Learn WHY the EAGLE May Be Our GREATEST TEACHER..!!

TODAY'S INSPIRATIONAL “MYTHOLOGICAL MAGIC’

Megan: I think you’re ready now to hear a little story about a girl…girl named Megan. Girl named Megan that didn’t have a very good time in high school. I’m referring to myself. When I say Megan, it’s me Megan.
Annie: Yeah, I got it.
Megan: I know you look at me now and think, boy she must have breezed through high school. Not the case, Annie.
[pointing to herself]
Megan: No, this was not easy going up and down the halls. Okay? They used to try to blow me up. They threw fire crackers at my head. Fire crackers. I mean literally. I’m not saying that figuratively. I got fire crackers thrown at my head. They called me a freak. Do you think I let that break me? Think I went home to my mommy crying; ‘Oh, I don’t have any friends. Oh, Megan doesn’t have any friends.’ No, I did not. You know what I did? I pulled myself up. I studied really hard. I read every book in the library and now I work for the government. I have the highest possible security clearance. Don’t repeat that!

Megan: You lost Lillian. You got another best friend sittin’ right in front of you, if you’d notice! Huh? You can stop feeling sorry for yourself, okay? Cause I do not associate with people that blame the world for their problems. Cause you’re your problem, Annie. And you’re also your solution. Right? I mean that’s…you get that?

_________________________________________________

A long time friend and former boss of mine recently sent me a story about the life of an EAGLE.  At first glance, I thought to engage the information later, thinking perhaps its content was of a National Geographic Nature.  For those of you living in the greater DC area, you will recall the ‘Eagle Cam’ that ran non-stop on our local airwaves just a few weeks ago.  A camera was fixated (as were thousands of us) on an Eagle who was nesting waiting for her two eggs to hatch.  This did NOT always make for reviting TV viewing, but once the baby birds finally hatched, it was quite magical to get a secret peek into the inner lives of these majestic animals!

But I got another one of those ‘Silent Whispers’ from Spirit to watch the video she sent, right then and  there.  And so I pushed the play button and became completely transfixed on what this five minute feature shared about our National bird symbol.  In fact, I actually teared up watching and listening to how this proud and courageous animal must painfully transform itself in order to survive!

An Eagle lives on average of  70 years.  But during its 40th year, it is faced with a decision that will determine its ultimate fate.    After 40 years of using its powerful beak, strong talons, and majestic wings for its survival, they all start to wear down.  In fact, all three begin to break down to a level in which they are no longer of use to the bird to capture its prey to eat, nor fly in a proficient enough manner to survive the harsh elements in which it lives.  It is at this time the Eagle knows it has but two decision to choose from.  It can either fly to the top of a rocky mountaintop and bang its beak and talons across the sharp and rugged rock terrain long and hard enough until they break off.  The bird is internally aware that its beak and talons will grow back much stronger, but the process involved in tearing off parts of its own body is a horrifyingly painful experience.  And if that isn't enough to cause you to pause and think about this bird's courage, once its beak grows back, it must pluck out its worn out feathers so that new, stronger ones can take their place.  If the Eagle makes the decision to put itself through this jarring and excruciating experience, it will typically live for another 30 years!   It is literally REBIRTHED into a greater version of itself!  If it chooses NOT to go through this challenging transformation, it will soon die.

I thought about how an Eagle's life is such a perfect metaphor for human existence and survival.  How often we are given an opportunity to either change our mindset, belief system, or completely let go of someone we love, all for our better good.  And with it comes the transformation we so often desperately seek.  

And more importantly, how Nature gives us signs, and PROFOUND examples of how to live our lives.   I often hear from friends and my clients that they wish that they were given a guidebook on how to live a prosperous life.  And see how much fear they face, all understandable, when facing the painful choice of change.  Not to mention how challenging it can be to remain FAITHFUL when we are in the middle of a Life Storm.  And sometimes cannot fathom why they/we need to experience such pain and suffering, both physically and emotionally.  That's why I say SUFFERING is really Summoning our Ultimate Fear & Frailty Encouraging Rebirth!  Just like we are taught by the miraculous story of the EAGLE!

It is my hope and intention in sharing this story, that it will bring you a sense of inspiration and KNOWINGNESS that at the other end of whatever level of trials and tribulations, pain and suffering you may be going through, that it is because a miracle is looking to be birthed through you!  The Universe needs you to transform and let go of toxic energy and mindsets and belief systems that no longer serve you.  All so that you, like the EAGLE can be resurrected and reconnect to your Purpose as you travel along your Hero's/Heroine's Journey!!

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

You Have A DESTINY.. Learn How To FIND It..!!

At times LIFE can seem arduous and unfair.  Challenging and incredibly painful.  There are even times when we feel like giving up on our dreams and the way we envisioned our life to BE!  Hell, some days just finding the strength to get out of bed seems like a miracle within itself.  So let me ask you a question?  WHY DO WE DO IT?!?!?  Why do we endure the emotionally, physical, and spiritual pain and continue to move forward in our daily lives?  Do you want to know my answer?  I hoped so!!  LOL

I fervently BELIEVE it all comes down to our DESTINY.  I have a KNOWINGNESS that when each and everyone one of us manifested into the human condition, we were imprinted with a special purpose that ONLY WE CAN ACCOMPLISH.   In our own special, indelible manner!  Thats why frequent readers of The New Age Nerd know I am a GI-normous proponent of The Hero's Journey.  I truly and enthusiastically know that we are all here to follow our TRUE PATH that like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz will lead us to our earthly salvation.  And I know that it is easy for me to sit here in my underwear (did I say that out loud?)and type these musings while there is real suffering out in the streets.  Hell, even in my own circle of friends and family.  I have several members of my TRIBE who are currently in the hospital suffering from a malady of illnesses.  God bless them!  

But our wounds and pain lead us to our power.  And then once we realize just how powerful we truly are we can use that power to fuel our PURPOSE.  That is what the Hero's Journey is all about.  And it isn't until we realize this fact that life takes on whole new meaning.  We no longer look at life as a daily slog through a job we can't stand and relationships that do not serve us.  We start to realize that NOTHING IN OUR LIFE HAS EVER BEEN WASTED!!  All the loss, strife, missteps, and suffering has been to help us Re-member who we are and then transform into the superpowers to assist us on our Hero's Journey!  Pretty rad stuff, huh?!?

One thing that comes up pretty frequently with my clients is the fear that things have passed them by. That they had their chance(or plenty of chances) and blew them all.  THOSE ARE NO THING LESS THAN LIMITED BELIEFS!  TRUST....  ;0)  The Universe is absolutely UNLIMITED in its abundance and life is not a carnival that gives out limited amount of tickets to use along the way.   NO!  In fact, it is quite the opposite.  We have our own personal printing machine that allows us as many chances as we need to finish our quest.  And I LOVE THAT!! Two for the ferris wheel please!  :0)

In fact, here is a little something you may choose to incorporate into your daily morning practice starting tomorrow morning.  As you awake, and slowly shake off the night's cobwebs of consciousness, try sitting up in bed.  Take a few deep breaths and inhale GRATITUDE for being alive.  And then offer a prayer of THANKS for having woke this particular morning.  Why you ask?!?  Because it is a miraculous sign.  It is a tap on the shoulder from your spirit guides that your purpose has not yet been fulfilled.  And the proof in that preverbal pudding is because you came back from your night's slumber.  Your destiny has not yet been completely tended to.  It is a sign written in the sun's bright light that YOU STILL HAVE MUCH TO DO!! And if THAT isn't enough to keep you moving through the individual challenges of your life, I don't know what can!!

And for those in your TRIBE who are having a particular challenging time right now, please help them Re-member the words you read today!  It may just give them enough HOPE to continue on their Hero's/Heroine's Journey and fulfill the wondrous DESTINY and PURPOSE they came here to accomplish!!

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

TIPS On Tackling Our Life's TRIGGERS...!!

I used to want to save the world. To end war and bring peace to mankind. But then, I glimpsed the darkness that lives within their light. I learned that inside every one of them, there will always be both. The choice each must make for themselves - something no hero will ever defeat. I've touched the darkness that lives in between the light. Seen the worst of this world, and the best. Seen the terrible things men do to each other in the name of hatred, and the lengths they'll go to for love. Now I know. Only love can save this world. So I stay. I fight, and I give... for the world I know can be. This is my mission, now. Forever.

~~~Wonder Woman



My family until recently used to be close as “peas and carrots.”  While things weren't always perfect, we knew how to approach one another when the emotionally banging started causing turmoil and/or discord amongst our small familial until.  That was until my father's arduous battle with cancer 4 years ago.  THAT changed everything.    I often heard about the challenges that befall many families who must engage such a challenging time period of caring for and then watching the slow, painful, devastating death of a dearly loved one.  It is, to say the least , HELL ON EARTH!!   For EVERYONE involved!  Those of you reading this who have gone through it are all saying an Amen to That.  Trust me!  Holy shit, trust me......

Without divulging too much personal familial information, let's just say that such pressure and emotional highs and lows cause individuals to engage the day to day battles quite differently.  No Right vs. Wrong, more like --my way versus your way-- of making this work that is more comfortable to me.  Capiche?   And because everyone has a completely different take on the situation and how to handle the monumental barage of decisions that must be made, you can only imagine the possibilities for chaos that can ensue.    Each day becomes a nasty version of The Wizard of Oz replete with discord, chaos, and confusion Oh My!!!  LOL   Hey...   sometimes you just have to take a DEEP breathe and just laugh.....    

Being the oldest sibling in the family as well as an incredibly sensitive soul by nature, the whole ordeal was in some way a wonderful opportunity for me to deal with my darkest insecurities and challenges, but at times felt like a side show of daily whammo's and gotcha's worthy of any Fun/Scare House!  NOT exactly fun for either party.  

The interesting thing is that I truly believe that NOBODY CAN MAKE A MISTAKE!  A MISSTEP yes, but a true MISTAKE, absolutely not.  Why you ask?!  Because we act in any given moment with the  exact level of experience we have in our tool box at that given point in time.  Easier to understand it by saying we are alway doing the very best we can in each and every action we participate in.  Based on previous accumulated knowledge and experience up to that exact moment in our lives.  It's a hard concept for many of us, but the more you ponder it, the ease of its acceptance lessens into the essence of your BEINGNESS!   

There were many times during that three year time period in which I was completely and utterly engulfed with a myriad of TRIGGERS of Gi-normous proportions.  My best friend, who is a practicing psychiatrist, calls them GUMPTION traps.  I know there was absolutely NO intentional ill will involved in these maladies of emotional trauma, but to me, they created a chasm of pain and suffering on so many different levels it is still sometimes challenging to fully process the intensity they brought!     My mom seeming to side with my sister on difficult medical decisions for instance.  Usurping me in the process completely even though I had given up a job to help care for my dad during the entire ordeal.  Such surprising actions jolting me into mixed states of anger, hurt, and cut into my deep roots of Self Doubt and Worth.  Some truly painful shit went down!!  

And the more I brought up the discord, the more I was looked at as the preverbal “black sheep” of the family.  As though nobody understood my own pain and suffering in this process.  But deep down, my pain was completely palpable.  It engrained a feeling of LESS THAN as large as any of the Eight Wonders of the World.  Especially given the fact I had given up a six figure job to be a primary caretaker for my dad and now felt I was being completely overlooked in many of the daily decisions that needed to be made on my father's behalf.  And I LOVED him So much...   more than I've ever cared about anyone to this day(I'm still single mind you... ;0)

Again, before I proceed, I want to reiterate that I hold absolutely NO ill will toward anyone in my family for this situation.  We were all doing what we felt was in the best interest of my father viewed through our own individual lens of perspective and how we believed our disperate experiences could truly benefit the situation as a whole.  

Unfortunately, my father lost his battle with this dreaded disease and succumbed to his cancer in December of 2013.  Also just as unfortunately, our familial life strains' continued for several years after his passing. .  The sister I use to be so close to has became like a long lost relative that I barely knew.  The same with her husband and their son(my godson Aiden).  And that became a BRUTAL experience on many fronts as well as my New Norm.  It's one thing to lose your father; quite another experience entirely to sever emotional bonds with the rest of your family as the bitter byproduct........

To be fair, those tumultuous times were wonderful opportunities that shone a bright light into the areas of my life that still needed love and healing applied upon them.  And for that I am grateful.   With the power of Acceptance and Gratitude they became precious gifts that assisted me in grounding my traumatic emotions so that they could be compassionately tended to!  

 And for the record, YES, I tried having talks with them, but my family is much more comfortable sweeping things under the table, rather than addressing them head-on.  And to some degree I can appreciate that.  Engaging such painful and complex matters are not easy and the hopes are that a gathering of the minds will not do even more damage to the situation.  Especially when all parties involved are in separate stages of processing the events at hand!

So until both sides are ready for such a brave and courageous step, I have devised an alternative measure to help assist you when these TRIGGERS arise in your life.  And the great thing is that it can be used for pretty much ANY and EVERY TRIGGER that has been etched in the Book of Blessings!  Want to know what my solution is?!?  I hoped so...  Because it is actually so easy peezy!!   I simply call it:

THE WALK AWAY!!!!  That's right, it is to sometimes choose to walk away from triggering situations and those that are intertwined with them.  I already hear some in the chorus wanting to challenge me that that is easier said than done, or even a cowardly act of defiantly ignoring the triggering event/events straight out.  Fair enough!  But by walking away, I am not soliciting walking away from the situation entirely.  Hell No!   What I am suggesting is that you remove yourself from the situation or triggering mechanism(person, place, or thing) to allow your inner being time to reflect it's true nature once again.  Until the pain and trauma has had the time to simmer as it finds a manner to reside within you in a more peaceful and tender manner; and without causing the type of emotional blowout \  that may cause the situation to escalate to a place that serves nobody!!   And in doing so, the other Spirits involved in the situation are given the dignity of their own process of Acceptance, Healing, Understanding...etc.!!   And re-member, represssed feelings/emotions deny us of the spiritual lessons they came to offer us.  As we know, our FEELINGS are the guideposts to the Soul.  As the band Chicago sings, "Everybody needs a little bit of time away!"

It's also so very important to understand that it is completely OK to temporarily or permanently LOVE someone from the other side of the room.  You are STILL loving them, but that does not  always mean they need to to be in your close circle of daily energy!  Many of us have been radically conditioned to the illusionary and egotistical ills of loving OURSELVES FIRST.  Yet, wouldn't you agree that collectively, WE CAN ONLY GIVE TO OTHERS THAT WHICH WE ALREADY HAVE !!!

Plus, I have found that incorporating this practice of LOVING someone from the other side of the room becomes a fruitful litmus test in determining if this individual/s still belongs in your TRIBE!  Almost without fail, when I have taken 'A Break'  from a previous TRIBE member and later decided to slowly incorporate them back into my life, the results have never led me astray!  And it all has to do with HOW YOUR NEW CO-CREATIONS cause you to FEEL!! When the newfound interactions  leave me feeling filled with positive, compassionate, Loving energy it is a very concrete Spiritual Signpost to allow their presence back into my life.  I'm not saying things are always hunky dory, all relationships bring with them opportunities for growth on both sides of the table.  

HOWEVER, when the opposite occurs, and I invite someone back into my life and almost instantly start to feel the same toxic energy from before come roaring back to cause our new attempt at reconciliation to chip away at my healthy sense of Self Love and healthy boundaries,  I now LOVINGLY LET THEM GO..........  For many years -too many to count- I found it agonizing to put this act of self service into practice.  Instead, I would concoct ALL sorts of semblances to justify them staying put, right smack in the middle of the constant chaos our relationship was manifesting.  

THEY REALLY HAD A ROUGH CHILDHOOD.  I'M AFRAID OF BEING LONELY.  I'LL CONCENTRATE ON THE GOOD TIMES EVEN THOUGH THEY NEVER OUTWEIGH THE TOXICITY.  IF THEY NEED ME, THEY WON'T LEAVE ME.  AND BECAUSE THEY NEED ME ALL THE TIME, IT GIVES ME A SENSE OF PURPOSE.....    Any of these strike a chord?!?  

I have known some people to find solace in keeping a TRIGGER journal for just such times.  It's a fantastic way to write down what triggered you and why.   And how you would like to show up to meet that TRIGGER the next time it rears it's nasty head in your life.  For our TRIGGER points are really just our emotional bodies way of letting us know where we still need to mend and heal! And once again I would like to remind you as a HERO'S TIP :  It is completely OK to love someone from the other side of the room.  If you find yourself consistently being triggered by the same person it is completely ok to love that soulful entity from the other side of the room.  You are still loving them, just giving yourself some loving space so that you can keep moving with a positive, progressive momentum in your life and in turn, the lives you touch on a daily basis!  

Now this might sound like an easy fix all for the complex and many very challenging situations we face, but the fact of the matter is that most of our issues can be summerized from one of my favorite self realized acronym's, that being KISS.   Keep It Spiritually Simple!!  We tend to completely over think and analyze things when we are on a daily path of self realization when the truth is that keeping things on a very subtle and pragmatic path is the way to reach your own OZ!!

Now this DOES NOT get you off the hook for working on your triggers through self work, therapy, or any other number of means that feel comfortable for your own unique path.  It's just that we sometimes feel like we must be able to tackle everything in our lives at once and that is called INSANITY!!   Compartmentalizing our issues is a much more manageable manner to address what  we need to work on while not driving ourselves crazy in the interim.  And when YOU are ready, you can re-address these Triggers and see how they make you FEEL.   And that guidance will give your Heart Light a litmus test on where you stand with both  the TRIGGERS and those that often accompany them that befall us all at some point.............


Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

A LESSON In Managing Your LIFE'S EXPECTATIONS...!!

My family laid my father to rest over four years ago after his VALIANT fight with cancer.  One of the greatest decisions I ever made was taking time off from my career to assist in his daily care regimen.  What started out as a tumor in his nasal cavity, eventually found its way to his brain.  You may hear stories about the effects of this disease, but until you witness a loved one battle it on a daily basis, you simply cannot fathom the all encompassing and oppressive wrath of nature it brings to everyone involved in its wake.  NASTY...EVIL... SOUL CRUSHING stuff! 

And as a caretaker, each and every day becomes an opportunity to learn the importance of managing your expectations.  Learning to orchestrate and accept what may come in the kaleidoscope of  daily chaos is truly the determining factor in withstanding the momentous task at hand.  To further cement this point, let's just say projectile vomiting, daily trips to emergency rooms, and fainting spells that block entrances to popular establishments became commonplace.  Feel me?!

In fact, there is one particular story during this Journey that still stands as the most MEMORABLE, not to mention most powerful example of the importance of managing our daily expectations and accepting life as it occurs! 

My dad needed to have the entire right side of his face surgically removed in order to access the lemon sized tumor that had invaded his nasal cavity.  Bone was taken from his left leg to rebuild his cheek to create relative semblance of his face's pre-surgery form.  However, in the process, a new throat path was implemented for breathing and eating purposes.  As you can imagine, at his mature age, it took months of daily physical therapy for him to ‘re-learn’ how to swallow properly.  Doing so incorrectly would cause remnants to enter his lungs and not his stomach.  Serious stuff!  

His medical team put him on a grueling daily schedule that included just about anything and everything you could think a mouth and jaw could withstand, sans my dad's favorite passion of eating.  I mean nothing, nada, zilch in the food department for over three months.  Of course he was being fed through his IV lines, but let's be truthful, that does NOT a full belly make!  So I made him a promise.  I told him then the moment his doctors cleared him to finally delve back into the world of culinary delight, I would personally bring him whatever his blessed heart desired!

Several weeks later, I received a call from the hospital one early morning.  It was my Pop, and from the ebullient sound of his voice, I just knew he had been cleared for full swallowing!!   What I hadn't prepared myself for was the exhaustive list of various tasty treats he had his sights set on gobbling down.  In fact, here is the full list:  Pancakes from the local diner, a Wendy's hamburger and fries, a chocolate shake,  a whipped frap AND a regular coffee from Starbucks, jello, and “any kind of pie you can get your paws on Jeff”.  OK!  A promise is a promise.......

After the nearly two hour trek to actually procure all the items on his wish list, I finally made my way to hospital and I now know what Santa Claus must feel like.  My father's eyes lit up like it was his first Christmas as I slowly removed one piece of food after another from the giant bag I had brought.  It took two tables to set up the entire spread, and once I was finished, I looked him straight in the eye.  

“Are you sure you are ready for all this, Pop,” I inquired.  He was much too busy scouring the buffet tables before him to give me eye contact back.  But he nodded his head in a resounding YES fashion!

And just then, the Crohn's disease that sometimes causes me urgent need for a ‘bathroom break’ hit.  And HARD!  I decided to throw proverbial caution to the windpipe, and ran straight for the toilet.  Until......relief!!  But I soon heard a most disconcerting sound.  I am known to make some interesting bathroom music, but this was....different.  Nervously, I KICKED open the bathroom door, to see my father horribly choking in his chair!   His face was already turning blue!!   I immediately flung off the sweatpants and underwear that were still down around my ankles and ran back into his room, now NAKED from the waist down.   Yeah, I'm not kidding!!

There was a huge bed next to the chair where he had been eating, so I jumped up on it and grabbed my dad by his waist to start giving him the heimlich maneuver.  In between each shrug, I yelled for help toward the nurse's office with the room number where this..ummm...incident was occurring!  

One after another, nurses and doctors filled the room (nine in all), and jaws dropped each time at what they were witnessing.  Here was a HALF NAKED Mexican on a bed, shaking the hell out of a 65 year old man, bouncing up and down like a tryout for Cirque de Soleil!  Until.....POOOOOFFFF!!  The piece of food lodged in my dad's throat shot out across the room literally sticking to the wall several feet away.  I slowly, and gently put him down to rest in the bed.  The now somewhat emotionally scarred medical professionals in witness to this EVENT, rushed to my father's side as I slowly backed away.

Thank GOD, he was just fine!!   It was ME who then needed help.  The emotional charge of what had just happened starting to wear off, I remembered, I was still buck naked in a room full of strangers.  Aye Dios Mio!

Thankfully, the entire room started applauding my efforts, as I jaunted back to the bathroom where my PRIDE still resided.  Now YOU tell ME!  Could even my wildest expectations ever have conjured or even prepared me for the experiences that day brought?!  No way, Jose!  And guess what, although none of them nearly as bizarre as that day's, the Journey our entire family fought for over a year, trying to battle this cursed disease, brought dozens of unexpected delays, trauma, and scares.  We were initially told my dad's surgery and recovery process would be six weeks.    He didn't even WAKE UP from surgery for almost two months.  Looking back, I believe our biggest saving grace was learning to accept the ISNESS of our daily battles.  Through the lens of rear view perspective, the culmination of these experiences, albeit painful, costly and challenging, were also incredibly powerful lessons in how much our expectations play a role in determining how we deal with life.   Had we each conjured our own personal expectations for this year long roller coaster of a ride, it would have destroyed our emotional fortitude.  Expectations are NO THING more than premeditated resentments!  Please DO NOT let them be the author of the majority of the pain and suffering in your life.  Instead, remember that Katherine Hepburn said, “Love has nothing to do with what you expect to get-only what you are expecting to give.”

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

The LONG Term KEY To HAPPINESS Is..?!?!?

A few months ago I wrote  a post that stemmed from a Ted Talk from Lissa Rankin, one of my Hero's in the world of self realization.  She had given her discussion on the greatest epidemic on the horizon facing the well being of the human race.  My post garnered a lot of attention so I when I was passed along a link to another Ted Talk on a similar topic, I decided to bring up this dis-ease of sorts so that healing light can be shed upon it before it ravishes our society in devastating manners!

Lissa Rankin's speech dealt with Loneliness, which as a Dr. herself, she considers to be the biggest epidemic that has the ability to harm our mental and physical well being in the next couple of decades.  Here is an excerpt from that former post I wrote for those who never got a chance to engage it:

Yet, if you were to be honest with yourself, do you feel more lonely NOW than you did five  years ago?  I have the feeling the answer may be a resounding YES.  The technology revolution, while providing us with an amazing array of advances in communication capabilities, has also caused us to become alienated to each other in true, authentic, SOUL connected ways.  How many of you are using texting as your major form of ‘communicating’ with each other?  And are substituting Facebook and Skype chats in lieu of actually going to visit someone IN PERSON.  Don't get me wrong, some of these advances have actually made great strides in connecting people who would otherwise never have even met.  I get that!  I've gone on dates from it! (Though it doesn't make dating any easier..TRUST!)  

“As a nation, we are embracing the digital revolution and, ironically, we are becoming a lonelier population. While there are many benefits of being participants in possibly the most relationally connected age in human history, the social media revolution has not made us feel more connected, less lonely, or replete with friends,” reports David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group.  In the same Barna report, they discovered that loneliness has doubled in the past decade.  

According to Ms. Rankin, people who are subjected to long periods of loneliness are MUCH more susceptible to a malady of illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, dementia, and chronic inflammatory disease.  Not to mention skyrocketing increases in both clinical depression and anxiety. Scary stuff, huh?!?!

Now here comes even more proof of the importance of real authentic human connection as a key to our well being and long term happiness in the coming decades.  The Mindvalley Academy Blog released a Harvard Study that followed over 700 men for 75 YEARS to try and uncover the key to long term HAPPINESS in the human condition.  These type of studies are quite rare given the fact that following a test group for 3/4 of a century is fraught with many potential problems as one might imagine.  Funding dries up, people drop out of the study, etc.  None the less, this study was actually able to complete its initial mission to completion!  Amazing!!  And do you know what they discovered??  That without a doubt, the key to long term well being and happiness is genuine human connection and  authentic relationships.  Very much in line with Lissa Rankin's beliefs, the study learned that even those in their retirement years that were the happiest had one large thing in common.  They replaced their work place relationships with post retirement playmates!  I LOVE IT!!

In addition, they found that having a significant other was another intricate part of a person's HAPPINESS.  Now I know that sounds like standard issued wisdom, but one fascinating aspect of this finding is that they found that it DID NOT MATTER  how much a couple fights.  All couples turn into the Bickersons from time to time after all, right?!  What WAS important was that even though they fought, that both partners felt the other was their true friend and authentically loved them despite their frustrations and differences in the relationship.  

So exactly what can all of us fellow New Age Nerds discern from these two similar Ted talks?!?

To answer this question, I will leave you with the ending to my previous post, as I believe it may offer some wonderful insight and suggestions toward ways we can re-learn to connect with one another in meaningful ways and manners!

======================================================

This is where we all have an obligation to take responsibility for this epidemic and its potential CURE!  AS the saying goes, “How can there be so many lonely people, in a world FILLED with lonely people.”  I suggest us all incorporating the Universal Law of BE THE SOURCE into our daily practice.  Essentially, this means to simply be the source of what you are seeking for others.  So for instance, the next time you are feeling lonely, think of someone in your life who may be going through a rough patch of their own and reach out to them.  And I DO NOT mean shooting them a text or writing them a Facebook post.  I mean picking up the phone and truly connecting with them.  Invite them out for coffee, or over to your place for a meaningful conversation, face to face!  You will be amazed at how much better and less isolated you will feel by taking these action steps in your life.  Not to mention spreading the same sense of connection with others!

Hopefully, we can all agree that life's greatest JOYS come from sharing laughter, memories, love, and happiness with others.  In fact, I would like to offer everyone reading this post a challenge.  What would it look like to pick up the phone over the weekend, and call an old friend or relative that you have not spoken to in over a year, and catch up on old times?!I believe your heart and theirs will be filled with GRATITUDE by making such a gesture!  I can attest to its transformative power by the many times I have done this myself!  By using the tool of BEING THE SOURCE, you call Spirit into your experience and with that comes the magic of miracles.  And right now, our planet needs the miracle of reconnection to help UNITE fractured relationships and disconnected souls in desperate need of the KNOWINGNESS that not only are they not alone, but that someone cares...........

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

How To LIVE A BLISSED Out LIFE...!!

        TODAY'S MYTHOLOGICAL MAGIC

 

Let's keep things real for a minute or two.....   LIFE CAN BE FRICKIN BRUTAL..!!   And I'm talkin' about ROCK' EM SOCK 'EM HARD -- As in--Did anyone happen to catch the license plate of the Truck that just knocked the snot out of my ass ?!?!?  Or is it just me....   LOL   

Life can often be summed up in a personal story that I would like to share with all of you.  I used to have two dogs I adored as if they were my children. (You pet lovers will know EXACTLY what that feels like)  I live in a house with a decent wooden fence surrounding the entire backyard.  A few years ago, a new neighbor moved into the house adjacent to mine.  It didn't take long for us to realize he had a trio of pups that were part of his family brood.  Fantastic, I thought at first!  The more dogs the merrier and perhaps this would mean a plethora of playdates amongst all these furry friends!  (Fist pumps galore!)  

Until one early winter morning during the first week after the new neighbors took full occupancy of their humble abode.  As was my normal routine, I took my dogs out in the back yard so they could - do their duty- before taking them back in for their warm breakfast.  It had snowed a few days earlier and the remnants were several patches of slippery ice.   Well lo and behold, my neighbor opened the door just as I had let my dogs into our confined wooden gates and out ran his three small bred pack of pups!   Two of them seemed extremely friendly and incredibly curious to meet their new friends on the other side of the wooden posts.  I immediately walked over to greet them.     BUT SUDDENLY---the third one- a Boston Terrier came running, or perhaps more akin to RAGING over to the fence as though his morning meal was going to be one, if not BOTH of my dogs, not to mention a couple of my fingers.  His teeth fixated in a gnarled position of such a terrifying nature that even given the protective barrier between us caused me to take a quick step (well, more like three) backwards right onto a slick piece of the glistening ice and I instantly flipped over directly onto my poor buttocks.  It happened so fast and knocked the air out of me.  Lest I not even mention the utter embarrassment.  (Note to self.....Ice and tennis shoes DO NOT MIX..  LOL)

When I finally got back on my feet and shook off the feelings from the fall, my attention went right back to my neighbors dog, still in full attack position, desperately trying to make his way through the six inch margin between the wooden posts of our fence.  One of my dogs, Nacho, was only 15 pounds but when challenged would take on a bear!  Terrified of a fight breaking out, I quickly ushered both my dogs back in the house.  Wow, I thought!  That boston terrier seems like he is going to be a pure nightmare of a neighbor!  

A few days later, I was outside, up on our deck when our new neighbor walked outside into his own backyard.  I decided to start a friendly conversation with the real intention of finding out more about his...UMMM not so welcoming or well behaved family member.  So I deliberately inquired, "Two of your dogs seem incredibly friendly!  But may I ask you, has your boston terrier ever bit anybody?"

He quickly retorted back in a heavy southern accent, "Oh do ya mean Barney;  he'll BITE you five times before ya know he bit ya once!!"  I honestly didn't know whether to start laughing my ass off or be completely freaked out.  LOL     

Thank goodness he kept good 'ole Barney on a leash from then on out, thus circumventing my fear of having to worry about the 'troubled kid' in the neighborhood......   

Ironically enough, once I shared that quick blurt about Barney's culinary tendencies, it became a frequently used MANTRA my family began to utter whenever life knocked one of us down to the mat.  "Life will gitcha five times before ya know it got ya once!!"  

While it didn't wash away all our current challenges, it sure offered us a ton of laughs over the next few years!!  ;0)

So what exactly does this have to do with living a BLISSED OUT LIFE...?!?!  It's the fact that life isn't always fair.  And it's often quite messy and mercurial.  Not to mention filled with moments of pure dissillusionment and utter confusion.  When it rains, it often pours BIG, HEAVY, PAINFUL drops of despair.....   And oh my goodness gracious will it -Gitcha Five Times Before Ya Know It Got Ya Once-  Right?!?  To the point that oh so many people I know believe that this life itself is actually our HELL!!  

Well, I'm here to share with you that Life can be either our HEAVEN or HELL depending on what you BELIEVE!  As Wayne Dyer said, "With everything that has happened to you, you can feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift.  Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle from keeping you from growing.  YOU get to choose."  AMEN!

Collectively, we have come into this world to disperse the DESIRES within our Soul and NOT our Ego.  And as we do, the byproduct is a cosmic Divine Dance to a LOVE SONG that not only fully fulfills your BEINGNESS with BLISS, but also unleashes your unique gifts to be of service to our entire planet!!  I believe that this is what my great HERO (as you probably know by now  LOL) famed Mythologist Joseph Campbell meant when he ushered into our consciousness this quote:

“If you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.”

An HEROIC transformation occurs when we have the Courage to follow our own Path; if ONLY we dare!!   We slowly transcend the Fear and Disconnection that has kept us from living the life of our heartfelt dreams; all for the grand adventure that has always been waiting for us!!  And we no longer try and avoid pain and suffering.  For during this transformation, we learn to Accept everything as a golden gift.  And no longer live in Victim Consciousness.  We Re-member that everything happens through us and FOR us not TO us!  BIG difference........

FOLLOWING OUR BLISS does NOT mean that life will always be comfortable or easy.  But is that what we are soulfully searching for?!?  A life of continuous comfort.....   Or an experience filled with rapturous WONDER!  Unexpected treasures! The pride of overcoming challenges!  The excitement of discovering the meaning in pain!   And leaving behind a LEGACY filled with the knowingness that your life of BLISS was filled with acts of LOVE, Compassion, and SERVICE to us all.........

My own acronym for BLISS is:

Bringing 

Love 

In

Service to

Soul

And that recipe is ripe for a life filled with Unadorned Joy and Happiness............

So, I ask all of you New Age Nerds one question..........   Will you only dare to FOLLOW YOUR BLISS....   The choice is ALL YOURS!!!

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

Learn To LEAN Into Your Life LESSONS..!!

Man is not destroyed by suffering; he is destroyed by suffering without meaning

Victor Frankl

One of the more challenging aspects of being a coach/teacher is helping my clients navigate the choppy waters that confront them when they are in the midst of making a transformational breakthrough.  Because this type of life altering event is usually preceded by a form of facing their pain and/or suffering.  And let's keep it real....   most people avoid pain and suffering like the plague!  And that's understandable.  Especially if we are too narrow focused on the pain itself, rather than engulfing the BIGGER picture.  The narrow perspective looks something akin to this.........

Life is hard enough.  I just want to be happy.  I see SO much pain and suffering all around me already.  I thought people who have done a lot of spiritual based self work learn to live in a state of Peace and Joy...even BLISS!?!? I'd rather not face my TRUTH because I am afraid of what I may find..........   OR.....   I'm too busy to deal with my own shit!!  I'd rather stay in this state of unfulfillment than commit to the painful changes I may have to make......

Sound familiar?!?!!??

BUT...Being in Acceptance of the BIGGER picture, completely changes the palette you are working with and for.  Your focus is NOT on the pain itself, but rather WHAT the pain came to bring you.  Our most powerful Spiritual Breakthroughs come when we give ourselves permission to DEEPLY AND UTTERLY FEEL OUR EMOTIONS.  For our feelings are the guideposts to our very SOUL!  In fact, when we fail to completely inhale our emotions, we miss out on the spiritual lessons that they contained!  

Sometimes we must allow ourselves to FEEL THE DEEP BURN within us......

Sit in the Fire of your Own Truth...  And be in Allowance of the Flames to burn you to ashes..   Having Faith in the Universe ..  That it will rush in with a gust of LOVE so uplifting..  That your Soul will be rebirthed as a Phoenix of Hope and Inspiration. And Purpose!  Jeffrey L Martinez

Our suffering is often our Spirit calling for a lifeline into the Soul's version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.  It's a powerful, albeit often excruciatingly painful sign a miracle is looking to be birthed through you.   Often contained within a Lesson of re-membrance wrapped in a new found understanding and wisdom.   In order for the AMAZING, stupendous, disruptive calling you came to manifest to occur, there needs to be a larger gateway for SOURCE to work through.  You need to be rebirthed into the ‘The Greatest Vision of the Grandest Version’ of yourself!  And as all moms know, the birthing process is an arduous one.  It forces us to stretch and grow.  Often without having a single idea what might be waiting for us on the other side.  Tough stuff!  No doubt!  (Moms inner monologue..“YOU...have NO idea!!”  lol)

And as Joseph Campbell declared, “We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”  But that can be a Journey that sounds scary, overwhelming, and many of us refuse the calling.  Once we start down this path, life will never be the same again.  And somehow, we know it.  Letting go and having the courage to transform from the caterpillar into the beautiful butterfly takes a lot of faith and persistence,  not to mention the absolute willingness to allow the rebirthing process to occur.  And do you know what happens, if someone assists the newly formed butterfly, as it fiercely fights to break free from its cocoon?  It fails to gain the strength its wings need to fly, and it dies.  It actually MUST suffer in order to thrive!  Not unlike the Journey that awaits every one of us.

Our most profound Life Lessons often leave us with a series of scars.  But aren't scars the signs of a Wound that has been Healed?!? In fact, many of the most conscious Spirits on this planet bare the most vicious scars.  For they gained the Courage and Fortitude to stretch their Soul and LEAN INTO THEIR LESSONS!  And in return, they have gained the gifts of Re-membrance ensconced in the meaning of their pain and suffering.   Including the Re-membrance of their Calling and the wondrous talents that they came here to wield.   All to be used IN THE SERVICE OF OTHERS!!  

The secret to our Salvation lies WITHIN.......  All the answers we seek, the LOVE we crave, the Wisdom we Wish for, the Peace we Desire, the unimaginable POWER we have been granted and the utter Understanding that WE ARE ALL ONE.......  

So I invite everyone in The New Age Nerd community to begin a practice of LEANING INTO YOUR LESSONS.  It's OK to be scared when entering uncharted territory.  But within the depths of your COURAGE lies the keys to your greatest awakenings! And in your times of trepidation and fear.......Re-member THAT YOU ARE NOT ALONE....   

I would like to leave you with one of my favorite tales of such wondrous TRUTH....may it bring you the PEACE of your own understanding..............

A Native American myth recounts that the Creator gathered all of creation and said,
"I want to hide something from humans until they are ready for it.  It is the realization that they can create their own life and their own reality." 

The eagle said, "Give it to me; I'll take it to the moon and hide it there."  

But the Creator said, "No, one day they will go there and will find it."  

Then the salmon said, "Give it to me; I'll hide it in the bottom of the sea."

 "No," said the Creator, "they'll get there too." 

Well, the buffalo came and said, "Give it to me; I'll bury it in the plains."  

The Creator said, "No, they will get there. They will cut into the skin of the earth, and they will find it even there."

But then Grand Mother mole came, the one who has no physical eyes to see on the outside but has spiritual eyes and the capacity to see on the inside, and she said, "Put it inside them; they'll never find it there."  And the Creator said, "It is done."

by Unpublished

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez