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.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to Enlightenment

If you haven't seen the 2005 release of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" I highly recommend it. Now it's true that I am a sci-fi lover and I’m biased, but this movie is actually really fun. Sam Rockwell and Mos Def are awesome in it.

Why do I think this movie is enlightened? For one, the character of Ford Prefect (Mos Def) really lives in the moment. He is an experienced galactic hitchhiker, having traveled all over the universe. He is curious, kind, and always up for an adventure. He doesn't really get upset, he deals with what is happening in the moment, often up to the point of his near demise. He really is a very enlightened character in my eyes. Ford Prefect carries a book around called "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" which is a manual to getting around the universe. Inscribed on the guide are the words "Don't Panic". At the beginning of the movie, just before the Earth is about to be destroyed, Ford Prefect grabs his friend Arthur Dent to have a couple pints of beer in the last 10 minutes of the Earth’s existence. He's telling people at the bar to drink up and enjoy because the Earth is about to be destroyed. (Actually this moment in the movie reminds me much of the Kane's article "How Sweet It Is", which is a piece about enjoying your life up until the last moment). No one believes him of course, until the aliens announce over a loudspeaker that the planet will be demolished because of the construction of the new intergalactic bypass that is being built. It's totally zany, see the movie and it will all make sense.

Another scene that I found hysterical was on the planet Vogon, where the group of travelers is attempting to rescue their friend from being put to death. Once they step onto the planet, these random spatulas come up from the ground and hit the travelers in the face. At first, they have no idea why and they keep getting whacked in the face. They soon learn that each time they think an idea or thought, the spatula comes up and smacks them in the face. Whack! Don't think! Whack! Whack! Whack! They just keep getting whacked, especially Artur Dent, as he thinks more than anyone else in the group. Artur is always lost in his thoughts and a step behind, often too timid to take action. Though his reserved nature does change throughout the movie, since he really doesn’t have a choice but to change on the wild galactic adventure he's been whisked away on. Hey, come to think of it, I've got a "transformational spatula" for you. Well not really a spatula it’s more like a gentle reminder. Each time you notice yourself drifting off into the oblivion of your thoughts just say to yourself "I'm back." And if you really do this, you might find yourself saying it quite often. It’s just a little nudge back into the moment to go along with the noticing of what’s happening. It’s really quite cool. I learned this from my friend Josh from a superb acting class he teaches, and it's an excellent tool to add to the skill set of being present.

One last thing…anything goes in the Hitchhiker universe. Really illustrating that point is the wonderful “Infinite Improbability Drive”. It's a one-of-a-kind drive on a spaceship where the most improbable of possibilities in the universe actually occur. Totally wacky stuff happens. I'll let you find out what that is by watching the movie, I've said too much already. I'd also like to think of the Infinite Improbability Drive renamed as the "Ultimate Possibility Drive". Where all of a sudden, things that your thought weren't possible are happening all around you.

So are you engaging in your life, paying attention to what's happening around you and going for it? Is your "Ultimate Possibility Drive" engaged, or are you listening to your thoughts and fueling your "Why I Can't or I Could Never Do That Engine"? The choice is yours!

As always, feel free to post comments on this entry or any others here on Bright-Eyed Life that you’ve enjoyed.

Starting the New Year Right 2008

I'm very excited to say that "Starting the New Year Right" is coming on Wednesday, January 2nd. It's a a fun way to learn about Transformation and experience it for yourself first hand. You're invited to come join us in New York City for it. If you can't make it because your not in the New York area, then I recommend listening to some hi-fi podcasts or the Kane's radio show. It all contains great material on how to access the present moment and to have your life transform into possibilities that your mind can't even imagine.

Storybusting

Transformation is a story-busting technology. What I mean by story is an idea of how I think things are or should be, when in reality it may not be the truth. Like a fairy tale, not based in reality. I'm shocked at how easily stories drop away when I feel my resistance to doing something, usually held in place by some old conversation about myself. What? You want examples? Why I'm glad you asked...

Two days ago, I was walking down the hall at work. I was in what I call "IT Mode", meaning I was in a focused and intense demeanor because I wanted to accomplish tasks on some of the Information Technology projects I'm involved with. There's also a certain disposition and energy I traditionally have with "IT Mode" which I'll explain. My story was that I needed to focus my energy, be intense, and that it was ok to be antisocial and ignore others around me to get things done efficiently. And this is a common behavior set for me when I get busy. So I was already getting well-settled into my automatic "IT Mode" of being intense and gruff, when all of a sudden I saw this old story rambling on in my mind. Somehow I've put it together that working hard and being sociable don't mix. It's either one or the other in this system. But that's simply not true. I know that it works to get things done, but if I don't see that it is just a story, all other possibilities for ways of working are cut off. I actually might accomplish as much or more, and with ease and effortlessness. So when I saw this happening, I just said out loud in the hall "hey, I can be social anytime I want" and started chuckling. Immediately I felt the intensity and weight drop away and my body lighten. The rest of the day, I accomplished just as much as I would have by being intense and focused, but I did my work with total ease. I also was kind and sociable with my co-workers and really took time for them. When they came to me with questions, I heard what they were saying, instead of trying to fill in what I thought they were going to say. Everything was smooth and effortless.

Second story-busted...I was lying on my couch this past evening, beating myself up for not working on one of my songs. What I'd call a mechanical "artist" behavior pattern. After all making music and being creative must be difficult and painful...right? Woe is me, I'm an artist and I must struggle. Wrong! Soon that story-busting Transformation came along. I was already well into my story as if I was my story...that I was too tired to accomplish anything, and that my songs aren't that good anyways and all sound the same, blah, blah, blah. Instantly, I was fully aware of this story, but listening to it as if I were an outside observer. I also could really feel the resistance in my body to working on music, and to be honest, resistance to doing anything in that moment. Something hit, I started listening non-judgmentally to my story. So after this literally 2 second process of seeing the story, feeling the resistance, I popped right up from my couch, set up my microphone and started recording acoustic guitar right into Pro Tools. Blam, bop, pow! Story busted, Batman!

And now I see that both stories are connected, things have to be a struggle in both of these stories to get anything accomplished. That's survival mode. Transformation has offered up totally new and alive possibilities. So it's really a combination of two access roads that I've been experiencing a lot lately. In combination it's really Principles One and Three of Transformation in action here. Feeling my resistance or whatever emotion or mood I'm experiencing (Not falling into Principle One-anything you resist persists, grows stronger and dominates your life), and listening to my mind chatter on, without judging it (Principle Three-anything you see exactly as it is, will complete itself) for doing what it does. I somehow get all giddy and find it hilarious that it can be that easy. It really is magic.

So there's the possibility, with Transformation ten seconds ago you can be lost in a story of complaint and resistance, and ten seconds later I'm there doing exactly what I want, just by seeing what is, and the story drops away. Without having to do anything. Transformation Rocks And so does James Brown...so check out an awesome live performance of Good Foot. Funky.

Haiku by Ryan

My friend Ryan wrote this beautiful Haiku inspired by Transformation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.


"Windblown blossoms pass
Like moments through Life's hourglass
They are all perfect"

-Ryan Martin

Transformation and The Christmas Tree

I moved to New York City seven years ago from my home state of Colorado. When I first arrived, I was excited and also scared out of my mind. I didn't have a job and I didn't know how I was going to pay $1100 in rent for a tiny apartment in Chelsea. I was hitting the subways every day in a suit going around on job interviews. Within two weeks I had a job working at a small PR firm in the city. I'm still very proud of how quickly I found a job, I must admit. But needless to say I was a Rocky Mountain boy in the Big Apple, everything was confusing, strange and it was pretty lonely, as I didn't have any friends here.

But come a year later, I was starting to set into a groove. I got a new job working in the technology department at a law firm in Rockefeller Center, moved to a bigger and more affordable place in Astoria, started having girlfriends again and found a group of friends to hang out with. Things went from me almost moving back to Colorado to going very well. But then "normal" life set in again. A life filled with complaint and self-made hardship. Have you ever noticed how when things get good, you find ways to make them not so good? And it usually appears via complaining about the "difficulties" in life and how the world sucks. It's like a self-sabotage.

What I’ve learned from Ariel & Shya Kane is that this sabotaging-type behavior is purely a survival mechanism. Our family lines are based on survival, overcoming hardships through the ages. It's in our blood and wired in our genetics. But we don't need to survive like that anymore, and it can be unwired. Food is easily accessible, as is shelter, transportation, you name it. But since the mechanism of survival is automatic and mechanical, we slot situations in our lives into this natural but old mechanism. That's not to say that difficult situations don't arise, but by living mechanically we often make things much more challenging and complicated than they have to be...we resist what is in our lives. So how do you free yourself from the survival mechanism when it's not appropriate? Well, that's where Transformation comes in and alleviates the automatic nature of the survival mechanism. By seeing and examining what's happening in your life, without judgment, those survival behaviors can be unwired in an instant. You can be free from those behaviors in the moment you see them and step into enlightenment. You can enjoy where you are at, and what you have without trying to enjoy it. It brings things into thriving rather than bouncing in and out of surviving.

So after several years of living in New York, I found myself becoming a New Yorker. Or rather my idea of what a New Yorker should be like. I started to become jaded. I'd see slow-moving, wide-eyed tourists and quickly walk by them, scoffing and rolling my eyes because they were "in my way". After all it's the New York thing to do, and what I thought was the cool thing to do. It became a set groove in the recording of my life at the time. I'd even go back to Colorado and brag about how big, cool and metropolitan New York was. Yeah, I'm sure my friends really loved that. Back then, whenever Christmas time arrived in New York, it was the most annoying time of year for me. All I could see was all of the marketing of Christmas in the area, and those "annoying" tourists who swarm about to see the great Christmas tree in front of Rockefeller plaza. I was a real Scrooge, or imagine Scrooge at 27 years old. I'm laughing at myself just thinking about it. Of course, this was all prior to finding Transformation.

I've been attending Transformation workshops for about a year and a half now. One day this past year I was walking around at lunch one day by myself. Suddenly, I saw the mechanics of my jaded mood. It just hit me like a ton of bricks. I wasn't even trying to change anything or do anything with my mood. I was simply present and engaged, checking out all the beautiful architecture of the buildings of Rockefeller Center. I saw all these tourists, people from all over the world, who came to see right where I worked! How awesome, I thought. People come from the four corners of Earth to see this place I go to everyday, to enjoy it, and here I was complaining about it all the time. I spent all those years and years complaining, being bitter and jaded, and all of a sudden it was all gone. Bye, bye. It was truly a transformational moment in my life and still is. Instead of a huge having a complaint festival everyday, I now look up and around every day, really breathe in the air outside. I see how wonderful it is to work in my area, and I really enjoy all those people who are enjoying it with me.

So tonight before going to help with the Monday Night Alive setup team, I walked out of where I work at Rockefeller Plaza and saw the lovely Christmas tree right in front of the ice skating rink. As I looked up I slowed and looked around at all the people. There were groups of smiling and happy tourists. And lots of fast walking, hard-faced New Yorkers, too. I smiled as those New Yorkers now reminded me of me. Actually I'm more of a New Yorker than ever. and I'm more myself than ever, too. I looked up at the tree and noticed how piercingly radiant the lights were on the tree, especially the cobalt blue colored bulbs. I took a few minutes to just enjoy the tree, the air, and all the people from all over the world visiting Rockefeller and the Christmas tree. It’s just more icing on the cake of Transformation and enlightenment.

With Transformation, you can always be a tourist in your life, looking with wonder and awe every day at whatever life brings your way. It's magic. And if it's not for you then hey, I guess it just isn't. But if you're interested in attending a workshop, I highly recommend the upcoming Passion: Revitalize Your Life workshop in January. It will be nothing less than spectacular.