you rise above events; you grow out of them. Everybody in the world goes through crises, insecurities, confusions. It’s like drowning in the ocean of life. But the person with the life jacket can survive even the worst turmoil. So keep your life jacket of knowledge handy.

[...] Do not be in a hurry to get rid of the storms, be with them. Looking for perfection creates imperfection inside you. If you are peaceful, everything around you becomes peaceful. You are the center of this universe. Wherever you go, you carry your own mind, and wherever you go, you will create your own storms. It may appear to be calm and quiet for sometime but the storm will surface sooner or later. Unless you realize this, nothing will hold. There is no other permanent solution. Don’t resist the storms, instead see them as an amazing play of your personality.

–Sri Sri Ravishankar

Source: iJourney.org

Reconsidering opposition: heroes and villians

May 18, 2009 | Filed Under Challenge, Moment of Truth | Leave a Comment 

Wolverine’s victory has to be pretty sweet.

Dating a comics illustrator hipped me to a few things. Something I heard several times that’s been having a recent impact in my life is that a hero is only as good as its villain. If the villain is cheesy and weak, accordingly, so is the hero. You wouldn’t consider Shaquille O’Neil to be particularly heroic or strong if he was up against a 150 pound guy and won. There’s an obvious and overwhelming disparity in size and strength. Flip the scenario around suddenly the situation changes.

Sometimes, the idea of opposition and competition is one that frightens us, causing us to choose “safer” plans. This method doesn’t allow us to experience our greatness, or even allow us to fail enough to succeed. In every perceived failure is at least one lesson that informs us of what we can improve upon. The greater the opposition, the greater the triumph. It means something to be No. 1 amongst strong competition.

The next time you consider shrinking into yourself at the thought of competing, think about how great the win will feel. If you happen to lose, take note of what you need to work on, and go at it again.

Challenge yourself.

Follow me on Twitter

May 18, 2009 | Filed Under Consider this | Leave a Comment 

I post a lot of great things on Twitter that never make it onto this blog for a variety of reasons, namely brevity.  Because it’s amazing, I’m kind of in love with Twitter. To see my mini-blog feed, go to http://twitter.com/ElleEpiphany.

Also, if you read What My World’s Like on a regular basis, you might want to consider subscribing via RSS or email as well.

A little bit of random: lessons learned

May 15, 2009 | Filed Under Learn something, Moment of Truth, Pay attention, Random | 3 Comments 

• The world is replete with energy vampires. Depending on your aspirations, you may have to slay them from your life.  It might not be easy, but it is critical.
• The potential for a transformative moment always exists, even in your pain. You can find the good and end your suffering if you stop torturing yourself.
• Life really does provide us with signs all the time. Pay attention to them and you might find yours working with a bit more ease.
• Ego and confidence are not the same thing. Decrease one, increase the other.
• Once again, love is a verb, not feeling alone. If your love doesn’t translate into anything, what is it, really?  Just as faith without works is dead, so, too, is love without action.
• There will be times when you have to go at it alone…and for those times, it’s the best possible thing.  Don’t fight it.
• Know when to let go and walk away. From addictions, arguments, situations, people, etc.
• Clean out your life regularly. Not just in spring. But it’s spring now, so if you haven’t started, go!
• People who make you laugh, smile, and think are heaven sent. If one person can do all three, they’re a true gem. Consider keeping them around.
• Telling your story gives you power over it. Don’t let it hold you back.

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