I don’t normally pay much attention to emails, and chains that I get sent..  Often, they’re just a waste of time, and occasionally there’s something in them, that make me stop and think about some of the choices I’ve made in my life.

I don’t know why, and I normally would never do this, but I read this, and felt like sharing it, with the readers of this blog.

Yes, it is a “chain” email that is probably doing the rounds.  And yes, there probably are a very select group of people, who I’m going to finger out, and send this email to, but for once I thought I’ll share it on my blog.  Just because it feels so “right” for me, where I am in my life ;)  Sometimes it’s good to look at things from different perspectives…

Choose Your Attitude

Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say: When someone would ask him how he was doing, He would reply, “If I were any better, I would be twins!”

He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how they could look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, “I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?”

Michael replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, ‘You have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.’ I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.

“Yeah, right, it’s not that easy,” I protested. “Yes, it is,” Michael, said. “Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. Your bottom line: “It’s your choice how you live life.” I reflected on what Michael said.

Soon after, I left the company to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw Michael about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied. “If I were any better, I’d be twins. Wanna see my scars?” I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

“The first thing that went through my mind was the well being of my soon to be born daughter,” Michael replied. “Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live.” “Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?” I asked.

Michael continued, “…the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, ‘he’s a dead man.’ I knew I needed to take action.”

“What did you do?” I asked.

“Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,” said Michael. “She asked if I was allergic to anything. ‘Yes,’ I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled…

“Gravity.”

Over their laughter, I told them, “I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.”

Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. After all, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.”

You have two choices now:

1. Delete this.

2. Forward it to the people you care about.

I hope you will choose #2. I did.

ENJOY LIFE – IT’S THE ONLY ONE YOU GET !!!

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So, I started 2009 taking a few days away from the computer, the internet, and taking some time for myself, to just start thinking about what the coming year has in store?  It’s not often, in our always, on, always connected world, that we can find the time to just step back, and think, and reflect, without having a hundred and one thoughts at the back of our minds, of all the things we need to do, or people we have to respond to, and so it was good to be able to just switch off, step back, and unplug, knowing that it would just be the jovial, merry partying, and festival spirit being carried by the internet across the world, at this time of year.

Traditionally, the Winter, is associated with retreating inwards and being introspective.  To people who manage to notice the seasons, and the changes in pace of life, and the change in nature, Winter is traditionally a time of hibernation, and deep slumber, a time when we look inwards, and re-focus our dreams, and aspirations.  It’s a time that naturally lends itself to staying indoors, and having some quiet time, given that it’s so cold out, and it’s nice to be snug indoors.

Personally I like to enter the New Year, with a clear purpose, and sense of what my priorities are for the coming year, as well as clearing the slate from the previous year, and letting go of what’s not been working so well, and coming to terms with those failures too.

So 2008 was a “huge” year, for me, in so many many ways.  I’ve grown tremendously in the last year – personally experiencing and living through an entire roller coaster of emotions at times.   I’ve had some incredible highs, and some unfortunate lows.  Some of those low’s unfortunately, are still on a downturn, and until I get some closure on them, they’ll possibly continue to keep going downhill..  There’s not too much I can say about the low’s just yet, not until some things become clearer, and I know exactly what’s happening.  But the highs, equally, have been a real joy and pleasure to experience, and perhaps everything in nature finds it’s way of balancing things out – making sure we never get too high, or too low, before we get to experience the opposite.  I will gladly reveal all, as they say, when the time is right, for now, suffice it to say, it’s been a very very tough time for me personally and as a consequence, professionally.

I started 2008, with a very clear aim and purpose – “to restore my health”.

I wanted to become physically fit, wanted to restore my body to a health and vitality which I posessed perhaps 10 years ago now, and I wanted to overcome a physical condition that I’ve been fighting for over 5 years now.  No, I’m not talking about my obesity, which is also a challenge, but I’m talking about my Lymphatic condition..

Since 2003, during my stay in South Korea as an English Teacher, I went and got ill, with a condition, that has meant that I’ve had to spend the last five years, experiencing a series of recurring fevers, pains in my leg, and an abnormal amount of swelling in my left leg, which has made it challenging at times, to even find a pair of trousers I could wear, without my leg becoming completely swollen, and painful.

In the past 5 years, I’ve worked with traditional allopathic doctors, I’ve worked with healers from Mexico, with shamans from Peru, with acupuncturists, with homeopaths, and ayervedic physicians – but it seems that no-one was able to concretely deal with my illness, or I was unable to follow through with any medications, and courses of action that I was prescribed, given how much I’ve been travelling over the last 5 years.

End of 2007, I made the conscious choice to stay fixed in London, to not go gallivanting round the globe, and to do everything I could to get my leg healed, and get back into shape…  I continue on this journey, to this day, having now decided to go at this, from every possible angle I can.. I’m religiously following the advice of my allopathic doctor, and will be consulting with some of the other doctors and healers I’ve worked with before, to attack this ill health on all fronts.  But perhaps, my health is going to resolve itself in it’s own time, and I need to choose something more appropriate to focus on now??  I realised that perhaps part of the challenge is in not having something to get healthy for, I wouldn’t be as motivated.  Perhaps just being healthy wasn’t enough of a motivation, or didn’t support me enough in my goals?

Of course, I have other goals too – but they all took a back seat last year, whilst I put all of my time, attention and energy into getting healthy.   Result? I’m healthier now than I was this time last year.  (I’ve definitely lost more weight, and the swelling in my leg has reduced).  But I’m not there yet.. I’ve not reached the goal or target that I aspired to hit.  And to be completely honest, heading into 2009, with the same overriding focus, or theme just doesn’t appeal to me anymore..

The mission to get healthy, and recover completely is still there – but I don’t feel like 2009 feels like a year I need to devote to my health and wellbeing in the same way.  I’ve learnt heaps, in the last year, and if I just continue applying what I’ve learnt, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that I will eventually come out of this stronger, fitter, healthier, and more alive than I’ve ever been.  So if my primary focus for 2009 isn’t going to be my health anymore what is it going to be??  For the longest time, I just couldn’t understand which to choose..

I had my pick, narrowed down, to:
1) Personal Development – I could focus on learning new skills, learning new languages, studying something, etc..
2) Personal Relationships – Investing the time and attention this year, in getting closer with family, with friends, with colleagues, and with acquaintances.  Building my network deeper, and wider, and connecting with ever more people.
3) Get a career – Choose a career – and get laser focussed with it.  I’ve been drifting between projects and ideas, and volunteering, and helping people out for a number of years now, but I haven’t had that singularity of focus, on a single vision, or a single career path, that’s yielded the results I aimed for.  When I discovered recently that a friend of mine, who graduated in the same year as I did – is now a Vice President of the company he’s been working with.. I wonder where I would be today, had I just committed, and focussed on one thing already??  Conversely, if it weren’t for the variety and breadth of exposure I’ve had in life, I probably wouldn’t be the well travelled, well rounded, and lateral thinker that I am.  So there were pros and cons to my lifestyle choices.

Ironically, I’m drawn to getting a career.  I know – most people, seeing me living my life, travelling at a moments notice, the world at my fingertips, think that I have such a “great” life, and why would I ever want to give it up?? Well, I guess I’ve done all the travelling, seeing the world, and having adventures that I want to have for now.  Yes, the thought of living on a desert island, and enjoying warm weather, and a great laid back lifestyle is all good and all – but knowing that I could at any moment get myself a job as an English Teacher in Thailand, and be “living that life”, is just not appealing anymore.  I’ve been there, done that, got the T-Shirt, and bored of it already.

With that in mind, I’m making 2009, the year that I focus on my career, and my professional development, through working, and having a job.  It’s pretty easy to do the whole job thing, but for me, the real challenge is going to be in becoming the very best in my field.  I’ve often wanted the “regularity” that comes with having a nine to five, your life takes on a basic routine, and rhythm, that allows you a certain amount of freedom and flexibility that comes with the structure that a regular working day brings.  I’ve done many of those “exercises” where you imagine what you would do, if you had all the money in the world, and whilst in the past I might have dreamt of great worldly ambitions, and lofty goals, in truth, I don’t really want any of those things.  What I want is to “work”.  That kind of work that at the end of the day, you look back on it, and get a sense of satisfaction, knowing that you’ve done a days productive work.  It’s that feeling you get, after accomplishing something, knowing that you’ve completed something substantial, and completed something productive.

I haven’t yet, learnt to “monetise” my work, and my contributions, and perhaps it’s  a reflection of the fact that whilst my contributions are useful and of value, I still have some things to learn about business, and money.  My recent reading of The Richest Man in Babylon, has made me realise just how much I love and appreciate work, and how there’s some basic fundamental principles, of wealth, and abundance that I’ve been missing out on.  The most basic being – that if you don’t love your work, then you won’t be able to get really really good at something, and then be able to command a greater salary for being ever more proficient in your field, or area of expertise.

So, 2009, I’m going to focus all my energies on becoming excellent at faciliting online community.  Managing an online Community is challenging at the best of times, but comes easily and effortlessly to people who have mastered those skills, and know how to support their colleagues or constituents in generating content, and deriving value.  So with that in mind, this year, I’ll be focussing my time, attention,  and skills to both engaging more deeply online, and also to learning and developing the skillset, or toolset that’s required to be successful in facilitating online community :)  I look forward to seeing how accomplished I become in this field, by the end of 2009.  Wish me luck!!

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ChainReaction08 – Gordon Brown just
arrived on stage, and is honoured to be here at the start of Global
Entrepreneurship Week

Gordon Brown – grew up in a school,
where there was no contact between business and the school – meant
that he never considered being an entrepreneur

Returning to the school, he was
impressed to find a program teaching entrepreneurial values

wants to reward people who generate
value, and take healthy risk, and don’t want to support people who
are taking unhealthy risks

Mayor of Dagenham, had Henry Ford
opening a plant in Dagenham. Mayor asked Ford if he would
contribute to opening of an old people’s home, and with no response,
ended up announcing it.. interesting story…

Mandela shared with gordon brown, he
climbed the mountain, the led to the ending of apartheid in south
africa

he said there is now a new mountain to
climb, finding solutions to the global challenges of poverty, and
there are ways of

Jane Tewson, Peter Jones, and Gordon
Brown on Panel discussion

This is the first financial crisis of
the global age, the first time there’s been a resources crisis and
it’s time to stop thinking of this as a country economy – but as a
global one..

Oil Crisis, people dying because of
lack of food

Oil Crisis – long term greater demand
of energy rising..

Food crisis – africa large land mass,
and is a net importer of food.

Reform of financial system – at a
global level

Global program to address food, and
invest in agriculture

Energy – growing demand, fuel costs,
being unaffordable, security challenge, and need for renewable
resources.

Need co-operation

unemployment, new deal based on
consultation based on young people

solutions to these chaallenges for our
global economy will generate more growth in the coming years, and
together we can work towards creating a better society..

Peter Jones

scarcity drives innovation – we are
able, and have to do a lot more with less. – Don’t lose sight of the
fact that scarcity drives innovation, it makes you want to do more,
with less..

About the inter-connectivity, and about
small businessess out there, not getting stuck on having a hard time,
and need to get out there more, contributing, more, csr programs, to
contribute to society…

Prime Minister Gordon Brown –

There’s many social enterprises in
prime ministers home consistuency, many innovative solutions for
government services are coming out from social enterprises like
nurses, or schools being taken over..

Trying to create a social enterprises
bank, to fund entrepreneurs. Social Enterprises show, to great
effect, that there’s a big contribution to be made

Enterprise based on hard work, effort,
and having the talent to use, and everyone should be encouraged, and
challenged to tap into their talent.

Question – 20% of participants are
under 21 – what would you say?

PJ – Self belief – opportunities
not just waiting to be found, but

you are the new way, the new crest of
what’s waiting to happen.. Go and make your dreams reality

Jane – seconds that – anything’s
possible. Don’t be afraid to ask, don’t be afraid to show you’re
vulnerabilities, just ask.

PM – discover your talent and use it
to the best effect – school motto – everybody does better
together – I will strive my utmost

Rise to the light

Anything is possible

Recognise that – aspire high, aim
high, you can prove anyone can make a difference

Edison, made the lightbulb, after 100
failures .. he said they were 100 steps to success..

Never be discouraged – use your
talent to the best effect – the global entrepreneurship week is
about that.. the global economy and social entrepreneurship week at
chain reaction is all about that..

I will strive my hardest…

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Given that’s it’s a packed and intense two days during Chain Reaction 08, and that the WiFi connection is sporadic, and non-responsive at times, it means that the social reporting, and real time updates from the event are a little more challenging to get out.

For now – I’m going to just share my unabridged notes, from the sessions that I attended, to give you a “flavour” – and I use the term very very loosely, of what’s been happening at the event..

I’ll be sure to revise this posting to a more detailed write up, after the event, once I get a bit more time, but for now – I just want to share what’s come out of the sessions so far..

So to start off, after some excellent ice-breakers, and welcomes to the room, and after an inspiring keynote from Jeremy Gilley, we broke off into different rooms.

I really wanted to sit in on the Collaboration for Social Change session, which was chaired by Stephen Howard from Business In The Community.

Here’s my notes, taken,in realtime, as the session took place – and I hope they give you a glimpse into some of the conversations that were happening, please ask any questions, or share your insights in the comments below.. For now, I can only apologise for the roughness of these next few blogposts..

Collaborating for Social Change

Steve Howard chaired session.

IBM

Microfinance infrastructure

kuda India – 100,000 microfinancing clients

collaborating internally – created opensource software for managing micro-financing organisations, working with grameen bank

royalmail

coming years, business might step backwards

– key theme, asking staff what they want to do, having staff express what they wanted to do

– people love engaging with community, unlocks talent, people have more contact with customers

– in offices where people are engaged, and doing more volunteer work, other metrics and scores are better

– royal mail support barnardos – aligns with values of staff, and what matters to them

– questions from audience – hiten shah – partnership working is difficult and mostly fails, would like to know key elements for success and pitfalls for failure

– partnerships take longer than expected – require a few years to properly be able to work together

– IBM – moved from “big things” to helping staff take small local action -

– RoyalMail did the same, focus on what people want to do locally, not national large corporate led strategies

– remove barriers, to make it easier for people to engage and participate in the programs

– homeless project, involved providing work for homeless – over 16hrs work, meant homeless lost their free housing

being open, with frank dialogue, with staff, not trying to control process, but empowering staff

– boss from Big Issue, sharing social entrepreneur model – challenging corporates to invest CSR budget in Big Issue Invest

– outsourcing CSR spend – to organisations that are more effective, prove return on investment, and show profit

chainreactiion08 – commercial organisation with a social purpose – the Royal Mail

– do we have shared interests? Having different positions? Should work together, where there are common aims

people with money want to give their money in a way that provides visible returns, leads to direct results

– leadership development in the “Third Sector”, what do we need to prepare the next generation to work across the sectors

– IBM-programs exist where leadership can be developed, and second staff to government

– RoyalMail – most organisations have secondment programs, had staff leave to join organisations and programs

-companies starting to bring in an external person into corporate trainings, so they can benefit

– royalmail – business learns from the experience too. Hugely benefits staff to be exposed to the environment

– question – salesforce gives 1% of time, what do corporates do?

– ideas and hours are logged internally, and IBM supports financially accordingly

– how do we take this idea to the other employers, to smaller businesses? Value of community contribution

– video message from allan gillespie, from goldman sachs – video stopped working

– allan gillespie – talks about social action – microsoft, building foundation years ago, burdened on africa poverty issues

– power of immunity, and immunisation – most poor communities only 25-35% get vaccines – people dying from preventable diseases

– prevent children suffering from diseases, kids can be educated, mothers can support family

– millenium development goals, monterey, california, creation by UN – 2000

chainreacction08 – goal 5 – reduction in preventable child deaths

– MS, gates, invested 1.5 billion – uk, and other european govts stepped up and also added to funds

france spain, italy, south africa, sweden, norway – funding secured over many years

– promise of funding used to secure loans to be paid off, across the program

– problems like refrigeration of vaccines with solar refrigerators, motorbikes, resources to make vaccines available

– 10 years – estimated 500 million children will be vaccinated, at least 10, 20 million children saved from death

– gates, un, gleneagles, uk, bank of england, city of london – chain of ripple to make change

– join leadership, government, politics, for sustainable success

– prof david grayson – chair of csr @ Cranfield Business School

– proposal asking businesses to see if a sustainable model for a new immunisation program might work

– fortuitious accident, that proposal landed on desk of banker at goldman sachs, who was looking for csr programs to engage with

– council for social action – need new ways of making change, collaborating

-key characteristics in paper which highlight what works in collaboration-pdf on council of social action website

these will not always be the right approach, takes great deal of time and energy to make programs work

requires significant investment from govt, business, and third sector

must have shared purpose, build deep relationships over time, for commitment to succeed

need for a common vocabulary, between business, govt and 3^rd sector

need capacity to engage with whats on offer, and to properly commit to the cause

extend collaboration common to business to partner with other organisations, new forms off collaboration

capacity for organisations to work with different types of

launch of a consulation – what are the determining critical factors?

-can you share what you’ve seen work? Different scales, different size?

– have the critical success factors been correctly identified?

– have key requirements that will lead to this success been identified?

– looking forward to getting more feedback on these ideas.

invitation to connect with BASAC that’s developing program for supporting community co-operation and participation

suggestion to connect the dots, connecting people together who are already doing amazing things

– unlocking talent, business response, how do we create a web based talent map of what’s already there??

– how do we take this challenge and make it simpler and easier for businesses to connect and collaborate

– ibm evangelists will offer advice, suggestions, find and ask for advice

royal mail – move away from evangelising, and making local connection

– learn across sectors, ripe environment of people who know how to use social networks

– simple actions, why so complicated?

– worldeka, more information, more networks

– suggestion of many ideas, diversity in nature, thriving on diversity

– royal mail – overarching aim is to make it easier and more accessible for businesses to participate, and engage

– not targetted at single solutions, or one solution, but many different solutions, and many different responses

– suggestion that firms make visible a choice to work because of csr, and make that visible

– talk about issues, not necessarily business

– choosing partners based on common values

– building brand and reputation, recruiting the best staff

– IBM actions were based on the values expressed through their staff jams

– tangible evidence from Legal and general research showing companies that implemented these values to outperform

– procurement from ethical suppliers, royal mail, constantly asked about what they’re doing on sustainability and social action

– companies genuinely interested in working with like minded organisations

– grad recruitment – if you’re not talking about work life, environment, you dont’ stand a chance

requires big change in mindset from organisations in civil society, and preparedness to work across sectors in new challenging ways

jeffery sachs – us against a common problem – not us and them anymore

how do we prevent stifling of ideas, increase cross-fertilisation of ideas

subject is more important than ever – need is greater than ever – feels too big to deal with alone

– individually we can help, collaboratively we can help even more

– stephen howard – ceo – business in the community – what can we take away? What difference can I make?

– the urgency has never been greater..

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I’m an avid reader of Steve Pavlina’s Blog, and an entry I was reading today, got me thinking.. I just had to post a response.

Steve Pavlina, for those of you who’ve never heard of him, is a Personal Development Innovater, who through his blog, and website is sharing his experiences with the world, with regards to his own personal growth and development.  He often experiments publicly, and shares the results in a very live, and timely manner.  At times, it’s almost as if you’re going through the trials with him, and living through the daily experiences that he shares.  His thoughts and insights are certainly truly eye opening, and I’m reminded whenever I read his blog, of just some of the wonderful qualities, that I pray one day I might posess.

He recently shared an interesting take on health.  Admittedly, it’s not the first time that I’ve heard the analogy.  In fact, my own personal inspiration towards living a healthy and active lifestyle is Jason “The Juicemaster” Vale, author of Slim 4 Life, and a man to who I owe a deep debt of gratitude, for introducing me to the juicing way of life.. Cheers Jason!

So as I was reading this blog entry, that talks about the cells detoxing, and about how diet can affect our thinking and our ability to experience peak mental and emotional states, and I wonder how consciously do I choose the food that I eat?? Do I sometimes choose to deliberately supress elevated states of heightened awareness, and deeper emotions??  I know at times I’m drawn to eating meat, partly because it makes me feel heavier, and denser, and less aware, and less conscious.  It has a numbing effect, perhaps a bit like alcohol might, for people who drink alcohol to drown their sorrows.

At other times, I’ll be drawn to carbohydrates, like breads, and rice, to give me a “heavy” filled feeling inside.  It’s almost as if it’s not enough to eat and be fed, I need to feel “full”.  But that “fullness” is sometimes something that isn’t necessarily a very empowering state.  I know that at times I’ll experience a craving, ravenous hunger, which will make me just want to continue eating, and then eventually, once I’m satisfied, I’ll have to just stop for a while and let my body digest.  Jason, talks about it as your body going comatose, whilst it deals with this influx of food, which if the body doesn’t shut down every other system, and deal with, you would end up dying.. An example being the typical Christmas post-lunch snooze, which is more a coma induced recovery period, where the body is frantically trying to process all this freshly eaten food, before it shuts the body down completely.

It might seem an intense, or extreme view to take, but having self-induced these over indulgent meals, where the body just doesn’t seem to be able to cope with the sheer quantity of food that I’m consuming, it naturally puts me in a spot, where I end up just slowing down, resting for a while, to let my body digest, and get back into being alive again a short while later.

Paradoxically, I’ve found that I can always get a comfortable “full” feeling, and not feel like I’m about to shut down completely, whenever I make sure I have lots of wholesome, fresh, raw fruits or veggies as a part of my meal (either as juice, or typically as salads).  Whenever I eat like this, then I end a meal feeling filled, but not on the verge of having to shut down, and I continue with my life.  Interestingly, my emotional and mental states seem to almost feed on these cravings, and the mood swings seem to play a key part in the emotional attachment to eating.

What I have found particularly interesting, is that when I’m working on something meaningless, and empty, the feeling inside is the same, and the desire to eat more occurs.  I used that partly to my advantage with my previous employer, where I would stock up on snacks of fruit, knowing that I would want to snack away whilst working, because of how unengaging the work was.  Equally I knew that by snacking on fruit, at least I would be positively contributing to my health, instead of allowing it to continue to deteriorate.

Conversely, whenever I complete something that’s really meaningfull, or feels like it’s a real accomplishment, I feel that same fullness inside, that I would sometimes experience with food.  The biggest difference being that when I eat something and feel full, I know I’ve been fed, on a very physical level.  When I write something, or complete some piece of work, and it’s “done”, I’m apparently still fed, since the sense of accomplishment, in writing or completing something mirrors that sense of being filled.  The difference is, that when I’m engaged with something that consumes me, all thoughts of food, and hunger become secondary, and I no longer engage with food on the same terms.  It’s almost like food becomes a distraction to my work, and I genuinely am not interested in eating anything, until I finish what I’m in the middle of doing.

Interestingly, I completed fasting for a whole month, during the Muslim month of Ramadan recently, and during Ramadan, as an observant Muslim, you don’t eat between sunrise and sunset.  What I found was that in the first few days, whilst I might notice the fasting and the hunger closer to the end of the day, by the end of the month, my body was completely adjusted to the new eating patterns, and didn’t even twinge a little, when seeing others eating food, or when the typical lunch time came around.

Now, a few months on, I’m starting to wonder.. is it because I know that I’m not going to eat, that perhaps I kept myself engaged in activities, that were sufficiently engaging, that I didn’t feel hungry??

Is hunger really a physical hunger anymore?? With the amount of processed foods we eat these days, and with a real availability of food whenever, and wherever we want it, do we really know when our bodies are truly hungry anymore??  Is part of our conditioned “hunger” response to do with some of the suggested artificial sugar highs, some of the false hungers caused by eating too much refined sugar, or white refined carbs??  What would we naturally feel hungry for, if we didn’t have chemicals, and mental conditioning to influence our natural hunger patterns?

I’m sure in time I might get to the bottom of these questions myself.  For now, I’m just going to observe Steve Pavlina’s experiment living on nothing but raw juice for 92 days, and pay more attention to the food I’m eating, and the emotional highs and low’s I’m going through.

Though it really does make me wonder.. are we as a planet, plagued by diseases like obesity, because we’re so caught up in the physical world, and have so conditioned our bodies to respond to food, as a satiating source of hunger, that we mask up and hide the true hungers of our minds need to be expressive? Of our emotions needs to be felt? and of our individual, personal need to contribute in a valuable and meaningful way??  Share your thoughts and insights in the comments below..

Now that I’ve fed my soul, time to go nourish my body, with some food ;)

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So, I’ve recently been reading Personal Development for Smart People, being an avid follower of Steve Pavlina, and having just finished the book.. I’ve found myself having experienced a real roller coaster of a ride.

Not least, because of how self-reflective the book is, and how it forces you to examine your life, from so many different angles, and so many different perspectives, and so many different lenses.  But also, just because it truly is heavy reading.  Perhaps, it’s just me, but whilst certain chapters just flowed, and I was able to read, easily and effortlessly, other chapters just totally bogged me down, and sometimes, it would take me a few days to repeatedly go over the same words, until I could move on.  Ironically, as soon as I put the book down, or got past that part, I would be just fine.. which makes me wonder.. is it the book or was it me, that was putting up the resistance??

Being outside of the US, I only got an electronic version of the book, but straight away, I could feel this book had a very significant “conscious” element to it.  I didn’t calibrate it, to the levels of consciousness, using Kinesiology, like David Hawkins does, in Power vs. Force, but intuitively, I’ve often noticed, that certain books, websites, and other written materials often carry a certain energy, especially if there are purposeful intentions behind what’s been created.  I’ll write more about my experiences, and understandings of energy and intention around written works another time, but for now, suffice it to say, that this book felt a little “lighter”, and had an energy around it, that was perceptible.

As I started to make my way through the book, having already read the table of contents online, I was acutely aware of the correlation between the 3 Core values of Truth, Love and Power, and the overlap, between these and the core guiding principles that I’d encountered in the work of The Pachamama Alliance, and the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium.

The work of the Awakening the Dreamer symposium, is to bring forth an “environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, and socially just human presence on this planet”.

Within the symposium, Environmental Sustainability captures the essence of living in balance with the physical world, being honest about what’s really happening, and in light of that honesty, taking new actions, as a consequence.  Something which having read Pavlina’s book, I believe is signifantly connected with being Truthful, in terms of what’s happening, and having an open and honest evaluation, with the forthrightness to acknowledge what’s really at play, regardless of whether it’s good or bad.

The component of the symposium that deals with Spiritual Fulfillment, deals with our own inner connection, or lack therof with others, in our day to day lives.  The component of Love, that Pavlina talks about relates to the notion of connectedness, and how, once we are in our loving space, we automatically feel the connection between ourselves, and others.  It is that connectedness, or absence of it, that is talked about in the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium, when addressing the component of Spiritual Fulfillment, which gets discussed as the lack, and emptiness… Being devoid of meaning and connection.. Living empty and meaning less lives, which is often attributed to not “doing what you love”.

As for the Socially Just human presence, I believe that to be directly connected the the element of Power, that Pavlina discusses.  A socially just world, is one in which people claim their power, and the capacity for injustice to occur is non-existent, since everyone is equally empowered.  Power is not the same as force, which comes into play, when a situation becomes unjust or is unfair.  And it is this very absence of Power, that is touched upon during the Symposium.  Admittedly the handling of social justice, during the symposium, leans more heavily towards looking at the inequalities in the world, between people, between the rich and the poor, the haves and the have nots, the differences that exists because of race, and culture.  To me, that is but the flip side of Power, for when power is absent, true power, then such inequalities are indeed possible.

Whilst the symposium may present each of these issues in a more global reaching light, looking at the plight of what is, and current status quo, the symposium, having been birthed a few years ago, started a conversation in the world, which I believe is being refined, and rephrased by Pavlina, in his book.  Whilst I doubt there’s any strong connection between him and the work of the Pachamama Alliance, consciously, I know the two strands are directly connected.  Why do I say this? Because both were born out of the same call from the earth, from Pachamama.  One originated, in the Amazonian rainforest, the other in the consciusness of an individual seeking growth.  Both mirror the fact that we are in a changing time.  As people connect with their own innate wisdom, their own innate consciousness, they start to be able to access the consciousness of the planet too.. That is not something which is different from country to country, or by race, language, or religion.  The world over, we as a humanity are sharing the planet we live in, and as we start to bridge the chasm, between the world we are in, of individual, seperate, disconnected beings, to realising that actually, we are all part of a blueprint woven through the ether of life, that collectively sustains life on this planet, we will have to look out our place in this world anew.

It seems that increasingly more and more people are waking up, in a crisis.  Their lives, amounting to nothing, having acquired all the material trappings of wealth, status, and success, yet feeling hollow, and empty inside. This isn’t just co-incidence that this is happening all over the world, in this unprecedented manner.  More and more people are choosing to say no.  Are stepping away from what was once thought to be the “only” way, and asking anew, how can we do this differently??

From the emergence of online portals such as Kiva.org that allows you to lend money to people in developing countries directly, to Zopa.com, which allows you to lend money to each other, challenging the traditional lending cycle of the banks, people are increasingly engaging with the world on new terms, and technology is allowing them to do so in a way that breaks down the old structures, that were fixed, and impermanent.  Life no longer has to follow the same patterns of previous generations, and with that comes a recognition of the fact that what has happened in the past, is not going to be sustainable going forward.  With increasing global populations, and reducing available resources, it’s time to re-think the equation of life, and Pavlina’s book does a great job of thoroughly dissecting everything in your life, and helping you reconstitute it in a new direction, based on some core, and fundamental principles.

Is it the only book out there that does this? I don’t know.  But it is one of the few that I’ve read that really brings Personal Development into the realm of Science, not art… Taking things step by step, in a methodical, and meticulous manner, Pavlina ruthlessly dives into each of the core values, and then builds upon them, until you’ve been cut open, and forced to bare yourself, so that you can see what’s really under your skin.  Then, in the second half of the book, he slowly starts to re-build the very thing he’s dissected, providing suggestions, experiments, and his own experiences of what’s worked for him, to help find a new road out of the chaos, and confusion that might ensue, when you see your flaws for what they are, and find yourself to be openly honest about living a life that is far from ideal, in every sense of the word.

I can’t say that I’m “taken” by his style, and approach.. It’s perhaps a little too linear, and logical for my liking.. At times, it seems to lack heart.  But then it’s perhaps also at the same time, providing me with an accurate mirror of myself, and my own reality, which makes it all the more unbearable, and untolerable.  It’s definitely not another one of those wishy washy, self help books, or flowery, spiritual books, that’s for sure.  And I’m pretty convinced, having experienced Steve Pavlina’s wisdom for a few years now, that following even just a small part of the book, will lead to tremendous growth, and success, in any area of your life.  The real challenge is going to be sustaining that change, and transformation, in a world that increasingly is crumbling apart, and reading this book, could very well shake you, from your very core, destroying any sense of  success and accomplishment you thought you had, whilst forcing you to openly and honestly, set a new course in life.

For me, there’s definitely many many great parts to the book, and whilst I found certain chapters unbearably tough to read, with moments when I was just falling asleep, whilst attempting to read the words on the page, I think there’s enough value in the book, that even if you only read the bits that interest you, you’ll get enough value out of it, to have made the book a worthwhile investment.  I for one, will always suggest, when in doubt, listen to your heart.. Feel your way through something.. If it feels right, pursue it.  If it doesn’t don’t.  Simple as that.. And in time, you may be able to intuit your way through life in a more enriching and meaningful manner.  For now, I don’t have a perfect answer.  My life is no where near perfect.  I don’t have all the outer trappings, or inner richness of perfection by any stretch of the imagination.

But I have a spirit that’s willing.  Willing to live, and try, and experience.  Experience life in all of it’s colours.  And with that, and that alone, with my heart guiding me as my compass, I can honestly say, I’ve only ever been off course, when I’ve stopped listening to this guidance.  And in time, I learn to listen to my heart again, and start to push off in a guided direction, and as if by magic, life starts to flow again.  It’s not magic, it’s not co-incidence, and it’s certainly not crazy nonsense.  But then my world view allows me to understand my heart as being more than just a physical organ that pumps blood around my body.  I’ll definitely share a more deeper and richer understanding of my heart, and what it is for me, in a future article, but for now, let me recommend you go out and buy yourself a copy of Pavlina’s new book, if you’re at all interested in personal growth, and personal development. And if you just have something in you’re life that you want changing, or you’ve found yourself facing challenges that you just can’t overcome, then perhaps it’s time to order this book too, and who knows, six months from now, you’ll be as grateful as I am now, for Steve having taken the time to synthesise and channel his thoughts, perceptions, and experiences into this wonderful book. Personal Development for Smart People: The Conscious Pursuit of Personal Growth, I recommend you order your copy today!

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Life has a funny way of showing up sometimes..

I was browsing Steve Pavlina’s blog, and happened across an interesting article, that talks about  how we can imagine things in the future, before they have even happened.  And how that worry, and regret, for something that hasn’t occurred takes us out of the present moment, and takes away our opportunity to be able to live our lives free of fear, and emotional torture.  I’ve re-posted the key part of his blog here:

“Do you ever regret the future before it has even happened?

When you regret, fear, or worry about the future, you project your consciousness beyond the present moment.  Essentially you become unconscious because you lose awareness of the present moment, and consequently, you lose awareness of the real you, which exists only in the present.  The future is something of an illusion because you never actually exist there.  Past and future are merely memories and projections.  Your real experiences occur only in the present.

When you live in the future, you experience suffering because to suffer is to be unconscious.  When you can keep your full awareness in the present moment, there is no suffering, regardless of circumstances.  Every moment feels perfect because you simply accept it.  When you push your consciousness into the future, you resist the present moment, fighting what is and wishing it to be something else.  The result is emotional pain.”

StevePavlina.com [http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/03/regretting-tomorrow/ March 31st 2006]

I can’t agree with him more..

My own personal experience of life, when living a tortured, and emotionally traumatic existence, tends to be entirely stuck in the past, or focussed on the future.  It’s not something you consciously realise when you’re stuck in it.  But the feelings and emotions you experience make it abundantly clear to you, just how deeply, and powerfully it’s affecting you.  It’s kinda hard to disengage from the feelings, especially when you’re in such a place.

By contrast some of us live our everyday lives just a little disconnected from the present moment.  Living a numb everyday existence, passing each day, with little or no true pleasure or joy.  The easiest, and most wonderful way of living in each moment is to just BE.

Be here, in this present moment.

Look at where you are, right now, and what you have in your hands right now. Don’t look to what might be two or three hours from now, let alone two or three days from now.  Each moment, when lived from the here and now is truly special, and magical.

It’s hard to remember exactly what happens in those moments; those moments when you lose track of time, when you get swept up in a task that is engaging, fulfilling, and rewarding once you complete the task.  By contrast, those moments when we are so stuck, and trapped, that we just can’t wait to get out, and liberate ourselves from that present moment, always looking for a better future, or a better experience right now, those moments are when we get disconnected from reality, and get lost in our minds.

It’s when we don’t know what’s really happening, and we allow our thoughts to rule our present moment.  Those demons, our thoughts, can play havoc on our minds.  Especially when we identify ourselves with our thoughts.

Have you ever wondered, if you are your thoughts?

Try thinking something, and then paying attention to the something which had the thought.  The two are very separate and distinct.  It is not our thoughts that make and shape us, but rather us that can shape, and guide our thoughts.

Think enough, of the same thing, over and over again, and it becomes what you believe to be true.  Nothing has changed, but your thinking.  It is a hard and tough road, especially when we are trapped within our thoughts, and we can’t make sense of what’s really happening to us, but just feel dragged down, dis-empowered, and down-trodden.  But rest assured, thinking of something different, or thinking in a different way, changes all that.

If you were to see a future, that wasn’t what you wanted to have in your life, and you were to ask the question, how might it become what I want it to be, then all of a sudden you’ve allowed your mind to start being open to possibilities that previously had been completely closed off, and instead of being caught up in the problems of the here and now, or being trapped in the reasons why something won’t work, you start to be open to imagining what might be possible.

You might have to stretch your imagination, and your beliefs about what’s possible, and what’s not.. But at the end of the day, it’s only when you start to think in a new direction, do you start to feel things differently, and you start to experience the joy, and wonders of living in a different way…

All of a sudden those emotions, of overwhelm, those trapping thoughts, and those daily monsters, that plague your mind start to recede, and you start to focus on ways of making it possible.  Ways of being in life that are just a little different from the moment you were living in a moment ago.  And all of a sudden, that critical question -

“How could this possibly become the way I want it to be??”

starts to shift your mind, and your focus, and your attention away from the thoughts of doom, and gloom, and as you start to entertain a new possibility, you start to create a new vision of the future.

Neither of these, is as real as the other, but the difference in what you feel, how you live, and what you respond to, changes dramatically.  Try it. Take something in your life, that feels stuck, trapped, or unable, or incapable of changing, and see how things start shifting, once you start asking the question, how might it be possible for this to become what I want it to be??

Let me know what happens, if you try it.. Feel free to comment on the blog below..

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Have you ever wondered how much it really costs to make a pair of daily disposable contact lenses??

I always thought that the high streets were charging a decent price for contact lenses.   That is until I discovered a website where I could buy two months supply for less than the cost of a months daily disposables from my regular high street supplier Specsavers.  For the astoundingly low price of £4.99 for a pack of 30 lenses, (so £9.98 for a month), I can get my dose of daily lens wear, and still save on the budget!

Go on Day softlenses.com and check out the great savings as a contact lens wearer that you can make.

Having tried the lenses out, they appear to be a little smaller than I’m used to, and the size of the casing is a little more compact, but overall, they do the job, and I’m looking forward to saving a whole heap of money, throughout the year, buying such economical contact lenses.. Now if only more people realised how much money they’re spending on lenses!

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For some reason, I’ve always, from a young age, subscribed to the belief that it’s a bad thing when children have to work, and that it’s wrong, and that it should be stopped. What I failed to realise, is the importance of children starting work at a young age. I was just watching Sansui Boogie Woogie, hosted by Javed Jaffrey, on Sony TV (in the UK at 8:40pm on Friday January 25th 2008) through a Sky dish, and I was blown away by the stark facts that were presented in front of me..

The group that had just performed their dance on Boogie Woogie, was made up of people who all earned between INR1,000 and INR2,000 indian rupees per month (which translates to about GBP£13-GBP£26 per month or about USD$25.43-USD$50.85). Most of these dancers worked either in a biscuit factory, or as labourers. These people were at times the sole provider, or one of two people working in their homes, and to think that everything they spent and earnt was less than some people make in an hour. Shocking.

In order to appear on the TV show, Boogie Woogie, which was filmed in Mumbai, the group had to travel from their home town, and the only way they could afford to do that, was after collecting donations from people in their colony, so they could pay for food and transport to get all the way there. These people were happy to have just appeared on the TV show, and have had a chance to perform on the Boogie Woogie stage. You have to remember that this TV show is a bit of a sensation, having been on TV for 10 years in India.

One of the hosts, Javed Jaffrey, made a point of asking each of the members of the group, what they each earnt, individually. Then started asking them how young they were when they had started working. Some of these children had started working as young as 11 or 12. When he asked them what they thought of the people that want to abolish child labor, they said that they were wrong. Simply because, the had to start working at such a young age to support their families and make sure they had enough food to eat. When people tend to go on about how wrong it is for children to work, most people don’t realise that it’s not out of choice, but usually out of necessity. And when it comes to survival, going to school just isn’t an option, if there isn’t enough food to eat at home. Upon further discussion, the host clarified that there were times when child labor was wrong. That was when the children are exploited, by being made to work 12, 14 or even 16 hours a day, and being paid unfairly. When the working conditions are hazardous to their health, when they’re exposed to toxic fumes, or their life is literally put at risk. But when the children are paid fairly for their work, are able to work in an environment that is safe for them physically, and they work decent hours, then there’s nothing wrong with it. Especially if the alternative is to see their family go hungry, and for them to not have enough food to eat.

I know from my family’s own personal experience that at the end of the day it has absolutely no bearing on what’s possible in the world, whether as a child you have to work or not. My father lost his father at a young age, and so in order for his family to get by he started working from the age of 14. To this day, I’ve never really understood the impact of him working so young could have had on him, but today I realise just how important it must have been for him to work, so that there was some food on the table. There are days when my dad would, as a child have some onion with a chapatti as a meal, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that… But it’s just an eye opener to think how simple and basic the meals would have to have been, so that they could survive. At the end of the day, that they were able to get by, with what they could, if the children in the family hadn’t been working (in addition to my grandmother, who was also working), then there’s nothing wrong with child labor at all. I wouldn’t have my dad here now today, if he had been forced to go to school on an empty stomach, and learn, but not have enough to eat, to be able to continue living.

I say that there’s nothing wrong with it – there’s actually a lot wrong with it. Children should all have the opportunities to play, and learn, and not have to grow up faster than they already have to. But if we’re not going to feed their families and support their homes, than the very least we should do, is make sure that they can work in humane conditions, in a supportive environment, until the rest of the planet that has all the money, and wealth gets their act together, and starts to re-distribute the wealth.

But if we are going to stand up and cry out against child labor, then we have to be willing to pay not just for their education, but to feed their families as well.. Granted that may not be much by most westerners standards. Especially if you’re reading this now, you could probably afford to give some of your wealth to the less fortunate. But at the end of the day, like one wise philosopher shared recently, nature has a way of finding a balance.

Whilst we continue to live rich, decadent, affluent lives, living carelessly, without regard for the other, then there’s always got to be the opposite, to keep things in check.. Whilst we may be a minority, with access to wealth, and technology, the percentage of the worlds wealth that we control is reflected in the larger majority of people who have nothing.

Social Justice is not, nor should it ever be about wealth re-distribution; some people are just better at manifesting abundance powerfully into their lives. What we do want to do however, is as custodians of that wealth and abundance make sure that everyone is fed and clothed, without having to work for those basic necessities. What that looks like in the world, I cannot tell you… But I’ll tell you now, the day we stop having to buy or sell food, is the day that all of the children in this world will be able to consider the option of an education instead of a working life. But seeing as most children in modern education systems don’t tend to learn much anyway, I don’t know what good going to a regular school is really ever going to do?? But that’s going to have to be food for thought, for another day…

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This evening, Dr John DeMartini was talking about Health, and wellbeing. Being a doctor, who has read a lot on the subject of health and wellbeing, I figured it would be interesting to hear his take on health and wellness, and how to restore health, to an ill person. Not least because of my own physical condition, Lymphatic Filariasis, which I have yet to be completely healed from.

Of course, I didn’t get quite what I was expecting upon my arrival!! DeMartini started out at the level of the individual cell, explaining how just the cell is still an individual mystery to science… They know what happens, they just don’t understand why, or how processes get triggered…

At the level of the cell, it was almost as if there was a balancing act occurring, and whilst there was a balanced environment the cell remained healthy. DeMartini also brought into the equation an intelligence that was present, as being the behind the scenes capacity for the cells to be able to perform everything that they do, and he mapped out how there was a level of conscious intelligence at ever level of the human body. From the level of the cell, that was conscious, to the level of the tissue, and then organs, and different bodily systems, to the level of the body as a whole, until it reached the level of us. He described how these levels of consciousness layered and interfaced with each other, and if there was an unresolved issue with any of them, then they would get stuck, and the physical level below it would manifest the imbalance. Clearly they’re all interconnected, and with his understanding, one way of working through any physical ailment, is to identify the underlying stuck emotion, or state, and work it through the conscious mind, until through catharsis it’s released, and leaves the system, restoring balance and harmony…

Jumping forward a little, DeMartini goes onto describe how from his perspective, he started to observe a phenomena of balance, how nature always finds a way of balancing things, and health is the product of a balanced environment. His research team went back through time to find moments when major events happened in the world and he discovered that for every major event that happened in history, somewhere in another part of the world, there was something happening, to balance it out.

This holistic worldview was something which he then shared from his own experiences of balancing, and seeing the balance restored. During his time working as a doctor, there are days he would have a great day at work. He would get a bunch of extra clients, and have a really good day, and he would be really proud of how good he was, and how much better than all the other doctors he was, and on those days, when he got home, his wife would bring him down. On other days, he would have a really bad day, the practice would be a little slow, and things just wouldn’t be going right, and on those days, when he got home his wife would bring him up.

Now, he had an office on the 52nd floor of a tall building, and what he started to do, was at the end of the day, before going home to his wife, on the good days, he would bring himself off his high horse by thinking of all the people he didn’t serve today, all the patients he didn’t see, all the doctors he didn’t compliment, and just finding faults, to make sure he got a balanced perspective, and got to neutral. And on the bad days, he would start to go through all the things he did accomplish, all the good stuff that he had done, all the people that he had helped, all the small things he had done that day for people, bringing himself upto neutral.

And what he found was that when he did this, and brought himself back to neutral then when he got home, his wife would also be at neutral, ready and receptive for him. This neutral state was described as being a balancing between the mind and the heart, a state of gratitude and appreciation, that was balanced and aligned. And it’s almost as if by putting himself into that the state, his wife, all the way back home, was also finding her way into that state simultaneously, as if through some form of quantum entanglement. In my mind, that’s just the next level of consciousness manifesting itself – the consciousness that exists between two people. When it’s in harmony, it’s balanced, and when it’s out of harmony you get the whole good guy bad guy scenario playing out.

All in all, I think there’s something to be said for balance, and grace being something that we as a society can strive towards.. and perhaps were media providing a more balanced perspective on life, the world would come into balance (but you can always argue it the other way too huh??) I guess it can only begin with ourselves, striving to be in balance in our daily lives, and slowly finding our sweet centre spot, aligned, balanced, so that we can then be able to live in balance with others, creating a world of peace, and harmony.

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