Sunrise Beach Musings

Reflective Action- is this an oxymoron? Nope! Not how I use the phrase, as they are both elements of one process.

Let’s explore. Are you one who treats the ‘New Year’ as a time for reflection, redirection and resolution? I hope so, even though any day provides many such opportunities- what I refer to as ‘Pivot Points’….moments where you can affirm or change direction by making choices and taking action in alignment with those choices. 

Since the brain is a pattern making organism it supports habits and routines. That’s what makes change such an effort. We are very often so used to doing certain things we no longer really notice we are doing them. You want to be sure to be up-to-date on rituals and habits you perform, making sure they serve your current goals and best interests.

So, I recommend you taking a ‘Habit Scan’. This is a chance to reflect on your way of going about your life day to day. With pen and paper or notation device in hand, mentally walk through your day and note the routine actions you take daily, then add in weekly, monthly and annually. Include both positive and what you might consider less supportive or even detrimental habits. 

These can include everything from what you eat and drink, how you exercise, your ways of relating and communicating to key people in your life, routines at work, how you get work done, gift-giving, celebrating,  how you use free time, hobbies, who you hang out with, lifestyle quirks and anything else you can think of.

One of my habits is to go to the beach for sunrise musings and meditation, especially on holidays or special occasions. I stretch, walk, reflect, sometimes sing and always write in my journal. I love it and should really make it a more frequent habit for how restorative it is for me.

Sometimes a habit will show up by NOT showing up! For example, if regular exercise is foreign to you, it will not show up on your Habit Scan. Pay attention to the gaps as well as to what is there.

Now for the Action.  Once you have written them down, take note of habits you want to continue, habits that need updating by adjusting to serve you better, and habits you definitely choose to discontinue. For example, do you REALLY want to keep going to the donut shop every Friday morning? You might choose to continue, but change what you order. Or you realize that’s your habit because the carpool colleague you no longer ride with used to do that and you never changed your routine. Or you like the social aspect but realize you could meet at a healthier spot.

Then choose several new or adjusted Reflective Actions to put into play in the New Year.

Here are 3 of my new Reflective Actions:

• perform a Mindful Moves sequence daily, either before my morning walk or as an afternoon refresher (Mindful Moves is a new book and video I am releasing any day on Amazon!)
• Open, overview or , better yet, activate any online program I purchase within 48 hours
• Make an offer at least once a week for one of my products or services: courses, books, workshops, coaching sessions or speaking

Now it’s your turn. Do your Habit Scan, Reflect and take Action!

Happiness is Success

2011- What a year this has been! So many events occurred that were not in my (official conscious) gameplan, and which appeared to sideline me from my intentions. But who knows, really, what ultimately constitutes success. Yes, I choose to define success on my terms, and yet how that manifests may be different than my original….often too small human scale…vision. Honestly, this has been a year to test and demonstrate my Mental Resilience.

As the year comes to a close, I am reminded that for all the sadness and difficulties- such as losing my dear friend and Legacy Builder Jigme Norbu on the Walk for Tibet Florida in February, attempting to support my mother through her decline in health, giving up previous hopes of real estate empireship by ‘offloading’ several properties….

there has been a counter-balance in successes and achievements:

• completing two books (and a DVD!) with co-author Richard Israel, ‘Family Brain Gym: 30 Transformational Techniques for Mental Fitness and a Happier, Healthier Life’ and ‘Mindful Moves: Can Standing on Your Head Really Make You Smarter?’ (these will be up on Kindle and Amazon.com before the year-end, followed by online courses in January!)
•  completing Leadership Coaching Accreditation with legendary John Maxwell
•  joining the Experts Industry Council with Brendon Burchard
•  guiding my youngest son through the college appllication process (with supreme assistance from my eldest daughter who knows the university scene well from her work with Ashoka U) and already having him accepted at several prestigious institutions
•  welcoming son #2 back from his 4-plus years of US Army Service (including surviving Ranger training and a year in Iraq)- followed by his recent successful climbs up to Everest Base Camp and now Macchu  Picchu

And much, much more….

Mostly, in regard to the banners printed above & below, I feel happy to be back writing and teaching cutting edge tools and strategies again.  I am thrilled to be of service with what I know can make a difference to so many. In the New Year I will be much more visible and clear about my offerings and how they can benefit you.

And, I will have more fun again! After all, that’s what Creative Living is all about!

Rumi-Desire for Work

July 4, 2011, I joined the tail end of a 230 mile Walk for Tibet from New York to Washington DC. It was hot, humid and shocking how filthy and spooky the streets right outside the city center were. But we arrived enthusiastically at the White House and were permitted to exercise our free speech in the street out front as were religionists, anti-government protestors and the animated ‘legalize weed’ crowd. 

Incredible Journey- NYC to White House

Tibetan is not one of the languages I speak, although knowing their stories and feeling their fervor I know most Tibetans made pleas for support and liberation of the Tibetans suffering back in the homeland under harsh Chinese rule. Kunga Norbu made a heartfelt request for both Rangzen- Independence- and for all Tibetans to work together to reach their shared goals.

In my role as both an American and global citizen I claimed HUMAN Independence Day (going beyond traditional American July 4th). I suggested that the same vision, energy, creativity & collaboration that goes into any effort at gaining independence, be it American or Tibetan, would also be what maintained independence. The same energy and effort had to go into sustaining communities in PEACE using similar features; where

• P stands for living with Passion and Purpose
• E stands for injecting Energy into developing Excellence of Character & Skills
• A stands for taking Action to develop your ideal  
• C stands for Creativity,  Collaboration with Compassion & Community
• E stands for Expressing yourself and Enjoying contributing to making a difference

This is how Independence will be maintained by individuals or nations alike whether gained through struggle or by claiming it.  I invite everyone to claim your own Independence Day and be a living example of radiant and proactive PEACE, as our friend Jigme Norbu was. It could be an expression of your Living Legacy too!

Donna Claims HUMAN Independence Day

http://www.robertplank.com/audio/DonnaKimBrand.mp3

I had the honor to interview Robert Plank (MembershipCube.com) about harnessing his ‘genius’ via his online courses, products & systems that have lead him to superior productivity and profits.

Listen in to find out his #1 secret to effectiveness and 2 new trends in online enterprise.

Authentic Creative Living is about making sure the life you are living is your own, not someone else’s version of what your life should be….

The tricky thing is, no one is born with an instruction manual of how to live our life’s purpose. So it appears that part of our human adventure is to tune in -remember- who we truly are then play it out in the expression of a life well-lived on earth. Sometimes that takes the path of putting together the puzzle pieces, recognizing fractal patterns, that show up on our life path….re-membering…putting the parts together to make sense of them for us.

Re-membering Who I Am

How many stories can we all tell about friends (or family or….even ourself?) who realized mid-stream that THEY never really wanted to become a doctor, lawyer, candlestick maker. . That had been what their parents wanted for them, or what the family history seemed to dictate. Or they went ahead and married someone despite heartfelt doubts because it was too embarassing to back out or they didn’t want to end up alone. Once on a certain path, it seemed easier to ‘go with the flow’ or ‘follow the path of least resistance’, rather than listening to our own internal wisdom. 

Another scourge that can prevent authentic Creative Living is ‘vicarious living’; living through the life of others in a fantasy it could be your life, even though you really know it not only is NOT your fate but you probably wouldn’t have it if you could. But you create enough distance between your personal reality and the fairytale life you hanker after to ensure it doesn’t ever come true for you. 

I know sports fanatics, celebrity groupies or TV show diehards who spend more time, if not money, tending to their objects of affection than to their own development and expression of life. These may be the same people who dare to tell my son, an avid sportsman himself, to ‘get a life’ when he can’t join them roaming the halls of a mall (their idea of ‘life’) because he is out on weekends actually playing his sport.

I consider life as a Masterpiece in the Making, and have created a course and book to share how to tap our creative juices and simultaneously fulfill our life’s purpose as we understand it. Ironically, this project has temporarily taken a back seat to yet another book and project I have just co-created with a colleague, currently called Family Brain Gym. Let me know if you are interested in joining our teleseminar to learn how to manifest a life of authentic Creative Living for you and your family members through Family Brain Gym!

(P.S.- I spotted this doll’s leg on the beach one morning. It prompted my thoughts on re-membering…)

Recent news events- from a Royal wedding to the demise of a notorious terrorist mastermind- have the public all a-twitter (literally!); weighing in with their opinions as we focus on the media circus of the moment.

Yes, I agree it’s good to participate in our society- it’s a hallmark of democracy- and keeping up with the news is part of engaging in acculturation and community.

But as Leonardo DaVinci once lamented, (and I paraphrase), we humans ‘look without seeing, eat without tasting, listen without hearing, touch without feeling’ …rather, we glide through our lives more or less unwittingly. We let life happen to us, rather than making it happen for us. And then we wonder why we feel so out of control of our lives.

Re-education of Looking

Over the next few posts I will offer several observations and suggestions for overcoming the problems they present. As the above quote alludes, we need a re-education of looking…at managing what captures and holds our attention.

Here’s the first observation.

Most of us allow our attention, focus and even our emotions to be dictated by outside influences, like what’s blaring in the news or which neighbor is bugging us by getting away with violating local yard-waste ordinances.  We reserve focus for our golf game or when it is required on the job. Rather than being in control of our mental faculties in order to have them serve us, we have tended to let our mental muscles get a bit lazy. We let others lead our attention where they want us to have it.  So flabbiness is not just reserved for our waistlines, but also for our mental discipline.

Recognizing this phenomena is the first step in doing something about it. Second is knowing how we can turn the tide and use our powers of attention and mental focus to sculpt an amazing life of Creative Living in action. More next time!

Tibetan Prayers for Jigme'sAuspicious Reincarnation

In numerology, 3 & 4 represent earth & heaven, so 7= perfection. Imagine, then, 7 x 7 =  49.  In Buddhism this is the height of perfection, and following death, the 49th day is when official mourning is over and the spirit is released to move on either to reincarnate or develop otherwise as is the karmic destiny of that soul. 

April 3 was the  49th day since our friend Jigme Norbu lost his life while on Day 1 of Walk for Tibet Florida on February 14, 2011. 

A bittersweet reunion of about 25 supporters gathered at noon at the accident site 28 miles south of St. Augustine, Florida to participate in the 49th Day Shay-Gu ceremony for Jigme Norbu.

Wangchuk Dorjee led us in Tibetan prayers releasing his spirit to move on to auspicious reincarnation and seeking compassion as expressed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Brian Scrone recited Rumi, Deacon Dan Scrone reminded us that the foundations of all faiths are the same: many lanterns, one light. Miessa Myrick recited a favorite passage from His Holiness and Jim Sheils thanked Wangchuk & Jigme for the inspiration of their vision and dedication.

I recited from Jigme’s late father Dr. Thubten Norbu and passages about the Dalai Lama to remind all present that each of us, Jigme included, is on a lifelong (and beyond) journey of discovery, evolution and faith in action that begins wherever we are. World Peace begins with each of us finding and expressing our own peace. I know that Jigme earnestly struggled to find his own unique way, as do many seekers. It is in part why he walked, both to redeem karma as well as to use the long stretches of time and meeting with kind people as a mediatation on his purpose. And, of course, to spread awareness of his message and share inspiration with those attracted to his message along the way.

Original songs by Jamie Defrates, Susan Brown, Lee Pinkerson & Bill acknowledging Jigme-la’s free spirit, his mission to free Tibet and inviting all present to ‘Dream On’ embraced us in the spirit of good will and hope that goes beyond words, beyond time and space, beyond what seems possible…. As Robert Frost said,  ”a complete poem is one where an emotion has found its thought, and the thought has found the words.”  

As Frost also reminded us, appropo to Jigme’s path, and that of any seeker of Truth, Beauty, Goodness & Freedom, “I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” May all Rest in Peace, as we who wish for Peace on Earth know it begins with each one of us.  Namaste.

Beautiful Resting Spot

Walk for Tibet Feb 14,2011

When I wrote my January 25 post about LIVING for your cause instead of waiting to DIE for it, who could have predicted that my dear friend Jigme Norbu- who had walked over 7800 miles around the world on Walks for Tibet would end up giving his life for his cause, even while he was living for it.  (see www.WalkforTibetFlorida.com & www.AmbassadorsforWorldPeace.org ) 

Jigme walked for World Peace, Human Rights, Tibetan Independence and Freedom for All, knowing that Step by Step as he walked, he could reach out Person by Person to bring awareness of the issues, invite or inspire each of them with a voice to use it for good, and to set off a chain reaction of kindness that would create inner or  ’local peace’….leading in time to world peace.

Since Jigme had asked me a year before to organize the Walk for Tibet Florida event, and I had just been with him not an hour before the tragic accident, my immediate life focus took on an all-encompassing urgency  as I dealt with all aspects of the situation- police reports, family liason, global media calls, care, transport, feeding & housing of the growing band of walkers- many of them Tibetan- who began arriving into a variety of Florida airports from all over the United States to honor Jigme by completing his Walk, arrival of Jime’s family to join the Walk, speaking engagements, film showing & discussion of the issues, meetings with Mayors and officials, and making sure the Walk Completion Celebration ceremony now included an appropriate Memorial Tribute to our leader and friend.

Oh, yes, and dealing with the inevitable little disputes and discrepancies that crop up whenever you have a group of strong-willed people in an intense environment.  I know all too well from what I teach that we cannot see another person’s intentions, but we tend to judge others based on OUR perception of their behaviors.

Overall, despite the shock and immense loss that I still feel in every fiber of my being, the whole experience was enthralling, exhilerating and uplifting (as well as a stark reminder to live fully while we can). To have experienced the powerful daily magic of good will like a force-field eminating out before us as we walked was life-changing; meeting amazing people- both the Tibetans and locals who walked, who each had their own amazing stories, locals along our walk route who appeared to support us and the cause by offering hospitality of meals and lodging, donations or kind words, the burst of international and local media interest and attention to the cause and our little band of walkers…..the discussions with each other as we shared stories and coached each other based on what value each could offer, the morning prayers and yoga to both set intentions and keep limber during the 25-30 miles walked daily, enjoying the beauty of nature and local scenes as we passed through each town.  People along the way were thanking US for giving them the opportunity to offer kindness and TLC. It’s almost as if they were just waiting to be asked! This is a force for good just waiting to be unleashed in a world that has become disconnected from each other because of technology, fear or uber-busy-ness.

We really experienced what Jigme talked about, and walked for.  This type of comraderie and thrill of engaging for a higher purpose is what makes people feel alive and triggers a domino effect of kindness and caring. This is the starting point for world peace.

It reminds us of how we want life to be, how we want to live…and sometimes, what we have to die for. May he rest in Peace, (or continue as an activist for Peace from beyond!), our beloved friend and Walk leader Jigme Norbu. 

Forever Young-Walk for Tibet Florida

Band of Walkers for Tibet Florida

We finished the Walk for Tibet, World Peace and Human Rights from St. Augustine to West Palm Peach, Florida, covering about 300 miles. It was part of the tradition that was started by the late Jigme Norbus La’s father, the late Thupten Jigme Norbu (Taktser Rinpoche), that Jigme La had kept alive by walking all over U.S. and other countries. Our late Jigme Norbu La and I started this edition of the walk on Feb 14, 2011 with the help, support and guidance of Donna Kim Brand.
 
Jigme La’s sudden death was very sad and shocking. We were at an emotional loss for awhile, then Donna and I decided to carry on the walk even though it would be difficult emotionally and dangerous. Fortunately, Jim Sheils and Brian Scrone supported our decision and decided to join the walk for the remaining 2 weeks. We were able to keep Jigme La’s wish and legacy alive because of sympathetic individuals like Donna, Jim, Brian and Coco Scrone’s great help and support.
 
Jigme La and I shared a strong belief that Tibet will be free someday. “Tibet belongs to Tibetans”, is a simple statement that does not mean we Tibetans are against the Chinese people. It means we are against the Chinese policy in Tibet, which aims to suppress our character and the identity of Tibet and its people. We Tibetans, and our supporters believe that our struggle is legitimate and worthwhile because the truth is on our side. Sooner or later Tibet will be free of the Chinese occupation.
 
On behalf of late Jigme Norbu La’s family and six million people of Tibet, I want to thank the people of these great United States and we are especially thankful to the people of Florida who really showed strong interest, support and encouragement through our walk. Appreciation also goes to the many Tibetans from New York, Minnesota and Indiana and our American friends who came to join the walk after sad and shocking passing of Jigme La.
 
As a side note – to our Tibetan brothers and sisters, the death of Jigme Norbu La is a huge loss to our cause as he is one of the few people who had taken the self initiative to lead with his self less service to our cause for many years.  I hope our brethren in exile will remember his sacrifice and rededicate their efforts to contribute to our cause.
 
This walk was well organized and very successful due to the leadership of Donna Kim Brand with primary support of Jim, Brian and Coco. We will remember your kindness, sincerity and genuine support with gratitude in our hearts forever. We keep the late Jigme Norbu La and his family in our prayers. We will also keep driver of the vehicle that killed Jigme La and the driver’s family in our prayers. 
 
Thank you,
 
 
Wangchuk Dorjee