Sunday, July 19, 2009

Power vs. Force




Power vs. Force

The skillful are not obvious

They appear to be simple-minded

Those who know this know the patterns of the Absolute

To know the patterns is the Subtle Power

The Subtle Power moves all things and has no name

Many of us spend a lot of our time developing our physical strength. We are inspired to work out, to build a strong, athletic body—but is being strong the only sign of our true personal power? What if physical force was only one aspect of power? What if we could find a way to truly feel we are powerful in a way that includes all aspects of who we are—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual?

Look at our top athletes. Can a gymnast win Olympic gold with pure strength alone? No, he/she needs focus and grounding as well as a strong body. Can a wrestler succeed only with brute force? No, he/she needs flexibility, both physical and mental, to really achieve. So, let's reframe power. Let's say that in order to be truly powerful, you will need to have not only physical strength and courage, but will also need to develop focus, grounding, and flexibility with the same amount of effort and diligence.

We can build our bodies to exert great Force. But where does the Power come from? Can we achieve anything with just force? Or do we need an inner power to drive us, to give us meaning, and display the qualities of a real winner.

If a politician or political party uses the threat of Force or Fear to gain acceptance there will be some success, but eventually the energy it takes to constantly plant the force will drain both the politician and the community. Force has to be constantly justified, Power does not because it has meaning. A simple example of Power vs Force is the difference between Barack Obama and Dick Cheney. One will be remembered for his use of power, the other will be stained with a repetitive use of force that both failed him and our country.

But back to our own bodies and minds. To channel our strengths we need

Focus

Flexibility

Grounding

Focus

What are we working towards with exercise, diet, or studying? How will this change our experiences? Do we want to live longer? Look better? Increase our stamina? What will you look like and feel when you have achieved this? Focus keeps us on the right track.

Flexibility

Which is stronger; a palm tree or telephone pole? In a storm the palm tree bends and the telephone pole breaks. If a plan is not working, you need flexibility to move in a different direction and still achieve your end goal. Sometimes you need strength (Force) and other times you need to let the Power move you on and up.

Grounding

I believe that the people that you choose to surround yourself with are the most important facet of achieving a successful, content life. They can reflect and give you quality feedback only if they share your values, goals and life’s script. Many times we hang on to relationships that are forever toxic “for old times’ sake” only to fine that the never ending drip-drip of negativity is draining our energy to make our own lives real. Your friends and loved ones should be a source of positive energy, not guilt, reminders of failure, and bad past experiences.

Use your Power

Have a peaceful week

Nate Klarfeld

Sunday, July 12, 2009

What Do You Really Want...and What Will You Do to Keep from Getting It?




What Do You Really Want…and What Will You Do to Keep From Getting It?

If you have ever wanted to change something in your life, be it lose weight, stop smoking, start going to the gym, change careers; you know that almost as soon as the thought comes into your mind, a powerful force strikes you. “That’s not me. I can’t do it. I’m not strong enough, smart enough or rich enough to pull that off. That is for other people. I’m just not that lucky. Bad Genes and Bad Luck. Never going to happen to me.”

So you try and go for it. Join a gym, take a class, start to meditate, and you may even see results, but somewhere the old tapes come up again, seemingly out of nowhere. We seem programmed to stay the same even when we know better. We stay in the same job, keep falling into the same relationships, debt and guilt that seem to be stamped on our lives.

What then is the key to unlocking our own handcuffs?

The Man in the Mirror

I know this week with Michael Jackson’s death and over exposed news coverage this might be a bad time to use that phrase, but it really does work. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you look at yourself in the mirror? Too fat? Too Old? Most people have been trained to feel uncomfortable about their looks and shape. Only a very few people have perfect bodies, perfect ‘age’, or skin, and even those that do rarely feel that way. What do you really see? Are you compassionate to your friends? Do you have interests in your community? Do you have something valuable to give to society? Answer these four questions in front of the mirror and keep them handy.

People work to their self image

You will always perform at a level equal to your self-image.

Our self-image is the portrait we have of ourselves. It’s the picture we’ve created about ourselves and is commonly based on past experience. So if a new desire for improvement is introduced and it conflicts with our current self-image, it is doomed to fail.

Our actions, behaviors and discipline are all heavily influenced by our self-image. Even if you force yourself via will power to do things beyond your self-image, you won’t be able to sustain it for very long.

You will go back to the old behaviors consistent with your belief about yourself because you act from this belief.

What one action do you need to do tomorrow to affect change? Get information about a gym? Talk to someone about taking a course? Set up a timetable to get a job done? Do one thing a day towards what you really want. Change one part of your behavior and then your body and mind will follow.

It is very hard to sustain significant changes in behavior without changes in individuals’ underlying meanings that give rise to their behaviors.

The first question I ask of your ‘excuses’ is “IS IT TRUE?” really true? Where did this meaning come from? A childhood incidence? A relatives’ offhand remark? One of the most powerful voices we have is how we speak to ourselves. It’s not just the content but actually ‘how’ we speak to ourselves that becomes toxic.

In my own life I have a saying I came up with that helps me when I get in a downward spiral of bad self talk. I say to myself; “Stop complaining and start committing. Committing to self awareness, sticking to my values, and becoming the change I want to see.

Have a peaceful week.

Nate Klarfeld

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

But Wait, There's More!!






“But Wait…There’s More!!!”

Lost in the past few weeks’ trifecta of celeb deaths; MJ, FF and Ed McM, was the loss Billy Mays, pitchman extraordinaire. No one on the planet hasn’t heard; “I’m Billy Mays for OxyClean! (Hercules Hooks, Big City Sliders, etc) and stopped and wondered why they were captivated by his energy, voice, and vigor.

I have to admit, I would have never bought OxyClean, or my Big City Slider Pan (which by the way makes excellent low fat turkey burgers) had it not been for Billy’s constant loud voice booming on cable channels begging me to try his product.

But what was he really selling? Did anything he pitch for a necessity of life? Food, Clothing, Shelter, Education? Nope, what Billy Mays sold us was HOPE.

Hope that somehow his tchotcke (my mother taught me you cannot misspell a transliteration) would make our lives a tiny bit easier. That one scoop, one pan, one saw, one set of knives would bring us light into our normally dark world. We knew when we opened the package that the dream would never fit the reality, but we bought again and again. Hope springs eternal especially for insomniacs addicted to reruns of “House”.

And we believed him. Industry spokesmen have said his sales were over a billion dollars in his lifetime and will continue as several infomercials will continue after his death.

Some might call this crass, but it was what Billy would have wanted….

But Wait…There’s More

RIP

Billy Mays

Have a peaceful week

Nate Klarfeld