Why It Is CRITICAL To CONSIDER Your Own CHARACTER.....!

 

Yesterday, I was watching an episode of Super Soul Sunday and a horrifying fact was presented that stopped me in my spiritual tracks.  It had to do with a recent Harvard University study that asked 10,000 high school students the following question.   If your parents were asked what mattered to them more, good grades or being nice and kind to others, what would they say?  And do you know that 80% said that their parents would say grades without hesitation. Are you kidding me?!  I literally became sick to my stomach while watching this part of the episode. Not to mention extremely saddened by what I was hearing. Mind you, in many ways I wasn't surprised, as we have become such a hyper competitive society where the 'Best of the Best'  are rewarded and given the royal treatment while the rest of us search for the left over morsels and scraps.  

The episode profiled David Brooks and his book ‘The Road to Character.’  His humble demeanor and obvious self awareness won me over instantly.  “I wrote this book to save my own soul. I was born with a natural disposition toward shallowness.  I now work as a pundit and columnist and blowheart, to volley my opinions, ....I have to work harder than most people to avoid a life of smug superficiality,” he writes.  

He recalls an experience he had in Frederick , MD where he met with a group of women in their 50's and 60's who all taught immigrants English.  Over taken by their compassion and kindness, and the manner in which they accepted him with love and joyful openness had a deep effect on his Soul.  And this began a transformative change in his life.  His inner being was shown glimpses of the LIGHT that surrounds us all but is taken in and shared by very few.  

According to Brooks, Fame is the new definition of character.  Which is in and of itself a declaration of our society at its basic level in our current times.  That same Harvard study asked how many people thought they were  going to be famous and the answer was 80%.  Compared to just 10% back in the 1950's when the same same survey was done.  The times they are a changin! And much of it stems from our lack of true integrity and CHARACTER!  

So what are the basic tenets that make up a CHARACTER that we can all strive towards in our daily lives. While some of Brooks answers to this question are quite basic, they are pragmatic and useful as well. For instance, he says one commonality he sees in people of great character is “consistency over time. Despite lust, greed, or hunger,  the things that lead one's character are long term like honesty and courage.  They can be counted on over time.”  

Accurate self awareness from a distance is yet another tenet Brooks thinks is missing from our current generational makeup. We are all in competition for fame and noticeability. Hello KARDASHIANS!  “The noise of fast and shallow communications makes it harder to hear the quiet sounds that emanate from the depths.   We live in a culture that teaches us to promote and advertise ourselves and master the skills required for success , but that gives little encouragement for humility, sympathy and honest self confrontation which are necessary for building character,” he declares in his book.

Even our vernacular has changed dramatically over the last 50 years.  A study done has shown that words like kindness, humbleness, gratitude, and honor have dropped over 60% in our daily usage.  SCARY!  Yet economic terms have risen by over 80%.  

The episode also highlighted individuals who helped build this country on the backs of their moral character.  People like Doris Day, who dedicated her entire life toward helping those in need. Paying herself no salary throughout her entire life. Don't get me wrong, there are indeed sweet souls on our planet who use their every ounce of BEINGNESS in the name of service.  But like chivalry, it is slowly becoming a relic for our history books rather than a new generation of individuals who we can write stories about in our current tales of moral character and integrity.  

“What suffering does is it takes us below the everydayness of life and reminds us we are not who we think we are. It carves beneath what is the basement of our soul, carves through the floor and reveals the cavity below.  It introduces us to ourselves.”

New Age Nerd readers know this principle is something I espouse in most of my daily blogs. It is through our suffering that we gain our selves.  That our pain leads to our power, our wounds heal to reveal our wisdom.  And in my humble option, this is the beginning stages of true CHARACTER.  To have the strength to face our own demons having NO idea what lies on the other side.  But having the FAITH to travel these dark and morose places anyway, with the KNOWINGNESS that our purpose is seeded within that darkness. Those with the greatest CHARACTER have the ability to face these shadows knowing that the end result will be their ability to help and assist others to do the same.  

Let's stop playing the Fame game. The Shame game. The Fear Game.  And start building back the type of individual CHARACTER which can be one of the saving graces of our current times.  Can you think of ways  you can improve your character both large and or small and be an INSPIRATION for others.  If I may suggest one thing, it would be to put our priorities in order.  The POWER of Love must TRUMP the Love of Power.  Are you following your passion? How much time are you spending toward actions of service toward reminding others who they truly are and what they truly have the ability to be.  Stop trading time for a paycheck from work that does not serve you; or others in any real meaningful way. And be an example of the type of CHARACTER that allowed this world to flourish during times when there was much less money and technology than we have today..........


BE SUPER HEROIC!

LOVE-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

LIVE Like LEGENDS.. Learn The FIVE HOUR RULE...!

 

____________________________________________________

If you are anything like me, than you are constantly searching for how new ideas, concepts, paradigms, and thought patterns can be implemented into your daily routine.  All to super enhance your life's daily effort and output to new found heights. Plus, I know success leaves a trail, and so I try to sniff out the good stuff whenever possible.  

I would like to share a new concept I recently came across while reading a recent edition of Inc. magazine! It's called  'The Five Hour Rule.'  While I was very much aware of Tim Ferriss' book “The Four Hour Workweek,” the 'Five Hour Rule' was completely foreign to me.  And so of course I dove into the article with a fervent exuberance!  And what I found was both practical and given its use by such luminaries as Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey, something I was eager to start incorporating into my own life, PRONTO TONTO!

The most fantastic part of this process is in its complete simplicity. The writer of the article, Michael Simmons of 'Impact,' like so many of us, desired to understand and uncover some of the key patterns used by the iconoclasts and true luminaries of their fields that have assisted in their phenomenal success.  Like I said earlier, success leads a trail, and those of us smart enough to follow its scent get to reap the rewards. According to Simmons, one trait he could find amongst the greatest leaders in their selective fields was  “Many of these leaders, despite being extremely busy, have set aside at least an hour a day (or five hours a week) over their entire career for activities that could be classified as deliberate practice or learning.”

And for the special and unique individuals he tracked, according to Simmons “the five-hour rule often fell into three buckets: reading, reflection, and experimentation.”

Again, while nothing earth shatteringly new or revolutionary, I've always believed in the power of KISS~ Keep It Spiritually Simple.  Deep, but simple!  It's always worked for me! I would like to quickly break down these three attributes, and in turn flesh them out in their practical application with a little more moxie.  Deal!  Awesome........

1. READING
I am completely on board with this one.  In fact, I have a personal book collection that tops 300 and am constantly searching for new tomes that I can devour with a connoisseur's consciousness.  Don't get me wrong, I am in NO way a book snob.  But my philosophy is that if a book can introduce me to even ONE concept that I can implement into my life, it was well worth the time and investment!

And, obviously, I am not alone!  LOL  Here are some fascinating facts that Simmons discovered during his uncovering process:

• Mark Cuban reads more than three hours every day.
• Arthur Blank, co-founder of Home Depot, reads two hours a day.
• Billionaire entrepreneur David Rubenstein reads six books a week.
• Dan Gilbert, self-made billionaire and owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, reads one to two hours a day.

And by far the most interesting fact Simmons uncovered was that Nike founder Phil Knight so reveres his library that in it you have to take off your shoes and bow!! For real!

2. REFLECT

I think many of us use a plethora of strategies for our own reflection.  Be it through meditation, journaling, or even taking long walks. But read some of the ‘interesting’ ways Simmons found that the great minds amongst us use their personal reflection time:

AOL CEO Tim Armstrong makes his senior team spend four hours per week just thinking. Jack Dorsey is a serial wanderer. LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner schedules two hours of thinking time per day. Brian Scudamore, the founder of the $250 million company O2E Brands, spends 10 hours a week just thinking.

When Reid Hoffman needs help thinking through an idea, he calls one of his pals: Peter Thiel, Max Levchin, or Elon Musk. When billionaire Ray Dalio makes a mistake, he logs it into a system that is public to all employees at his company. Then, he schedules time with his team to find the root cause. Billionaire entrepreneur Sara Blakely is a long-time journaler. In one interview, she shared that she has more than 20 notebooks in which she logged the terrible things that happened to her and the gifts that have unfolded as a result.

3. Experiment

Napoleon Hill discovered that most self made men do not hit their true stride until they are in their mid to late 40's!  He summed up this phenomenon to the fact that these men never accepted the status quo.  They took great risks, and chances with their lives.  Always allowing their business endeavors to push the preverbal envelope to discover the impossible.  

Simmons' investigations found a similar pattern amongst today's greatest luminaries. He writes, “Throughout his life, Ben Franklin set aside time for experimentation, masterminding with like-minded individuals, and tracking his virtues. Google famously allowed employees to experiment with new projects during 20 percent of their work time. Facebook encourages experimentation through Hack-a-Months.”

So what is the great TAKEAWAY from all this information? In my opinion, it's that we all could carve out more time in our daily routines for learning and personal growth. We spend SO much time taking care of our bodies through exercise, eating right, and reducing stress, yet our minds are left to their own accord for such nourishment.  

Simmons finishes his article by perfectly summing up his point of the importance of taking orderly learning and growth vitamins by saying,  “The long-term effects of not learning are just as insidious as the long-term effects of not having a healthy lifestyle. The CEO of AT&T makes this point loud and clear in an interview with The New York Times; he says that those who don't spend at least five to 10 hours a week learning online "will obsolete themselves with technology."

BE SUPER HEROIC!
LOVE-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

STOP Being So STRESSED... Remember That YOU Are BLISSFULLY BLESSED.....

 

Especially here in the United States, for the majority of us, our lives have become so blurred with being busy that we have forgotten how to stop and 'smell the roses'.  Heck, we are fortunate if we remember our relatives names, birthdays, anniversaries, or the ability to stop long enough to make the true memories that are so vital to giving meaning and Purpose to this thing called Life!  One of my own New Year Resolutions last year was to stop so much texting and actually have at least ONE phone call or face to face meeting with my close relatives and friends once a week.  A quarter through the year, wanna ask me how that went ......   ?!?!  Take a frickin guess?!?!   LOL

And even worse, we are modeling this behavior for our own children, who are already being programmed to live in a world built upon technological advances so that there is no need for actual meaningful face to face connection.  Is this the world that we are now choosing to accept as the nominal norm?!?   

Before I continue, please know that I am in NO way immune to the delicacy of quick shots of communication through my own fancy dancy technological devices.  I love sending and receiving  texts full of nuanced retorts and FULL of emojis!! Call me old school, HOWEVER I still find the time to send out actual letters with full addresses and stamps and cards that contain written notes curtailed to the individual recipient.   Cards, stamps, and written notes, OH MY!!  :0)

Here is a Superhero's Tip!  You will be completely AMAZED how much this relic version of communication truly touches the Heart of the person who receives it! I have several relatives currently fighting for their lives and whenever they receive either an actual phone call, personal visit, or the courtesy of a hand sent card, they let me know how much it truly touches their SOUL and showers them with the strength to continue fighting their maladies!  And my fellow New Age Nerds, that is EXACTLY why we are here!  To paraphrase the prayer of St. Francis, "Lord, make me an instrument of your PEACE.  Where there is Hatred, let me SOW Love.  Where there is injury, Pardon.  Where there is Doubt, Faith. Where there is Despair,  HOPE.  Where there is Darkness,  Light.  And where there is sadness,  JOY."

Yet, tell me, "How can we allow ourselves to be these instruments intended to ease the suffering of those who may have lost their way.  Or are ensconced with the dis-ease of loneliness and have no other SOURCE to remind and comfort them with the remembrance that even in their Darkest Hours, they can still be a powerful beacon of Light for so many others of their fellow brothers and sisters. If, we never stop our near addiction to stress and in turn constantly whispering to our egoic mind that,  'I'll get to that next week."  

For we are TRULY our brothers keepers and here to be of service to those who may have forgotten their Calling. Or need our assistance to share their individual stories with the Collective Whole so that we ALL may benefit from the hard fought Wisdom ensconced within their tales of overcoming the trials and tribulations encountered along the yellow brick road of their own Superhero's Journey!  And in doing so ensuring that NOT ONE PERSON'S story shall ever be ignored or forgotten   My suggestion is to remember and apply the following words in the way that you see fit with the intention of making sure that anyone's path you touch is filled with the loving acknowledgement of how bravely they have faced their many Earthly sufferings......

"When you find yourself in the position to help someone, feel Happy and Blessed because God is answering that person's prayer through you.  REMEMBER:  Our purpose on Earth is NOT to get lost in the Dark, but to be a LIGHT to others, so that they might find a way through us! " 

Fellow Nerds, I don't have to share with you the fact that every incarnation we embellish upon is just a quick blink in the eyes of God's Source Energy!  And from that understanding, we must acknowledge the fact that each and every moment we experience is not only PRECIOUS, but will NEVER be replicated in such pure form ever again!  And that's why every opportunity we have is called a MIRACLE!  For a Miracle is the choice to turn our FEAR into LOVE!  But it becomes increasingly challenging to make this shift when we are too busy being STRESSED by overloading our experiences with external pleasures we think will make us feel whole. Rather than realizing each moment in our lives is a moment to feel BLESSED!  And filled with GRATITUDE and Grace! For as God has stated, "I BRING YOU NOTHING BUT ANGELS!"  And as Bishop TD Jakes has espoused, "Appreciation leads to duplication."   

I would invite everyone reading today's post to ask yourself a few vital questions.  "Where exactly are you headed in life?  What is your CALLING?  What is the true LEGACY you would like to leave before your short Journey on earth ends?"  Because if we are too busy to answer these questions or have never slowed down enough to ponder them, isn't it time to finally allow ourselves the time to do so? Aren't we truly worth this pontification; before it's to late to do so?  I don't think so, I KNOW SO!  Just sayin....  LOL

There is an absolutely profound book called 'THE TOP 10 REGRETS OF THE DYING' written by Bronnie Ware.   And I feel it perfectly encapsulates how important it is too live our lives with the STRESS level turned WAY DOWN!  I would like to list the 'TOP 5 Regrets' she was so BLESSED to learn from those precious Souls who were brave enough to share their truths with her before they left this plane of existence.  And it is my wish that it will help my TRIBE to be a recipient of such WORLDY WISDOM that they can apply in their own lives. Because there is still plenty of time for it to make a lasting imprint for 'Soulful Course Correction' on your own personal and unique Superhero's Journey!

1. “I WISH I LIVED FOR MYSELF MORE”

In the book, she said many of her patients had not honored even half of the dreams they wanted to fulfill, and this caused them to have major regrets before the end of their life. They wanted so badly to knock other things off their bucket list, but they had to die knowing they still had dreams. Don’t die with your dreams still in your heart. Don’t die knowing that you lived for someone else’s dreams and stuffed yours under the rug. Live life the way you want NOW, and don’t wait for anyone’s permission.

2. “I WISH I DIDN’T WORK SO HARD.”

Ware said that this regret came in at number two, based on how often she heard people say this. We all work too hard in today’s world, but for what? We all want to reach some goal, some achievement, some number in our bank account. However, what will all this really mean? Sure, we may have security and pride knowing that we can afford certain things or have a specific title, but humans need more than that. We thrive on emotional connection and love, both of which require other people.

In the end, you won’t remember how much money you made or how far you got in your career; you’ll remember the people you made connections with, and how they impacted your life. You’ll think about the memories you made and all the laughs you had with those you loved. We have to work to survive, but don’t work so much that you forget to build relationships and a life outside of your job.

3. “I WISH I DIDN’T HOLD BACK MY FEELINGS.”

Coming in at third on Ware’s list, the dying patients also regretted holding back their feelings. They wanted to keep the peace and not rock the boat, so they settled for repressing their feelings. However, this leads to a limited and very resentful existence. You will come to resent those you keep feelings from, because you obviously have an issue with them but choose not to voice it. This results in bottled up feelings that can even lead to mental and physical illness.

Speak your truth, even if your voice shakes. Even if you lose friends or a relationship, say how you feel. You may lose someone, but no person on this Earth is worth holding back your feelings for. This will only haunt you in the end.

4. “I WISH I STAYED IN TOUCH.”

People at the end of their lives also regretted losing touch with friends. They missed their companionship, and wished they had put more effort into keeping in touch. We may take our friends for granted now, but remember, they won’t always be around. If you miss a friend, try to get back in touch with them via Facebook, email, text, or some other form of communication. They probably miss you too, and would love to hear from you sometime. Friends help us get through life, and stick with us through the ups and downs. Life may take you in different directions, but it doesn’t have to alienate you from them. Pick up the phone and chat with them for a bit; you will never regret reaching out.

5. “I WISH I WAS HAPPIER.”

We like to think that outside forces control our emotions, but the key to emotional control lies within us. We don’t choose what happens to us, but we can choose how we react to it. Life goes by so fast, so why spend it finding every little thing to complain about? Being happy costs nothing, keeps you healthier, makes life more fulfilling, attracts more positive relationships, and so on. So, unhappiness, then, actually costs MORE in the long run, and can even lead to serious illnesses. Our mental, emotional, and physical health relies on our perception, so if you want to start living a better life now, simply change how you look at things.

Listen, my own life has been BEYOND challenging the last 5 years.  And I can commiserate with many of you who feel in a similar fashion.  Life can be absolutely BRUTAL , and often PUNISHING!  Yet let us not forget that the challenges that come our way teach us how to shed the DARKNESS so that we may truly embrace the LIGHT!!  Because when we learn the tools to do it for ourselves, we are able to share our WISDOM with others!  And HEROES are NOT afraid to stare the UNKNOWN straight in the eyes with the Knowingness that they will be Rebirthed with a source of understanding that can heal the pain that comes from the trials and tribulations that confront all of our personal Journey's!

Because even though there are many moments in which we feel like braking under the pressure of the Stress that comes from this Heavenly experience, we must NEVER forget that we are all truly BLESSED simply to BE HERE NOW!!!!  

To that point, what would it look like for you to start a journal today in which you write down ALL THOSE THINGS THAT YOU ARE GRATEFUL FOR AND FEEL BLESSED TO HAVE IN YOUR LIFE EVERY NIGHT?!?   It's a wonderful way of forcing yourself to SLOW DOWN and simply Breathe in your BLESSINGS!!  Because life has a Magical way of duplicating anything you DESIRE when you feel Blessed rather than Stressed........


BE SUPER HEROIC!


Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

MODERN MYTH MESSAGES: THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY..!

 

On the same day in October 1989, forty-three infants are inexplicably born to random, unconnected women who showed no signs of pregnancy the day before. Seven are adopted by Sir Reginald Hargreeves, a billionaire industrialist, who creates The Umbrella Academy and prepares his "children" to save the world. But not everything went according to plan.


POGO: (Friedrich) Nietzsche once said, "Man is as a rope stretched between the animal and the super human. A rope over an abyss. It is a dangerous crossing. A dangerous looking back. A dangerous trembling and haunting. As much as you must strive for individual greatness and strive you must, for it won't come to you by its individual accord. You must also remember that there is no individual as strong as the collective. The ties the bind you together make you stronger than you are alone. They will make you impervious to the pain and hardship that the world will thrust upon you. And believe me when I tell you, life will be hard. It will be painful. We can accomplish anything when we accept responsibility together. This is what creates trust. Together you will stand against a region of evil. (egoic unconsciousness)


We now face a collective challenge that has been ignored for far too long. Many of the greatest teachers who have walked before us have preached the need for UNITY. A declaration that we are much stronger when we stand together to face our opportunities for expansive, loving growth than when standing alone. Seeing each other as somehow "separate" from one another is a trick that stems from the egoic mind. It serves the greater good no longer to cling to the illusion that there is more than one of us in any given room. For there is always but ONE! The ONE GOD MIND expressing herSELF as the divine greatness through each and every one of us. Heavenly souls dressed in stardust  skin! It's time to awaken from our slumber, and see through the dampening veil of darkness that clouds our vision. For where two or more are gathered to sing, dance and pray, miracles will always abound. For SPIRIT swirls in such a sacred place, made holy by the UNITY found in numbered FAITH!

So seek out those who would stand with you; and not against you. Who inspire, support, and galvanize your own MISSION. For those are the keepers of the eternal light that shines bright for the world to gaze into its magical empowerment. A reminder of the light that lives within each of us. An energetic vibrancy so powerful, that when remembered, allows us to recall that anything is possible. Should you just believe! 

There is so much for us to do to ensure that LOVE will once again rule each day! And a helping hand or two will ensure our destiny will not be lost to pleasures of the earthy flesh. For they are temporary, and GOD's love is permanent. A tenet of TRUE PERCEPTION made holy by the magic tucked within each of our soulful expressions. 

As Henry Ford said, "Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success."  

And come together we must. And in order to do so, we must transcend even tolerance. For tolerance still showers us with separation. Tolerance is the weak man's position on acceptance. For what one tolerates, one is still "putting up with." True LOVE sees only UNITY through full acceptance and loving regard for our differences. Helen Keller could not hear or speak, yet her hard-fought wisdom allowed her to understand that "Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much."

What would it look like to begin to celebrate our differences? To relish in our beautiful preferences in the way we choose to see this world and everybody in it. To embrace our own uniqueness and the one of a kind imprints left by those all around us. Louis Armstrong already sang about it, "Oh, what a wonderful world it would be!" And what a wonderful world it already is if you simply choose to SEE!

It all begins when we learn to use our "second pair of eyes." The ones that see justly through the lens of our hearts. Unfettered by judgments; purely receiving LOVE given so freely from the Spirit that lives within our SOUL.

For here is the true definition of HEART:
It is the earthly plane where 

Heaven 
Enters
As U
Realize
Truth

And our truth can be denied no longer. WE ARE ALL ONE. And together we stand, together we may fall, together we fight, winners take all! We can do this. Create "Heaven on Earth," as was always the intention. But we cannot do it alone. It truly takes a village. And we are over 7 Billion strong!

BE SUPER HEROIC!

LOVE....SERVE....INSPIRE...



Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

Learn How To UNLEASH The SUPER POWER of COMPASSION...!

 

When we find ourselves in the position of having what I call a ‘Break Open’, which is to have been brought to our knees in an act of graceful SURRENDER, the remnants left over are filled with nothing less than unadorned LOVE.  In my teaching of the Superhero's Journey, I believe this to be one of the most transcendent moments in your life.  And a big part of that reason is because of the COMPASSION that this LOVE represents as it comes gushing out of our healing Spirit looking to do good in the world!  Our job is to find a way of Com-ing From Passion(Com-passion) to funnel that fervor of joy, wisdom, and LOVE out to others. 

Passion is God's way of saying ‘Hi!’  And COMPASSION is the way we spread that Godliness to ourselves and to each and every person that crosses our path.  For when we come with passion in everything we do, we also learn so many other things.  Jack Kornfield teaches that our Western Culture has produced a society of both loneliness as well as self hatred. Why?! Because the first stage of COMPASSION is understanding.  It is learning to LET GO of the stories we have been told and imprints our psychological being.  Every day is a miraculous chance to start over and remember who we truly are; which is nothing less than a perfected emanation of Infinite Intelligence and Source energy.  To let go of the shaming, blaming, and judgment that the ‘others’ in our life have needlessly projected onto our own sense of being.  For most of us, this causes years if not DECADES of painful habits and life choices that mimic the projections of our precious past.  It shows up in the choices we make in our friendships and especially our deep intimate relationships.  Basically replaying our past over and over again trying to desperately heal a past that was NEVER a part of our own sense of reality. We create stories to help make sense of the painful imprinting we received throughout those many years of our life.  

The second part of COMPASSION is tearful healing through acceptance.  It is allowing our tears to flow freely as a way of bathing our pain from our bodies.  We may NEVER completely heal all of the transgressions from days gone by, but we can certainly learn to allow them to live within us in a much more tranquil and peaceful manner.  Acceptance can be a tricky traitor.  We can fool ourselves into thinking we have truly moved into a state of acceptance in our stories of who we believed ourselves to be, when we are actually just creating a new story that frees us from truly facing our pain.  Examples would be creating a reframing that it is our fault which created our painful past. And making excuses for others that free THEM from their responsibility in the co-creations of your experiences together, but NOT YOU.

To truly accept, we must create a space of mindfulness that encompasses recognition, investigation and forgiveness and acknowledgement.  And this is when we live in a state of pure presentness with ourselves and others.  We must acknowledge things for what they TRULY ARE, and not what others tell us to accept them to be.  Through investigation, we learn to free ourselves of the stories that others have been telling us about ourselves, so we can be in allowance of healing these false and limiting beliefs for ourselves in a process of FORGIVENESS. First and foremost we must forgive ourselves before we can forgive others.  And for me, this process of FOR-GIVENESS is much different than what is taught in most organized religions. I believe Jesus the Christ's idea of for-giving had nothing to do with blame.  It was not an idea about pardoning someone for a transgression ‘done unto us.’  It is transcending this paradigm into the understanding that no transgression ever occurred.  What transpired is that the other person has temporarily forgotten who they are and it is our opportunity for-giving them back to themselves.  To hold a space for them of the miraculous being they truly are until they re-member this for themselves.  How does that difference in meaning FEEL to you?!?

Once we are TRULY past the point of acceptance in the deep resonance of our Spirit, the next step is GRATITUDE.  It is the ability to now see the gifts and opportunities that our pain and suffering actually provided us.  Now that the storm has passed (at least THIS storm) we can walk calm and mindfully along the shoreline and see the gifts that have been left behind and washed up along the sand by Spirit.   These gifts can then be used for the greatest quality that COMPASSION offers us.  Which is the ability to see others exactly as we see ourselves. With empathy and connection.  Sans any sense of separation.  WE ARE ALL ONE becomes our calling card and motto always and in all ways!

Compassion allows us to remember not only who it is that we truly are, but others as well.  It transcends any sense of separation and creates acts of fully integrated inclusion of all races and genders into ONE BODY OF LOVE!

But buyer beware! Some teachings believe that COMPASSION is a mindset taught to free others of their pain and suffering.  I believe this is in no way, shape, or form what the highest version of COMPASSION can or should be.  As an example, if we try and help a butterfly looking to free itself from its cocoon, that beautiful being will die. Why? Because it needs to struggle and use its strength to spread the fluid through its wings that is needed in order for it to fly.  Without this struggle, that butterfly will cease to BE.  In the same way, we must often struggle through our own pain and sufferings in order to conjure the wisdom, courage, and understanding that comes from walking into the darkness of our fear and pain!  So please DO NOT confuse the meaning of compassion with trying to eliminate the process of someone else's process of suffering.  You are actually doing them an injustice by doing so.  Instead, it is my suggestion to use your compassion to assist someone in understanding the reason they are going through their dark night of the soul.  So they never feel as though they must traverse this valley alone. And there indeed will be someone waiting for them with loving arms on the other side of the birthing process they are going through! After all, REPRESSED emotions are unactualized spiritual lessons........

BE SUPER HEROIC!
LOVE-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

Are YOU A RELUCTANT SUPERHERO...!

 

As all you fellow New Age Nerds are fully well aware, my entire paradigm is built around Joseph Campbell's and his life's work of studying over 2,000 years of Mythology that resulted in his realization that we are ALL on our own Super Heroic Journey.  We all share a collective story that comprises the collective consciousness on the planet.  And as part of our individual Super Heroic Journey, we each get to share a vibrant verse to THE STORY OF US!  And that is one of the greatest aspects to this adventure called life.  We are active participants in creation of this tale and each of our UNIQUE story's matter!   A TON!!

I have a dear friend who has at times been somewhat challenged by my slavish passion and perpetual use of using the Hero's Journey as a framing device for life.  He and I even had a little tiff over it several moths ago.  He told me that he felt emotionally challenged whenever I told him he was a HERO.  In fact to me, he is more like a Super Hero!  After caring for two sick parents and watching them both pass away from their maladies early in my friend's life, he actually decided to use his pain,  and suffering and channel it into becoming a doctor.  And this was when he was almost 30!!  Given his age and undergrad grades that were less than stellar, he had to overcome a myriad of challenges just to be accepted into any medical school.  Not to mention that during this entire process, he got married and had two children with no immediate familial support....   Even though this is truly just a SNIPPET of all my friend had to overcome during his Journey toward becoming a husband, father, and doctor he can now look back on his past accomplishments and those yet to come with true PRIDE!!  

Yet, my friend has had emotional discord with thinking of himself as a Hero on a Journey.  In fact, it actually brings him to a place of jarring unrest to do so!  He thinks of Hero's as individuals like police officer's and fireman.  His paradigm of what it means to be a Hero is layered with the idea of men and women who carry out the derring do acts that most of us would be too afraid or unwilling to perform if put to the test.  

One weekend afternoon he really got upset when I told him that he was one of my personal Heroes and that I felt like the life Journey he had been on was truly remarkable and a magnificent verse added to the collective STORY OF US!  I was somewhat taken aback by his reaction.  He told me that it was terribly difficult for him to see himself in this type of light.  He did not feel completely worthy of being thought of as a Hero and told me every time I engaged him with the Hero moniker it plain out made him feel uncomfortable inside.   And at first, I will admit that My EGO took over for a  while as I decided to try and BE RIGHT rather than BE LOVING!  A practice I try to avoid at all costs, but obviously still have not perfected.  I began to hastily explain to him that all I was trying to do was to acknowledge him and his life's accomplishments.  

Thankfully, right before our conversation had a chance to escalate into something truly caustic, it FINALLY hit me!  The real issue at hand was that his own EGO was taking charge and trying to keep him playing small as it tends to do with most of us!  And because I had felt truly hurt when he deflected the Hero's praise I was sending his way, my EGO jumped into the ring and clouded my vision.  And blessed be that I was able to shift my anger back toward love and realize that he didn't understand the true essence of The Superhero's Journey.  I don't believe his EGO was allowing it because it feeds off of Fear and us feeling LESS THAN WE TRULY ARE!  And everything started to make complete and total sense.  

And so in that moment, I asked him if I could give him a better understanding of what The Superhero's Journey is about at its pure core and essence to see if that might help him come to a new sense of enlightenment regarding its meaning and paradigm perspective.  He graciously agreed and we spent the next part of our conversation with me fleshing out the fact that not ALL Superhero's are police officers, teachers, soldiers, and firemen.  Not to say that individuals such as these should not be often acknowledged for what they do on a daily basis.  

What I did help him understand is that being a Superhero within the construct of The Superhero's Journey is having the COURAGE to answer the calling of your Soul's mission on Earth. And then having the FORTITUDE to take the actual action steps to follow this CALLING even if it means cutting through fear, trials, and tribulations of all forces, shapes, and sizes!  And then have the humility to bring back all the growth, wisdom, strength, and consciousness gained during this Journey to share it with your TRIBE!!  THAT IS WHAT BEING A HERO IS ALL ABOUT!!

And ya know what, after our discussion, my friend had a much more insightful understanding of The SuperHero's Journey and why I often referred to him as a SUPERHERO!  Just as everything in life is a process, my friend now refers to himself as THE RELUCTANT HERO! And I think that's a beautiful start toward full acceptance of the hero moniker!  

AFTER ALL, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US IS A SUPERHERO...........!!

BE SUPER HEROIC!

LOVE-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez

BUYER BEWARE Of The EASY BUTTON LIFE...!

 

THE TRUMAN SHOW

___________________________________________

A few months ago, I was helping some friends of a friend move to a new town.  They are both quite attractive, fit, have wonderful, high paying careers and two dogs they absolutely adore. During the day's proceedings, I walked in their house to pick up yet anther box of various collected life possessions and overheard the husband declare to his wife with such contentment, “Aren't you glad we have such an Easy Button life!”  Most likely taken from the now infamous Staples commercial containing an ‘Easy Button’ as its core theme of shopping there.   

And while I walked out of the house to pack the box in my arms toward the back of the moving truck, I began to process the conversation I had just overheard.  On one hand, having an ‘Easy Button’ life appears to be a goal worthy of striving for. I mean, let's keep it real! The appeal of seemingly ‘having it all’ sounds pretty frickin' fantastic, doesn't it!  The money, houses, cars, vacations, fancy dining, and all the big boy toys and sartorial desires many yearn for seems to be a dream come true.  Right?!  

And while there is absolutely NO THING wrong with desiring to experience all the ABUNDANCE life has to offer, I believe making it the central focus of our life's purpose can be quite damaging to anyone's Super Heroic Journey.  Because here is the TRUTH!  Everything in this illusionary world enters into our experience only TEMPORARILY.  We do not truly own anything or anyone.  We are simply stewards of these earthly illusions for a set period of time, before they are eventually taken away, many so that others can then share in that stewardship as well.  We fight so hard on this side of the putting green to obtain a certain amount of life CURRENCY!  Trying to find a level of comfort in having enough.  Yet, as we all have experienced, ENOUGH never comes.  

Yet the very thing that we do take with us when we make the transition back to SOURCE energy after our passing is the ONE thing that too many of us spend the least amount of our time and energy on during our time here on Earth.  Please remember, CONSCIOUSNESS IS THE ONLY CURRENCY ON THE OTHER SIDE.  It is our unlimited source for the eternal ATM card of the cosmos.  Yet, if you were to be compassionately honest with yourself, what percentage of your daily time and energy is used on transforming and growing in your own level of CONSCIOUSNESS; 10%. 20%.  Some maybe more, many others even less. And for those of you who can honestly say you spend a great majority of your time on self growth and actualization I say “HOORAY!”

For those of you who regularly follow my blog, you know all too well that I have gotten my PHD in pain in suffering many times over.  And while I am NOT saying it was easy, for much of it felt like pure unadulterated HELL, I would NOT change one experience or ONE moment of my life so far.  

I have found out that our pain is our salvation.  It is where we shed the things that do not serve us so that our pain transforms into our POWER.  And that power then can be used in service of our PURPOSE.  As Victor Frankel said, “Life begins to transform once we begin to understand the meaning of our suffering.”

Receiving too many ‘Easy Buttons’ in life before you have gone through the pain and reckoning that comes through true suffering, is like a baby chick being forced out of its egg shell before it has been fully shaped and formed.  That is why I now say that SUFFERING is:

Summoning our
Ultimate 
Fears &
Frailty
Encouraging
Rebirth

So many of us are conditioned to escape our pain through a variety of coping mechanisms that become in effect our own ‘Easy Buttons’ for life.  But those buttons come in the form of drugs, alcohol, food, abusive relationships, or any various forms of self destructive behavior.  

And would you like me to share with you the Magical part of embracing our pain and suffering and not hiding from it? All of the things you were fighting so hard to obtain, come flooding into your experience when you are courageous enough to face your pain and fears head on, and ACCEPT that they came into your life for a reason.  Once you fully accept that TRUTH, you will be able to accept the gifts they brought with a level of GRATITUDE you only thought possible in fairy tales! And you will also learn the greatest remembrance of all! That you are No Thing less than a child of God, perfect in every way, shape and form. And when that knowingness comes, it is the one and only thing that can NEVER be taken away from you!

And even as magnificent as that, you will then have the wisdom and ability to assist others who are still stuck in their pain, and pull them back into the light after they have learned what their pain came to  teach them. And that my New Age Nerds is the true CIRCLE OF LIFE!!

BE SUPER HEROIC!

LOVE-SERVE-INSPIRE

Nerdmaste,

Jeffrey Louis Martinez