The search for enlightenment

continues....

Last night I watched 'The Secret' on DVD with my other half. We both know most of the stuff on it anyway but I still marvelled at how easy it has been to fall into the trap of being 'normal'.

Whatever normality is, it's different for all of us - there is no 'norm' about it. I've been saying for a long time to anyone that will listen that I agree with the thought that we create our own reality, or in other words, life is however you make it - but seeing it again, watching the glorious simpliciy of the law of attraction I am forced to concede I still have much to learn and many thoughts still to have.

I've now been tasked with opening my mind, allowing the river of possibility to flow passed my consciousness and to really planning what I want to do with the rest of my life.

See - even though these are the sort of thoughts I challenge people with through coaching, I still need to take stock and take action myself sometimes.

Think I need to do more reading and drawing, good food for the soul.

And I still think Ross will get his new bike - just like that kid on the DVD.

The start of tomorrow

is a thought from today. Or in actual fact, for me it's a couple of thoughts from last nights coaching session with Bob Foster.

What's this? I need a coach myself? So how good am I as a coach for you?

Well it's like this. Most good coaches either have a coach themselves or they associate with coaches and share ideas or they have a mastermind group to help them achieve their goals.

It's the sort of thing that coaching often prescribes for others so why not for coaches themselves right?

Bob asked me some interesting questions to start this particular ball rolling and I suspect the answers may be difficult to face but if I can do so, I'll be a better person and probably more succesful for doing so.

I wonder how often other people challenge themselves in this way?

What do you think?

Paris Hilton - Reality of fiction?

Ok, so obviously Paris herself is a reality, but what I wanted to talk about was the difference between her version of realiy and yours, or rather is there such a thing as reality?

To quote Wikipedia

Reality, in everyday usage, means "the state of things as they actually exist."

So the fact that we seem to have different levels of reality may have something to do with how we view things, or how we relate to the existence of things?

In Paris Hiltons' world reality may include riches and parties and celebrity friends and these may not be in your own on a daily basis but I suspect that her recent incarceration added a slightly different view of reality to her mind - one that you may already have encountered.

Why bring this up at all? Well, it's my belief that there is actually no such thing as reality, it is simply a word that has been coined to express a view on all that we know of our world and how we see it. Therefore, we all have our own reality and this might explain why some people in society, who's view is radically different from the mainstream view are seen as undesirable or even evil.

Paedophiles, Rapists, Murderers - all have a reality as well, just not the same maybe as yours.

I'm not about to condone these things for I also see them as unfortunate aspects of humanity, but if I'm right - perhaps their reality is just as 'right' for them as yours is to you?

The power of positive thinking

Is that it affects all the actions you then take. You can approach even the dullest task with more fervour and energy when you are in a great mood.

The interesting bit is the last word - mood. I'll go back here to my favourite thought, that emotions come first. Dan Goleman in his books on Emotional Intelligence suggests that how we feel affects how we think and therefore it is emotions that drive our actions.

I've had a great weekend and it's largely down to the idea above. On Sauturday I allowed my daughter to drive our actions with her emotions - we just had fun and I tried to make sure that I allowed as much freedom as possible with a day out at Horseworld.

On Sunday I spent the day working hard for the Wellbeing Network at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta, raising awareness for both the Network and it's support of the Penny Brohn Cancer care charity here in Bristol.

All of this stuff made me feel good and that set me up well for the week.

Wonder how the rest of it will go?

Linkin Park

To quote one of my favourite songs of the moment (In the End by Linkin Park)

"I tried so hard and got so far, but in the end
it doesn't really matter,
I had to fall to lose it all, but in the end
it doesn't really matter"

This was a hard start to a fairly average day.

I never realised that peeling the vinyls off my car would cause me so much distress.

I now realise that the problem is the emotions I had woven into the graphics, how much
of myself I had put into the design and the thought behind it.

Today it will all go and I will be back to having a nice white car again.

She will still be a lovely, clean, white, Nissan Skyline R33 GTS-T and for a little while
longer at least she'll be my car but after today she wont seem like MY CAR anymore.

The problem is further compounded by the fact that I had "Live the dreams you have" printed all over her - I have been living mine.

Need to find some new, even better dreams - I am a dreambuilder afterall.

:-)

The trouble with friends is..

.. that you can't help feeling the very real pull of friendship even when things are not so rosy.
One of my own great friendships is in a rocky place at the moment and despite my own forgiveness and the love I genuinely feel for that person, I honestly couldn't tell anyone if the friendship will survive or even if it still really exists.
This particular sharing of thought, word and deed has existed for over 30 years and it is therefore no surprise that potentially losing it is really a painful experience - however, as is normally my wont, I am loking for lessons and things to share here.
The lesson for me is that all relationships take time, committment and dedication in equal measure from all parties, otherwise they can indeed falter. In this case for example I am, i feel at least as guilty as most of being human and expending far more energy on my main relationship than all the others combined and therefore I have risked this scenario.
This often happens in new relationships, where families and children are present and where the day to day grind of getting by seems to take all the time in the world.
We all have lots to do, and many drains on our time and energy, but a world with no friends is a lonely and frightening place to be - perhaps something to remember.

Note to self....

End of an era

So that's it then, my pride and joy is actually going to a new home. This is indeed the end of a rather short but very enjoyable era but one I will remember with much happiness and one I'd like to re-acquaint myself with one day.

Whilst still "only a car" I am now given reason to consider the impact these things have on our lives and indeed how we shape who we are with our material possessions. I know for instance, that the instant kudos and leverage this vehicle 'bought' for our teenage son you probably couldn't purchase in any other way.

I'll be replacing her with another logo'd up Gee-mobile and it'll still be a bit mad but very shortly it'll be good-bye to the fire breathing white beast and on with the show.

I will be sad to see her go - and no mistake.

The way we think - the way we do

Interestingly, life keeps agreeing with a philosophy I was introduced to about 9 years ago.

The idea that we are actually driven by emotions and that thoughts are therefore a secondary issue is one that I have championed loudly ever since I heard it - it makes sense to me that this is probably the case.

I feel hungry - so I think about eating
I feel angry - so I shout
I feel afraid - I look for shelter and comfort

You'll already see from my other posts here that I find feelings to be a useful marker for what's going on around me and often a sign as to why I am doing something.

At the moment I am thinking about money, about the future, about my business and in my job today, I have spent the morning researching the future of Organic trade in the UK

All driven by feelings.

I wonder what's driving you to take action while I'm typing this?

What a difference a day makes

Yesterday I'll admit, even I, with all my positive vibes, was generally miserable. It was one of those days when nothing went quite as planned and in fact so many wheels fell off the wagon that I really felt derailed.
Yesterday evening however I managed to counter the negativity a bit with my friends and colleagues at the Wellbeing Alliance - always a very positive experience.
This morning started off with much trial, tribulation and bother but the day has got better as it's gone on and now the sun is out again and I'm looking forward to a (hopefully profitable) meeting which I have booked in later.
Wonder what elzse will turn up in the next few days - I know there's a teddy bears picnic in the offing shortly!