Post date: Apr 10, 2017 1:40:21 PM
Disclaimer: The exercises that I have completed below are my beliefs based on the good ideas gifted to me by those who I consider great mentors as well as my own experience of these teachings. I am in no way trying to impose my beliefs on others. But I do believe that good ideas should be shared. I reserve the right to update my beliefs as I evolve in this life.
April 1, 2017 -
The Brain and the Soul
April 11, 2017
Truth is now, reality--the present. Truth is accepting. Truth is love. Truth is the kind preference of my heart. Truth evolves with experience and perspective. Things I know for sure: In order to best experince this life (1) strive to deeply appreciate every moment that is life (2) live courageously and (3) come and go in peace.
My philosophy: Live to love. Love to live.
May 8, 2017
I reconcile discrepancies between reason and faith by being the light. I try to experience the moment. I try to experience now. Everything is horrible and beautiful at the same time. I try to focus on the good, to show the good and to increase the good. Reason often fails me when I let my ego take hold. When I come and go in peace, I make good choices and am happier. I believe, strictly on faith, that my good deeds carry on infinitely and help the human race to evolve. I do not know if every question has an answer but I am best served searching for the answers to the right questions. And if I don't like the answers, I need to ask better questions.
Fate and free will determine my luck. Free will allows me to prepare diligently and appropriately for when opportunities arise (fate). If am humble enough to accept even the tiniest of opportunites and fearless enough to risk failure, I continuously evolve and grow. It's about the process. Improving one small skill at a time. Do the simple things well.
I have no free will when I allow my emotions to be in charge. I must learn to detach from my emotions in order to perform well.
The collective fate of humanity is to come together as one, to become we-centric instead of me-centric. But it starts with me, to become truly altruistic towards my fellow man I need to use my knowledge and creativity to solve problems, to build strong and happy children. Happy people do not blow things up.
May 17, 2017
Thoughts directly affect reality. Thoughts cloak reality. If I think only of my purpose, then I am calm, focused and at peace. If my thoughts turn to doubt and questions, then I am scattered and make mistakes. Prayer allows me to reflect and listen to the peaceful preference in my heart. It affects my reality by showing me that happiness is always a possibility. My mind is my worst enemy when I let my ego run the show. The ego will always question happiness. I keep my cynicism in check by recognizing when I start to question, when I start to ruminate, and by taking the time to refocus on my purpose.
Both self importance and self loathing drain my soul. Helping other people, laughter, getting good rest and eating a healthful meal recharge my soul. The soul is the part that knows what is truly right and good. The soul represents the positive virtues that we strive to evolve towards as human beings, regardless of gender. I am either using my peaceful thoughts and helpful actions now to nurture my soul or I am allowing myself to devolve and be controlled by my primitive, fearful and doubting brain. I don't know if the soul can be killed. But I know it can be healed. The World is both beautiful and horrible all at once. My job is to concentrate and focus on my purpose which is to spread the light, to increase the good, and to not allow myself be distracted, confused or consumed by the chaos that surrounds us.
May 21, 2017
Soul Scribble (Collage)
Five Questions I Hate Not Having the Answer To: Will I reach my full potential today and all days gifted me? Will I live a long, healthful, helpful and peaceful life? Will I ever get good at golf (scratch)? Will I leave the world better than I found it? When I die, will everybody be talking about the same person?
Art & Creativity
May 29, 2017
The purpose of art is to be a vehicle for creativity. Art is anything that channels the creative force. I haven't made the time to learn to play music and I sing poorly but music is the type of art that most speaks to me. Listening to good music is very powerful. Knowing the intention of a work of art informs my experience of it, but art always speaks on its own. What it says depends on us, our attitude mood and past experience. Art says different things at different times especially as time passes and we gain perspective.
Five Pieces of Art That Stimulate My Brain:
1. Autumn Harvest by Maynard Dixon
The Feeling: Accomplishment. Do what needs to be done. Do the important things. Don't do more. Do less better.
2. The Kiss by Gustavo Klimt
The Feeling: Amor. Mi Amor. Make time for each other. Listen to each other. Take care of each other. Grow together, not apart.
3. Girasoles by Diego Rivera
The Feeling: Gratitude. Gratitude is appreciating the beauty that exists in even the darkest of moments. Amidst the chaos, focus on the helpers. Work with the helpers. Be an every day hero.
4. Summer Storm Over Northern New Mexico by Tony Abeyta
The Feeling: Live now. Don't wait for the perfect moment. Embrace the storm. Go outside and play. Help the ones planting their tree in the storm. Have the courage to face the fear. Respond. No learning takes place in the comfort zone. Have the courage to face down laziness, apathy and unfriendliness. Every struggle, every storm, is an opportunity to learn, to grow and make our selves more courageous. Be willing to make mistakes. The learning zone comes when we are challenged and forced to adapt to uncomfortable situations. But we must avoid the panic zone. When we panic, learning ceases as well. To be fearless, be willing to feel fear. Bravery is learned behavior. We must train our selves to run back into the fire.
5. Pele by Andy Warhol
The Feeling: Stand on the shoulders of greatness. Find someone who's done it before, learn how they got there and copy them. Success leaves clues. Once we learn everything inside the box, then we can start to think about coloring outside it.
Like any skill, artistic ability is learned. Develop the basic skills. From there use those tools to create. My creative twin is any person who does what I try to do: be creative in all endeavors. Opportunities abound. I try to be graceful in the way I move, interact with the environment and with all beings and in how I complete even the simplest of tasks. There is a connection between God and creativity. The creative force works through me. It helps me be the best version of myself. It helps me be happy. It helps me evolve. It helps me to let go of my ego so that I can focus on spreading light, on transcendence.
June 3, 2017
Art offers a window into the soul. The line between inspiration and imitation lies in our motives. Are we passionate about what we are doing? Or are we doing someone else's bidding or creating a cheap copy? My inspiration comes from the stories and examples of the great mentors, from those who have lived an inspired life. I continue to bathe in their light. Original ideas come to me when I get out of my own way. So in that sense they are not original, because they came to me not from me. I step back and allow my instinct, my subconscious to distill what I have learned, to solve the problem for me. Of course, this only comes after I have put in the time to struggle with the problem. My drive to be original neither stifles nor motivates me. I believe in being a better version of myself today than I was yesterday. I believe in sharing good ideas. I steal good ideas all the time. In fact every idea I've ever written is has stemmed from someone else's ideas or is a synthesis of two or more people's ideas. The drive to be original can lead to competition. Competition is good when it drives us to improve but it becomes unhealthy when it causes us to compare. I prefer cooperation. I believe in helping others to evolve. I transcend my own own life when I teach what I have learned; when I help others to be better than myself.
ART AT ARM'S REACH
June 9, 2017
I feel the need to create because it makes me feel good. It is much better to create than to destroy. It is better to create than to consume. A bit of insanity is not necessary for creative genius. However, having the courage to explore the icky parts, the scary parts inside me, is necessary for creative genius. The parts that I don't really want to look at are usually where I mine gold or where I make the greatest progress. I make creative output as much a part of my daily routine as possible. I try to cultivate empty space in which to be creative. I minimize inputs to maximize output. So I don't need to be in the right mood to be creative. Just getting started is often all I need. In fact, being creative puts me in the right mood. Setting the tone for the day allows me to be creative in everything I do. Having a rested mind and peaceful outlook fuel creative output as well. Waking up to birds chirping rather than traffic roaring or police sirens also helps.
Music is so powerful because it can take me back. I can connect certain songs to certain moments in life, to certain smells and tastes and when I hear those songs they bring back all the emotions and memories. Music has the power to uplift the soul. Music moves my soul most when I have the opportunity to enjoy live music. Every person should experience the music of Bob Marley. I wish I would have been around to see him perform. The messages in his music are powerful, and the emotion with which he sung, inspire me and call on me to evolve as a human being and work towards making the world a better place. Both the music and the lyrics can be most powerful even equally powerful, depending on the song.
June 14, 2017
Black Out Poet
Landmark Women
Capable Career
Good Girls Revolt
Opportunities Realize the Way
Gather, Plan, Decide
Liberation Action
Stronger Return
Report, Force, Pass, Note
Surprise Nice
Think, Speak, Face, Battle
Give, Advance, Fail, Succeed
Continue Long Careers
Write, Edit, Teach, Experience
Portray Proud Real
Know Our Story
Equality for Women
Tough Hope
Show, Encourage, Work Very Hard, Tell
Organize Strength
Sisterhood is Powerful
June 29, 2017
Experiences and Emotions.
I would like to unlearn any sort of gossip or negative chatter I hear about other people (and unspeak anything I have said in the past about others.) I wish I knew more about motivating others to be strong and good people, but I'm on that journey. One thing I've had to learn the hard way is what I can and cannot control. I cannot control what happens but I can control my experience of it. One thing I've learned that blew my mind and continues to blow my mind are the brilliance and sophistication of the past, of the great mentors who have come before me, of humankind. We have the capacity to accomplish much more than we think. If we choose to listen to history's lessons and learn from the past, we will have a better sense of where we need to go. Listen to those who have already lived it. I continue to make the mistake of getting distracted by modern comforts and convenient indulgences. Practice moderation. Learn to be happy with less. Choose the hard way for an easier life. The only mistakes that are unforgivable are the ones we refuse to learn from. Mistakes that have led me to discover and improve are mistakes I am glad to have made.
July 7, 2017
The biggest mistakes I have ever made are either the result of me allowing my emotions to cloud my judgement, being distracted and not focused on the task at hand or allowing my ego to be offended. I often make the mistake of non action. The time to call it quits is when focus has been lost. Learn to quit before focus has been lost. Come back and try again later. I know its time to forge ahead when I make little tiny breakthroughs. I forge ahead when the task is challenging but not difficult. I wish I would have given up over indulging and recognized the importance of doing the little things right sooner. Moderation and consistency are the keys to longevity in any endeavor. Little and often over the long haul. Have a balance. If I could not fail, I would open my own school. If I had 60 seconds to talk a stranger out of taking his or her life I would quickly remind him or her of all the people whose lives ended yesterday, who did not wake up this morning and who would gladly trade places with him or her right now.
7/16/2017
The emotions I wish to gain better control over are any feelings of anxiety. I always perform better when I am calm and patient. When I am anxious I rush. Recognize anxious feelings. Reset, breathe and channel the adrenaline into performance. Intensity is taking fear and focusing that energy on completing the task at hand. Practice milking the moment. Learn to glean magic from every moment. Embrace the storm. Go around. Be excited every time I get to see another day. Every time the rooster crow's, he's communicating something .
Revenge feels good because we feel like we are avenging our selves for having felt slighted or hurt in some way. The feeling never lasts. If I choose not to be offended then I haven't been. To forgive is to evolve. To fail to recall is to be present. To be present is to be happy. The present is pleasant. Happiness is definitely a choice. We can't control other people or what happens in the outside world but we can control how we react to it internally.
The emotion I fear most is anger. No matter how justified my anger is, it only hurts me and those around me. Anger is danger. Anger is poison. Have no enemy within.
Five risks I haven't had the guts to take yet:
Visit the other five continents. What's the worst that can happen? Illness, robbed, arrested, death. (Solution: Get healthy, build resilience, plan ahead, make smart choices, be glad to have lived a life worth living)
Start "La Escuela de Ponch" What's the worst that can happen? Failure. (Solution: Learn from the experience, try again.)
Learn how to ski. What's the worst that can happen? Major Injury. (Solution: Don't skip steps. Follow the progressions. Be patient. Pay attention on the slopes)
Watch a game in every Major League Stadium. What's the worst that can happen? Encounter unfriendly people. (Solution: Move on. Good people bring out the good in people. Good people attract good people.)
Reach out to my living mentors. What's the worst that can happen? Rejection. (Solution: Make myself worthy of worthy people.)
July 22, 2017
The experience I most look forward to in life is the experience of being totally and completely enveloped in the moment, getting out of my head, having no sense of time nor self, being one with the moment and the beings I happen to be sharing the moment with, not sad about the past nor worried about the future.
Our experiences rarely match our expectations. We should never base our happiness on our expectations but bring our passion to the moment. Let us lend our happiness and joy to those around us today. Be a fountain not a drain.
The single experience that has most transformed me is the realization that this life is but one tiny little moment in the history of the Universe, yet the wisdom we gather and share and the lessons we learn and teach continue to illuminate long after we are gone.
One eye opening experience that every person should have is to experience the majesty of a northern New Mexico sunrise or sunset. Seeing both is a magnificent way to bookend the day. Every person should experience the energy and the beauty and the connection with the Creator and the creative spirit. Every time I take the time to reconnect with nature, I experience the oneness with the universe and all sensitive beings. At the same time, there is the experience of extreme humility in being so small in comparison to vastness of space and time. Looking at nature and the cycle of life, I get a sense of my own mortality and a feeling of gratitude. The sun has risen again and we are truly blessed to see it. The message is: "You have been gifted another day, do something with it." It doesn't matter what we do. It doesn't have to be important to be a magical day. It could be something as simple as preparing and enjoying a nutritious meal with good company. We don't necessarily need to be coming up with solutions to the world's problems or the problems of our society but we prepare ourselves to do great things when we spend our days doing the little things great.
BEAUTY IN THE BLAND
8/11/2017
Love is the fuel for the soul. Poncho is love. Unconditional love is not a myth. Once we put our big fat egos aside, it is possible to love anyone unconditionally. We choose who we love because love is always a choice. We can show kindness, compassion and love for a perfect stranger. But to truly love someone, we most know that person inside and out. Simply having sex is an animal impulse but making love is connecting at a deeper level. Sex is only focusing on satisfying our self. Making love is of benefit to both our self and our partner. A true connection affects us down to our souls. Sex is just one of many ways to express love and intimacy. I wish we could have been more open about sex and our sexual nature growing up. It would have taken less time to become comfortable discussing the topic. If we don't develop healthy, mutually benevolent sexual habits, they quickly descend into selfish, unhealthy or even deviant sexual habits.
9/19/2017
Hot for Humility. 5 non physical traits that turn me on:
Great sense of humor
Humility
Intelligence
Friendliness
Passion
So many marriages fail because of ego. We put our self first instead of our relationship. We make it about our self and when we don't get our way, we are unhappy and begin to search for something else. We should be happy regardless. The more we give, the more the relationship benefits. The more the relationship benefits, the richer we become. To prepare for marriage we must put our egos aside and plan for life together. Divorce in and of itself is not failure but it is the result of the failure to grow together. We can't change other people. We can only change ourselves. If we evolve for the better, but our partner refuses to come along, then divorce might be the best option. But if our partner evolves for the better and we refuse to come along then that failure is on us. Marriage is not an outdated institution. People can be happy living the single life but together is better. Go alone to go fast. Go together to go far.
My family sees the real me because I am not afraid to speak my mind. Although my troubles are few, I tend to hide them from my family. I want to always be self reliant, so I am reluctant to ask for help unless I really need it. Mutual kindness, trust and respect are the keys to becoming friends with our family, with anybody. Being a good listener, asking good questions and not judging are also important factors. We should never stop caring about what our parents think, unless they have set a bad example by being mean, selfish or pessimistic. Thankfully, my parents are kind, selfless and optimistic. For that, I am eternally grateful.
Attraction stems from us. Our vibe attracts our tribe. We can learn from every person we come in contact with when we choose to bring out the best in them as opposed to competing against and comparing ourselves to them. We should pursue both excellence for ourselves and for those around us. We can learn how to listen and how to ask better questions. From that comes just a little better understanding. A relationship is healthy if there exists no protocol and we are free to be our true selves with one another. Agreement is not required but mutual understanding is. For communication to be successful, we must be kind while we speak the truth. We must be considered a friend if we want others to listen to what we know.
October 28, 2017
Hate absolutely destroys our physical well being. Any negative or uncomfortable emotions hurt us. The best way to handle hate is to confront it in a detached, non emotional manner. To step back and breathe. To seek to understand, find common ground and solve problems. But most importantly, to resolve to be at peace our self, no matter what. If my goal is to be happy, then harboring hate, no matter how justified, is beneath me. The expression of hate that has most affected me is my very own anger. I have come to recognize that anger is weakness and forgiveness is strength. In confronting my own anger, I am slowly learning to get curious instead of furious and to reinforce the behaviors I want instead of complaining about the behaviors I don't want to see. Because of this, life has become more pleasant for myself and those around me.
November 15, 2017
Hate is learned behavior. We hate because we have been harmed or we perceive that we have been harmed in some way. We hate because we are suffering. When we learn to forgive we put an end to our suffering. This is why forgiveness is the ultimate virtue.
I am selfish with my time. I recognize that my time on this planet is limited and that I need to make the most out of each and every day in this life because there are no guarantees. So I really weigh my options when saying 'yes' to time commitments. Nonetheless, I am always willing to roll up my sleeves and help: to do what I can with what I have where I am at. Greed is wanting more than what we need. It's okay to be attached to our good habits. We should be slaves to our good habits. To keep my wants from imposing on the rights of others I choose to want less. I want happiness for myself but I expect little in return. I do my best to increase the good in the world and I am grateful when others respond in kind, but I don't expect it.
December 5, 2017
Five things I would cut off my little toe for:
1. To end all suffering.
2. To taste my Grandmother's cooking again or learn how to build or fix something from my Grandfather.
3. To listen to my Uncle's jokes and his unique laugh again.
4. To play golf with my Brother again and listen to him tell jokes.
5. To visit all the World's continents.
We become obsessed with talking about other people when we start comparing ourselves to others instead of focusing on our purpose, our mission: our life's work. Talking about other people doesn't help any. Listening to others and asking good questions, and reflecting are how we help, how we come to understand the complexity of being human. Gossip is a waste of time, even if what we say is true. Every time I talk about someone behind their back, I regret it almost immediately after the words have left my tongue.
December 18, 2017
A lie I'm glad to tell is a lie that helps me avoid any commitments that monopolize time and do not contribute to my overall happiness or a lie that allows me to remove myself from the company of people who complain or blame, from sarcastic people or from manipulators. One lie I wish I had not said was to myself: that looking good, being popular, successful and acquiring things are the keys to happiness. The truth is, the only way for me to be happy is to be the best version of myself, to be brave in the face of my fears and to use my talents to help others. Nevertheless, to best serve others and give them the best of me, I need to take care of myself. I need to have balance. Rest is part of the work. Play is part of the work. Pray is part of the work. Savoring the good things is part of the work. Any lie that causes harm to others causes me harm. We shouldn't lie to protect others feelings. We should be kind but still speak the truth or we are not helping others to grow.
December 26, 2017
The flaws that most bother me about myself are that I invent things to do to avoid doing the important work and that I don't always moderate. I am a hypocrite when I don't choose peace and patience and when I don't muster the courage to do what is right. One thing I'm glad I didn't do is sacrifice my happiness or integrity for success or money. I choose to be a man of value instead.
January 15, 2018
Scrap Paper Portrait
To be confident without being egotistical, I simply think of myself less. My biggest flaw is fooling myself. My greatest strengths are perspective, detachment and the ability to listen. My ego must be kept in check on a daily basis. I must earn my leadership every day. I need to recognize how brief and tiny this lifetime is and make the most of my time, talents and treasure today. Spend those wisely and I sleep well.
January 29, 2018
Five prayers that haven't been answered yet: (1) an end to suffering, (2) enlightenment for all beings, (3) an end to hunger and thirst, (4) an end to hate, (5) an end to greed.
My sense of right and wrong has evolved from thinking that it is right for me to have, to acquire and to consume and that the purpose of life is to seek pleasure, leisure and to have more and better. I thought it was wrong to spend life working away. Now I believe that hard work, creating, doing and learning to meditate through the discomfort are the path to happiness provided, of course, that my work is meaningful. It is wrong to have and do more. It is right to have and do less better. Chisel away instead of add.
It is important for me to rebel each and every time I am called on to stand up for others or what is right, to face my fears and to demonstrate courage. If I practice doing it for all the small challenges, I am better preparing myself to act when the big challenges arise.
I will never change my mind about my belief that all beings have inherent goodness and the ability to learn, improve and grow. My ability to teach depends on my ability to coax, recognize, encourage and reinforce the good habits in my students.
Since childhood, I have unlearned the idea that I am special simply because because I am me. Nobody owes me anything in this life. I am responsible for how my life turns out. Opportunity, skill, talent, intelligence and grace must all be earned. Everything must be earned.
I wish I would have trusted my gut and been by my brother's side when he first attempted to get sober. I didn't because I was afraid to overstep my bounds and I was lost in my own haze.
February 25, 2018
To find calm in a chaotic world I set my intention for the day and I follow habits and routines. All the great mentors help to cool my crazy. To be 'in the moment' means to lose all sense of time, to get out of the mind and simply be focused on the task at hand. I feel most reflective early in the morning when the mind is fresh.
March 11, 2018
March 22, 2018
Talking about God is awkward because it is an emotionally charged topic. Talking about God should not be off limits. Nevertheless, we should seek mutual understanding and not look to impose our view on others. I would like to have a real conversation about God with all the enlightened mentors who have come before, those who walk this earth now and those who wish to be enlightened in the future. I wish it were less taboo to discuss our own inner turmoil, our doubts, our fears, our worries and our struggles. If we do that more, we find solutions faster and put an end to sadness, worry, suffering, hate, anger and evil.
April 5, 2018
When reading, interpreting and analyzing religous texts, it is best to look for common themes and principles, test them and adopt those beliefs and practices that best serve our peace. Scripture was written from the perspective of the day and age of those who wrote it. We must learn to adapt the principles of scripture to the world we live in now, instead of taking everything literally. Those best served to interpret religious texts are those who see the big picture, the broader perspective and how the parts fit into the whole. Basic principles will always be fundamental, but the methods of application must continually evolve.
April 21, 2018
What was once acceptable behavior has evolved and will continue to evolve as our understanding evolves. The more we understand about the past, the better we can understand what is written in scripture by putting it in context with the times in which it was written. Is the idea still applicable? Is it useful and practical? Is it based on fundamental principles? If not, then it should be discarded or updated. I struggle with any religious laws that exclude others or that exude an air of superiority. My God is no better than anyone else's God. We should be looking for the commonalities, for the first principles that are common to all religions.
May 2, 2018
If I could ask God one question it would be, "Will the human race evolve to become truly benevolent towards one another and the planet or will those who sow the seeds of discord, hate, greed and destruction lead us into extinction?" We need the guiding fundamental principles inherent in all religions but we do not need to believe that our God is some how better than another's nor do we need to kill in the name of our God. When religion creates an 'us vs. them' mentality it creates more harm than good. If I had to pick a religion to join it would be one that is based on the principles of all the enlightened beings who have come before and is open to evolution and change. If we are willing to listen, choose to be of service to those around us and are grateful for our many blessings, we will have a strong relationship with God, regardless of whether we practice any particular religion. We got here by standing on the shoulders of the great mentors who came before us and by learning from the lessons of our collective history. Let us not be ignorant nor selfish. Let us leave a lasting legacy for generations to come. Not only is it possible to evolve spiritually, it's a must if we want to reach our full potential. Science evolves as we discover more and more. Science could, in fact, be bringing us closer to God, or taking us further away depending on how we interpret its findings and the story we choose to tell ourselves. Evolution and Creationism could be one in the same. As science continues to discover more and more about our past and the vastness of the universes, our understanding of our origins increases and hopefully, our understanding of where we need to go. The story or our creation must therefore be updated as well.
Haiku Hereafter
How I think and live
Determines my experience
Choose Heaven not Hell
May 29, 2018
June 8, 2018
I put my energy into savoring every moment and owning the day. I use my time to improve myself so that I can better serve. Every day, I want to face my fears, to accept what occurs and to respond creatively and from peace; to recognize anxiety, regret, fear and anger, take three deep breaths and respond better. Respond from the soul rather than from emotion. Every act of kindness serves other people. Technology can never replace our connection to nature, to the rhythm of the earth and the organisms around us. Technology allows us to connect with like minded people, with far away mentors but it makes us worse at focusing and worse at listening especially when we let it distract us from those who are in our actual presence. To counteract this, we must spend time practicing creative listening, giving others their turn to speak and truly paying attention. The sharing and coming together of ideas, the application of old ideas and first principles to new topics on a grander and grander scale has had and will continue to have the greatest impact on the world.
June 23, 2018
To ensure technology is used for good start by building good people who work for the greater good, provide access to technology to all and constantly promote and share good ideas.
Science should use genetic engineering to help fortify us against disease and to create better balance. We step on God's toes when we use genetic engineering to try to become something we are not meant to be or when we upset balance. I would only consider changing my DNA to live better but not to make myself smarter, more athletic, better looking or to live longer. Most of us never realize our full potential to begin with. No amount of genetic engineering can replace attitude and work ethic and our ability to experience joy in the moment. Humans differ from animals in our ability to live inside our heads, to plan and predict the future, to see problems and work out solutions. But we spend entirely too much time in our heads. From animals, we can learn balance: to get out of our heads, be more present, live this moment and to reconnect with nature. Every human and animal should have food, clean water, shelter and the opportunity to prosper physically, mentally and emotionally. No animal or human is born knowing right from wrong. We learn right from wrong from one another. We are socialized to be either good or bad.
The mind absolutely affects our health. Think healthy thoughts. To feel physically and mentally healthy we need good vibes, a good tribe, good food and drink, an appropriate movement practice, good hygiene, rest and recovery. To feel spiritually healthy we need to take quiet time to reflect and listen, to live creatively, do for others, and practice gratitude and humility. I harm the planet when I take and use more than what I need. I help the planet and am a conscientious consumer, when I plant, conserve and recycle and spend my money locally and only on what I need and or improves my quality of life.
October 4, 2018
Progress is making mistakes, identifying good problems, soliciting and listening to constructive feedback, reflecting on performance and then working hard in order to make better mistakes the next time.
October 20, 2018
Opening lines to my autobiography: He cared and he was helpful. He was friendly. He thought. He created. He saw problems as opportunities to help. He spoke the truth but did so in a kind way.
Five things we can learn from a 5 year old:
Be curious.
Have a beginner's mind.
Have an adventurous spirit.
Play every day.
Exercise the imagination. Solve problems. Create solutions.
To make the world less screwed up, I come and go in peace and I look to be a source of joy and understanding in the live of those with whom I interact: I smile and say good morning. I call people by their name. I speak softly and strive daily to be both a better communicator and listener. I lend a helping hand when I can and share good ideas. I don't complain, blame and I am not sarcastic. When injured by someone else, I practice forgiveness and send out loving kindness. All the buena gente who have influenced me make my life less screwed up. Community service should be a rite of passage for everyone and we should all engage in some type of volunteer work throughout our lives. It is in helping that we are helped.
December 3, 2018
I don't need to know the exact moment I am going to die. I need to get the most out of this life. To do that I need to focus on three things: be grateful for today, take care of my soul as if I was going to die tomorrow and take care of my body as if I was going to live forever. The same goes for the people that I care for most. Things that should always remain a mystery: greater and greater capacities for death and destruction. When the time comes, I want to wake up, attack my day, enjoy my loved ones, help others, dance, laugh and cry, then go peacefully into that good night. If I had one hour left to live, I would tell all my loved ones 'thank you' and 'I love you' then I would walk off into the sunset. The one experience I am most glad to have lived is my marriage to my wife, my soulmate. My biggest regret is not having lived courageously, for not having been there for my friends and my brother in their time of need. I most revere the legacy set by my parents and grandparents as well as the legacies of all the great mentors who have come before me and who inspire me hoy en día. When I die, I hope the lessons I have taught and the good examples I have set will continue to illuminate the path of those who I may have positively impacted.
December 22, 2018
We are afraid of death because we are hardwired to survive. I would ask a person who recently died, "What's the best idea that you took with you to the grave that you wish you would have shared or pursued before you died?" I don't want to live forever. I want to live better today. The purpose of my life is to be an every day hero: a good example, hard worker, creative, courageous, problem solver, forth teller, teacher, healer, helper, good listener, good friend, the calm in the storm and have a positive impact on each soul I encounter. My sense of purpose evolves with the opportunities that present themselves on a day to day basis. Landing the ideal job is not achieving my purpose. Bringing passion to the job and earning my leadership every day allows me to achieve my purpose. All the great mentors have most influenced my life's purpose.
January 4, 2019