Things that Inspire

I absolutely love the Where the Wild Things Are movie trailer.

I saw this on You are Remarkable

I love the work of artist Tamara Hensick including this cleverly designed pewter "be" which allows you to switch out cards as a reminder of who you want to be on any given day. I have one of her "word bars" that look like these:

Potential goes Prime Time

If the only thing you know about Tony Robbins is the firewalk or that he was in the movie "Shallow Hal," that is about to change. He will soon be the star of a new NBC reality show called Breakthrough. I consider this great news.

Robbins, known as a "peak performance strategist," helps people, through his books and workshops, find and harness the potential within them and create successful happy lives. The firewalk takes place during every "Unleash the Power Within" weekend event when participants walk in their bare feet across burning coals and, while I have not done this myself, I know very practical, successful, left-brain types who have. The idea is to move past fear and "shift your core beliefs about what's possible." Apparently once you've walked across fire without burning your feet you starting considering what more you are capable of accomplishing.

The TV show "will follow Robbins as he takes participants and helps them face personal challenges. The pilot, for example, focused on someone who was a lifelong stutterer -- and who, by the end of the episode, was speaking in front of a public audience"

This new show is evidence that a growing number of people are thinking, silently or aloud, "there must be more than this." Despite all of the progress, technology, intelligence and opportunity available, so many people still are not fulfilled or happy. The work of Tony Robbins promotes looking for answers in the only place you'll find them - inside your self.

Watch this recent video from ABC news where Tony talks about how to not only handle, but use difficult economic circumstances to your advantage. It's hard not to feel motivated by his bold and provocative statements such as "Sometimes your worst day can be your best day if it produces a change."

How to Cope in a Recession

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NEW! the beU bookstore

because every campus needs a bookstore...
at beU, everything is designed to support and inspire you to be and just to feel good.

Like this "I want to live a life of light" t-shirt - perfect for summer, don't you think? You can see this and more here.

Ria Ray

I love the look of these uplifting products, lip balm and "mantra ties," from artist and healer Ria Ray.

becoming

The message "just be" is difficult to understand, which is ironic since it sounds as if it should be the easiest thing we ever don't do.

I believe people are resistant to even attempt a lifestyle of being because there is way too much to do. Not just on their daily to do list, but on their life list of goals and dreams. If I am just being, I will never accomplish or experience all of those things I've been working towards and I don't want to give that up.

But I've learned something about being. Once you are in the moment, you are perfectly poised to take action. The purpose of being in the moment is to connect with your deepest, truest self and then take action from that vantage point. Being isn't the destination, it's the starting line. The great truth to be discovered is that if we commit to the practice of being, we will have more vitality and enthusiasm for what we're doing than ever before. And the actions we take from that place will always lead us in the right direction.

Further, we could not be static no matter how hard we tried. Our nature is perpetual expansion. Regression is impossible. We are, at all times, becoming.

I do love a paradox.

There is a 2 week long retreat this July in Tuscany called "Being and Becoming" from the people at Enlightennext. The first week is about being, concentrating on the traditional pursuit of enlightenment through the study and practice of transcending the ego and connecting to consciousness. The second week is about becoming or what they call "consciousness in action." Meaning, you've done the spiritual work to be, so now what? How can one live a spiritual lifestyle and use access to higher consciousness to serve the world in the best way possible?

I think this sounds amazing and I respect Enlightennext as an organization and their mission to promote the conscious creation of a better future. I believe the work they are doing is pioneering in the field of spiritual development. They are exploring and teaching on the leading edge.

If this was a long weekend in New York I would have been one of the first people to sign up. But it is 2 weeks in Italy in the middle of the summer and costs over $4,000 so it goes on my list of things I will do when my children are older. It's a long list. But for anyone interested, you can get the details here.


the cover of the latest issue of enlightennext magazine and photo above from everydaymoments.

Gone Gardening

That's where I've been. Enjoying every moment of it.

For the first time, I made the decision to enjoy the process of gardening. Sometimes simply deciding to be, and enjoy being while you're at it, is all it takes. As a result, I have enjoyed even the clearing out, cutting back, raking and weeding that I usually just endure or skim over to get to the fun of arranging new plants in the ground, containers and window boxes. Using the straightforward method of sensory awareness, I brought myself into the present moment by listening to the sounds of birds and my children playing, smelling every herb and flower and feeling the sensations of my hands and wellies in the dirt. I had a moment where I considered that there might not be anything in the world more beautiful than the dark rich color of freshly turned soil ( just high on life, I swear. )

Gardening is truly good for the body, mind and spirit. There's lots to do, there's lots to know and there's lots of opportunities to stop and smell the roses.

Remember that song by Mac Davis? While the rest of us had posters of Donny Osmond in his purple socks on our wall, my sister had Mac Davis. Uh huh. I could not make that up. Anyway, here's some lyrics from his song:

Where you going in such a hurry
Don't you think it's time you realized
There's a whole lot more to life than work and worry
The sweetest things in life are free
And there right before your eyes

You got to Stop and Smell the roses
You've got to count your many blessings everyday

Thought manifests as word.
Word manifests as deed.
Deed develops into habit.
And habit hardens into character.

So watch the thought and its ways with care.
And let it spring from love
Born out of concern for all beings.

The Buddha (563?-483? B.C.E.)
Siddhartha Gautama
Indian philosopher and founder of Buddhism
whose birthday is celebrated in East Asia today

"We not Me" print by Christopher Cox at changethethought.com
quote via New Spirituality Network