Archive for the ‘Personal Peace of Mind’ Category

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A Lifetime of Changes

Sunday, July 18th, 2010

In this series of posts, I’m writing about how to respond to obvious changes taking place in our society. Responding to change requires change. It is impossible for you to respond favorably to the multitude of changes taking place in our culture unless you are willing to change.

My life is a series of changes.

I started preparing taxes because I had to fill out my parents tax returns so I could get financial aid and go to college.

I did taxes for friends while pursuing my degree in music education. I got my degree and taught private music lessons for ten years while doing my taxes and taxes for friends.

One day, I realized I could make more money preparing taxes than teaching music lessons so I changed professions.

I did that for almost ten years when one of my clients offered me a marketing job for his business. His sales doubled from one million to two million during my first year on the job. He didn’t want to continue growing at that rate so we formed a company I could run without him.

I changed and changed and changed. I learned marketing skills. I recognized the power of the internet. I watched trends.

I got my license to sell stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, did that for a couple for years and realized that is no place to put my money or anybody’s money so I got out and jumped into real estate. I learned how to make money there and started a couple other businesses. I kept changing, kept learning.

In early 2009, it all came together into Massive Action for our family.

I finished my book and decided to pursue my passion of coaching.

We attended training so my sons could expand their mobile detailing business.

We set up marketing systems on the internet so that people could easily contact us.

We found competitors we could collaborate with and mutually benefit.

We discovered opportunity within the current economy. I did scores of tax returns for people to get the homebuyer’s tax credit.

I’m not a fan of government healthcare. However, there is great opportunity for me there because the IRS will enforce the insurance regulations and I’m an expert on dealing with the IRS. I talk to them at least once a week.

OH – and if the IRS tightens the regulations on tax preparers and makes it tough for me to continue doing what I do, I have a backup plan, I’ll quit tax preparation and expand the business and life coaching part of my business.

My point is this. You probably won’t be able to do business or work a job as you’re doing today and maintain the lifestyle you’re currently living. If you are going to thrive in today’s culture, you must know what is going on in it and be ready and willing to change to take advantage of those changes. 

For me, one of the major changes has to do with the perspective of money, including debt.

I write about those changes in my next post.

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The Details of TFT

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

In this series of posts, I am writing about how my daily workout has gone from lifting weights and running to yoga to calisthenics to The Five Tibetan Rites (TFT). You may read the other posts in this series by clicking here.

For me, the primary attraction to TFT is that I can do the routine in 10-15 minutes. Initially, this was also the primary drawback.

Traditionally, a short workout for me is 30 minutes. On other days, I may take as long as 90 minutes. Our weekly Sunday basketball games take place over at least two hours and, if the weather is nice and the games are fun, we will play up to four hours. Therefore, when I learned that I could complete TFT in less than 15 minutes, I was skeptical that it would be effective.

My skepticism came in spite of the fact that many people claim TFT has “younging” benefits, (as opposed to aging.) Others don’t claim the rites reverse aging. However, as with most exercise routines, benefits such as increased energy, stress reduction, an enhanced sense of calm, clarity of thought, increased strength and flexibility, and an overall improvement in health and well-being are part of the practice.

TFT is five exercises, each done 21 times with a short respite for breathing between each exercise. A breathing technique is part of each movement. This is a daily routine, with no day off each week.

Some of the TFT instructional material gives a new participant up to 90 days to learn how to complete the full routine. Since I have worked out for years and have about 18 months of experience with yoga, I take one week to learn the exercises and another week to troubleshoot them for technique. By week three, I spend 10-15 minutes every day doing the routine.

Much of the instructional material says it takes ninety days to experience the full benefit. As I write this, I’ve done the rites every day for the past three weeks. My ninety days ends at the end of August.

So far, I am surprised at how my body responds to TFT. The exercises don’t seem strenuous to me. I notice an increase in pulse rate. However, the breathing techniques keep me from panting.

In spite of the apparent lack of stress while doing TFT, I see a pattern developing. One day, my abs are sore, the next my thighs talk to me, and the next day, my shoulders get my attention. My guess is that as one muscle group strengthens, another one has to catch up with it.

Even though TFT doesn’t feel like a cardio routine because I’m not breathing heavily, I notice that I can easily move through strenuous tasks without breathing heavily. My weekly basketball games become easier.

In addition, I notice the energy flows though my body as I write and do my daily tasks. In fact, I become sharper in my thinking. I “hear” more innovative ideas. I respond with greater clarity in conversations, seminar presentations, and coaching sessions.

I still have 70 days to go in my TFT experiment. I’m glad I started down this road. I look forward to observing and writing about future results. 

In my next post, I’ll turn my attention to something that’s been stirring in my mind for the past several months. I’ll apply my Living the Southwest Lifestyle philosophy to the “illegal alien” situation in Arizona.

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Without Questions Or Resistance

Sunday, June 20th, 2010

In the Spring of 2010, I decide to undertake a new exercise regimen called The Five Tibetan Rites, without question or resistance. I’ll tell you about that experience in an upcoming post.

However, in this post, I write about a phrase I’ve used a lot in this series. It is “without question or resistance.”

One of the laws I teach about in my Living the Southwest Lifestyle seminars (Click here to see the upcoming Seminar Schedule)  is The Law of Attraction. It states attraction happens automatically through the principle of sympathetic vibration.

This means that when something new arrives into my life, I have attracted it for my benefit.  Therefore, if I am going to maintain Peace of Mind, I must investigate why I attracted it and use it for my benefit.

I have discovered that the quickest way to receive the benefit is to step into it without question or resistance, EVEN IF IT GOES AGAINST EVERYTHING I’VE PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT TO BE TRUE.

This radical practice tells God that I trust whatever God brings into my life. It moves me out of resistance and into the flow of the Universe. It maximizes whatever benefit I’m about to receive.

The experience of the new thought or new action may or may not be something I want to repeat. However, if I move into without question or resistance, I quickly discover whether it works for me. If it works, I move into a new dimension of growth. If it doesn’t work, I receive clarity and confirmation of my old way of doing things. Either way, I win.

However, if I resist. If I question. I will not completely experience the new thought or new action. Therefore, I don’t know if it works or not. I am not able to reach a conclusion and I do not achieve clarity. My thoughts remain cloudy.

In addition, I continue to attract similar situations into my life until I can achieve clarity on whether the new way of thinking or acting works for me. Stated another way, what I resist, persists. What I embrace, I can change.

Therefore, when I hear about something that is new to me, I embrace it, research it, learn more about it, and practice it.

When The Five Tibetans appear in my life, I embrace them. I research them, learn the techniques, and start the practice.

I’ll tell you about that in my next post.

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I Meet Five Tibetans

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

In my previous few posts, I wrote about how my daily workout has gone from lifting weights and running to yoga to calisthenics. Today, I write about the next step in my workout evolution.

One of the laws I teach about in my Living the Southwest Lifestyle seminars (Click here to see the upcoming Seminar Schedule)  is The Law of Attraction. It states that attraction happens automatically through the principle of sympathetic vibration.

This means that when something new arrives into my life, I have attracted it for my benefit.  Therefore, if I am going to maintain Peace of Mind, I must investigate why I attracted it and use it for my benefit.

In the spring of 2010, I hear about The Five Tibetan Rites (TFT) through several sources. The message to me is clear. It is time to learn more and possibly consider a change to my workout regimen.

My research on TFT reveals a fascinating history of this simple exercise system.

Peter Kelder gets credit for publicizing TFT through a 1939 publication entitled The Eye of Revelation. However, the tradition goes back hundreds, if not thousands of years. Some writings claim it originates with an Indo-Tibetan practice. Others tie it to Yoga vinyasa practices.

Kelder’s writing and most 20th century documentation on the rites contain the story of Colonel Bradford, a retired British army colonel. Mr. Kelder meets Bradford in the 1930s in southern California. There, Bradford shares stories of travel and adventure.

In one of the stories, the colonel, stationed in India, hears about a group of lamas who had discovered a “Fountain of Youth.” These old men inexplicably become healthy, strong, and full of “vigor and virility” after entering a particular lamasery. Upon retiring, Colonel Bradford searches for the lamasery, finds it, lives with the lamas, and learns these exercises, which they call “rites.”

Bradford’s stay in the lamasery transforms him from a stooped, bald, old gentleman with a cane to a tall and straight young man in the prime of his life with a head full of non-gray hair.

Today, some proponents of this workout claim it has “younging” benefits, (as opposed to aging.) Others don’t claim the rites reverse aging. However, as with most exercise routines, benefits such as increased energy, stress reduction, an enhanced sense of calm, clarity of thought, increased strength and flexibility, and an overall improvement in health and well-being are part of the practice.

Armed with this information, I decide to, without question or resistance, make this my daily workout. I’ll tell you what I experienced in upcoming posts.

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And I’m Glad I Did

Sunday, June 13th, 2010

In my last post, I wrote about and how my new workout regimen infused me with energy and strength. In today’s post, I write about why I think it does that.

My previous purpose for working out was to sculpture my body, build strength, and impress others. The problem with doing this with weights and cardio is that it makes the body prone to injury.

The repetitive pounding, pulling, and pushing build muscles to excess. This stresses tendons and ligaments, resulting in pulls and tears. These types of injuries saturate American sporting events.

My new routine has a different purpose. It teaches me to control my body from every angle. It builds balance, core strength, and stability. It not only strengthens my muscles. It stretches and strengthens my tendons and ligaments too.

I first recognized this in the fall of 2008 when a dear friend told me about her Yoga practice. Shortly thereafter, another friend gave me a Yoga CD for my birthday and I started performing a few poses.

Gradually, flexibility came back to me. I hadn’t touched my toes without bending my knees since my teen years. After six months of Yoga practice, I could easily touch them again.

The back pain I experience the day after playing basketball went away as I learned to feel each part of my body and stretch it as needed.

I gained more control of my body as I learned how to move into something called the plow pose by lying on my back and attempting to bring my toes over my head and onto the floor while keeping my legs straight. Months went by without success. Then, during one workout, as my mind wondered and I quit concentrating on the pose, my legs fell into place without effort.

I held the position and took inventory of how each part of my body felt. I used that muscle memory many times over the next months as I added a leg lift routine into my workout that includes swinging my legs as a pendulum while touching my heals and then my toes to the floor.

I learned that the conscious use of abdominal muscles on certain tasks reduces the stress on my legs and makes the tasks easier and safer to perform. A few days later, during our Sunday basketball games, I went in for a layup. As I jumped, someone pushed me. I immediately flexed my lower abdominal muscles. I made the shot and landed in a balanced position on both feet. I didn’t fall. I didn’t even stumble!

I now know that each new workout experience prepares me for the next one and changes my thinking about what works to bring me health. 

I write about my latest workout step in my next post.

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I Can Do This

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

Prior to the fall of 2009, if someone had told me my daily workout would use 100 squats as a warm-up, I would have said, “Yeah, right.”

However, on November 1 of that year, I started a new workout regimen. The opening exercise, done without any warm-up or stretching, is something called a Hindu squat. I don’t know the history of the name. All I know is that I needed to put some energy into my sagging workout schedule so I picked up an exercise book written by a well-known trainer and decided to do whatever it said to do, without question or resistance.

Even though the book had numerous calisthenics, some of which seem impossible for any human being to perform, the author said to spend the first thirty days doing just three of the exercises. He said don’t take a day off each week – just do those exercises, each day, every day, with the goal of being able to do a certain number of each.

The number for Hindu squats was 100. After squeaking out 35 on day one, 100 felt out of reach for my almost 50-year-old body. I went back to the book and read more. The author claimed he did two thousand squats on New Year’s Eve to bring in the new millennia. That seemed preposterous. However, I reminded myself of my commitment to do whatever the book said to do, without question or resistance so…

…on day two, my sore body forced out another 35 squats. I did the other exercises and moved on with the day. My mantra became no questions, no resistance. Just do this for thirty days.

My body’s complaints eased as I stuck with the program. Gradually, the number of reps increased to 50, 65, 77, 89, and finally, 100.

About three weeks into the first thirty days, something amazing happened.

My energy increased.

My body started craving the workout.

Every physical activity became easier to perform.

After years of lifting weights, performing cardio, and participating in other western style exercises that tired my body, my new routine actually left me feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

I stopped to ponder why my new routine did for me what my previous routines did not.

I’ll write about that in my next post.

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I Get to Spent Time With a Dear Friend

Sunday, June 6th, 2010

Dear writing,

I miss you. I miss the way you stimulate me, clear my head, and give me roots. I miss the pleasure you give my soul. I miss fighting with the symbols call “words” to describe my experiences. You are air and food for my spirit. I need you and I’ve been away from you too long.

Of course, you’re kind enough to show up and nourish me even when I don’t spend one-on-one time with you. I’m grateful.

I taste nourishment when I connect with clients who need my business services. You feed my spirit as I help them with tax preparation, business plans, and life coaching.

I see your influence when people I’ve never met call and ask for help with their retirement accounts. Even though I’m not an attorney, a CPA, or a financial planner, you use my experiences and unique approach attract them. Now, those people are taking control of their finances, moving money from the stock market to their own businesses, and not paying penalty or taxes when they do so. That is your genius at work.

I feel your comfort when I face our family’s million-dollar debt and an idea pops into my head to speed how we whittle it down each month.

I smell the scent of your presence when I host a seminar. You whisper in my ear when people ask questions. You remind me of stories that communicate the point I’m trying to make.

I hear you when new people consider becoming a part of our growing family. You help me communicate my vision so each person can determine whether he or she fits within it. Since the first of the year, at least one new person each month has arrived here. You help me sort who stays and who goes by giving me the questions to ask so each person achieves clarity. I know it is you speaking to them through me, just as you speak to me through my fingers when I’m sitting at the keyboard.

As I said, I’m grateful.

So today, after an amazing first five months of 2010, I get to spend time with you one-on-one. Thank you for your patience and your faithfulness.

I’ll see you next Sunday morning, same place, same time. Does that work for you?

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My Schedule

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

I start my days early. I rarely sleep later than 6:00 and I am often in my office by 4:00.

Even with the early start, my days are full so I schedule each carefully.

Most of my clients are located more than 15 miles from my home office so I go to them. The variety of each day is pleasant.

My five years of radio experience made me an expert in managing time. The goal in radio is to make things happen at an exact second. The goal of my schedule is to arrive at an exact minute.

Of course, the day never goes as I plan.

One person cancels. Another requests an urgent meeting. A third shows up late. A traffic jam prevents me from arriving on time.

Someone else misses our appointment and doesn’t answer his cell phone, wasting an hour of time during my busy season.

I’ve learned that the “Conspiracy for Me” has other plans.

The cancellation opens a time slot for the urgent request that has greater opportunity for me. The traffic jam causes me to arrive at the same time of my late arriving client. The person who stands me up gives me time to write this blog post while slowly eating a delicious meal in a wonderful setting.

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Pain and the Moment of Now

Sunday, January 17th, 2010

“Ouch! That hurt! That really hurt!!

I had just walked through the living room and caught my toe on a new piece of furniture. I wasn’t yet used to its location so I didn’t step around it.

I tried to step through it.

Eckert Tolle says that when we live in the “moment of now,” we don’t experience pain – unless we choose to do so.

I remember quickly. The pain goes away. I am grateful.

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Winter

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

As a rule, I don’t like winter. I prefer sunshine, warmth, and light to cold, snow, and darkness.

Therefore, I do a few things to pretend winter doesn’t exist. One of those things is to keep the waterfall in the pond outside my office window running, no matter how cold it is. This means that, on frozen mornings, someone has to put water into the pond to replace the water turned to ice on the rock formations around it.

The rewards of this effort are observations only possible during a winter season. My soul spoke these two verses to me recently.

Robins drinking from an almost frozen waterfall remind me that no matter how bleak it looks, provision is always made for me (and you!)

Waterfall into a frozen pond calls me to my window and reminds me I am one with all, gently returning to my source and free to do as I please in serving others.

Maybe winter isn’t so bad after all…

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