“FREEDOM”
(author unknown)

Within the United States of America lies a large industrial city
that is the sight of one of the world’s largest slave labor camps.

Located in and around the center of this city are community
settlements where the slaves live.

Each morning the slaves move herd-like from their quarters into the
slave labor camps.

Each one is at his or her station by 7:30 AM. Here they report to
their master for the day’s duties. And here they remain chained
until 5:00 PM when they’re released to go home.

The slaves have no choice as to how many hours they must labor.
Sometimes they are required to work overtime until their master
tells them they may leave and go home.

Each year the slaves are told when to take their vacations, for how
long, and when they must return.

They have little choice as to how much money they earn as they are
paid not what they are worth, but what the job is worth.

They are allowed very little time for lunch and coffee breaks during
the labor hours.

The slaves will remain in their chains in great fear because the
master can punish them with the “firing” or “layoff” whip.

It is said that even some of the older slaves who have been good and
faithful have felt the sting of the whip.

Day by day, year-by-year, the slaves toil and grow older until the
master decides it is time to release them to the retirement camps
where they’re forced to sit idle and wait for death.

It’s a well-known fact that the old slaves who try to keep working
are sometimes whipped with a “stop their-pension” whip.

I know these slave camps exist for I once was a slave.

But now I am a free man who lives among the slaves.

The reason I am free is because I am in business for myself.

Yes, I am truly free!

I came across this essay through an email that I received earlier this week. I found it inspiring , therefore, I decided that it was worth sharing with you. As a disclaimer, I am not implying that every person that is working in a traditional industry is a slave. As a matter of fact, I personally believe that anyone who is passionate about whatever they are doing on a daily basis is already extraordinary. To wake up passionate and happy about what is in store for you on any particular day ,every day, is a possible goal worth attaining. To engage in meaningful activities throughout your day for the vast majority of days that you have left on earth is a dream for many , but an attainable one. To be able to lay your head on your pillow every night satisfied ,yet not complacent, can be a standard for you. An extraordinary, authentic life is one in which each breath is cherished. It is a life where you are completely engaged in every aspect of life without any regrets. You are living your truth free of outside “programming”. Every thought has been made captive. You are in tuned with the reasons behind your daily habits and actions. You are living life  deliberately. Every aspect of your life exemplifies this fact. There is no compromise. You are awakened and refuse to go back to “sleep”. You experience life with the same wonder and exuberance as a child ,with one major exception. You are a conscious creator. The lines dividing work and play are becoming progressively blurred. Nothing is taken for granted.

Get in the habit of giving yourself daily “gut checks” about your thoughts and actions. It becomes more natural with practice. Give yourself fully to whatever you are doing at that moment. This action will help you with learning how to stay present. Remember that regardless of what event occurred in your past or is scheduled for your your future all that truly exist is the present. The past will never return and the future never actually gets here. Do you know why? It never gets here because once the future comes, it will still be the present. The event will no longer be in your future. At every point in your life that you have existed, you were in that present moment. Your plans for your future are made in the present. Technically,it is the only time that you will ever have in this lifetime. Learn to both cherish and make the most of it. As human beings, we have been conditioned to be busy, yet not necessarily productive. We get our security and sense of self worth from illusions( money, fame, recognition, race , gender, etc). We unconsciously focus more on being politically correct according to societies standard( whatever that is…) instead of being free. It is  a form of mental prison.. It is the worst kind because we pass this form of slavery down to our children , in most cases, without being aware of it. There is a way out. You are an  all powerful being. Set the intention for your life. Be as descriptive as possible . Have fun with it. Make the most out of the moment that you have. at the moment, you might still have to maintain your routine, but that’s okay. Your perspective about your life situation has changed. You approach your daily affairs with a different energy.

Learn to allow life to unfold. Always remember to set high expectations for yourself. Demand happiness for yourself. Challenges , victories and defeats are all necessary parts of life. Your life is like a rare painting . You are the artist. You decide what colors to add to your  artwork/ life based on your thoughts, actions and reactions. Refuse to live a mundane life. Never allow others response to your life choices to determine your self worth. If you are tempted to do so, your feelings are based on a lie. Your truth is that you are a unique, creative, powerful being and your greatest asset is your mind. Learn to control out. Train yourself daily to be aware of your thoughts. As mentioned earlier, keep the ones that serve you. If others criticize you try not to take it personally. Whether thy know it or not ,it was never about you. People tend to unknowingly criticize others based on their own insecurities and fears. Have compassion for them without allowing their comments to alter your perspective about life and yourself. You are perfect as you are. You are a unique “masterpiece” of an individual that is constantly evolving while gaining more of a deeper realization of the fact that you are special. You belong. You have always belonged. You are born free. You were simply sleep.

Know that you realize that you are free, know what?!!! Create , grow, love  and experience everything there is that you choose to experience. In the process, encourage others to do the same thing according to their standard. We can grow into our unique, wonderful selves and be united in doing so because we realize that we each represent a particularly remarkable aspect of the whole. We are all indeed one. Knowing this at a personal, heart centered level is the true definition of  ” living in love”.

Love is at the core of true freedom , especially, self love. It is my opinion that you must love yourself before you can ideally love others. We are enslaved by false perceptions of ourselves, others and life , in general. We allow “outside influences ” ( society, family, race/ethnic/gender/sexual orientation, etc) to determine our “place” in society. This is a self defeating process as well as an outright lie. In actuality, your true value cannot be quantified. How can you quantify a being like yourself of infinite potential. It isn’t possible. You don’t have to be perfect. Perfection is an illusion. It is a matter of perception. As mentioned earlier,you are a work in progress. If something is perfect , how can it continue to grow? You are free to grow and become what you desire to become because that it is what you choose to do. There is no clear right or wrong decision concerning this matter. There are only consequences. There are consequences for each decision that we make in our lives. It’s okay. It’s how we learn and grow. Our natural state is to be free. We imprison ourselves with our limited beliefs and perceptions. We also hold the keys to release ourselves from bondage. Find your joy in the journey. Do not bound yourselves to toys , trinkets and titles. You can’t take any of these items with you. Life is full of transitions. Freedom is reached once you realize that there is no true arrival. There is much to learn, experience and , if you choose to do so, enjoy. You are already there. Learn to enjoy this moment. Welcome to freedom. Until next time….

Buy my book, “The Authentic Life” here

Well, the election is finally over!! Depending on your political party affiliation, you are either relieved or scared like hell. Either way, life goes on. In my opinion, the entire election campaign for both of the top candidates was a media “circus” from the beginning. Each side made it a point to “sling mud” at the other one. Apparently, a brilliant campaign is defined as the one that spends the most money on campaign commercials. Every four years, someone comes forward to give us more empty promises in order to position themselves to fill up their own pockets. It has been proven that many elected officials spend most of their time before the election fighting to get elected and ,afterwards, fighting to stay in office. The term politician and public servant are not synonymous. What about the people?!!! Don’t believe the hype!!!  Be determined to  educate and  empower yourself. A true education does both. Stop settling.

The election proved that , without a doubt, ANYONE CAN BECOME PRESIDENT!!! It’s time to wake up. Any system whether government, business, education, healthcare, religious or the media , for that matter, should be closely monitored. As humans, we tend to get too comfortable in our daily routines. It is a s if we are each sleepwalking. We become blind and ignorant to what is happening right under our noses. Although we might complain ever so often, very few of us have the courage to step up and speak out due to the fear of persecution. We accept our leaders and systems at face value. This is proven to be a tragic mistake.

The government will not “save” us. It is not designed to save us. Ideally, it has been put in place to protect our right to save ourselves. It’s role is to protect each of our “inalienable” rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That is all. A system should exist for the primary purpose of benefiting all of the people that are directly affected by it. It is my opinion that once any system seizes to do so, it must be either changed or discarded altogether. “Functional” systems exist to serve its people.Period.

No one is going to save you, therefore, save yourself. In order to control our own destiny , we must master ourselves . We must master our thoughts, emotions and resources. We must be clear about what we desire for ourselves. Remember that your reality is not determined by your current circumstances. It is determined by your thoughts, first and foremost. Your thoughts determine your reactions  towards daily events and people that you come across on a daily basis. Your world ( daily routine, events, relationships, etc) are a result of what you think about most. These thoughts occur both consciously and subconsciously. Either way, they determine the outcome of events in your daily life. Your world , in one way or the other, is a direct reflection of you.

Take a moment to take inventory of your daily thoughts. Be honest with yourself. Which thoughts serve you? How do these thoughts make you feel? Pay attention to the thoughts that either no longer save you or never did, in the first place. Make consistent decision to “govern” your thoughts. Get rid of the ones that bring you down. Train yourself ,through daily practice,to find the good in EVERY situation. Notice that I didn’t say that it would be easy, hence, the requirement for “daily” practice. For better or worse,human beings tend to be creatures of habit. Make a conscious decision to to develop habits that build you up. Be clear about what you desire out of life in all areas( physically, mentally, emotionally, financially,relationships etc..). First,see it in your minds eye. Whatever you focus on manifests. It does so gradually and meticulously, but deliberately based on your most sincere desire. Who you truly are always comes out. Set the intention while learning to let go of the details leading to it’s occurence. Leave the “How’s” and ” Whens” to a power far greater than your “human” self. Remember that you are one with this infinite power. It is your higher self and it exist to manifest through you. It desires to do nothing more than that. It will serve you based on your thoughts and perceptions about yourself and others.It is my opinion that there is no greater purpose for both the government ( specifically, the U.S. government) and the various systems that effect our individual lives than to protect our inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is up to you to determine what happiness looks like for you. It is necessary for you to become both a critical thinker and conscious creator.

Become a “Macgyver”

I’m probably dating myself, but I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s. There was a popular television show that came on television titled “Macgyver”. Macgyver was a secret agent who was a  master of complex problem solving. He was extremely resourceful and always seemed to find ways to find his way out of life threatening situations no matter how hopeless the circumstances seemed at that moment. This is what we need to become in order to become navigators of our own futures. Macgyver was confident that every problem had a solution even if he wasn’t sure what it was at that time. He never allowed fear to cripple him to the point of where he was too afraid to go on a mission. He didn’t allow himself to get distracted by the “what if’s”. What are the what if’s you might ask?

What If I fail?

What if you do fail? So what?!! People who are exceptionally successful fail more than people who are not. The difference is that successful people look at failure differently. They learn from their failures. They allow their challenges to train them and , in the process, grow from the experience. Most people see the image of a successful person based on the “end” result after the struggles that it took for them to get to that position. They don’t realize that the individual , in most cases, had to grow into that position of power. You must take ownership of what it is that you desire. Don’t expect a hand out. The world can be especially harsh for the individual without a vision for themselves. There are many “distractions”. Most people settle for status quo and , in the process, drown in mediocrity. They allow themselves to be  tossed back and forth by the waves of every day challenges that , at that moment, might seem both overwhelming and insurmountable. The person with a clear vision of what they desire learns how to “swim”, regardless, of how hard the waves of life challenges crash into them. They might “go down” for a moment, but they always find a way to rise above the surface because they have committed themselves to do so. They are determined to either master the navigation towards the fulfillment of their dreams or die trying. Failure nor complacency is never the end. Learn to make the most out of the resources available to you until you are in a position to acquire more. Decide daily to be fully engaged in the creation process.

What If I I Am Rejected?

In order to control your destiny, you cannot be concerned with what others think of you. Don’t fall into the trap of political correctness. Authenticity will always “trump” popularity in the long run( no pun intended ), and , in many cases, the short run as well. Stay true to yourself.

What If the Others Don’t Approve?

A life lived based on someone else’s  standard is a compromised existence. Be determined to stand up and stand out because YOU CAN!!! As long as you care about what you are doing, who cares what the “others” think?  Please understand that most of the “others”( family,peers,etc..) have no clear idea of where they are going in life nor who they truly are. Most people follow without having a genuine clue  about the origin of their convictions about certain issues. We,as humans, follow a daily routine that occupies both our time and consciousness. People judge one another based on a skewed standard. They are both psychologically and emotionally tied to systems that are not only outdated, but were designed to serve the interests of a chosen few. There has been no greater time than the present for learning how to live consciously. If you choose to follow take a moment to establish your reasons why to do so. It is imperative for you to make sure that your thoughts originate with you rather than to have been simply “passed down” from someone else. Establish your own identity. Most of the naysayers persecute due to their own fears and insecurities whether they realize it or not.

Become a Revolutionary

The United States was founded on the premise of revolution. The founding fathers were willing to die for their right to carve out their own destiny according to their terms and as a result of their own individual efforts. In those days, it was clear who the opposition was to that end . The goal was freedom. It is your right. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there is no greater slavery than mental slavery. The opposition is inside you because is it is you. You have been imprisoned by your limited perception of who you are and what you are capable of accomplishing in your life. You have been conditioned to think that you are dependent on the systems( government, healthcare, educational, religious, media or otherwise…). Save yourself!!!You are your greatest resource or hindrance based on your thoughts and perceptions about the world around you. WAKE UP!!! Revolt against the thoughts and habits that no longer serve you. Become radical about finding the good in all circumstances and making the most of the resources available to you at this moment. Establish a vision for your life and actively engage in the process of realizing it. Expect happiness and success to be a common trend in your daily life. Cease being a victim of circumstances and decide to become a student of life. Be convinced that all of life conspires on your behalf because you have decided to learn from it. You possess everything that you need within you to be successful. Educating yourself  is a way of tapping into the bottomless reservoir that already exist within you. You are complete. Be your own individual “movement” . The “revolution” starts within you. You are the leader. Own it. Before you can even begin to control your own destiny, you must master yourself. Train your mind. There is no other way. Change your thoughts.Change your actions. Change your world and , perhaps, in the process, be part of the solution for saving this planet for all of us as well as the generations to come. Until next time…

Buy my book , “The Authentic Life” here

In the scheme of things, your life is a mist. The universe is estimated to be around 14 billion years old. Humans have existed for 200,000 of those years. The average human life span is 75  years. For many of us homo sapiens, we spend most of that time either aspiring to or maintaining a life standard that was past down to us by the government , society, our local community or our parents. It is my opinion that most people have no clear idea where there “life standard” originated from. We both consciously and unconsciously follow without question. It is as if  we walk around with blinders on. We also tend to be emotionally tied to our standards,traditions, customs and ,above all, routines. Will the truly independent thinkers please stand up!!! Uh oh, here it comes…. that dreaded word… STATUS QUO!!!

The worst form of slavery is the one in which you don’t realize that you are a slave. Ask yourself this question. What motivates you? What standard is your identity established on? Does your security come form your economic status? Does it come from your job position? How about your physical appearance? Do you consider yourself one of the beautiful people? Do you get your security from your relationships regardless of how superficial they might be? You are unlimited, all powerful spirit having a human experience. Your true nature is love… infinite, ever present, creative love that, at different “moments” within the fabric of time( which is an illusion), materializes into form.

For many of us, we have been conditioned to think that we are each here for some divine purpose that has been ordained by a being separate from us who judges our every action. Please do not misunderstand me. I am not an atheist. It is my conviction that that the “spiritual” world is the true reality while the physical world is the illusion. Each of us has a different perspective of the world around us , yet we share the same space. I choose to believe that the purpose of life is to create the ultimate “human” experience. I consider myself both a dreamer and a realist. I believe that the key to life is to purposely take an active role in creating the lifestyle that originated in my dreams. A truly fulfilling life begins by consciously seizing each moment to both acknowledge and appreciate the different aspects of my current life situation despite the momentary circumstance. Whether pleasurable or painful, the experience is temporary. Each moment comes to its eventual end.

I am learning to embrace all of life. I choose to be a student of it while I am intimately engaged in the manifestation of my ideal, overall life experience. Even my mistakes are opportunities to learn and grow.Although I still go through the gamut of pleasant and unpleasant emotions, I choose to be happy because I have the option of doing so. Absolutely nothing or no one should have control over my emotional state. To allow anything or person to “make” me unhappy is one of the worst forms of slavery. I am not insinuating that I have achieved perfect mastery over my emotions. I consider my self a work in progress. I also have extremely high expectations of myself and so should everyone else. At the same time, I am learning not to take myself so seriously. It’s all temporary.

Choose your own purpose. Establish your personal truth and encourage others to do the same without judgement. Live in love. Love what you are doing at this moment. Love the people around you. Find the good in each situation even if it means doing so after you have cursed, screamed and cried your eyes out. If you continue living, it will pass. It always does. Once you die or transition onward to the next experience, none of it will matter anyway. It will be a memory or not. Learn to seize the moment. Set the intention. Set goals to accomplish while not forgetting that you are not alone. Seek to help others on your journey. Learn to smile and give a kind word. Have great sex and , if you don’t, keep trying till you do( practice safe sex though :)). Build deep relationships and don’t forget to tell the people in your life how much they mean to you. Take care of yourself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Eat nutritious foods, but don’t be a fanatic about it.

Avoid all extremes, yet stay open to new experiences while practicing wisdom through critical thinking. Consider the consequences of your actions and do everything that you can not to purposely hurt anyone. Realizing our connection to everyone and everything around us is the basis for what it is to “live in love.” To hurt others is to hurt yourself. To express kindness to others for the sake of kindness opens the floodgates for receiving “blessings” in various forms. Many of our current blessings are ignored by us because we have allowed ourselves to be conditioned by a distorted view of what true fortune is. Your inheritance as a sentient being is abundant  health, wealth and happiness if you choose to accept it. It is yours for the taking. Do not be deceived by all of the information that you receive from the all of the media outlets. Don’t be sold unless you want to be. Know your invaluable worth. You have always had it. Nothing outside of you can tarnish that. Bliss is your natural state. Happiness can be your standard. You are alive. Make a decision to make the most of what it is to be human. This is the golden ticket. You are on a journey.Be a conscious creator while not forgetting to enjoy this ride. Work hard, play hard and love hard. Have no regrets. Your life may be a mist , but, dammit, be determined that it be a fragrant one!!! Preferably, a sweet smelling fragrance… sweet with conquered fears and fond memories. Live your BEST life… I love you.Until next time…

Buy my book, “The Authentic Life.” here.