IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE SITUATION YOU'RE IN.........

• Whose plan were you in that got you here?
• What do you know about yourself that this situation proves you right?
• Whose goals are you currently working on?
• OK. You know what you don't want: what do you want?
• What, within you, is stopping you?

PREJUDICES

Some thoughts ---

• Some minds are like concrete -- all mixed up and permanently set.
• The human mind is like a parachute -- useful if it's open.
• We can send a message 38,000 kms around the earth in less than a second, but it often takes years to penetrate 5mm of skull.

FIVE STAGES OF LEARNING

1. Exposure -- Open yourself to new ideas; you never know where your possibilities are hiding in disguise.
2. Imitation -- Take it for a test-drive. You didn't learn to swim by thinking about it; sooner or later you had to jump into the water.
3. Encouragement -- Be your own best friend. Listen and support.
4. Repetition -- Old habits have an inertia that resists changes in direction. Patiently exert gentle pressure on the rudder until the new learning takes over.
5. Refinement -- Dying of boredom is not possible unless you insist upon it. There is always more. When you get to the horizon, there will always be further for you to see and explore.

ATTITUDE

Attitude is a posture or position
That has been assumed
To serve a purpose.

If I may use a sailing analogy.....
Attitude is set and the the angle at which you set your sails.
When you watch a regatta,
You'll see boats going in all directions.
But the wind is blowing from only one quarter......
Each skipper is drawing on his experience
To make the most out of the conditions,
By plotting a course and trimming the sails.
Is your present attitude blowing you off your course,
Or is it getting you where you want to go?

OPPORTUNITY

Opportunity lies all around us.
But it takes a person to realise it.

DUTY

Duty makes us do things.
Love makes us do things beautifully.

LIFE ECHOES

What you send out, comes back.

What you sow, you reap.

What you give, you get.

What you see in others exists in you.

What you are doing to others, is being done to you

IF YOU KNEW YOU COULDN'T FAIL........

What great thing would you attempt today

If you positively KNEW you couldn't possibly fail?

Well, any experiment whose purpose is to "to see how it turns out"

Cannot fail.

It will always turn out.

The ball is in your court.

WHY WE JOIN CULTS....

Well, the obvious answer is "for the experience of it".
Nothing wrong with that.
But I have to ask --
What poverty lies behind the hunger that "joining" something gratifies?

Support?

Interaction skills?

Inner growth?

Belonging?

Sensation?

Intimate connection?

Acceptance?

Risk and challenge?

Meaning?

Autonomy?

Each one is a legitimate human need,
That is not being experienced as being sufficiently met.
There is a sensed emotional. intellectual, or spiritual vacuum
That mind demands it be allowed to fill.

From the point of view of anyone "outside",
Insiders seem to be under the spell of some level of insanity:
To an "insider", his/her actions and environment represent the ultimate "sanity"
And it is those outside who are "evil" and in need of a reality check.
Well, that's how the human mind works, isn't it? --
"They're wrong, so I must be right, "
No matter which side of the fence we stand.

Sooner or later, however,
No matter how certain we become,
There are just some days when we wake up disquieted.
Perhaps we've had an odd dream, or maybe we just can't settle down to a deep sleep.
"What's wrong?" is our first reaction (a curious assumption in itself, don't you think?);
Later we get to wondering "What is this all about?

We're simply being reminded of a deeper quest churning away in the background of our awareness --
A search for meaning in life,
And for some kind of transcendence.

These reminder calls seem to happen more frequently and powerfully
In times of upheaval, unrest, crisis or during periods of physical or mental illness (dis-ease).
When such times of upheaval become epidemic,
Religions and -isms get a sudden boost of interest,
Especially those more pentecostally flavoured groups
That tap into what sociologist Richard Ofshe called
"The market for psychological perfection."
Ofshe goes on to point out that
"Anyone can start a religion;
All it takes is charisma and a modicum of sense."

Stallholders at the spiritual hype-market
Appeal to people's frightened hunger for Acceptance and Meaning.
Anyone who claims to have "The Answer" and promises a regular smile and hug from enough acolytes
Is bound to get a good following.
There's a lot of justified frustration out there with the more traditional religions,
But what the new breed of spiritual Macca's are offering
Is  high on sugar and spice,
And almost totally devoid of nourishment.
We're encountering a religious right of spiritual bullemics.

Lost people like to feel they've come home.
If you can lay on a reasonably regular spiritual "high"
That most people do not feel in ordinary daily life,
You've go it made. You'll get the vulnerable hooked on the intensity of a dodgy experience and, hey presto!
They'll follow you to hell.

Every charismatic religious leader
Offers some kind of conduit to the cosmos,
Feeding off a pandemic of reluctance
To follow Jeshua ben Joseph's frustrated admonition
"For Christ's sake, heal yourselves!"

Here's a bottom line for you --

In any situation we flee to out of Neediness

We lose

Our freedom and integrity.

Neediness does not breed Fulfilment.

It takes balls to strike out on your own --
Ask every pilgrim who ever went off in search for himself.
There will always be someone to offer a short cut to heaven,
And more than enough suckers to sign over their freedom
In the name of "salvation".

Salvation from what?
Pray tell.
The lack of something we're too lazy to provide for our self?

IT SEEMS A BIT OF A WASTE.......

It seems to me to be a bit of a waste
To say "Yes" to emodiment on this plane-t,
Only to spend the whole of our life after that
Saying "No".

So we got one helluva fright?
Get over it.

Sooner or later Death comes a-calling
And won't take "No" for an answer.
We began with a "Yes", and we go out with a "Yes";
Maybe a few more "Yeses" in between
Would make the journey more fun?
What do you reckon?

SOLVING PROBLEMS

The happiest and the unhappiest people I know
All have problems.
The happiest ones seem to know how to engage with their challenges;
The unhappy ones don't.
It could be said that one measure of our happiness
Lies in the ratio between how much we see ourselves as having problems
And how much we feel our problems have us.
Unhappy people don't have problems as much as
Their problems have them.
One of the main reasons for this impotence is
That we don't know what "the problem" really is;
We're victimised by what we don't know.
Most problems, be they social. marital, financial or otherwise,
Are the visible symptoms of deeper difficulties.

Tips that Work for Me

1. Define your problem clearly on paper.
2. List the obstacles standing in the way.
3. Take time to explore what the deeper underlying difficulties might be at other levels of your being. Unless you tackle the real causes, you will be living your version of "Groundhog Day".
4. Deliberately open your mind to let inspiration from other sources reach you. This is a bit like searching the internet for inspiration, rather than relying merely on files already stored on your computer for a solution. Your mind is a limited resource.
5. List any people and idea sources that might help you solve your problem. Remain open to alternative, non-traditional ways of engaging with it. Are there other logically unconnected disciplines or technologies that may have a good idea or two that may work in this context?
6. List as many possible courses of action that occur to you, no matter how implausible some of them may seem. Censor nothing at this point, and take your time for less logical ideas to pop.
7. Visualise possible results -- including best- and worse-case scenarios --  for each course of action. Allow more possible courses to suggest themselves.
8. Choose a course of action that appeals to you, and then pursue it. Adapt and incorporate anything that enhances your project from other alternatives you've considered. Have your plan, and be prepared to adapt. Stay with your action plan long enough for it to work, or for it to prove that it's not going to do the trick. If it finally doesn't work, do this exercise again in the light of what you've learned so far, and choose another.

BY THEIR CONVERSATIONS SHALL YE KNOW THEM.......

Small minds complain -- about their lot and their problems (sometimes disguised as talking about "others").

Average minds gossip -- about events and other people, as it they know what they're talking about.

Great minds share -- possibilities.

A MESSAGE TO MY GRANDCHILDREN

Following a spectacular concert given by a renowned classical pianist,

The green room backstage was awash with the usual blue-rinse set

Eager to touch the hem of the accomplished and famous.

One dowager began to gush over the pianist --

"Oh, I would so LOVE to be able to play like you!! I would do anything!!"

The pianist looked at her kindly for a moment, as if making up her mind.

Then she quietly said into her ear,

"No, my dear, you wouldn't. You'd have to say 'No' to many of the things you now enjoy. You'd have to practice for 8 hours every day, live most of your life out of suitcases in hotel rooms, venture into strange places when you least feel like it........."

Her voice tailed off.

The society lady got the message.

If you want your life to be a symphony,

You have to do the scales.

Raw talent may get you through the door,

But it's your responsibility to develop your mental, emotional, physical and spiritual capacity

To shape it into something  that will effectively express what you want to put out there.

No scales -- no concerts.

A CHILD LEARNS -- Anonymous

If a child lives with criticism,
  he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility,
  he learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule,
  he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame,
  he learns to feel guilt.
If a child lives with tolerance,
  he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement,
  he learns confidence.
If a child lives with fairness,
  he learns justice.
If a child lives with security,
  he learns to trust.
If a child lives with approval,
  he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,
  he learns to see the love in the world.

FAILURE

Failure, as an experience, can be transformative.
But I get really impatient with people
Who insist upon it and recommend it
As the only way to live.

I've done that.
It sucked.

TALKING FOR TOMORROW

I bend an ear to the words I say
And  keep them tender and sweet,
Because I never know today
Which ones I may have to eat.

LISTEN

A good listener is welcome at any party,
And after a while, he knows a lot more
Than those who monopolised the conversation.

LOOK

You won't find a gem in every rock,

But it doesn't hurt to take a look.

Burmese Proverb

HOW TO PICK AN EVOLVING HUMAN BEING (from a Lost Cause)

• A Lost Cause says "Nobody knows". An Evolver  says "Let's find out."
• When an Evolver makes a mistake, he says "I got it wrong; got it!". A Lost Cause says "It wasn't my fault."
• An Evolver says "Thank you" whatever happens; he knows how luck works. A Lost Cause blames his bad luck, whatever happens. He thinks Gratitude is something you only dish out when you get what you want, the way you want it.
• An Evolver learns when and how to say "Yes " and "No". and is pretty clear about why. A Lost Cause hedges a lot around "Yes, but....." and "Maybe not..." at the wrong times and for the wrong reasons.
• An Evolver states "This is my intention....."; a Lost Cause promises "I'll try.........."
• A Lost Cause complains "I have to....."; and Evolver declares "I choose to...."
• An Evolver isn't nearly as afraid of losing as a Lost Cause is secretly afraid of succeeding.
• A Lost Cause is always too busy and never has enough time; an Evolver knows how to make time.
• An Evolver works through situations and conditions; a Lost Cause tries to get around them, and never gets past them.
• An Evolver makes commitments; a Lost Cause makes wishes and promises.
• Evolvers get up a head of steam and apply it steadily to the drive wheels to maximise traction. Lost Causes blow it all out of the whistle.
• An Evolver cleans up his messes; a Lost Cause shrugs and does it again.
• An Evolver is focussed on values, and knows where to take a stand, and where and when to negotiate; a Lost Cause is focussed on self-important issues, compromises the important stuff and fights over trivialities.
• An Evolving person acknowledges that he's doing well, and that he can learn and improve. A Lost Cause says "I'm not as bad as other people."
• An Evolving person builds a life; a Lost Cause repeats his childhood over and over until he dies.
• An Evolver listens attentively; he knows the creator gave him two ears and one mouth for a good reason. A Lost Cause waits until it's his turn to talk.
• A Lost Cause will do just about anything to be liked, ignoring the fact that it's costing him Contempt. An Evolving person engenders respect, and doesn't take too personally what other people think of him, except as feedback on how effectively he's representing what's important to him. 
• An Evolving person feels strong enough to be gentle and firm; a Lost Cause fears gentleness will be taken as weakness.
• An Evolver respects authority; a Lost Cause jealously resents it.
• An Evolver learns how to give direction by learning first to take it with grace and gratitude; a Lost Cause can't wait to start giving orders.
• An Evolver explains; a Lost Cause explains away.
• An Evolving being feels responsible for more than just his job; a Lost Cause says "I only work here."
• An Evolver feeds the Goose that lays the golden eggs; a Lost Cause can't wait to steal the eggs.
• A Lost Cause contents himself with "This is the way its has always been done"; an Evolver says "There has to be another way..."
• Evolutionary leaders spend their lives serving: others may erect monuments to them, but only after they've gone; Lost Causes start posing for their monuments before they've done anything very much. In fact, some Lost Causes do nothing but pose, night in -- night out.
• Lost Causes keep walking Westward, looking for a sunrise.
• An Evolver knows from his observations that a Victim's life doesn't work: Lost Causes race each other to see who can get to the bottom first.
• Evolvers look for ways to make a difference; Lost Causes look for ways to become "special needs".

JUST FOR TODAY.....

JUST FOR TODAY.......

Dr. William S. Hendrie

Just for today I will try to live through this day only, and not tackle my whole life's problems at once.

Just for today I will be happy. Abe Lincoln said it -- "Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be."

Just for today I will strengthen my mind. I will study. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.

Just for today I will adjust myself to whatever is, and seek to change those things that must, and can be changed.

Just for today I will exercise my soul three ways:-

1. I will do someone a good turn, and not get found out.
2. I will not show anyone how much my feelings hurt. They may be hurt, but I will be responsible for that.
3. Just for today I will look as well as I can, dress becomingly, talk low, think high, act courteously, criticising not one bit. I will not find fault with anything, and not try to improve or regualte anybody other than myself.

Just for today I will have a Plan. I may not follow it exactly, but I will save myself from two pests: Hurry and Indecision.

Just for today I will have a quiet half hour all by myself and relax. During this half hour, sometime, I will try to get a better perspective of my life.

Just for today I will be unafraid. Especially I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful; and to believe that as I give to the world, so the world will give to me.

TRUTH

No valid values are impaired or destroyed
By learning a truth about them.

Falsities, beliefs and prejudices
Are allergic to the Truths of unbiased experience
And will die if sufficiently exposed to them.

Every time we surrender to a truth,
We are a little more free --
Less vicitmised and victmise-able
By superstition, righteousness, prejudice, ignorance, dogmatism and crippling vulnerability.
We get a little more clear air
And find ourself better able to discover and creatively engage
With new facts, new ways of seeing, new experiences and challenges.
We can claim to be a little better "educated".
We are more than ever ready
To hone and polish our being with the being-ness of others in a poised way.

SELF-IMAGE

Whether we like the results or not,
We are what we think we are.
We live up to our own deep,unconscious self-appraisal;
And from that same self-image
We teach others how to treat us.
Truth be known, we would all like that to be different,
But it remains so
Because we have no idea of what we're doing
To our self.
Wishing for things to be different leaves us ---
Wishing.

Self-Image isn't real; at best it is a partial reality. It is a perception, and like all human perceptions is doomed to be partial, incomplete and often misguided.

Self Image is one of the most basic programmes driving our auto-pilot. The inner images we hold of ourselves trigger very specific attitudes, which in turn have a profound influence on our contentment and effectiveness in life.

Self-image is merely an amoral seeding mechanism; it has no critical, judgmental or introspective function. It cannot differentiate between what might be harmful or beneficial to its host. Nor can it discriminate between actual experience and an experience vividly imagined in some factual or emotional detail. It has no vision outside of itself.

Self-Image dwells and operates from the sub-conscious level of our thinking;
Which is a fancy way of saying
Self-Image isn't something we think -- It thinks us.
For the most part,
We didn't even think it into existence in the first place,
It went in viscerally and emotionally.
That means two things --

1. While we may be able to explain away bits of it, self image is rarely based on fact and does not, of itself, make rational sense; and
2. If we want to change it, our rational mind is not up to the task -- we cannot reason ourselves out of anything that was not reasoned into in the first place.

Self images that are un-piloted, imbalanced, unrealistic, or programmed incompletely, vaguely, or aimed at a target too far out of range, cause our self-realising mechanisms to wander erratically, crashing us into the furniture until our self-propulsion systems either fail or self-destruct, or both.

Images stored within our brain, I am told by those who should know, cannot be willfully erased by us.  Barring brain damage, we are stuck with them for life. That's good news because, God knows, I tried for quite a while back there to zap my negative self-image into oblivion, and failed very miserably. It was comforting to learn, at last, that -- despite what I'd been told by the Positive-Thinking-SWAT'ers -- it isn't necessary.

Even better news is that negative or inappropriate self-images can be balanced out with equally valid counterparts, and integrated into a dynamic whole.

Evolution and transformation are not about getting better; they are about getting whole.

Permanent transformation of our personalities and behaviours relies on:-

1. A change in our perceptions (including our self-image and expectations)
2. A willingness to view the world and our place in it from as many different points of view as we can manage every waking hour
3. A willingness to try different strategies and behaviours, just for the heck of it.

Watch your self-talk feedback both before a challenging event and after it. How you respond to your performances is just as important (and revealing) as how you prepare for them. When someone asks you how you are, are you one of the 80 percenters who answer "Not bad". Why are we so disappointed when our catastrophising expectations are not met? Are you a "looker-backer"? Do you walk to the shops, look around and say to yourself "Well, contrary to my expectations, I didn't fall that time!"

A child watches adults walking and, encouraged by them, experiments, again and again. He just assumes that successful walking is part of the deal, and he can't wait to get with the programme. The child does not associate falling with failure; only as a temporary inconvenience, and a chance to adjust. He's not too fussed about HOW he walks, or how he looks while he's doing it, he just wants to get from point "a" to point "b" a little more efficiently than by sliding around on his bum. He gets up and tries again and again. Even once the skill of balance and locomotion is achieved, he does not stop there. Most children continue to practice and experiment, honing their skills and strengths. May be that's why there are so many accomplished toddlers in the world! Some of them take it even further and refine their skills into running, football, tennis and even ballet dancing -- things they never imagined possible when they first started trying to stand up.

Once we start on something, there's no telling where it might lead. 

But we do have to start. 

And that's where Self-Image comes in.

GOALS & PURPOSES

Goals are specific targets of achievement or attainment.
Purposes are the guiding sense of direction
That gives form and alignment
To the kinds of goals that will be pursued.

We humans have a primitive area of the brain - the amygdala --
In which all goals are directed toward pure physical survival.
We also have more recently developed areas of our brain
In which goals can be aligned to other levels of living awareness,
Such as security, social support, status and self-realisation.

It is important to note, however,
That the human mind develops ideas, concepts, opinions, perceptions and beliefs
Within every layer of conscious awareness.
Any threat to any of its constructs, in any level of awareness
Will be interpreted automatically by the mind
As a threat to its survival.
The threat may be real (rarely) or imagined (usually),
But mind cannot tell the difference;
If the threat is serious enough
We go straight to the bottom rung and start acting like a baboon in a logging camp.

That is our natural inclination,
But it doesn't have to be prescriptive;
We can intervene.
This is possible because, firstly, we are more than our ego mind,
And, secondly, we also have a built-in, adventurous Growth Instinct
That can be nurtured
To a point where it is able to exert a contrary influence
Over the tick-tock ego.

Every human being, still breathing, is more than a creature;
He/she is a CREATOR --
In fact the sole creator of his own experience.
You and I are the sole creators of our Purposes
And the Goals we select to give expression to those Purposes,
Triggered and motivated by our Imaginations.

Our ability to Imagine is one of the most powerful tools we possess;
We're all using it -- all of the time,
Whether we realise it or not.
We create by imagining,
And feeling what we want into existence.
Whatever we're experiencing right now
Was first imagined.

Napoleon cried triumphantly -- "Imagination rules the world!"
Einstein trumped that with -- "Imagination IS the world."

Think about that,
And your place in it.

The way you picture your world,
The way you perceive your purpose in it,
The things that you do to express your purposes,
And the mood and manner in which you do them --
Create the world in which you live.
You and I do not live in the same world --
There are slight differences in point-of-view,
Rather like the way our left eyes and our right eyes see things a little differently.
When we put them together, however,
We get a startling sense of depth, of "more".
Imagine, if you can, what god sees --
From billions of "I"'s, all seeing from a slightly different point of view!

IDENTITY CRISIS?

As far as I know....
The urge to BE somebody is pretty much universal,
At least around mating season.

The desire for Self-hood is not bad in itself,
But it starts to clag up
When we identify with our identity,
i.e. we begin to think that our identity is who we truly are.
That's as silly as thinking we ARE our business card, or our resumë, or the car we drive, or the school we went to, or the job we have, or the suburb we live in, or the school we send our children to, or the partner we have............
Or anything else we hold up as proof to our inner critic that we're worth the space we occupy.

Just as tragically silly as identifying with who we think we are,
Is seeking an identity in conformity to external standards,
In the approbation of someone else,
Or in the number, variety, and novelty of aforementioned material things we can accumulate.

Identity consists of two elements:-
Self Esteem ( a general, deep-down, inside-the-skin feeling of worthiness, or otherwise); and
Self Image ( a very specific, internally created picture of every talent, drawback, characteristic and performance we have, along with associated comments and feelings about each one).

Our Identity was almost totally instigated by those we opened up to in our early childhood,
And by our seriously incomplete image of those we've been impressed with ever since starting kindergarten.
In other words, our Identity was a ramshackle slum of adopted impressions,
Slapped together in a hasty endeavour to get liked.
And 80% of the people you meet are still stick in that infantile slum;
They have done bugger-all since
To create something for themselves --
Something that works better for them.

Some form of Identity is essential.
A particular Identity is useful as long as it draws us continually toward evolving;
It ceases to be useful when it is hopelessly anachronistic,
Or becomes deludedly unrealistic,
Or starts to cramp our current possibilities.

Being human is a condition of Limitedness. That doesn't stop until we die.
So if we want to keep growing,
We do have to deliberately keep stretching limits.
But life allows us the other alternative --
A repetitive treadmill of same-old-same-as,
Upright and dead, all the way to the grave.
If that's your choice,
You won't be alone.....

If it seems a little unfair that we have to persist with growing,
Console yourself with the realisation
That your life and mine are never short on opportunities for us to extend our tolerances.

Happiness and self worth arise naturally from setting internal standards for ourself,
Requiring ourself to live according to our internal guidance system (we each have one, you know),
Sharing around our values and what we do to real-ise them,
And stretching ourselves ever further into infinite possibility.

MAJORING IN MINORS

Most of our daily activities
Are motivated by a desire for peace of mind,
And devoted to relieving some tension
Between What-Ought-to-Be and What-Is.
Every time we think or say "I have to....."
We corrode our self-esteem
And give ourselves away.
I watch how less aggressive it feels to say to another
"I have to......."
Instead of "I choose to....."
It sometimes takes an act of conscious courage to declare my choices

This begs a question ---
How little of what we do each day is consciously and directly rooted
In expressing
What we've created ourself to Be?

Why aren't we more creative?

1. Lost or misplaced purpose
2. Fear of failure
3. Fear of success

Here's a meditation you might like to try..............

A MOMENT OF TRUTH

Make this moment here and now

A moment of truth about yourself.

Open up now to ways in which you may have been selling yourself short.

Accept the fact that you have the opportunity here and now

To open up to more 

Of the environmental, physical, mental, spiritual and emotional abundance

That exists all around you --

More than you could use up in a thousand lifetimes.

Contemplate ways in which you might be effectively fending off

All that life is ready to give you.

Abundance is not personally selective --

It doesn't deny you and bestow itself upon others.

If you're not getting what you want, and others are...

Consider what your contribution to that condition might be.

Open up to possibilities.

Don't demand -- that won't work;

Spoiled brats never get to satisfaction..

Loosen up on your idea of what you want ought to look like.

Depending on how long you've been so sure that Loss and Lack are the name of the game,

It may take some time to bring yourself around.

Be patient.

TRYING TO FIND YOURSELF?

How do you find what you already are? Try looking in a mirror.

If you're having a little trouble finding yourself;
I have three questions you might like to stand in:-

1. What are you looking for?
2. Where are you looking for it?
3. When are you while you're looking for it?

1. While you're trying to find yourself, what are you looking for? Your self is what you've already created. How can the creator not know its creation? Can you really not see yourself, or is it that you don't like what you have seen so far? Are you playing the "This ain't it" game? If you have any preconceived ideas about what you should look like, you may have trouble recognising yourself when you do find it? Do you still really think your self is going to look like you think it should?
2. Where are you looking? I know a whole bunch of people who travel the world looking for something meaningful: I wish them luck, I truly do. But, barring accidents, I don't like their chances. If you want to find something, it's a good plan to look for it where it is. You're not going to find "You" anywhere outside of yourself. The same goes for Meaning. Meaning begins and ends with you -- in your world. If you're waiting on getting the "meaning of life" first, so that you can then find out who you are, you're putting the cart before the horse. Who is doing that looking? Look at the seeker. As you find out who you are, the meaning of living becomes abundantly clear.
3. When are you looking? If you're looking for You anytime other than your here/now present experience, call off the search; you're wasting your time. The same goes for Meaning; trawling through the past may provide you with some explanations, but never Meaning.

We spend our time in the pursuit of Diversion

Instead of a pursuit in a Direction.

If you want to find yourself, you could wait until tomorrow. Then you'll at least find yourself a day older.

We're desperately searching for ourselves

Because we are bored with abundance.

No matter how empty we feel,

Every waking moment is full -- of something......

Plasma TV's, politics, causes to care about, family, work, social networking, drugs, religions, --ologies, travel to other cultures, volunteering for good causes, meditations, pilates, diets, dating lines, clubbing.........

We're full to the back teeth with emptiness,

So we try to cram it with more,

Including self-awareness fads and exercises

To make us feel as it we're accomplishing something.

The thing is,

No matter how much and for how long we gorge ourselves silly on sideshows,

They wear off overnight,

And in the morning, we're back to being ourselves --

Still looking for ourself????

The big mistake we all make at one time or another
Is that we ignore or reject outright
Anything we see that is judged to be "Not-Me".
Big mistake.
Sit with this for a while..................

There is nothing that you are not.
If you can imagine it, that too is what you are.

If there were to be anything that you are NOT,

Then you would not be.

Can you not see the absurdity of looking for our selves

When we are surrounded by mirrors?

Look at that person opposite you;

What we see is a part of what we are...

Start with that.

Any selective closing-down, contracting or rejecting of unappealing reflected glimpses of self

Blinkers down the whole seeing.

The iceberg sinks the whole ship,

Not just steerage class.

Everyone dances to a different drummer,

Sees through a different lens,

Perceives through a different filter,

And selects as a result of different programmes in his bio-computer.

Our constant, relentless pursuit of "happiness",

Our search for "something else",

Is triggered by a feeling of helplessness,

Brought on by a lifetime of rejecting reflections 

That could have led us to further self-discovery.

It's not too late.

While we can still draw conscious breath,

Life will continue to challenge us

To accept the limited vision we already have of self,

And to stretch the field of our imagining

Of what is currently visible, desirable and possible.

SELF-HONESTY -- THE GROCERY BAG TEST

How's your body these days?
Mine's getting better, thinner and more sensitive
Thanks to an improved regimen of care.
I can actually (almost) pass the Grocery Bag Test....

How about yours?
Is it fat and sluggish?
Gaunt and nervous?
Do you puff going up or down a flight of stairs?
What kind of fuel do you put into your once-and-only life transportation?
Do you clog it with pollutants,
Or hit-and-run, low-grade junk food that your organs have to work overtime to deal with?
Is your brain and liver pickled in alcohol?
Are your lungs slimed with nicotine?
Are your blood vessels clean and clear of cholesterol?
Are your synapses clagged up with drugs?

Do you view your body as an old heap
To get you from birth to death
With the least possible number of tune-ups and overhauls?
Are you dissatisfied and obsessive about it, to the detriment of other areas of your life?
Or do you look after it with loving consideration,
And gratitude for the opportunities for experience it delivers you?
Do you think "If my battery goes flat, I'll get a jump-start?"
Or "If my carby clogs, I'll get a by-pass"?

Get this.....

• You can't trade your body in on a new model. Once this one's clapped out, you're out.
• It's a bloody sight easier to DO good if we FEEL good.

THE 10-MINUTE GROCERY BAG TEST

Preparation time:- (2 minutes)

Test time:- (3 minutes)

Sink-in time:- (5 minutes)

Grab a large grocery bag (preferably paper -- plastic is not a good alternative, unless you're kinky)

Cut out a pair of eye holes.

Get undressed. Completely.

Pull the bag over your head and stand in front of a full-length mirror.

Now look.

What do you see? 

(The aim, remember, is Self Honesty. The bag is there to help you be more objective.)

Stay with it for at least 3 minutes.

Remove the bag, and allow whatever occurs to you.

ME

Through "Me"
The world recognises itself
As heaven.
Or hell....
Either way,
It doesn't mind.
(Only "I" does that).

EGO

I am, on occasion, the most
Responsible, allowing, caring, courageous, playful, adventurous, open, innocent, intelligent, gentle, curious
Person I know.
I'm also deluded,
So I could be wrong about that, too,
Except sometimes........

CRISIS

I am told......
In written Mandarin
The symbol for "Crisis"
Is a combination of symbols
For "danger" and "opportunity".

Well, the Chinese have been around th block a few times more than us.

A STAND -v- A POSITION

When we take a Stand on something
We create a context that frames and holds all possibilities
And allows them to be,
As we engage with them creatively.

When we take a Position,
We dismiss possibilities and resist Opposition.

For example....
I have a Stand that is "A world that works for all of us."
I also have a corresponding Position that sounds like "A world that does what's right."

While both co-operation and opposition may arise
Within both a Stand and a Position,
A Stand tends to encourage co-operation;
While a Position openly invites opposition.

A stand is a quality of space that allows possibilities to show up;
A position is more like a manifesto, an expectant demand that negates certain resisted outcomes.

A stand is expansive;
A position is restrictive.

A stand balances all options;
A position excludes certain alternatives.

A stand is contextual;
A position is conditional.

Stands are creative.
You may create as many as you want,
As often as you want....
The more, the better.

Positions make you "right".
If you're at all like me,
You don't need any more to ruin your peace of mind.
Good luck.

UNIVERSAL ANSWERS

When someone hits you with an either/or question.........

............................."BOTH"

When someone asks you what's normal...........

..........................."SOMETIMES"

When you're tempted to be dogmatic, try adding................

................................................"EXCEPT SOMETIMES"

When someone asks for your advice...........................

................................."I can't give you any advice -- I don't know you. I know only one person -- my self. But I can share what I've learned from my experience, if you like."

6 CHARACTERISTICS OF SELF-REALISING BEINGS

Self-realising human beings give away their being by the way they naturally express their selves. Their demeanour, and verbal and body language is peppered with genuine assurances such as .........

• I can........
• I look forward to.........
• I want to........
• I'll volunteer.......
• I choose to..........
• Next time I'll do it differently.
• This is what I'll do.........
• I'm feeling better about the whole thing; and
• Thank you.

THE SIX CHARACTERISTICS

1. Self Honesty
2. Self Acceptance
3. Self Esteem
4. Self Image
5. Self Requirement
6. Self Dimension

1. Self Honesty

Self-honesty is absolutely fundamental. Without a total commitment to be honest with our self, about ourself, we're duck-paddling in tight circles.

It you're not prepared to be ruthlessly self-honest,
Don't waste your time with the rest of this --
Without self honesty, nothing is going to get better for you
Sorry to be so blunt,
But self-delusion was never a good idea
To anyone but a coward.

We need to find the willingness and take daily time to step back from the fray, back from personal engagement, and take an uncritical overview of where we are and how creative and effective we're being in what's going on. We need to watch our selves as they relate to each other and to their environmental, social, physical, mental and spiritual natures. We need to abandon any urge to look either good or bad to ourself. We are grateful for the reflections from others, and we welcome any feedback from people who care enough about us and know us well enough to tell us what they see, without needing either to suck up to us, or to put us down.

Self-honesty arises from the inborn ability and a personal commitment

To create - within - a space of uncritical and uncriticised awareness

From which we observe ourself impartially. 

In this loving place we grant ourself the freedom 

To accept ourself as a unique, imperfect, evolving human-becoming,

And we commit to bestow as much attention to our potential,

As we once did to our supposed shortcomings.

2. Self Acceptance


It's a human trait that we act and behave in accordance with the way that we think we are and how we think we look to others, rather than the way we actually are and look. Those who learn to be fairly satisfied and creative with all of their qualities, values and features have a head start (pun intended) on those who don't.

Self-acceptance is our willingness, as much as we possibly can, to be fully oneself as that is unfolding, and to accept ultimate responsibility for the outcomes of what we are and do.


3. Self Esteem

As I see it,
We are not all born equal:
We don't have identical physical, mental and emotional capacities and attributes,
But we are given an equal ability, and right,
To feel excitement and joy,
And whatever the opposites of those might be,
In receiving and giving the gifts that come with living.
Really effective people rarely seem to question their intrinsic worth --
It is a given,
Even when they have nothing much more than a dream to go by.

Self Esteem is that deep-down, inside-the-skin feeling of worthiness.

You can't buy that.

No-one can give it to you, either:

Anything you are given by another, can be taken away again.

If any good feeling you have about yourself gets knocked around by circumstances,

Or even by how you woke up this morning --

That ain't it. That was not self-esteem;
There must have been a whiff of self-delusion in there somewhere.
Or maybe it's self-deprecation.
You do not have the slightest inkling of how corrosive self-criticism is
To your self esteem.
Why do we belittle ourselves?
Why are we so quick to downgrade the product,
When we haven't yet used it properly or effectively?

We can take all the classes,

Go to all the seminars,

And chant until we're blue in the face,

But Self-Esteem is the eye of the storm that finds us,
Often in the unlikeliest of places,

At a time when we're not looking for it.

Self Esteem begins with a perception of Capability:
You start building a bank of things you decide
You're capable of.
You look for, and privately celebrate, realistic things to add to it every day,
And actively look out for opportunities to test-drive them.

In self-esteem we magically become for ourself 

The loving, encouraging, empowering parent
We always wanted to be.

4. Self Image

What you see is what you get.

That's it. Bottom line.
If you want to get differently,
See yourself differently......
Deeply; a cursory quick-scan will not do.

Self-Image is a mirror image, at the deepest unconscious level of our awareness,
Of what we think we are,
And how we feel about that.
[The key word in the above sentence is "unconscious" --
Our self image is something we don't know that we know,
So it's not going to be accessible by normal means]

Our Self-Image marks the ceiling of possibility for our effectiveness and happiness.
By default, our self-image is taught to us
By people who thought they were doing the right thing;
They had no idea they were limiting our potential.
They didn't know any better....
Get over it.
Now you know differently;
That's evolution working.
Now it's your responsibility to continue the job of growing up.

What do you think about yourself?
How do you feel about yourself?
Our concepts of, and ideas and feelings about our self-image

Predetermine how we behave.
That connection is unbreakable.

Our ego is always CCTV-videotaping what's going on inside our minds (plural intended)

And pressing behaviour buttons that'll make us look and feel 

Either Good or Right.

Ironically, true self image looks like nothing,

And appears when you stop concerning yourself with how you "come across".

How you look and sound to others is none of your business;

It says more about them than about you.

5. Self Requirement

When I first put this article together back in 1983, I called this characteristic "Self Expectancy".

I've since changed my mind.

"Expectancy" has a lot to do with measuring one's self against some ideal standard

That is somehow externally sourced.

As such, we use that standard to whip ourself into some kind of compliance.

I tried that: it didn't work.

I've always had a problem with "complying"
With anyone or anything.

It may be just semantics,

But the phrase "Self-Requirement" works better for me,

Because it shifts the source and the responsibility squarely onto me,

And allows me to decide, moment by moment, what standard of response 

I require from myself in the current circumstances.

Self-Requirement allows me align my present behaviour with my consciously chosen

• Commitments
• Purposes
• Stands and standards
• Passions
• Desires
• Visions

Self Requirement gets its energy 

From a pure and childishly simple Optimism

That experience and learning are what I'm here for,

That Evolvement arises from Involvement,

And every circumstance is an invitation to have a go.

The old techniques of motivation --
Striving for success, resisting negative thoughts, competing, and faking it until I feel it........

Played a huge part in dropping me into depression.

The Optimism I referred to above 

That underlies self-requirement,

Is the key to the motivation that gets me through that black mud-hole;

Optimism and self-requirement get me up in the mornings.

6. Self Dimension


Perspective.
We've now come full-circle to where we started -- a loving self honesty.
Self Dimension takes us one step further now:
It is our ability reframe our perceptions,
To change the points from which we view a thing
And see things in differing lights.
It is our zest for occasionally stretching our eyes --
Looking up from the task at hand and seeing beyond ourself
Into a growing awareness of the purpose of all living,
And to see our place in that.
It involves our ability and willingness to balance and synthesize what we realise
Into a whole person-ality.

Consciously created self dimension begins

When we consciously turn away from ideas about "how life is" that contract and close in on us,

And turn instead towards a deliberately chosen perception of "how life  is"

That expands us,

And that offers and rewards us with

An (often surprising) growth of scope for possibility.

Within this expanding universe,
We set about exercising our vital abilities as best we can
Along lines of integrity and impeccability,
For no other reason than to see how it feels.
Daily living becomes its own reward.

NO THYSELF

To truly know your self,
You must abandon the desire to be understood --
By yourself, or anyone else.

I'm finding this hard to let go of.

PRINCIPLES & RULES

"I didn't break any rules!"
Is a defence of the morally bankrupt.

To obey a rule is a no-brainer;
Even vegetables can be trained.
You don't even have to acknowledge a rule's intent;
You only have to do what it says.
To live by a principle, however, is an entirely different matter.
It takes character, and some level of integrity.
You have to be upfront about a value you hold.
You have to think for yourself.
You're required to engage with the moment,
Take a deliberate stand (as distinct from a position)
And hold yourself accountable -- first and foremost --
To yourself.

A rule is merely an outward guide
Of what is socially expected;
A Principle is an inner expression of who and what you've decided to be.
It's personal;
In fact, it couldn't get any more personal.
And when you violate a principle,
You violate your self.
When you break a rule it may affect how other people think of you.
When you break a principle, it affects who you are
And what you think of you.
If you think that doesn't matter right now.....
Wait. And become aware.
You have to live with the consequences of what you're making of yourself,
And those consequences are not optional.
No matter how far and wide you travel,
Premium Business or Cattle Class,
You still have to take you, and your consequences, with you.

You see, God does have a wicked sense of just-is.

QUE SERA, SERA

What was --WAS
What is -- IS
What will be?

Listen to what you tell yourself
When the restraints are off
And you think no-one else is listening.
You'll discover,
You are, and have always been,
The best predictor of your own future.

VALUE -v- RENOWN

Attend to the value within what you do
Rather than in your rewards for doing it.

Let every act be the beginning of something,

The middle of something else,

And the end of something else again.

And spread it around.......

Any act terminating in itself

Turns to poison.

Come what may,
Let reputation, renown and fame be the result,
Rather than the purpose for what you do.

BUSTING OUT

A human being is part of a Whole,
That we call, variously, "existence", "nature", "creation", "the universe".
We each are a part, limited in time and space,
Of an unlimited, timeless, spaceless Whole.

But....
We each experience our self and the thoughts and feelings we have
As something separated from the rest of it all.
We live in a kind of optical delusion.
This delusion is a prison for us,
Restricting us to our personal decisions and desires
And to the affection of a few like-minded persons nearest to us.

We can free ourselves from this isolation
By widening our circle of compassion
To embrace all creation and the whole of nature,
All that of which we are....
Unconditionally in the beauty of "us" all.

THE LAW OF PSYCHOLOGICAL RECIPROCITY

Manipulators know...
Any time you give credit to another for his/her intelligence
They are morally and subconsciously bound
To give you credit for the next thing you say.

Victims know.....
Any time you buy into praise from someone,
You're gonna get hurt when they criticise you.
This is the Law of Psychological Reciprocity.

How to genuinely handle praise --

• Acknowledge it is so
• Thank the reflection for the reflection -- find gratitude and express it
• Let it go

How to handle criticism --

• Acknowledge it is so
• Thank the reflection for the reflection -- find gratitude and express it
• Let it go

THE OPPOSITE OF COURAGE

The opposite of Courage
Is Conformity,
Just another form of Cowardice.

THE GIFT OF PROBLEMS

There is no such thing in life
As a problem unaccompanied by the Gift of Learning.

One reason we create problems for ourselves
Is because we secretly enjoy the gift.

POINTS OF VIEW

In a finite existence, such as being human,
Taking a point of view is inescapable.
Being finite, we cannot encompass the infinite --
Not all at once anyway.

The stupidity of sticking to one opinion, one perspective, one belief, one point of view,
Was never better displayed than a radio interview a few minutes ago
With a medical expert on the subject of lung cancer:-

Interviewer:  Why do some people who smoke not get lung cancer, and why do some people who don't smoke contract the disease?
Expert: We don't know. (We assume) it's because they breathe in other people's smoke.


That was it. End of discussion. No further correspondence. His point of view is that "Lung cancer is caused by smoking". No other possible causes can be investigated.........

Well, righteousness makes life conveniently simple. I guess that's why it's so popular. OK, if you're happy to go through your entire life simple-minded.

The trick with dealing with the limitations of a Point of View
Is to change it,
As often as possible --
Certainly more often than your other underwear.

SELF-MOTIVATION TECHNOLOGIES -- JUNK-FOOD FOR THE SOUL

A professor was taking tea with zen master Nan-In.

As the first cup filled and began overflowing,

Nan-In continued pouring.

Tea trickled all over the table and onto the floor.

Finally, the professor could contain his discomfort no longer --

"Master", he said tentatively, ""The cup is filled."

"So it is," replied Nan-In

"Like this cup

You are full of your own opinions and expectations.

How can I show you anything

Unless you first empty your cup?"

I am grateful to the likes of Wayne Dwyer, Jim Rohn, Anthony Robbins, Zig Ziglar. Deepak Chopra, Stuart Wilde, Norman Vincent Peale -- 

They opened up gates of possibility

At a time when I was drowning in my own ordure.

I found that their philosophies and techniques worked -- except sometimes;

And then they stopped working for me -- except sometimes.

I seemed to be always, almost back where I started;

Nothing much had changed, 

Except I now had an extended vocabulary in more high-fallutin' bullshit.

What had gone wrong?

Nothing.

I was simply about to make another discovery,
Another blinding flash of the bloody obvious.......

There is more.
Aways.

When we find ourselves seemingly back where we started,

It's a sure sign that there is more to "get".

Got it?

Good.

Everything is an invitation to deeper, wider Awareness

The question is --

Am I going to come home and be present for this,

Or stay out on the world's longest lunch-break?

At its core,

The religion of self-motivation, self-reliance and self-service

Relies on integrity, shared humanity and alignment

For it to work.

That is, in and of itself, an enormous leap forward.

It's not deep, but it isn't silly either;

It's a lot more intelligent than the conditions of ignorance it replaces.

It awakens an awareness of Spirit

That is usually a lot more practical than that provided by traditional religion --
One of the reasons why many pentecostal churches have jumped on board
And integrated the techniques with their fundamentalist interpretations of scripture.

It's a lot easier, too, to go deeper
If the more basic needs of life -- food, shelter and some measures of intimacy and achievement are taken care of,
And you can manage a higher level of competence and success.

I also re-discovered some Hope in Personal-Growth-erism.
After years of covering up a sneaking, growing despair,
The simple possibility that there IS a way out, was liberating,
Even if that wasn't it.
And it wasn't. The despair didn't go away:
It just got covered over and driven deeper.
The adage "Fake it until you make it" doesn't work;
No matter how often or how earnestly we try,
Nothing fake will ever become genuine

The core problem I eventually identified with motivational whoop-ups
Arose from their lack of deep-soul nutrition.
The content of most of the seminars and conferences I took part in
Was junk food for the soul,
[Junk food being that which satisfies the act, but not the purpose of eating.]
To me it's a perfect irony that one of the breakfast groups I became involved with met in Maccas' stores.

The limitations of the teachings begin to show up when we reach the limitations of the mind.

The religion of self-motivation and positive thinking is (mostly) head-stuff.

It works on the mind.....

It is, in fact, the mind ....working on the mind.

It focuses on change for the better, instead of transformation.

Instead of first clearing the clutter and detritus of past, outdated beliefs and habits,

It adds more and "better" ones to the pile,

Then attempts to organise and control

The dog's breakfast that results.

The hot pursuit of Personal Growth is still based on:

• a belief in, and fear of Lack,
• A delusion-creating resistance to the inherent negative side of everything,
• A constant addiction to produce,
• An assumption of Scarcity, and
• A compulsion to Earn (money, love, forgiveness...), arising from an inability to get that Deservingness is our birthright. (I am, therefore I deserve.)

Self-motivation tempts it's followers to compete, rather than create.

It's goal is Achievement,

Often at the expense of peace, happiness and balance.
It allows achievement and success to substitute for fulfillment.

It is ultimately self-defeating,

Since a fear of scarcity and lack

Will never produce a harvest of abundance....

Thistle seeds do not grow wheat.

From within the scientific technologies of personal growth

Material, emotional and, yes, even spiritual attainments

Become the measure of how well we're doing.

We begin to define ourselves by one or more of the following --

• My career
• My social status
• My family status
• My possessions -- material and non-material
• How I feel
• What I think

(Thou shalt have no other gods but "Me")

In the midst of a burgeoning business life,

I found myself, more than ever,

Still a victim,

And a victim of more pressures --

• A victim of a need for More, Better and Different
• A victim of a need to Succeed
• A victim of a need to Achieve
• A victim of a need to be Right
• A victim of a need to be Positive
• A victim of Social Consciousness; and
• A victim of Ego, my own and those of everyone I wanted something from.

At this point,

May I proffer some notions that you may like to sit with for a while? --

• Ideas have an inherent tendency to transmute themselves into being and into experience, which then becomes your reality. Sometimes a little personal input is called for; sometimes it works better if we get out of the roadway.
• All achievement began as an idea.
• All lasting achievement began as an idea evolving from a desire to create an experience, not from an urge to avoid another, feared experience.
• If you're getting what you don't want, part of the reason is that you're unknowingly harbouring an idea that is overriding the idea of what you want. There's an experience you need that you will not acknowledge. Your wheels are spinning. Traction begins with acknowledging and owning both positive and negative ideas.
• Creating is the act of producing something out of nothing -- out of no-mind.
• At the higher vibrational levels, it is the subconscious no-mind that is connected most closely to the forces of the Infinite Intelligence -- the Intelligence that is so creative that it created all that is. Maybe, if we looked at how that Intelligence goes about the job of creating, we might learn something?
• You are not the thinker. Thoughts are not yours to own.
• The Source is abundant. The range and variety of available ideas and thoughts is infinite. Any perception of limitedness or lack is self-generated, an impoverishing state of affairs that Abundance allows us to indulge in.
• Lower-level thoughts appear out of the soup of thoughts we swim in.
• We surround our self with a "mood" -- a filtering atmosphere that lets through thoughts that reflect and reinforce the emotional condition we've set up for our self. Whether the atmosphere is "heaven" or "hell" is down to each of us.
• The thoughts we adopt and entertain have the power to open us up, or close us down to contact with the sources of abundance.
• The sources of abundance and freedom often come heavily disguised. There's a good reason for that. Go figure for yourself.
• Our internal self-image acts like a thermostat. We live up to our own most deeply felt expectations, and no further. Unless and until we deal with that, we're always going to be hauled back, kicking and moaning, to where we're coming from.
• Our past and our present environment -- physical, mental, cultural, and emotional -- do not fully determine our present behaviour. There is always a Point of Choice, a point at which the cycle can be broken. Just because we cannot see that point at the moment does not mean that it's not there. If you cannot see it, get help; there's plenty available.
• Our present environment is useful feedback on the nature of our deep, unconscious levels of self-image.
• No-one can change either his self-image or the resulting environment until he has deeply recognised his responsibility in it. The extent of change is directly proportional to the level of that acceptance.
• Others are worthy, too. All of them.
• Justified or not, resentment is an expensive emotion. It costs the sufferer everything -- happiness, power, freedom and possibility are just some of the goodies thrown out to make room for more resentment, victimness, inhibition, anger, frustration, guilt and righteous justificating.
• Emotions are neither good nor bad. How we use them determines how appropriately and effectively we respond to the present.
• Resentment, fear and guilt fixate us on a past that is dead, forcing us to disinter the body every moment in an effort to change that which cannot be changed. They are, therefore, inappropriate. They also cause inhibition.
• Worry and anxiety fixate us on an imaginary future which, in turn, is inexorably pre-ordained by our present state of mind-thinking/feeling.
• All separating emotions pull us out of the the only reality there is -- the present.

BEYOND THE RAH-RAH-RAH....

If we haven't already done so,
Some time before death, life will see to it that we move
Beyond the sciences of motivation and success

And into grander experiences of Growing;

We will shift focus from personal development

To Evolving as human beings.
My choice is to do it now and take time to really experience these transitions,
Rather than be forced to whip through them just before "lights-out"
While my life flashes before my eyes.

There's a bonus to doing moving on now rather than leaving it to the last half-minute --
People who are healthy, interdependent and developing as human beings

Are naturally fulfilled in all that they choose to do

To express who and what they think they are.

They don't need to go looking for success;

Because there's no emptiness to fill.

Personal development systems in the pursuit of success 

Are just a spring clean and paint job.

They are technologies for tinkering around with one's ego --

Moving ideas, beliefs and concepts around the house

And slapping on a new coat of varnish

And maybe hanging some new curtains,

While the house and all its lean-to's are leaking every time it rains,

And crumbling at the foundations.

Personal growth is not intrinsically bad;
It just doesn't go nearly far enough.

It's just an ego-devised short cut

That fails when it takes no account of Real Self.

Satisfaction is intrinsic in living the Whole of Self.

It cannot come from little fragments of self-ishness,

Or from anywhere else.

If the mechanisms of personal development are exercised
In a context of Conscious Exploring,
They can be invaluably enlightening.
When they work,
They succeed, not because of what they are,
But because of the willingness, purpose and integrity
Of the person.
Without that willingness to know all of self,
The mechanics are of very limited value.
When they produce a modicum of success,
That very success, without self-realisation, becomes destructive of Self.....
We all know stories of people who have acquired sudden fame and success,
Only to self-destruct.
Most of them come through to the other side,
But not all.
Some don't make it.

Outside of the ranks of the highly-publicised and famous,
The force-fed growth of personality without a commensurate growth in awareness of self
Has produced the kind of monstrous ego-freaks
That show up at stock exchanges, parliaments, pentecostal churches,
And phony TV "reality" productions like "Survivor", "The Apprentice" and "The World's Greatest Race",
And other sideshows.

Closer to home,
Personal development programmes can trigger a spurt of growth for us,
But if we start to believe in them and hang on for too long,
They'll stunt the same growth,
Well short of ripe maturity.

There is more.
Always.....

A realising Self does not take positions of right/wrong, or good/bad;
Real growth is not personal, therefore it does not traffic in offence -- giving or taking.
True Self chooses to respond creatively,
Rather than react robotically.

Success and Motivation teachings and disciplines
Gave me some sense of relief, hope, purpose and gratification:
I thought "This is it". I thought I'd got it. But I hadn't.
Some situation would arise, or someone would say or do something
That I would react to self-destructively.
I lost it, in more ways than one.

What's the difference between development and growth (in this context)?
Gratification doesn't last;
Satisfaction always Is,
Whether we realise it or not.
Gratification is a filling-up;
Satisfaction is an emptying-out, creating space.
The switch from gratification to satisfaction
Is a switch from Mind to True Self.

Success and Motivation disciplines are highly palatable and reasonable
And may even be inspiring;
Conscious Growth may be un-reasonable and highly intrusive,
But it will be empowering.
The purpose of Human Growth is enlightenment;
The result of Personal Improvement is enheavyment.

Personal Improvement may have its place in your Becoming,
As it did in mine,
But don't dwell there any longer than you need to.
Learn from my mistakes.....
The technologies won't take you where you want to go.
Self-Motivation is a side-street that leads to a heap of stuff you can't take with you;
It's a cul-de-sac you're eventually going to have to back out of.
Sure, it gives you goals to aspire to,
But only filling gaps.
It takes you on a search for fulfillment
When you are already, and always filled-full --
Full of "missing".
You've heard the expression Less is more?
We don't need more of any thing to make life work,
We need less.

Michaelangelo was once asked how he designed his sculptures.
He replied "I don't design them, they already exist within the stone.
I saw The David locked in the block of stone;
I simply chipped away at the not-David,
To reveal the perfection of what lay hidden within,
Of what already was."

In conscious growth there is nothing missing at any point;
We're already full-up.
We've just forgotten who we are, and what we need,
And slathered all of that with layer-over-layer of "Not-Me".
Human Growing is a process of chipping away at the "Not-Me"
To reveal once more the perfection of all that we really are.

THE MEDIA

I don't propose here to either criticise or defend "the media".
It is my intention, rather, to question the validity of our assumptions and expectations
That underly a lot of criticisms of the practises and products of those who work in it.

Media mediate;
That is what they do.
They interpose between us and the event.
That is their function.

There is nothing sinister about this;
The process of communication is one of mediation.
The bottom line of all communication is that human beings cannot transfer experience directly from one to the other.
We cannot connect by ethernet radio or cable and download or upload experience.
There has to be some encoding, the use of a suitable medium, and some decoding going on.
This is true even of communication in the extra-sensory realm --
For human beings at least.
No medium, no message.

In general, there are four kinds of communication, classified by their aim --

1. Communication that Entertains
2. Communication that Informs
3. Communication that Inspires
4. Communication that Empowers

It's my experience that what we call "The Media" manage to do all four,
In about the same proportions as any other forms of communicating.
The Medium is like a vehicle;
How effective it is is up to the driver and passengers.

Now let's get down to some basic realities about The Media.......
The way that it is.
Do the media manipulate?
Yes, of course.
As I'll demonstrate in a moment, manipulation is inherent in the communicating process.
Are the media manipulated?
Yes, and a lot less than conspiracy theorists love to think.
How do the media manipulate?
Media such as newspapers, television, film, radio, and the internet
Must, of necessity, selectively frame, reflect, select and initiate;
They cannot help but do what we all do when we're experiencing anything for ourself --
They view an event or idea from a particular point of view,
They modify what they experience;
They emphasise and de-emphasise,
According to some sense of importance,
Thus framing and skewing the evenness of pure reality.
I repeat, there is nothing inherently nasty about this;
It's the nature of human perception.
The quirks and weaknesses of human communication can, of course, be exploited and abused
Just as we do every day with our friends, family and people we don't like.
The media, being staffed by humans, are subject to the same condition as we are.
Any resistance to the Is-ness of that may be a useful source of self-reflection.

How are the media themselves manipulated?

Obviously by government regulation and political, cultural and religious pressure.

One also has to remember the commercial reality

That our media have to be paid for.

In our free market system

Most media are funded by selling space.

We should not be miffed or surprised then, 

That the pipers give some consideration

To those that are paying them.

Don't bemoan it;

Just be aware of possible constraints or hidden agendas

And make allowances in your perceptions

And the levels of trust that you invest in them.

Spread yourself around

And get a range of views,

Then make your own choices and decisions.

In a country where we have the freedom to shop around for truth,

It is our individual responsibility, if we can't actually be present for an event,

To look for as many different viewpoints as possible.

(That is our responsibility in all of life;)

It's not the responsibility of the media to relieve us of our responsibilities.

Why do we feel so vulnerable to "media manipulation"
Since it is simply not possible for us to personally experience
All the events that may affect some aspect of our lives,
We look to the media to tell us about them.
Problems arise, however, when we allow the media
To replace our own responsibilities to listen, read, explore and think for ourselves,
When we ignore the inherent limitations of any mediated experience.

THE STORY IS NOT THE EXPERIENCE --


-- No more than the menu and the press reviews at your favourite restaurant
Are the meal.

I can tell you the story of my heart operation,
But what you experience will be nothing like my experience of the real thing.

The story is no more like the original event,

Than the moon is like the sun it reflects.

To expect otherwise is to invite disappointment.

This isn't something to get bent out of shape about --

It's one of the givens.

All media commuinicators, consciously or unsconsciously

Have no choice but to do a number of things 

That distort the full reality of what they're observing:-

• They see it from a limited perspective. That is a given. No matter how widely they research and probe, there is always more to be known than they what they see and hear.
• They report and comment either within an existing context, or in a freshly created one; i.e. a perspective from which to view, explore, describe and report. When a context is changed from one report to another, the experience changes, and so does the story. That is the nature of all perception; make the most of it. Look over someone else's shoulder at another newspaper and get another slant.
• No story can tell the whole of even a limited perspective. And each particular medium itself imposes limitations on the  number and extent of the senses that can be used.
• Decisions have to be made about what to include and what to exclude from the story. We may question the integrity and appropriateness of such choices, but those choices must be made.
• Choices have to be made on where and when to cut from one perspective to another.
• Choices have to be made as to which segments or sequences are placed adjacent to each other. All human minds make connections, emotionally and mentally relating things that often have no real connection at all. Juxtaposing images can lead to creating impressions, advertent and inadvertent, that can be far more powerful than the sum total of the parts. Thanks to the bridging function of human minds, editing implies, creates or reinforces links, bridges and connections that may be factual or emotional, accidental or intentional. Serious communicators and media practitioners are very careful, and they can still get into trouble.
• In film and television, choices are made about which images to attach to which sounds. Such decisions can also have an enormous effect on how the story impacts on the audient.

NEWS

By far the largest proportion of so-called news stories originate from the desks of faceless people with axes to grind who've got something to sell, and who want you to experience them or their organisations in a very particular way. In the more serious media, you will find journalists who do not take their blurbs at face value, and ask discomforting questions, which is why pollies and CEO's take classes and surround themselves with minders to deflect and warp questions they don't want to answer. And they're getting daily more brazen about it.

Just about 70% of so-called current-affairs programmes and newsmags emanate originally as "media releases" from PR Spinners or Marketing Managers of corporations and organisations who have something to sell -- the resulting articles are nothing more than advertorials. So-called "info-tainment" travel and lifestyle programmes fall under this heading. I recently watched an episode of a state-based travel programme that has deteriorated into a string of undisguised, paid-for promos for cafes, wineries and B & B's, stopping every 10 minutes or so for a commercial break! Even the ABC is stooping to pass off promos for its programmes as "news" stories in the 7pm bulletin.

But we get the standard of media we deserve:
Lazy, undiscriminating viewers and readers
Licence lazy, deceptive journalism.
We're far too eager to assign to the media the responsibility to do for us our discriminating, thinking and holding business and government authorities to account. We're all too ready, I feel, to assume ignorance as an excuse for laziness of will, and to allow certain media to shape and reinforce our opinions, which we then give the status of gospel truth and ferociously grip onto them to the exclusion of any dissenting alternatives.

We get the media and the political and religious leadership we deserve,
And it takes irresponsibility and a victim consciousness to its absurd extreme
To blame the media for the results of our lassitude.

HUMILITY

I know two basic kinds of Humility -- false and genuine.

The practise of False humility creates a facade of phony self-deprecation, sometimes masquerading as sympathy, or "understanding", or sometimes as "joking". It is an activity we do, often to avoid being with a genuine feeling, like embarrassment. False humility feels like both a manipulative strategy to engineer others' opinions of "me", and a defence tactic to preemptively ward off fear of vulnerability and external criticism by getting in first. But coming, as it seems to, from a soft-spot of negative self-image, and from the secret files of my Inner Critic, criticism is not avoided. False humility is The Mole at work, critically undermining ourself from within, destroying genuine confidence and replacing that with its opposite -- hubris. But "I" thinks that anything I do to myself doesn't do any harm. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Genuine humility has a very different feel to it, for both the wearer and those with whom he/she comes into contact. Genuine humility is not something to be done; it is a way of being to come from. Humility is characterised by a complete absence of self-importance, and a propensity to surrender to whatever, grateful for any new, fresh opportunities and possibilities this experience may provide.

False humility is a cunning stratagem of pride and arrogance, flowering from a flawed perception of self, and self importance. Consequently, I see the polar opposite of Humility to be Self-Humiliation.

True Humility feels like a quiet radiance; it is one's life's expression, an energy that underlies and gives a wholesome flavour to all that we do. Humility is that true power that never seeks to enforce itself. Humility fosters dignity, humanity, empathy (not sympathy) and grace.
Humiliation wallows around in sentiment and wounded pride. In humiliation we cede to others every scrap of authority and power in the matter.

Humility is knowing and living your Place and Purpose in the natural order of all things.
Dignity arises from living your Purpose (whatever you create that to be) in harmony with the natural order of all things. So the two are not quite synonymous; humility without feeling particularly dignified is possible, for brief periods. True dignity arises when we drop our defensive embarrassments about our shortcomings

In a state of Humility, ego takes a back seat, delivering the messages and memos.
In a condition of humiliation, ego, in the driver's seat, succumbs itself and subjects you to the egos of others. Humiliation sucks. Dignity, alignment and integrity go out the window.

When ego tries to own humility, it becomes "virtue"
(If the image of a politician pops to mind, you are forgiven).........
God protect us from all virtuous people!