Disappointed

Reading Da Vinci's Notebooks. Hugely disappointed. This was supposed to be one of the greatest geniuses of all time.... but his reflections are rather trite, boring, and pedestrian.

"Of the beaver one reads that when it is pursued, knowing this to be on account of the virtue of its testicles for medicinal uses and not being able to escape, it stops; and in order to be at peace with its pursuers bites off its testicles with its sharp teeth and leaves them to its enemies."

Wonderful lesson Leo, thanks. NEXT.

Without Meditation

Without meditation, where are peace and joy?
Without peace and joy, where is happiness?

Canadians Spend the MOST Time Online

Article here. Can't say that is surprising as half a year Canada is an ugly cold wasteland... subject to my article below, of course, but all things being equal, I saw no reason to stay.

How Each of Us Creates Our Own Experience

In honor of Kelly and Seth. Thank you for the gift of yourself!

Premise: each of us lives in the world of his or her own making. We create our own experience of life.

I will illustrate with the following example.

When I go swimming here in Phuket, I can create my experience in many different ways. I have MANY choices. I can THINK:

A. This really SUCKS. There are micro-organisms in the water (really, there are) that sometimes attack my skin and create unpleasant burning sensation. I HATE THIS.

B. Swimming here is Ok I suppose. There are vendors on the beach constantly bothering me, asking me to buy their stuff. I AM REALLY GETTING TIRED OF THIS.

C. I like it here. The water is very clean, the weather is sunny. Too bad Phuket is more expensive than the rest of Thailand.

D. I LOVE IT. The beach is amazing, I AM LIVING IN PARADISE. Everybody here is my friend. I appreciate the vendors so that I don't have to run to the store to buy a drink or ice cream if I want some. And I really don't mind paying little bit more for something so great as staying here. I am so grateful I can be here as most people never get that opportunity.

Which of these experiences is 'REAL'? None of them and all of them. IT'S COMPLETELY UP TO ME. I can live and create my life as I choose. I can choose either A, B, C, or D (or an INFINITY of other experiences, actually).

It is up to me. “What kind of day would you like to have???” I ask myself every morning.

And btw, don't say that it doesn't apply to you because you are not on the beach in Thailand. It is true in EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE. You choose what you want to experience. EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE IS A SUBJECT TO YOUR PERSPECTIVE, TO YOUR CHOICE.

So don't evade your responsibility, or your amazing ability as the designer and the creator of your life. USE THIS ABILITY WISELY.

What do you want to experience? At your job? With your partner? Interacting with others? Living your life?

The Heart of Spirituality

"Natural 'mystical' experience, unclothed in dogma, is the original religious therapy that is so often distorted in ecclesiastical organizations, but it represents man's innate recognition of his oneness with the source of his own being, and of his own experience."

The REAL Hangover

Here it is.

Writing

Writing has become my bread-and-butter way of earning a living. I wrote and published 31 books for Kindle so far (ranging from best-sellers to complete flops), and I am working on the 32nd. The goal is 100, and I know I will get there.

For whatever reason, I sometimes think of Jack London. Not that I would compare my writing with his... he was extremely talented and became the highest paid writer of his day. Unfortunately, he drank himself to an early grave.

The photo is of London working at his ranch in California, in 1905. Later in his life, London wrote solely for money to expand his ranch... a beautiful natural place. Peace Jack.