Aching To Smack The Minimalists Around
I do support the minimalist blogs out there and their nomad and environmentally friendly lifestyles, don’t get me wrong. I appreciate reading about how they avoid those yucky cars, sit in cafes blogging about hip memories, and stick their well traveled tongues out at whoever isn’t “master” of their lives. Ya well it isn’t all leprechauns and rainbows boys and girls.
You see…we can’t all chuck everything and go globetrotting at a moment’s notice. Some of us have serious family commitments, a fascinating career (that may actually help make the world a better place)…and pets…and …oh ya… children.
And some of us really do like ascetically pleasing material goods. Is it bad to treat ourselves? Hey, if I’m going to sit in traffic for part of the day I WANT to be surrounded by soft leather and a Bose sound system.
Yeppers, I have a 40 foot in ground pool with funky rock gardens surrounding it. After work, I plunge into that cool revitalizing water and skim under the surface in total silence. Love it. Jagged beams of sunlight greet me to create a golden mirror effect throughout the baby blue water. It’s a fucking alternate universe. Love it.
Am I being authentic about my life? Hell ya. Do I always believe in it? Hell no. But I’m providing a beautiful haven for my family, my pets and myself (for now).
I’ll get to climbing Mount Pica Chu perhaps in a few years. And thank you for teaching me about the horrors of bottled water. But for now I’m going to take my time to cook a delicious meal, crack open a fine red Syrah and be grateful for all that life has bestowed me. You are all welcome to join me.
Cheers!
Now WTF am I going to do during winter?
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Powerful Blog Links To Give You That AH HA! Moment
July 7, 2010 by Terry
Filed under Lifestyle, Relationships
A terrific article on how to find your natural writing style. How to Find Your Writing Voice
Great advice based on facts How To Get Hundreds Of Tweets And Comments On Your Blog Post
This one will really make you think about what is truly important. Why Friends Matter At Work And Life
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Saying HELL YA will REALLY clear your mind No More yes. It’s either HELL YEA or no.
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Have a fabulous day!
How To Save The World – Part IV
July 2, 2010 by Terry
Filed under Lifestyle, Mind, Zen Forever
I’m regularly grateful to have experienced being a part of this beautiful blue and white planet which slowly twirls amongst a trillion stars. It is an amazing thought if you really take the time to think about it. Picture one of those photos of our planet taken from space and remember that you are actually walking upon that beautiful orb.
Doesn’t everything else seem trivial compared to that thought? We live our lives with hundreds of useless thoughts cursing through our heads everyday and tend to easily forget how truly amazing life on this planet is. Sometimes our thoughts can turn into conditioning or beliefs that lead us to acts of selflessness, cruelty or even war. By now we are all aware that we are slowly ruining our home - this planet. As an animal we have forgotten how to share this planet with not only ourselves but with all other living creatures.
I have written extensively about awareness, consciousness and living in the moment. I’ve written about meditation, conditioning and beliefs. Many times I’ve thought that people don’t give a shit about using “consciousness” to make this planet a better home. People are more concerned about what celebrity had no underwear, how to lose 20 pounds in a week, how to make a million dollars over night, or are just trying to survive. And yes I’ve been guilty of those thoughts as well.
Fortunately, over the centuries humans have overcome some astonishing challenges. The formation of civilizations, revolutionary and religious wars, plagues, great depressions …the list goes on. But now we are faced with the threat of dwindling resources, constant MacDonald’s commercials, and an ever expanding population.
Is it an iPad that will save the world? Or is it a deeper consciousness? Do we resist buying bottled water (the plastic is made from oil, the transportation of the bottles creates pollution, and they stay in landfills forever if not recycled. Birds ingest floating caps out in sea thinking it’s food and even feed it to their young with both dying a painful slow death).
I am certain that the next big evolution for mankind is consciousness and awareness. We are done with the industrial age and the informational age is only choking us. There is no time like now to think before we buy, feel empathy for all living creatures, rejoice in our planet, reduce our carbon footprint and connect with fellow human beings all around the world (hey, maybe the iPad will help after all).
Over the centuries humans have overcome some astonishing challenges. The fight to save this planet has only just begun. I haven’t placed much hope lately in our governments to make any difference. It’s been only one big slobbering orgy at the mutual feeding troughs of government, corporations and banking for years now. Each and every one of us needs to try to clean this mess up.
I hope it isn’t too late.
Are we living just to survive or are we ready to fight? Are we leaving our children a beautiful planet or an orb dying a slow and agonizing death? Are we living in nature or looking at it through the screen of an iPad?
Consciousness and awareness. The next big evolution
Now You Can Find Peace Of Mind And Meaning
June 29, 2010 by Terry
Filed under Breaking Bad Habits, Lifestyle, Mind, Zen Forever
There is my inside me and my outside me. Sometimes they seem to conflict horribly. It’s such a pain. My inside me is striving for a life of meaning and purpose, contentment and existential challenges. My outside me is paying bills, buying a new car and renovating the house. It seems lately that my outside me is controlling my inside me. I’m talking about being on a stress and consumer treadmill.
Sometimes I would love to give this all up and live simply in some country, pondering life, meditating, setting up a small foundation, walking the beach and discovering more wisdom and raison d’être.
What is stopping me? There will be no perfect time. I will just have to walk off the cliff one day and take a leap of faith.
An excellent start would be to start meditating again. Meditating helped me clear my mind, find my breath and increase a wonderful sense of inner peace. I was becoming good at living in the moment and appreciating the little things in life.
It’s a small step that has huge benefits. So the inside me is hopping off the stress and consumer treadmill I’ve found lately.
The other day I went for a mid afternoon stroll with one of the dogs in the small forest nearby. It was absolutely beautiful. The smell of earth and trees assailed my senses and it reminded me of those wonderful carefree summers as a kid. The sunlight splashed against vibrant and luminous green leaves. Small forest creatures darted amongst the plants and trees. I was perfectly in the moment throughout the entire walk. My inside me and outside me were in unspoiled harmony.
It’s too easy to fall out of good habits.
I want more of peace of mind and Mother Nature. Screw the treadmill.
Don’t you?
How To Be Happy And Create A Lifetime Of Joy With Your Memories
May 24, 2010 by Terry
Filed under Happiness, Lifestyle, Mind, Zen Forever
Just came back from Ogunquit, Maine. I love it there. I love the quiet beach, eating fresh seafood, breathing in the crisp ocean air and talking amazing walks. Why though? The reason is that I have such warm memories of this place. And my memories tell me a story even before I walk on the beach. My future and the joy I find are largely due to my anticipation based on my memories.
I saw a whale come out of the water a few days ago and that tied in to my memory of seeing dolphin’s many years ago in Wildwood.
These memories and the anticipation that comes with them will last me a lifetime.
I’ve written about living in the now and experiencing the present moment many times. During these times I feel contentment but not necessarily joy.
Joy I find comes from remembering the incredible beauty in the stories of my life. I may have experienced stunning beauty on multiple cliffs or felt the peace and quiet of a hot summer day. I have heard the sound of waves lapping on a shore in many places. These extraordinary memories never get old.
When I think about any of these memories of my life I am truly happy and even joyful at times.
Forget about buying stuff, go out and create a lifetime of wonderful memories. That is what true joy and happiness is all about.
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Quite Simply, The 5 Best Self Development Blogs
Sid Savara – Achieve Your Goals More Effectively With Analysis Driven Personal Development
Sid backs up a lot of his posts with facts, which is why I like his blog so much.
Get Rich Slowly – Personal Finance That Makes Cents
J.D Roth shares some excellent personal success stories and gives the best advice out there on how to get rich.
Erica.biz – Teaching You How To Build An Inspired, Successful Business
Erica claims she sold her online business for over a million dollars at age 26. She provides excellent advice to anyone starting up a business.
The Blog Of Tim Ferriss – Experiments In Lifestyle Design
Tim has a bestselling book out on how to work 4 hours a week and gives all kinds of great advice on how to be successful with almost anything!
A blog with solid articles on how to make life changes and also provides terrific tools to begin making life changes right now. Align your goals, personal values and mission statement all in one tracker and see your success grow in leaps and bounds.
Do you have any to add?
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People! - Make One Freaking Life Change At A Time Please
November 19, 2009 by Terry
Filed under Body, Goal Setting, Lifestyle
Stop trying to change everything!
The problem is that most people get freaked out about ALL the life changes they wish to make AT ONE TIME. Lose weight, save money, find love, find balance, less stress and of course all the issue surroundings the environment.
Change one thing and make it stick!
I cut out bread at lunch. We have a fabulous deal at lunch and the bread is included. I decided to not have the empty calories of bread on my plate. Hey, I’m in good shape, quite healthy, but I have made a conscience decision to not include bread in my lunch. I eat enough carbohydrates at lunch, bread is unnecessary. Wow, what an exciting blog post – how I cut out freaking bread!
What is the point?
Most successful life changes are done one baby step at a time. When we try too much we can easily get overwhelmed, frustrated or discouraged. Decide what is most important to you and attack that with a passion. Take action! Love yourself! I know you can do it. You CAN make a serious life change. You ARE in the driver’s seat! Life IS too short. Let’s get going right now! Decide what change you can make right now. For me it’s less bread, less empty calories and a healthy weight loss. I’m happy with that.
You CAN do it! Let’s start…right now.
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7 Ways True Millionaires Think
- Live below your means. You may have read this a hundred times before, but it is THE golden rule. What if you live above your means? You will then spend more money than you earn. It IS that simple. The truly wealthy do not spend more than they earn.
- Your financial situation will improve when you spend more time planning your finances then spending time purchasing luxury items. Spending time planning your finances must be a priority.
- If you dislike planning your financial future, find a good financial planner. Ask your friends who they use.
- Looking rich is not important to wealthy people. What is important is to have financial independence and freedom from all the stress that money creates. Don’t we all want a cosy and joyful life?
- Wealthy people do not raise children that are dependent on hand outs. Their children control their money. They don’t let money control them.
- Most truly wealthy people live a comfortable lifestyle, not a flashy one.
- Most wealthy people give credit to these factors to their success: Integrity, Discipline, Social Skills, a Supportive Spouse and Hard Work.
Resources
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How To Quit A Habit Using An Index Card
November 5, 2009 by Terry
Filed under Breaking Bad Habits, Goal Setting, Lifestyle, Mind
I quit smoking by writing all the negative things that smoking brought to my life on a 5 x 3 index card. I then carried that card with me for many months. I took it out many times to remind me of all the terrible things that smoking brought to me and the people that I love. It was not a negative card towards me, it just simply stated the facts of how smoking was affecting my life.
I remember being in the washroom at work once and pulling out the card to again remind myself of why I had stopped smoking. Some days I pulled that card out 20 times. The interesting thing about carrying a card is that it made me pay attention to what was important to me. Whenever I felt tempted to smoke I felt the card in my pocket and was reminded of its presence.
A 5 x 3 index card can help us make many important decisions when making life changes. When I found myself having a beer and craving a cigarette, without the card I could have easily succumbed to smoking again. With the card I made a conscious decision to distract myself with a stir stick, chewing gum, or even munching on a toothpick. Again, the card made me pay attention. So whether you want to lose weight, save money, make new friends or even find love, write it down on a card and look at that card frequently throughout the day. It will make you pay attention. Don’t beat yourself up on that card. Focus on one aspect of your life at a time. This technique has helped many people, I hope it is a life changer for you.
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3 Ways To Make Peace With Money
I enjoy money. Actually, I have had a strong love hate relationship with money all my life. It has completely stressed me out at times, been a constant worry and also made me ecstatic.
Discover what money represents to you
Are you conscious of how much money you carry around? Is paying bills a chore? Do you whip out a credit card because you want to keep your cash on you? Do you spend more than you make? Let’s face it, money is a huge driving force in our lives. However, first we decide what lifestyle we choose to live and then we try to make enough money to live that lifestyle. Some of my friends are brilliant and thoughtful people yet have no desire to accumulate wealth. As long as they have a roof and food they are happy. Books help too. Some of my friends are wealthy. They love a challenge and some challenges have made them rich. If money has conditioned you to constantly think about it, then you need to change your relationship with it. Do you want a peaceful existence with money? Look first at your lifestyle. Is your lifestyle high maintenance? Perhaps you just need to look around and see how much effort it takes to maintain your lifestyle. If it is too much effort, then make the required changes to live a simpler and less stressful life. Start making those changes today! Start with one small change.
Remove all fear of money.
Most people I know worry about their future when it comes to money. They equate money with happiness. They worry constantly if they will have enough. Or they fall for get rich quick schemes. What if you changed your lifestyle and did not have to worry about money anymore? How would that make you feel? What SENSATION would that bring? It would probably be a huge weight off your back. Your life may even become completely stress free! Don’t you want to FEEL that sensation? Think about waking up every day and not having any money worries. I bet that your lifestyle has become simpler as well. Learn to let all of the fear go. You will love that stress free sensation. Learn to remove all the fear.
Its fine to treat yourself …but
All this talk about materialism on the Internet can make people feel incredibly guilty about buying anything. I don’t think it’s bad to buy yourself a treat for working hard. Even if that treat is a fancy sports car. However, I think it’s important these days to understand whether your purchases are creating a big carbon footprint. I think it’s important to consider the environment when making purchases. A global economy has huge consequences. If you decorate your personal jet with a rare African wood, perhaps you just made that wood extinct. Perhaps the emissions from your jet are seriously contributing to global warming. Perhaps that plastic trinket you bought extracted a cup of oil from the ground. If we do treat ourselves, think about the earth’s resources that went into building that treat. Perhaps you won’t buy it after all. Perhaps your life will also be simpler. And mother earth will thank you. Do you really care? I hope so.
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