Keep It Real

'Keep it real,' is an old slogan. It is still relevant today though. In a way; we are all constantly looking to define our reality.

Reality is a choice that we make over and over again; continuously. It is always new. You can't get any more current than right now. Funny enough; most of what we think of as reality, has nothing to do with right now.

One of the many lines of great depth from the movie, The Matrix is: "What is real? How do you define real? If you're talking about what you can hear, what you can smell, taste and feel then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain." The line refers to a fundamental truth. Your whole world; your entire universe; exists with in you. Your experience is your world.


Check out Holographic Universe. It's about 20 minutes if you watch part 1 and 2. It does a great job of visually illustrating how your perspective and perception are literally creating your reality.

It looks like, right now, the only thing about reality that everyone can agree on completely is that our individual experiences are real to us. No matter what the differences are beyond that; the fact that we must have an, "I am," for a reality to exist; is not a point of debate.

We make it real. We keep it real; until we redefine what real is.

For more read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

It's All Good Intention - It's All God Intention

'We are one.' Though the statement with in itself seems to be another paradox; there is an absolute truth to be realized with in it if you can experience the depth of meaning.

If everything and everyone are all one, then we must all have something in common. This element that we all share would have to be something major to negate the things that seem to separate us. If we are all part of a single universal intelligence (some call it "God" or "God’s plan"); then it would seem only right to conclude that we all move with a common intention.

So do we? Does everything in existence have the same intention? Do we all have a common aim despite the countless ways we differ in expressing this? YES. Though it may seem to be a contradiction; we all share 'good' intentions.

The only reason why it may seem as if we are all out for different things, is a matter of perspective. If you actually break down every motivation to the root; you will end up with the same thing all the time. This is a feeling best described by many words since words really cannot express it. It is often described as love, peace, joy, beingness, stillness, intoxication, bliss, ecstasy, and aliveness; just to name a few.

Of course a lot of people would say that the root of all motivation would have two causes as opposed to one. These would be 'love' or 'fear'. But the cause of fear is really feeling a lack of love. This feeling is still a motivation to move toward love. Love is the root of all intentions.

The ego's perspective is the reason for fear. As much as the ego's dysfunctional perspective is talked about; it still has a good intention. We've all heard, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." This accurately describes the ego's M.O. It's purpose is to provide a physical identity for the mind to serve and protect. The reason for the dysfunction is the ego's limited perspective. The way the ego identifies with ideas that are separate from your physical self causes all stress and disassociation from the present moment. The ego chooses a single position to take on reality and therefore limits perspective and polarizes identity.

If all intention stems from one source; why is it considered 'good'? (The answer is a question.)How could it be considered anything else? It is no coincidence that the word 'good' is 'God' with an extra 'o'. It is all within the grand plan of the Creator and whether we are conscious of it or not, we all move together for the betterment of the whole. We are one.

For a more in depth look at good intentions, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

Precision Vision

Most people can agree that in order to intentionally get anything done; you must have some type of idea what you want. The only thing that comes from not having some type of vision of a specific outcome would seem to be random happenings. Some people take it as far as, "If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail." Though the word 'fail' is more of a judgment; this saying points toward a truth.

There have been many great achievers and people of natural talent that have spoken of the power of imagination and vision. Intuition and inspiration have played the major role in human innovation and creativity. The concept of, "seeing the ending at the beginning," is often spoken of by the people we collectively recognize as great, through out history.

"First I dream my painting, then I paint my dream."
-Vincent van Gogh

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
-Martin Luther King Jr.

"A goal is a dream with a deadline."
-Napoleon Hill

"The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision."
-Helen Keller (American author and educator who was blind and deaf)

Of course, if you go look on your own; you will find tons of other quotes by great people that point to the same truth. It really is part of the formula of any type of success. Having a vision of your goal is inseparable from intentionally reaching them.

Though having a vision of a desired out come might sound as if it contradicts the teachings of ego detachment and being in the present moment; it actually supports them. Another paradox.

Not always mentioned, but also absolutely necessary with visualization, is the feeling of the experience that goes along with the visual. This feeling is the monumental ingredient of actually materializing a vision. When you feel anything, you can only feel it in the present moment. All power remains in the present.

When the ego is quiet and there are no stressful attachments; there is more of a sense of being in tune with everything; which is actually being more in tune with your true self. As a result, when we are in this higher consciousness, clarity enables us to see a higher purpose for our existence. This usually involves touching other peoples lives in a significant way. It is always a purpose of a greater good. It is easy to see that it goes far beyond an egoic source and egoic gratification.

Though the journey and the destination are really one in the same; it is vision that allows for this realization.

Arm Me With Harmony

Living in harmony with the universe is the most powerful "weapon" that there is. To be in tune with the way things are; with the way things work; with the laws that govern our reality; is to put all the power that exists, on your side. It is a major paradox: The more of your life you can accept, the more of your life you can control.

The concept of accepting and adapting to reality is extremely powerful. It is so powerful that there isn't any part of creation that does not practice this concept. Everything that exists follows the rules of universal intelligence. There is no way we can prove things otherwise.

It is literally not possible for something to be that could not be. To clearer illustrate this; there isn't a way for things to happen that contradict the laws that govern what is. If there was a way, they would happen. If they did happen, they simply would be proof that we were not familiar with all the laws to begin with. The very existence of the "anomaly" would be evidence that there is still more that is unknown.

The very act of learning is a way of accepting and adapting. It is becoming more familiar with what is and ultimately using this knowledge to your benefit. This goes for everything; from learning basic survival to learning the true nature of our consciousness. The universal intelligence has illustrated this to us through the way evolution works. Of all the countless plant and animal species around and the varied environment types; the ones that remain are always the most accepting of the conditions they exist in.

Being in harmony is being in a very high mode of adapting. Being in harmony is often described as being "in the zone," being "inspired," or possessing intuition. The only way to achieve this is to be in the present moment.

I was once the type of person who would have rather been armed with firearms. I can now see the bigger picture. I would rather be one with my life experiences. Arm me with harmony!

For more great perspective, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

On Top of the World!

Have you ever had the feeling of being "on top of the world?" Most people have at one time or another; regardless of how brief. For those who haven't; it is definitely not hard to at least have an idea of what it would be like.

When you stop and look at it; this feeling could not really be experienced without other feelings and more undesirable situations. In other words; because a person can have situations and experiences that they may feel extremely good about; it leaves the obvious conclusion that there are situations and experiences that a person may feel bad about. You could call them 'middle world' and 'bottom of the world' experiences, to an extent. This really goes to show that there could not be a 'good' without a 'bad'; no 'top' without a 'bottom'. There is a full spectrum of experience and perspective.

It is the 'bad' that allows people to distinguish when they are having a 'good' time. If not for this spectrum, our experience of being 'on top of the world' may seem to be the norm. There would not be a reason to feel particularly happier about something if it is a constant. (In all reality, we do not perceive constants. Even when we do, they are never considered 'good' or 'bad'. ie.=gravity)

Once you've figured out what means the world to you, you have set the guidelines with in your spectrum of reality as to what is the 'top' and what's the 'bottom' of the world. You have really defined your relationship with whatever is possible to happen in your reality. In other words; whatever happens, based on your standards, you will always feel a particular way about it.

It is truly our perspectives that define our worlds. Two people can be in the same physical world and be feeling totally different. One person is on top of the world, and the other is in deep depression. For most people, what it is exactly, that sets their standards, is their ego identity and whatever it identifies well being as.

Once a person can remove themselves from this ego perspective; the rules of well being all change. A person can truly be on top of the world once the attachment to 'good' and 'bad' is recognized and severed. What is left afterward, is a broader perspective and the realiztion that everything is for the best.

For a more in depth look at transcending 'good' and 'bad', read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned.

The Pure Paradox

Language can often be misleading. Because of the inanimate nature of words; all too often words really can not express the abstract essence of what they are attempting to describe. Even when articulated very well; the depth of the concept makes language contradict itself. The result is a paradox.

Let's see what a paradox looks like in action. Here are a few from the book, "Oxymoronica" by Mardy Grothe, that make it clear exactly what a paradox is:

The superfluous is the most necessary.
-Voltaire

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.
-Margaret Mead

I shut my eyes in order to see.
-Paul Gauguin

We learn from history that we do not learn from history.
-Georg Hegel

We are never prepared for what we expect.
-James Michener

To be believed, make the truth unbelievable.
-Napoleon Bonaparte

What we really want is for things to remain the same but get better.
-Sydney J. Harris

When a dog runs at you, whistle for him.
-Henry David Thoreau

Always be sincere, even if you don’t mean it.
-Harry S. Truman

Man can believe the impossible, but can never believe the improbable.
-Oscar Wilde

War is a series of catastrophes which result in a victory.
-Georges Clemenceau

First I dream my painting, then I paint my dream.
-Vincent van Gogh

We are confronted by insurmountable opportunities.
-Walt Kelly, From Pogo

I want peace and I’m willing to fight for it.
-Harry S. Truman

Study the past, if you would divine the future.
-Confucius, in Analects

Love is a kind of warfare.
-Ovid

All works of art should begin…at the end.
-Edgar Allan Poe

The final delusion is the belief that one has lost all delusions.
-Maurice Chapelain

A man chases a woman until she catches him.
-Anonymous

The very nature of our true selves, when described, seems to be a paradox. There are countless contradictions about our reality and the way things work, due to the depth of the concepts. Just to name a few that I have observed:

• Empty space is full of infinite possibilities.
• The more you accept, the more control you have
• The better you teach, the more you learn

The list goes on and on. For plenty more on paradox and contradiction, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

Life is Like a Dream

In many ways, life is a lot like a dream. The dream and the dreamer are one. People are the sources of their dreams. Without realizing that it is in their mind's eye that the dream is generated; people get lost in the temporary "reality" of the dream. They really do go through all the emotions and sensations; the ups and downs of the ride; forgetting that it is a part of them. We forget that we are the architects of the ride to begin with.

Whether your current life situations are very pleasant or more like a nightmare; you are the source of your experience. This can be illustrated at the very basic level of two people having opposite experiences with the same situation. The interpretation of the situation created a different experience.

Creating our own experience can also be seen at an even deeper and more abstract level. The overall frequency or vibrations of a person's most common thoughts and feelings can actually attract the subject of their feelings into physical being in their lives. Many people have heard this principle described as the Law of Attraction.

If you have ever heard of or understand what lucid dreaming is; you may see even more of a connection between waking life and dreaming. In life, the more self aware and conscious you are; the more "awakened" you are. To rise to a higher state of consciousness in life is very similar to rise to a higher state of consciousness in a dream. For example; when having a lucid dream, the dreamer becomes aware that they are having a dream. This awareness actually grants them the power to change what they want and experience what they want in their dream. In waking life; the closer your perspective is to that of your true consciousness (the ever present observer), the more power you have over your waking experience.

There is actually a movie called, "Waking Life," that illustrates many of these connections. Check it out if you are interested. You can watch it now without a download.

For more on the transformative powers of "awakening," read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

Time Flies and Time Drags

The boy who threw his clock out the window because he wanted to see time fly wasn't just the punchline of an old joke. There is an amazing amount of truth to this concept. Here is an excerpt from my book What Is Really Good? on the topic:

Time Is Relative

"Time flies when you’re having fun." "A watched pot never boils." These two phrases are well known because of their truth. We can all relate to doing something we enjoy and time seeming as if it has sped up. We can all relate to anticipating something to come and every minute stretching for an hour. How can this be? This is occurs because of where our focus is directed. Depending on where your attention is focused, time really does lose its incremental value.

If you want to stretch time, do something that makes you uncomfortable. The more uncomfortable, the longer you will feel each and every fraction of a second. Embarrassing situations can be equally as uncomfortable as being in physical pain; sometimes more, depending on the person's ego identification.

Time is so relative that Albert Einstein, one of the greatest scientific minds ever, derived the conclusion that time depends on the observer and the observer's relative position to what they are observing. The special theory of relativity drastically changed the scientific community's view of what time really is, but it has not affected the way society as a whole views it.

Einstein's theory proved mathematically that the faster you move through space, the slower you move through time. It therefore stands to reason, the slower you move through space, the faster you move through time. This is consistent with your resistance to what is stretching time. When you are resistant, your mind is full of motion, content, or thoughts; all the same thing. When you are in acceptance, your mind is closer to being still, being in the moment, and time races on by.

To better illustrate this, imagine the experience of driving. If you are on a clear freeway driving at 80 mph, and you look to the left or right and can see people; they seem to be moving very slowly or frozen. This is the mind state of resistance to what is; the mind moving at "a mile a minute" to get away from the situation. If you are on the same clear freeway and are driving at 3 mph, the same people are now moving at a normal speed and seem considerably faster than you at 80 mph. This is the mind in acceptance and in the present moment.

This is the power of perception. Where your attention is placed or what it is placed on is the key.

Mental discomfort or pain, is based on what the ego is identified with. Embarrassment, for example, occurs when your ego is injured. Your ego is in pain. Physical discomfort or pain is literally the physical aspect of resistance
to what is. As you well know from your own experience, being in mental turmoil or physical pain, slows and stretches time. This is because of the constant signal of stress. This stress is motion; the motion of trying to get away from the present moment. This includes background stress.

When there is no resistance to your situation, time is not given a thought. Non resistance is acceptance by default. The physical aspect of acceptance is a neutrality or contentment, and to a higher degree, pleasure and/or joy. This is when you look at your watch and say, "Whoa! Where did the time go?" You are in alignment with yourself during the period of seemingly timelessness. It could be your egoic false self or your ultimate true self, but nevertheless, when you are in the moment, time is not a factor.

For more read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

The Ultimate Optimist

It has been proven scientifically that one's experience of reality can never be totally objective. It is always subjective to the interpretation of the observer. In everyday language; it is impossible to see the world without a specific set of eyes; without a particular point of view. Knowing this, and knowing that people usually see what they are looking for in life (be it consciously or subconsciously); one must question anybody who chooses to see life through the eyes of a pessimist.

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
-Winston Churchill

I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else.
-Winston Churchill (again)

The quotes above are extremely supportive of the point being made here. There are many others throughout history who have seen the advantage to being optimistic about life. As a matter of fact; you will not find any great man or woman who has succeeded at anything that did not hold the perspective of an optimist. Every set back is a set up for a come back, is the philosophy of a winner. Not only can it fuel great accomplishments; it really does feel so much better on yourself than the stress of a pessimistic attitude.

So how do you become the ultimate optimist? Once the egoic identity has been transcended; once a person no longer mistakes themselves for their ego; it is tremendously easier to realize that everything does indeed happen for the best. To no longer be in resistance to reality; but instead, to adapt to what is, allows one to be at one with and at peace with life situations. This actually empowers them to affect positive change.

So how do you see life? Are you a pessimist or an optimist?

For more on how to see the bright side of your life, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Ever wonder if it is a coincidence that the word to describe the moment happening right now is called 'the present'? You know; the present as in a gift. I'm sure (as you probably are too) that out of all the sounds that can be made to coin a word; there would have been a different one chosen to describe the here and now if there was no connection to something precious given to you. Being aware of the present is definitely a gift.

The present is the gift that keeps on giving. It is always on. The tape is always rolling. It is simply forgotten most of the time because of where our attention is placed. When you are at the right vantage point, you are able to see and feel the power of the present moment perspective.

Lots of people take the present for granted. They are looking forward to a future pleasure or reminiscing about a past one. Many are also dreading future pains and or regretting past ones. Any and all sense pleasure you have experienced is so fleeting and temporary, that after you have experienced it, you can easily forget them. They become like a dream you are trying to remember. This goes for pain as well. People often bury painful memories.

The one thing that you can enjoy on a continuous basis is the joy of your presence. Unlike trying to remember a past pleasure; you can get every single benefit of the joy within by remembering that it is there. When you are remembering pleasure, you are in the past, which is only an idea. When you remember the peace within, you are in the present and the rewards are incomparable to a memory. You know it now. You experience it now.

You remember the past. You re-experience your presence. For the present to even be seen as a gift, definitely requires a reduction or elimination of egoic thought. Acceptance of the present moment is the key to unwrapping the gift that it is.

For more detailed ways on how to accept this gift, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!