Planet Earth

I bought the Planet Earth DVD series for my husband for Christmas last year and we never got around to watching until now. If you are not familiar with the series it is a Discovery Channel produced series that took several years to create with incredible footage of wild animals, oceans, deserts, caves, forests, mountains, glaciers etc. from all over the planet.

I have been watching with tears in my eyes for two nights now. The images are so incredibly beautiful that they are almost unreal. Much of it looks digitally animated, but the amazing part is that it is all real! I keep asking myself, how is it that all these natural wonders have existed for millions of years, yet most of us have never heard of or seen most of them before?

Last night I watched the episode on caves and they showed us the most incredible cave - in New Mexico no less - called Lechuguilla. It was not discovered until 1986! The walls of this cave are absolutely covered in fine crystals, so it is as if you are standing in a massive geode! The most spectacular part of the cave is called the Chandelier Ballroom, where gypsum crystals 5 or 6 feet long hang down from the cieling. It is truly breathtaking.

The episode on deserts includes incredible footage of wild camels in the Gobi desert that took 2 months to film, because the camels are so rare and when found, they are so spooked by humans that they run as fast as they can. Even the footage of the deserts themselves is so beautiful, the sand is so smooth it looks like satin sheets.

I could go on all day about this wonderful series, but what I really wanted to say is how beautifully it puts my life into perspective. The silly little annoyances in my life which I call "problems" mean absolutely nothing outside of my own mind! If I choose to simply stop worrying about them, I begin to realize they don't even exist! I have food to eat and water to drink, shelter overhead and love in my heart! We live in a miraculous world and it is too rare that we are reminded of that.

If you haven't seen the Planet Earth series, please do if you can. You will be no less than stunned.

Book Club!!!

I have decided to form a book club! I so enjoy reading these amazing books I have been posting about and I would LOVE to read them with others so we can share ideas and insights. Maybe it will be called Glorious Life Book Club?

It seems like a great way to meet like-minded people and help eachother to grow and progress along our paths!

I just checked on Craigslist and it doesn't appear that there are any similar clubs posted in the OC. I don't know if I should post or just try a word of mouth thing. I'll have to think about that a bit. But if anyone in the OC is reading this and would be interested in such a club please let me know! Maybe we could meet twice a month?

Choosing to love my job.

Every day I am tempted to just do the bare minimum at work. Honestly, I fell into recruiting. It wasn't something I sought out - "Oh, I just have to be a recruiter!" I wanted to be a rock star, for God's sake!

But I just realized something...

What if I have a choice as to whether I am happy at my job or not? What if I can actually choose to love my job and take pride in my work? Who would that be hurting? What are the pros and cons of choosing to love my job? Let's figure this out in real time...

Pros: Happy to get up and start work each day; sense of accomplishment after a productive day; increased self-respect; better relationships with co-workers; happier life in general; a sense of really living my life rather than waiting for my "real" life to start.

Cons: um...can't think of any...

So what will it mean to choose to love my job - in other words - what will I do differently now that I love my job? I think one of the big things for me is to ask myself questions like "How can I make this project even better? What can I do to take this above and beyond the expected?"

Today I was asked to research and put together a list of colleges in Jacksonville, FL where we might be able to recruit students to work part time positions for us. I've made a list of the colleges and the contact info for their career centers. How can I take it above and beyond? I could call each school and find out who the appropriate contact person is there, then contact them and ask them about the process for posting job opportunities there. I could then put all the info on a spreadsheet to present to my boss.

Okay, so my work is cut out for me...

I love my job!!

Yes Woman

After recently watching the movie "Yes Man" I realized that over the years I have started saying "no" a lot more. (As in "No, I can't go to lunch with you." or "No, I don't have the capacity to take on more work.") My first instinct is always to say "NO!"

I know that it's because of fear; fear of rejection, failure, the unknown. If I don't do anything or finish anything then I don't risk anything and can't fail at anything. The only problem with that is that if I don't do anything or finish anything then I can't succeed at anything either! Right?

"No, I can't go to lunch with you."

My thought process: No, I don't know what we would talk about for an hour. I certainly don't have anything to say that would be of interest to you. You'll just find out how uninteresting and worthless I am. Besides, what will I wear? I have gotten too fat for all my clothes. And what if you asked me to actually commit to going to a party or helping you with a project? No way. I can't risk that.

Reality: True, I risk nothing BUT I pass on an opportunity for friendship and all the joy that brings. So what if you ask me to commit to going to a party or helping you with a project? What else do I have to do? I am smart and fun to be with and certainly worthy of friendship and happiness.

(I am reminded of another movie, Good Will Hunting, when Will is telling his therapist that he doesn't want to ask his girl out on another date because right now in his eyes she is perfect and he doesn't want to find out that she isn't perfect. His therapist says "I think that's a super philosophy, Will; that way you can go through your entire life without ever having to really know anybody.")

"No, I don't have the capacity to take on more work."

My thought process: This job is not my dream job. It's just a way to pay the bills until my real life starts. Why should I extend myself further than I am already extended. What if I spread myself too thin and end up screwing up on something. No, I am just going to stick with the status quo and conserve my time and energy for something that really matters.

Reality: I have plenty of time and bandwidth to take on more work. I am in no danger of spreading myself too thin. Going the extra mile at work creates more job security and better relationships with my boss and co-workers, thereby making my life easier. If I don't aim higher, I will never climb higher. I am smart enough that if I apply myself and persist, I will be successful at whatever I choose to do.

So I am going to be more of a "Yes Woman" from now on. Certainly not to the extent that Jim Carrey's character did in the movie, but before I say no I am going to think about my reasoning. Is it fear based? Am I passing on a potential opportunity to better my life? Opportunities like that are few and far between and I can't afford to pass them up out of fear!!

Kung Fu - my new (old) favorite TV show

Alan and I had always talked about buying the Kung Fu series on DVD so after the tragic death of David Carradine it seemed the appropriate time to do it. We ordered the series from Amazon and received it a couple of days ago.

We started with the Pilot episode and ended up having a Kung Fu marathon yesterday. What an amazing show. I can't believe it lasted three full seasons in the 1970's, being as liberal-minded as it was! We commented that it was decades before its time - even if it was produced today it would still be before its time!!

So many gems in there about how to live simply, humbly and honestly. We kept looking at eachother and saying things like "That is so true". But one thing really stuck out to me and I knew I would have to blog about it. I transcribed it so I could post it here.

It is in an episode titled "Blood Brother", where Caine is looking for a childhood friend who he grew up with at the Shaolin temple. The friend, it turns out, has been beaten to death by a group of bigoted young ruffians after serving as a doctor to many of them for years prior. At the trial of the murderers, Caine reads a letter he found on the body of his murdered friend. The friend had written it to a young woman who he was treating for headaches, knowing her mother had died years before after suffering similar headaches. The letter is as follows:

Honored Miss,

I ask you to excuse greivous faults and errors in me; for to understand this new language, this new land, occupies my time with great effort.

Please be assured that what happened to your revered mother is of her world, not yours. Do not clutch at pain and pain will pass, for I have touched the roots of your suffering and they will wither. In my country we say there is a time for each to die. It is not the death that is so drear, but the fear of death. Fear is the darkness and I wish you to know, gentle lady, that I am not afraid. At the end what remains is not riches, not structures of stone, but remembrances of those few people we have joined spirits with.

Honored lady, I bid you..."


And there the letter ends.

So much wisdom in so few words. I remember watching Kung Fu as a kid and knowing it was pretty deep but not having any idea what any of it meant. It's so great to watch it now, being on my search, so I can appreciate it fully.

We are going to continue the marathon tonight. I can't wait!

Do not clutch at pain and pain will pass...

It is not the death that is so drear, but the fear of death...

Fear is the darkness...

At the end what remains is...remembrances of those people we have joined spirits with.

Grand Canyon and the silly fears that might have stopped us from going!

We have decided (somewhat last minute) to take a trip to the Grand Canyon, leaving tomorrow!

Not too long ago we would have said "Wouldn't it be nice if we could go... but there's just no way we can do it right now." But now we see those excuses for what they are: fears that are not based in any kind of fact.

1. Yes, money is tight, but it is just as tight whether we are home or in the Grand Canyon.

2. Yes, Alan is looking for a job, but he can take a few days off from the job search. When he does get a job he won't be able to take last minute trips like this - who knows how long it will be before he can take time off at all.

3. Yes, I got my wisdom teeth out today, but I can rinse with salt water and eat soft foods in the Grand Canyon just as easily as I can here.

About 8 years ago or so Alan and I bought a videotape at a thrift store about National Parks and we watched it over and over again because it was like taking a virtual vacation. The section about the Grand Canyon was always our favorite and we always talked about going there but never did it. It's really silly because we live relatively close to it, but we just never realized how easy it would be to go. Our fears always got in the way. So I'm glad we finally get to see it together with Harper.

I'm so grateful that the things I am learning in my search for the glorious life are allowing me to take chances and opportunities I never would have considered before.

The Success Principles - finding your true purpose

I have started reading Jack Canfield's "The Success Principles"(TSP) while still reading The Power of Now for the third time. I decided to read TSP after reading the quotes on the back of the book by motivational superstars like Tony Robbins, who said if I only read one book this year it should be Jack Canfield's TSP.

So I started reading it and I LOVE it! It's absolutely packed with information about how to find out what your true purpose is and how to go after it!! He gives ideas on how to be happy in your daily life by doing the best you can at your current job - even though it may not be what you really want to do. Doing your best even in that job can propel you to new heights and open doors for you that can lead you places you never imagined you'd go.

This is the part that first sold me:

The Life Purpose Exercise

1. List two of your unique personal qualities, such as enthusiasm and creativity.

2. List one or two ways you enjoy expressing those qualities when interacting with others, such as to support and to inspire.

3. Assume the world is perfect right now. What does this world look like? How is everyone interacting with everyone else? What does it feel like? Write your answer as a statement, in the present tense, describing the ultimate condition, the perfect world as you see it and feel it. Remember, a perfect world is a fun place to be.

EXAMPLE: Everyone is freely expressing their own unique talents. Everyone is working in harmony. Everyone is expressing their love.

4. Combine the three prior subdivisions of this paragraph into a single statement.

EXAMPLE: My purpose is to use my creativity and enthusiasm to support and inspire others to freely express their talents in a harmonious and loving way.

COOL, RIGHT??

The Power of Now is...powerful! :)

Right now I am reading "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle for the third time. I tell you, I can't imagine how the stuff is not permanently printed on my brain tissue by this time, but I still forget it for most of the day every day!


If you haven't read The Power of Now (TPON) it is super difficult to explain, so bare with me. (and if you have read it, please forgive my loose translation - YOU try explaining it!) Anyhoo - the basic philosophy is that we human beings are not our thoughts and emotions. In fact we are not separate beings at all. We are all one "being" or "presence" that animates our human bodies. This "presence" is the essence of peace, joy and love. And the portal to that true nature is the present moment. The "Now".

Tolle points out that most human beings are madly buzzing around in their lives thinking that their thoughts and emotions are who they really are, when in reality, our thoughts and emotions make up what he calls an ego - a false self - focused solely on the future and past - neither of which actually exist. When the future comes, it will come as the "Now". When the past was here, it was here as the "Now". Therefore, all we really have is the "Now".

[Just FYI - He said that he came to this realization when he was horribly depressed, in fact suicidal. He kept saying to himself "I can't live with myself anymore." Then he had the realization that in order to actually "live with himself" he would have to have two entities or personalities within himself. He then thought, "what if only one of those two is real?"]

So the question is, how do we access that portal - the "Now" - so we can find our true nature? That's what Tolle tries to teach us in TPON. He talks about different ways to do it and I have found one of his suggestions works pretty well for me.

It has to do with focusing on a part of your body, like your hand. Close your eyes and focus on feeling the energy in your hand, feeling the molecules bouncing off of eachother. We know our bodies are not solid. Like everything, they are made up of tiny particles. Focus on the space between those molecules, feel the energy within your hand. It's kind of like a tingling or a warmth, as if your hand was illuminated from within. Then try to expand that feeling to your whole arm - then your whole body. He calls this "feeling your inner body".

When your thoughts begin to come back and take over, see them for what they are and then come back to the present moment. The "you" that sees the thoughts for what they are is the real you!


When you are "feeling your inner body" you are in the "Now".

I have done a pitiful job of explaining this, so please don't dismiss it without reading Tolle's book, where he explains everything thoroughly in detail and provides suggestions of several other ways of getting into the "Now".

I've been trying the "inner body" thing for a few days now and a couple of nights ago I had a really amazing experience with it. I don't think I could do it justice to try and explain it here, but I will just say that I can't wait to get back there again and again, and eventually I hope to live there!

I highly recommend TPON for anyone who suffers from anxiety and a true desire to overcome it... I highly recommend it for anyone, actually.