Self Development

Randall sought my help because he was stuck being miserable and had no idea how to get out of his misery. In his life he had experienced moments of great joy and sense of oneness with all of life, but those moments were infrequent. He wanted more of those moments but had no idea how to bring them about. Randall is an extremely intelligent man, but in some ways he was using his own intelligence against himself. The problem was that when Randall did have those brief moments of true connection, he immediately went into his mind to try to figure out how it happened. The moment he went into his mind, he lost the connection that he so desperately …

There is an old joke about people who talk a lot: “Do you know the 12-Step program for people who talk a lot? On and On Anon!” The joke recognizes that fact that incessant talking is a common addiction. Non-stop talking is about using others for attention and approval because of not giving oneself enough attention and approval. The talker is not actually offering anything to the listener. Instead, the talker, in going on and on with a monologue, is pulling energy from the listener. People who end up listening to a talker go on and on are often caretakers who are afraid to hurt the talker by disengaging or by telling the truth about their boredom. Talkers are often …

Lian had been meditating for many years before consulting with me for his depression. He had been part of a spiritual community that encouraged their members to turn to God through prayer and meditation whenever they were feeling any difficult or painful feelings such as anger, hurt, anxiety, or depression. He had been taught that Spirit would transmute his feelings for him and bring him the peace he sought. Yet Lian was depressed. “I have faithfully practiced what I’ve had been taught, so why am I still depressed? What am I doing wrong?” Lian was suffering from what is called “spiritual bypass.” Spiritual bypass occurs when people use their spiritual practice as a way to avoid dealing with and taking …

Place: Fashion Island, Newport Beach, California The incident: Jane, a middle aged professional woman had an altercation with another woman who accosted her after she refused to give up her parking spot. Jane clearly reached the coveted spot first, but the other woman asked her to move, explaining she was 20 minutes late for a doctor’s appointment. At first, Jane thought it was a joke, but before she knew it, the two women were tussling on the concrete. Most people feel angry in situations when someone making outrageous requests of us. This is because our brains are ‘hardwired’ to react with anger when we are frustrated or when obstacles prevent us from reaching our goals. Aggressive driving behavior is due, …

Are you driving under the influence of impaired emotions? Orange County ,California. A 29 year old man was shot to death, an apparent victim of road rage. According to newspaper accounts, he had a reputation for never backing down from a fight. The man and his half brother were heading home from a plumbing job when the trouble began. Apparently, three men in another car zoomed in front of their car. These men started hurling profanities and flashing obscene gestures at the brothers, who returned the insults. Things escalated until a gun was pulled. Rather than backing down, the man got out of his car and began walking toward the gunman. Two shots rang out, missing the man who then …

Rejections are normal and we all are told no on many occasions. Some persons have difficulty handling rejections and may react hastily to the other person involved. If you walk in a bank and apply for a loan and are rejected you might stomp out the door shouting obscene talk to the lenders. This is not an appropriate way to handle the situation. This in fact can get you in trouble and it is obvious that rejections are triggers to your emotions that enforce your anger. Now that you see this is a trigger you will need to learn how to cope with your anger and emotions. We can start with the technique to work through your anger by reducing …

I recently witnessed a scene in a mall parking lot that has had a lasting effect on me – it was two middle-aged women arguing over a parking spot. They were both standing beside their cars and screaming at each other while waving their arms in a threatening manner. The argument eventually became a name-calling competition, with each trying to outdo the other. The sad thing was that the store wasn’t busy and there were plenty of empty spaces available. Their arguing became so heated that other shoppers began stopping to watch the spectacle. Meanwhile, the women’s children sat in their cars and witnessed the whole scene. How proud those kids must be! The fact is that everybody gets angry. …

As more and more alternative and spiritual healings are being studied and documented they are finding that all forms of upliftment heals the body, mind and spirit. Angelic art falls within this category by uplifting the spirit. I do not claim Angel paintings create physical healings. Angel paintings soothe the emotions and create a more peaceful atmosphere helping today’s society deal with the stressful world we now find ourselves in on a day to day basis. Angel paintings are unique. They are a form of healing art. Angelic art uplifts, motivates, comforts, soothes and inspires. Each painting holds it’s own inspirational energy and you do not have to be a ” Believer” for this to work. These paintings work on …

Years ago, my minister spoke to us about how you could solicit the help of your guardian angels to help with conflict resolution. She told us stories about how she and others had successfully asked their guardian angels to speak to the enemy’s guardian angel. The idea being that when you find yourself in an argumentative situation with someone, that you could request that your guardian angel talk angel to angel with their guardian angel about finding a win-win situation. She gave us examples of times when after asking for the angels to help mediate the problem, that the other party suddenly softened and the solutions began to easily show themselves. As she told the stories of her successes with …

Hey gang; Ok it’s time to create some good habits. You know, like eating a pork barrel full of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream at 3 am in the morning. Nah……that’s not the kind of habit I’m talking about. The only habit that will create is a quick trip to the toilet first thing in the morning. Ok, what then? To create a personal success system that never fails requires good habits. Without good habits, you will default to bad habits. I say this all the time….When you go after something don’t come back till you get it. Let me illustrate. In the sales profession, people are taught never ask a prospect for his time. Take it; they’re taught. Well, …

You’re told to take vitamins, drink plenty of water, get a good night’s sleep and exercise, but has anyone ever told you that the design of your home and office can impact your health? You wouldn’t be alone in raising an eyebrow and questioning how this could be so, but thousands of years ago, the ancient seers of India spent entire lifetimes observing how man-made structures impact humans beings. Their findings were compiled into a body of knowledge called Vastu Shastra. In Sanskrit, Vastu means science and Shastra means architecture. It is from this environmental science that some of the worlds’ most enduring structures were created. According to Vastu, all five elements in nature (earth, water, fire, air and space) …

In the ancient traditions of warriorship which found their way into Japan, we can find Buddhist influences and martial practices melding as if made for each other. This article focuses on the influence of Zen on the martial arts and presents a sample view of Zen Master Taisen Deshimaru who often wrote and spoke of Zen and the principles of bushido, “the way of the warrior,” which grew,in part, out of Buddhist principles. It’s said that the roots of many of the Martial Arts is in India, with Buddhist monks. While many sources give conflicting data, it’s known that in Japan, the only places that were large enough to allow for indoor training during inclement weather, were the huge Buddhist …

If you are interested in the theories of quantum physics you will know that the very observation of certain experiments has been shown to affect their outcome. Without going too deep, the implication is that the experimenters are somehow connected to the experiment itself and no matter what they do, they are unable to prevent their influence over it. On the level of meta-physics this is evidence of our oneness with everything. Somehow we are connected to everything outside of us and have access to all there is to know but at the same time are separated by the illusion of our apparent individuality. But what is it that makes us all appear to be different. Have you ever wondered …