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1. Do what you love.
2. Don’t do what you hate.
3. Do what you love.
4. Do what you love.
5. Do what you love.
6. Do what you love.
7. Do what you love.
8. Do what you love.
9. Do what you love.
10. Do what you love.

Simplify.

photo by mark sebastian

[Note: Creativity is something very personal to me. Without creativity, there is nothing but a vacuum. The adventure of creating something new, the anticipation of discovering what lies around the next corner is something I live for.]

There is a lot of advice out there on how to be more creative and remove the blocks that might hinder your creativity. I think, however, that the greatest way to be more creative is often overlooked; thinking inside the circle and embracing Creative ADD (want to ride bikes?).

It’s a common misconception that being creative means being more focused. That somehow if you were able to just hone in on your task with laser sharp focus, you would find the creative insight you were desperately searching for. While focus is important, trying to force a creative act stifles creativity. Because the whole point of being creative is to have fun, right? If you feel as though must create, you may as well burn Creativity at the stake.

There is a different approach available to cure this potential mishap, that I feel is unfortunately neglected. Adopting this innovative process has had an extraordinary impact on all of my ideas.

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photo by livenature

What do Johnny Cash and Tito Ortiz have in common? They have the elusive “IT” factor. There’s just something about them that naturally draws people to them. They’re magnetic, enigmatic, and charismatic (and any other kinds of matics). Something just makes you want to know them, be like them and follow them.

Imagine you walk into an elevator; everyones greets you. Everyone seems to be paying attention to you, looking at you and wondering what you’re doing.

When you get off the elevator you go into an important meeting. When you walk in, everyone at the table stands up to greet you and or shake your hand. During the meeting, you’re constantly asked for your opinion. “What do you think about this?” they ask. “How do you feel about the direction we’re going in, what could we do differently?”

As you leave everyone wants to talk to you. They smile and wait patiently for their turn. You’re cool and collected while they vie for your attention.

Imagine you walk out of the building and a hail a taxi, but instead a limo pulls up. You go to your favorite restaurant around the corner, and your table is already reserved. Hell, when you go to sleep, your butler would try to brush your teeth if you didn’t insist that it wasn’t necessary. Read more

I admit it. I am Enlightened. (If I was going to take the Zen approach, I might say I am Enlightened because I know there is no such thing as Enlightenment.) I’m not afraid to admit that I have “reached” Enlightenment. I think far too many people shy away from talking openly about being Enlightened because it’s such a taboo subject. After all, isn’t Enlightenment something reserved for sages and mystics?

Enlightened people aren’t simply sages though; they’re people like you and me. We wear regular clothes, we work regular jobs, we eat, drink, sleep, and go to the grocery store just like everyone else. You don’t have to be a celibate monk living in a monastery to be Enlightened. Placing Enlightenment beyond yourself just perpetuates the idea that you will never reach it.

I think part of the allure (and taboo aspect) of Enlightenment is the fact that it is so mysterious. Ohh, he’s enlightened, he must be above everyone else, seems to be a commonly held superstition. People think that becoming Enlightened brings you further away from reality. You completely transcend it and dematerialize. Poof. He was enlightened. And then, he disappeared. (Sounds more like David Blaine to me.)

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I’m sure you’ve heard the saying before, “talking to yourself is the first sign of madness.” But is thinking to yourself all the time madness too?

If you’re talking to someone and you never stop to listen, you’ll never hear anything they have to say. In the same way, if you’re talking to yourself all the time (or thinking) you’ll never have anything to think about except thoughts. You’re never in relationship with reality, because you’re living entirely in the world of symbols and concepts.

Reality has concepts and symbols in it, of course. But reality itself is not a concept. It is beyond concepts.

If we’re thinking all the time, we’re constantly comparing and judging everything. Reality definitely has judgment in it, but like concepts, it is beyond them. Most importantly, reality is beyond labels. In order to be in relationship with reality, we need to stop and listen. We need to go out of our mind.

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