Discovering My Dad #3: OMG! I have a sister!!!

After Las Vegas we headed to the Grand Canyon and it was time to make the call to Ariana Gardner Herrman! MY SISTER!

I felt the butterflies in my stomach as I pulled up her name to make the call. It's an interesting feeling discovering I have a sister you never knew of, from a father I've never met... 
The moment she picked up, the butterflies just turned to excitement. I am hearing the voice of my bloodline, and there is something to it, I never quite understood before... I felt a sense of connection different than any I have known before, a connection that drew me in and said 'I just need to be near this person, this person is a part of me!'. Her voice made me giggle (not only do I have a sister, but I have a sister with a thick southern accent!!! Yeah!!!) and her enthusiasm matched and exceeded mine. This was a pure moment.

We wasted no time and jumped directly into what she knew about the man I never met. Piece by piece the revelations of my own story were presented to me. The talent, the creativity and the energy of my life today was revealed along side the narcissism and self loathing of my past. As we navigated the many layers that mirrored my own story, one of my deepest fears was revealed in the tragedy that was my father's end. This sent me into an oblivion of tears. Tears of Sorrow, Tears of Gratitude and Tears of Letting Go. 
Although I am not ready to share publicly what that fear is, it is safe to say that my father's playing out of that specific fear is just the healing balm I needed to erase that possibility from my own story. For that I am sincerely grateful.

We ended our time searching for as many possibilities to see each other as possible along this journey. I trusted it will be sooner then later! and sure enough, it is! We will meet in one week!! This is so exciting!

It's been a few days now, and I am still vibrating from my connection with my sister and cannot wait to fill in more of the banks in person very soon...

The 20 Ways The Ride-sharing services of Lyft and Uber have transformed My life in the USA and how it could possibly do the same for you!

*Right Now Lyft is offering a bonus to take 30 rides in 30 days. (That is about 20 hours) Check it out at https://lyft.com/drivers/daniel16202


MY STORY

When I return back to the United States after spending seven years in India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, where I lived on a minimal budget and made money performing music, teaching yoga and meditation and facilitated human empowerment work, I didn't know where to put 1 foot in front of the other when I came to stabilizing in the big budget economy of Southern California. I couldn't imagine, though the transformation that I have gone through, working for anyone really. I had established working for myself completely. I searched for solutions as I could see there was something very different emerging in our economy, a rising of a shared economy.

For a year and danced around social reform websites like Task Rabbit and Fiver, but they didn't do the job and sustaining large amounts of sustainable income. Occasionally, I received donations from family members but knew that those resources were coming to an end and it was time to take the next step.

Before I would take that step though, I was invited to Israel to spend time with my beloved family as well as I was invited on an Alaskan cruise to perform musical meditation. We arrived home with some resources from our family and cruise, but we knew that they would be gone very fast.

Before Coming back, I had heard about the Ridesharing services of Lyft and Uber and was very interested, even though I did not have a car. When I returned home from Alaska though, I noticed, For some reason, magically, even though I was gone out of the country for seven years, My credit score was about 750!

Two days after returning home from Vancouver after the Alaskan cruise, I decided to randomly walk into a car dealership. Five hours later I walked out with the Prius V.

The next day, I signed up for Lyft. I was amazed at how quick The process was of getting on the road. So I did, and I did a lot. I made more than $5000 in the first month. Then I signed up for Uber and for the next year these two incredible inventions, which are a sign of our collaborative economy, provided many many opportunities for me to transform my life, my finances, and my businesses (which also changed through the process). These are the many ways that Ride-sharing has completely transformed my life, And, how it could possibly play a part in transforming yours as well ....

THE 20 WAYS RIDE-SHARING TRANSFORMED MY LIFE AND HOW IT COULD YOURS AS WELL.

1. CONNECT TO REAL PEOPLE - we spend so much time nowadays connecting to people virtually. When we do that, we lose that incredible feeling of connection that we experience when and physical contact with another human being. If you're willing to break through possible barriers of intimacy and really take each and every ride I need to never opportunity as an opportunity to connect, this alone will transform the way that you walk in the world and how you operate in the businesses that you pursue. I highly recommend this for every person to just get out there and take a few rides in the driver seat, because it is much different and much more humbling and being in the passengers. And we could all use a little bit more humility :-)

2. RELIEVE SOCIAL AWKWARDNESS - if you are one of those people that is socially awkward with new people, get behind the wheel of your car. It is a one stop shop to relieve that anxiety. It may start of Rocky and awkward but, once you get in the groove, you may find that you just love this socializing and connecting.

3. CREATE NEW CLIENTS - if you were in any type of service business or entraprenuer that depends on clients, customers, or people, well I guess that's just about anyone, then why not get paid to create potential client opportunities. You never know who is going to get in the backseat of your car, well hopefully the front seat, and is going to need what you have to offer. I have 3 long term one-on-one coaching clients that I have met through Ride-Sharing.

4. CREATE COLLABORATOR RELATIONSHIPS - are you a musician, actor, producer, etc. or involved in any type of creative collaborative venture? Well, again, you never know who's going to show up in your car. There are countless stories of people that of come together and created magical things in the world I meeting the ride-sharing.

5. GET TO KNOW AND LOVE YOUR HOME CITY. - now I did my work exclusively in Los Angeles, and I have lived in Los Angeles for most of my life. But the places that this took me, the places that my riders requested to go, so many of them we're hidden gems that made me love this town more than I ever have before. So many pockets, so many parks, so many places, so many people, so much dynamics. Many times I would just stop some random area, find an coffee shop, a park or a hike on a beach or forest and just enjoy a brand-new place. So much to explore right in front of us that most of us never knew about.

6. SUPPLEMENTAL INCOME - we all can use a little bit of extra cash. Even if you have all your odds and ends taken care of, what's a little extra money? :-)

7. LEARN A LOT OF NEW THINGS - people know things, when you engage in conversation you never know what you're going to learn about them, about life, about yourself. Each time you drive is a A beautiful opportunity to learn something new.

8. MEET FRIENDS FOR LIFE - I have met people over the last year that I know I will share moments with for the rest of my life.

9. STAY ON TOP OF CURRENT EVENTS - want to know what's up with the latest technology? Want to know who's who and what? Want to know what cutting age in the world? People are great resource for that information. It's been a quite amazing way for me to stay on top of everything that's happening in our speedy world!

10. FIND A NEW BUSINESS PARTNER - It has happened .... many times.

11. FEELING OF RUNNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS (YOU ARE THE BOSS). - are you somebody that's thinking about starting your own business but don't know where to start? This could be a great start, as you ARE running your own business. You don't pay taxes upfront, you design your own hours, And you keep up with all the expenses and income. It's a great place to start to get organized into creating a life where YOU ARE THE BOSS.

12. EXTRA MONEY FOR HOLIDAYS- we could all use it and if you sign up today you'll get an extra $100 or even more after your first 20 rides :-)

13. GET OUT OF YOUR OWN HEAD - eight years ago I spent more than a year of my life suicidally depressed. Residue of that still lingers even today and occasionally I will dive down into the rabbit hole. Interestingly enough, many times when I would start to sink into my own self indulgence, My worries, doubts and fears, simply getting behind the wheel of my car and connecting to another human being was all I needed to climb out of that hole. More often then not I would actually have a conversation with somebody and use all the wisdom knowledge that I have learned through all my travels to help that lift them out of a similar situation and that would give me all the answers I needed for myself to lift me out of my situation, thus, getting me out of my own head.

14. CHANGE A LIFE, CHANGE THE WORLD - One of my favorite questions to ask my passengers is "if you had all the resources in your life and all you had to do was serve others, what would you be doing with your life. " most times this question would lead us on a journey of self exploration, and being a proficient mentor and coach, those conversations, have changed many lives, Which, in turn, changes the world.

15. SPARK NEW IDEAS - people are full of ideas and insight and unique ways of looking at the world. They have their own perspective and their own colors to add to the pot of life. Imagine how many ideas of your own can spark in a simple conversation with somebody else who may have a very unique perspective.

16. SEE THE SIGHTS - I have been raised in Los Angeles my whole entire life, excluding the 7 years overseas. During the year that I got behind the wheel of my car I explored so many places that I never would've imagined going to in my life. Many times after a ride would take me to an area and I would stop in a local museum or art gallery, walk down the major streets or even ask somebody what is the best thing to do in town, and then do it. :-)

17. SAVED LIVES - this is just a blatant fact. Ridesharing has saved millions and millions and millions of lives.

18. MAKE PEOPLE SMILE - spread the joy my friend, you and the people around you need it :-)

19. BE A PERPETUAL TRAVELER - being a traveler for A great deal of my life, the one thing that I truly love about it is that I never know where I'm going to go or who I'm going to meet. This keeps his present to life what is going on in the moment.When you flip on that app, and somebody pings on your phone waiting to get picked up, You never know where you're going to go or who you're going to meet., Thus making you a perpetual traveler and someone whom is Present to where the road leads.

20. BECOME A PROFESSIONAL LISTENER - we can all become better listeners in our lives and this helps us in relationships, business and practically everything that we do in our lives. By listening, we are telling another person that we care, that we are here, and that we are human just like them. This creates a sense of love and compassion that humanity is really yearning for this time.

If any of the above mentioned things could at all assist in your journey of life or the journey of life of another person, all I'm suggesting is just to give it a chance. Ridesharing could be the best thing that humanity has ever seen to connect us at a human level,. And there's money in it too :-) and we all know that a little bit of extra money is always a good thing!

Go out and give at least 20 rides, it may just transform your life the way that it did mine!

*If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email or connect on FB.

Again, PLEASE USE MY CODE WHEN SIGNING UP https://lyft.com/drivers/daniel16202

With my deepest love and gratitude,

Daniel

Discovering My Dad #2: Show me who you married, and I'll tell you who you are :)

Las Vegas was the first stop planned on the #HolidayGratitudeTour. As it happens, it is also the home of the fabulous Heidi Thompson, whom just happens to be my dad's ex-wife... 

And although I have never met my dad, just talking to her on the phone got me thinking, anyone who married such an awesome, dynamic and talented woman has to be a pretty cool guy :)

Heidi invited us into her (Coolest Christmas Decorated) home for some food and conversation. I learned that my dad was a spiritual seeker. He studied Holistic Living, Kinesiology, Acupuncture and dabbled in Scientology amongst other things! Super duper cool!!! heheeh! Never been there myself, but awesome. I also learned that he was a great salesman and was a very charming, likable and playful guy.

She shared pictures, life stories and more and really we just connected, as she and her beloved are just an amazing people! A woman after my own heart :) We connected on love, relationships, music and life. One happy family really. It was super enjoyable. 

When I was looking at the pictures, I noticed that I have seen this man before. I truly felt like he had been in my life. Maybe he did. He lived in cali for a while..Hmmm... 

We left with music, laughter full bellies, full hearts and a few more pieces to the puzzle. I am very grateful for the opportunity to explore!

This is the Video of us first meeting:

And the journey continues...

Oh, and here's a funny video from one of their projects together: Tekno Penguins - Mandroid the Android

Discovering My Dad #1

Today I am very very grateful and thankful for my father, Rich Gardner. (Yes I did just say my father smile emoticon and today would have been his 65th birthday)

THE STORY

For many of you who know me, the first 38 years of my life when people would ask me about my father, I would tell them that my father was killed by a drunk driver in front of the Forum in Los Angeles a few months before I was born. He was a bassist and a lead singer for Hard Rock band called Buzz Bone and they released a single called "Magic."

The only person whom questioned the story was my beloved and super intuitive wife Mai Segev-Pohnke . So, over the years, she slowly begin to seek out and learn information about my father. I remained clueless and was not ready to go there as that was the story that I had told my whole entire life and that is what I believed.

Last May, with tears in her eyes, my beloved aunt sat me down and delivered the news that my father never passed away. Really, he never even knew I existed, as my mom, with the purest intentions, made the decision that it was better for him not be in our lives.

After a few long deep breaths, I let go, called everyone from my family and forgave them and opened up to the great possibility of having a relationship with this man!!

Two days after I found out, my aunt, my wife and I were sitting around a table and we decided to do a YouTube search for Buzz Bone "Magic." We had done hundreds in the past but today, A new video popped up!

In the description it stated that after 38 years, Shroom Records (Love the name) re-releases Buzz Bone "Magic."

With all the anticipation you could ever imagine, we watched the video of all the original members stream through in front of our eyes, pointing out player after player and wondering which one was my father. At the end of the video the names showed above the players, and with the picture below, you can see that the resemblance was uncanny!!

So we called the company and asked if they knew where Rich Garden was. They told us that he as the only member that they could not find.

So we continued to search for a while, uncovering many clues (special thanks to Si Thacker), but kept hitting roadblocks. Then, we decided to let go.

As we were beginning to prepare for the upcoming ‪#‎HolidayGratitudeTour‬, we realized that we would be going to Houston, Texas, which we discovered was his place of birth, and dig around a little bit and see if we could find some leads.

Then, three weeks ago, we are sitting and having dinner for my cousins birthday party and we find that one of our family members is a private investigator. She immediately latches onto the story and is excited to uncover the mystery. She took the information (may I add, very well research information, I think my wife could be a private investigator herself smile emoticon), and did her magic.

A few days later, we received phone calls, messages and texts uncovering pieces of this story. I have a sister in Dallas. I think I have a brother in California. I have an aunt in Houston and tomorrow, the first day of our two-month tour, our first stop will be at one of my dad's ex-wife's house, who, from our brief conversation already, said my Dad was an incredible musician!

Tomorrow morning, we will begin to uncover another story of this fun and wonder filled life!

I Truly am Looking forward to all the possibilities and very grateful to be alive and to share this with you, my dear friends and loved ones, many whom have shared this story of the first 38 years with me, and many new friends who share the new story.

Supposedly, he died two years ago, but I won't know for sure until I uncover each and every piece of the story. Stay Tuned at #HolidayGratitudeTour smile emoticon

Let the journey begin...

In Response To An Article About Poisening California's Water Supply

FIRST Read this short article .... http://wearechange.org/did-los-angeles-mayor-just-poison-the-entire-counties-water-supply/



Now, It is really getting desperate out there. Beyond the water supply, which we all are very well aware of, Look at the last part about debt and think about it .... how much of our lively hood (in many areas) of our life, depends on this thing called a credit score, what do you think the credit score of California would be? .... The Time is Now! for major transformation in our glorious paradise called California. No amount of Gentrification, bright shiny objects or renovations can fix the fact that we parched as a culture, on the inside, thirsty for change. We are the ones we have been waiting for, rise up Cali, turn the finger inward and ask the simple question, how am I participating in the depletion of resources through my lifestyle, and most importantly, my mindset? The only real change is going to come when each and every one of us takes responsibility and makes the small changes that will result in a major cultural transformation. What does that look like, well, here are a few ideas that come off the top of my mind that I do my best to live each and every day of my life ...

Be Kind to Others
Meditate for clarity on what you (personally) can do to make a difference.
Simplify
Stop Worrying
Be grateful for all you have.
Work with Integrity
Give Love
Smile
Consume less food (especially meat)
Engage in Local Community
Have Fun
Laugh a lot

and the list goes on and on and on. I don't know about you, but I LOVE California, it is the reason I came back, it is the most dynamic and wonder FULL place on the earth, it is up to us to preserve it by preserving ourselves. I believe in the power of the human mind to collaborate with nature to co-create environments that will sustain us for the rest of our days. Lets do this!, individually and collectively.

With my deepest love and gratitude.

Having Fun in the Court Room! Is That Possible? YES IT IS :-)

OK, this is a major turning point in breaking through the fears of the past and bringing enjoyment to something that I had great deal of boredom and negative emotion tied to. Does anyone get excited to go to court? I know I never have, but after today, I am!!!

So, I got a moving violation for actually communicating with a fellow driver, that driver giving me the right of way, me taking it and then getting an “unsafe lane change” ticket. I decided immediately that I will plead “not guilty” and take this to court -:) But a bit of a back story.  

Now, while living in India, Drivers communicate with each other and make moves accordingly, here in Los Angeles, we just follow rules and pray for safety, hence the ludicrous amount of accidents on any given day in LA. When you take human communication out of operating a motor vehicle, what you get it system breakdown.

In my case, I pulled up next to a bus driver that had been stopped for a while. I needed to make a right turn, I looked at the bus driver, we smiled, he waved me on in front of him, I turned happily and then… sirens, and you know the rest.

Now, Yesterday, after dragging the ticket out to court for 8 months, was my court date. In the days leading up to it, I felt a sense of nervousness, as I remember going to court quite a few times when I was young, and it was ALWAYS an impotent and negative experience.  My stomach churned for moments throughout the day when I thought about it. What was it bringing up? Well the childhood sense of “I am bad” “I have done something wrong””I am an outcast””I am not good enough” and on and on and on. 

It wasn’t until about 10 minutes before walking into the courthouse, after a loving hug and smile from my wife, that I decided to let go and have fun, be present and enjoy the process and see what happens (as I am doing with most similar experiences in life now).

This is what happened. 

I arrived to the room to see my past, a large group of other people with the same, 'I have done something wrong complex' whom all hung their heads and failed to look in each others eyes. Not me though, I connected,. I connected with the security downstairs, the people in line, the various beautiful woman ( a must :-) all the way to the bailiff whom greeted us with one of the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen. I told him that! He smiled even brighter. Come to find out, this guy was like a comedian, super funny, sharing about listening and what happens if we fail to listen. His ever expansive smile filled our hearts as we sat and waited for the judge. Then the judge comes out and the comedy of errors begins as he darts from one person to the next with quick comedic wit of a Jester. I am smiling from head to toe, this is amazing, the whole place falls into comedic uproar, and, I feel of sense of community in the room and a great deal of support for each and every character that walks up to the judge to give a plea. Violations from Arguments on Buses, to Storage in Parks, Speeding and tinted windows. Each and every story had a story behind it and I observed the magical play of life that was in this room and the beautiful humans that paused their life to clean the slate. We all had arrived there with a purpose to move forward with something. For most, it was to clear the ticket, but for me, it was to take the next step of the journey and give my simple plea of “Not Guilty” (with a smile). I LOVE LIFE!

Now, I got another 4 months before trial, and oh boy, I cannot wait to see what comes to life in the next court room chronicles.  Stay tuned ….

She Lives in You

This is my Mom, Janet Lee Pohnke.  She was a single mom raising two children. She began her journey into Motherhood on welfare without the presence of a Man, she harbored the responsibility of raising two boys on her own with the occasional help from family and friends.  To say that my relationship with her was special, would be an understatement, she was my world.  She was a woman whom always did her best to make sure that the people around her felt great, laughed a lot and that her children were safe and protected.  Through childhood I was allowed the freedom to be, whomever I wanted to be.  I was supported, nurtured, loved and as my moms success continued to blossom in her career, was showered with gifts and adoration to the point of spoiling.  Now, in my adult years, I have come to find out that this kind of enabling can be quite disabling for a child, as co-dependency can rise and the child can become needy and clingy and think that everything should be given to him (that was me :_), but, not a day goes by that I fail to appreciate the core of my mom’s intention, the intention to BE the best Mom that she could be. 

In my early 20’s, she passed away after a long bout with Cancer.  For me, a piece of my world instantly vanished and something even more profound then her physical presence was gained …. I was filled with the guidance of her soul, to explore a deeper part of our relationship that existed beyond the patterns of our social conditioning.  I gave my first speech about connection at her funeral, I wrote my first song, a re-make of the String Cheese Incident Song “Smile” for the same event.  I traveled and felt her spirit guiding me and would recognize her soul’s guiding presence in the form of feathers, which I would receive in places birds just do not travel, like INSIDE of airplanes.  Now, 15 years after her passing I still feel the presence of the part of her that was here to guide me, the part that her humanness could not express, and I hold that deep wisdom dear to my heart and allow it to be a light on my path of liberation.  The wisdom that only exists in the eyes of a Mother.

To all of my beloved Humans out there that are traveling today without the physical presence of their beloved mother, I invite you to look deep inside and feel her presence with you fully, she is there, guiding your every step, sending you strength and wisdom with each and every breath, offering her deepest love and nurturing so that you will spend the rest of your life smiling, for that is all she every really wanted. 

If sadness arises over the loss, feel it, dive into it, share it, but then again, look inside .... she IS .... Still Alive :-)

I Love you!

Using the Nazi's Strategy to Empower Us!

I just finished reading Victor Frankl’s mind-blowing book, “Man’s Search for Meaning”. As I am sitting their next to my Israeli wife of whom we have a grandmother whom is a Holoucaust Survivor, it wells up in me to start asking some questions about the overall scope of this whole thing and this is what I learned and how it is related to my work in Empowerment through Music and so on…

The first question I remember asking is how long our beloved grandmother was in a camp,. and that led to an array of questions that took us down the rabbit whole of the whole entire era. It was a fascinating road to take last night.  

I became very very interested in WHY.  The first thing I learned was that Hitler’s strategy is one that all of us can learn from.  Basically, he found a common denominator for a struggling class of people, created a common enemy and began his work in destroying their every will to live through a very slow and steady process.  For some reason I thought it all happened very very quickly.  But no no, it simply started with Jews not being able to enter certain coffee shops, then universities, then they were sectioned off, closed in and slowly deported to the “work camps.”  I truly wonder if the original intention was to kill anyone at all or did that come with the critical masses anger and frustration.

One thing that came up in our conversation was man’s ability to adapt to his circumstances.  And this is a very positive thing. So what happened is one right was taken away, and the culture adjusted, finding the greater things in life, then another right was taken, and they adapted, saying it couldn't be worse, then another right is taken away, and humans say, well it cannot get any worse, all the way down until the work camp, sickness, humiliation, starvation,torture and ultimately death.  We want to see the light in every situation.  Like a flower we are always reaching for the sun.  Where my mind was blows was at the point that I realized that this was a class of people that was highly educated, a class of people that had it all so to speak, a class of people that knew the great value of trade and relationship building, and, at the end, that is was still stands so strongly in the Jewish communities.  

So how does this all tie into life right now, well, the clarity I receive is that EVERYTHING takes time. When I am working with clients or thinking about my projects I always get stuck in the notion that this needs to happen NOW, yet there is such great power in "slow and steady.”  The reason the impact was so profound and why so many people lost their lives was because it happened slowly, one step after another.  If the Germans would have woke up one day and just decided to start killing, the Jews would have out strategized them, but by making it one gesture after another that slowly stripped away their dignity and values, they turned a class of brilliant thinkers into people that lived only to dig their own graves. I know this is a very dark reflection, but there is something so profound in the learning of all of this when you think about doing the same thing to empower people. We are living in a time when it seems like a majority of people are digging their own grave with how they behave.  But, on the flip side, when you take a Step by step approach, it IS possible to build an new foundation of self respect and trust so that one can live a completely happy and free life.  You have to let go of the notion of overnight success, nothing was built in a day.  Everything worth any value in this world, whether negative or positive, has been built off of a step by step approach and takes time. When you show people one thing after another that can empower them to live more fully, their will to live will be stronger then any other force.  Take one step, adapt to the power of change, take another and so on until the foundation is so strong that nothing will ever be able to take it away. THE TIME IS NOW!

Maybe you would like to start building your foundation here

Also, Check out Victor Frankl's revolutionary Logotherapy here

What does YOUR world look like?

WHAT DOES YOUR WORLD LOOK LIKE?

I have spent the last couple of years so focused on my mission of creating a “Brave New World” out there based on the belief that everything in the world needs to be fixed, altered and changed due to war, killing, famine and just overall negativity.  Now, all these things are very real when you tune into the news and media channels, but more importantly, when you walk out into the world with the perspective that the world is negative and people are crazy and bad.  Although I spend a great deal of time planting positive seeds in the garden of my mind, sometimes I need a reminder to look inside and realize that the Brave New World I seek to create is ALREADY HERE when I choose to see it that way. 

LIFE IS PERSPECTIVE.

If your perspective of the world is one that views the world as a mess, screwed up and headed towards apocalypse, well, YOUR world WILL look exactly like that.  You may find people mistreating you, bad things happening to you and you may find yourself gravitating towards the media channels that glorify negative activity in such a dramatic resolve that one is left grasping for more like the needle to a heroine addict.  This causes upset, stress, anger, resentment …. and you ultimately live in a world of FEAR!  

OR YOU CAN LIVE IN ANOTHER WORLD. This world, my Brave New World, is a world I CHOOSE to see no matter what is going on OUT THERE.  

This word is one in which .... 

• I see people smile and help each other
• I see others serve the needy
• I spend time with loving friends and family. 
• I see inspiring projects that are making a difference in the world. 
• I see Compassion, Humility and Love expressed in Action.  
• I see more people living their dreams
• I see more people standing up for themselves
• I see thousands of organizations coming together to irradiate hunger.  
• I see health food stores everywhere.  
• I see yoga and meditation as the most popular thing to do now.  
• I see people loving themselves.  
• I see others reading books that make them a better person.  
• I see events that uplift and inspire people going on EVERYDAY.  
• I always have front row parking, wherever I am “supposed” to be.
• I see Cultures from all over the world are communicating through the internet talking about things that matter.
• I see People are moving toward simplistic, sustainable living
• I feel like a child exploring the moment very moment
• and on and on ad on and on and on and on  

I am truly amazed because it seems each and everyday gets a bit more dynamic and alive.  This is not saying that I negate and dismiss all the negative acts going on in the world, no, much to the contrary, I observe them, look inside, see what I can do in my given situation to help, do what I can, then give no more thought or energy to them whatsoever, because doing so would be giving my power away, and, I AM DONE GIVING MY POWER and MY JOY to anything outside of me.  

What does your world look like? I would love to hear all about it.   

Shine on Angels! Rest safe and walk light, we are ALREADY in a BRAVE NEW WORLD if you choose to see it that way :-)

Re-Defining Body Image

I have struggled for years with societies view of what sexy is supposed to be "shaped" like and have had to look within to see the qualities of my beloved partner that moved me towards her that attracted me to her "inner" sexiness. It floors me to see our world sell sexy through 17 year old innocence, photo shopped faces and stick figures. It seems as if the age of our models gets younger and skinnier every year and "sexy" has practically become "to young to go there" or “REALLY???!!!”  And, the funny thing is, my big blues wander the vast sea of advertising and living products of advertising and I find myself, even after all these years of inner work, projecting what I think sexy "should be" on my partner and society.  

Well, the other day blew my mind and changed the game forever!!

There is an incredible photographer on an profound mission to show the inner light of a woman that is beyond her shape by shooting nude photos of any size, shape, color and on and on (there was woman with one arm fully embodied!!). His idea is to capture that profound self appreciation that exudes all the sexiness a man could ever desire. We arrived at his quant Santa Ana apartment and were met by a peppy jazz tune and a smiling face that could light up any room. We relaxed, engaged in a profound conversation about the changing humanity, and, As I watched my wife, stripped of all layers, fully embody HER BODY, I could not help but feel the sensations of my desire rise up through every cell of my body and the flashes of ancient times (and not so ancient times) where the fullness of a woman's body was deemed sexy, where life experience was deemed sexy, where a woman embodied WOMAN in every sense of the word.  My Mind is forever changed. 

If your a man and your woman does not have the body of a teenage girl, be grateful and explore the layers of life experience that have created such an authentic creation, go deep, be present, allow the storm of her Being to come alive, fully!   If your a woman and you cannot look in the mirror because you intend to model the teenage dream of beauty, WAKE UP, relax, and allow the fullness of your womanhood to take shape, and with confidence, walk out in the world knowing that you are desire in motion, full of the essence of life and expressing that through every cell of your body.  

Like the photographer Romeo Gil said during our time together, “I like ALL women in their fullness, of all shapes and size.” What this man has set out to do is simply …. transformational.  What a Brave New World we reside in when all the eyes are pointed back inside to find the light!  The Time Is Now!

Connect with Romeo here if you are interested in finding out more about his incredible mission.  

A Living in a Brave New World Moment

It is amazing to me to see the world through the eyes of compassion and love and the other day was a prime example of the Brave New World that we are already living in if we choose to see it that way.  These days I actually LOVE Bureaucracy.  I grew up hating places like the DMV, Court Houses, Government Buildings and the like.  The inner rebellion inside of me wanted to kick and scream against the system and run away, judging, clawing, biting.  These days, I SEE humans living and acting out in their lives all striving to become a better version of themselves, so, I choose to connect.  

I walked up the marble steps (after waiting for 45 minutes outside) into a lobby in which only 6 people waited in finely upholstered chairs.  A man greeted me with a helpful smile and I reflected back the same as he heard my story and informed me of the simple process of accomplishing what I needed to accomplish.  I trusted, sat down with my number and waited patiently as the TV screen flashed dozens of ways to make my tax preparation easy and free.  I like it!  I am more the kind of guy that is searching for the ways to become tax free, but, I say thank you when I do pay the taxes, trusting that my specific energy is being used to create a better land of the free.  

Before I knew it I was called to the counter of a woman whom talks loud and to the point, I was excited to meet her at her edginess, but as I arrived I was called next door to a man with a cast on his arm, a calm demeanor and a warm smile.  His presence relaxed me and we formed an instant bond.  I shared with him what I needed and we spent the rest of our time speaking about travel, perspective and the great gift of living in another country and how that can bring so much pleasure to enjoying our own home land.  His calmness was what the world needed, his peace was living in me and I walked away sharing how lovely it was to BE with him today.  I felt I had found a friend for life.  He left me with a piece of paper that described a way to get whatever I needed via the web in the future.  COOL! 

As I walked away this afternoon, I could not help to reflect on the ever-revolving topic in my life of creating our own reality.  The Brave New World in which I see is already here.  It is in the fabric of my interactions, the food I eat, the challenges I greet with ease and the wonder in which I see.  I find people helpful, skies full of clean air, fresh food and juice whenever I want, people helping each other and getting along, striving for growth and serving the moment.  I know I am living in this because in the one area where I would imagine I would be met with a harsh comment and a stiff neck, the IRS, I am met with a living Buddha, clear and concise and oh ever so nice!

A Long Time Overdue Post about My Return to Los Angeles

WRITTEN ON JANUARY 7th 2014 :-)

Arriving back to Los Angeles after 6 years has shown me what it must be like for all those people coming from various countries all over the world to settle and “make it” here in the big big city.  You arrive with eyes wide, everything is new, the air is fresh, the spirit of humanity is wide open and accepting and each moment is charges with a sense of awe and wonder.  You have a few thousand bucks in your pocket so you go on exploring and taking in the sites, acclimating yourself to the heartbeat of the culture, attempting to figure out where in this vast sea of humanity you fit in.  The clock ticks and the walls close around and somehow the city grows larger and larger and larger and larger and your perspective grows smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller and then BOOM, the crucial moment of desperation comes and one starts to think, “I need to survive, I have to my head above water, my dreams, my passion, my desire” turns into “Good morning ma’am, how may I help you?”  

And so begins the steady climb back out into the perspective that was so inherent upon arrival, the steady expansion that comes with diving into the sea of humanity and finding your wings that set you free to wander the long streets of our dreams in which we build, moment by moment, the great life we have held in our dreams for as long as we could remember.  What is the misconception of many people around the world is that people come to this city and end up achieving what seems to be overnight success.  Now if overnight was defined as 10 to 25 years of intense personal development, persistence and taking life to limits that no man has ever imagined, then yes, overnight success is exactly what it is, but I am very clear that the image that is painted in most peoples minds as a lucky break of instant success is achieved in extremely small percentages, if ever, cause even those that rise to fame and fortune (in whatever they do) quickly, it is very clear that if they do not become the type of person that is worthy of long term success in any field, then that instant gratification instantly digs them a hole of terror and self-loathing.

In my experience coming back this time, from all that I learned and even from the fact that I have been born and raised in this city, I am very clear that model of success in the west, and the far west like Los Angeles, is the ability to be grateful for all that exists here, for all the culture, all the chaos, all the perversities, all the glitz and glamour, all the beauty, all the paved streets, all the nice meals, smiles, american past times, hard times, good times, gypsies, bankers, hankers, loathers, posers, losers, choosers, movers, shakers, skaters, one night maters, haters, belaters, space invaders, collaborators, content creators, speakers, seekers, believers, high achievers, the little people, the big dreamers, the office sleepers, the ones whom reap rewards for no work, the ones whom work their fingers to the bone, the fast drivers, the north, south, east west anything goes, I love LA and whether your gay, bi, tran or straight, brown, purple red or slate green you always have a place to be here in the city of angels and if you stick around and keep on believing, everything you wish to SEE come to reality in your waking dream most certainly will be.  I choose to keep the faith and keep on believing that the Brave New Me is living in a Brave New World!