Positive Callous

A callous is a hardening or insensitivity to something through repetition. When a guitarist first places his fingers on the cords, it is foreign and painful. Through repetition and practice, the skin on the guitarists finger’s become hardened and he develops a callous, or pachydermatous. This allows the guitarist to play with more freedom and grace.

When we are in a predicament, everything we have built for ourselves is put to the test. It is an intense situation and all our energies may not be focused on preforming our best. For example, if someone is dedicated to remaining positive and optimistic but they are faced with something seemingly unbearable, they may slip into negativity and despair. What they don’t realize is if they can maintain their positive feelings in these conditions, at the peak of their capacity, they can do it anytime, anywhere, and in any mind-state. Through pursuing one’s philosophy, in rigorous conditions, immunity to those conditions develops. If we go through an unpleasant experience, while holding on to our dreams and goals, we grow with them, driving them deeper into our psyche.

I was once at the home of a musician who was recording and working on an album. During a break, he was explaining to me how he has terrible anxiety/anger issues and takes prescription medication (on top of other remedies) to help manage it. At that moment, a pencil rolled off the table and landed on the floor. “I’m relaxed now and with friends and good company.” He said. “Usually, that would really get at me and I’d flip out.” I had a thought. I explained that if he were to try and hold on to his other therapeutic tools (other than meds) and break on through the event, he would prevail. Having beaten the challenge, despite all the triggers, he would build a type of immunity to it. The next time a situation came up, with circumstances of the same caliber, it would be insignificant.

When we are faced with a challenge we should view it as if we are paving the way for bigger and better things. By holding on to our values, regardless of the situation, we build immunity and a callous to the challenge. This builds stamina, endurance and helps us grow. It leads to higher capacity and more opportunities which, in turn, lead to more experiences, pleasure, and happiness. 

Growth: Through the Ages

When a baby is born its perception of life is very narrow. It cries when it wants anything or is uncomfortable or lonely. The baby is fed, bathed, clothed, and washed up after. It overall can not provide for itself. It can’t even walk! With time, as the baby develops, its brain builds the capacity for speech, play, and even independence.

As the years go by, the baby advances in all areas of communication, creativity, and of course, the body. The baby learns to socialize with others and express its needs. It draws pictures and builds with blocks and makes messes. It crawls, and walks, and runs, and falls; all with the naiveté and innocence of a newly born child. After a certain amount of experiences, even at a young age, the child starts to realize that there are new realities in the world it was thrown into. The child learns cause an effect and becomes conscious of his actions and their consequences. Reward and punishment, not only in a disciplinary manner, become a pivotal part of his life. As the child grows, so does a callous for pain and pleasure. The things he once enjoyed no longer excited him and what was once a great source of pain, became seemingly insignificant. Thus began the pursuit of bigger and better things. Through trial and error the child builds a keen understanding of what suits him best. Naturally, the child gravitates towards what is pleasurable and distances himself from that which is painful.
   
However, there comes a certain point in life when the child has an epiphany. He realizes, in his pursuit of pleasure, that in order to achieve a certain level of pleasure he needs to face an amount of pain. This pain is a tool to achieve the desired pleasure and thus becomes a steppingstone in his journey for the pleasure. When the child understands this system he becomes a little man.


As the little man uses these tools of pain he begins to grow in many areas. He builds the stamina and capacity to take upon himself greater responsibilities which in turn lead to greater pleasure and pain. The little man continues to have experiences and has a greater awareness of the life he is living. At any point he may be faced with a foreign or uncomfortable predicament which will require an immediate reaction. The little man then realizes that what he feels like doing and what he needs to do may contradict each other. He then begins to differentiate between his intellect and emotions; thinking and feeling. When a small man is consciously aware that his future greatly depends on how he reacted to foreign and uncomfortable situations he becomes a man.


As a man goes through life growing and living, he will inevitably experience many feelings and moods. Through the good times and the bad, he will face life with his intellect and emotion. At any given time he may choose to THINK-THINK, THINK-FEEL, or FEEL-THINK. Always using the intellect, FEEL-FEEL isn't an option. When a man lives life in control and not at the mercy of his moods, he becomes a great man.

Staying Positive

The following is a true story:

In my school there is a short black man named John who works as our janitor. John (and I don’t think this is his real name) came to Israel from a country in Northern Africa to pursue a livelihood. He scrubs the toilets, mops the floors, and picks up the trash. He even plants flowers around the campus -all with a big SMILE on his face.

 One particularly grey and gloomy day, I walked outside my dorm room as John was mopping the floor in the hallway. I stood there for a moment and watched as he tediously swung the mop back and forth. The night before, some kids had gone to a tie-dye party and brought supplies back for some late night fun. Hanging on a line from one room to the other across the hall were shirts, pants, boxers, and socks with all types psychedelic designs on them. Below, the floor was covered in all sorts of different colored paints. John turned to me with a big SMILE and in broken English asked “They. color. clothing?” I laughed and confirmed that they had indeed been coloring their clothing but I had no part in it. John shrugged and with a SMILE turned to continue mopping. Not in the greatest of moods, I tried to compose myself for a challenging day. I walked down the clean hallway and just as I was heading out the door I turned to him and asked “John, how the hell are you so HAPPY all the time?” He looked up and with a big SMILE responded “Whaahtt?”Recognizing the language barrier I approached him and said animatedly “SMILE, big SMILE!” “Ahh!” he replied “Yes. Always – that’s how. It’s done.” He finished and stood there, noticeably proud of himself, nodding and SMILING.

Feeling encouraged, I continued my day with a bright outlook and a SMILE to the day’s challenges. The days went on and when I would see John I’d wave or say hi to him. Whether I would see him cleaning up after meals or planting flowers along the walkway between buildings, I was greeted with a SMILE. I was soon getting a daily dose of inspiration from a Sudanese man who hardly spoke English. Night and day, rain or shine, this guy always had a POSITIVE atmosphere. It was truly inspiring.

 The other day the unfortunate and terrifying news had spread around that John’s 17 year-old brother, en route to Israel, had been captured by terrorists and is currently being held hostage. At lunch, this was the topic of conversation and when John walked in a hush fell over the cafeteria. As he walked by, John showed no signs of negative emotion which caused someone to ask rhetorically “How did he come to work today??” I walked into the kitchen to get something and was greeting with the same SMILE as everyday like nothing had happened! I was floored. How does someone go through that and continue on with his chores like any other day? I approached John later that day and asked him about what I had heard. I spent some time with him as he struggled to find the right words in English. He confirmed the story and told me the terrorist group had been given a sum of money but had sold his brother to another group which now demanded $36,000! He said the group had called him the other day and threatened that if they didn’t receive the money they would kill the boy. He continued on about how he had warned his younger brother not to try and come to Israel because of the danger in the surrounding areas and his fears had come true. It was hard for me to keep my composure just listening to him tell me the story. What really got me was how optimistic he was. He explained it was impossible for his family to pay that amount but his plan was to get friends in America to help him. “The rest,” he said as he pointed to the ceiling, “Is God”. John shrugged and with a SMILE, he turned and continued on his way. 

I don’t know what will be of John’s brother, but I hope for the best. What I do know is that John’s determination, despite his terrible situation, to keep a positive attitude and take care of him-self and his responsibilities is truly admirable. If I had gotten any inspiration from John before, it’s doubled. I don’t know where he gets the strength to be so positive and optimistic but if he can do it, I can.

  

Never let your emotions override your intellect

We THINK with our minds and FEEL with our hearts. Sometimes we FEEL like we don't want to get out of bed in the morning but we KNOW we have responsibilities and must face our realities. If we're wholly driven by our hearts, life could be a disaster! One may not FEEL like paying the bills or stopping for a red light but the KNOW what needs to be done.
Harmony is the balance between the mind and heart. Think about it. How do you feel?

And.....We're back!

hope to get some cool stuff up soon

Staying Focused:

"Don't focus too much on the trees to the point where you forget the forest"
-Unknown

Details serve as a means of enhancing a 'bigger picture'. But some details are so vivid that we can get distracted from what's REALLY going on. Always look for the ESSENCE of the topic at hand. This will keep you alert and focused...

Creativity:

Creativity is taking the tools that we have and using them to build something. We can create words, food, children, peace and tranquility, friendships, moments, movies, airplanes... The list goes on and on. It all starts with realizing the uniqueness of our thoughts, ideas, and inspiration. We can act on them and pursue them into realities. Focus on your strengths and grow with them. They're yours! The idea is to not lose focus or get distracted from your main goal.


Remember the inspiration! :)

Inspiration:

Inspiration comes and goes...


We can be inspired to do anything: clean our room, start a project, connect with an old friend, get spiritual, exercise, take action, etc. etc. Whatever it is it all starts with that one spark. We get excited and our intellect is infused with emotion, creating this burst of momentum. If acted upon it can be glorious! But sometimes it fizzles out and skepticism starts to creep in. All sorts of fears come to the mind and the energy we should be using to follow through turns sour. Where did it go?? We were so driven two minutes ago! argh! lol
The key is immediate action. Time is valuable. Don't miss out on an opportunity especially when the inspiration literally falls into your lap... If you are inspired don't lose it! Hold onto that spark and never forget the main goal. Remember the feeling and how excited you were at the time.


...Don't lose it!  :)

THE ILLUSION OF FEAR:

(This discusses personal fears not fear factors set up by law enforcement, schools, parents, and the media)


Fear is something that can break all momentum, inspiration, and excitement. There are many types of fears: Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, fear of oneself, phobias, etc. etc. etc. Where does fear come from? Of course we can be influenced by factors around us but the actual fear comes from within.
AMAZING! The biggest thing preventing us from doing what we want to do is OURSELVES! Many times we could have a spark of inspiration and want to spontaneously do something but a second later our minds are flooded with all sorts of 'fantasies' and predicted thoughts of the future. We think about the outcome of the event or what may follow (even before it happens...) but how could we possibly know the outcome before it happens? We can definitely think about how things may 'play out' but how many times have we contemplated the future but were 100% WRONG?
Fear is an illusion. Don't get blind sighted by the negative thoughts that can prevent you from being you!


NOTE:
This obviously needs a balance. There are healthy fears that prevent us from running into a lion's den or throwing ourselves in front of a moving train. Those fears are needed to survive and should not be overlooked...

Thoughts:

Just as we can choose to replay scenarios in our head, we can choose to ignore them completely. It is a matter of finishing or 'riding out' the thought that pops up. Notice that when you are zoned in and focused on a particular task, anything that gets in the way can be pushed aside. It's when we are not preoccupied that we become more susceptible to being influenced by.... OURSELVES! Does anybody else control our thoughts?? The human mind is a powerful tool. Scientists say that with all the "action" going on in galaxies and planets and stars in our universe, nothing compares to the human brain. Know that you have this tool and that it is in your control to take it where you wish.

Balance: (pt.1)

Balance is what makes the world go round. Without it we wouldn’t be able to channel our energies and act accordingly. We wouldn't be grounded or leveled and our emotions and thoughts would be morphed into one chaotic mess..
The world we live in is fast-paced, intense, and full of extremes. The trick is to balance our lives and harmonize with the things around us. This does not define conformity! We are all unique and should take pride in this. We tend to live in extremes with an "all or nothing mentality". When it comes to the human ego one should not be overly arrogant but not have 'ego-death'. Nothing can stop a balanced ego and healthy self esteem....




To be continued...

Listen to the Silence (A poem about self-discovery)

Let your thoughts run wild
Like the mind of a child
Picture for a moment
Fantasize if you must
A world full of peace
A world full of trust
You may think
"Another messenger with that hippie crap"
But Lennon was right
Imagine that...
Armageddon, 2012, doom and gloom
Why do you think it will be gone so soon?
We'll be fine
We've got time
Soon it will all be sublime
Because the gloom is in the head
Fighting with all it's might
Torturing your dreams in the middle of the night
It fills the mind
With sorrow and self-doubt
Drowning your desires
Clouding your heart's shout
But listen closely
And you will hear
A muffled calling
That will become more clear
Follow that direction
And the battle will be won
But hurry, because
TIME
WAITS
FOR
NO
ONE

Positive:

The key to happiness..
Think, and it will be.

Resentment:

Resentment can suck the positive light out of anything.
No matter how much time passes after the event it will remain fresh (if not more intense) if you constantly review it in the mind's eye. It serves us no good! The other person has moved on in life while you constantly hurt yourself by replaying the scenario over and over again. Nothing can be more counterproductive than living in the past. The only purpose our past should serve is a memory we can learn from. That's the only productive way to move forward in life after the event. It's essentially the only thing we can do with it. It cannot change!

Past, Present, Future: Know where you stand!

A wise man once told me "Never forget where you came from or where you are going". What great advice to live by! Know where you stand in the grand scheme of things. I believe that our thoughts are composed of either (past) memory, (present) awareness, (future) fantasy, or imagination (dream) created by the mind. We can be aware of which category our thoughts fall into and act accordingly. For example, Past (memory) cannot be changed and only learned from. How sad it would be if one where to constantly live life walking down memory lane and completely oblivious to the world around them!
The future is something that we cannot even contemplate because it has not happened yet. How many times have we predicted what will happen and were completely wrong?
What we are all looking for is awareness. Awareness is living in the present and being foucused on the life around us. We are free to live life in the present and not get distracted with the surrounding factors that make up the thrilling life that we live in. With so much going on we need to stay alert and focus on our goals..

Know where you stand!!!

DEPTH

Lets break it down. What's the essence of LIVING?
I think the essence of living is growth.
When we were tiny newborn babies, our perception of life was very narrow. We cried when we wanted anything or were uncomfortable or lonely. We were fed, bathed, clothed, and washed up after. We overall could not provide for ourselves. We couldn't even walk!  But think how much has changed since then? How much has been accomplished?
After a certain amount of experiences, even at a young age, we started to realize that there are new realities in the world that we were thrown in. The years go by, advancing in all areas of communication/socializing, creativity, and of course the body...

Fast-forward to the present.

Just reflect on how much you have grown.

Feedback…?.... Tell me what you think!

                     {PEACE}

Just started this blog, still putting it together. Any tips?