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Independence Day(s)

July 4, 2016 By Julian Kaufmann

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Here in the United States we just celebrated our Independence Day holiday, to commemorate when we declared our independence from England. Back in 1776 we in essence divorced ourselves from the King of England.

Well as of this post, I am excited to report that I got married on July 1 and my wife Fiona and I are off to Paris to celebrate our wedding and enjoy our honeymoon. I am blessed and grateful to be able to share my life with her. I am indeed a very lucky man.

To focus on other things, I will be taking a bit of a break from the weekly posts, resuming these in August.

Meanwhile I wanted to provide you with some material in case you wanted to learn more during my summer sabbatical.

1. Q&A when I was on my friend Lorna Scott’s podcast

AGJ Lorna Scott Interview JK

2. Cleaning the Connection and Workbook from Flow 101 course

Cleaning the Connection

FLOW 101 Measurements

3. Lastly here is the latest Let Go, Let It Flow book cover

Thank you!

Wishing you and your family a fantastic summer.

Love and Light!

Namaste

Cavemen In A Connected World

June 28, 2016 By Julian Kaufmann

“Our lives are lived in a world we have created, not the world we were created for” – Dr. Roy Sugarman

Arianna Huffington is one of the most influential women in the world today and has worked hard and become very successful. In her book Thrive, she provides a first hand account of the impact of stress and overwork in her own life. Ms. Huffington, the creator of the Huffington Post, achieved wealth and power but suffered from overwork and exhaustion leading to her own wake-up call after collapsing from stress. Huffington goes on to document the widespread disease of stress in our modern world citing that researchers at Carnegie Mellon found that from 1983 to 2009, there was between a 10 and 30 percent increase in stress levels across all demographic categories. Higher levels of stress can lead to higher instances of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fully three-quarters of American health care spending goes toward treating such chronic conditions. The Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital estimates that 60 to 90 percent of doctor visits are to treat stress-related conditions.

It seems modernity is harming us as the amount of stress we experience in our lives and our technology advancements are correlated. Our biology and our technology are not totally compatible. In our modern, highly efficient world we can be harmed by devices and lifestyles that were designed to make our lives easier and more enjoyable.

Today we are frantically running around being busy but not really accomplishing things. For example we spend our time checking our Facebook pages, texting, tweeting, instagram-ing, playing fantasy sports, etc. all the while not giving our brains a rest. We wake up tired, and hurried, rushing off to work often without eating breakfast or taking the time to center ourselves for the coming day. We fight rush hour traffic to sit at a desk doing work we may not enjoy in order to afford things that don’t make us happy or bring fulfillment. We then return to our homes, after perhaps working in jobs that do not fulfill us, and then after fighting traffic to come home, we then numb ourselves with alcohol, food and or television. We feel chronically tired but get no restful sleep. We repeat this cycle day after day and wonder why we are burned out.

If the external world is contributing to our stress, we certainly are not helping ourselves if we also mistreat our bodies. For if our bodies are temples consider how we sometimes treat them and often do not give them the care they need to perform optimally.

Human beings are complex organisms that need proper exercise, rest, sleep, love, etc., in order to function optimally. But just think about the food we often eat -often processed, convenient food that can be lacking nutrients. We fuel our cars with premium fuel but do not do the same for our bodies. Food is fuel for our body. Further we too often operate in our own red-zone, by not providing our bodies with the sleep, rest and physical activity to perform at our best.

Our stressed-out lives have an impact not only on us, but also on those who live, work and in general are around us. We are highly social creatures and individual/group dynamics have been studied extensively. Researchers are confirming the contagious effects of stress. Just like the old adage about one bad apple spoiling the whole bunch. The same thing holds for the contagious effects of stress rings true. One stressed out worried or anxious person can literally bring everyone around them into this state. Beyond our actual interactions and proximity to others, the contagion of emotions can be spread through our social and virtual networks as well.

So for all or our sakes, un-plug, recharge yourself and return to the cave.

Please be sure to leave some writings on the wall about what has helped you!

References:

Sugarman PhD, Roy (2013-01-18). Saving Your Life One Day at a Time: Seven Ways to Survive the Modern World (Kindle Location 101). Heart Space Publications. Kindle Edition.

Huffington, Arianna (2014-03-25). Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder (p. 14). Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Kramer, Adam DI, Jamie Guillory, and Jeffery Hancock. “Experimental Evidence of Massive-scale Emotional Contagion through Social Networks.” Proceedings of the National Academies of Science of the United States of America 111 (2014): 8788-790. Experimental Evidence of Massive-scale Emotional Contagion through Social Networks. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. <http://www.pnas.org/content/111/24/8788.full>.

Father's Day

June 19, 2016 By Julian Kaufmann

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there and to those who have left us.

The following is a FB post I wrote shortly after my father passed away – Christmas 2014:

On the 4th day of Christmas 2014, my father gave me the most amazing gift. His gift was teaching me and allowing me to experience him leaving this world in peace.

On that day he died while I held his hand.

At 87 and after battling pneumonia, my dad’s time on this earth had reached its end. Fortunately I was able to spend the better part of the last 72-hours of his life by his side. My family was there with him as well. Our family gathering at our dad’s bedside was a beautiful expression of love and concern for a man who loved us so much.

My dad’s passing was an emotional experience for me but also one for which I am profoundly grateful. My dad’s death touched and moved me deeply. He was always there for me and offered me unconditional love throughout my life. Even in his death he gave me something. For in witnessing his passing, I experienced the presence of God as my dad took his final breaths. I was present when my children were born and the same reverence and awe-inspiring feelings accompanied my dad’s death, as did my daughters’ births. The miracle of birth and of death is similar, while the emotional reactions we experience to each of these events are typically polar opposites.

As he lay dying, I looked into my dad’s eyes and spoke words of comfort to him that came from the core of my heart. I wanted him to know how much I loved him, how grateful I was for him and that I wanted him to come home to God when God was ready for him. As the moments passed by, I became transfixed in his gaze and for a while I could not tell where my dad ended and I began. When my dad passed from this life to join our Heavenly Father – I was there with him, albeit for a brief moment in time. My dad entered the space between life and death as I held his hand and then he crossed over into eternity. God’s hand replaced mine in holding my dad and I felt supreme comfort in this. Perhaps for the briefest moment we both held him. The knowing of peace that is now the reality for my dad and awaits all of us provides such comfort and solace to me. Even though my heart aches at the loss of my daddy, I am closer to God and my dad is at one with him. For those who may be grieving now or who will at some point, there is a better place that awaits our loved ones and us. I know this like I know that force of gravity that holds us. The peace of God transcends all understanding.

My dad was a painter, a writer, and a bit of a practical joker while he was here on earth. He taught my sisters and me how to draw among many other things. One of the images we learned to draw was the ubiquitous “Kilroy was here.” The image of a man peering over a fence was popularized in World War II and my father was a veteran of that war, serving in the Navy.

The morning after my dad died, I went to go get coffee in the hotel I was staying in but the elevator was not working that particular morning. None of the three elevator cars would work and the one that I had called was stuck on the floor below – stopping just short of my 8th floor. Mind you this is a modern hotel and I have stayed there often and never have I had an issue with its elevators. This morning, each time I would press the down button the stuck car would chime in response. Finally I decided to go up in order to go down. I pressed the up-button thinking I would summon another elevator car and simply go up to the 9th floor and then return. When I pressed the up button my previously stuck car- sprang to life and then opened – heading up to the top floor – Number 9. The way the elevator was acting made me concerned that I might get stuck so once it opened on floor 9, I decided just to walk down the fire escape stairs to the lobby for my coffee. As I started down the stairs – there in the middle of the pristine stairwell was ”Kilroy was here” graffiti. There was no other graffiti on any of the stairways or hallway. Once I saw this image that was positioned right at eye level as I descended the stairs, I smiled and laughed out loud at this, crying happy tears. The night before I felt like I had learned how to transcend the emotional pain of life’s ultimate lesson – that life itself ends. Seeing the Kilroy image the next morning was like receiving an “attaboy” from my dad reminding me to enjoy this life and not take it too seriously.

Seeing the image after being guided to the stairs made me think of the book When God Winks: How the Power of Coincidence Guides Your Life by Squire Rushnell, a great book that I recommend. The book describes how God can communicate with us and the author uses many stories with wonderful coincidences to get his point across. In my case, God winked at me the morning after my father died through a malfunctioning elevator that only would go up and only one floor. This same elevator worries me enough to then walk down the 9-flights of stairs only to discover a personal symbol representing my now dead father located at my eye level in the middle of a superbly clean stairwell. The image reaffirmed that while my dad had joined our Heavenly Father, we are always with Him and that indeed “All is Well.”

Please let me know when God winks at you.

On this Father’s day I feel like Simba in Disney’s Lion King and will be looking at the night sky for guidance.

Mufasa: Simba, let me tell you something my father told me. Look at the stars. The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars.
Young Simba: Really?
Mufasa: Yes. So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you. And so will I.

Shedding Light On Creativity

June 14, 2016 By Julian Kaufmann

Let there be light …and there was light

“I had an idea – a light bulb went off in my head and then…”

The ubiquitous light bulb analogy for the birth of an idea or inspiration is brilliant to me – pun intended. Just like an electric light bulb our brains also function through electricity.

Millions of electrical signals and the synapses make connections of our experiences in our brain. Similarly when you turn on a light switch in your home, millions of electrons flows through the circuit wires causing light to be emitted from the light fixture.

Processing Information

We often think in abstract constructs, while being bombarded with an incredible amount of sensory information.

For example if you are reading this post sitting down, stop reading and notice your body being supported by the chair. Chances are you are not really thinking about the chair and all aspects of sitting as part of your living experience until your awareness focuses on that.

Even though we may not be aware of it, we continue to process information from our experiences.

Creativity comes from making new neural connections and relating concepts in novel ways.

When the light bulb went off in my head I could see things that were there previously invisible. I became enlightened to a new way be being.

Something had become manifest. Out of the darkness, an idea had been born creatively through me.

In our homes we can simply turn on a switch and nearly instantly electricity surges through the light fixture producing light in the process. Unfortunately we have not yet found a way to magically create ideas simply by flicking on a switch. However, the following may shed some light on how to be more creative:

Exercise the idea muscle

Creating something takes work and practice. Like many things in life better practice makes perfect and idea generation is no exception.

James Altucher recommends that as part of your daily practice you come up with 10-ideas each day, keeping track in a journal or pad.

Here is a James’ great post The Ultimate Guide For Becoming an Idea Machine

Sleep on it

Albert Einstein worked on his special theory of relativity for many years. After nearly a decade of pondering it one day he told his friend that he was giving up. That night he dreamed up the solution and was able to finally develop his E=mC²formula.

Our brain is constantly working and developing new neural pathways that help improve our efficiency. When we sleep this process continues.

Travel

As previously mentioned our brain constantly receives information and then processes in ways to help us encode the experience. When we travel we experience new stimuli thus providing new material for our brain to process.

I also find that time spent in planes is very conducive to idea generation. “Trapped” for several hours at high altitude allows my brain to wander often producing insightful ideas.

Walk

Early in life we learn to walk and afterwards rarely think about all the complex motions involved – our locomotion just seems to occur without any thought at all. Of course our brains are still processing all the instructions, it is just now we are walking while on auto-pilot.

Many people find ideas come to them while they are walking. This may even work when they are doing any repetitive task, like jogging, swimming or bicycling. Your brain gets into a groove performing a task that does not require that much thought. This allows the rest of the brain to make new connections and produce new ideas.

Ask and you shall receive

I have had success through prayer and meditation summoning creativity. I will pray to God for an answer if I am stuck on a problem and can’t find a solution. My prayer is often very simple and direct, not beseeching nor repetitive. I release my request and let God do the rest.

Receive and write it down

Our smart phones allow us access to notes and/or journaling apps that can be great for capturing any ideas that may come to you. Ideas often come to us when we may least expect it. For example, upon first waking up or more commonly when the shower I find that ideas come to me. I have also found that if I do not write them down soon after receiving them, they are gone.

Creativity and love are expressions of God.

With a little faith and practice we all can cultivate our creativity. Please let me know what works for you when generating new ideas.

NAMASTE

A Prime Mover's Prime Directive

June 7, 2016 By Julian Kaufmann

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before. – Star Trek

Growing up I used to love to watch re-runs of Star Trek, the TV series. The show’s episodes, made in the 1960’s, would chronicle the adventures of a crew on a spaceship as it would explore the universe.

Part of the crew’s exploratory mission included upholding the Prime Directive, which stated that the crew was not to interfere with the social development of the worlds they were investigating.

A Prime Directive in reality can be defined as a chief objective, goal, requirement or a guiding principle.

As we journey through our life, boldly going in our singular experience, it is important for us to consider what is our Prime Directive, our chief objective or goal.

Long ago my prime directive might have been described as to accumulate as much money as possible. Luckily, I woke up to a better way and today I want to share with you how to get more out of life. My Prime Directive is to help you optimize your life by practicing spiritual energy efficiency.

My belief is that all things come from God and that everything in the universe is some manifestation of energy, which ultimately emanated from God.

A prime mover is an engine or machine that converts energy from one form into another. An example of a prime mover that is becoming more common in the United States is a wind turbine.

A wind turbine harnesses the energy of the wind, rotating its blades, which in turn produces electricity. The wind’s thermal energy is converted into electrical energy through the wind turbine prime mover.

The percentage of the converted energy relative to the initial energy is a measure of the efficiency of the prime mover. Today our electrical prime movers are becoming more efficient thanks to engineering and design breakthroughs.

But what about how well we convert the God given energy that we have been graced with? How well do we convert this precious life into meaningful work? How well do we express the unique talents and gifts we have been given?

These questions will ultimately be answered by each of us. For it is up to each of us to live their life and hopefully to activate as much of their full-potential as possible. As we activate this potential we have more energy to embolden us.

As Prime Movers we are stewards of divine energy that animates us and that is sourced from the creator of all things.

My Prime Directive is to be the best Prime Mover I can. What is yours?

Namaste