...let me share another powerful & beautiful poem from someone,
i don't know who wrote this, but it is worthwhile absorbing. Sweet dreams!
"
You will be what you will to be,
Let failure find its false content,
In that poor word "environment",
But spirit scorns it, and is free.
It masters time, it conquers space,
It cows that boastful trickster, "Chance",
And bids the tyrant, "Circumstance",
Uncrown, and fills a servant's place.
The human will, that force unseen,
The offspring of a deathless soul,
Can hew a way to any goal,
Though walls of granite intervene.
Be not impatient of delay,
But wait as one who understands,
When spirit rises & commands,
The gods are ready to obey!
"
Love, joy & peace - Jamie
Monday, 30 May 2011
Saturday, 28 May 2011
Dedicated to those I love.
"
To laugh often & much,
To win the respect of intelligent people,
And the affection of children,
To earn the appreciation of honest critics,
And endure the betrayal of false friends,
To appreciate beauty,
To find the best in others,
To leave the world a bit better,
Whether by a healthy child,
A garden patch, or
A redeemed social condition.
To know that even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
"
~ Harry Emerson Fosdick
I forget the title of this beautiful piece, but read it from my journal often to keep me happy. I dedicate this now to all the wonderful people I work with closely everyday - you are each, more than just my business partners, but over the last few years grown to be great friends, honest critics, supportive mentors & as close as family now to me.
This piece reminds me of how we always are now with each other, you guys know who you are. And I'm contented to know that we each seem to live more & more like what's described above. Thank you for being you, the joy i have received in growing to know you is boundless, and the freedom to just be who i am at all times with you is pure bliss.
And now I am kept awake, thinking - So, this is love....
It is indeed an exquisite place to be. But more than that, now I know - it's empowering to strive towards success on my own, but walking that journey together and getting there - now, that's heaven! ;)
To laugh often & much,
To win the respect of intelligent people,
And the affection of children,
To earn the appreciation of honest critics,
And endure the betrayal of false friends,
To appreciate beauty,
To find the best in others,
To leave the world a bit better,
Whether by a healthy child,
A garden patch, or
A redeemed social condition.
To know that even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
"
~ Harry Emerson Fosdick
I forget the title of this beautiful piece, but read it from my journal often to keep me happy. I dedicate this now to all the wonderful people I work with closely everyday - you are each, more than just my business partners, but over the last few years grown to be great friends, honest critics, supportive mentors & as close as family now to me.
This piece reminds me of how we always are now with each other, you guys know who you are. And I'm contented to know that we each seem to live more & more like what's described above. Thank you for being you, the joy i have received in growing to know you is boundless, and the freedom to just be who i am at all times with you is pure bliss.
And now I am kept awake, thinking - So, this is love....
It is indeed an exquisite place to be. But more than that, now I know - it's empowering to strive towards success on my own, but walking that journey together and getting there - now, that's heaven! ;)
Thursday, 26 May 2011
"I'd rather die on my feet, than live on my knees."
Originally wrote this on Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 5:56pm
While cleaning out my old stuff, I stumbled across this article I had since I was 11 or 12. I used to read it every single day. :)
I would like to thank my visionary dad who gave it to me then - not ever doubting whether I could understand it or not. Well i didn't of course in the beginning, these are not things you just understand - you kinda have to grow into it & keep reminding yourself about it, I'm convinced now that this is a lifelong practice....
Anyway, it's an apt one to come across at this precise moment in my life - those of you who know what I am going through now will understand what I mean.
And for those of you who don't - it doesn't matter, as it is relevant to anyone, anytime. I hope it brings you back to a place where no difficult circumstances, adversity & blow from life can ever touch - like it just did me, and renew you from within.
To you with love, Jamie
*************************************
Courage
by William Penn Patrick
Why is it that most men's lives are controlled by small & petty circumstances? I am saddened as I watch people lose the good & great things that are within their reach and could be theirs with "but a little act of courage"!
The mediocre man, "Average Man", is the one I speak of here. He is the one who has so little self-esteem that he cannot trust his own thoughts and judgments, but in the final analysis must rely upon outside sources for his decisions.
This is the man who is ruled by the mob, or who accepts all that he reads as truth and finally becomes like the mob. This is the man who has some degree of success only when he is caught upon the crest of a wave generated by the few exceptional self-directed individuals.
This is the man who has a positive attitude for that moment he is in the presence of positive individuals, but when left alone, "falls to his negative knees". This is the man who sells his birthright (commitment to his own thoughts) for fear of what he thinks his neighbor might think. This is the man who stands tall as he is prompted by the actions of the mob, but is terrified with the silence of his own presence.
This is the man who follows but fears to lead. This is the man who hides his deeds in the cloak of nobility, since his dishonesty prevents him from dealing with truth and reality. This is the man who cries "foul" when life has passed him by.
This is the man who is ruled by circumstance.
Strong men create circumstances which serve their needs and desires. If you are a man of circumstance, the cure for this disease is courage.
Courage is the most beautiful of all human expressions. Courage as I see it is, "an act in the face of fear". We only need courage when we are afraid, which means that we need courage most of the time, because we are afraid of something all of the time.
I have discovered that fear becomes a coward when faced with but a small act of courage, and further, that the muscle of courage will grow strong with continued use.
My advice to myself is, "do those things which you fear, and keep doing them until you are no longer afraid, and then you will have become the master of your fate."
I have studied the deeds of men both great and small, and I have studied those men who are great and small. In this study there appears to be many differences. All of the differences which count have, at their base, one single thing - courage.
Courage is that one ingredient which separates the weak from the strong, the successful from the weak, the great from the average.
All the things you desire in life have one common handle, which is made for the hand of the man of courage.
To be afraid is to be alive. To act against that fear is to be a man.
Someone once said, "I had rather die on my feet, than live on my knees."
- William Penn Patrick
While cleaning out my old stuff, I stumbled across this article I had since I was 11 or 12. I used to read it every single day. :)
I would like to thank my visionary dad who gave it to me then - not ever doubting whether I could understand it or not. Well i didn't of course in the beginning, these are not things you just understand - you kinda have to grow into it & keep reminding yourself about it, I'm convinced now that this is a lifelong practice....
Anyway, it's an apt one to come across at this precise moment in my life - those of you who know what I am going through now will understand what I mean.
And for those of you who don't - it doesn't matter, as it is relevant to anyone, anytime. I hope it brings you back to a place where no difficult circumstances, adversity & blow from life can ever touch - like it just did me, and renew you from within.
To you with love, Jamie
*************************************
Courage
by William Penn Patrick
Why is it that most men's lives are controlled by small & petty circumstances? I am saddened as I watch people lose the good & great things that are within their reach and could be theirs with "but a little act of courage"!
The mediocre man, "Average Man", is the one I speak of here. He is the one who has so little self-esteem that he cannot trust his own thoughts and judgments, but in the final analysis must rely upon outside sources for his decisions.
This is the man who is ruled by the mob, or who accepts all that he reads as truth and finally becomes like the mob. This is the man who has some degree of success only when he is caught upon the crest of a wave generated by the few exceptional self-directed individuals.
This is the man who has a positive attitude for that moment he is in the presence of positive individuals, but when left alone, "falls to his negative knees". This is the man who sells his birthright (commitment to his own thoughts) for fear of what he thinks his neighbor might think. This is the man who stands tall as he is prompted by the actions of the mob, but is terrified with the silence of his own presence.
This is the man who follows but fears to lead. This is the man who hides his deeds in the cloak of nobility, since his dishonesty prevents him from dealing with truth and reality. This is the man who cries "foul" when life has passed him by.
This is the man who is ruled by circumstance.
Strong men create circumstances which serve their needs and desires. If you are a man of circumstance, the cure for this disease is courage.
Courage is the most beautiful of all human expressions. Courage as I see it is, "an act in the face of fear". We only need courage when we are afraid, which means that we need courage most of the time, because we are afraid of something all of the time.
I have discovered that fear becomes a coward when faced with but a small act of courage, and further, that the muscle of courage will grow strong with continued use.
My advice to myself is, "do those things which you fear, and keep doing them until you are no longer afraid, and then you will have become the master of your fate."
I have studied the deeds of men both great and small, and I have studied those men who are great and small. In this study there appears to be many differences. All of the differences which count have, at their base, one single thing - courage.
Courage is that one ingredient which separates the weak from the strong, the successful from the weak, the great from the average.
All the things you desire in life have one common handle, which is made for the hand of the man of courage.
To be afraid is to be alive. To act against that fear is to be a man.
Someone once said, "I had rather die on my feet, than live on my knees."
- William Penn Patrick
I remember...
The touch of your breathe on my skin,
The taste of your scent on my tongue;
Heat-filled nights, being held in your arms,
My cheek on your chest, your kiss in my hair;
Falling into the carefree abandon of contented sleep,
Legs entangled, fingers entwined,
Meeting…in the dreams of the innocent,
Waking to the dappling of the sunlight,
Dancing across your curling eyelashes,
Resting on your cheek, stopping;
At the corner of your smile...
Will we again encounter this bliss,
Or forever, file it into the fibers of our being,
Just a memory coded, for an eternity of replays
But never again recreated, having become too precious
To expose, to the shifting nuances of tomorrow.
**********
What I write when I am melancholy & nostalgic.
XOXO
The taste of your scent on my tongue;
Heat-filled nights, being held in your arms,
My cheek on your chest, your kiss in my hair;
Falling into the carefree abandon of contented sleep,
Legs entangled, fingers entwined,
Meeting…in the dreams of the innocent,
Waking to the dappling of the sunlight,
Dancing across your curling eyelashes,
Resting on your cheek, stopping;
At the corner of your smile...
Will we again encounter this bliss,
Or forever, file it into the fibers of our being,
Just a memory coded, for an eternity of replays
But never again recreated, having become too precious
To expose, to the shifting nuances of tomorrow.
**********
What I write when I am melancholy & nostalgic.
XOXO
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Desired Things...
I was 18, and unaware that I was about to fall head over heels in love with an amazing guy.
What gave me the courage to embark on one of the sweetest & most memorable relationships of my life was when he gave me this poem, handwritten on a piece of foolscap paper when I was going through some rough times.
So - to he that knows who he is, thank you for sharing with me such wise words although we were so young, I find I appreciate it more & more as I grow older; and for everyone else, do share it with someone you love. It is truly beautiful & inspired.
Have a blessed day -
x - JL
***********
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.
What gave me the courage to embark on one of the sweetest & most memorable relationships of my life was when he gave me this poem, handwritten on a piece of foolscap paper when I was going through some rough times.
So - to he that knows who he is, thank you for sharing with me such wise words although we were so young, I find I appreciate it more & more as I grow older; and for everyone else, do share it with someone you love. It is truly beautiful & inspired.
Have a blessed day -
x - JL
***********
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.
Come from Love.
...when I experience emotional pain & have to submerge the urge to lash out reflectively - I turn to an important and grace saving message from the Divine to guide me out of anger.
Tonight i am moved to share these words of pure wisdom from 1 Corinthians 13:4,
probably my favorite verse from the Christian Bible -
"
Love is patient,
Love is kind,
It does not envy,
It does not boast,
It is not proud,
It is not rude,
It is not self-seeking,
It is not easily angered,
It keeps no record of wrongs,
Love does not delight in evil,
But rejoices with the truth,
It always protects,
Always trusts,
Always hopes,
Always perseveres,
Love never fails.
"
...so i ask myself often - where do I choose to come from, love or fear?
Reading this always help me remember what coming from love really means,
hence I give thanks for divine guidance in my darkest & most lonely hours.
I pray it serves you the same way it has served me for so many years.
Much love XOXO
Tonight i am moved to share these words of pure wisdom from 1 Corinthians 13:4,
probably my favorite verse from the Christian Bible -
"
Love is patient,
Love is kind,
It does not envy,
It does not boast,
It is not proud,
It is not rude,
It is not self-seeking,
It is not easily angered,
It keeps no record of wrongs,
Love does not delight in evil,
But rejoices with the truth,
It always protects,
Always trusts,
Always hopes,
Always perseveres,
Love never fails.
"
...so i ask myself often - where do I choose to come from, love or fear?
Reading this always help me remember what coming from love really means,
hence I give thanks for divine guidance in my darkest & most lonely hours.
I pray it serves you the same way it has served me for so many years.
Much love XOXO
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Trust - My Fall Into The Unknown
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Haven’t posted in the last 2 days because I was away at a leadership camp up in the hills somewhere in the heart of Peninsular Malaysia. I’ve been to many and what I always love about camps/ sessions like these are the experiential elements of learning about how I actually operate in my life.
If I had to choose, I’ll always advocate an experiential type camp over a lecture-type training session simply because of the depth of learning that going through games and exercises with almost full-senses stimulation can deliver, versus just intellectual stimulation of classroom lecture sessions.
And if you’re game to face up to who you really are so that you can use that to adjust or propel yourself to the next level in your life – these are the best places to meet the most important person in your life.
You.
And sometimes, you’re not as pretty as you thought.
But that’s the point. Because without truth as a basis, anything you build in your life will be on quicksand and won’t be able to weather very many storms.
So when my company launched this camp as an initiative to develop teamwork, bonding, and self-exploration for the local leadership here – I jumped at the opportunity to advocate this strongly to my team.
But mostly, I knew it was for me. I needed a tune-up, an alignment in my own direction, an opportunity to learn while I played and to completely PARTICIPATE instead of the running the events like I usually do.
And while I learned many awesome things about myself – it wasn’t the awesome stuff that lead to the breakthroughs; I was tuned the whole weekend to catch the scary, painful, dark parts of who I am being so that I can expose it to the light of truth and get through it.
So this post I’m not going to regale you with how we played to win in everything (and my team came out overall champs too) or how powerful it is to see teamwork in action, etc.
Nope, I’m not going there – I appreciate those glorious moments with my amazing team, but I’m in the mood for some grit now.
There were 2 exercises that really hit me in the gut from this camp, that revealed things about myself to me that I have not realized nor made me proud about who I was being. Things I missed in the midst of my busyness and striving to keep things running and thriving for the last couple of years. This post I’ll talk about one.
The first was a game called the “Trust Fall”. Now, if you’ve gone to similar camps like this, this might be familiar to you – there are variations but still the point of the lesson is still the same. It’s about how to let go & just trust your team to catch you when you fall.
The one that the camp chief used for this game was to stack up 5 or 6 banquet chairs, get a bunch of your team mates to stand behind and using their hands only - catch you when you fall. Backwards, from the top of the chair – hands crossed in front of your chest. So, when he was explaining it – it wasn’t that scary, and one of my team mates did this exercise falling from a 5-storey building, face first, into a net held by 6 people and nothing else. So, this falling off 4-5 ft from the chair thing into about 10-15 people behind you didn't sound so bad.
Until it was my turn to get on the chair.
Geez. All my beliefs about how bold and brave I was – went out the window. I’m not that tall, but at 5’6” standing with my back to the unknown and just falling. My knees were shaking. Badly.
I messed it up completely. I fell the first time and my knees gave way, so it bent before I fell. Which just means I didn’t embody the point of the exercise – to just trust and fall. So, I did it again. Better result, but just as scary – I was still not trusting.
And while I supported every fall of my teammates by standing right up front, my mind was racing while my heart pumped in my chest. I can’t believe it. I knew I had trust issues but I didn’t realize they were this deep and still so real for me. And while I had no problems supporting the fall of others, it hit me straight in the face that I had deep, ingrained beliefs that no one can support my fall. That I had to do everything myself and I was afraid to really trust anyone with my heart or my life. That was the truth.
Were my beliefs justified? Well, yes, and no.
Yes because like anyone else, I have been let down many times, by the people closest to me on many occasions – betrayals, broken promises, heartbreaks, instability of convictions, etc. And many times I have chosen to pick up the pieces on my own. Sometimes, when it was proven to be unsalvageable, I walked away. So I developed this complex where no one can be trusted.
And no, because the truth is that it wasn’t about me. They were just going on their paths and choosing to do what they felt was best for them. So it wasn’t personal at all. I know that for a fact, because I wasn’t spared the verdict of having let other people down in my life either. I have, many times too.
But that I wasn’t able to allow myself to trust 100% has many implications towards the quality of my life. I wouldn’t be able to grow my business as fast, because I wouldn’t allow others to really support me; I wouldn’t be able to let someone love me because he’ll break my heart when he has access to it; I wouldn’t be able to appreciate the strength of a man to show up and take care of me, because I insist on being more masculine than him; the leadership in my team would not be able to flourish because it gets strangled off; my ability to let go and just play 100%; and so much more.
Incidentally, I am just allowing myself to fall in love with someone after a 2-year hiatus from romantic relationships – and it’s scary as hell. So it’s no coincidence that this exercise came into my life at this point as well.
Being 100% vulnerable and trusting is probably one of the lessons I’ve been dealing with for the last 10 years, and it is critical for 100% raw and connected living.
And while personal strength and fortitude is one of my strongest character traits, it’s truly a hollow and counterfeit version if it is not backed-up with the ability to really allow myself to be vulnerable and trusting in the people around me.
So wish me courage to – I’m going to work on really integrating this lesson into my life, because I made a pact with myself a long time ago that I’d rather be dead than to live holding back in any way.
I wish you the same too – be blessed, live from your heart.
XOXO
Haven’t posted in the last 2 days because I was away at a leadership camp up in the hills somewhere in the heart of Peninsular Malaysia. I’ve been to many and what I always love about camps/ sessions like these are the experiential elements of learning about how I actually operate in my life.
If I had to choose, I’ll always advocate an experiential type camp over a lecture-type training session simply because of the depth of learning that going through games and exercises with almost full-senses stimulation can deliver, versus just intellectual stimulation of classroom lecture sessions.
And if you’re game to face up to who you really are so that you can use that to adjust or propel yourself to the next level in your life – these are the best places to meet the most important person in your life.
You.
And sometimes, you’re not as pretty as you thought.
But that’s the point. Because without truth as a basis, anything you build in your life will be on quicksand and won’t be able to weather very many storms.
So when my company launched this camp as an initiative to develop teamwork, bonding, and self-exploration for the local leadership here – I jumped at the opportunity to advocate this strongly to my team.
But mostly, I knew it was for me. I needed a tune-up, an alignment in my own direction, an opportunity to learn while I played and to completely PARTICIPATE instead of the running the events like I usually do.
And while I learned many awesome things about myself – it wasn’t the awesome stuff that lead to the breakthroughs; I was tuned the whole weekend to catch the scary, painful, dark parts of who I am being so that I can expose it to the light of truth and get through it.
So this post I’m not going to regale you with how we played to win in everything (and my team came out overall champs too) or how powerful it is to see teamwork in action, etc.
Nope, I’m not going there – I appreciate those glorious moments with my amazing team, but I’m in the mood for some grit now.
There were 2 exercises that really hit me in the gut from this camp, that revealed things about myself to me that I have not realized nor made me proud about who I was being. Things I missed in the midst of my busyness and striving to keep things running and thriving for the last couple of years. This post I’ll talk about one.
The first was a game called the “Trust Fall”. Now, if you’ve gone to similar camps like this, this might be familiar to you – there are variations but still the point of the lesson is still the same. It’s about how to let go & just trust your team to catch you when you fall.
The one that the camp chief used for this game was to stack up 5 or 6 banquet chairs, get a bunch of your team mates to stand behind and using their hands only - catch you when you fall. Backwards, from the top of the chair – hands crossed in front of your chest. So, when he was explaining it – it wasn’t that scary, and one of my team mates did this exercise falling from a 5-storey building, face first, into a net held by 6 people and nothing else. So, this falling off 4-5 ft from the chair thing into about 10-15 people behind you didn't sound so bad.
Until it was my turn to get on the chair.
Geez. All my beliefs about how bold and brave I was – went out the window. I’m not that tall, but at 5’6” standing with my back to the unknown and just falling. My knees were shaking. Badly.
I messed it up completely. I fell the first time and my knees gave way, so it bent before I fell. Which just means I didn’t embody the point of the exercise – to just trust and fall. So, I did it again. Better result, but just as scary – I was still not trusting.
And while I supported every fall of my teammates by standing right up front, my mind was racing while my heart pumped in my chest. I can’t believe it. I knew I had trust issues but I didn’t realize they were this deep and still so real for me. And while I had no problems supporting the fall of others, it hit me straight in the face that I had deep, ingrained beliefs that no one can support my fall. That I had to do everything myself and I was afraid to really trust anyone with my heart or my life. That was the truth.
Were my beliefs justified? Well, yes, and no.
Yes because like anyone else, I have been let down many times, by the people closest to me on many occasions – betrayals, broken promises, heartbreaks, instability of convictions, etc. And many times I have chosen to pick up the pieces on my own. Sometimes, when it was proven to be unsalvageable, I walked away. So I developed this complex where no one can be trusted.
And no, because the truth is that it wasn’t about me. They were just going on their paths and choosing to do what they felt was best for them. So it wasn’t personal at all. I know that for a fact, because I wasn’t spared the verdict of having let other people down in my life either. I have, many times too.
But that I wasn’t able to allow myself to trust 100% has many implications towards the quality of my life. I wouldn’t be able to grow my business as fast, because I wouldn’t allow others to really support me; I wouldn’t be able to let someone love me because he’ll break my heart when he has access to it; I wouldn’t be able to appreciate the strength of a man to show up and take care of me, because I insist on being more masculine than him; the leadership in my team would not be able to flourish because it gets strangled off; my ability to let go and just play 100%; and so much more.
Incidentally, I am just allowing myself to fall in love with someone after a 2-year hiatus from romantic relationships – and it’s scary as hell. So it’s no coincidence that this exercise came into my life at this point as well.
Being 100% vulnerable and trusting is probably one of the lessons I’ve been dealing with for the last 10 years, and it is critical for 100% raw and connected living.
And while personal strength and fortitude is one of my strongest character traits, it’s truly a hollow and counterfeit version if it is not backed-up with the ability to really allow myself to be vulnerable and trusting in the people around me.
So wish me courage to – I’m going to work on really integrating this lesson into my life, because I made a pact with myself a long time ago that I’d rather be dead than to live holding back in any way.
I wish you the same too – be blessed, live from your heart.
XOXO
Friday, 20 May 2011
Why I advocate Randy Gage.
If you guys have ever wondered why I advocate Randy Gage (Fan Page here) so vocally; this might give you an idea if you have yet to discover his work yourself.
I respected the guy from his work before I met him in the flesh sometime in 2007, and then I fell in love with him as a person when I had the honor to get to know & learn from him.
And it's not just because he's rich, famous, and hot. That helps. BUT....
...it's really because he does what he does, and who he always chooses to be.
So, in his honor and in contribution to you, I've re-posted below one of the MOST inspired articles I've seen my mentor write. Or you can go to the actual blog post on his site here where you can also read all the readers' comments; just as valuable.
Where ever you choose to read this, read it till the end, because you'll remember what it means to be alive. It will touch your soul - regardless of whether you are in MLM or NOT, I PROMISE you'll know why he's so loved by those who work with him, and why he is THE MLM rockstar. TQ rocksta, you're a gem!
PS: Get on both his mailing lists, he blogs voraciously on Prosperity here and also on Network Marketing here; and it's ALWAYS worth investing the time to read it. You'll be enriched boundlessly.
***********************
Don’t You Dare Give Up!
By Randy Gage
February 26th, 2010
It’s 5 am and I should be sleeping. But I’ve been tossing and turning for over an hour thinking about what I wanted to say to you. It’s about the work you do and the dreams you want to live…
In our business we can earn a lot of money, win those trips to exotic locales, and drive those gorgeous bonus cars. We have the chance to really get our freedom.
But that’s the thing about freedom. It’s never free…
Freedom is the by product of success and you must be willing to pay the price for success. And success never goes on sale. You have to pay the market price. And that can be so very hard…
I know. I struggled for five years in this business. Sacrificed things to buy my monthly product order. Alienated everyone around me, pestering them to join my business. Argument after argument.
Because I could explain all the rational, logical reasons everyone should be in the business. And if you wanted to argue with me, I could explain all the reasons you were being an idiot.
For some reason that approach didn’t work very well. So I switched to strategy number two…
Begging. But that approach didn’t work much better. So for five years I went to presentation after presentation, bought tape after tape, attended meeting after meeting. I talked about traveling the beaches of the world, while I parked my broken down junk heap in the back, so no one would see what I was driving.
I remember the first house meeting I did. Invited about 14 or 15 people and waited, brimming over with excitement. Of course you know what happened…
No one. Not one.
Common sense tells you I should have quit. But dreams never come true with common sense. Dreams come true because they are bold, daring, and imaginative. Because they are strong enough to pull you toward them.
I could have quit, should have quit, would have quit. But I came to a realization that changed everything for me: I realized I was the most ambitious person I knew.
And there was freedom in that line of thinking. Which eventually led to the real freedom.
I wish I could say after five years I magically flipped a switch and became rich, but that isn’t true. But things started to change…
I began to understand the importance of a system and how duplication worked. Began daily self-development, becoming less of the person people didn’t want to work with and more of the person they did. Learned some skill sets.
And today I have those exotic cars, live in my dream homes, contribute to charities in a meaningful way, earn millions of dollars and have my freedom. And while I appreciate the money, toys and trips, it’s about a lot more than that.
Which is why I’m writing you…
I have been where most of you are, and made it to the level most are even afraid to dream of. So let me share what I have learned along the way, but most importantly, what I want for you. Here are the four things I want for you:
1) Live a Life of Adventure.
Stop watching actors live adventure in movies and TV shows. It’s time for you to live your own adventure.
I have flown the Concord, prayed in the Crystal Cathedral, fallen in love in Paris, taken a shower on the A380 airplane, flown in a hot air balloon, watched whales playing in Hawaii, meditated in a Shaolin Temple, piloted an airplane, rode an elephant through the rainforest in Thailand, visited all the world’s greatest opera houses, watched a ballgame in Wrigley Field, rode horses through the mountains, and heard the call to worship at mosques in Istanbul. And I’m just getting started…
Is your adventure started yet? Life is not about fighting rush hour traffic, working in a cubicle, or sending your kids to daycare. Life is for living. And that means you.
2) Get Your Freedom.
See number one. You are not meant to be woken up with an alarm clock. You are supposed to wake up when you finish sleeping. When you wake up, you should be the one to choose how you are going to spend your day, and whom you are going to spend it with. You’re supposed to order from the left side of the menu, not the right side.
Freedom is about having choices. Whether it’s choosing what car to drive, home to live in, or exotic locale you want to vacation in.
It’s about choosing the causes to support, the school you want your kids to go to, and the people you want in your life. Choosing to live out loud, in color, with passion.
3) Right Injustice.
How often have you seen a situation that wasn’t right and felt powerless to stop it? How many times have you wanted to right a wrong, but didn’t have the time or money or freedom to do it?
I’ve been able to right many an injustice. But I couldn’t do that much when I was trapped and broke. I can now because I am free.
Want to do a mission in the Philippines, help the starving kids in Africa, or the earthquake victims in Haiti? Do what you can now, but to really make a meaningful difference, you probably need time, money and freedom. Which leads us to…
4) Move from Success to Significance
I’m a former minimum wage dishwasher who became a multi-millionaire. I am truly blessed. And yes I appreciate the cars, homes and money this business has brought me. That satisfies you for a while. But then you want more…
You want to make a difference. Leave a legacy. Build something that outlives you.
That’s when life really begins. That’s when you know the world is a better place because you are in it. And when be a better place even after you’re gone.
Whether it’s supporting the arts, building an orphanage, or saving the rainforest. Maybe it’s sponsoring a Little League team, mentoring a young person, or starting a shelter for battered women. Or all of the above.
I don’t know what is in your heart to do, but I know there is something. And that’s what I challenge you to do. Yes I wish freedom, lifestyle and all the goodies for you. And I also wish you love, meaning and leading a life of significance.
It won’t be easy; I get that. It means sacrifice.
Because it means at 7 pm, when your spouse is home and your kids want to play, you’re leaving to go to a meeting. It means you’ll miss a chance to worship some weekends when you’re working with a long distance line somewhere. It means making those calls to candidates long after the excitement and motivation of the big event has worn off.
But I had a mantra that got me free. And it can get you free. Here it is:
“I will do today what others will not do, so tomorrow I can do what others cannot do.”
Will you do that for me? Will you do that for yourself? Will you do that for all the people you’re going to be able to help?
The pain of discipline is far easier than the pain of regret. When you feel fear, you must profess faith. Because faith is deaf, dumb and blind.
Faith is deaf to rejection, dumb to failure, and blind to the possibility of defeat. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.
We can’t see them, but we have a vision for them. That is why we do self-development every morning, speak those affirmations, put up those pictures on the refrigerator.
Doing what we do is not easy. It’s not supposed to be. But it is simple. And important. Not just for your freedom and your dreams, but the freedom and dreams of everyone you will make a difference for. Most people today doubt their beliefs and believe their doubts. You have to be different.
Please. Don’t you dare take down your dream board or those pictures on your refrigerator. Don’t you dare let your spouse or kids see you quit. Don’t you dare give up on your dreams!
That’s what I want to tell you this morning.
If you need help, get over to Amazon and pick up a couple of my books. For training in the skill sets necessary for success, get the new edition of my book, “How to Build a Multi-Level Money Machine” here.
If you have worthiness issues, or think you may be self-sabotaging your success, get, “Why You’re Dumb, Sick & Broke…And How to Get Smart, Healthy & Rich!” here.
If you don’t have enough room on your credit card right now, get them from the library. But get them. Because the dream really is real. I’m living proof of that. And it can be real for you.
You’re worth it. You really are. When you first looked at this wild, crazy business, you saw something. Felt something. Knew something.
Something spoke to you, and reawakened dreams you hadn’t thought about in a long time. And introduced new ones.
Live those dreams. That is my dream for you.
-RG
P.S. I hope you’ll share this message to everyone on your team. Please Re-tweet it, share it on Facebook, start an email chain to your group. What you do is important. It’s about all the things we discussed: living a life of adventure, helping people get free, righting injustice and doing something of significance. Never forget that.
I respected the guy from his work before I met him in the flesh sometime in 2007, and then I fell in love with him as a person when I had the honor to get to know & learn from him.
And it's not just because he's rich, famous, and hot. That helps. BUT....
...it's really because he does what he does, and who he always chooses to be.
So, in his honor and in contribution to you, I've re-posted below one of the MOST inspired articles I've seen my mentor write. Or you can go to the actual blog post on his site here where you can also read all the readers' comments; just as valuable.
Where ever you choose to read this, read it till the end, because you'll remember what it means to be alive. It will touch your soul - regardless of whether you are in MLM or NOT, I PROMISE you'll know why he's so loved by those who work with him, and why he is THE MLM rockstar. TQ rocksta, you're a gem!
PS: Get on both his mailing lists, he blogs voraciously on Prosperity here and also on Network Marketing here; and it's ALWAYS worth investing the time to read it. You'll be enriched boundlessly.
***********************
Don’t You Dare Give Up!
By Randy Gage
February 26th, 2010
It’s 5 am and I should be sleeping. But I’ve been tossing and turning for over an hour thinking about what I wanted to say to you. It’s about the work you do and the dreams you want to live…
In our business we can earn a lot of money, win those trips to exotic locales, and drive those gorgeous bonus cars. We have the chance to really get our freedom.
But that’s the thing about freedom. It’s never free…
Freedom is the by product of success and you must be willing to pay the price for success. And success never goes on sale. You have to pay the market price. And that can be so very hard…
I know. I struggled for five years in this business. Sacrificed things to buy my monthly product order. Alienated everyone around me, pestering them to join my business. Argument after argument.
Because I could explain all the rational, logical reasons everyone should be in the business. And if you wanted to argue with me, I could explain all the reasons you were being an idiot.
For some reason that approach didn’t work very well. So I switched to strategy number two…
Begging. But that approach didn’t work much better. So for five years I went to presentation after presentation, bought tape after tape, attended meeting after meeting. I talked about traveling the beaches of the world, while I parked my broken down junk heap in the back, so no one would see what I was driving.
I remember the first house meeting I did. Invited about 14 or 15 people and waited, brimming over with excitement. Of course you know what happened…
No one. Not one.
Common sense tells you I should have quit. But dreams never come true with common sense. Dreams come true because they are bold, daring, and imaginative. Because they are strong enough to pull you toward them.
I could have quit, should have quit, would have quit. But I came to a realization that changed everything for me: I realized I was the most ambitious person I knew.
And there was freedom in that line of thinking. Which eventually led to the real freedom.
I wish I could say after five years I magically flipped a switch and became rich, but that isn’t true. But things started to change…
I began to understand the importance of a system and how duplication worked. Began daily self-development, becoming less of the person people didn’t want to work with and more of the person they did. Learned some skill sets.
And today I have those exotic cars, live in my dream homes, contribute to charities in a meaningful way, earn millions of dollars and have my freedom. And while I appreciate the money, toys and trips, it’s about a lot more than that.
Which is why I’m writing you…
I have been where most of you are, and made it to the level most are even afraid to dream of. So let me share what I have learned along the way, but most importantly, what I want for you. Here are the four things I want for you:
1) Live a Life of Adventure.
Stop watching actors live adventure in movies and TV shows. It’s time for you to live your own adventure.
I have flown the Concord, prayed in the Crystal Cathedral, fallen in love in Paris, taken a shower on the A380 airplane, flown in a hot air balloon, watched whales playing in Hawaii, meditated in a Shaolin Temple, piloted an airplane, rode an elephant through the rainforest in Thailand, visited all the world’s greatest opera houses, watched a ballgame in Wrigley Field, rode horses through the mountains, and heard the call to worship at mosques in Istanbul. And I’m just getting started…
Is your adventure started yet? Life is not about fighting rush hour traffic, working in a cubicle, or sending your kids to daycare. Life is for living. And that means you.
2) Get Your Freedom.
See number one. You are not meant to be woken up with an alarm clock. You are supposed to wake up when you finish sleeping. When you wake up, you should be the one to choose how you are going to spend your day, and whom you are going to spend it with. You’re supposed to order from the left side of the menu, not the right side.
Freedom is about having choices. Whether it’s choosing what car to drive, home to live in, or exotic locale you want to vacation in.
It’s about choosing the causes to support, the school you want your kids to go to, and the people you want in your life. Choosing to live out loud, in color, with passion.
3) Right Injustice.
How often have you seen a situation that wasn’t right and felt powerless to stop it? How many times have you wanted to right a wrong, but didn’t have the time or money or freedom to do it?
I’ve been able to right many an injustice. But I couldn’t do that much when I was trapped and broke. I can now because I am free.
Want to do a mission in the Philippines, help the starving kids in Africa, or the earthquake victims in Haiti? Do what you can now, but to really make a meaningful difference, you probably need time, money and freedom. Which leads us to…
4) Move from Success to Significance
I’m a former minimum wage dishwasher who became a multi-millionaire. I am truly blessed. And yes I appreciate the cars, homes and money this business has brought me. That satisfies you for a while. But then you want more…
You want to make a difference. Leave a legacy. Build something that outlives you.
That’s when life really begins. That’s when you know the world is a better place because you are in it. And when be a better place even after you’re gone.
Whether it’s supporting the arts, building an orphanage, or saving the rainforest. Maybe it’s sponsoring a Little League team, mentoring a young person, or starting a shelter for battered women. Or all of the above.
I don’t know what is in your heart to do, but I know there is something. And that’s what I challenge you to do. Yes I wish freedom, lifestyle and all the goodies for you. And I also wish you love, meaning and leading a life of significance.
It won’t be easy; I get that. It means sacrifice.
Because it means at 7 pm, when your spouse is home and your kids want to play, you’re leaving to go to a meeting. It means you’ll miss a chance to worship some weekends when you’re working with a long distance line somewhere. It means making those calls to candidates long after the excitement and motivation of the big event has worn off.
But I had a mantra that got me free. And it can get you free. Here it is:
“I will do today what others will not do, so tomorrow I can do what others cannot do.”
Will you do that for me? Will you do that for yourself? Will you do that for all the people you’re going to be able to help?
The pain of discipline is far easier than the pain of regret. When you feel fear, you must profess faith. Because faith is deaf, dumb and blind.
Faith is deaf to rejection, dumb to failure, and blind to the possibility of defeat. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.
We can’t see them, but we have a vision for them. That is why we do self-development every morning, speak those affirmations, put up those pictures on the refrigerator.
Doing what we do is not easy. It’s not supposed to be. But it is simple. And important. Not just for your freedom and your dreams, but the freedom and dreams of everyone you will make a difference for. Most people today doubt their beliefs and believe their doubts. You have to be different.
Please. Don’t you dare take down your dream board or those pictures on your refrigerator. Don’t you dare let your spouse or kids see you quit. Don’t you dare give up on your dreams!
That’s what I want to tell you this morning.
If you need help, get over to Amazon and pick up a couple of my books. For training in the skill sets necessary for success, get the new edition of my book, “How to Build a Multi-Level Money Machine” here.
If you have worthiness issues, or think you may be self-sabotaging your success, get, “Why You’re Dumb, Sick & Broke…And How to Get Smart, Healthy & Rich!” here.
If you don’t have enough room on your credit card right now, get them from the library. But get them. Because the dream really is real. I’m living proof of that. And it can be real for you.
You’re worth it. You really are. When you first looked at this wild, crazy business, you saw something. Felt something. Knew something.
Something spoke to you, and reawakened dreams you hadn’t thought about in a long time. And introduced new ones.
Live those dreams. That is my dream for you.
-RG
P.S. I hope you’ll share this message to everyone on your team. Please Re-tweet it, share it on Facebook, start an email chain to your group. What you do is important. It’s about all the things we discussed: living a life of adventure, helping people get free, righting injustice and doing something of significance. Never forget that.
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Just Listen.
I just got back from a dinner appointment, and while in the car talking to my girlfriend, my phone rang. It was not a saved number, and it was exactly 11.53pm. That's late to call, even for me. But because it was an unsaved number, I answered it.
This guy's voice asked for me and then said his first name. I had no recollection who this person was, so I probed him further and finally he gave me enough details for me to remember. He was a friend of a friend, that attended one of our business talks months ago and later I remembered listening to his story over supper. It was an unhappy one.
I inquired about his reason for calling, and he said it was his birthday today.
Well...not often people call to tell me that it's their birthday; but what he told me after that completely humbled me. He said thank you, because on Jan 12th, a Wednesday night he said; when we met and he told me his life story - he was ready to commit suicide when he went home that night because his girlfriend left him for someone else.
But he spoke to me, and what I said to him gave him hope that his life was worth living - so I am special to him because he wouldn't be able to celebrate another year if I hadn't listened and talked to him that night so many months ago.
Now, for the life of me, I can't remember that story in detail and for sure, I don't remember what I said.
But I do remember being in the presence of someone who was genuinely hurt, confused and lost. I have long given up the habit of buying into people's dramas because it was not only a time-sucker but also an energy-sucker. But this man that night was desperately grasping at something to remind him that he was enough. Just by him being himself. And that no one other person can ever define or devalue his worth as a human being no matter what they did. I guess I was that person that night.
In my eyes, I didn't do anything special. I just listened and reminded him of the truth about who he is.
But tonight after that call, I may be the one that was given the most precious gift of all. The reminder on how important it is to just be fully present - listening & really seeing the person that you're with. No judgments, no solutions - just listen.
So in honor of my friend - please do that every moment you're with someone. You might save a life.
Happy birthday Michael, may your life be a continuous blessing to all you touch.
XOXO
This guy's voice asked for me and then said his first name. I had no recollection who this person was, so I probed him further and finally he gave me enough details for me to remember. He was a friend of a friend, that attended one of our business talks months ago and later I remembered listening to his story over supper. It was an unhappy one.
I inquired about his reason for calling, and he said it was his birthday today.
Well...not often people call to tell me that it's their birthday; but what he told me after that completely humbled me. He said thank you, because on Jan 12th, a Wednesday night he said; when we met and he told me his life story - he was ready to commit suicide when he went home that night because his girlfriend left him for someone else.
But he spoke to me, and what I said to him gave him hope that his life was worth living - so I am special to him because he wouldn't be able to celebrate another year if I hadn't listened and talked to him that night so many months ago.
Now, for the life of me, I can't remember that story in detail and for sure, I don't remember what I said.
But I do remember being in the presence of someone who was genuinely hurt, confused and lost. I have long given up the habit of buying into people's dramas because it was not only a time-sucker but also an energy-sucker. But this man that night was desperately grasping at something to remind him that he was enough. Just by him being himself. And that no one other person can ever define or devalue his worth as a human being no matter what they did. I guess I was that person that night.
In my eyes, I didn't do anything special. I just listened and reminded him of the truth about who he is.
But tonight after that call, I may be the one that was given the most precious gift of all. The reminder on how important it is to just be fully present - listening & really seeing the person that you're with. No judgments, no solutions - just listen.
So in honor of my friend - please do that every moment you're with someone. You might save a life.
Happy birthday Michael, may your life be a continuous blessing to all you touch.
XOXO
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
A Tribute To Persephone
A poem i wrote a long time ago, I must have been 18 or something. At that point in time I was obsessed studying Greek mythology. Hence, this was inspired by the age-old Greek love story between Persephone & Hades. This is the mythological explanation on why there are 4 seasons in the world.
*************************************************
"
once upon a time, the old hag muttered;
when the earth was new, and the skies were fresh with misty dew
when the gods & goddesses walked amongst men,
and the people knew not cold nor hunger
or snowcapped hills
the world knew only the season spring
for flowers bloomed all year round
and food and wheat sprouted from the ground
hunger and poverty? there was no such thing,
till Hades he caused a mother's wrath
when he stole a lovely maiden in his path
the maiden he made his dark land's queen
the mother she pined and would not be seen
hence for three months in twelve the earth shall weep
while persephone in hell she sleeps
and when she returns to her mother's arms
the earth rejoiced for the return of demeter's charms
for now all is well again on the land
flowers & fruit & wheat for man
spring is here when she returns,
and as the time passes into summer
the feast is slowed by a mere glimmer
and when the autumn winds blow in
the land it cries for Hade's selfish sin
for persephone must now return
to once again sit where fires burn
and winter will now blister the earth
till persephone returns to her mother's hearth.
"
*************************************************
*************************************************
"
once upon a time, the old hag muttered;
when the earth was new, and the skies were fresh with misty dew
when the gods & goddesses walked amongst men,
and the people knew not cold nor hunger
or snowcapped hills
the world knew only the season spring
for flowers bloomed all year round
and food and wheat sprouted from the ground
hunger and poverty? there was no such thing,
till Hades he caused a mother's wrath
when he stole a lovely maiden in his path
the maiden he made his dark land's queen
the mother she pined and would not be seen
hence for three months in twelve the earth shall weep
while persephone in hell she sleeps
and when she returns to her mother's arms
the earth rejoiced for the return of demeter's charms
for now all is well again on the land
flowers & fruit & wheat for man
spring is here when she returns,
and as the time passes into summer
the feast is slowed by a mere glimmer
and when the autumn winds blow in
the land it cries for Hade's selfish sin
for persephone must now return
to once again sit where fires burn
and winter will now blister the earth
till persephone returns to her mother's hearth.
"
*************************************************
When the planets align...
Found this somewhere online months ago & fell in love with it. Have kept it near me ever since.
Poetry moves me in ways that I can't describe. The poet is a true master of the word and has the power to wield magical sensations with it.
If anyone knows who I can credit this to, please comment below ~ much appreciated.
Now, absorb & enjoy:
**************************************
Two shall be born the whole wide world apart,
And speak in different tongues, and take no thought;
Each of the others' being, and no heed.
And these o'er unknown seas to unknown lands,
Shall cross, escaping wreck, defying death;
And all unconsciously shape every act,
And bend each wandering step unto this end,
That one day out of darkness they shall meet,
And read life's meaning in each other's eyes.
Poetry moves me in ways that I can't describe. The poet is a true master of the word and has the power to wield magical sensations with it.
If anyone knows who I can credit this to, please comment below ~ much appreciated.
Now, absorb & enjoy:
**************************************
Two shall be born the whole wide world apart,
And speak in different tongues, and take no thought;
Each of the others' being, and no heed.
And these o'er unknown seas to unknown lands,
Shall cross, escaping wreck, defying death;
And all unconsciously shape every act,
And bend each wandering step unto this end,
That one day out of darkness they shall meet,
And read life's meaning in each other's eyes.
The Point Of Climbing A Mountain ~ Part 2: 10 Life Lessons I Learned
Continued...
PS: Click here to read the story leading to this post.
***
So, what's the point of climbing a mountain anyway?
That's really what I asked myself as I started back down, one of the last 4 people to descend this mountain that day, resigned that for the next couple of hours - I have to surrender to doing what it takes to get back to civilization.
Some profound life lessons reached my tired mind on my descend - this is what I've learned going up and down this mountain for a total of 22 hours:-
1) Don't bring unnecessary baggage - the less baggage you choose to take along with you, the easier the journey is. And if you have to, get someone to help you carry it. Literally & metaphorically speaking.
2) Take it at your own pace. You are competing with no one, not even yourself. There is just a task, and once on the path, the task is to complete the task. No matter how long it takes. There is no timer except the one you set in your head. Throw it away. It'll drive you nuts.
3) Don't talk to anyone turning back to ask why. It's obvious. They gave up. If you wanna get to the top, you don't need to hear stories on why someone chose to give up. Especially when you can hardly breathe yourself.
4) You can make it halfway on your own, but to really get to the top - you need help from those that are more experienced than you. Don't be afraid to ask for it & when offered, don't be too proud to receive it. This reminds me of what my mentor Randy Gage says: “You can't improve and look good at the same time.”
5) When the going gets excruciatingly tough - stop, breathe, and take in the beauty of the scenery. The backdrop to this climbing journey was breath taking. So is the backdrop to your life journey.
6) Frustrations come from unfounded expectations & the need to know. Surrender to the moment, and take each step at a time. I learned this trying to figure out what's next in the climb. I gave it up after hitting rock walls over and over again. I'll climb it if it's in front of me. Until then, I'm just taking this next step and that’s enough. Have faith on the path.
7) Equip yourself with the right tools. Sustenance for your body, tools for leveraging and easing the climb, peace for your mind, and strength for the spirit. I took FLX & OHM all the way, had that 2 walking sticks, took everything one step at a time, and listened to inspirational stuff on my iPhone iPod.
8) Appreciate the people around you. Everyone's presence including yours, make a difference. We need each other for inspiration and encouragement. I was inspired to see how Sunny's will overcame the painful fact that he tore his kneecap on the way up, and climbed back down anyway - with NO complaints! The success of others is your success too, for we are all inter-connected on an energy level. Protect & nurture that.
9) Prepare & train! Pay the price before, or else, pay the price plus interest on the climb.
10) Work with the terrain - adjust to foreign landscapes in order to survive or thrive in it. Coming from nothing is the least painful way to learn this lesson.
After this experience, I am dead serious that this is my first and last mountain climb. However, I am grateful to have experienced it for it taught me much about life and success, as well as revealed to me who I can be. It wouldn't have been the same if I read these concepts off a book.
Agel Malaysia has decided to do this annually. It is for an amazing cause that helps less fortunate kids, so if you want to pitch yourself for a great cause - let me know. I'll be most happy to get you connected and send you off. :)
To my climb mates, you guys rock! To Billy, thanks for inspiring this post – you’re right, I'm glad I recorded this down for posterity. And to everyone else, I know it’s a super long post so thanks for reading y'all.
Here's to you conquering all the mountains in your lives!
xoxo
Jamie
PS: If you'd like to contribute to this cause that we are climbing for, please go to Agel Cares Foundation & make a donation. Every cent counts. Much appreciated! xoxo
PS: Click here to read the story leading to this post.
***
So, what's the point of climbing a mountain anyway?
That's really what I asked myself as I started back down, one of the last 4 people to descend this mountain that day, resigned that for the next couple of hours - I have to surrender to doing what it takes to get back to civilization.
Some profound life lessons reached my tired mind on my descend - this is what I've learned going up and down this mountain for a total of 22 hours:-
1) Don't bring unnecessary baggage - the less baggage you choose to take along with you, the easier the journey is. And if you have to, get someone to help you carry it. Literally & metaphorically speaking.
2) Take it at your own pace. You are competing with no one, not even yourself. There is just a task, and once on the path, the task is to complete the task. No matter how long it takes. There is no timer except the one you set in your head. Throw it away. It'll drive you nuts.
3) Don't talk to anyone turning back to ask why. It's obvious. They gave up. If you wanna get to the top, you don't need to hear stories on why someone chose to give up. Especially when you can hardly breathe yourself.
4) You can make it halfway on your own, but to really get to the top - you need help from those that are more experienced than you. Don't be afraid to ask for it & when offered, don't be too proud to receive it. This reminds me of what my mentor Randy Gage says: “You can't improve and look good at the same time.”
5) When the going gets excruciatingly tough - stop, breathe, and take in the beauty of the scenery. The backdrop to this climbing journey was breath taking. So is the backdrop to your life journey.
6) Frustrations come from unfounded expectations & the need to know. Surrender to the moment, and take each step at a time. I learned this trying to figure out what's next in the climb. I gave it up after hitting rock walls over and over again. I'll climb it if it's in front of me. Until then, I'm just taking this next step and that’s enough. Have faith on the path.
7) Equip yourself with the right tools. Sustenance for your body, tools for leveraging and easing the climb, peace for your mind, and strength for the spirit. I took FLX & OHM all the way, had that 2 walking sticks, took everything one step at a time, and listened to inspirational stuff on my iPhone iPod.
8) Appreciate the people around you. Everyone's presence including yours, make a difference. We need each other for inspiration and encouragement. I was inspired to see how Sunny's will overcame the painful fact that he tore his kneecap on the way up, and climbed back down anyway - with NO complaints! The success of others is your success too, for we are all inter-connected on an energy level. Protect & nurture that.
9) Prepare & train! Pay the price before, or else, pay the price plus interest on the climb.
10) Work with the terrain - adjust to foreign landscapes in order to survive or thrive in it. Coming from nothing is the least painful way to learn this lesson.
After this experience, I am dead serious that this is my first and last mountain climb. However, I am grateful to have experienced it for it taught me much about life and success, as well as revealed to me who I can be. It wouldn't have been the same if I read these concepts off a book.
Agel Malaysia has decided to do this annually. It is for an amazing cause that helps less fortunate kids, so if you want to pitch yourself for a great cause - let me know. I'll be most happy to get you connected and send you off. :)
To my climb mates, you guys rock! To Billy, thanks for inspiring this post – you’re right, I'm glad I recorded this down for posterity. And to everyone else, I know it’s a super long post so thanks for reading y'all.
Here's to you conquering all the mountains in your lives!
xoxo
Jamie
PS: If you'd like to contribute to this cause that we are climbing for, please go to Agel Cares Foundation & make a donation. Every cent counts. Much appreciated! xoxo
The Point Of Climbing A Mountain ~ Part 1: The Prelude
Wrote this post originally on Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 2:57am - as a note in my Facebook account here.
This is a story, so it's very long by the way. So I decided to split it up into 2 parts. This is Part 1: the story & prelude; and Part 2: The 10 Life Lessons I Learned from this climb.
So if you want to just get STRAIGHT to the lessons I learned by climbing this mountain, go to the second continuing post. But the story is a fun way to lead into it, you can always come back too. Also, photos for this climb here.
So here we go....
***
The Point Of Climbing A Mountain
So the truth is, I've been procrastinating on writing this post. I'm not the blogging type & getting started with it was difficult. But I promised my friend, Billy Looper - an awesome dude from Fort Lauderdale USA, a couple of months ago that I would post something to share my journey climbing a mountain in Borneo island earlier this year.
Reason for the delay: Well, re-living the climb is not one of those things that would warm my heart. So here it is & I'll start where it's always best to start, at the beginning.
Fact: I'm diva-ish. I like gel extension nails and my ideal way to wash my hair is at the salon, all the time, no exceptions. But this is not saying that I can't take the rough & tumble parts of life; I can - but why should I? However, I know now if I'm thrown into the wild - I will survive & can probably find a way to thrive too.
So when my company's country manager Sunny decided that we will climb Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Borneo; to raise funds for our charity foundation, Agel Cares - I did what I was expected to do as one of the senior people in the field teams. Support the program 100% and signed up to climb this mountain.
I was told that it is 4,095m (13,435 ft) in elevation - and it was just as well I have no idea what that actually translates to in reality. I ain't so hot at metrics. I kinda can convert up to inches, then I need my widget on my iPhone.
That was May 2010 this year. I got the dates, and locked it down in to my schedule. So this was how it was gonna be: April: Fort Lauderdale-Florida; April/ May: Cairo-Egypt, Early May: Climb The Mountain; Mid-May: Bangkok-Thailand; Mid-mid-May: Jakarta-Indonesia; May-June: Indonesia multi-city road trip, and it went on. I can do this. Yeah.
Someone said something about training, but I figured dragging my over-sized luggage around airports in 4-inch heels alone for months should more than compensate for whatever cardio training I needed to do this mountain. No problem.
So the day came, and we flew to Kota Kinabalu, the beautiful capital city of the state of Sabah - a state that is nicknamed The Land Below The Wind. Kota Kinabalu is the only state in Malaysia to have the mountain and the beach in close proximity within each other. A must-visit place. It's magical.
We did an event in KK and then made our way to the foot of the mountain in a chartered van. We had a fun group of people, from around Malaysia and the USA. There were about 13 of us if my memory serves me. The first part of the journey was absolute chillax. Van took us to this base camp hotel, we stayed the night - the food was yums. Even though the bathrooms are communal dorm-style, it was clean and hot water was gushing out. Nice. I can do this climbing thing. :)
Next morning after breakfast, we were driven to the entrance of the gate that will mark the commencement of our ascent up the mountain. We had to climb 6km through tropical rainforest-type foliage, and then we will reach the base camp somewhere halfway up. There we will have dinner, sleep for a couple of hours and get up at 2am to hike 2.8km to the top of the mountain to Low's Peak (highest point) before sunrise. The idea is to catch the sunrise.
I'm throwing in the spoiler now - I didn't make the sunrise. LOL.
Anyway, we set out as a troupe. And some of us paid for porter services to help carry our bags while we climbed. I highly recommend hiring their services. Really. These are guys who make a living running up & down this mountain with baggage double their weight, in Japanese slippers. I'll still be in the mountain if not for my porter. Get yourself 2 bamboo walking sticks also - these are important if you don't want to thrash your knees coming down the mountain later.
So we set out and as we hiked, I found myself hiking alone almost all the way & I was enjoying myself. It was peaceful. The first couple of kilometers were relatively easy. There were distance markers all the way up every 500m, and I looked forward to reaching each one. The scenery was pure magic. Plus I was thoroughly amused that I had 3G mobile broadband access on my iPhone, so I was posting photos all the way up on Facebook. Amazing!
And then, all of a sudden it got difficult and tiring. And cold. And the air was getting thinner. The inclines got steeper. I'd climb a wall of rocks (almost 90 degrees) - to face...yet another wall of rocks. And this went on, and on, and on. And it was driving me nuts. Because I had no clue what was coming next. Plus I was getting extremely tired. I looked forward more for the next marker board.
Halfway up, I saw people climbing down. They were returning from their climb up to the peak from the day before. And then it strikes me like a bolt of lightning. Omaigawd. I had to climb back DOWN.
Why. Am. I. Doing. This. Again?!
There are only 3 ways down this mountain - 1) hire a helicopter for US$6k per trip, 2) hire 4 of these porters to carry you down (not kidding - they charge by kg), or 3) climb back down yourself. That's it. No cable car, no secret passage road, no zip line, nada.
3 things kept me going - 1) I've started on the path, so turning back made no sense to me, 2) I witnessed 4 of these porters carrying a 120kg fridge up the 90 degree slope – if they can do that, I can carry myself up for sure, and 3) I have to climb down anyway eventually. Grrr. But from that point onwards, I had no clue why I was doing this except for the charity foundation - a reason that gets less plausible the higher I went. I mean, I could have just raised funds without torturing myself yes?
Anyway, I reached the base camp in 5 hours 30 minutes, second after the troupe's fittest supermen - Alvis & Mica. It had started to drizzle about 30 minutes before I got in to the base camp, and they were getting worried that it would pour while the rest were not yet in to shelter. I was too vaguely, but all I wanted was to get something hot into my stomach. I was surprised so many have yet to arrive, I was drenched and shivering. It was getting dark & a storm was imminent.
One-by-one our party came trouping in to the camp, everyone pale & breathless. Then it really started to pour and we still had 4 more caught outside. The trek up wasn't friendly - we could only pray that they were safe. Finally everyone arrived, and we had a quick dinner, got prepped for the night climb and went to bed.
1.30am the alarm went off. I couldn't fathom why I had to drag my bruised body out of the dorm bed...but I was rushed to meet the rest of the party leaving the camp for the rest of the hike. In my mind, if I could handle 6km in 5 & half hours ok, the 2.8km to the peak should take half the time, no problem.
I'm glad I was born an optimist.
I was so wrong. The hike up to the peak was pure torture. It was pitch black, the air was so excruciatingly thin, I was feeling faint (something about high elevation dizziness), and we had to do tons of vertical & horizontal rope-work in the dark, it was drizzling heavily & super cold. I'm a tropical weather kinda chick - my idea of the great outdoors is the beach & the ocean. This is not my scene. Every 2 steps I took, I stopped to take 10 deep breathes. Did I mention, this is the first time I'm climbing a mountain? Anyway, I had an amazing person with me, Ganesan. If not for him, I am seriously not sure I would have made it. He pushed me all the way.
Because of me, this poor dude missed catching the sunrise from the peak. Public apology here my friend. 3/4 way up the 2.8km of Star Wars-like rock-land, the sun came up. That's about 6am. So that's the actual time we were supposed to reach the TOP of the peak. Obviously not happening. We finally got up there around 8.30am. Yup, you got it. I took 6 hours 30 minutes to hit the top of Low's Peak. By then, everyone's gone back down and there was no one around. Good news - I got there & we didn't have to fight anyone for a great view. Bad news - I've lost all bragging rights, AND now we've got to climb back down.
But, I was glad to have made it to the top. I saw people at the base of Low's Peak turning back & climbing down. I don't get it. It's like 800m more - and after all that torture getting so far, to quit. But many did that all the way up the last 2.8km. They just gave up, so close to their goal.
So, what's the point of climbing a mountain?
Check out the 10 Life Lessons I Learned from climbing this mountain in the continuing post....
This is a story, so it's very long by the way. So I decided to split it up into 2 parts. This is Part 1: the story & prelude; and Part 2: The 10 Life Lessons I Learned from this climb.
So if you want to just get STRAIGHT to the lessons I learned by climbing this mountain, go to the second continuing post. But the story is a fun way to lead into it, you can always come back too. Also, photos for this climb here.
So here we go....
***
The Point Of Climbing A Mountain
So the truth is, I've been procrastinating on writing this post. I'm not the blogging type & getting started with it was difficult. But I promised my friend, Billy Looper - an awesome dude from Fort Lauderdale USA, a couple of months ago that I would post something to share my journey climbing a mountain in Borneo island earlier this year.
Reason for the delay: Well, re-living the climb is not one of those things that would warm my heart. So here it is & I'll start where it's always best to start, at the beginning.
Fact: I'm diva-ish. I like gel extension nails and my ideal way to wash my hair is at the salon, all the time, no exceptions. But this is not saying that I can't take the rough & tumble parts of life; I can - but why should I? However, I know now if I'm thrown into the wild - I will survive & can probably find a way to thrive too.
So when my company's country manager Sunny decided that we will climb Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Borneo; to raise funds for our charity foundation, Agel Cares - I did what I was expected to do as one of the senior people in the field teams. Support the program 100% and signed up to climb this mountain.
I was told that it is 4,095m (13,435 ft) in elevation - and it was just as well I have no idea what that actually translates to in reality. I ain't so hot at metrics. I kinda can convert up to inches, then I need my widget on my iPhone.
That was May 2010 this year. I got the dates, and locked it down in to my schedule. So this was how it was gonna be: April: Fort Lauderdale-Florida; April/ May: Cairo-Egypt, Early May: Climb The Mountain; Mid-May: Bangkok-Thailand; Mid-mid-May: Jakarta-Indonesia; May-June: Indonesia multi-city road trip, and it went on. I can do this. Yeah.
Someone said something about training, but I figured dragging my over-sized luggage around airports in 4-inch heels alone for months should more than compensate for whatever cardio training I needed to do this mountain. No problem.
So the day came, and we flew to Kota Kinabalu, the beautiful capital city of the state of Sabah - a state that is nicknamed The Land Below The Wind. Kota Kinabalu is the only state in Malaysia to have the mountain and the beach in close proximity within each other. A must-visit place. It's magical.
We did an event in KK and then made our way to the foot of the mountain in a chartered van. We had a fun group of people, from around Malaysia and the USA. There were about 13 of us if my memory serves me. The first part of the journey was absolute chillax. Van took us to this base camp hotel, we stayed the night - the food was yums. Even though the bathrooms are communal dorm-style, it was clean and hot water was gushing out. Nice. I can do this climbing thing. :)
Next morning after breakfast, we were driven to the entrance of the gate that will mark the commencement of our ascent up the mountain. We had to climb 6km through tropical rainforest-type foliage, and then we will reach the base camp somewhere halfway up. There we will have dinner, sleep for a couple of hours and get up at 2am to hike 2.8km to the top of the mountain to Low's Peak (highest point) before sunrise. The idea is to catch the sunrise.
I'm throwing in the spoiler now - I didn't make the sunrise. LOL.
Anyway, we set out as a troupe. And some of us paid for porter services to help carry our bags while we climbed. I highly recommend hiring their services. Really. These are guys who make a living running up & down this mountain with baggage double their weight, in Japanese slippers. I'll still be in the mountain if not for my porter. Get yourself 2 bamboo walking sticks also - these are important if you don't want to thrash your knees coming down the mountain later.
So we set out and as we hiked, I found myself hiking alone almost all the way & I was enjoying myself. It was peaceful. The first couple of kilometers were relatively easy. There were distance markers all the way up every 500m, and I looked forward to reaching each one. The scenery was pure magic. Plus I was thoroughly amused that I had 3G mobile broadband access on my iPhone, so I was posting photos all the way up on Facebook. Amazing!
And then, all of a sudden it got difficult and tiring. And cold. And the air was getting thinner. The inclines got steeper. I'd climb a wall of rocks (almost 90 degrees) - to face...yet another wall of rocks. And this went on, and on, and on. And it was driving me nuts. Because I had no clue what was coming next. Plus I was getting extremely tired. I looked forward more for the next marker board.
Halfway up, I saw people climbing down. They were returning from their climb up to the peak from the day before. And then it strikes me like a bolt of lightning. Omaigawd. I had to climb back DOWN.
Why. Am. I. Doing. This. Again?!
There are only 3 ways down this mountain - 1) hire a helicopter for US$6k per trip, 2) hire 4 of these porters to carry you down (not kidding - they charge by kg), or 3) climb back down yourself. That's it. No cable car, no secret passage road, no zip line, nada.
3 things kept me going - 1) I've started on the path, so turning back made no sense to me, 2) I witnessed 4 of these porters carrying a 120kg fridge up the 90 degree slope – if they can do that, I can carry myself up for sure, and 3) I have to climb down anyway eventually. Grrr. But from that point onwards, I had no clue why I was doing this except for the charity foundation - a reason that gets less plausible the higher I went. I mean, I could have just raised funds without torturing myself yes?
Anyway, I reached the base camp in 5 hours 30 minutes, second after the troupe's fittest supermen - Alvis & Mica. It had started to drizzle about 30 minutes before I got in to the base camp, and they were getting worried that it would pour while the rest were not yet in to shelter. I was too vaguely, but all I wanted was to get something hot into my stomach. I was surprised so many have yet to arrive, I was drenched and shivering. It was getting dark & a storm was imminent.
One-by-one our party came trouping in to the camp, everyone pale & breathless. Then it really started to pour and we still had 4 more caught outside. The trek up wasn't friendly - we could only pray that they were safe. Finally everyone arrived, and we had a quick dinner, got prepped for the night climb and went to bed.
1.30am the alarm went off. I couldn't fathom why I had to drag my bruised body out of the dorm bed...but I was rushed to meet the rest of the party leaving the camp for the rest of the hike. In my mind, if I could handle 6km in 5 & half hours ok, the 2.8km to the peak should take half the time, no problem.
I'm glad I was born an optimist.
I was so wrong. The hike up to the peak was pure torture. It was pitch black, the air was so excruciatingly thin, I was feeling faint (something about high elevation dizziness), and we had to do tons of vertical & horizontal rope-work in the dark, it was drizzling heavily & super cold. I'm a tropical weather kinda chick - my idea of the great outdoors is the beach & the ocean. This is not my scene. Every 2 steps I took, I stopped to take 10 deep breathes. Did I mention, this is the first time I'm climbing a mountain? Anyway, I had an amazing person with me, Ganesan. If not for him, I am seriously not sure I would have made it. He pushed me all the way.
Because of me, this poor dude missed catching the sunrise from the peak. Public apology here my friend. 3/4 way up the 2.8km of Star Wars-like rock-land, the sun came up. That's about 6am. So that's the actual time we were supposed to reach the TOP of the peak. Obviously not happening. We finally got up there around 8.30am. Yup, you got it. I took 6 hours 30 minutes to hit the top of Low's Peak. By then, everyone's gone back down and there was no one around. Good news - I got there & we didn't have to fight anyone for a great view. Bad news - I've lost all bragging rights, AND now we've got to climb back down.
But, I was glad to have made it to the top. I saw people at the base of Low's Peak turning back & climbing down. I don't get it. It's like 800m more - and after all that torture getting so far, to quit. But many did that all the way up the last 2.8km. They just gave up, so close to their goal.
So, what's the point of climbing a mountain?
Check out the 10 Life Lessons I Learned from climbing this mountain in the continuing post....
Monday, 16 May 2011
What are you advocating for?
Most people have the impression that advocates are synonymous to activists, that advocates run the gamut of being irritating to inspiring, pointless to life-changing. But whatever it may be, an advocate is always seen as vocally loud.
I mentioned in my post yesterday that an advocate is defined as "a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy." Going deeper into the root meaning of this word, I copy below the exact words from my dictionary app:
ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French avocat, from Latin advocatus, past participle (used as a noun) of advocare ‘call (to one's aid),’ from ad- ‘to’ + vocare ‘to call.’
Hence, to advocate is to call. And if you really think about it, we call in many ways and not with our words only. The biggest form of advocacy of any one thing is in our actions. And our actions are driven by our beliefs, and our beliefs by our thoughts.
So you don't have to be Gandhi, a Barrack, Osama bin Laden, or any conventional form of leader to be an advocate. You, the way you already are, going through your life the way you already do; is a form of advocacy. You already have that power, because in your actions you have advocated your choices.
That policy may be "I don't make waves" - so you're advocating for a minor form of harmony, but at the price of maybe something bigger that can help change the course of your personal history (i.e. if you're a victim in an abusive relationship) or even impact your community or country (i.e. not fighting for your rights).
Why advocate? Well, because you already have been given that power to make a difference, to influence for contribution or otherwise, and.....you're already using it. Even if you are being a loser and a bum, you are still an advocate for the policies that are linked to being a loser and a bum.
So, what are you advocating for? To influence for the betterment of yourself and your community, or the ruination? Every choice matters you see. Every moment, every word, every action. To actively advocate for something is a scary thing, because you put yourself on the line, open and vulnerable to criticism and attack.
But you see, you are already an advocate, it's just the reach of your impact that's either small or large that's in question; that you are already advocating is not. So why not use all that power and energy that you are already using now, to really advocate for the beliefs, values, actions, policies and things that you really believe in? That's the difference between really LIVING versus just existing.
Make a stand. Advocate for the best in yourself, and what you want to be. It matters. You matter.
xoxo
Jamie
I mentioned in my post yesterday that an advocate is defined as "a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy." Going deeper into the root meaning of this word, I copy below the exact words from my dictionary app:
ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French avocat, from Latin advocatus, past participle (used as a noun) of advocare ‘call (to one's aid),’ from ad- ‘to’ + vocare ‘to call.’
Hence, to advocate is to call. And if you really think about it, we call in many ways and not with our words only. The biggest form of advocacy of any one thing is in our actions. And our actions are driven by our beliefs, and our beliefs by our thoughts.
So you don't have to be Gandhi, a Barrack, Osama bin Laden, or any conventional form of leader to be an advocate. You, the way you already are, going through your life the way you already do; is a form of advocacy. You already have that power, because in your actions you have advocated your choices.
That policy may be "I don't make waves" - so you're advocating for a minor form of harmony, but at the price of maybe something bigger that can help change the course of your personal history (i.e. if you're a victim in an abusive relationship) or even impact your community or country (i.e. not fighting for your rights).
Why advocate? Well, because you already have been given that power to make a difference, to influence for contribution or otherwise, and.....you're already using it. Even if you are being a loser and a bum, you are still an advocate for the policies that are linked to being a loser and a bum.
So, what are you advocating for? To influence for the betterment of yourself and your community, or the ruination? Every choice matters you see. Every moment, every word, every action. To actively advocate for something is a scary thing, because you put yourself on the line, open and vulnerable to criticism and attack.
But you see, you are already an advocate, it's just the reach of your impact that's either small or large that's in question; that you are already advocating is not. So why not use all that power and energy that you are already using now, to really advocate for the beliefs, values, actions, policies and things that you really believe in? That's the difference between really LIVING versus just existing.
Make a stand. Advocate for the best in yourself, and what you want to be. It matters. You matter.
xoxo
Jamie
Thanks to EmpireAvenue, I now blog.
I write. I do. Quite prolifically actually, and I post on twitter & facebook all day long too, as my friends & tweethearts can attest.
But I've kept most of my "longer-than-140-characters" writing in my journals - I write about things that inspire me, takes me to faraway places, lifts me up, makes me smile, moves me to tears, and that which reminds me of the exquisite frailty of the human life, but the infallible strength of the human spirit.
I'd just never gotten around to starting a blog. I registered a couple, years ago - but only until now, driven by the compulsion to deliver the best if I am to participate in the online investing game; to finally start this blog (Tip: You create higher dividend yields for your shareholders).
So the title of my first blog is not a pun, it is absolutely 100% true. Because of EmpireAvenue.com, the world's only Social Media Exchange site, I got around to doing this - and inspired enough to be typing out this first post. So my shareholders can earn higher dividends by investing in me.
Hidden Lesson #1: e(JLOH) = good, hardworking investment.
Not just propaganda.
I'm an Advocate you see. In the dictionary app on my MacBook, an advocate is "someone who is defined as a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy."
That's me. Hi. :)
My name is Jamie, I keep my philosophies simple. Complicated is not my thing. I either advocate something or am indifferent to it. I feel that life is too short to live lukewarm or on the fence. There's some kind of impotency existing like that. Passion is my engine, joy is my code, and beauty my drug. And I love all passionate, joyful & beautiful objects - animate & inanimate.
So this blog will be a collection of all things like that, and a reflection of how I live - simple, raw, and, passionately advocating only that which I believe in, and that which I adore.
Whether it is controversial or pays or not doesn't bother me - I adore, I believe, therefore I advocate.
I love my friends and my family. I love people and the things that they get up to, especially the why they get up to it in the first place. I am an eternal nomad and nothing rocks my boat more than getting on the road & exploring the many corners of the earth. I find this world a fascinating place and there is nowhere else I would rather be.
From Agel to MLM to iPhones to Whatsapp & TalkBox to Gandhi to my favorite Prosperity/ MLM Rock Star Randy Gage to pretty boy Zac Efron to war history or my Looney Tunes family; my interests are diverse and sometimes bizarre.
And now I have somewhere to publicly record & share it.
EmpireAvenue.com, my life was simple before I met you. So go buy some of my shares below, hook me up on Facebook or Twitter, sign-up for blog posts from me, drop me some suggestions on how to make all my follow buttons shiny and nice; check out the amazing people I advocate via their blog links on the right -->> ; and tell me what YOU are an advocate for. I'd love to hear from you.
Finally, thanks for joining me for the ride. I hereby solemnly promise to ensure that it never gets boring here.
xoxo
Jamie
PS: Btw, if you haven't yet gotten yourself listed on EAv, click here & get yourself on the social media map and earn 2,000e free from me!
PPS: Oh and don't forget to invest in me. Doesn't even cost you real money. The button's on the right -->. It's a pretty thing, you can't miss it. Buy yourself some sunshine ok - support the advocacy of eternally renewable energy. That's me. I'd love you for it. Promise. :)
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