Musings 
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Musings No Comments 
“The essential meaning and purpose of life is to become the best version of yourself.” – Mathew Kelly
“You are today where your thoughts have brought you; You’ll be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.” – James Allen
Our brain is sometimes compared to a computer in that you can only take out what you put in. Our brains are infinitely more complex than a computer and are capable of creative thought, yet the comparison has some merit in that it is a strong caution to be wary of the “garbage in, garbage out” syndrome. It is up to us to put in information and concepts that will promote our well-being and success. If we do not do our own programming, someone else will do it for us.
With this in mind I work to supply my Inner Voice with supportive material for positive programming. I know that my Inner Voice, the good one that knows and wants the best for me is like a muscle—it gets stronger with exercise. I must Use it or lose it.
A question that I continually ask my Inner Voice is, “What different attitudes should I program and what actions should I take if I lived to honor the truth that integrity has more value than money, position, or ego?”
I also know that it is important to realize that my Inner Voice is separate from my Ego. Emotions like anger, resentment, pride, or embarrassment are ego-connected and cause me to be self-absorbed. Body hits like these are not signs from my Inner Voice. To hear my Inner Voice clearly, I have to get Ego out of the way.
Getting Ego out of the way is a constant challenge for me. Ego always wants to compare my actions and results to others. I work to not let my short-comings define me. I claim that I am my own authority for my self-worth. I affirm that Spirit as speaking through my Inner Voice only wants the best for me and reminds me to be generous with compassion for myself and others.
I have found that compassionate thoughts must become ingrained habits. Coloring and immersing our thoughts with the wisdom of others works to strengthen our Inner Voice. Remember, if you are not doing your own programming, someone will do it for you.
The Proverbs caution, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
As the Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher, Marcus Aurelius (121 – 180 AD) advised, “Such as they are, thy habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of your mind; for the Soul is dyed by these thoughts.”
Musings No Comments Today’s Quote for Courage and Action:
“There is a life we hope for, the one we long for, dream of and pray for. And, there is Life. The one we have today. Let’s just say that the two don’t always see eye to eye.
But what if we are invited to bring our whole heart to this moment.
The permission to embrace our vulnerability; open to human brokenness, fragile nature, of love and caring and giving a damn.”
– Rev. Terry Hershey
Today is Your Day #1!
Musings No Comments Some years ago I attended a workshop given by George Leonard, former president of the Esalen Institute and author of numerous books on human potential including ‘Mastery: the Key to Success’ and ‘The Life We Are Given’.
The subject of the workshop was NLP and ESP.
NLP is ‘Neurolinguistic Programming’, an approach to communication and personal development that claims there is a connection between neurological processes and behavior patterns, especially as expressed in one’s physiology. NLP has techniques that claim behavioral patterns learned through experience can be changed to achieve specific goals in life. NLP claims that communication may be enhanced through practice and observation of one’s own or another person’s unstated thoughts or feelings which might be interpreted through unconscious physiological expressions.
ESP is ‘Extra Sensory Perception’, also called ‘Sixth Sense’. ESP includes claimed reception of information not gained through recognized physical senses, but sensed with the mind. Psychic abilities such as intuition, telepathy, and clairvoyance are claimed to be possible.
The intention of the workshop was to bring together expert practitioners of NLP with claimants of personal ESP. Exercises were introduced to stimulate experts and claimants to discover any intersection of projected abilities.
Richard Bandler, cofounder of NLP, was chief expert present. Additionally present were NLP trainers and practitioners. On the ESP side there were claimants who professed skills of telepathy, teleprojection, and/or psychic healing.
One exercise conducted was aimed to determine any intertwined connection of oral communication, physiology, and unconscious understanding. This exercise involved a young Swedish man telling a story entirely in his language to a group of non-Swedish speaking persons. I was part of this group. The group assignment was to use the techniques of NLP or ESP to try and intuit the story. These techniques involved mirroring the Swedish young man’s physiology as closely as possible to include matching his breathing and gestures. At completion of the story our group discussed what we thought it was about. Surprisingly three of us guessed, in pieces, that it was about a fishing trip with his father. This was true. We were quite struck by even this minimal version of unconscious perception. There were many, many more details for which we had no guesses.
A significantly more impactful personal experience was had when I was selected, with four others, to spend some time with Sean O’Donnell (I have forgotten his real name). Sean was a 7th Son of a 7th Son. In Irish folklore this meant that he would have special powers including the gift of healing.
Sean, 28, advised that from the age of 14 he experienced positive healing effects when he placed his hands on a person wanting healing. Our group was very interested and appropriately skeptical. We agreed that the positive mental attitudes and expectations of healer and patient may contribute to some measure of perceived healing.
Sean invited each of us, one at a time, with his back turned and eyes closed, to place our hands on his shoulders with intention to project healing energy. Sean would thereafter advise if he felt any sensation. When my turn came, I placed my hands on his shoulders and with focused intention I silently projected, “Heal, heal, heal.” Sean advised that no sensation was sensed. The same was experienced for the other group members.
Sean asked if anyone would like to try again. I stepped forward. This time with great intention and an intense emotional feeling I silently projected, “Love. Love. Love.” Sean startled. He said that he definitely felt a strong transmission of warmth and energy from my touch. I was startled too.
To this day I remain openly doubtful and also openly hopeful about possibilities of physical healing through human touch. In spite of some skepticism I admit that for the last many years whenever I am experiencing pain, physical or emotional, including stress or anxiety, with focused attention and intention I project internal energy to the source of the challenge and silently voice, “Love. Love. Love.”
For me, this has made a Life difference…
Musings No Comments 
“Wow! Really??!”, I exclaimed.
The Viet Nam War was raging. The ‘Tet Offensive’ had just concluded. I was just back from Air Force Boot Camp in Amarillo, TX.
For endless days while training I viewed railroad flatcars rolling by loaded with battle-damaged helicopters. Too many to count. How these broken birds made it all the way from Viet Nam to Amarillo was a logistical mystery. I imagined that for every one that did, dozens didn’t. These images brought home the costs of this war as I imagined the tragic stories of the lives lost and damaged behind every broken helicopter.
My fall term at USC had just begun. It was also the beginning of my two-year Air Force ROTC studies. Thereafter I was to be commissioned as an Officer and sent to Flight School to become a pilot.
Meeting with several fraternity brothers we exchanged stories of our summer experiences. Mine detailed the physical, mental, and emotional challenges that I had endured at Boot Camp. I claimed personal pride at what I had accomplished; what I had learned about myself. With some false humility I proclaimed that I had been awarded the honor of being selected as ‘The Most Outstanding Cadet’ from the 200+ cadets.
The ‘Wow! Really??!” comes next…
One friend asked, “What did you learn?” Proudly, I proclaimed, “I learned that I would die for my country.
It was then John’s turn to advise what he had learned during his summer training to become a Peace Corps Volunteer. Proudly and energetically John declared, “I learned that I would live for my country.”
His declaration pierced my heart and opened doors of sensibilities that had been shuttered.
After serving years as a military pilot and AF Reservist, followed by decades as an international businessman, I continue to be a ‘work in progress’ striving to live up to John’s declaration – and this has made all the difference.
