I am human. I am imperfect. This is my journey Life is short. Live it. Take more risks. Be bold but honest. Be humble in the face of success; be courageous in the presence of risk or failure. This is my outlet to remind and encourage me (and you) to be better, push harder, embrace change and grow.This blog is my muse and my journal. My objective is to live a full and colorful life, be creative and humorous, to observe and listen, and enjoy the company of others that embrace this perspective fully. If you share these objectives, feel free to tune in.
If you want to follow my imperfect lifestyle follow tobeimperfect on Twitter
Who have you met this past year? How have they impacted your life...either improved it or degraded it. Look around you...who are your friends...if you are complaining about them...you might really be complaining about yourself.
From Dr. Dyer's movie, The Shift. You can buy the whole video on Amazon or watch it on YouTube. This is clip (2 of 12). Someone I recently met quit their job after watching it. In the movie Wayne Dyer explores a spiritual journey in the second half of life when we long to find the purpose that is our unique contribution to the world. The powerful shift from the ego constructs we are taught early in life by parents and society—which promote an emphasis on achievement and accumulation—are shown in contrast to a life of meaning, focused on serving and giving back.
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I've gotten to know more interesting, intellectually curious, independent, honest, passionate and creative people this past year than perhaps any year in my entire life. I've been open to it, seeking it out - on a quest and drinking from a fountain all at the same time. Following my heart, not knowing where it will lead me but pretty comfortable that it will all work out and that in following my heart I will find myself in a better, healthier, happier and more interesting place. So far it seems to have been the case. It's not quite Thanksgiving yet - but I am so thankful for the past year. Thankful that I have (thus far) avoided tragedy, thankful that I could follow my heart and that I have been open to meeting people who have supported me in my exploration.
Over the past two years I've realized that I have been inspired by so many others - many whom I've never met personally but, through their artistic expression - written, visual or other - I feel like I have slept with their soul. Some have never met me but I will never be the same after witnessing or experiencing their creative works.
This past year, however, I feel like I have grown beyond being inspired and have become inspirational to others. Maybe it's just the year, that others are searching or have fallen on hard times. In some ways I feel like I was lucky to be ahead of the curve in my searching. This past year I have inspired friends to look into their soul, find love or in some cases - to question existing long standing relationships. I have inspired friends to take up photography and others to visit spiritual retreats. I have inspired some to downsize and others to change jobs. Yet others have moved to or from because of the ideas and thoughts I have provided. In the end I tell them to listen to their hearts. As Joseph Campbell so simply said "Follow Your Bliss".
As a source of inspiration, I have a long way to go. It's one thing to be inspired by Mother Theresa - it's quite another to be Mother Theresa. My point however is quite simple: It's wonderful to feel inspired - but those that can take it to the next level -- and be a SOURCE of inspiration have crossed into an entirely different zone of existence.
These are small ripples but I hope a positive trend in the way I am living my life.. It is one thing to be inspired - it is quite another to be a force of inspiration to others. Be inspired - but also strive to inspire others. It can be a virtuous circle. Note to self!
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Over the last year or two I've recognized how important it is to spend time playing. Following passions. Throwing things up against the wall and watching them stick or fail. I've realized that for many adults their creative and passionate sides are driven out of them as they take on greater responsibility, family obligations, more important titles - a mortgage.
It's very easy to forget however that as children, "play" was actually the way we learned. This is as true for adults as it is for children in my view. I hope you find this as inspiring as I did. While good ideas can come from hard work, I am coming to believe that exceptional ideas and exceptional people make time to play, engage in personal projects and be willing to have the courage to ignore those too average to understand the value of these creative and experimental exercises.
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I've decided I need to have creative projects to live with myself. Perhaps I have a split personality - my logical side and my creative side. Imagine a button down doctor married to a stripper. How do they make it work. Compromise I suppose. I'm not married - except to both sides of my personalities. I figure it's important to begin to start treating this like a real marriage and maybe that means compromise and giving in to the demands of my right brained soul mate. One possibility is seriously thinking of buying a place in the Bay Area. I've crunched the numbers. It makes no sense whatsoever. According to the math neither does going out to dinner or having children, but I hear people do that on occassion as irrational as that may also be.
I have been thinking about a number of creative projects (again as illogical as this may be, none of them will make me money, but they will feed my soul). I have two in particular. One will occur at Burning Man next year. I am serious about making next year a reality and am going to begin to engage on the serious planning required of the endeavor...expecailly given that I am no where near Black Rock and the trek is a genuinely real one.
I am also thinking about another project that (based upon the previous post) should inspire me and others. I've sent myself a very rough draft mission statement and concept paper (how's that for being left/right brained!). Here's a snippet of my thinking.
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Mission Statement Broadly Drafted
We struggle to be unique, yet we are so similar. Economics, fashion, education, modes of transport, the hotels we stay in, the wine we drink, the type of toilet paper and detergent we use...they all promise to help us assure ourselves that we are meaningful, loved, valued, appreciated and above all....special and unique...Where capitalism succeeds in marketing goods it fails by dividing us -creating fissures in the humanity that connects us. The project I propose to myself is a project that seeks to remind us not of how we can separate or distinguish ourselves from others...the "them" ...but rather of how we should be reminded of how similar we are dispite all of our efforts. If marketers and advertising agencies would like us to believe we are all different depending on the price we pay or the brand we choose - this project would aim to tear away that facade and expose what's clearly the truth. Rich and poor. Black and white. American and Chinese. We're all pretty much the same yet few will acknowldge it - neither the preppies nor the punks. For all of those that try to put up barriers there should be others that try to tear them down.
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A friend of mine helped produce this. Thanks for sending the link. Harvard doesn't allow embedding (Harvard, hellllo)..but here is the link and description.
Ronald D. Siegel, Psy.D., assistant clinical professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and editor of Harvard Health Publication's special health report, Positive Psychology, discusses what it takes to be happy.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/video/positive-psychology/what-it-takes-to-be-happy.htm
Update: It's funny, after watching this I guess I understand now why I have been so successful in my career ("survived" as it were described in the video) yet found myself increasingly unhappy. I wonder if balance is elusive. Very intersting. mins 1:10-2:00. Quite interesting that neither having children or being younger make you happier either. Neither does money...
For me taking photographs is a way to be "present" and practice mindful meditation. I'm sure for others Yoga, meditation or other activities help.
Watch the video..it's well worth the time. As a quick summary though the 5 paths to a happier life include:
(1) Embracing virtues: Wisdom, Curiousity, Compassion, Justice
(2) Expressing Gratitude: Appreciate what we have.
(3) Savoring: Slow down. Savor the moments life presents to you and vice versa.
(4) Engagement: Being in our activities for the experience of it, not for the accomplishment.
(5) Being Meaningful: Doing things for others.
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Sometimes I wonder about my friends...I just got this in my email.
I've been playing scrabble lately on the iPhone. Just got a 50 point bonus for using all my letters. The word: "gangbang". Yeah baby!Sent from my iPhone
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