Wisdom – Thought Changer

“Oh honey, life is about letting go.” This was the pearl of wisdom a good friend’s mother gave her many years ago after she’d had her first child, when every little thing seemed so weighted and overly important, so much so that she was in a constant state of angst. “Oh honey, life is about letting go,” her wise mother said. This friend and I were recently discussing the process of letting go and how challenging it is at times. We were each other’s sounding board for some front burner issues we were both trying to release. I’ve come to the conclusion that letting go is one of the hardest things to do in life, proven by the fact that there are literally thousands of books (328,000 in Amazon alone), articles, seminars and schools of thought on the subject of letting go, available to us hangers-on who at times find… Read more →

Unmasking Brain Injury There was a beautiful exhibit at an art show I recently attended, called “Unmasking Brain Injury.” The base of each mask was the same, but they were all designed, painted and crafted in very different ways – each symbolizing the fear, pain or journey the artist was going through as a result of their brain injury. It was exquisite in the way it captured this community, giving each person a voice and revealing what was underneath the face they were presenting to the world. It got me thinking about the masks we wear in life, hiding true feelings or intentions, slipping in and out of being authentic – to ourselves and others. A few years ago I took part in a retreat where the intention was to call in our soul mates. What can I say? I believe in soul mates! There was much introspection; meditating and… Read more →

“Tramps like us, baby we were born to run.” I’m happy to share a birthday with Bruce Springsteen, which happens to be September 23rd. In his upcoming autobiography, Born To Run, The Boss talks about what was in his “Rock ‘n Roll Survival Kit: DNA, natural ability, study of craft, development of and devotion to an aesthetic philosophy, naked desire for… fame, love, admiration, attention, women, sex, and oh, yeah… a buck. Then, if you want to take it all the way to the end of the night, a furious fire in the hole that just…don’t…quit…burning.” The contents of his Rock ‘n Roll survival kit got me thinking. I often take stock around birthday time and this year I’m thinking a lot about what I was born to do. And, out of those musings several truths have bubbled to the surface, various lessons learned over a few decades of life…. Read more →

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were on CBS Sunday Morning to talk about the Ron Howard documentary, EIGHT DAYS A WEEK: The Touring Years (which is in my Hulu queue!). They talked about the rocket ship early days in 1963 when they rode their unprecedented meteoric rise on the simplest of ideas. “It was really simple in the beginning,” Paul said, then added, “We were a great little band.” Then, things got crazy! Beatlemania took off to the point where they needed to find a place large enough for their growing surge of adoring fans. The first concert at Shea Stadium happened in 1965 and arena rock was born. Paul McCartney: “We didn’t plan for anything.” Ringo Starr: “We just went with it.” They just went with it. In other words, they leaned into what was working. And, kept leaning in as things kept working. Until it didn’t. Paul said… Read more →

The word prompt of the day is discernment. It’s simply defined as the ability to judge well. There’s a certain amount of rigidity to the word, but when one is discerning there’s a trust of self that organically takes place, which actually is an opening for truth. If the discerning instinct is ignored it can lead to an error in judgment, a missed opportunity, a feeling of in-authenticity and even heartache. I also think of discernment as a deliberate process. Sometimes it’s so clear it can happen in an instant, but often it’s not so clear. For big things that matter, there’s much more that goes into discernment. To my way of thinking, consideration of factors (what, when, who, where & how), listening to your own cues, allowing an organic flow to guide you and trusting divine timing are most critical. Making a choice, taking a step – or deciding… Read more →

Negativity cannot reside in a state of Grace. Only love. Peace. Compassion. Forgiveness. Harmony. It’s what is needed, now more than ever. Grace is floating on the wings of the wind, And being in Grace is allowing the Breath of the divine to breeze through you, Levitating you to a place where you drift between dimensions. As a kid, the mention of Grace was usually saved for church, some far away notion that was meant for nuns and saints. Other dimensions? Come on, that was for re-runs of Star Trek or when my girlfriends and I held a séance at a slumber party. But, now? Now, I’ve felt it. I’ve asked for it. And, received it. Sometimes it just shows up. Grace is state of mind. Grace is a way of being. Grace is a divine connection to all that is. Grace is way of life, however I have fleeting… Read more →

How often do we just kind of fudge the truth, or tell a little white lie to make someone feel better or to make things a little easier on ourselves? How about several times a day? Research by social psychologist Robert Feldman, who has studied lying for over a decade, showed 60% of people lie 2-3 times during a 10-minute conversation. He also found that most people lie to be more likable or appear more competent. According to behavioral scientist Dan Ariely – in the documentary “(Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies” – it’s all about rationalization. The “fudge factor” leads to people rationalizing that a little lying is okay. He also says that self-deception takes place everywhere. It’s the biggest lie of all. He said, “We convince ourselves the deception is actually truth.” Well, that piece about self-deception gave me the chills. It got me thinking about Truth, not only… Read more →

By Cindy Yantis There’s much that we take for granted, living where we live in these great and complicated United States. The freedom to do so certainly started with our forward-thinking founding fathers. They set forth a whole new way of being, and living, with independence. It got me thinking about the meaning of independence on a deeper, more personal level. What does it mean to be personally independent? A true feeling of independence starts with an energy, a force that fuels and permeates a sagacity of human spirit, a spirit that manifests as personal power, something that is at times forgotten or lost in the chaos of the daily grind. To my way of thinking, this personal sovereignty is a combination of both mindset and sense, a combo that reminds us of whom we are meant to be. Let us begin with some core senses or deeper places of… Read more →

Early this year science news was abuzz with talk about a rare 5-planet alignment that was visible to the naked eye for the first time in over a decade. In a cloudless sky you could gaze toward the east to see Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars & Jupiter all lined up. I think a lot about alignment. Being in a state of alignment, more to the point. In fact, I expend a lot of thought, time and energy on this — living in alignment with my purpose & core values, and continually adjusting my choices, in thought and action, to maintain my homestead in the state of alignment. You know when things are off, right? Maybe you feel a little unhinged by stress or indecision; or you’re engaged in a job or activity that just doesn’t feel right; or you know somewhere deep down that you’re not centered in where you… Read more →

Do you ever feel like you’re walking through molasses – or worse yet quicksand – as you progress toward a goal? I know I have. Things never seem, at the time, to be happening fast enough. For me, it’s been a steady, at times stop-and-start, mind bending (or blowing), deepening, maddening, gratifying and continual path toward making a full-time living as a writer. When I allow the frustration that it’s not happening yet to creep into my work and consciousness, it always stops the flow, even if it’s just for a moment. I saw this quote the other day and it filled me with peace. “Profound commitment to a dream does not confine or constrain: it liberates. Even a difficult, winding path can lead to your goal if you follow it to the end.” – Paulo Coelho The winding path reveals more truth. It hit me that I’ve always followed… Read more →