The 25th Century is here....

No not the future...but my band! We just played our first show and it was killer. Thanks to all that came out. You can check us out at www.myspace.com/the25thcentury for upcoming shows and to listen to tracks. The 25th Century - energetic rock, pop & funk to move your body & soul....

Working on Yourself Doesn't Work

Hey everyone - Ariel & Shya Kane have re-released "Working on Yourself Doesn't Work" - with publisher McGraw Hill! It's the bigtime baby! This new edition has 30% new material - and I can't wait to read it.

So get your own copy today - click here to go the Transformational Moments blog to find out how to buy it.

Just What Is Happiness, Anyway?

A fantastic article by Ariel & Shya Kane explaining how people get in the way of their own happiness; and how nothing in particular needs to be "done" or sought to find true contentment.

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A New Earth

I've always heard about Oprah and how amazing she is. I can't really say much about her personally, but I do know that she is a powerful woman that has a great deal of media reach. I think it is amazing that she uses that reach to spread the importance of awareness.

I recently heard about her webcasts with Eckart Tolle, author of the amazing book "The Power of Now". He just released a new book called "A New Earth". In support of it, Oprah is doing live webcasts with Eckart Tolle every Monday evening for 12 weeks. As of now, they are halfway through at Week 6. I'll be hanging at Monday Night Alive most of those evenings, but I have been watching the archived webcasts and they are amazing. Eckart Tolle is another master of being present. I highly recommend you check them out if you are interested in awareness, awakening, enlightenment or Transformation. Like the Kanes' books, audios and workshops, I think this webcast series is a great support for life.

Check out the webcast archives for "A New Earth". It's absolutely worth watching.

"An Enlightened Stroke"

This is a fantastic speech given by Jill Bolte Taylor, a brain research scientist, who had an enlightening experience when she had a stroke. At one point Jill talks about the energy that lives within us, and the human brain as a place where this energy lives. So I came to think, what if that brain is not only a processor of information and energy, but also a transmitter and receiver of this energy - one that connects us all beyond just our five senses? That would make sense to explain human intuition psychic ability - perhaps a scientific explanation for all those "unseen" senses.

Check out the TED video "My Stroke of Insight".

Love Foolosophy Acoustic

Here's one of my favorite Jamiroquai songs--an acoustic version--with some breezy Brazilian-style chords. I just learned to play it by ear tonight, and I hope that you enjoy it just as much as I do. A beautiful song and a great performance by Rob on guitar and of course Jay Kay on vocals.

"Love Foolosophy" w/ Jay Kay & Rob Harris of Jamiroquai

The Life and Legacy of Werner Erhard

Werner-Erhard founded EST and some have called him the grand-daddy of Transformation. Not sure what that means, but there's actually a film about his development of Transformation and his life story, which looks really interesting. Check out this link when you have a moment.

TRANSFORMATION: The Life and Legacy of Werner Erhard

We Live in the Lap of Luxury

"Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs"

Shya Kane spoke about Maslow's theory of survival and development during this year's Costa Rica 2008 Group 1. So much happened and was discussed in Costa Rica, this is but one of many topics that arose from the moment. I find Maslow's theory simple yet elegant. Just last night, I was walking from my living room to my bathroom to take a shower and I realized something...almost everything that I have, own or want is a luxury other than basic needs on the physiological level. I live a luxurious lifestyle. In fact, I think that we all do. So I've decided to list luxuries that come to mind:

Heat, hot water, cell phone, computer, internet, Google, futon, bed, mp3 player, frozen food, vitamins, coffee, shoes, jeans, blazer, jewelry, guitar, voice lessons, restaurants, refrigerator, medicines like antacid or pain relievers, sunglasses, towels, bottled water, running water, toilets and sanitation, apartment buildings, subway, cars, bikes, airplanes, taxis, clock radio, lamps and lights, my job, electricity, garbage service...and so on.

All of these things above are luxuries and only a few of them. Give it go and list your own, I'm sure you'll come up with many more. Most of these luxuries become preferences for us after a while. What I mean is that we prefer to have them and when they are not available, we often find ourselves complaining, throwing temper tantrums and being brats about not having what we think that "we need". We create drama via complaint, just because our survival mechanisms are so strongly bred into our human nature. We generate a survival mode around things we truly don't need to survive. Surviving is no fun, and why continue to survive when you don't really have to? You can thrive, have fun and have life be easy. That is transformation. It is truly a strange concept and not normal, because most of us have been raised in a culture of survival. The concept of thriving isn't in our normal way of being. And that survival mechanism coupled with our complaints over cold coffee and late trains turns us into little brats. Really there is nothing to complain about if you take an honest look. But it takes an ability to "transcend your bratty nature" and transform. A skill set that can be learned by anyone.

We really do live in the lap of luxury.

Your Life is Happening Now

I thought this picture was perfect for this post. I was looking for someone doing something "mundane" like washing the dishes or doing the laundry to illustrate the point that you really can enjoy wherever you are, if you are actually there for it. But that's just not as sexy as this picture (at least to the mind), so I figured hey why don't I just mess you a bit. Devlish, aren't I?

I choose this picture because it's beautiful to look at and most likely will appease your mind in some way. I have an idea what your mind is thinking when you look at it. I'll bet it says something like "Wow, I wish I was there. That's so beautiful. Life would be better right now, if only I was there."

Well I'm here to say, it can't be better. Why? Because you are not there, you are here, reading this. Actually you can't be anywhere else in this moment of now. To say that the beach in this tropical paradise is better than where you are is simply not true. That is a mind trick. Your mind just thinks it is a better place to be. There's no guarantee you'll be happier there, and I'm sure your mind will find something to complain about once you actually are there. So if you continue to believe the lie your mind is telling you, you can't be happy in this moment or in the ones to follow. Not until you non-judgmentally see what your mind is doing. Which, generally, is off in some fantasy land in the future, or perhaps rehashing the past already gone by.

So what do you do? Nothing. Allow your mind to chatter, watch it yammer away, and don't fight it. You can't resist your mind, that's what it is designed to do. Let your mind be exactly as it is, let your thoughts be exactly as they are (Principle Three of Transformation), don't fight them. Whatever you are feeling around the chatter in your mind can complete itself.

Your life shows up as a moment of now, continuously. Either you can be there for it and pay attention, enjoy it and also be really efficient at whatever you're doing (that includes working at your job or even relaxing watching a movie), or you can be off thinking about where your life is or isn't. Are you really here? It's not the job position that you do or don't have, the acting role you do or don't have, the money you do or don't have, or the relationship you don't or do have. Your life is right now.

So right now as you're reading this post, this your life. It isn't somewhere else. It's here. Take a look at each word as you read it. Take a full breath in of the air where you are sitting reading this. Look up at the ceiling. Look at the walls. Notice the detail of the paint or any pattern on it. Really look and engage and you will get present. Just take your attention off yourself, forget about how you think things should be, and put it onto what is in front of you. It's really that simple to have your whole life transform before you.

You can live your life right now as if everything depends on it, as if it really matters. Whether you are washing the dishes, taking out the garbage, paying bills, working at your job, or taking care of your family--be there for it and you can enjoy it. You might be surprised by what shows up.