TIPS To STOP Being So DAMN Hard On Yourself!!

 

One of my favorite Eddie Murphy films is ‘Coming to America.’  While Murphy displayed an uncanny ability to pull off a cacophony of various characters throughout the film, it is his iconic portrayal of a poor man's lounge singer in Randy Watson that still causes me to have fits of combustable laughter just thinking of his filmed antics.  His frustrated cover performance of Whitney Houston's ‘The Greatest Love of All’ with his band 'Sexual Chocolate' to a completely uninterested crowd remains the highlight of the film for me.  Admittedly, the satirical subtext within that scene has become more profound within my spiritual sensibilities as I have grown older and wiser since the film's initial 1987 release. Like most comedians of a GENIUS level, their art is infused with deeper meaning, and self realized constructs than mere laughs and iconic characterizations.  

In the film, Murphy plays a fictional Prince of unimaginable wealth, who seeks to find true love for WHO HE IS INSIDE; not because of his stature and position in life. And it is the Randy Watson debacle that is just one scene that underlines the theme of the film; that being one of SELF LOVE and self acceptance. The understanding that our entire worth is encapsulated by the simple fact we are all unique, gorgeous, brilliant emanations of Spirit. There is not one thing we have to do to prove that fact, other than simply being ourselves.  And then share our own distinct form of the genius within (and is our constant co-pilot) with the world. Always and in ALL WAYS! 

And yet, as simple as all this sounds, most of us have turned against ourselves and become a world of  destructive  SELF TOUGH LOVE as well as our own worst enemy. How is it that we have become so damn hard on ourselves? Although we were born into a realm of unimaginable creative abundance, opportunity, and unlimited possibility, most of us live our lives as though we are part of "The Hunger Games."  Our emotional moments are filled with thoughts of guilt, shame, regret, lack, cracked confidence and fear. We spend much more time in self judgement that self progression. Left unchecked, this form of energy can eventually lead to depression, anxiety, and isolation of every sort. And the cumulative effect of such thinking is causing us to play much smaller than we were ever meant to. And the caustic byproduct is neglecting our individual Superhero's Journey to cling to some illusionary form of stability, rather than exploding into the iconoclastic luminaries we came here to BE!

There are many reasons for this paradigm shift in our sense of the SELF we choose to be rather than the SELF we truly are at our core.  Influences from friends, family, the media, and social constructs that are now built around constant competition amongst ourselves.  That's why a portion of The New Age Nerd's manifesto states we........ 

“commit daily to become ‘The Greatest Version of The Grandest Vision’ ever held of ourselves.  In this way, we worry not about being better than others, but rather BEING better than we used to be.”

Like many writers, coaches, healers, and performers, I'm often susceptible to this epidemic of 'BEING TOO HARD ON MYSELF.'  Most of us on this list are incredible sensitive and compassionate. We feel deeply and passionately for others and often find it quite challenging in discriminating and compartmentalizing between others pain and our own. Our greatest strengths can also become our greatest weaknesses.  

So if you find that you could use some tweaking toward a greater sense of  ‘The Greatest Love of All’, here are some tips to guide your way back to being at peace and a deep knowingness of WHO YOU REALLY ARE.

1.  Look at everything in your life as a BLESSON.

Karen Salmansohn coined this phrase that I think is absolutely brilliant.  In her words a BLESSON is “when you are able to view painful lessons as blessings.  In other words, a BLESSON is what happens when you see the BLESSING in the painful LESSON that your challenge taught you.”

Whether something has happened, shown up, been lost, or ended, looking at the event as a BLESSON is a wonderful way of not shifting any blame on ourselves as part of the process! I LOVE it! I hope you will too!

2.  You’re On a Superhero's Journey.
Rather than espousing something new here, I thought I would use a portion from a past post that I believe perfectly encapsulates how the Hero's Journey can be one of the most powerful ways to channel our pain, challenges, and suffering into an incredible productive manner.

From the post “ A Dark KNIGHT of The Soul”  by Jeffrey Louis Martinez
“But what absolutely struck at the core of my utter BEING was his explanation of what he has termed ‘The Hero's Journey’.    And how everything that life brings us is no thing short of EXACTLY what we need in order to fulfill our purpose here on Earth.  Of course I had heard of the Hero's Journey during my previous travels.  But this time, I REALLY HEARD IT.  Truly understood its meaning with a ferocity of acceptance and purposeful enlightenment.  I wasn't a failure.  In fact, ‘just the opposite’,  I thought.  If I had gone through THIS much suffering and pain so far in my life, then my Hero's Journey must be pretty big.  I had always believed I was here to be a guide to assist others on their warriors path, but now, I KNEW IT.  Big difference!

So no matter what your current situation may be, there is HOPE.  In those moments of despair, please remember that there is a PURPOSE for everything you are going through. I PROMISE!  You are not alone.  That's what we are doing here, together.  Trying to help one another figure out why we are going through so much pain and suffering, and how we can channel it into our reason for being!”  

3.  Remember Failure is an Illusion.

Did you know that it took Thomas Edison over 2,000 times to try and get the electric lightbulb to glow.  Imagine how emotionally gut wrenching it must have been for him to invite his group of fellow inventors in to a room time and time again, only to ‘flip’ the switch that should have illuminated the bulb before them, only to experience....  NOTHING! NADA! 

However, Edison had an incredible sense of his own connection to SOURCE.  He famously told people that he NEVER actually failed at being unable to manipulate electricity.  Instead, he reframed it by stating that every single time he flipped the switch and no light appeared, he actually succeeded at proving yet another way that electricity would not work.  Has a light gone off in your noggin about how you can reframe any of your perceived present or future failures?! 

4.  Learn the difference between Being a Genius and HAVING A GENIUS.

This comes from a TED talk given by famous ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ author Elizabeth Gilbert.  And it has radically changed my handling of creative self judgement in a BIG WAY.    After Gilbert received a ginormous amount of acclaim and attention (Hello Oprah!) after the debut of her first book, she became fraught with paralyzing fear.  She has stated, “the result of which means that everywhere I go now people treat me like I'm doomed... They come up to me now all worried and they say “aren't you afraid you are never going to be able to top that?  I'm sure afraid you're going to keep writing for your whole life and you're never going to again be able to create a book for anybody in the world to care about at all, ever again?”.

She found solace from the world of Greek Myth, and the original meaning of GENIUS.  Back in that timeframe, people did  NOT believe that creativity came from human beings. People believed creativity was this DIVINE attendant Spirit that came to human beings from some distant and unknown SOURCE.  The Romans were the first to label this type of spiritual muse from the ether a GENIUS.  They live in and around us, and like a modern day UBER, available 24-7 to assist us in our creative intentions.  

I call this Infinite Intelligence. Or SOURCE energy.  Spirit. The I AM. As Gilbert now understands, the knowingness that she is simply the vessel through which Spirit chooses to speak takes off a lot of the pressure.  Everything is a co-creation, and the way to ensure that you receive the assistance from the Infinite Intelligence that is accessible to us all is to have humility. And the belief that YOU ARE WORTHY to be used as a divine vessel for your own magical muse to work through!

Something I have to constantly remind myself is that life does not happen TO you. But rather 
FOR you and through you. Everything is a blessing. It is so important to be at peace with what is. And to remember that you are a BLESSED and DIVINE creation. 

There has never been anyone like you, and there NEVER will be again. We matter. We are all here for an unfathomably important purpose and being too hard on ourselves will only greatly reduce your ability and the time you have to share your LIGHT with the world!

BE SUPER HEROIC!

LOVE- LAUGH- SERVE - INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

The SECRET SAUCE To More EMPOWERING Relationships!

 

Today I would like to introduce all you New Age Nerds to a conceptual construct that has truly transformed not only my coaching practice, but also all my personal relationships.  This tool has permanently shifted my life's perspective back toward's SELF LOVE.  It has also deepened my connection and understanding of true forgiveness towards the entire population on this planet! I call this concept Tapping Into Inner Innocence. 

My own childhood was fraught with fear, confusion, and an overwhelming sense of self judgement.  After my birthfather abandoned our family in Southern California when I was 3, my mother was left without money or the support system of her large family.  So she moved us across the country to the greater Washington, D.C. area.  The entire ordeal took quite a terrible toll on her own young (she was just 24) emotional psyche. And so my sister and I were often left in the care of some individuals with less than loving ideals.  It got to the extreme of me being told that my father's leaving was all 'my fault,' and my mother would leave the family too if we ever told anyone of their dastardly deeds.  As you might imagine, the brunt force of these experiences carved a deep, traumatic wound within my entire being.  

I became an extreme introvert, (hard to believe that now) and kept all my emotions hidden better than a 'Where's Waldo' book.  My sense of SELF was very low indeed.  And I ate daily sandwiches of extreme self judgement and loathing.  Pretty much the perfect recipe for dysfunctional behavioral patterns in all areas of my life.  Especially in the dating department.  If she NEEDS me, she'll never LEAVE me was my mantra.  Ask how that worked for me.....?   Not so much!  ;0)

It's no wonder the second I got the opportunity, I moved back to Los Angeles.  There was something in my inner knowingness since that very young age solidifying my desire in returning to the "scene of the crimes."  To heal your wounds you must first face them. And my Super Power of emotional intelligence informed me of this truth ever since I can recall.  Thank you Universe for granting me the stewardship of this form of energy in action.  It's been a soulful life saver!

My ten year jaunt in LA was where my spiritual transformation really took off. Nearly 30 years ago, the Left Coast was much more progressive in its acceptance of spiritual modalities than the DC area.  And I took full advantage of its welcoming spiritual nature.  And during my Superhero's Journey while there, I came across a different understanding behind the true meaning of FORGIVENESS.  A core transformational shift in its radical power once adhered to from this more transcendent nature. One that is now a pillar that anchors my entire spiritual paradigm for living a deeply authentic and purposeful life. And things have never been the same since.  

The long held, standard practice of teaching FORGIVENESS, relies on the principality of separation. As though YOU and I are two separate beings.  When in truth, separation is a fallacy. FOR WE ARE ALL ONE!  Any experience of separation is simply our ego in play. Its very job is to keep us feeling separate and disconnected from one another.  And even more damaging, holding us back from experiencing our ONENESS with the Universe. Thus we are often taught that forgiveness is a form of pardoning ourselves or another from a perceived 'wrong doing.' It's the ultimate form of judgement if used under that pretense.  

For once you relinquish the ego's hold over the dominion of your beingness, you become realigned with the power and understanding of TRUE PERCEPTION. The remembrance that everything and everyone in our life's experience is part of the One God Mind.  You see yourself in all others.  The SELF becomes fully realized as the great I AM.  You begin to live and experience life from the space of your Super Heroic Higher Self. And once again, you become your brother's and sister's keeper.  Suddenly, the manner in which you wield the power of FORGIVENESS is forever transformed.

As it so eloquently states in the book God I Am, "This is what is meant by remembering God, or the truth, for one's brother. He gives his brother's separation away, therefore he forgives! This is the true and only meaning of forgiveness.  Forgiveness, as it is commonly seen, first establishes guilt and then pardons it.  Again, perverted truth, twisted by the Ego's Law of Reversal.  Now true perception has the exact same effect, although it is still a step away from Oneness.  It is still cognizant of separation, but is no more part of it.  It stands apart from the dream. It recognizes separation for what it is: only error, NOT sin - therefore it cannot see guilt whatsoever.  Not seeing guilt, it only sees innocence.  This is True Perception's way of giving away, of forgiving separation.   This is where the miracle comes in to heal."

And what a powerfully disruptive healing process the true nature of forgiveness becomes in our lives. It is the most effective manner of tapping into your INNER INNOCENCE.  A realm where judgement in any form vanquishes back behind its illusionary veil. And we stay steadfast in the moment of NOW.  A state of spiritual enlightenment. Fully connected to SOURCE. And in our brother we see a reflection of our SELF.  And all of our co-creations become joy filled opportunities for-giving him/her back to themselves. Assisting them in awakening from their slumber so they re-member who they truly are.  Their authentic SELVES. What a wonderful world..........................

Our INNER INNOCENCE knows not any form of condemnation.  It seeks only to reunite. To see ourselves and others in pure divinity.  It showers us in LOVE BUCKETS. It sees nothing but pure potentiality with 20/20 vision. What the EGO hoards, it gives away freely and without expectation.  It assists us in understanding the gifts behind our former false beliefs.  By showing what we assume are wrong doings, actually light a path toward the places within us where healing LOVE and LIGHT can still be applied.

The most deep seeded form of healing comes through the use of our INNER INNOCENCE. For it allows us to be freed from any misconceptions of separation.  Instead of staying in victim consciousness, we begin to build a solid foundation of courage and confidence.  Rather than living in fear of what LIFE MIGHT DO TO YOU, this- now SELF realized you- starts to HAPPEN TO LIFE!  

And I now use this tool every single day. It has shown me the true path toward forgiveness. Any individuals and their 'wrong doings' toward me have been shifted back from anger and judgement toward LOVE. Through this revelatory paradigm, many of my wounds have healed. I receive all my fellow brothers and sisters through the eyes of ONENESS.  And am once again free to inhale their individual brilliance in all its forms.  I seek only to unite.  And awaken others to the same TRUTH..............

SUPERHEROES IN TRAINING TAKEAWAYS

Start incorporating the process of tapping into your INNER INNOCENCE immediately!
Like everything else it is a process that must be nurtured.  One terrific place to start is by remembering that you cannot make a mistake! Life is not a test. Everything in your experience is an opportunity to learn and grow. You are something akin to a Spirit based scientist and life is the palette from which you experiment. If something doesn't 'work out' simply learn the lesson and try again.  Transcend the catabolic energy that infuses the term 'mistake' with that of a misstep. Which is totally innocent in nature.  BIG DIFFERENCE! A misstep has the same vibrational resonance as Guilt.  And guilt is a terrific teacher. It's job is to show us the feeling attached to making a misstep.  And so we become much more eager to readjust and realign our actions the next go around.  A mistake holds the same vibrational essence  of shame.  When we feel that we are whatever it is that we have done. Shame is incredibly nasty and becoming an epidemic on this planet. The habit of shaming builds on fear, hate, and self loathing.  

Another suggestion is to practice the art of receiving others in the NOW. Without any preconceived notions based on their past behavior. Practice seeing and honoring them as utterly innocent in nature. Doing the very best they know how. You will be amazed with the transformation in all your relationships when you stop holding people lock downed within ‘the box’of their former selves.  

Please stop with the notion that 'people don't change.'  When you choose to see only the magnificence in a fellow Spirit, you are creating a loving, safe space for both sides to continue to grow and learn. And more often than not, this co-creative process will birth the greatest version of who they really are. Right before your very eyes. Try it.  You'll LOVE it! I promise!

INNER INNOCENCE has the ability to transcend limitations without fear of judgment. It gives you the tenacity to tackle bigger goals and manifest MAGIC. It holds your space in every NOW moment. Where abundance in the form of creativity, courage, and confidence flows freely like an 'All You Can Drink' service station. So pony on up and order a few of its Cosmic Cocktails. Happy hour is on the Universe!

BE SUPER HEROIC!
LOVE-LAUGH-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

A Father’s Day Tribute ….. 🙏🏼👨🏻‍🦳❤️

 

Some believe that angels are ordinary souls who come into your life to help you believe in MIRACLES again.  If this sentiment bares any truth, than I met my first ANGEL when I was a young lad of just 3 years of age.   My birth father had abandoned our family while we were living out in California, leaving my mom with two small children, little use of her right arm from a horrendous car accident, and absolutely no money.  But as Napoleon Hill always said, “Within every adversity, every failure, and every heartache there lies within it a seed of an equal or greater opportunity.”

Opportunity comes in many forms.  And often NOT wrapped in the way we would have ever imagined them to be.  Such was the case with Roger Lee Poston!  I first met this slice of Heaven when my mom moved my sister and I from California to Washington DC shortly after my birth father left our tribe.  He was a young man of 25 and was friends with my mom's sister, as they were both teachers just starting out on their career Journey's.  Although we were in many ways an unlikely dynamic duo, it was absolutely ‘Friends at First Sight.’  He was a good ole' country boy from the pan handle of Virginia; think “The Beverly Hillbillies” sans the ‘Beverly’ part. He had thick, curly hair and despite his very best efforts, a dialect that was laced with the Southern twang while growing up in a little town called Saltville, known as the ‘salt capital’ of the Confederacy during the Civil War.  His face was quite pale; in fact I always teased him that he had three colors: white, red, and redder!  LOL  Pop was short and stocky with forearms and calves that rivaled those of Popeye.  

His aesthetic contrasted greatly with mine.  I was super skinny with straight, jet black hair and olive skin.  I was also painfully shy and introverted (hard for anyone who knows me now to contemplate) and due to the harsh traumas from early childhood,  TRUST was an emotion that felt foreign to my sensibility.  I had been surrounded and raised by women until this extraordinary man appeared in my life.  Suddenly, I was being thrust into the world of ‘guy stuff’ on a daily basis. From comic books and Slurpees, to movies and batting cages, putt-putt golf and Spiderman early morning cartoons. The world suddenly exploded into a cacophony of glorious geekdom and more importantly LOVE!  

And it wasn't just me, as he showered my sister, mother, and the rest of the Lapham clan with the same sense of love and reverence.  So when my mom set my sister and I down to let us know he had asked her to marry him, for the first time in my young life, my heart felt a sense of PEACE, and security.  I finally felt......... SAFE.  

I still remember the very first time I was able to garner the courage to call him DAD.   He was getting ready for work, and I paced back and forth just outside his bedroom door;  practicing all the while the manner in which I was going to approach him about it.  I placed my ear up to the door and could hear him just about to emerge into the rec-room.  My palms were so sweaty and my heart was literally pounding out from my chest.  Until, the door opened and as he walked out of the bedroom, I tentatively stepped in front of him and looked him square in the eye.   

“I have a question for you,” I said in a hushed voice.  It took all the intestinal fortitude I could muster, my bottom lip quivering just a bit, before finally garnering the courage to ask “Is it OK if I call you Dad?”

He stayed silent for a few precious moments, which seemed like a lifetime. He placed his right hand on my shoulder and said “Jeff, I have been waiting for you to ask me that for several years.  And there is nothing in this world that would make me happier!”  He then pulled me in for one of his well known bear hugs and he started to cry.  And then tears started from my own relieved core.

But it is what he said next that has been permanently imprinted into my reverence and re-membrance of him. “Jeff, just promise me one thing,” he said.  “Although I will ALWAYS consider you to be my son, if the day comes where you choose to try and meet Danny (my birthfather) I will always support you.  He was part of the process that brought you to me, and for that I will always hold a space of GRATITUDE for Danny in my heart, and I will until the day I die.”  

Now it's one thing to utter such good intentions, but my Dad did something I consider to be one of the most powerful testaments of reverence I have EVER received. Despite many of the ugly acts that Danny brought about us in the years that followed, Dad NEVER once spoke even ONE word of judgement or ill-will towards him. I knew it was out of respect and still ponder in a complete vibration of AWE whenever I think about this act of unfathomable reverence for a man who caused my family so much pain.  

I contribute SO MUCH of who I AM to this man of undeniable STRENGTH and authenticity.  He taught me what it means to live life as a MAN.  Here is just a sampling of his teachings to me:

~~  Never be afraid of your emotions Jeff.  One of the greatest signs of inner strength and courage is  to not be afraid to cry.  In fact, I think as a whole, we shed more tears at the movies to fill an olympic sized swimming pool!

~~Women are the greatest gift to this world.  And should be treated as such.  If I ever find out you have mistreated  a young lady, I will ‘kick you through the goalposts of life.’   If you want to find out what that looks like, test me!   lol

~~ Don't EVER let anyone confuse your kindness for weakness.  They are NOT the same thing.  Buyer beware!

Looking back, my Dad was the very first Superhero I ever met.  Not only did he work two, sometimes three jobs to put food on the table, but HE NEVER CALLED IN SICK IN 40 YEARS. I never ONCE heard him complain even when I could see the toll of working 70 hour work weeks for over 30 years wearing him down to the bone. He was a true warrior who lived a life that was completely personified by hard work and being of SERVICE always and in all ways.   

This may be hard to believe, but I never saw him buy ANYTHING for himself.  He was much more concerned with making sure his students had anything they needed, and was quick to think of others in a quick trip to the mall.  “Hell fire Jeff.  The only thing I truly need is the love of your mother, you and Sandy,” (my sister) was his superhero catchphrase!   

Always a man of his word, he never let me down ONE time during our 40 year relationship.  And he didn't even need a Batsignal.  His Spidey-sense was always set to surprise and service.  Back in 1997 when I spent almost a year in the hospital battling Crohn's disease, he came for a visit EVERY SINGLE DAY.  All while working two jobs.  And I mean it, Dad never skipped one day! Always sneaking in a tasty treat or a comic book or one of my favorite films.  

So in 2013, when he was diagnosed with a rare and devastating form of cancer, I had no problem leaving my job and moving into my parent's basement to help with his massive amount of daily care taking.  Although he fought the dis-ease so valiantly, the cancer eventually spread to his brain.  And he passed away in December of the same year.  

I was fortunate enough to be alongside his bed while he passed away. In fact, my mom, sister, aunt Rena, and my girlfriend at the time were all there holding vigil over him. The manner in which he transitioned was as close to a MIRACLE as I have ever seen. With only the use of one eye, he was truly able to connect to everyone there.  He stared lovingly at each of us as we said our individual goodbyes.  But when he got to my side of the bed, his one eye intently glaring into mine without blinking, I felt .....  HEAVEN.   His soul was almost fully there and you could feel the utter BLISS, while a precious piece remained so we could say goodbye.  While I leaned in close to him, thanking him for all the LOVE, support and guidance he poured upon me, something magical happened.  I received a quick glimpse of a future period of NOW.  Without saying a word, he was communicating with me in a manner far more clear than using any type of vernacular.  The best way I can explain it is to think of a portal opening up.  It contained images of what my life was to become.  And the message was crystal clear.  It was time for me to start committing to my own PURPOSE and beginning the next stage of my Superhero's Journey. I felt a sense of peace in that moment of what I needed to do.  

Dad took three, slow, deep breathes, and then transitioned back into the LOVE of BLISS.  And although I was understandably sad, he had, in those final moments, given me the greatest gift of all! KNOWINGNESS.  It was time for me to use my pain and suffering to become a Wounded Healer.  And for once, I wasn't afraid to take that leap.  My dad showed me a glimpse of the support behind the ‘Curtain of Oz.’ I would receive. And partaking from the SOURCE energy his transition provided to me in my dad's final breathes, I just knew the complete shift I was being asked to take in my life!

So today I honor you Dad. I MISS you more than you can imagine.  And know you hear my daily prayers to you.  And I have the complete understanding that so much of the amazing miracles and magic that have filled up my life since your passing is being orchestrated by you! Because your Love knows NO BOUNDARIES!

And to all the Fathers in the world, may this Sunday bring you a sense of your unmeasurable worth to us all!  There is absolutely no measure to the strength, courage, beauty, leadership, and LOVE you shower up the Cosmos...................

BE SUPER HEROIC!

LOVE-Laugh-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez 

MODERN MYTH MESSAGES: The Legend of Bagger Vance !

 

At the start of the Great Depression (circa 1930), Adele is trying to recover her family's lost fortune by holding a four-round, two-day exhibition match between Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen, the best golfers of the era, with a grand prize of $10,000, at a golf resort her father opened as the Depression struck. However, she needs a local participant to generate local interest. The young Greaves speaks up for his hero, Junuh, prompting Adele to ask her estranged lover to play.

Junuh is approached by a mysterious traveler carrying a suitcase, who appears while Junuh is trying to hit golf balls into the dark void of the night. The man identifies himself as Bagger Vance and says he will be Junuh's caddie. With Greaves as assistant caddie, Bagger helps Junuh come to grips with his personal demons and play golf again.

When the match starts, Jones and Hagen each play well in their distinctive ways, but the disengaged Junuh plays poorly and is far behind after the first round. With Bagger caddying for him and giving advice, Junuh rediscovers his "authentic swing." 

Bagger Vance: (to Rannulph Junuh) Put your eyes on Bobby Jones... Look at his practice swing, almost like he's searchin for something... Then he finds it... Watch how he settle hisself right into the middle of it, feel that focus... He got a lot of shots he could choose from... Duffs and tops and skulls, there's only ONE shot that's in perfect harmony with the field... One shot that's his authentic shot, and that shot is gonna choose him... There's a perfect shot out there tryin' to find each and every one of us... All we got to do is get ourselves out of its way, to let it choose us... Can't see that flag as some dragon you got to slay... You got to look with soft eyes... See the place where the tides and the seasons and the turnin' of the Earth, all come together... where everything that is, becomes one... You got to seek that place with your soul Junuh... Seek it with your hands don't think about it... Feel it... Your hands is wiser than your head ever gonna be... Now I can't take you there Junuh... Just hopes I can help you find a way... Just you... that ball... that flag... and all you are...

FROM DREAMWORKS PICTURES: The Legend of Bagger Vance

Much of life is all about re-membering our own ‘authentic swing.’ After all, each of us are spiritual beings having a human experience. And part of the agreement in order to secure one of the precious Tickets to Ride in this earthly extravaganza is temporary amnesia. That's right! We actually forget who we really are in order to have all the juicy experiences that can only come from the magical, miracle matrix of illusionary SEPARATION this world affords us. For instance, you can only have the transcendent experience of making someone laugh if there is The Other in your experience who is not laughing. This Illusion of Separation is actually a great gift. But once the illusion becomes your reality, the gift becomes your greatest nightmare! For you start to believe that everything in life happens TO YOU and not FOR YOU; which is the truth of the matter. 

And that's exactly why all of you SUPERHEROES chose to incarnate into this dense realm; in this exact moment of space and time. A journey which is certainly NOT for the faint of heart. Think about it. Being told you will have to ‘forget who you really are,’ in order to take full advantage of what the power of illusionary separation extends to you is Ethan Hunt (Mission Impossible) level, master spy stuff. Right?! 

Cue the tapestry laden mini-recorder: "Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is as follows-  You will incarnate in the Realm of Revelatory Wisdom on the 3D planet known as Earth. Upon entry, you will forget anything and everything you now know! Your job is to expand your own level of consciousness through expressions of loving service to yourSELF and all others. Through daily acts of random compassion and kindness. During this time you may be betrayed, abandoned, badly maligned; become disillusioned, lose everything and forced to both suffer and struggle. And the daily ass kickings, will NEVER stop. These jolts of ‘shock and awe’ will greatly assist you in your re-awakening toward TRUE PERCEPTION; to your own ‘authentic swing.’ Your own unique Super Heroic Higher Self! 

All so that you can further strengthen the eternal areas within your subconscious still searching for experiences to learn, grow, and then eventually expand its ascended state back into the Universal Force of unlimited SOURCE ENERGY. Garnering a 'Welcome Home' party of ethereal proportions! For oh the 'Top Shelf' stories shall you be able to share with your fellow galactic travelers! So that they too, can expand themselves through and as you did on your time within this concrete jungle. For the original understanding of being a HERO came from the root word HEROS.  Meaning two. That which I do for you, I do for myself. And that which I do for myself, I do for you! For you shall eventually re-member...................... WE ARE ALL ONE! 

The battle cry of all conscious souls when facing dire straits. As shall be the case upon your arrival. Something is coming. We know you can feel it. As strongly as does your conscious concierge service. But we KNOW you have been preparing youSELF for this moment through many lifetimes. Wonder Woman and Batman got nothin' over you! Although they will be right by your side when the time comes to fight the coming nemesis threatening to destroy this planet. Which CANNOT HAPPEN! 

This planet is a sacred holding space of Intergalactic Knowledge. Long ago, the Universe deemed planet Earth as the place to garner its unending understanding of expansive energetic growth! Meant to encapsulate the TRUTH that we made ourSELVES in the image and likeness of of the Grand Creator herSELF! For each and every experience any Soul  garners on planet Earth has been recorded and permanently imprinted deep within the core of its Universal Understanding. The eternal encyclopedia Britannica for the Cosmos family.  A library filled with energetic KNOWLEDGE so profound, each and every page has been seared with soliloquies of pure LOVE and unfettered BLISS!  So failure is obviously NOT AN OPTION! 

And oh how much you will grow! For in this experience, the more you know, the more shall you grow. And eventually, you will remember all that you already knew. Which is a ton! Your powers will grow to levels that will eventually allow you to BE and DO anything in the entire set of multi-Verses! And it's all in your contract! Signed, sealed, and delivered by your own personal Wisdom Waiter! 

To assist you on your mission, you will be encoded with a 'Spiritual Guidance System.'

Your very energetic essence will be connected to it at all times! It is called a Sub-conscious Mind. It is 1 million times more powerful than the 'Conscious EGOIC Mind.' The one you will be tempted to use as your default system. And through this Sub-conscious Mind, we will be in constant communication with you. It is non-verbal in nature, so your words will have absolutely no power over it. It is activated through your thoughts (images), feelings and emotions. We will send you daily remembrances of 'Who You Really Are', through intuitive hunches, synchronicities, pre-conceived plans, and the insertion of people, places, and things in the exact perfect timing they are of necessity. You will not be doing any of this alone! This planet is in desperate need of cosmic SUPERHEROES. And pronto! In fact, its very existence depends on this group of Super Friends we will be organizing and called 
The Legion of Love. 

And for your efforts, you will all become Galactic Legends! For since the illusion of time and space were conceived, never has there been such an opportunity for greater loving expansion throughout this Universe! You will create a permanent state of HEAVEN ON THIS EARTH! For billions of other souls to bask and play in for eons to come! No pressure, 
but the entire fate of this planet now rests in the hands of the greatest team of SUPERHEROES to ever assemble anywhere in the cosmos!  You have exactly 30 seconds to accept this Mission Possible before this tape self destructs. What do you say?"

And I know all you New Age Nerds said, "Hell yes!" And so it is! And so it ever shall be!

So please remember; especially when funds are low and your bills are quite high. Life is completely rigged in your favor. The Universe has got your back. Just as Junuh had Bagger Vance, you have your own set of Spiritual Super Friends at your side, ALWAYS! To help guide you on your own Superhero's Journey. All to remember that one of a kind CALLING you came here to fulfill and forever change the entire Universe as a byproduct of its completion! Gotta run, my tee time is up next. See you out there on the cosmic golf course. Never stop creating with that conscious club to find your own ‘authentic swing.’

The entire fate of this planet now rests within your collective Loving Hands.........

BE SUPER HEROIC!

LOVE-LAUGH-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

STOP Chasing DREAMS Not Meant For YOU…!

 

Back in the mid 1980's, I worked for a video store my last two years of high school. Yes I am in THAT age range...lol   Every weekend was spent consuming all the newest films that were being released every Thursday evening at our particular store.  I would dream of one day being on the ‘big screen’ and having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  But as a dear friend once informed me, fame and fortune IS NOT A PROFESSION!  LOL  

So I took the route most traveled and studied hard, got into a great college and started a 'stable' career in sports broadcasting.  Hey, it wasn't Hollywood but it was as close as I could get from the comfy confines of Northern Virginia/Washington DC.  Yet every night I would drive home with a solemn emptiness in my heart.  The dream of moving to Hollywood still tempted my heart and soul oh so badly.  And no matter how much I tried, there was just no thing that could quell that thirst.  

In the first few entries of The New Age Nerd I fleshed out the story of how I FINALLY ended up in LA LA land, so I will save you the intricacies here.  Needless to say, it appeared my dreams were coming true! I remember the first time I drove down Sunset Blvd, blaring the radio and singing to the Chumbawamba 's “I Get Knocked Down.”  This was living the dream I thought at the time. It was a dream alright, but after a few years I realized it wasn't a dream MEANT FOR ME!  You see, my desperate desire to be famous was pure EGO!  I didn't feel whole just as I was and I thought being anointed by the 'Hollywood Movie Gods' would fill my heart with a feeling of worth and value.  When in reality, I already had that worth and value in a manner greater than I could ever have possibly imagined just by BEING...well....ME!!   Just as you have the same worth in you. In fact there is absolutely nothing about you that isn't already pure perfection. You may have been conditioned to believe otherwise by friends or family, but that is THEIR story NOT yours.  

After a few years of auditioning for commercials and small parts on tv shows and movies, I decided that this DREAM wasn't all it was cracked up to be.  In fact, it was downright depressing.  Walking into a room and seeing 100 other guys who look very much like you, but a smidge taller, or slightly more attractive started to feel like I was selling my soul for something that was just a fleeting in nature.  

But I had a ginormous problem on my hands.  If the dream of being an actor was not a dream meant for me, than what was my CALLING.  And so I started to pray to Spirit that it would show me the way.  I asked for signs from the Universe to help guide my path.  And ya know what!?  I started getting these signs and magical synchronicities like a waterfall of wisdom. Everywhere I turned were sometimes subtle and sometimes undeniable signs that all my life experiences up to that point were leading me to be a teacher, coach and spiritual mentor.  

Now don't get me wrong.  There were OH SO MANY TIMES when I doubted the whispers from Spirit and walked in another direction.  And all that showed up was pure CHAOS.  NO FUN! Yet whenever I followed the path the Universe was showing me, magic showed up!  It wasn't always easy, because as they say, nothing in life worth anything is!  

So what about you?  Are you following a dream that isn't really meant for you? Do you experience nothing but a pastiche of pain, discord and discomfort when you try and take steps in the direction of this dream.  Then chances are it is not the path of your true CALLING! And that is OK.  More than OK.  It means that you can stop wasting time on something that isn't your true purpose and instead concentrate on your own unique Superhero's Journey!   

Believe me, the Universe ALWAYS has your back.  If something is truly meant for you, you will KNOW it.  You won't have to whine, cajole, and beg for what is rightly yours.  And that is a magical Journey where all the gifts and amazing talents you brought here to Earth can be shined and shared with us all!  

SUPERHEROES IN TRAINING TAKEAWAYS

A life filled with pure sensationalism has slowly taken a gargantuan grasp upon so many of the 'mind's eye' within our collective consciousness. And desiring to have a life filled with abundance is our very birthright! But a life built solely upon materialistic desires is a path that slowly pulls us away from our individual CALLINGS. And toward a never ending search for external, short lived accoutrements that will NEVER fill the blank hole you may feel within your heart and soul. For THAT hole can only be eternally filled when we are brave enough to eschew short term blasts of bliss for the long term, joy filled happiness that comes when we decide to commit our lives to our individual soul filled CALLINGS.

BE SUPER HEROIC!
LOVE-Laugh-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

LEARN This LESSON. LOVE Is A VERB, NOT A NOUN ❤️

 

I think we can all agree that there is a huge paradigm shift back towards LOVE that must take place in our society and within our collective consciousness. But do we truly understand what that means?  The word LOVE itself has lost much of its meaning and in turn its potency for lasting change. Remember this quote from the film 'GHOST' starring Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze.  

                                                                                  

Swayze's character refused to repeat the words “I love you” back to Demi Moore when she uttered the sentiment to him.  He didn't want the word to lose its power and meaning by using it incessantly.  So instead, he would simply return the gesture by saying “DITTO.”

I bring this up because I sense a very similar vibration surrounding the word in our current culture.  While it is heartwarming to see hundreds of people at the peaceful protests and memorial services for all the recent shooting victims holding signs of ‘LOVE NOT HATE’ and other various messages using this expression, I think it is critical for us to remember what LOVE truly means and stands for.  After all, it is the most POWERFUL vibration in the Universe and is the cause of most miracles in our experience.  

I believe one issue is that our culture is so mesmerized by the notion of ‘being in LOVE’, that we confuse this feeling and its proper usage for the highest good of all concerned. You see, LOVE is a VERB, and not a NOUN. It is a choice and it is an action. And before you claim me a cynic, I'll have you know, I am a hopeless romantic. Profoundly so in fact. I have a list of numbers of young ladies you can call for verification! I will even admit to having been ‘crazy in LOVE' on more than one occasion. The KING of grand romanic gestures! Oh the stories I could tell! And my therapist will be back me up to any naysayers.  😎

Author Stephen Covey sites an encounter with a client in his book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” The client asks him what he should do about his failing marriage. He says that he’s tried everything and that there’s no love left between him and his wife. The client asked Covey what he should do about his wife and kids. “Have you tried loving her?” asks Covey. “I’ve told you, there’s no love anymore,” says the client. Covey reiterates, “But have you tried loving her?”  The client begins to get mad before Covey explains. “Love is a verb, it is an action. You must do things for her, listen to her, be there for her. It’s not about what happens in return but what you do to love her.”

He tells his client that during the next three months, he is to LOVE his wife with the fervent ACTIONS and gestures like when he first fell ‘in LOVE’ with her.  And then he makes his client a deal.  If after three months of dedicated, consistent loving action towards her, he still wants a divorce, he will coach him through it! And you know what, the client returned exactly three months later with a renewed sense of passion for his relationship.  And thoughts of any separation faded back into the ether from which they came!  

Now obviously there are some relationships that have reached the end of their service toward both parties, and NO amount of actionable loving gestures will change that.  And that is OK.  As the saying goes, some people come into our life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.  There is no shame in making a decision on what is best for the highest good of all concerned!

But for the point of this post, I would like to help us all remember that the LOVE our world requires right NOW is in terms of its true meaning: ACTION!   And one of the most basic reframing tools of our actions is a fairly basic one.  I constantly tell my clients that they can choose to be RIGHT, or they can choose to be LOVING in any relationship, argument, disagreement, or confrontation.  BUT, they cannot choose to be both.  So I urge them to choose LOVE. And it is my wish that from this point forward, so do you!  

While holding signs and standing in protest is a magnificent gesture in conviction toward the change we seek to experience, one that changes our vibration from hate and fear to love, it takes more than that to truly cause a rift in our behavioral patterns back toward our true essence of pure awakened consciousness.  For you who are still racking your noggins on what I mean, here is a small list of actionable steps seeped in LOVE that any of us can partake in:

1.  Go visit a senior assisted living home and spend time with the residents.  You will be AMAZED at the sharing of LOVE you will be engaged with!

2. Volunteer at a food kitchen for the needy. One out of four people in the US go hungry EVERY day.  What would it feel like to contribute toward that atrocity?!

3.  Go check in on your elderly or disabled neighbors.  Even if it is just to sit with them so they know someone cares.  Last year, my mother and I assisted a neighbor who had diabetes, no left arm, and MS. And no family to care for her. Simply bringing her a morning coffee often brought tears to her eyes before she made her transition back to SPIRIT!

4. Stop and actually acknowledge the next homeless person you encounter.  You don't always need to offer them money.  Simply looking them in the eye and letting them know you see them and that they matter can make the biggest difference to these precious SOULS. 

5.  Choose one person a day to reach out to with a quick email or even better a PHONE CALL to tell them how much they mean to you and how wonderful and valuable you think they are to you.

6.  Visit a dog shelter and sign up to be a dog walker for the poor pups who are stuck in cages all day.  After all, DOG spelled backwards is GOD!

7.  Find a local church or community Good Will center and inquire to see if they need volunteers to help in any fashion.  Free help to institutions low on funds is always a Heavenly sent gift!

8.  Sign up to be a mentor for a young boy or girl who is in the foster system.   Teach them through your actions that the world validates their worth and assist them on a path toward a purpose that will give them HOPE and Faith on their Superhero's Journey.

I'm sure if you thought about it, you could come up with your own list of things that perfectly fit the sensibilities that form a passionate form of service.  And I hope that starting today, you do just that.  I know we are all busy, and that time is a precious commodity.  But if your intentions are pure, the Universe will create time where there was previously only chaos. As we New Age Nerds are aware, time is just an illusion. But the need for our collective consciousness to create long lasting change is NOT!

As Marianne Williamson says, “A miracle is a shift from fear to LOVE.”  And the fastest and most indelible way to create a Miracle is through the action of LOVE!!!

BE SUPER HEROIC!

LOVE-LAUGH-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez