What do Stevie Nicks, John Wayne, Hank Williams Jr, Helena Bonham Carter and
Lenny Kravitz have in common? Today is/was their Birthday!!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
NY Times article "Happy Like God" . If anyone is happy, then God is pretty
happy, so to be happy is to be like God. http://bit.ly/EmD1X
happy, so to be happy is to be like God. http://bit.ly/EmD1X
Sunday, May 24, 2009
New Harvard Study Reveals How To Get Your Children to Live Happily Ever After. Early interventions are the key http://bit.ly/141PRk
Saturday, May 23, 2009
A Moon Question.
A question to ask yourself today. When was the last
time you really looked at the moon for over a few seconds? And when was the
last time you shared the magic of watching the moon with your family?
Or do you have other, more important things to do? Like watch a sitcom or
the news?
The Moon deserves your appreciation for the endless beauty and inspiration
she provides. She is there to keep us in tune with JOY
Friday, May 22, 2009
My Greatest Inspiration - A Man Whose Name I Can't Remember!
I had a period in my early life where I lived as a drifter on the coast of Calif in the early 1970s. At the time I was living on a beach in Monterey with a group of hippies and beatniks in a cave. We would hitchhike into Monterey and dumpster dive for veggies - then bring everything back and make a giant stew over an open fire. We always had more food than necessary and would go up and down the beach inviting strangers to share it with us. Sometimes they would bring us cases of beer in return.
After watching my compatriots all get so drunk one night that they danced on the bonfire barefoot and all burned their feet, I decided that I had to get out of that scene and put my life back on track. I picked up my pack which had all my stuff and hitchhiked back to LA to get a fresh start.
As soon as my thumb went out a huge 1969 Country Squire station wagon pulled over. A nice gentleman and his son were in it, with about 1000 pounds of salmon they bought in Monterey and were taking back to LA. So I had a ride the whole way. Good thing as it had started raining and I only had a worn out cotton jacket and woud soon bev sopping wet without a ride.
I asked about him and his son and he told me just the basics. "I buy and sell fish." He was a very modest and unassuming man.
Then to my surprise he turns and looks at me with a smile. "Ed, we have a long ride and I love stories. We've got 8 hours driving ahead of us so tell me your life story in detail."
I was flabbergasted. No one had ever wanted to hear about me like that.
Who could possibly be interested in my stupid little life? Heck here I was flat broke sleeping on a beach. I felt like a loser and he wanted to hear everything about me!
He looked very conservative, dressed in a suit and I was a beach bum hippy from Hollywood, an odd couple indeed. I didn't want to offend him or his son so I said, "well I will if you want but it involves some shady parts, some law breaking and even sex and drugs, I don't want to upset you or your son."
He laughed out loud. "Ed, every good story, whether a book, a movie or a life has all that and more. You look to me like one heck of an interesting story. My son is already asleep in the back. Just tell me the whole thing, warts and all. A great pleasure of being here on Earth is learning through others. My eyes can only see a little tiny slice of the world, your eyes will show me more."
I never forgot those wise words. "My eyes can only see a little tiny slice of the world, your eyes will show me more."
We drove beautiful highway 1 along the coast for hours. I talked. He bought me lunch at an A&W Root Beer stand while I chatered on. We drove on in the rain along the grey coast, the sun set, I talked. I started from as far back as I could remember and walked him through the traumas, the dramas, the failures and victories, the moral confusion of facing the Vietnam war and realizing I could not kill, the alienation from my parents that decision caused.
As the light dimmed to black and the car echoed with the rhythm of the windshield wipers slapping back and forth, I talked on and on.
What an amazing day. You learn a lot about yourself when you try and relate all those countless details of what you remember of your life to another person.
He never lost interest, no matter how mundane the detail, how pointless the narrative became sometimes.
Instead of disinterest this wonderful man would encourage me on, looking at me with amazement and delight as I went on for 8 hours straight. From the way he treated me you would have though he was listening to the President of the United States or the Pope. He really acted like it was the most interesting story he had ever heard.
When we reached my destination, Topanga Canyon exit in LA's San Fernando Valley he let me out. He calle me over to the window and said 'What an amazing story you are Ed". Then he handed me $20, which in 1972 was about the equivalent of $100 today. I said, "Thanks I'll be able to go get some food and survive for a few days."
He said "No, that is not what it is for. This is for you to start a new prosperous life with, not to spend. You take this $20 and you use it to create your new life. Leave behind that interesting but sad story you told me and start a new one. A story with a very happy ending."
He rolled up the window and I watched the taillights of his Ford Station Wagon fade away as he merged onto the Ventura Freeway in the drizzle. I looked at the $20 and burst into tears of gratitude.
By the next day I had already forgotten his name. I'm sure he forgot me soon afterward.
He changed my life forever with his acts of kindness. I did exactly with that $20 as he said.
Isn't it funny how sometimes those whose names we cannot even recall can make the greatest difference in our lives?
After watching my compatriots all get so drunk one night that they danced on the bonfire barefoot and all burned their feet, I decided that I had to get out of that scene and put my life back on track. I picked up my pack which had all my stuff and hitchhiked back to LA to get a fresh start.
As soon as my thumb went out a huge 1969 Country Squire station wagon pulled over. A nice gentleman and his son were in it, with about 1000 pounds of salmon they bought in Monterey and were taking back to LA. So I had a ride the whole way. Good thing as it had started raining and I only had a worn out cotton jacket and woud soon bev sopping wet without a ride.
I asked about him and his son and he told me just the basics. "I buy and sell fish." He was a very modest and unassuming man.
Then to my surprise he turns and looks at me with a smile. "Ed, we have a long ride and I love stories. We've got 8 hours driving ahead of us so tell me your life story in detail."
I was flabbergasted. No one had ever wanted to hear about me like that.
Who could possibly be interested in my stupid little life? Heck here I was flat broke sleeping on a beach. I felt like a loser and he wanted to hear everything about me!
He looked very conservative, dressed in a suit and I was a beach bum hippy from Hollywood, an odd couple indeed. I didn't want to offend him or his son so I said, "well I will if you want but it involves some shady parts, some law breaking and even sex and drugs, I don't want to upset you or your son."
He laughed out loud. "Ed, every good story, whether a book, a movie or a life has all that and more. You look to me like one heck of an interesting story. My son is already asleep in the back. Just tell me the whole thing, warts and all. A great pleasure of being here on Earth is learning through others. My eyes can only see a little tiny slice of the world, your eyes will show me more."
I never forgot those wise words. "My eyes can only see a little tiny slice of the world, your eyes will show me more."
We drove beautiful highway 1 along the coast for hours. I talked. He bought me lunch at an A&W Root Beer stand while I chatered on. We drove on in the rain along the grey coast, the sun set, I talked. I started from as far back as I could remember and walked him through the traumas, the dramas, the failures and victories, the moral confusion of facing the Vietnam war and realizing I could not kill, the alienation from my parents that decision caused.
As the light dimmed to black and the car echoed with the rhythm of the windshield wipers slapping back and forth, I talked on and on.
What an amazing day. You learn a lot about yourself when you try and relate all those countless details of what you remember of your life to another person.
He never lost interest, no matter how mundane the detail, how pointless the narrative became sometimes.
Instead of disinterest this wonderful man would encourage me on, looking at me with amazement and delight as I went on for 8 hours straight. From the way he treated me you would have though he was listening to the President of the United States or the Pope. He really acted like it was the most interesting story he had ever heard.
When we reached my destination, Topanga Canyon exit in LA's San Fernando Valley he let me out. He calle me over to the window and said 'What an amazing story you are Ed". Then he handed me $20, which in 1972 was about the equivalent of $100 today. I said, "Thanks I'll be able to go get some food and survive for a few days."
He said "No, that is not what it is for. This is for you to start a new prosperous life with, not to spend. You take this $20 and you use it to create your new life. Leave behind that interesting but sad story you told me and start a new one. A story with a very happy ending."
He rolled up the window and I watched the taillights of his Ford Station Wagon fade away as he merged onto the Ventura Freeway in the drizzle. I looked at the $20 and burst into tears of gratitude.
By the next day I had already forgotten his name. I'm sure he forgot me soon afterward.
He changed my life forever with his acts of kindness. I did exactly with that $20 as he said.
Isn't it funny how sometimes those whose names we cannot even recall can make the greatest difference in our lives?
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Just finshed a tele training session with Kathleen Gage Best promo/IM training for authors and speakers ever! http://bit.ly/yDtQe
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
WOW Got my Verizon Wireless MiFi™2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot today. Total wi-fi portabilty for my netbook and iPod Touch http://ping.fm/WPTa6
After several days of dreariness the sun came out brilliantly today, so I took a short video. http://ping.fm/hGyMw
WOW - Scientists have just validated a key concept of Unstoppable Joy! - that we don't remember things the way they happen at all: http://ping.fm/DIn7B
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
We Try to Send A Message in What We Buy, but New Study Shows that Nobody’s Listening
An article in today's New York Times talks about a new study. The researchers concluded that our desire to impress strangers is a quirky and sometimes self destructive evolutionary byproduct.
We spend a huge amount of mental effort thinking about what we buy. Subconsciously much of our buying decision making is based on what our purchase will communicate to others.
Some spend huge amounts of money in this quest for social recognition.
The reason we do this is because for most of evolution we didn't see many strangers, so every social contact held much more gravity. We still assign a false importance to strangers view of us.
According to this study, we still feel a need to show power, amicability and sexual desireability to all strangers, so we put a ton of effort buying the "right" things, going to the right schools, wearing the right clothes.
Unfortunately the scientists also determined that others don't care about what we wear, what school we go to, what car we drive, where we live etc.
Others care about what type of person you are and your personal ethics.
Apparently evolution is good at getting us to avoid death, desperation and celibacy, but it’s not that good at getting us to feel happy.
Study details here : http://ping.fm/oPHeS
We spend a huge amount of mental effort thinking about what we buy. Subconsciously much of our buying decision making is based on what our purchase will communicate to others.
Some spend huge amounts of money in this quest for social recognition.
The reason we do this is because for most of evolution we didn't see many strangers, so every social contact held much more gravity. We still assign a false importance to strangers view of us.
According to this study, we still feel a need to show power, amicability and sexual desireability to all strangers, so we put a ton of effort buying the "right" things, going to the right schools, wearing the right clothes.
Unfortunately the scientists also determined that others don't care about what we wear, what school we go to, what car we drive, where we live etc.
Others care about what type of person you are and your personal ethics.
Apparently evolution is good at getting us to avoid death, desperation and celibacy, but it’s not that good at getting us to feel happy.
Study details here : http://ping.fm/oPHeS
10 Happiest Countries in the World
New study look at the happiest countries in the world. Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands rated at the top of the list, ranking first, second and third, respectively. Outside Europe, New Zealand and Canada landed at Nos. 8 and 6, respectively. The U.S. did not crack the top 10. Switzerland placed seventh and Belgium placed tenth.
The report looked at subjective well-being, defined as life satisfaction. Did people feel like their lives were dominated by positive experiences and feelings, or negative ones?
Full story ...
http://ping.fm/FEB8y
The report looked at subjective well-being, defined as life satisfaction. Did people feel like their lives were dominated by positive experiences and feelings, or negative ones?
Full story ...
http://ping.fm/FEB8y
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
