The Practice of Your Life

The Exercise and Pursuit of a Consciously Created Life

For 2009 be resolute also about your surroundings

Dec 31
2008

An old coach of mine, Paul Dominguez, once taught me to pay attention to my environment; that my environment actually “calls forth” certain behavior.  You might notice this clearly in a living room that’s organized around the TV.  With the chairs, table and sofa all arranged around the TV you’ll find it perfectly natural to reach for the remote the moment you sit down.   I think this is one of the main reasons that people have difficulty around honoring their commitments.  They make a commitment that calls for a massive change in behavior, like quitting smoking or watching less TV and taking up exercising, yet there surroundings – including their daily routines – call forth the old patterns of behavior.

Your old buddies continue to call you to come… Continue reading

Rain, Rain, Rain

Dec 19
2008

Whoever said, “Into every life a little rain must fall,” knew what she was talking about; but this is ridiculous.  It’s rained almost every day since I’ve been here in Trinidad and yesterday it rained all day – much of it torrential.  On the narrow congested road to where my parents live, there were parts of the road under two to three feet of water.  What’s up with that?   So much for sunny Trinidad and getting away from the frigid New York weather. For the first time I can recall I stayed at home in Trinidad because of the weather.  Roads were covered in mud and bridges in mud and debris.  Also my friend who was having a Christmas party had no electricity.

This gives an opportunity to observe… Continue reading

Segments

Dec 14
2008

In their Law of Attraction books, Esther and Jerry Hicks talk about segmenting. The idea is you break your day into discrete portions of time or “segments” as a means to focus your attention during that time on something that you want done.

This is a brilliant concept.  Why?  Because my biggest challenge is managing my Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) – see post on 17 April 2008.  I can get distracted at a frightening pace.  In going to write this post, I think of three other ideas and start writing them first. I happen to glance at my left and see an article that catches my eye and I read it, and while reading it I remember to respond to someone regarding some semi-urgent matter, and so I go… Continue reading

Thoughts on Steve Irwin

Dec 03
2008

I wrote this 7 Sept 2006 a couple days after his death.  Thought I would post it here as a tribute to a true life practitioner.

Don’t know why the passing of someone I’ve never met could affect me this way, – last time I felt like this was the passing of Princess Diana – but I am really saddened by the sudden passing of Steve Irwin.

What is it that could cause me to feel this way, and I know it’s not just me. The emotion felt by thousands of people the world over is being expressed in newspapers, TV, the internet in homes and bars. For me I think it was the joy he felt and projected in doing what he loved. Steve

Communism 2.0?

Nov 26
2008

Well I’m no Thomas Friedman and no, I am not a communist. Look at my picture (click on “About”) – does that look like the face of a communist? The reason I’m writing this post is because I wonder if two famous communist rallying cries are actually coming to pass in our world today.

(1) “Workers of the world unite.” (Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels)

In the Communist Manifesto, Marx believed that communism would arise from a revolution of the international (my italics) working class. He believed that each person’s work, and how they worked was entirely personal and individual, and that the capitalist mode of production necessarily alienated the worker class because it forced the worker to essentially give up his inherent creativity to produce in… Continue reading

What does it take to rise up from mediocrity?

Nov 22
2008

I have noticed something about many people who have found success in their true calling. Before they found their passion, or became famous they had already either excelled in business success, or they hit the dregs of existence and were homeless addicts on the verge of suicide, (or heading in that direction).  Wayne Dyer the famous author was an orphan and an alcoholic, Rhonda Byrne the producer of the Secret claims to have been bankrupt and suicidal. Eckhart Tolle was suicidal when he had the experience that led him to write the power of now. Louise Hey almost died of cancer. On the other end of the scale we have people like Jack Welch, Bill Gates, Bob Parsons, Jerry Jones and Mark Cuban – people that seemed to have lived… Continue reading

Que Sera Sera

Nov 14
2008

Know the song?   I remember the Doris Day original, and lately it seems the song is making a comeback by someone or a band called Pink Martini.   I’ve heard it quite a few times in Starbucks and it brings back memories of a time gone by when things were easy, sweet and innocent.  And as I sat listening to the song today it occurred to me – I hate this song.

“When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother
What will I be?
Will I be pretty?
Will I be rich?
Here’s what she said to me:

Que sera, sera.
Whatever will be, will be.
The future’s not ours to see.
Que sera, sera.
What will be, will be.”

No seizing the day or… Continue reading