Tell the truth....are you boring?

"if your life is boring, it's because you are boring"

Just thinking about that feels like a slap on the face to me. The last thing I would like the world to think of me is I am boring. And if a person is boring, it is for one one reason. You are playing the game of LIFE too safe!

"the person who says yes most often, has the most fun"

Obviously I don't want to say yes to everything or I would now be the proud owner of 243 time shares in Mexico. However, many times we deny ourselves the zest and juice in life because we let little fears get in the way of excitement and discovery.

"a safe life doesn't come cheap"

Doing what is safe in your life is comfortable and predictable. Seems like it would be worth the price, right? Not so fast bucko. Playing it safe all the time, denies you the opportunity to make new friends, have new experiences and most important finding out who you really are. That's a big price to pay!

"the density of life today is so thick, that we too soon forget the first lesson we learned as children....the purpose of life is to enjoy it"

I think playing it safe is mostly born from a desire to protect our fragile ego. We don't want to fail in front of our peers. We sure don't want to look foolish when by doing nothing we can be safe. Meanwhile the goofball in the group is having all the fun. Nope, no one will think us stupid or foolish if we do nothing. But they may think us boring! YIKES

"isn't it time you broke a few rules"

Remember this...when you obey all the rules, you are doing what others want you to do. You are living a life controlled by the thoughts of others. This is just one of the reasons I like Mexico so much. They have far fewer rules and repressive laws. And they don't seem to mind bending some of them or at least cutting you a little slack. I'm not talking about robbing banks or harming people. Just little things like not wearing a helmet on a bike or strolling down a beach with a drink in your hand. No harm to anyone, except possibly myself.

"ego is usally the problem"

We are mostly raised in western society to comply and to step outside of the norm is to risk the criticism of others. Our poor little egos hate being criticised. So we stick to the safe and boring. Maybe, the world needs a few more goofballs? I have always admired those who controlled their egos as opposed to those whose ego controlled them. There are way too many people on the serious team, so I joined the other side..

Smile, there is always room for one more goofball!

Eduardo

"the hardest thing kids face today is to learn how to live a fun life...without ever seeing a good example"

Live lightly my friend

I came across an article about living lightly and wondered what it was about. Turns out it was about living green and leaving the smallest possible carbon print on the planet. That's nice but it got me thinking....

How else can we live lightly?

By my definition of living lightly, I mean living an effortless life. That would involve a lot of things. Not carrying around excess baggage, being happpy and loving etc. Here are a few quick thoughts about how I try to live lightly: Be Opimistic I expect things to work out for me. I easily envision that my life will improve. I'm never sure how, other than I anticipate that the universe is on my side.I decide how to interpret what happens. Because I've decided that the universe is on my side, when something goes wrong, I assume it is for a good reason. Somehow, I will find a benefit. Sometimes I don't find the answer until years later but it always seems to show up.

Let go

And when things go wrong and misfortune strikes, I try to let go of it, as soon as I can. This is when I say to myself...it is what is! Some things you just can't do much about, it has happened and the only course is to let it go or if possible take some positive action.

Good for you

There was a time (not so long ago) when I would read or hear about some good fortune that came to someone, who I maybe didn't like or admire. This would bring feelings of jealousy. Now, I've trained myself to just say quietly in my head...good for you! I decided that if good things can happen to those who I think don't deserve it, then even better can come my way.

Be kind to everyone and everything

I try to smile and act friendly to everyone I come into contact with. This means the homeless guy begging for change and the ill tempered waitress who is run off her feet. Being kind to people is easy but try being kind to things. I was real kind to my car this morning when I took it to the car wash. The damn thing didn't even say thank you! It did look much better though.

Laugh at everything as often as I can

Some of my best stories that amuse friends were tales of my misfortunes. It takes the sting out of problems when you can laugh about them. And for some dang reason it pleases the heck out of my amigos when they get a laugh at my expense.

I have a purpose on this planet.

Even before I figured out what the purpose of my life was, I assumed that I had one. It was only a matter of time before I figured it out. I just never knew it would take so long. Having a purpose gives me meaning beyond just surviving until I die.

Life was meant to be fun, easy and over-flowing with abundance

Sure I made that up myself! Who cares, it's served me better than any other personal thought or philosophy I've ever had. Ever since I adopted that mantra, quess what....my life has become fun, easy and abundant. So who's the fool?

I wrote a poem as a reminder to myself I usually keep them to myself (for obvious reasons), however I've shared this one before so here goes, it's called

'Go Gently'...

go gently like the cool summer breeze that refreshes

be open to inspiration as the flower is to the morning sun

make no more effort than the river on it's journey to the sea

be not fixated on the destination for that is the end

it is the journey to be enjoyed and cherished

your destinyis free will just say thank you

live without effort

carry no burden for none is necessary

know that life is meant to be fun, easyand over-flowing with abundance

Hey, I'm just getting warmed up, but before I start rambling, I'll give it a rest and ask you....how do you live lightly?

Eduardo

The benefits of silence

"all of man's misery derives from not being able to sitquietly in a room alone"
Blaine Pascal

We live in a noisy world and for most of us, we have been conditioned to accept the constant din. If its not the TV or the radio, its IPODs and people who won't or can't stop talking. About the only time most people get any quiet is during a holiday that includes being in nature.
So conditioned are we to noise that when we do experience silence, we have the urge to create some noise by turning on the TV or radio. Some people even buy machines that create 'white noise' so that they can sleep at night.

"don't slow down...calm down"

Silence is frightening to people who are constant and compulsive talkers. They have no idea what they are missing or the benefits that come with silence. I'm convinced the reason for this is that when they are silent, they are forced to listen to their own thoughts. Since most people let thoughts enter unfiltered into their heads, they are inundated with negative thoughts and images. Best not to think!

"we are drowning in noise and starved for silence"

There is in nature, no such thing as empty space or empty time. Whenever silence occurs, thoughts rush in to fill the void. Through meditation you can learn to control the flow of thoughts. But greatness and achievement are lost by rushing to fill the void with noise. In the stillness you can find serenity and connection with a higher intelligence. It is in the silence that the thoughts that can change a life are born.

"ah, there is nothing like children to make you appreciate silence"

It takes practice but if you try being alone with your thoughts and control them by only permitting the positve energy thoughts, you will soon become additcted to the silence. The ideas and inspirational thoughts that follow will lift your spirit. You then have the opportunity to become what only you can be..
And if what I said doesn't convince you, remember these words from Mark Twain...

"it is better to keep your mouth closed
and be thought a fool, then to open
your mouth and remove all doubt"

Eduardo

BONUS; Everyone is more interesting when they talk less!

My world plan

Imagine what the world would be like if everyone was humble?

That's it...my plan! Ok, I've got a few details to work out, like how to humble everyone on the planet. If you have any ideas, I could use some help here.

I figure that if everyone was humble then we would all be nice to each other. There would be no jealousy, envy, arrogance and the world would be a far nicer place. If we were all humble we would treat each other with dignity and respect. How cool would that be?"maybe, our greatest gift to mankind, is to be humble"

"if you haven't learned to be humble, don't worry, sooner or later the universe (or spouse) will teach you"

I was thinking about people like Donald Trump, he must be a contender for the world's most arrogant human. I must admit, the Donald has a pretty good life style, but I'm wondering is he a good human being? I have no idea if he contributes to charities or does anything but build up his bank account. I do suspect that when science eventually finds the center of the universe, that he will be crushed to find out that it is not him. Unfortunately the media portrays people like him as being strong and powerful. Personally, I beg to differ.

"humility is the greatest show of strength"

All of those 'big brains'like Aristotle, Einstien and Socrates were actually quite humble. They didn't brag about the size of cerebral cortex, instead they were smart enough to realize how much they didn't know and that humbled them. And when I think of the people who changed the world like; Jesus, Mohammed, Ghandi, Martin Luther King and Budda, these guys were the epitomy of humble. They didn't even bother with possessions, just the clothes on their backs was all they needed. No need for a Armani suit, like the Donald. They were quite aware of their power to inspire the masses and yet still remained humble.

"When I think of mankind, I think of this....fools of feather, flock together"

I hope you don't get the idea that I've mastered this ability to be humble. There have been times when I've been a little too cock sure of myself. Just ask my last squash opponent if I'm humble? Not to worry though, the universe keeps on finding new ways to humble me, so I'll get it figured out sooner or later. Right now I'm a work in progress!

"why is it that the few that seem to have it all, so often end up feeling like they have nothing"

So that's it, my plan is to humble everyone on the planet and then it will be nicer place. Now, how to do that......

Sincerely,

Your humble Eduardo

Final word is from Socrates; "if a man is proud of his wealth, he should not be praised until it is known how he employs it" (and if he even shares a little with us, we'll praise him till the cows come home)

Just for laughs...

The Measure of Success

At age 4.....not peeing your pants

At age 12.....having friends

At age 20.....having sex

At age 35.....making money

At age.....60 having sex

At age.....70 having friends

At age 80.....not peeing your pants!

and here is the best advice, I ever gave myself; "life is too important to be taken seriously" Now have a beautiful day!

"everyone smiles in the same language" (compliments Iolanda)

Eduardo

BONUS; It's ok to laugh during sex....just as long as you don't point!

Get rich quick (that's a definite maybe)

"the quickest path to success is to have a good mentor"

Those crazy researchers at Standford University have come up with another gem. If you are a computer geek, we should get together, we could make a fortune on this one! Here is what their research revealed; when they studied sedentary people (that's code for couch potato's) they found that an automated, exercise, reminder phone call, had about the same (get up and go) power as calls from human counsellors. Think about that? We are just as motivated by a machine generated message as from some qualified expert.

Just think of the possibilities? We could sell little message machines to mothers that they could have motion actived in little Johnny's room. When Johnny retreats to his room, the machine would nag him to clean his room, just like the real Mom does. I'm sure Mothers around the world would gladly buy our machine to do the nagging for them!

Next thing the woman of the household would want is a programmable, husband nagger machine. 'Take out the garbage, cut the grass and don't be late for supper' are just a few of the pre-programmed messages on our machine (in a very sweet voice of course).

Now before I incur the rath of women all over the planet, let's get serious. What does this latest research really tell us? I'm thinking that whenever we tackle changes in our lives we need support,encouragement and reminders. There are huge opportunities for those with the technical expertise to assist those who want to lose weight, quit smoking or become more successful. Encouragement is addictive and pleasing to all of us.

This is something we knew so well when we are kids, however as we get older we forget just how important it is. It is so much easier to critize and find fault. I wonder if anyone really ever got nagged to success?So what should we do with this knowledge? First, let's surround ourselves with positive; images, sayings and people. Let's feed our brains with encouragement, making sure there is more good stuff going in that crap.

This is why I always have my little magic cards in my car and on my desk.Maybe you would like to get a daily, automated phone call from Eduardo, telling you what a wonderful person you are and reminding you to (fill in the blanks)________________. NO? Well, then how about, from someone you deeply admire and respect?

Smile, I have more dumb ideas than you have money!

Eduardo

"it is better to be thought a fool, then to open your mouth and remove all doubt" Mark Twain

The truth is both simple and clear

"simplicity is taking only the baggage you need on a trip. Clarity is knowing where you are going"

I finished reading a book of 400 pages that is all about one idea, I think to myself...is the author trying to teach or is he preaching. I'm thinking if it takes that long to make a point, maybe you don't understand it that well in the first place. The truth should be simple and clear. As Leonard da Vinci said...'simplicity is the ultimate sophistication'

Also the more complicated anything becomes, the greater the opportunity for it to get screwed up. Just think about governments. It's common to make the simple complicated , but it takes genius to make complicated simple.

"you can't teach me anything by boring me to death"

I only have so much brain power to work with (insert your joke here) and my time is too valuable to waste with the long winded fellow. And I don't attribute intelligence to verbosity. This isn't a classroom, it's life and life is meant to be fun, easy and abundant...not hard and boring...

Ok, my little rant is over and I feel better because I just remembered this...

"we all have the ability to make someone happy. Some by just entering a room and some by leaving"

Smile, I'm leaving now..

Eduardo

Comedians Philosophers

I got thinking to myself, where are the philosophers? Who are todays version of Plato and Socrates? Well amigos I found a group of people who qualify and they are the comedians. If you don't believe me, check out some of things they had to say and even though some are funny, see if you don't agree with me...there is wisdom!

Robin Williams (my personal favorite)

"if women ran the world we wouldn't have wars, just really intense negotiations every 28 days"

"see the problem is God gave man a brain and a penis, and only enough blood to run one at a time"

Groucho Marx

"time wounds all heels"

"I must say that I find TV very educational. The moment someone turns it on, I go read a book"

Jack Benny

"age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter"

Bob Hope

"if you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart disease"

Bill Cosby

"a word to the wise isn't necessary, it's the stupid one's that need the advice"

"every closed eye is not sleeping and every open eye is not seeing"

"sex education may be a good thing in schools. Just don't give the kids homework"

"women don't want to hear what we think. They want to hear what they think, only in a deeper voice"

Woody Allen

"it's not that I'm afraid to die, I just don't want to be there when it happens"

Rosanne Barr

"of course men are better at reading maps. Only the mind of man could conceive of one inch equalling a hundred miles"

Erma Bombeck

"never lend your car to someone you gave birth to"

George Best

"I spent all of money on booze, fast cars and women. The rest I just wasted"

Will Rogers

"the only time people dislike gossip, is when it is about them"

Smile, and enjoy your weekend

Eduardo

FOR WOMEN'S EYES ONLY!

"this changes everything you've ever thought"

This morning I was enjoying my first cup of coffee with the morning paper. What I read nearly knocked me out of my chair. My first reaction was to start laughing out loud. The waitress who was walking by at the time, stopped and said...ok, Eduardo what's so funny?

"I found the final proof and now I am officially a genius"

That is exactly what I told her! In her most pleasant and yet condescending tone she replied...'you know we really like you, but you are serious weird sometimes'. It would have taken too long explain my amusement and delight in my discovery, so I just showed her the article I was reading. Her response....yeah right and if you believe that, you also believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. She left shaking her head and laughing at how naive men can be.

"this is the Cosmic Jokester (God) at his finest"

For the past 2 and 1/2 years that I have been writing here, I have been trying to prove that 'life was meant to be fun, easy and abundant'. Despite the fact that some think I'm seriously deluded, I persist and frequently find concusive evidenced to support my thesis. Today I found pure gold in my morning paper.

The easist argument used against my theory is....yeah if childbirth was meant to be fun and easy, how come it's one of the most painful experiences a woman will ever have. The answer I'm tickled to be able to reveal is....you ladies are all wrong and I Eduardo am right!

"the sexual side of giving birth"

That's no typo, yes apparently childbirth can be sexual and even better than that, it can be orgasmic! Wow, that changes everything doesn't it (if it's true). Instead of being the most painful experience of a woman's life, the birthing expert (Debra Pascall-Bonaro) is quoted as saying it should be; the most pleasurable, emotionally, spiritual experience of your life!

"it's called the orgasmic birth"

The article gave the website, which I did a cursory check of. It has a short video explaining the process. You can find it at http://www.orgasmicbirth.com/ Even if you are not planning on having any babies, this is worth checking out.

"life was meant to be fun, easy and abundant, and now I have proof"

This reminds me of a time quite a few years ago when Julio (a friend) and I decided to make a roast. We were both bacholers at the time and had never tackled this before. Long story short, we got a recipe and conjured up a mouth watering feast. As we sat there savouring our creation, Julio said to me 'you know that wasn't difficult at all, I wonder what other things our mother's told us were hard just aren't. I'll bet that thing about the pain of childbirth is all baloney too' We had a good laugh but who knew? He was right!

Smile, if you haven't got a screw loose somewhere, you might never find the truth!

Eduardo

BONUS; A so called friend once sent me an email that said....wow Eduardo, I just discovered your blog and it put a smile on my face all day that I just couldn't erase. One of the days, I think I'm going to actually read it.

Life is best lived as play!

There are 3 kinds of men:

1. The one that learns from reading

2. The few that learn by observation

3. The rest have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.

"don't rush into adulthood, it isn't that much fun"

(Bob Newhart)

Play is how the young learn and learning to the young is exhilarating and just plain fun. The tender mind is open and totally receptive. Everything is to be tested and tried in play, without fear of judgement.

"playfullness is the juice that puts the sparkle in life, without it life seems dull and lifeless"

Play is pure creativity in action. Discovery is delightful and effortless. What incredible nonsense it is to think even for a moment that play is the domain of only the young. What an immense waste of creativity, expression and discovery to destroy play with adult seriousness.

"everything is possible, if you can have fun doing it"

It is in play and in fear that we must greatly experience being alive. And since play is discouraged as frivilous in adults we are only left with fear to experience intense aliveness. So we jump out of airplanes, ride on roller coasters and watch scary movies to connect with that feeling of aliveness.

"if you are not having fun in your work, either you are in the wrong job or you just aren't trying hard enough"

We persist in growing up way too soon. We assume foolishly that life is serious business. We even go so far to squeeze fun out of relationships by acting like adults most of the time. The consequence of this is that our relationships go from being fun and easy to becoming hard and difficult.

"great thoughts are concevied in deep play"

We need 'Happy Schools for Adults' to teach us how to play again. To repair our relationships and make life as it should be....fun, easy and abundant. I'm just getting wound up on this topic so stay tuned...

Smile, everything is funny as long as it happens to someone else!

Eduardo

BONUS: If the seriousness of adulthood got us into our current mess,

then maybe playfullness of children can get us out of it.

Need a job....read this!

"it's not about who you know, it's who you know that likes you"

The number of people who are losing their jobs these days is mind blowing. I've been asking myself how can I help? So if you or someone you know is out job hunting here are my tips (beyond the obvious stuff) that just might help.

#1. Nothing, I repeat nothing is more important in your job search than the initial interview. And even more important than qualifications and experience is likeability! For a recruiter, so many people these days have experience and qualifications. After all, the hiring pool is so much bigger than it used to be. Imagine the poor recruiter looking out at a sea of bored faces desperate to be hired. How will he or she make the final choice?

"we like most people who like us"

And those that make hiring decisions whether they will admit it or not, chose people that they like. The good news is that this is a skill that can be learned fairly quickly. I've read numerous books on the subject and I will recommend one; 'How to make people like you in 90 seconds' by Nicholas Boothman. It's a small book you can easily read in one or two nights. It's worth every penny. Apply the principals in the book and you'll have a much better interview. PLUS, you can use the lessons learned in the other parts of your life.

#2. Take a job for a test ride. One of the fears of a recruiter or owner has is making a bad choice. He thinks he's hiring the next employee of the year and a short time later he realizes he has selected the 'dud of the year'. So he's faced with lots of unpleasant chores; firing and hiring all over again. So what should you do to allay his fears?

"work for free"

Yes, you read that right, work for free. Not for ever, just for a week. Tell the person doing the hiring that you are so confident that he will like your work, you will work for free for a week, so that he can take you for a test drive. No obligations to him, and mean it. Then if you get your foot in the door, prove to him just how valuable you can be.

If for some reason this doesn't work to your advantange, be incredibly gracious and move on. Go to the next job and do it again. It would be impossible to not end up employed if you are willing to go to this extent. This method employs reciprocity. It is built into us to want to do something in return for something given freely to us. It is very powerful if done with an open heart.

3. Use the down time to your advantage. Instead of mopping around and whinning about your unemployed status, do something that will profit you down the road. Learn a skill (like likeability). Take a course, read books and search the internet for information. And tape this to your mirror and read it often....

"in every adversity is the seed of an opportunity, that once realized will completely dwarf the problem"

4. Take a 3 X 5 card and write on the front; "What can I do today to the job I want" Make up several of these and put in places where you will see it often; in the car, on the bathroom mirror, on the fridge and by your computer. Every time you get an idea, write it on the back of the card. Collect your ideas at the end of the day and decide which one's to act on immediately. If you keep this up long enough, I guarantee you will see results that will surprise you. And lastly, remember this.....

"have infinite patience"

What do I mean by infinite patience? It's knowing that you will succeed no matter how long it takes. It's a surrender to whatever greater power you believe in that the right thing will happen for you. It will calm you down. This is one of life's paradox's, when we are too desperate for something, it takes longer to obtain.

Smile, God was just showing off when he made you!

Eduardo

P.S. Please do me a favor amgios. If you know someone who is unemployed send this on to them. It only takes a moment of your time and may be of great value to them.

Your personal tipping point

"everything is possible....if you can have fun doing it"

Not happy or satisfied with your present circumstances? No problemo amigos, I'm here today with some really good news:

"when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change"

Your problems quite likely stem from a hidden inner belief that.... life was meant to be hard and difficult. Holding onto that belief has made it become a self fulfilling phrophecy. Reversing that downward spiral is incredibly simple! And you know how I like things that are fun and simple (just look at my friends).

"there is a tipping point that once understood, can change your life"

No, I'm not talking about alcohol, although I can't help thinking about what Homer Simpson said...hmm alcohol now there's a temporary solution! What I'm talking about is your 'positivity ratio'. Research done by Prof Barbara Fredrickson and outlined in her book POSITIVITY demonstrates conclusively that if you have 3 moments of positivity to each negative moment your life starts expanding (in positive ways of course).

"define positivity Eduardo"

Glad you asked. It is those feel good moments as defined by; joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe and love. So that gives you lots to choose from. What it's not is; eating, sex and other pleasures of the body (don't get me wrong, I like them a lot). So all you need to know to get your life moving in the right direction is 3 good moments of positivity to each negative moment or thought. Simple.

"I'm trying to do my part by amusing you with my thoughts"

Did you know that a good hug counts as a moment of positivity. And a hug that last's just 20 seconds produces feel good chemicals in our body (oxytocin). A steady accumulation of hugs, or positivity makes a huge difference. So if you meet me, feel free to give me a hug, it will help you become happier and more successful (once again...I'm here for you). Of course if I'm not around, feel free to find someone else to hug.

"the world needs us to be more positive"

The TV, newspapers and internet are so full of negativity these days, that people like us are in great demand. We are the 'positivity missionaries' that can save the world, sort of the Mother Teresa's of this decade (ok, getting a little carried away). But someone's got to spread the sunshine into the dark recesses of a rapidly pessimistic society.

"everything is not as it seems....it is much better"

The more I contemplate that saying that I made up, the more I marvel at its truth and brillance. It reminds what my son said to me....Dad if you'd been born a couple thousands years ago, people might have thought of you as a great thinker, instead of just a goofball. But the truth is that we've lost our gratitude (positivity) for all that we have been blessed with. It is much better than we are allowing ourselves to think.

Smile, everything is not as it seems....it is much funnier!

Eduardo

BONUS; One of the penalties for refusing to control your own thoughts, is that you end up thinking the thoughts of those who created the problems in the first place.