Challenging the Impossible- for real

A while back I saw a poster for a free documentary showing.  It was a New Age film that said it was about miracles and would “Change your life” and make you “Believe in the impossible”.

I went and realized it seemed kind of cultish.  All of the members seemed brainwashed and worshipping the “Leader” who made the documentary.  In it, he said he achieved supernatural powers through meditation and things like that, and could perform miracles and had super powers. 

  I watched him doing these supposed “powers” and it was clearly a hoax.  Then I remembered I had read about this guy online before and he was a total cult-leading scammer.  I asked the followers if they believed his powers were real and they were all like “Yes!  He is holy!  He is divine!” and the documentary was full of people saying the same, totally deceived.  I left freaked out and will not be going back.

In a weird way, though, I liked the film.  It really did change my life and believe anything is possible in this way- even though the guy was a total fake, he projected himself and his beliefs with such utter confidence that he got a whole ton of followers, international fame, and a ton of money.  People the world over look up to him as if he’s Jesus.  Even though he’s a phony, he had so much self-belief he was able to convince people on such a deep level.

Now I don’t want to start a cult or trick people and I think he's horrible that he scammed people, but the film inspired me in the sense that it shows that with enough self-belief, so much is possible.  If he didn’t present himself with complete and total confidence and self-assurance, he would have gotten nowhere.  But he did, and look what he got. 

So in its own messed-up way, the film taught me the importance of self-belief and confidence, so in a weird way it really did “Change my life” and “Believe in the impossible”, just like the poster said.  Haha.  

Let go -- then hold on

Lots of people discuss happiness in terms of "Letting go"- of expectations, bad memories, resentment, or whatever.  Yes, that is necessary but I've started to see things a little differently.  Happiness doesn't just come from letting go, it's also about "Holding On"  

This whole focus on "Letting go" of the bad things, if focused on too much of letting go of the bad, you might instead focus too much on these things and attract more of them. 

Your mind is like a container, you can fill it with good or bad.  Sure, you need to empty out the bad but then you need to fill it up with good, to make no more space for bad feelings to come flowing back in. And also, an empty container is useless. So, yes, "Let Go" but also, "Hold On".  

Hold on. Fill yourself up. Take back control and hold on to the good- the things that *did* work out, the victories, the words of a good friend, even the good times from people who are no longer in your life.  Remember those.  

Happiness isn't just automatic, it comes from a conscious descision to be happy and fill yourself with positivity.  You can't just wake up in the morning and expect to have a good day without doing anything about it.  Start your day by focusing on to the good things and always hold them close.

Yes, happiness is a journey but I feel it's also a descision.  Decide to hold on to the right things so then there's no more room for the wrong.  

Back to the jungle?

One thing that needs to change in our society is that there are little, if any, meaningful challenges anywhere

Anytime someone steps out to try something new, even just a little, a bunch of idiots try to shove them back.

People who dress different are laughed at,

A person who has any kind of artistic ambition is automatically told they'll fail by people who never even bothered to look at their work.

Any student who decides to take a year off and travel is told they'll probably get kidnapped or murdered, and if they take the year off their financial and educational future will be ruined.

Back in the day, things were different.  

In the ancient tribes, when a boy reached a certain age he'd be given a spear, and left in the jungle for three days.

 He'd brave the unknown,  learn about the world and himself. When he returned to the tribe, there would be a huge celebration for him and he would be welcomed back into the tribe as a man.

 (Not being sexist here- both genders are capable of doing this- that was just the way it was done in the ancient times)

So I think the reason why we have so many problems with depression and low self-esteem here is because people don't know themselves.  To know yourself, you need challenges.   Do things and achieve things.  REAL challenges, I mean. 

The books always tell us to "learn to love yourself" but how can you "love yourself" if you don't even know who the hell you are in the first place?

So go take a real risk: do some crazy lengthy art project, stand up to some asshole, spend a week in a homeless shelter.  It doesn't have to be that crazy, just something that gets you out of your comfort zone and can look back at it later, thinking, "Wow, that makes me brave" Whatever's good for you.

Our authorities don't encourage anything like this, and so as a consequence our society is fast becoming a nation of wusses.  

City life

city life

 

While on vacation in London, England I got into a conversation with a street preacher.

He started giving me the usual "this world is going to hell" speech how the 
modern world and big cities are so godless, spiritually "crushing" and without 
firm morals and tradition. 

He wished for an old-fashioned, small-town life- the kind his grandparents 
once had, and wished we could all go back to that kind of life.

Although I understand and agree with some of his position, I think modern
big-city life is better overall. Mainly beause of this:

In the old days, your social and mental foundations were all set up for you:
you'd come from a Christian background with strong moral values, everyone
abides by the same rules, you'd live close to your family your whole life, and
carry on the family farm or general store after your parents died.

A safe and secure system, sure, but at a price- there's much less room for
initiative. There's always a chance you may not agree with what you're given.

City life, on the other hand, is full of choice.

There is a hell of a lot more insecurity and uncertainty, but this system can
make you a better person. In the modern world, we have almost nothing handed to us and no foundations so it requires YOU to take the initiative.

If you want to have a full life and something true to believe in, you actually
have get your hands dirty: to go out, experience, try new things and wade
through all the shit to get what you want.

You can have almost any lifestyle you choose in this world: punk culture,
hippie culture, Western religions, Eastern religions, drug culture, paganism, raves, anarchy, communes, (hell, there's even the Amish if you're so
inclined).

There's a lot out there. You only have to go out and obtain it.

In the end, the only people who will be truly "crushed" by modern society are
those who are too ignorant or lazy to find their own way. 

On miracles

There's a lot of debate in both the spiritual and secular world about what's a miracle and what's not, or if they're even real.  People seem to squabble over this always. 

I'm not even going to attempt to answer that question, but I'll just tell you a story about something neat I saw recently.  At a spiritual centre, where people come for guidance, I was sitting there listening to the speaker in my chair and a man tapped me on the shoulder, telling me to come outside with him.  Outside there was a lady coming out of her car, and he said he needed me to help her.  She was very overweight, walking unsteadily, pale and unhealthy.  He needed to help her up the stairs and I needed to carry her bags in.  My heart really went out to her.  

She said she wanted prayer for healing, she had breathing trouble as she spoke and a tube in her nostrils, so a circle of people were around her, laying their hands on her.  I joined in.

That same lady came back a week later but didn't even look like the same lady.  The tube was gone.  Her face had a healthy glow, and she was walking quickly and happily to her seat, totally unassisted. 

Some people would call this a miracle, others would say she just felt like she'd get better so she did.  Or maybe she had one of those conditions where she has good days and bad days.  

Honestly, whatever the case is, I don't know and don't care.  I didn't even think of it as a miracle when I saw her healthy: I was just happy to see her that way.  She lives far away, haven't seen her since so I don't know her health problems but don't need to.  

Instead of going over and over in my mind over whether or not that was a miracle, the only thing I focused on was that I wanted to see her better and I did.  No questions or squabbles were running through my mind when I saw her.  The only thing running through my mind was joy.  

I really need to be that way more often.  Who knows what it shall attract? 

Sparkles in the dark

When we're going after something we want and it doesn't seem to be working out: a good job, a new house, a decent relationship or whatever, we get discouraged.  Sure, I'm the same way but I've learned something.

This might sound a little weird but I'll try my best to explain: often, when it's taking too long, the Universe sends us tiny little sparkles of positivity in the midst off all the shit going on, messages that good things are on the way.  But we're usually too negative to notice them, or fail to see what they have to do with anything.  We need to focus on these little sparkles, because they show us the possibilities available if we choose to keep going.

One example: a few years back I started a job at a call centre where you call people up and conduct surveys.  They did reviews every six months and if you managed to get a lot of surveys done, you got a raise.  You started on minimum wage and but could go way up, and I wanted that.

When I started, I sucked.  Everyone hung up on me, I got nothing.  The supervisors told me my voice sounded awkward and didn't "flow" right.  I felt stupid.  Then we got stuck on a really rough study- we had to try and get people to do a 45-minute survey about what kind of laundry detergents they used.  It was really important so they told us to get as many as possible.  On the first day of it I got hung up on and yelled at for two hours straight.  I wondered what the hell I was even doing there.

Then, eventually, a lady answered "Hello?" in a nice voice.  I told her about the study and she went "Oh neat!  I've always wanted to do one of these survey things!" But when I told her it was 45 minutes she told me "Sorry but I have to make supper for my kids.  If it was five or ten minutes I could, but I don't have the time.  But good luck okay?"

At first I was pissed off but then an inner voice told me: "PEOPLE ARE SHOWING INTEREST.  That's a good thing.  If you keep calling, you'll find more." The guy beside me had the same experience and I tried to tell him what I thought and he was just like "What the hell does that have to do with anything?  That's stupid."

So I kept at it for another three hours.  Nothing.  But I kept thinking of that lady and knew they were out there.  Eventually I got one.

Over that week I managed to get plenty done.  I'd start off every shift thinking of her and envisioned myself as having already had five surveys done today so I was off to a good start. When the reviews came, I got raise after raise.  I went from minimum wage to being one of the highest earners.  I always got a lot done after that and out of the 200-something people working there, I got put into a special group as one of the top ten best interviewers in the company.

The other dude was still stuck on minimum wage.  He said "You're making more than me!  It's not fair!" It was totally fair.  I saw the little sparkles of positivity and invited them in, even thought it looked like nothing to anyone else.  And that "nothing" ended up a great big "Something". So there's my advice, always look for those little "sparkles" when things aren't working out.

You've been dating but are still single?  Focus on the people showing enough interest to spend time with you.  You've got something going on.  Find some more.

You're an artist who hasn't sold a painting?  Think of all the people who stopped by to admire your work.  They could've just walked past and totally ignored you but they didn't.  That says something.

You don't have a job yet?  What about the things the interviewers said they liked about you, and what about all those times you got called back by places that call "selected applicants only"?

You haven't made it as a rockstar yet?  Think of all those people cheering and moshing at those open mic nights.  You know you've got talent.

Whatever the situation, keep your spiritual and natural eyes open, and you'll see what you need to.

The Owl

One night last week I was thinking of going to a party instead of a seminar I planned on attending.  Nothing wrong with partying, I love to party, but my intuition told me I was “slacking off” because I’d been really out of alignment that week and really needed something to help me get back on the right path and living the way I should.  

I felt like I should really leave the party till another time and go to the spiritual seminar instead, as it was important to get myself back on track and living at my best.  Skipping it tonight would have just thrown me off. It took a LOT of self-control, but I felt I had to do what I knew was right for that time. 

So, despite the strong temptation and “fear of missing out”, I decided to go there  instead and chose another party the following week instead.  While walking to the seminar through the night, I noticed a group of people going “Oh my God!” and taking pictures of something on their cellphones.  I looked to see what it was, and it was a beautiful white owl perched on a fence right near me, looking right at me. 

This is significant for many reasons: first, the owl is a symbol of the spirit world and of wisdom, also just a few days before I was looking at this book called “Other Worlds” at the library and there was a beautiful photo of a white owl there.  The photographer mentioned he felt owls were “magical” and how rare it is to see a white owl, as they’re very reclusive and not common.  This was the first time in my life I had ever seen an owl and I was amazed.

 Also I found out owls symbolize change, so for me it was a message that I had made the right, wise decision and confirming that my life has changed in a beautiful way.  It was looking right at me, like it knew, and I took a photo of it too.  Looking at the photo afterwards I noticed the owl was in it but not looking at me and not so clear, but the city lights behind it were way more prominent.  For me, this is a sign as well- that what the owl represented was more important than merely just seeing the owl itself.  

For me, city lights at night symbolize new, undiscovered territories, new possibilities- things that I put myself in line with by being strong enough to make the right decision.  I don't know about you, but that's what I felt the message for tonight was. 

And owls are fucking awesome anyways. :D