It is in Your Power

Has it ever happened to you that you really want something to happen but you have no idea how? You are so dispirited that you just want to give up. If that is how you feel right now, relax, life has a present for you!

 We all struggle with failures, illnesses and problems that come our way. But you are not as helpless as it appears.  Instead of focusing on the obstacles, the successful people focus on what they want to achieve and experience. When they encounter bumps in the road, they take these opportunities as chances to grow and not as punishments. After we learn our lessons they transform and open up to life with even more intensity. Everything becomes easy again. On the other hand, if we keep running away from our difficulties, they don’t really just disappear.  They show up again until we have mastered what we need to learn.

Take love as an example. We all are eager for love and want to experience love as best as we can. We are most happy when we are surrounded by love. However, everyone who has been in love before also knows that suffering is unfortunately nearby. Does love make us suffer? What if our loved one gets sick? What if she doesn't love us back?

We suffer only because we don’t really know what love is. Whenever we get a glimpse of true love we transform and open up to life no matter what. There is incredible creativity and love in opening up to everything that comes our way. We learn from our problems and learn to focus on what we want to experience. We are able to tell the story of our life and are able to look through the occasional distraction.

The same philosophy applies to all obstacles and difficulties in our life. If we resist, they will persist. If we open up to them, the overriding storyline will soon become clear to us and we will transform ourself and the environment we operate in. Take the courage, be persistent and find the creative solution that hides in every obstacle. Life is here for us to become the creator and healer we are born to be. It is in your power!

By Christian and Su Zhen

Life is a lot of Fun When You Believe It Is

You will be what you are.
(Friedrich Nietzsche)

Your mind-set decides pretty much what you will experience in your life. When you doubt people, when you lack trust, when you see scarcity wherever you turn, you will find plenty of evidence to prove to yourself that you are right.

On the other hand, when you believe in love, when you trust the people you interact with, when you know that you are fine regardless of what happens, be ready to experience a magic world opening up to you. A whole new dimension is waiting for you to experience - life is a lot of fun when you believe that it is.

How you feel inside also pretty much decides how you are going to experience life, work, and your interpersonal relationships. When you think that you are not popular, you won't. When you don't believe in yourself, no one else will. But then, when you discover that you are true love, you will be surrounded by it.

Stand ready to experience your life radiating with the warmth and intensity of a sun. Actually, you don't have to convince yourself of anything. All you have to do is to let go of all the interferences that held you back in the past. The nay-sayer within; the suspicious mind that sees a downside in anything that comes your way. Drop all expectations and open up to life so that you can receive the abundance it has to offer.

You are part of the Way once you let go of the little fenced up reality that you used to perceive. Don't be afraid of life just because you carry a few old scars around. Life is a lot of fun when you open up to it. Enjoy!

By Christian and Su Zhen

Flipping Radio Stations

As many of you know, I am a positive thinker. Sure, I acknowledge it when the shit hits the fan and also don't consider myself too kosher to jump right in and clean it up. Yet when it comes to the outlook, my focus zooms immediately into the blue sky no matter whether it is raining or cloudy at the moment. That's what my spiritual journey has taught me. Get a blank piece of paper, sketch out a world you want to live in and it is in your will-power to get the job done - as long as you are willing to pay the price.

Some of you may also know that the lyrics of songs on the radio talk to me. So frequently when either the tune of a song or its lyrics didn't quite feel right, I used to flip channels until I found a better one. However, one fine day my six year old son remarked while we were driving, "Papa, you are switching the songs too often." Wow, these words hit me like a sledge hammer. Sure, I will still switch when the tune of a song doesn't talk to me, but I am now thinking twice before I change a song only because its message is an inconvenient one. After a conversation with my friend Su Zhen I understood what was going on: you can be a positive thinker as much as you want, but unless you acknowledge the negative sentiments that are floating inside of you, the Tao will have to remind you of what's really going on.

Today was an example in that direction. When I left for school with the boys, Miley Cyrus's Wrecking Ball was playing. Normally I would always switch this song even though its tune immediately caught me. To see that beautiful woman sitting naked on a wrecking ball, crashing into walls is just a little too much for me. Yet, immediately when I turned on the car, my son started singing along so there was little I could do about it. After I had dropped off the kids at school the song was playing again and guess what, I turned up the volume and just accepted whatever sentiment there was in me. Get the frictio

Overcoming Negative Thinking

Where is the moment we needed the most
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
They tell me your blue skies fade to grey
They tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carryin' on

You stand in the line just to hit a new low
You're faking a smile with the coffee to go
You tell me your life's been way off line
You're falling to pieces every time
And I don't need no carryin' on
(Daniel Powter, Bad Day)

What will you do when your energy is low and your negative thoughts are caught in an endless downward spiral? Don't fight them, just observe what is going on inside your head. Observation can liberate you from your bondage. Apply mindfulness to all areas of your life, the way you eat, the way you walk and talk, etc. If you become aware of  everything you do and everything that happens to you, you will develop the mind power and awareness to avoid negative mental spirals.

When you identify yourself with negative thoughts, the energy will be sucked right out of you and a vicious race to the bottom starts. The good news is, the longer you travel a spiritual path the easier it will get for you to avoid episodes like that. You will recognize the positive signs of your support system and you raise yourself up the same way an experienced rock climber would. You will also learn over and over again that a beautiful rainbow follows each and every rainstorm. Being a Tao traveler means that you do as the situation demands, not as your fickle head tells you to. If you give your mind full reign you will have to expect a volatile life. Whatever the mind comes up with is true at the moment: when you think life is wonderful, it is true and if you think life is a torture, it is also true.

Follow the Tao and She will show you the way to happiness despite yourself. Being mindful implies that you can always step out of the movie plot. You don't get too serious about the role you play in life. Mindful living gives you the tools to see the Tao in action no matter what. You know that wherever She walks there is perfect sanity and peace of mind. Just step outside of your mind and see for yourself that everything is perfect as is.

It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
It's a beautiful day

Touch me
Take me to that other place
Teach me
I know I'm not a hopeless case

(U2, Beautiful Day)

By Christian and Su Zhen

Fake it 'Til You Make It

"To be a great champion, you must believe that you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are."
Muhammad Ali

I saw this quote at work the other day and instantly understood its power for our spiritual community. You may say faking it is being dishonest and I would respond that this very much depends on what your intensions are. Perhaps we compare this method to changing the radio station instead. When the rock music becomes too loud and annoying you can always switch the station to classical music instead and instantaneously your mood will change with it, right?

Let me give you an example. Say that you are worried about something, but suddenly a friend wakes you up from your mental trance and asks you how you are doing. Instantaneously your face brightens up and you say " great". You are not really faking this response because at the time when you see your friend your face brightens up naturally. Sure, you could say to her that just a moment ago you were worried about something and you will see how your entire demeanor sours with this statement. Sure, this response would be genuine as well - the choice is entirely up to you. This means that you can train yourself to be always all smiles when you see people you care about. Think that every friend that you encounter will be a present for you and she will. That is the magic of positive thinking.

Energy Boost

I remember reading the story of a professor, named Bob, who always managed to energize everybody who met with him. This was at a time when I struggled a little at work and it somehow seemed that everybody who worked for me experienced the opposite effect. The work I needed to get done was so technical that it just didn't evoke any excitement at all; if anything, I felt like I was draining people's energy. After reading the story of professor Bob I decided that I would turn this around and I am happy to report that - some 3 to 5 years later - I have!

Traveling the Tao will make you so much more sensitive to what other people are interested in; you will realize what drives them and what makes them tick. You will also learn that even though their interests are so different from yours, somehow, what they do and what they say is really connected and important for what you are doing at this moment. Often I listen to wonderful people at work and even if I am not completely connected to what they have to say, I will always be tuned in with their energy flow. Sometimes I just view my role as being an energy lift for people who need a little boost. When people now enter my office I see their faces lightening up; that is exactly what Professor Bob must have experienced as well.

The Law of Attraction works; every conscious change you want to implement you can. Just give the Universe a little time to adjust. Of course, you could get what you want immediately, just understand that it is most importantly you who has to internationalize these changes and that takes time. You will find that people enter and leave your world as your mind set changes. You will also find that the people you interact with start changing their attitude in accordance with your newfound perspective. It certainly takes a little while to experience these changes, but don't worry, the wheels are turning in the background. Be patient and stay positive about this mental experiment and the energy will follow you. Our world is one, as you boost someone else's energy, you really boost your own energy. Try it, it works!

Positive Thinking

The message your brother gives you is up to you. What does he say to you? What would you have him say? Your decision about him determines the message you receive.
(A Course in Miracles)

I remember sitting in an investment meeting where opinions on how to proceed  varied widely. Most participants looked concerned, some even grumpy as we wrapped up the meeting and realized we now had to put a presentation together. An investor sitting next to me said in a quiet, but determined voice, 'we can so do this'. I smiled, because I intuitively understood her statement marked the turn-around for our project. This was several weeks ago and our views have converged since. Our upcoming presentation will be fabulous. 

This is a perfect example of positive thinking. You don't have a pie in the sky attitude, but you let go of all the worries and concerns and you zoom into your upside case with iron focus. You really have a choice in this. Accept the offered hand of your sister and you will fare well. As irony has it, yesterday I reminded my colleague of her statement and she had no recollection. I wasn't surprised at all; apparently she had offered her helping hand subconsciously. When you talk to your sister next time, watch out for the golden opportunity she is about to offer. Reality is nothing but your decision about it, it is as simple as that!

We are biased, so why not make it a consistent one

Read some of the recent psychological insights on biases and you are likely to get depressed. We are full of biases, the idea that we are rational is, well, a pipe dream. Study after study shows that we just react to our environment, consciously as well as subconsciously and we are slaves to our prior memories and cultural upbringings. So if you know that everything you do and think is biased, you might as well go all the way: assume healing and wholeness in all your dealings with people and see how your mental attitude towards them changes the environment you perceive. Love or fault, your thinking will make it so.

Reality is a choice. I might remember how a colleague undermined me at one point in my career or I might remember how he came to my rescue. You must admit, with almost everyone you have the the potential to tell both parts of the story. The Course in Miracles encourages you  to look only at the holy side of your sisters and bothers whenever you can. It is an experiment really. Assume the good if you can and see whether your positive bias gets you the results you anticipate.

I remember a conference when the group I work with experienced a big transition and morale was consequently at a low. I tried saying something uplifting and one of my colleagues followed it up by saying that trust was 'here' and he raised his arm accordingly. From that day on whenever a doubt about my colleagues or my group enters my mind I see this colleague making his arm gesture and hear his words that 'trust was there'. This is positive thinking at work, I understand that this approach is biased, very biased, but you know what, you try for yourself whether it works. In my experience it does.

Stay Positive

Stay positive, away from the negative, count your blessings, and count them one by one.

Kindergarten Motto

Christ Consciousness

You have probably heard of this experiment as it is often cited in the spiritual community: a teacher is given a list of promising incoming students. Even though the names of the students have been chosen randomly, based on the positive bias the teacher has, their grades suddenly show a meaningful jump. This experiment is a great example of what Christ conciousness is all about; it's about realizing the gem in a person, even though it might be hidden by layers of dirt at times. By appealing to this force, the loving, cleaning and creative energy is set free in both of you.