Are You Sleepwalking Through Life?

An old Spiritual Guru of mine once explained: Meditation is simply the act of being present, and returning to it once you realize you've drifted off. One of the most common explanations I hear of how to meditate, is to close your eyes and focus on your breath. What I think most people don't understand is the meditation is not in the breath, it's in the realization you are breathing.

You could easily replace the word Meditation with the word Life. How often do you set out to do something in Life with the highest intention in mind, only to realize you drifted off in another direction?

If you noticed the previous post date in this blog was over a year ago, you would see that this blog is a meditation.

Luckily, I realized I had drifted off. And now I have returned to it.

For me it is about returning to this conscious state as often as possible.

Eckhart Tolle jokingly asks, "Am I still breathing?" Yes of course you are! Because breathing is automatic; it's unconscious! If you ask the question, you have to be consciously aware that you are indeed still breathing and in this realization you have now become conscious.

What if procrastination was automatic? Once you do something long enough, it becomes automatic. After a while it doesn't take any conscious effort to do. So if I've been procrastinating my whole life, this is a lot of practice. It is probably safe to say I procrastinate automatically when I need to get most things done, right?

Does that mean I'm unconscious when I am in the act of procrastinating?

What else do I do automatically, on autopilot, day in and out? Work? Driving to work? Looking busy while at work? Answering email? Buying my latte? Walking the same path? Driving the same path? Doing the dishes? Reading the paper? Worrying about the economy? Worrying about bills? Worrying about the world? Cutting people off in traffic? Surfing the net? Where was I when all of this was going on? I may not be sure but I suspect I was not where I intended to be.

Are you are sleepwalking through life?

By sleepwalking I mean, are you consciously living life to the fullest? I intend to live life to the fullest. I intend to experience every moment in the here and now. This moment is the only thing which is real. The past is an illusion and the future doesn't exist yet. And from this moment all things are possible. The beauty is that it is up to me to decide.

If I am worrying about mistakes I have made in the past, or ones I will make in the future, I am unconscious. If I am thinking about how I am going to control something and change it in a way that suites me, I am unconscious. If I am only following my "plan" no matter what, I am unconscious. I am sleepwalking in that moment. I'm living in a waking dream, which is only slightly related to the truth. It is more fun and sometimes more scary at first, to stay centered in a moment and trust yourself to react accordingly. Sure, have the plan, but just be prepared to toss it out at a second's notice.

I recently found myself the only person in a room not laughing at a joke that was told because I was thinking about something else. Sound familiar? I missed the joy of laughing at a joke which was obviously funny!

Life is simply the act of being present,
and returning to it once you realize you've drifted off.

The next time someone is talking I will be engaged and listening. I will really hear what the person is saying to me, not thinking about what I think the person is saying and what clever response I will give. The next time I drive to work I am taking a different route just to see the sights. The next time I. . .you fill in the blank. . .

So here we are, in Life. Where are you?

The truth is, my friend, what happens next in your life is up to you. Renew gratitude for what you have. Take 4 seconds right now and think of one thing in your life you are grateful for. Go on! Do it! Every second is another chance to remind yourself you are only 4 seconds from freedom! Because freedom is a state of mind. Start now!

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

“You'll see it when you believe it.”

“Miracles come in moments. Be ready and willing.”

Anything you really want, you can attain, if you really go after it.
Wayne Dyer

The Language Game

In my life many things are unpredictable. I like it that way. Change keeps me off kilter and reminds me I am growing. As a result, I have had several careers and am currently in the process of building myself a new one. (More to come on that later)

Along the way I have been fortunate enough to pick up a few mentors that have literally changed my life. Like my current life coach, Debra Russell, who is really allowing me to be clear about what I want and how I can allow the “Man” I was meant to be, to take charge of my life, while still having fun.

As a side note, if you don’t have a Life Coach or Business Coach, I highly recommend you get one. Even Bill Gates has coaches and advisors. Any cost of having a coach is far offset by the amount of new revenue that will flow into your life as a result. You can check out Debra’s website here.

The Power of Language

The quality of the language you use is in direct proportion to the quality of your life. Debra says it another way. She says the words you use become the labels for your experiences.

Your subconscious mind is always listening and creating your experiences based on your belief systems. Your belief systems tell you what is possible and what is. . .not. And you are always more capable than you believe you are. The words you use most often define and create your beliefs, so if you change your words, over time, your beliefs will change too.

If you find yourself saying, “I can’t do that. . .” or “I’m not good enough. . .” or “I won’t make it. . .” around any subject, then the odds are you will prove yourself right. I won’t even get into the whole conversation around how your ego is making decisions, (not always for the better) for you based on your beliefs. We will save that conversation for another day.

For now I am just focusing on the possibility that the sources of your negative experiences are the negative words and phrases you repeat out loud most often. In general, any phrase which uses the words, "can’t", "won’t" and "don’t", are negative phrases which limit your ability to accomplish what you want.

The most common negative phrase I hear, and used to repeat, myself, is , “I can’t afford it.” If you continue to repeat that phrase in your life I can guarantee you will never have the financial wealth you desire. I suggest you replace it with, “I eventually receive everything I desire.”

You may think this is absurd, but I promise you it is not. Your subconscious mind is always listening.

So next time you hear yourself saying “I can’t do it. . .” stop and try replacing that “can’t” with a “can” and see what happens. You may just surprise yourself and realize you CAN do a lot more in your life than you ever thought possible.

The truth is, dear friend, that your real life's purpose is whatever you decide it is. Renew gratitude for what you have in your life. Take 4 seconds right now and think of one thing in your life you are grateful for. Everyday is another chance to remind yourself you are only 4 seconds to freedom! Because freedom is a state of mind. Start now!

The Perfect Game

The Perfect Game is without a doubt the most influential game I have incorporated into my life. I have had positive experiences, received substantial results, and lived an exciting full-out life, as a result of playing The Perfect Game. Wanna play?

Here are the rules so you can play too. Ready?

1. Continue doing what you are already doing.
2. What ever happens next in your life, declare it PERFECT. That's it!

Sounds too simple to be valid?

Einstein once said, "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."

The concept of The Perfect Game is simple. The execution is the challenge.

Let's say you have been planning a trip over the last year. You plan to fly from Seattle to Chicago, spend a day with family, and then continue on to N.Y. for a week in the Big Apple. Today is the day your flight is to leave for Chicago and you have family members planning to pick you up later tonight. A lot of preparation has gone into this trip and you have looked forward to it for over a year.

When you arrive at the airport to check in you suddenly realize something is wrong with your reservation. They have re-routed your flight from Seattle to Denver and then on to N.Y. instead of Chicago! As it turns out all flights into Chicago that day have been canceled because major thunder heads are hanging over the city and record rains are falling in the area.

What do you do? Do you scream and shout and blame the airport attendant for ruining your trip? Do you call every other airline, bus, train company in the area looking for a way into Chicago? Do you remain attached to what you had planned?

Or do you DECLARE IT PERFECT, call your relatives to say you aren't going to make it, and go on to N.Y. adding a day to your adventure there instead.

My favorite quote is "God laughs at the plans of men." Whether you believe in God or not, don't you find it hilarious how we (humans) are always making grandiose plans that never, ever, seem to work out the way we want them to? Sure, things may happen almost the way you planned them, but when was the last time you had an event go exactly the way you planned it? How many times has an event worked out exactly the opposite of the way you planned it?

The point is, you have no idea of knowing what the big picture really is.

Declare it PERFECT.

Realize that all things happen for a reason.

When you do this you open up the door to a whole realm of potential outcomes that were previously unavailable to you. Your life becomes magical. You will experience joy and bliss as well as new experiences that will blow your mind.

In time you will notice your perspective on the world will begin to change. Suddenly tragedies will have less impact on your psyche. If you wake up in the morning and spill coffee on your white shirt, declare it perfect. If you stub your toe, instead of screaming and swearing, declare it perfect. Thank the Universe for showing you some contrast to how great you have it the rest of the time. Before long, you may find yourself saying, "Yes! I won the lottery today! IT'S PERFECT!!!"

The truth is, dear friend, that your real life's purpose is whatever you decide it is. Renew gratitude for what you have in your life. Take 4 seconds right now and think of one thing in your life you are grateful for. Everyday is another chance to remind yourself you are only 4 seconds to freedom! Because freedom is a state of mind. Start now!

Human Connection Game

Every once in a while life brings us gifts of the utmost importance. If we are paying attention, these gifts will bring us more of what we want than we can imagine. Even with all the distractions we have in our lives: technology, work, jobs, bills, survival, successes, failures; it's easy to take life so seriously isn't it? In the end it is still about connecting with people.

Everything Happens Through People

If there is one thing I have learned in my journey is that everything happens through people. Every fantastic memory I have is tied to another person in some way. If I had the experience alone, the memory is tied to me sharing that experience with another person.

For all of us, whether it is about simply having a friend or family member to rely on, or on the other extreme that new career position you have been waiting for, I can guarantee a person brought you whatever it was you were looking for. The irony of life is even people we "don't like" will bring us stuff if we are paying attention.

I happen to be fortunate enough to have recently met a group of people I DO like very much. I met a group of entrepreneurs who are committed to getting the very best out of life. A few of them have even started blog posts just like this one. Like my buddy Matt Scriven who's blog can be found here and Jason Roe who's blog can be found here

These are people who are committed to an extraordinary life like I am and I know we were brought together for a reason. There are no coincidences. As time goes on I know I will continue to rely on them. And they will rely on me.

Realize this is just one more ingredient to truly living a life of freedom

The truth is, dear friend, that your real life's purpose is whatever you decide it is. Renew gratitude for what you have in your life. Take 4 seconds right now and think of one thing in your life you are grateful for. Everyday is another chance to remind yourself you are only 4 seconds to freedom! Because freedom is a state of mind. Start now!

A Game of Reckoning

Life is a game
Is the old cliché really true? As I stood on the deck of the riverboat Sternwheeler, gazing upon the same mighty Columbia River Lewis and Clark once navigated, I thought about the previous week. I'm not a riverboat Captain but a passenger, a tourist in my own city. Just like you, my whole life I have always striven for something more. Like so many Americans I have never been satisfied with what I have and am obsessed with what I could have. And then it hit me.

Let's back up for a moment. One week earlier, on Tuesday June 17, 2008, I found myself at 9,500 feet elevation over the Siskiyou Mountains. Having just flown past mount Shasta I'm sitting right seat in my Step Father's Cherokee 235 airplane. The airplane is considered small by most with just enough room for four passengers and their luggage. If you want to know more about the adventures of flying and airplanes you can go to my step Dad's blog here. His name is Dan Pimentel and is actually quite well known in the aviation blogging world. He has given me the controls to fly the plane over the mountainous region on our way down to Yosemite from Eugene. I'm not a Pilot but Dan is comfortable with my ability to keep the plane on course and at the correct altitude.

We landed at a small airport 24 miles outside Yosemite on our way to take photos of a client's RV park. My parents own an Advertising Agency and I am doing some consulting on the side for them as they expand their business.

The next day we got to work early and I even had time to go check out a gold mine near by. I eagerly crept into the dark hole with high hopes, like so many before me, of finding that large nugget of gold so we could live happily ever after. I didn't find any gold but it sure was a cool adventure and one I'm glad I didn't pass up.

That morning we took off and flew further into Central California and landed in my old hometown of Reedley, California. Here we visited with another client for the day and I had time to hang with my best childhood buddy, Kevin and his 7 year old daughter that night.

The next day we were in the air again on our way to Concord, where I met my Aunt and said goodbye to my Mom and Dan. The plan was for me to crash at my Aunt's house that Thursday evening and take the Bart into San Francisco early the next morning for an Anthony Robbins seminar. I'm not here to promote Anthony Robbins but his teachings and coaching are incredible.

The weekend was incredible, like so many others before

And the best part is, I did it all with less than a few hundred dollars in my bank account.
How do I manage to live a life of such abundance with so little cash? I got paid for the time I spent consulting which paid for my trip.

As I stood on the deck of the riverboat Sternwheeler, gazing upon the same mighty Columbia River Lewis and Clark once navigated, I thought about the previous week. I'm not a riverboat Captain but a passenger, a tourist in my own city. Just like you, my whole life I have always striven for something more. Like so many Americans I have never been satisfied with what I have and am obsessed with what I could have. And then it hit me.

I am so fortunate to be alive

I have been running around trying to find ways to be wealthy financially. And
I am already so blessed by amazing things everyday that I completely have been taking for granted how wealthy I already am. There are so many people around the world that would be happy to just have a warm bed for 1 week's time let alone have an adventure just like the one I just had over the last week.

Aren't we all kinda like that? We go around complaining about our lives like they are so bad. The thing I now realize is that no matter how messed up you think your current situation is. . .I can guarantee there is someone else who would be VERY excited to walk in you shoes, even for one day.

Gratitude is the key, my friend

The truth is, dear friend, that your real life's purpose is whatever you decide it is. Renew gratitude for what you have in your life. Take 4 seconds right now and think of one thing in your life you are grateful for. Everyday is another chance to remind yourself you are only 4 seconds to freedom! Because freedom is a state of mind. Start now!

The Freedom Game

At any given time of any given day you are never more than 4 seconds from freedom. I'm not talking about freedom from a physical restriction like a prison. I am talking about freedom from the psychological prison of your mind. Everyday your mind is doing its best to keep you safe and secure. And you go through your entire day trying to attain security: financial security, emotional security, physical security. . . Your mind is even searching for Spiritual security; the certainty that the higher power you do or don't believe in is the right one!

This security has a price tag

It means that as long as you feel safe, you are complacent and as long as you are complacent you are not growing. As long as you are not growing you are not reaching your full potential as a Human Being.

Human beings are the only species on this beautiful planet that are ok not living every day to their maximum potential. Think about it. Does a dolphin ever say ,"Ah, I've I've swam far enough, I think I will stay right here." or a tree ever say "Ah I'm tall enough, I think I'll stop growing, now."

Every second of every day is another chance to remind yourself why you are here on this Earth. You innately know you were put on this Earth for a reason. Are you fulfilling that prophecy?

You CAN free yourself from the restrictions you place on yourself. This blog will help you with that.

Realize your true purpose

The truth is, dear friend, that your real life's purpose is whatever you decide it is. Renew gratitude for what you have in your life. Take 4 seconds right now and think of one thing in your life you are grateful for. Everyday is another chance to remind yourself you are only 4 seconds to freedom! Because freedom is a state of mind. Start now!