Category Archives: Life

Life

The power of authenticity

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“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.” – Bruce Lee

Do you know anybody in your life who is just really weird? Or has these interesting quirks and nuances about him/her that society would find odd, and yet you can’t help but love them for it?  Do you know why?  Its because they are being authentic.  Truly, and completely authentic.

When I look at a lot of my closest friends, I realize it has far less to do with us living close to each other, or having a lot of commonalities, or sharing the same beliefs.  It has far more to do with the fact that they are all really authentic people.  Its the times when we become inauthentic do people start to see right through it.

Last Sunday I was invited to a dinner party at the very last minute.  Old friends from school, some I hadn’t seen in over 2 years.  So I showed up and there were a few people that I didn’t particularly care to see because I wasn’t really close to them, and there were a few people who I was very excited to see.  One of my close friends, who I didn’t know was going to be there, showed up after I did.  He looked at me with a wtf I didn’t know you were going to be here look and brushed me off.  He put on his “identity mask” as I like to call it.  I didn’t take it personally because I knew it had nothing to do with me.  But just realize, and observe yourself when you put on these masks.  It happens to us all, so be completely honest with yourself that you are doing it.  Its ok, but try not to lose your authenticity when that happens.  You will be glad you took the mask off.

Life

Forgiveness is a beautiful thing.

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“To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.” – Robert Muller

I have been doing a A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume for about 5 months now (highly recommended) and one of the really beautiful and brilliant insights about it is looking at God in a different light.  It can be a touchy subject but the way a Course in Miracles talks about it just seems to vibe right.  Anyway, one of the things it mentions is that God does not forgive you.  What’s that you say? No forgiveness from the almighty?!!! That is correct.  God does not forgive you because God never judged you, so there is nothing to forgive.  Woahhhhhhh, trippy.

Humans, on the other hand, like to judge everything.  It helps us survive by categorizing stuff.  I think a lot of people go way overboard with judgment, and that’s when feelings can get hurt.  can you forgive them for judging you?  usually, their judgment has nothing to do with you, it usually has everything to do with them and their issues.  can you forgive your boss, your friends and family for any wrongdoings you may think they have done to you?  most importantly, can you forgive YOURSELF?  that one is hard for many people, including myself.  you truly are your own worst critic, but if you can cultivate the attitude of forgiveness and realize that you are allowed to make mistakes then peace and happiness and abundance will flow through you.  give yourself permission, right now, to not be perfect and to make mistakes.  do it, its Marty approved.

Life

“When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears” – Tony Robbins

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yesterday i was very sad.  i found tears running down my cheeks at work.  it was difficult talking to people but i managed to get through it.  i went home and let it all out.  it felt good.  i had a meeting at 7 to work on The City Bee, a project that has been taken up a lot of my time and am excited about, so i had to get my act together.  i had to go to the bathroom twice to wipe away some tears.  i made sure i was smiling the entire time.  i came home after the meeting and let out some more tears.  it felt so liberating, so peaceful.  i laughed at feeling alive again.  i went and looked through some photos of friends.  boy am i a lucky dude.

i wish i could open my heart and show you all how much gratitude i have for the things that i have touched my life.  this year, there was one person in particular who i am so grateful for.  she touched my life in a way i’ve never been touched before.  when i was down and broken, she picked me up and assured me everything would be alright.  she helped me make sense of things that seemed senseless.  for that, i am forever grateful.  there’s no possible way to show how truly grateful i am for everything i’ve experienced this year, good and bad.  these experiences will only make me stronger.  your experiences will only make you stronger.  so be grateful for it all. let the inner joy rise within you. you can be sad, you can be angry, you can be scared as you react to life’s craziness, but underneath it all let the joy rise.  be like the ocean and experience the vastness within you.  the winds and the storms on the surface can create some large waves.  but the storms and the wind cannot disturb the stillness that is the depth of the ocean within you.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – JFK

Life

“Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t. Maybe go F*@# yourself!” – The Departed

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eloquently put, by Mark Wahlberg in the departed.  what’s the lesson, here?  the lesson is that you don’t know, you don’t know squat.  nothing is neither good nor bad, but thinking makes it so.  just remember that when you think you are in a bad situation, or you are in a good situation for that matter.  you simply don’t know how things will turn out so can you simply accept the situation for what it is, not worry about it, live your life and be present (previous lessons)?

an underlying joy will begin to arise when these lessons are taken to heart.  sometimes you’ll have to remind yourself.  actually, from my experience you will constantly have to remind yourself.  your brain will try to hijack your life, so you have to gently nudge it back on the right track.  sometimes it can take a really long time. like, we’re talking years.  but as long as you keep on keeping on you can dust yourself off and try again.

Life

“Just for today, do not worry.” – Dr. Mikao Usui

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i saw this quote on a wall in a busy mall in Hong Kong.  it blew my mind at how effective this simple lesson can do wonders for you.  the quote, from the founder of Reiki (a form of energy healing), is actually a little longer than that.  but i feel this simple quote is more than enough to bring great awareness to you and your mind.

i heard Eckhart Tolle talk about this somewhere.  I am not sure where i heard it, but he mentioned that somebody asked him how they could be present and not to worry or let their mind wander everyday, every week, month, year for the rest of their lives?

Tolle responded with something along the lines of “no, that is much too complicated.  all you have to do is not worry and be present in this moment.”

simple, right? :p

Life

Acceptance. Lesson 4.

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“Accept everything that arises. Accept your feelings, even the ones you wish you did not have. Accept your experiences, even the ones you hate. Don’t condemn yourself for having human flaws and failings. Learn to see all the phenomena in the mind as being perfectly natural and understandable. Try to exercise a disinterested acceptance at all times with respect to everything you experience.” – Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, Mindfulness in Plain English

the only constant in life is that everything changes.  don’t hold onto what was, accept what is.  you are exactly where you should be in life in this moment.  cry when you feel like crying, laugh when things are funny, and let go when people fade from your life.  its not easy to do.  its something i struggle with a lot.  but when you can finally accept the reality of what is, i guarantee you will sleep much better at night.

Life

Kiss me. Lesson 3.

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“keep it simple, silly me.” is what you should tell yourself in times that you forget.  remove clutter from your kitchen, from your bathroom and living areas.  remove clutter from your wardrobe, from your brain.  you will find that less is indeed more.  instead of multi tasking 10 things at once, let’s single task 1 thing with 100% focus.  by doing this, you will find more clarity in your life, your imagination will sparkle, and ultimately you will be happier.  with less things to juggle, it will be easier for you to balance.  remember that when the times get tough (and the times will get tough, they always do.)