"You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas." ~Shirley Chisholm Have you ever caught yourself complaining? Are you acquainted with anyone who is known for their tendency to gripe? When you're facing a problem to solve, how do you get in touch [...]
"Assumptions are dangerous things to make, and like all dangerous things to make -- bombs, for instance, or strawberry shortcake -- if you make even the tiniest mistake you can find yourself in terrible trouble." ~Lemony Snicket Do you ever find yourself taking something for granted? Have you ever paid much attention [...]
"Action speaks louder than words, but not nearly as often." ~ Mark Twain Do you share your goals and dreams with everyone around you? Or do you keep your desires quiet until you have something to show? When does one approach make more sense than the other? When it comes to getting [...]
"Perfection is the enemy of excellence." ~Voltaire (adapted) Have you ever had a project you couldn’t quite finish? Why is it that sometimes the closer we get to being done the farther away the finish line appears? How many awesome ideas have never seen the light of day because someone gave up before [...]
"History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes…" ~Mark Twain Where do you find inspiration? What parts of your ancestry or distant past to you bring into your current life? Why is it that so many things that are old seem new again? As the great American writer said, there's a certain [...]
"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination." ~Jimmy Dean How do you know when a corner has been turned in your life? What are the before and after moments that signify transitions? Why is there so much resistance to making [...]
"Each of us is a unique strand in the intricate web of life and here to make a contribution." ~Deepak Chopra How do you give back to your local community? Are there any hidden contributions you like to make just for the heck of it? Why is that an anonymous thankless task [...]
"There are plenty of difficult obstacles in your path. Don't allow yourself to become one of them." ~Ralph Marston Do you have something holding you back? What are the obstacles standing between you and your dreams? How can you eliminate fallacies that might be in your way? Almost everyone I’ve ever met has [...]
"We tend to think of meditation in only one way. But life itself is a meditation ." ~Raul Julia Do you like to put your body in motion? How about quieting your mind? Where does inertia fit into your moving meditation equation? Most people have some way to calm the chattering monkeys of [...]
"Fun is only possible if you have a mindset that allows it." ~ Morten Harket What is your overarching metaphor for life? Is your life a garden? A wilderness? A playground? How does your mindset affect your perspective and your results? You’ve probably been asked the age-old question, “Is the glass half-empty [...]
"Dogs and philosophers do the greatest good and get the fewest rewards." ~Diogenes Who or what are your main influences? Have you ever witnessed behavior ‘rubbing off’ on someone? How does your environment affect your state of mind? Like it or not, we’re all susceptible to the energies and attitudes that surround us. [...]
"Only entropy comes easy." ~Anton Chekhov How do you edit your belongings? Do you find it easier to accumulate things than it is to get rid of them? What are your criteria for deciding what to keep? As metaphysical beings existing in a physical world, our relationship with the stuff that surrounds [...]
"Patience is not simply the ability to wait - it's how we behave while we're waiting." ~ Joyce Meyer Do you believe that patience is a virtue? Is there ever a time when impatience serves you well? How is patience related to mindfulness? Patience is one of those things that's easier to talk [...]
"The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members." ~ Coretta Scott King Do you belong to a community? Or does your community belong to you? How are belonging and ownership different? How often have you heard someone say the words “my community”? You’ve probably said [...]
"Nothing happens until something moves." ~ Albert Einstein How do you keep your momentum up? What’s your relationship to inertia? When is the best time to ‘press pause’? You have probably heard the old saying “a rolling stone gathers no moss.” One of the primary foundations of physics is the first law of [...]
"If you want to be a pioneer, you have to be intentional, at least a little bit." ~ Syd Who are the pioneers that have blazed trails for you? Which pathfinders led the way on your current journey? Where have you opened doors for others to go through? Society’s story is one of [...]
"Time keeps on slipping... into the future." ~ Steve Miller Does time ever seem to speed up for you? What makes it pass more slowly? Why is our sense of time so flexible in the first place? We’ve all heard the classic Steve Miller line in 'Fly Like an Eagle'. But have [...]
"The role of culture is that it's the form through which we as a society reflect on who we are, where we've been, where we hope to be." "~ Wendell Pierce" What are your cultural reference points? Is there a touchstone from your past that you carry with you to this day? How [...]
"Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another." "~ Napoleon Hill " What's your secret to getting along well with other people? Do you ever find yourself talking about someone who isn’t present? Why is it [...]
"Practice puts brains in your muscles" ~ Sam Snead How do you know when you’re good at something? Where is that point when you can finally feel like a pro? What is mastery of a technique or habit mean anyway? We all go through life learning, and most of us know the [...]
How do you celebrate the summer solstice? What are your favorite ways to make the most of the longest days of the year? Has the meaning of summer changed for you at all over the years? Whether you live up here in the Northern Hemisphere where I do or in the Southern Hemisphere [...]
When you go to a dance or an event, do you make an effort to be seen? Or do you have moments when you prefer to remain transparent? How easy is it for you to flow between the two states? It’s totally natural to flow between those two energies, sometimes within only a [...]
How have things changed for you over the years? How have things stayed the same? What do you use as a benchmark to compare? Whenever I do an interview with someone I make sure to ask these questions. It's an interesting way to get perspective on a person's progress through life. It's also [...]
What symbolizes summer for you? How do you mark the turn of the seasons? Do you take holidays literally or figuratively? With today being Memorial Day here in the USA it feels like a shift into summer is in the air. On one hand, this is the three-day weekend that signifies the start [...]
Have you ever tried to communicate with someone who speaks a foreign language? How is it that animals seem to know what we're saying, regardless of what language we speak? What's your secret to getting your point across regardless of any language barrier? As different as we all are, we all have a [...]
What do you have that’s “in your blood”? Have you developed any practices or skills that have become second nature? What does it take for a hobby to become a skill to become a livelihood? This Monday following on the heels of Mother's Day brings to mind the topic of having a passion for [...]
How do you deal with everyday problems? What’s your strategy when you have to figure something out? Does it ever feel like things are too big to deal with? Face it, we are all only human. As we dance along through our lives on this great floor called earth, we are inevitably faced [...]
Do you ever get daunted by statistics? Have you ever decided not to do something because the chances didn’t seem good? How do you know when it’s worth rolling the dice and taking a longshot anyway? It’s all too easy to decide not to take the first step simply because the odds are [...]
Do you ever find yourself getting in your own way? Have you ever done battle with procrastination? What's your approach to working towards your higher calling? Most everyone has some sort of larger vision or secret dream. Yet far too many of us keep the really good stuff on the back burner while [...]
Are you careful about how you speak? Do you pay close attention to the words that come out of your mouth? What happens when the lightbulb of an idea appears above your head? As members of the human family, we all have one thing in common. We love to talk a lot! Obviously, [...]
How much stock do you place in your vision? Have you ever thought about why imagination so powerful? What is this secret sauce we humans have that enables us to run the world? Storytelling is so common and ubiquitous in our daily lives that we scarcely give it a second thought. Spend any [...]
Have you ever thought about the Zeitgeist of an era? Are there any moments in your past that evoke strong feelings? What makes a particular atmosphere so unique? Memory and contemplating the future are two sides of the same coin with much in common. When we think back on a specific moment [...]
Have you ever met someone who just can’t seem to get out of their own way? What can you do to help someone who is their own worst enemy? Why do some people always seem to sabotage themselves? One of the skills we humans are known for is our ability to recognize patterns. [...]
Have you ever had to deal with someone who is grumpy? What do you do for someone who is in a bad mood? How can you make this situation better without making it worse? Face it, the world is not just sunshine and lollipops all the time. Even the most fortunate and blessed [...]
Have you ever thought about how advertising works? Is marketing part of your line of work? Are you one of the facilitators or workshop leaders on my list who needs help getting your message across? The fact is, you can’t set foot in the outside world nowadays without being bombarded by advertising. Actually, [...]
~ Marshall McLuhan Do you ever question your ideology? What are your most radical points of view? How easy is it for you to shift your beliefs? In today’s world it's almost too easy to be an extremist. In the modern media milieu, the loudest voices on the fringes often garner the most [...]
Do you operate from the inside out or the outside in? Where do you find your motivation and inspiration? Which one has the upper hand in your operating system, emotion or intellect? Everyone has a different yardstick to measure themselves by, and one of the main indicators of fulfillment is the feeling that [...]
What’s your definition of play? What’s it feel like to be ‘in the flow’? Why does our relationship with play change over time? Play is one of those odd concepts that shifts it’s meaning according to our perspective at any given moment. In our early years, before we’re encumbered with knowledge of the [...]
What’s the most interesting thing you could share about yourself? Why is it that creativity is so fascinating? What’s the best part of your story? It’s easy to think about people in terms of 'what they do'. Or to classify them according to 'what they are'. And obviously there are folks with such [...]
How do you deal with responsibility in your life? Who are the people that rely on you? Which branch is yours on your family tree? Everyone is part of a lineage in some way or another, whether it’s a tightly knit family or a community of affinity. The tree metaphor has obviously been [...]
Do you have a ‘career’? What’s your ‘occupation’? Do you consider yourself gainfully employed, self-employed, or something else? One of the things that most of us get drilled into our heads as we grow up is the necessity of becoming a “productive member of society.” Most of us understand right off the bat [...]
Do you have a dream? What is your vision of an ideal society? Where do you fit in the social strata of our world? Here in the USA, today is a holiday dedicated to the memory the Baptist minister Martin Luther King Jr. Born on January 15, 1929, the annual holiday happens on the [...]
Do you ever ponder your modes of communication? How do you know what method or format to use in any given circumstance? What’s your best way of getting your point across? There’s a wide variety of methods by which we communicate in today’s world, from the most distilled and boiled down texts and [...]
What does belonging mean to you? Is there a place, or team, or group of people that you feel like you belong to? What actions do you take to create a sense of belonging in other people? The idea of belonging is an often misunderstood concept. The feeling itself can be a powerful motivator, [...]
Can you believe it’s 2019 already? Weren’t we supposed to have flying cars by now? Do you remember when ‘The Future’ looked like something out of a utopian science fiction movie? It’s funny to see how some of the things we grew up expecting were so far off base, while other things that are [...]
What’s your go-to greeting this time of year? Do you say “Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays, or something entirely different? What’s your year-end tradition that you share with your friends and family and the world? If there’s ever a time of year when it seems like the time-space continuum has shifted into overdrive, this must be it!
This is the last Monday Love until we all pass through another solstice cycle, which happens to be the winter solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s always darkest before the dawn, so this is the week when we curl up and get cozy before things start to shift the other way again and things start to lighten up, a few minutes at a time each day.
Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. ~John Dewey Have you ever had a craving to learn more about something? Or studied so hard you thought your head would explode? What about teaching, does that help you understand something better? It’s a funny thing about learning, you’d think that at some point [...]
Have you ever collaborated on a really big project? What does it feel like to contribute to something larger than yourself? Is your creativity limited, or is there always more to give? Contribution is an often misunderstood term. Some people think that giving is transactional, and by offering some of the best that you [...]
Have you ever heard the phrase 'monkey see, monkey do'? Is imitation really the highest form of flattery? Why is mirroring such an important part of learning? From the time we are born and all through adulthood into our twilight years, we mimic and mirror one another as a primary method of learning, for [...]
Did you know there are three different kinds of meringue? How do you clarify butter? Why does a pie crust need to be chilled before baking? In case you haven’t noticed, it’s Thanksgiving Week here in the USA! For almost everyone, that means all roads lead to the kitchen, which is the heart of [...]
~Sam Keen. How do you define contribution? What’s the meaning of service? Have you ever had to deal with injustice in your life? Here in the USA, today is the Monday holiday that we observe for Veterans Day. The day is celebrated in other parts of the world as Armistice day, as it [...]
Are you registered to vote? Do you have a plan for getting to the polls? Were you fortunate enough to be able to vote early or by mail? I was all set to talk about creativity, education, and entrepreneurship today, but I decided to keep that topic up my sleeve for another Monday due [...]
“Almost every sane person is at least two different people.” ~Mokokoma Mokhonoana. Have you ever played with your alter ego? Do you have a hidden persona that you bring out to dance from time to time? Are you flexible enough under the surface to have fun with your shadow? In case you haven’t noticed, we are [...]
“A quotation is a handy thing to have about, saving one the trouble of thinking for oneself, always a laborious business.” ~ A.A. Milne Do you ever have a hard time finding the right words to express yourself? Have you ever found yourself reaching for an old saying instead of thinking something over in the moment? When is [...]
“ Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks.” ~ Samuel Johnson When was the last time you were totally taken by surprise? Do you find it fun to be flabbergasted, in a good way? Have you ever been in on a plan to take someone off guard? Surprises come in all shapes [...]
“ Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.” ~ Abraham Lincoln Are you a citizen or a consumer? Do you engage with your democracy or leave it to others? What’s your relationship [...]
“What goes around, comes around...” ~ Willie Nelson Which came first; the chicken or the egg? Does form follow function or does function follow form? Are successful people more physically fit, or does getting in shape help you succeed? There are so many things in this world that seem to follow a linear path from cause to [...]
“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift, so that's why we call it the present.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt Have you ever “got more than you bargained for?” Does it ever seem like you’ve gotten into something over your head? How have situations like that been learning experiences? Sometimes life gives us an [...]
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” ~ Margaret Mead Where do you feel a sense of belonging? Are you part of something bigger than yourself? Do you agree that the sum of the parts can be greater than the whole? It’s [...]
“3 moves is as good as a fire!” ~ Anonymous How do you deal with all of the stuff in your life? Is it easy for you to stay organized? What’s your approach to letting go of things that have outlived their usefulness? The quote above about either relocating or having your house burn down points to [...]
“Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.” ~ Thomas Dekker How important is sleep to you? Does it seem like you get enough? How well do you sleep? Sleep is such an underrated and little-understood part of our lives. Whether we embrace it or avoid it, somewhere in the neighborhood of [...]
“When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die.”~Eleanor Roosevelt Are you a ‘giver’? Do you often put other people’s needs before your own? How much emphasis do you put on your own self-care? We’ve all heard the old saying that “life is a game of give and take.” And as we all know, [...]
“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today”~Malcolm X Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Is there such a thing as too much knowledge? Does learning ever really stop? No matter how much you might get set in your ways, it seems like there’s always [...]
“No Goal But This...” ~ Deva Premal & Miten) Have you ever gotten sore muscles from dancing or exercise? Do you ever find yourself waking up part of your body that you forgot about by doing a new move? How does your body communicate its limits with you? One of the great things about dancing is how it [...]
“What a long, strange trip it’s been!” ~ Robert Hunter (for the Grateful Dead) How many different chapters has your life had? Have you been around the block a few times, or are you just getting started? Have you always stayed true to the same path? My older brother Rafi once said to me, “Life is like [...]
He who thinks he knows, doesn’t know. He who knows that he doesn’t know, knows. For in this context, to know is not to know. And not to know is to know.” ~ Joseph Campbell What are your words to live by? Do you have any mottos or maxims that keep you on track? What’s your [...]
Have you ever been ‘touched’ by a piece of music? Do you..
Have you ever been on vacation with barely a moment to spare? How do you hold together your work ..
Do you ever go back to your roots? How do you contribute to your community? What traditions do you find worth carrying forward into the future? Whether you’ve got kids or not, whether you’re part of a big extended family or not, or whether your circle of friends and community is large or small, there are [...]
"In a word, I was too cowardly to do what I knew to be right, as I had been too cowardly to avoid doing what I knew to be wrong." ~ Pip, in 'Great Expectations' byCharles Dickens Have you ever done something just to impress someone? Have you ever made an assumption about what other people [...]
"Nature gives you the face you have at twenty. Life shapes the face you have at thirty. But at fifty you get the face you deserve..." ~ Coco Chanel Have you ever thought about how people get the expressions they wear on their faces? Do you ever notice how so much of someone's personality shines through their [...]
"Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!" ~ The White Queen in 'Through the Looking Glass' by Lewis Carroll What are some of your closely held beliefs? Which part of reality do you take for granted, and what do you constantly question? Have you ever had one of those moments of realization [...]
" Life is like dancing. If we have a big floor, many people will dance. Some will get angry when the rhythm changes. But life is changing all the time" ( Don Miguel Ruiz) Have you ever really had to restrain yourself? Do you sometimes have to hold back on an impulse? When is second guessing yourself a [...]
"Perfection is the enemy of excellence." (derived from Voltaire) Have you ever been stuck on the edge of a decision? Do you ever spend so much time making a choice that an opportunity slips by? How does it feel when a spur of the moment impulse turns out to be exactly the right move? Summer’s here [...]
"Summertime, and the livin' is easy..." ~ George Gershwin What does a holiday weekend represent to you? How do you make the most of time off when you get it? Do you have any traditions from long ago that you hold on to today? Here in America, where the warm weather of summer happens during these middle months [...]
"There are two things children should get from their parents: roots and wings” ~ Goethe Does it ever seem like things are different now than when you were a kid? What are some of the generational shifts you’ve noticed? What’s new that is better, and what are some of the things you’re glad we’ve left behind? Generations [...]
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift, that’s why we call it the present.” ~ anon Have you ever considered your place in the grand scheme of things? Do you give your eventual legacy much thought? What are your cultural reference points? Sometimes you’ll hear the phrase that “history repeats itself” but more recently [...]
Have you ever coined a term? Does your family or social group have some special inside language? Have you ever thought about how language our vocabulary comes into existence? Language is a fascinating thing. It’s almost like a living, breathing, ever-evolving entity. Metaphysically, the word is where it all begins. The path of manifestation begins with a [...]
How do you define art? Is there a creative bone somewhere in your body? Does your definition of artist include you somewhere? Creativity is a funny thing. Life gives us all three dimensions of a material universe to exist in, and a soul with which to find inspiration and enact our will upon it. Some of [...]
How do you define the word family? Are you close with your blood relative? Do you spend more time with people you’ve come to know over the years? The word family can be a loaded term for some people. In one way or another, we all have some sort of family of origin. And through our [...]
Do you ever go online? Are you an Internet user? Do you have any social media accounts? I know your answer to at least one of those questions is “Well, duh!“ because after all, this is an email, and you had to fire up some sort of Internet-connected digital device to even read it. Very few people [...]
How do you deal with your professional knowledge? What’s your relationship with your intellectual property? Does it ever feel like your supply is going to run low? Some people think that creativity is a zero-sum game. As if there is a limited supply in a bucket, and it’s in danger of running out. But really, creative [...]
Do you have an overarching belief system? Is there some philosophical underpinning to your existence? How do you reconcile the great mysteries of the universe with your daily life? Much like politics, the subject of faith or religion is one that is often avoided in polite conversation among mixed company around the dinner table. With this [...]
Do you have a backup plan? How do you keep things running smoothly in your life? Are some of your processes dialed into a formula? Sometimes it's great to have things somewhat automated. When you get to be a pro at something the trick is to make a difficult task look easy. Remember — perfection is [...]
What’s your relationship with your belongings? How do you deal with ’stuff’? Why is it that the things we own are a reflection of who we are? Everyone has a different way of making their way through the three dimensional world. And at the various ages and stages of our lives the importance of our stuff [...]
How’s your reaction time? Are you able to leap into action in a hurry? What do you do to stay nimble in case something unexpected arises? Sometimes life throws us a curve ball, and it serves us well to stay loose enough to catch it on the fly. You never really know when you might suddenly [...]
How do you frame gratitude in your life? Have you ever thought about how it relates to appreciation? Why is it that grateful people seem to have a much easier time in life? It seems like a lot of people think that gratitude is something that only happens on special occasions. Like it’s something separate that [...]
Do you ever feel like you have to much on your plate? Do you sometimes bite off more than you can chew? Have you ever felt like there weren’t enough hours in the day? There are a lot of common platitudes that come to mind when we talk about time management. It takes poise, finesse, and [...]
Have you ever talked about the good old days? Do you ever find yourself comparing how things are now how they were then? What’s your relationship to change? It’s all too easy to make pat assumptions about times gone by. And the looking glass mirror of age distorts the view in both directions. On one hand, [...]
Do you know that great feeling you get when you help someone out? Have you ever found yourself stepping up to make a difference just because you can? Can you imagine how valuable your insight or wisdom might be to someone in need? Whenever you make a move that helps someone else out, you actually improve [...]
Do you ever consider what drives the patterns you live in? Have you ever thought about what shapes your media and information landscape? Do you ever find yourself lost down a deep rabbit hole of information wondering just how in the heck you got there? One of the main hidden facts of the modern world you [...]
Do you ever do any soul-searching when it comes to your personal relationships? Have you had reason to question your situation? What does the ideal relationship look like to you? Our world is full of idealized notions of what romance and relationships are supposed to look like. You see it in movies, hear it in songs, [...]
Do you dream your life? Or do you live your dreams? How much of your reality is imposed upon you? And how much of your intention is imposed upon your reality? We all live in a three-dimensional physical world that’s full of things like news and cars and careers and social lives. Sometimes it can seem [...]
Have you ever had one of those moments of synchronicity that make you marvel at the universe? Do you sometimes experience a coincidence that is beyond explanation? Has a sudden hunch ever caused you to shift directions in a profound way? If you’ve ever doubted that we live in a non-linear universe, it’s moments like these [...]
Do you ever make a tiny shift and get a huge result? Have you ever adjusted something slightly and been surprised by the change? Does it ever seem like doing something differently might be more effort than it’s worth? Sometimes resistance rears it’s ugly head and keeps us in the same old rut. Other times it’s [...]
"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results." ~ Albert Einstein It’s the dawn of 2018! Have you ever taken a look back on New Years and wondered why some of the things you were hoping to make happen didn’t manifest? Are you wary of making ‘resolutions’ because they don’t [...]
Have you ever had a TV dinner on Christmas? How about Chinese food or Kentucky Fried Chicken? How does that contrast with a big feast with family and friends? It’s Christmas Day here in the USA, and regardless of what faith or culture you hail from, the world is basically on pause, and gifts and gatherings [...]
"“It's never what the other person is doing, being, or having. Who you are being in relation to that is what matters." ~ Neale Donald Walsch Do you ever feel like you’re chasing after something? Is your external world a reflection of your internal state? What tools do you use to stay on center? This time of [...]
"“If you’re not the hero of your own novel, then what kind of novel is it?" ~Terence McKenna What would you call your metaphysical gas in your tank? What’s the real motivator that keeps you in motion? Where do you find meaning in your daily life? Most of us can easily point to immediate and tangible [...]
"The best kind of happiness is a habit you're passionate about." ~Shannon Alder Do you ever think about your routines? Are you a creature of habit? Are some of your patterns predictable? The thing about habits is that they come very naturally. It’s our nature as human beings to be able to navigate this complicated world [...]
"Perfection is the enemy of excellence" ~adaptation of Voltaire Do you have any unfinished projects lying around? Have you ever gotten started on something and not quite followed through to the end? Are some of your ideas perpetually on the back burner? There are as many reasons to procrastinate as there are people in the world. Sometimes [...]
"What is this 'reverence for life?'" ~unknown What do you revere? Have you ever thought about what the word ‘reverence’ means? Is there some place in your life where your passions and beliefs overlap that transport you to another level? In the shifting sands of the modern world, questions of the sacred and profane take on [...]
"The Dionysian is no picnic." ~Camille Paglia Have you ever felt marginalized for any reason? Found yourself on the wrong end of a stereotype? Or worse yet, realized that your actions or assumptions were devaluing someone else in some way? Our culture is blowing up lately with ugly stories of invasions of personal sovereignty and gender [...]
"To shake your rump is to be environmentally aware." ~David Byrne What are the big stories of your life? Do you create your own narrative? Or do you sometimes feel like you’re a character in someone else’s novel? It’s fascinating to think about our place in the world in terms and how we fit in, stand [...]
As you get older you become the person you always should have been. ~David Bowie Do you like to dress up for Halloween? Is your shadow side happy to have fun poked at it once in a while? Does wearing your alter-ego feel more like home than your day-to-day attire? Here in the States we’re on [...]
You are a powerful, unlimited and eternal soul who is here to enjoy the experience of creativity and contribute to humanity's evolution. ~Timothy Leary Do you ever find yourself getting distracted by things on the internet? Does your social media stream sometimes feel like a bottomless pit? Have you ever wondered why we seem to have [...]
Use your smile to change the world. Don't let the world change your smile. ~Anonymous Are you someone who hosts a dance? Do you teach classes or DJ somewhere? Maybe you’re on a team of volunteers that show’s up every week to make a gathering happen? If you’re like me, there’s something ineffable about getting together with [...]
Have you ever had your day go sideways? Last night I’d planned on getting up and writing about my grandfather's mysterious indigenous roots, (his middle name was ‘Comanche’ and no one knows the real story), and philosophizing about the nature of human migration on this holiday formerly known as Columbus Day here in the US. And [...]
Do you ever wonder just what the heck is going on? Find yourself trying to make sense of current events and not get overwhelmed? Does the news of the day sometimes knock your personal world off balance? Try as we might to stay in our own little bubbles and focus on our own lives, word about [...]
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” ―Mr. Rogers Have you ever thought about what it means to be a contributor? Or wondered about that old saw about how you have [...]
“Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love...” ―Erica Jong Have you ever opened your heart and been a savior? Stretched your resources or capacities to help a person or creature in need find a home? Have you ever put your own priorities aside in order to help another? Sometimes the universe tests us [...]
“It’s never what the other person is having, doing, or saying — it’s how we react to it that matters” ―Neale Donald Walsch Do you always try to set a good example? Have you ever noticed someone imitating your behavior? Are you aware of it when you’re on top of your game? Cliches like ’take the [...]
“Carpe diem (seize the day)” ―Horace Happy Labor Day to my friends in the USA, and happy Monday to the rest of you! Do you ever have one of those moments where you notice something has slipped through your fingers? Have you ever missed an opportunity and then questioned yourself afterwards? Would you like to cultivate [...]
“Freedom is the sense of being capable of actions solely motivated by love.” ―Rudolf Steiner Do you ever notice your tastes changing over time? Have you ever been super involved in something, only to outgrow it and leave it behind? What is it in your life that remains consistent and evolves with you over time? From [...]
“Your body is a microcosm of the universe…” ―Anna Halprin Have you ever wondered about our place in the universe? Does contemplating the cosmos make you feel small? What if your consciousness is just a fractal representation of reality? You’ve probably had that experience of being outside on a clear night, far from the lights of [...]
“All is for the best in this best of all possible worlds.” ―Pangloss, in Voltaire’s Candide Have you ever felt like you’ve been here before? Do you ever find yourself circling back to a previous point in time? Is it possible that time is actually a spiral loop that just seems like a straight line due [...]
“ To be happy in this world, especially when youth is past, it is necessary to feel oneself not merely an isolated individual whose day will soon be over, but part of the stream of life flowing on from the first germ to the remote and unknown future.” ―Bertrand Russell Have you ever wanted to simplify [...]
“Rhythm is our universal mother tongue. It is the language of the soul.” ―Gabrielle Roth Do you ever feel like you’re a rare bird in your area? Does your dance world feel unusual and unique? Are you the only one carrying the banner for conscious dance in your neck of the woods? Sometimes it’s easy to [...]
“It’s always the great people who arrive on time and seemingly have all the time in the world.” ―Antony Armstrong-Jones Have you ever struggled with your productivity? Do you ever wonder why some days are great and others just aren't in the flow? Do you ever feel like you are behind the eight ball in this technologically [...]
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” ―George Santayana Does life ever present itself to in mythological terms? Do current events or your day-to-day life ever seem to resonate with some grand scheme of things? Does it help to put your story in context by viewing it through the larger lens of history? You’ve [...]
“Comparison is the thief of joy” ― Theodore Roosevelt Have you ever thought about what it takes to succeed? Do you see all sorts of recipes for success everywhere? Has it ever seemed like there’s some secret sauce you’re missing to find fulfillment? Sometimes it feels like we’re spinning around in circles while everyone else is [...]
“ The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change ” ― Heraclitus Have you ever felt like something was never going to shift? Or had the impression that some situation was permanent, and would never be any different? Maybe you became resigned to something and gave up on waiting? When you’re deep in the middle of [...]
"All You Need is Love." ~ Lennon - McCartney Are you the kind of person who seeks out unique experiences? Would you say that your friendships and community are really important for you? Do you ever go out of your way to find novel activities? You’ve undoubtedly heard the phrase “you can’t take it with you.” [...]
"Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love." ~ don Miguel Ruiz Have you ever heard the phrase “pick your battles?” Do you ever get in over your head and sometimes wish that you had just “left well enough alone?” Do you know anyone who is short on tact, but long [...]
"The pen is mightier than the sword" ~ Edward Bulwer-Lytton Have you ever struggled to communicate? Do you find getting your point across with the written word to be difficult? Why do some people seem to have a knack for writing while others always have a hard time? Maybe you’ve doubted your ability to write clearly. [...]
We have to stop consuming our culture. We have to create culture." ~ Terence McKenna Have you ever came across someones work and said to yourself, “How in the heck did they do that?” When you see some amazing project, performance, or work of art that leaves you speechless do you nod your head in wonder [...]
What do you hang on to that’s ‘old school’? Are there things in your world that are supposedly obsolete, yet still more satisfying than their ‘new-and-improved’ replacements? Why do you cling to the old ways when our modern world offers so much technological convenience? It’s easy to be cynical when we scan the headlines and wonder [...]
Do you ever find yourself looking for an easy way to describe things? Trying to find some verbal or written method to get your point across? There’s no question that effective communication is the key to making things happen, whether it’s business, personal, or simply navigating through the necessities of life. No matter who you are [...]
Do you ever find yourself totally drawn in to some external drama? Notice yourself becoming so absorbed in some spectacle or chain of events that you’re obsessively following every nuance of the story? It’s human nature to follow a gripping story, and there’s few things more compelling than a slow-motion train wreck unfolding before our eyes. [...]
Do you ever get stuck in a rut? Find yourself doing the same thing in the same way over and over? Sometimes it’s great to really get something down pat so you don’t have to give it much of your bandwidth, that’s the way we’re hardwired to learn. But sometimes when you look at your results, [...]
Have you ever noticed what happens when you stick with something? Is there anything in your life that’s been going on long enough to show results you weren’t expecting when you began? Sometimes just hanging in there can produce results you weren’t even expecting when you started out. This is the 208th edition of Monday Love! [...]
Have you ever thought about what it takes to be great? Greatness is one of those things that we all aspire to in some way or another, but what exactly does it mean? Who are the people in your life who live up to the term? Some people think that greatness is something we are born [...]
Have you ever heard someone say “There's nothing new under the sun”? Or sometimes you'll hear the phrase “what's old is new again.” How do those ideas square with your own experience of creativity? Have you ever come up with something that seemed totally original? Innovation is a huge buzzword in today's culture and of course [...]
Dream your life, live your dreams! ~ anon Do you ever do something just for the fun of it? Make an effort to go somewhere or work with someone just because you know it will be worthwhile in some non-linear way? Is there something in your life that’s more rewarding than just financial? They say that [...]
“The pen is mightier than the sword” ~ Edward Bulwer-Lytton Have you ever wondered if you’re a ‘writer’? Do you have a story to tell, and idea to share, or an original concept that could change the world? Or have you ever kept a journal? Jotted down your thoughts and feelings just to keep a personal [...]
“I want freedom, the right to self-expression, everybody’s right to beautiful, radiant things.” ~ Emma Goldman How often do you try something new just for the heck of it? Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in the same routine? When was the last time you did something that was totally outside of your box? They [...]
"Eighty percent of success is showing up." ~ Woody Allen Do you make a habit out of giving the gift of presence? Do you understand what it means to show up somewhere just for the sake of showing up? Have you ever had that feeling that told you to go ahead and be somewhere just in [...]
How do you react when life throws you a curve ball? I’m sure you’ve had moments when ‘the best laid plans’ went sideways, and you’ve had to suddenly shift direction in a totally unexpected way. Do you panic and amp up the stress? Or do you roll with the punches and go with the flow? The [...]
Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Do you ever question your calling? Ask yourself what’s your purpose in the world, what you were put here to do? Have you spent a lot of time ‘searching’ for it, trying one thing after another, looking outside yourself for the thing that makes [...]
Have you ever ‘put your hat in the ring’? ‘Rolled the dice’ to see what you could make happen? Set an intention and then followed through with the appropriate action, even if it felt like a long-shot? “Putting yourself out there” is one of the things we all have to do in life. Whether it’s as [...]
Have you ever had a belief shift? Made a fundamental change in the way you approach something? It seems that in order to function in the world we need to have many of our systems on autopilot, yet when we’ve got a faulty program in place, (to use the computer metaphor) we find ourselves repeating patterns [...]
“Life is like dancing. If we have a big floor, many people will dance. Some will get angry when the rhythm changes. But life is changing all the time." ~ don Miguel Ruiz Have you ever heard the expression “Lead by example?” Sometimes referred to as “Monkey see, monkey do?” Whether you want to get all [...]
“Dream your life — live your dreams!"~ unknown Are you in touch with your dreams? Do you pay much attention to what goes on in your head at night while you are sleeping or keep track in a journal? Have you ever had a dream that was so important or memorable that it became a turning [...]
“Success is inevitable. (As long as you never give up, and keep doing the work on yourself.)" ~ Christian Mickelsen Have you ever thrown in the towel? Completely given up on something that once meant a lot to you? Just plain called it quits and walked away from a project or a dream or a relationship [...]
“Being fearless of failure arms you to break the rules. In doing so, you may change the culture and just possibly, for a moment, change life itself.” ~ Malcolm McLaren Have you ever had a hunch about something that proved correct? Taken the leap to dive in on a project or a course of action because [...]
“Brevity is the soul of wit” ~ Shakespeare Do you ever question your communication style or wonder if you're getting your message across? Has anyone ever accused you of being long-winded, or conversely, too short with your words? With all the different ways to communicate in today's world it seems ironic that actually making a point [...]
“Success is inevitable. As long as you don't give up and keep doing the personal work on yourself.” Do you ever have occasion to question your confidence? Find yourself in a situation where you’re in a bit over your head, or trying something slightly out of your league? It’s part of the human condition that we [...]
“Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” Do you ever wonder just where in the heck the years go? Why is it that as we get older, it seems like the years go by faster? Has another year clicked by and some of your [...]
How far do you have to zoom out to see the big picture? What does it take for you to really get perspective on life? Does it help to sometimes back out into the macro to come to terms with the micro? This is the last Monday Love of 2016! The turning of the calendar is [...]
Do you remember what it's like to pretend? To willfully suspend disbelief and just completely drop in to another reality? When was the last time you let your imagination improvise and take you on a flight of fancy? As grown-ups we tend to put that part of ourselves aside, and keep ourselves focused on the cares [...]
Is “emotional intelligence” high on your list of priorities for your family environment or in the space you hold for your conscious movement or dance classes? Does it seem like more people you know are feeling more sadness and fear and having trouble simply being calm and happy? What if there was something we take for granted [...]
Do you ever find yourself mentally hunkering down after hearing bad news, hoping that no one you know personally was involved? We hear about disasters all the time, but there’s usually a buffer zone of distance, some degrees of separation between us and the people involved. After all, if we were to immerse ourselves fully in [...]
Often, it is the animals that provide a frame for the human condition" ~ JoAnna Mendl-Shaw Do you ever let your tendency for kindness get you in over your head? You know what I mean, those situations where are you say yes to something out of the goodness of your heart only to find out later [...]
Have you ever heard this Zen riddle? The one about “What does a fish know the least about?” The answer of course, is “water.” It points to the idea that we have very little awareness about whatever it is that we’re surrounded by. What’s normal is not always noticeable. Then there's the phrase “Like a fish [...]
Have you ever broken one of the “Four Agreements” and then woken up the next day and wondered, “What the heck just happened?” Try as we might to hold ourselves to higher standards, we’re only human and sometimes we miss the mark. It seems like a lot of us were guilty of making assumptions about the [...]
How does your daily dance with technology feel to you? Are you someone who is effortlessly up to date, using the ever growing constellation of tools to make your life easier and live up to the promises of the digital dream? Or are you constantly behind the curve, left wondering if the learning the latest social-mobile [...]
Happy Halloween! May your shadow be kind to you on these days that celebrate the dark side. Have you ever had a holiday that you simply dread? For some folks it’s the Christmas season with it’s overabundance of manufactured cheer, for others, (especially pets!) it’s the 4th of July with all the explosions and fireworks. For [...]
Do you ever think about what it takes to be happy? Some people think that happiness is a destination outside somewhere that they're moving towards. But really, happiness and well-being are more like byproducts of your activities in the here and now. So if you just learn where to focus your energy and attention in the [...]
Do you ever get involved in a project that seems like it's never going to end? Do you have first-hand experience with seeing ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’? Sometimes we struggle by ourselves in the dark, only to get more caught up in the weeds. And then at some point we reach out [...]
Does the world really need another movement modality? Aren’t there enough practices out there to satisfy everyone already? Why would anyone want to start something new when there are so many options? These are some of the questions I get asked when people consult with me about their marketing and branding. Every Dance First member gets [...]
What was your entry point to the world of ‘conscious dance’? Did you come to it from a more refined professional background? Or were you more like me, an enthusiast in the discotheques and clubs drawn to a more conscious atmosphere? Perhaps your first encounter was one of the pioneering modalities in the field such as 5Rhythms or Soul Motion?
What a difference a decade makes! Have you ever noticed how as we mature a decade can feel like a year and a year can feel like a month? As I was writing today’s spotlight below I realized that we are coming up on the 10 year mark for Conscious Dancer, which means that “conscious dance”, the open-source term I coined back in the early 00’s has been gaining traction for well over a decade.
What was your “formative moment”? Can you recall a time when you were a child when there was a moment of inspiration that set you on a course for the rest of your life? Sometimes our future path is set in motion by early experiences, and we can count our blessings when the imprint is a positive one.
Why does helping people feel so good? What is it about providing an answer to a question or providing your two cents worth of advice that us up? Today is Labor Day in the USA, a holiday given to most people with regular jobs in honor of work and service. It’s a good time to reflect on what makes us feel good, and how we can have more of that in the here and now.
What's your oracle? Do you have a tool that you use to set your compass? Perhaps you are internally oriented, going strictly from intuition and gut feeling. Or maybe you are the type that likes to rationally analyze every decision before making a move? Whatever your style may be, it's a good idea feel confident in the path you choose, regardless of how you made your decision.
Are you a ‘podcast listener’? Are you hip to the biggest development in media since the invention of the Internet? You can think of them as “time-shifted radio on-demand” and now you can find them on virtually any topic you can think of, (and many more you never would have).
What’s your relationship with learning look like? Are you a reader? Do you take online courses? Go to lectures? Listen to audiobooks or podcasts? Attend workshops? And once you've got the gist of something, what do you find is the best method to stay sharp? The old saw claims that practice makes perfect, or that 10,000 hours devoted to anything will make a master out of you.
Are you ‘all-in’ on your somatic practice or movement leadership methodology? You might be one of the people on my list who are full-time teachers, a movement entrepreneur with all your skin in the game so to speak. I know that all sorts of people get these emails, and not everyone is in the business of embodiment, but that’s who I’m here to serve, so if your practice is your life I'm talking to you.
Have you ever thought about what your ‘core gifts’ are? Like really deep down inside, the parts of you that bring the most joy to the surface, and that are also the most vulnerable? Not quite the same as your acquired skills, definitely related to your inherent talents, and often misunderstood because sometimes we don't have [...]
Do you ever go to re-unions? Those get-togethers where members of your family or a community you are part of gather to celebrate connection and the passing of time? Making the effort to show up to these kind of events takes some doing, and while it isn’t always easy, it’s generally worth the effort.Last Saturday night [...]
What do you find to be the key to learning? Is there any special method that you have found to be effective in gaining knowledge? It's a proven fact that lifelong learners are happier and a more successful in the long run. In school we were taught to memorize facts, figures, and formulas but in the [...]
Happy Tuesday everybody! For those of you on my list that live in the good old US of A, I trust that you made the most of the big celebrations marking the 240th anniversary of our very own Brexit. The 4th of July is always a good time to ponder the meaning of freedom and independence, so [...]
What’s the ‘third thing’ in your life? If you’re like most people, you’ve got your home life, you’ve got your work life, so what completes the picture? Somewhere I was reading about how one of the keys to happiness is having a ‘third thing’ in your life that you can regular dip into that’s not home [...]
How do you celebrate the arrival of summer? Are you an all-American traditionalist, breaking out the barbeque, firing up the lawnmower, and pulling your Bermuda shorts out of the drawer? Or are you more of the “pack up and head for hills” type, dusting off the tent, packing up the cooler, and looking at the map? [...]
Do you ever catch yourself in a ‘verbal tic’? You know, those little sounds or short phrases that people unconsciously make when they're speaking? You may notice them more easily in someone else’s speech than in your own. Sometimes they can be charming and endearing, other times grating or annoying. You might have one but never [...]
Do you ever have one of those days where you wake up and sort of wish you could just pull the covers over your head, stay in bed, and keep sleeping all day? Except for the fact that you've already got plenty of sleep, and responsibilities like a day job or a mile-long to-do list immediately [...]
Are you the kind of person who hosts the big gathering, or shows up at the potluck with several bags and coolers full of homemade food, and rallies a mob of people to the big event? Or are you someone who manages to attend somehow, but you find yourself going alone or with your partner, and [...]
Did you notice the line in last week's newsletter where I used the term “existential angst”? One of my readers asked me to clarify, and I realized that it may have come off as a pointed comment towards people who choose not to have kids, which was definitely not my intention. Besides reminding me of the [...]
Do you have kids? Among the many other “two kinds of people in the world” dichotomies, the gulf that divides parents and people who have never had kids is a wide one.If you've never had kids, there's so many things that are easy to say that seem totally logical like “Well just get a sitter, and [...]
Are you known as ‘woman-of-the-overflowing-calendar’? Or ‘guy-of-the-never-ending-to-do-list’? Learning how to prioritize, and put boundaries around what's most important to us is one of the only ways to move forward with our dreams. When I talk about my old business model compared to how I'm doing things now I jokingly refer to my old method as “desk [...]
Have you ever noticed how easy it gets to do something once you practice it enough over time? There's a hidden upside to becoming proficient at things you enjoy doing, you suddenly find out that you are known for being a pro, and that your reputation precedes you. There's so many opportunities in life to get [...]
I'm curious about your thoughts on time–space displacement. Commonly referred to as jet lag, I'd like to know if your experience with it is the same as mine. Is it because of the direction of travel, or simply that the excitement of going somewhere outweighs the feeling of returning home? Whenever I travel towards Asia I [...]
Do you believe that writing stuff down can help make it happen? There really seems to be some special magic that happens when when you commit a thought in your mind to written words on paper or a screen. Once you physically “put it out there to the universe” and then let your subconscious attention go [...]
Have you ever felt reluctant to let yourself shine? Stopped yourself from moving forward with something because of a little voice of self doubt? Well trust me, that little voice is only loud to you, in fact, you're the only one who can hear it and chances are it's drowning out the real voices of your [...]
Do you ever feel that life is like riding a wave? Harkens back to the Southern California phrase “Don’t fall off your surfboard!” All of you movers and shakers have you own way of stirring things up as you make your way through the world. There's a simple element to keep in mind to help you [...]
