Sound is vibration that can be translated by the delicate structures of our inner ear, but it moves more than just those tiny receptors. It is part of the spectrum of energy vibrations that affect us on the mental, physical, and spiritual levels.
It’s unnerving how some songs connect us to the deepest parts of our being and provide solace when we need it the most. To translate that into a holistic method of healing is fantastic and easily applied on our own to bring us in and out of the mode of thinking we want to be in.
Modern existence is so complex, and much of what we long to do is left to wait by the side. We know what is important but tend to let the weight of worldly pressures lead us astray. To get back on track, however, we need only take a moment to consider where our thoughts will be as we take our last breath on this earth.
The rest of the DailyOM goes into the last moments being composed of family and loved ones and spending more time with them is what matters most. While we’re all somewhat inclined to this notion, it’s very relative, subjective to what matters most to that individual person. Bottomline, thinking this way lets you tap into that meaning for yourself and pursue it in the here and now. Better than reflecting on it as regret (a waste of time if you already do what moves you).
**A collection of inspirational DailyOM quotes can be found here.
Work is about learning a language. Anyone can teach themselves the various work languages; programming, business, science, art, etc. Developing the personal skills to learning them is more important than knowing the languages themselves. Losing a job is much easier to handle when you know you have the ability to learn another language as opposed to thinking you have to prepare yourself to figure out a whole new job.
I’ve seen too many curious and adaptable friends work endlessly at grueling, unfulfilling jobs when they already have the natural skills to do something else. Money, always the quoted scarce resource, is only as limiting as your desire for change. That desire – an ache for more- is powerful enough to influence how you handle your money to make it work for you (rather than you working for it). When you flip the desire switch, the movement to a new you progresses at blinding speed. Potential goes from being a word to becoming a realization.
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character;
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
I got the above from an email chain and it struck a chord. It all starts with you.
You can gain more practical life advice from business books than any other genre out there. You have to choose the right ones, of course. Josh Kaufman’s reading list is a great place to start. My favorites are below (in no particular order):
Enlightenment is rarely found in reading the works of the enlightened. Their words are skewed by personal experience. We relate to other people’s lives through our own context, trying to find similarities and bypass the differences. The words of Plato, Socrates, Opera, Clinton and insert philosopher/celebrity/successful person here matter only to the point that they get us to do something. What you do when you have an epiphany is more important than the epiphany itself.
The best books offer perspective, exposure, inspiration and escape. The best business books offer a call to action. They get you out of your chair to try things for yourself. Life lessons through your own experience, because is there any other kind more valuable?
The simplicity of the article below belies its depth and meaning. Very akin to the last gun to your head post about waffling, this line echoes the theme the best:
Should you feel indecisive, you might consider what your life would be like if you didn’t act on any difficult choices and simply played it safe.
You could find it difficult to commit to a firm decision today. Feeling uncertain about what to do might mean that you have a fear about failing if should you make the wrong choice. Instead of avoiding making decisions, you might allow yourself to think that things can work out. Letting yourself know that any decision you make could lead to greater insights about yourself and your life could make this process easier for you today. Should you feel indecisive, you might consider what your life would be like if you didn’t act on any difficult choices and simply played it safe. You may want to think back to a time when you regretted not taking any action and try to remember the feelings you had. Reflecting on the past in this way could make it easier for you to gain a greater sense of certainty about your future.
Releasing our fear of the future by looking to the experiences of our past helps us be more decisive. Even though our past may have a hold on us that prevents us from acting in the present, if we think about when we didn’t take any chances we will most likely feel a tinge of regret. Sometimes this sense of regret is more immobilizing than our fear. By looking at your experiences as lessons and realizing that any decision you have made only leads to a greater understanding of yourself, however, you will be able to let go of your fear today and see everything you do as an opportunity for growth.
On decisions? On life? On relationships? On career? By waffling, I mean those times when deep down inside you know what you want to do, but are passively waiting around for “things” to happen to help you along. It can’t be helped; we all do this from time to time, especially on the big, hard stuff. Reducing the time you waffle on something can only get you where you want to go sooner.
So how do you do it?
Think about someone putting a gun to your head and asking, “If you had to make a decision right now, what would you do?” There’s no life or death choice, it’s about the stark fear of facing your end and getting your juices flowing, mind and body together deciding what’s best. Like this:
In the midst of a quarter-life crisis, sticking to a job that doesn’t quite suit you, wanting to pursue something but you don’t know what…this scenario may sound familiar. So you waffle for days, weeks, months, even years, before making a move and realize how many days, weeks, months and years you could have saved if you had just moved when you thought of it. So why didn’t you?
I’m not discounting the fear of change. It’s scary. Comfort is touted as the goal and hey, when you’re comfortable, why bother? You’re getting by, you’re making do. And you do this till you can’t stand it and then move. Or you do this because you’ve blown up the fear of change so much in your head that it’s beyond reality. The earth will collapse if you _______ scenarios that don’t make sense but are emotionally charged to the point of debilitating your instinctual, gut-driven desire to move.
All the planning and preparation fizzle when you’re in the moment of making the decision you so long waffled away from. So don’t plan or prepare, but do! Careful, this can have remarkable, adrenaline-pumping effects that can be addictive and keep you emotionally charged to the point of constant exhilaration. Not knowing is the cure. Leave the comfort to someone else.
It’s called “Twitching” and you get why at the end. I won’t repost the text directly because there’s something about reading it on the Gym Jones site. I don’t know how to think about it in any other state of mind than my own. You read and experience it in your own shoes. Suffice it to say, it will shake you, maybe make you grit your teeth and actually twitch in angst. Here are some quotes:
With each drag of the razor you ask yourself why you piss your blood into another man’s cup. Working at the job he offered, your future is between his thumb and forefinger. And the necessary accessories, the proclamations of success you thought gave you stability provide your boss security. Your debt encourages acquiescence, the heavy mortgage makes you polite.
On Monday you eat frozen food and live the homogenized city experience. But Sunday you thought about cutting your hair very short…
…Tuesday you look at the face in the mirror again. It stares back, accusing.
I love the next one. The experiencing – going through an emotion, an action, a passion, a charge – is the grit-making stuff that makes you who you are, not the experience itself. Life is the big experience. What you bring to it is up to you. Your self remembers what it felt like to go through that experience and the fact that you toughed it out in your own way is what others see. You just can’t hide it. Confidence isn’t complexity, it’s the simplicity of your layers stripped down to the core leaving you naked and true.
Don’t react to the itch with a scratch. Instead, learn it. Honor the necessity of both the itch and the scratch. But a haircut and a new soundtrack do not a modern man make. As long as you have a safety net you act without commitment. You’ll go back to your old habits once you meet a little resistance. You need the samurai’s desperateness and his insanity.
The DailyOm below deserves its own post because every sentence is so well-crafted and echoes the message of this blog extremely well. The essence is to work from the core, continuously learning about yourself, your behaviors, your reactions to figure out what you want. Once you do, the law of attraction takes over and your environment centers around that guiding force you’ve created. The energy you’re pushing out to the world. I’ll let the post say the rest. If you’re a fan of the DailyOMs, check out the DailyOM Inspirations I’ve accumulated over the past few years.
August 20, 2008 Being Clear About Desires
Getting What We Want
The best way to get what we want from life is to first know what we want. If we haven’t taken the time to really understand and identify what would truly make us happy, we won’t be able to ask for it from those around us or from the universe. We may not even be able to recognize it once it arrives. Once we are clear about what we want, we can communicate it to those around us. When we can be honest about who we are and what we want, there is no need to demand, be rude or aggressive, or manipulate others that are involved in helping us get what we want. Instead, we know that we are transmitting a signal on the right frequency to bring all that we desire into our experience.
As the world evolves, humanity is learning to work from the heart. We may have been taught that the way to get what we want is to follow certain rules, play particular games, or even engage in acts that use less than our highest integrity. The only rules we need to apply are those of intention and connection. In terms of energy, we can see that it takes a lot of energy to keep up a false front or act in a way that is counter to our true nature, but much less energy is expended when we can just be and enjoy connections that energize us in return. Then our energy can be directed toward living the life we want right now.
Society has certain expectations of behavior and the roles each of us should play, but as spiritual beings we are not bound by these superficial structures unless we choose to accept them. Instead, we can listen to our hearts and follow what we know to be true and meaningful for us. In doing so, we will find others who have chosen the same path. It can be easy to get caught up in following goals that appear to be what we want, but when we pursue the underlying value, we are certain to stay on our right path and continue to feed our soul.
Here is one of my favorite Daily Oms: An Unwavering Connection to the Infinite. Daily Om is a subscription service I read everyday and I’ve even added a daily update to it on the sidebar to the right. Some of the quotes within these three paragraphs grasp the ideology of this site so well.
Your worth cannot be taken from you or damaged by life’s rigors.
Your concept of your own self-worth is thus reinforced by your actions. Each time you endeavor to appreciate yourself, treat yourself kindly, define your personal boundaries, be proactive in seeing that your needs are met, and broaden your horizons, you express your recognition of your innate value.
Because your conception of your worth is not based on the fulfillment of expectations, you’ll see your mistakes and failures as just another part of life’s journey.
The last paragraph especially defines the benefit of self-awareness.
Human beings are very much like drops of water in an endless ocean. Our worth comes from our role as distinct individuals as well as our role as an integral part of something larger than ourselves. Simply awakening to this concept can help you rediscover the copious and awe-inspiring worth within each and every one of us.
The DailyOm below deserves its own post because every sentence is so well-crafted and echoes the message of this blog extremely well. The essence is to work from the core, continuously learning about yourself, your behaviors, your reactions to figure out what you want. Once you do, the law of attraction takes over and your environment centers around that guiding force you’ve created. The energy you’re pushing out to the world. I’ll let the post say the rest. If you’re a fan of the DailyOMs, check out the 
Here is one of my favorite Daily Oms: