There are a few days that bring much of the population of the earth focusing on a single thing. Of course it's impossible with the diversity of the world for everyone to focus on one thing at one time (especially with all the channels on cable TV!) But there are still a few events and days such as this. Christmas, of course comes to mind, New Year's Eve, certain sporting events and also, in the world of entertainment the night of the Academy Awards. You may not know this, but as a young person I did lots of acting and theatre. Theatre and acting was and still is a passion for me. Being a trained actor, I always watch the Academy Awards every year to see which actors and films have been honored for their work.

I believe the people who we honor as stars, have taken the idea of becoming someone who is starring in their own life very seriously. And it is precisely because they have taken that seriously that we in turn see them as stars. Because they see themselves as stars…

Now, of course we know of the stories of actors and actresses who have not led the healthiest of lives. That is not what I'm talking about here. I'm talking about how they see themselves and because of that, what has manifested in their lives. The point is they see the star in themselves. They have that belief about themselves.  They sense the unique and beautiful qualities that only they possess. They see this first and then they allow their star to shine. Then we see it too…

How much are you embracing your inner Star?

How much are you starring in your own life?

Are you waiting for the curtain to go up, so you can finally step into the light?

Are you rehearsing for the time when you REALLY need to shine?

Is fear holding you back from being the star of your life?

Do you have a block against shining your light in the world?

Do you believe that the people who shine are self-centered or selfish?

Well, I am here to remind you that the movie of your life started the day you came here. The film crew is always filming. The most incredible thing is that you are not only the star of your own movie. But you are the director, the casting agent and most powerfully…you are the writer.

If you don't like the role that you've written for yourself so far in life, rewrite it and change your role.

If you don't like the cast of characters you have hired to be in your life, change the cast and audition new ones.

If you don't like that your life has become a drama and you thought that it would be more of a romantic comedy, rewrite your story…

There is no time to waste in living the life your heart yearns to live. The movie has already started, but you can always create the most incredible and exciting of plot twists you choose from here on out!

In my training as an actor I was taught that “There are no small parts, only small actors” which means that whatever role you are playing, you are meant to look at that role as being the star of the play.  I was taught to look at it like all the elements of the story and the relationships revolve around the character that you are cast as. When an actor does that, they bring a depth and uniqueness to the character, a character which could have meant nothing at all in the scheme of the play as a whole, but suddenly is noticed and stands out to the audience.  As opposed to the actor saying “Well this is just a five lines and it’s not the starring role” then the actor just walks through the part and no one even remembers them.

You have cast yourself in your life as a certain role. You can either cast yourself as an important and vital role of the whole film of your life, or you can cast yourself as a minor walk on character. Your choice…

The time is now to step out into the light and be the STAR you came here to be.

If you start now, by next year you may hear “...and the winner is…YOU!”

Say YES if you will begin STARRING in your life today! XXX

(This excerpt from the book "Say Yes if...30 Days of Positive Questions to Transform Your Life" by Max Ryan)

I went to Waikiki and had an amazing realization that all my dreams are coming true!  Your can too...
XXXX
Max

As we walk through our lives are we aware how much we are actually creating?  For example: are we aware that the decision to get up in the morning sets up whole powerful series of events that we are on some level creating?  Heck even the decision to get up is a creation.

Let’s break that down:  A decision is a creative act.  Every time that we make a decision we are creating circumstances  which create outcomes which create feelings and more than likely those feeling that we create from that decision colour our future decisions which starts the creative process all over again. When we create it is a divine process in the sense that it is a process that involves energy and energy is what the divine is made of.  When we create we are co-creating with the powers of the Universe.  (MORE ABOUT DECISIONS IN PREVIOUS BLOG "Decisions, Decisions.." Below)

There is no way in the world that we can make every single decision consciously, but we can begin to be acutely aware of the decisions that we are making in order to create things , circumstances and experiences that support us rather than those that keep us stuck, frustrated or feeling bad. The process of becoming a conscious creator of our lives requires a few things: awareness, honesty, consistency and love.

First we have to begin to be aware of the things that we are creating in our lives.  Once we are aware of what we are creating then we have to be honest with ourselves in terms of those things.  We are creating many good things that support us and our world, but we are also creating those things that do not do those things.  Many times when we are honest and look at what we are creating that isn't supportive, loving and good it is because there is a deep belief that we are unconsciously using as our reason for creating these things, experiences and feelings. It is when we face those shadow beliefs that we don't want to look at, that the authentic you begins to emerge.   Once that begins to happen there becomes a kind of peace, flow and power in our lives. It is when we look at those shadow beliefs that are colouring our creations that start a deep and meaningful road to becoming a conscious creator of our lives.  From there we become free to hear our real inner voice and create from that place.

When we get to that point where we clearly see the shadow in any area of our lives, then we need to have a kind of never ending consistency of shifting the shadow belief.  That belief that has been dictating our creations doesn't just vanish when we see it clearly and honestly, although the acknowledgement is HUGE in shifting our vibration towards our authentic selves.  What we need to do is to be consistent and I would say almost vigilant in being aware how those beliefs keep cropping up in our lives.  And it is in that awareness that we can shift the shadow by saying "Thank You for sharing, but I will listen to my Spirit” At first this consistency will seem extremely difficult, but as we go through shifting these beliefs it becomes easier and easier until there will come a time when we can't even remember not having the new belief. 

All of this work around becoming a conscious creator is extremely powerful, but I believe that the only way to shift the shadow beliefs that are dictating our creations on a real, fundamental level is to do this with LOVE for ourselves.  For it is through the amazing power of LOVE that authentic change happens. The energetic vibration of LOVE is key to everything and I mean EVERYTHING.  
If we do this shadow work from a place of "I SHOULD" "I MUST" or anything else that our ego is telling us, it may work for a little while, but true lasting changes towards our overall harmony with life will not happen. 

When we begin on the road to becoming conscious creators from a PLACE of LOVE then the journey to peace, happiness and harmony with ourselves, our world and Spirit is a magical and exciting ride.  Then we start to manifest abundance, success and joy almost unconsciously. It will become a natural flow of who we are.

I do have to say this in terms of becoming a conscious creator; Becoming conscious creators of our lives doesn't mean that life will be all roses and easy every step of the way.  Life is meant to bring us to our highest good at all times and sometimes that means that, for the lack of a better word, "stuff" happens.  Many times people (myself included) have the impression that once we learn the process of being deliberate creators of our lives and we begin to see how powerful it is, then "bad" things won't happen.  That is not true.  The “stuff” as I said before is meant to lift us higher, or as I like to think of it, becoming deeper people.  It is from this new perspective of ourselves that the “stuff” won't rock us to our core, because we have begun to create a real and lasting foundation through awareness, honesty, consistency and love.

Newsflash: all the things that are not working in your life, are the things that are going to bring you to the most peace and the most joy and the most love possibly the most success. Now, this seems contradictory to what you may believe or definitely what you want to do. But, I want you to start to think about all the things that are not working or that feel really bad in your life. Common wisdom may say not to look at those things and just keep looking towards what you want to create in your life, in any area of your life. Common wisdom will say if you keep your "Eye on the prize" you will achieve it. And in some ways that is true. Having a clear vision of what you want in any area of your life that will bring you the most joy the most peace or the most success is vitally important. But, what most of us don't realize is that looking at what's not working will get you more clear about where you are going.

It is very common in the self-help and new thought community, to stay positive and only look at what's working. This philosophy encourages walking through the world with a rose-colored glasses on. We know that walking through the world with rose-colored glasses on is not the best way to your goals or your success or your peace. It only encourages the things that you're not looking at come back at some point and slap you in the face. That is why only staying "positive" will only get you so far. The reason that It will only get you so far, is because life will always bring up challenges or things you don't want. That is the nature of living in this three dimensional world. If you ignore or push against those things that you don't like or make you feel bad, you are not really living life. The things that aren't working or that seem to be your problems actually are the things that will help you to get more clear about what you do want and if you stick with it eventually your success.

"How is that?" you say. "How can I look at what's not working, and still be positive?" And here is the answer: by looking at what you don't want or what makes you feel bad very briefly. If you can look at what's not working in your life briefly and constructively it will give you all the clues of what you do want and it will bring you into the vibration of what you do want so you can let go of the negative vibration of the problem. Once again, the keyword here is to look at those things "briefly".

. The most important thing is that you be honest with yourself and see that they're not working and to take those things as a guide post to help you to get more clear about what you do want. Those things you don't want are not problems. They are guideposts which are helping you in every way. If you can start to do this, you will end up being more positive. I guarantee it. Because when you face the things that aren't working and shift them being a block for you, they will become your point of freedom.

If you are new to this way of thinking and being, it will take practice. It will take some diligence on your part to remind yourself that the problem that you have ascribed as a problem, is only there to help you to get to where you really do want.

You might say that this is the basis of making lemonade out of lemons. Let's face it, if you don't even see that there are lemons there you can never make lemonade, right? Think about it, if there were a ton of lemons in front of your door blocking you to get out, and you knew that behind that door was everything that you needed for your life, you would look at those lemons and quickly figure out a way to cut them up, make them smaller and shift them so that you could get out the door, right? You wouldn't, on the other hand sit there and stare at the pile of lemons and fret and wonder and keep looking at them over and over and over again. Your survival instinct would kick in and realize you need to look at these lemons very briefly and shift them so you could get out the door!

This philosophy has been around for a very long time. It is nothing new. But, very few people are in the practice of being able to do this. I want you to be able to do this moment to moment and day today in your life... all the time.

I have all the faith in you, that you will be able to open up a very successful lemonade stand very soon! From then on life will be a bowl of cherries… Or lemons… Haha!

I am sitting in my apartment in New York city right now. It snowed last night and there's a dusting of white on the ground. I am sitting here in awe, reverence and extreme appreciation. You see, last night I arrived back in New York City after an amazingly beautiful and inspirational week in Belize. I had the honor of co teaching an Angelic yoga retreat with two of my very good friends there. Of course I didn't teach the yoga... That would be funny! I taught the angelic part of the retreat. We had an amazing time. This trip exceeded all of our expectations. We were in the rain Forest of Belize for four days. We swam in the waterfalls. We hiked through some of the most beautiful land I've ever seen. We crossed the ocean to go to a very tiny beautiful island that had the most amazing accommodations and had adventures in the ocean. I got to swim in the second largest barrier reef in the world. I swam with sea turtles, saw sharks And even saw a mermaid under the water ( wel...l she is a tattoo on my leg. Haha)

I got to do all this and more with some of the most amazing women that I know. Some people I got to know on the trip while others I have known for a while. Each and every one of them is a blessing in my life. AND I got to do this while doing what I love: teach people that life is so much more then what they might be experiencing right now. In fact, a theme emerged from the retreat that seems so appropriate; "Anything and everything is possible."

This trip was an adventure. This trip was a dream. This trip was beautiful. This trip was inspirational. This trip has added to my life in more ways than I even know right now. Besides all that, doing all these things while I was making a living at the same time!

This was the kind of trip that many people hold in their thoughts very far away from them, thinking "I would love to do something like that, if I only had the money, if I only have the time, if I only… If I only… If I only…"

Is there a part of you that, as you read this is saying "if only…"? Well, I used to be just like you. I used to think or feel "if I only..." I also thought that such trips or having a life where you can do what you love and have adventure and even create more significant connections to yourself and others was something that was out of reach. It was something "other people" did. You know, those people that have a different life. Those people that have money. Those people that had a better education. Those people who…(Fill in the blank) Well, it's nice to meet you, I am now one of "those people ". I have crossed over to the... LIGHT side. And it's the most wonderful place to be. It is a place where I know at a cellular level that anything is possible! It is a place of acceptance, joy, adventure and love. Say "yes" if that place sounds good to you.

Well, all of this could just be a story about another person that was one of "those people" who finally achieved what they dreamed of. But, this story is about you and not me... This is a story about you and how you are writing your life with every thought and every action you take in your life.

I titled this "How I got to Belize" because really how I got to Belize was that I took responsibility and accepted that I am the creator of my life. I finally, after many years of study and practice decided in the last year that it was time... It was time to be more consistent with my thoughts. It was time to be more consistent with my actions. It was time to know and allow the true goodness of life to flow through me and not only through "other people". I truly decided that "anything and everything was possible".

By doing this my vibration changed. By doing this my vibration raised. By doing this the universe matched my vibration. I literally have trained myself to let go of anything that felt bad in my vibration. Now that I am truly consistent with doing this, the results are showing up in my life in so many ways that it's almost impossible to write them all down.

As they say, "Everything is an inner journey." And it is more true than you might know right now. But I stand in your consciousness as you read this, as I shining example of how the inner journey will change your outer results.

You can get to Belize or anywhere that you decide you want to go. If you're willing to do the work and walk the walk of a mystical traveler through your life. When I say "work", I want you to know that the "work" doesn't have to be hard. It just has to be consistent. If you can change your mind about that, that is one of the first steps. Be consistent in always turning towards what you DO want and letting go of what you DON'T want. Over and over and over and over and over again. Every time that you change your mind towards something that you DO, want, you create a new vibration and that is literally "How you get to Belize".

As usual, I'm sending you all my love and preparing for a future post that will be entitled "How I got to Bali" ;)

XXX

One of my favorite quotes and I think one of the most effective principles in getting positive results in your life is this: "It is in our defenselessness that your safety lies" That is from A Course in Miracles.

The concept of defenselessness is something that is foreign to many people. It is foreign because we have been trained by the world and by the ego to always defend. Defend ourselves. Defend family. Defend our opinion. Defend our country. Defend our friends. Defend. Defend. Defend...

If you truly want to have peace in your life and to attract positive results in any area, you have to be willing to give up the defense. What defending does is to literally create more of what you're defending against.

Think about the greatest sages and enlightened beings that have walked this earth. When have you ever heard of them defending? And, if they have defended, if you look very closely at the situation, it is more like they are stating the truth instead of defending. They know what most of us need to learn.

Take one of the most classic examples of this in our Western world; the persecution of Jesus. Was there any moment in that story when Jesus tried to defend himself? It would've been a whole other story if Jesus would have tried to defend his position or argued with his detractors trying to free himself. Can you imagine Jesus getting anger and saying "You are wrong! I am right!!!"? It's almost comical. You see in that story Jesus didn't need to be right he needed to stand in his peace. It was is in his defenselessness that his safety laid. This is not to say that his body was not safe. But the essential HIM which is not the body, was completely safe and had nothing to defend against, because the essential HIM will never die.

You are just like that. The essential YOU will never die. All the great teachings have already told you that you have all that the enlightened masters have, you just haven't realize your potential...yet.

So, one of the things in attracting positive results in your life is to be keenly aware about when you're defending against something and when you were just stating the truth. Stating the truth or defending against is an energetic frequency, a feeling or a vibration that is within you. You could be saying the exact same words but on one level your defending and on the other level you're just stating a truth. And you know what they say about the truth don't you? "The truth shall set you ______. " Do you want to be free?

This takes practice for some of you, but I am sure that you can do it. After all the truth is all you are. There is no need to defend the truth is there? I guarantee you that implementing this will help you to attract more positive results in your life because you're underlying vibration will become one of peace and flow instead of one of pushing and defending.

So the next time that a situation comes up where you feel the need to defend, take a deep breath before anything flies out of your mouth. In that breath, STOP and ask yourself if what you're about to say is defending, which will create more of what you're defending against, or is what you're about to say the simple truth? Then either state your truth with love and peace or keep your mouth shut! By keeping your mouth shut it will literally stop the crazy cycle of attack/defend. When that cycle is broken, the vibration changes and when the vibration changes, your results change.

Here is to stating the TRUTH and to defenselessness!

Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge! I have to admit that I am a little bit of a royal groupie. So, for me I followed the princes birth, but not as excessively as some people have. I know there are some people that would rather not hear anything at all about the royal family. I respect that and know that to many Buckingham palace amounts to the be British version of Hollywood and "why should we care so much ? " It's funny, I even got a couple of semi-nasty posts on Facebook for announcing that Prince George was born! Maybe since we left England in the first place some Americans will always have that feeling against Britain and the monarchy.  Bless them!

  I for one do not have that same sentiment. In fact I think that if we will have a healthy perspective we can look at this modern monarchy and see how it has adapted and changed to the times that we are living in. I believe that this modern monarchy gives us a beacon of Grace, hope and contribution to the world.

 But, I might not think that if it weren't for one woman. Princess Diana changed everything. When I look at William and Kate and of course now Prince George all I can think of is Our beloved Princess Diana.

 I have, and still have a great respect, admiration and love for Princess Diana. She walked through the world with grace, compassion and love. I know that she of course was not a perfect human being, Who of us is? And who of us could possibly be in the situation that she chose to be in and not be perfect all the time?

 What stands out for me and for so many others like me  is that she was a shining light who represents what we could be at our utmost. She was a woman who was guided by her compassion. She was a woman who was guided by her inner strength. She was a woman who was guided by being the best Diana that she could be. From the best kindergarten teacher to the best princess.

There are many lessons that Diana left us. Today I want to focus on her lesson of contribution to the world around her. From her being the very first Royal that would help, let alone be in contact with people with AIDS at the time to her work on land mines, Diana was the example of being there for the people. That is exactly why she ended up having the label "the People's Princess". 

  As we look at her, many of us might think, "well of course she can do that  She's a princess and has tons of money and Nannys and a staff of people to help her to do all of these things that she could do"  And yes that is true, but she could've taken all of the luxuries that she had and not done what she did for people. She could have been a different kind of Royal and not reached out nearly as much as she did. The fact is she chose to do this, because she felt the responsibility of being shining light for others. 

As you look at her and her example, I'd like you to think how can you contribute to making others lives better today? At our source, beyond the body, beyond our thoughts, in fact beyond everything that we can imagine, we are all connected. Because of that, there really is only one of us here and we are all part of that great amazing force of life. We are not our bodies. We are the amazing energy that flows between the atoms, cells, molecules and particles. There is no place where I started and you end. Because of this fact, every time that we choose to contribute, reach out or help another, we are contributing to the whole. When we give to another we give to ourselves. When we contribute our energy, time or anything to those who may need something, we confirm and are reminded that there is no sacrifice in the world. What we give we get. What we contribute will always come around because of the fact that our brothers and sisters are actually us...


So today and this week, every time that you see or hear about Prince George, remember the contributions that his grandmother made to the world. The contributions that had a ripple effect that affected millions of people with love, respect and support. And remember that since there is only one of us here there is no difference between you and Princess Diana. 

You can choose today to be a shining light for those in your life and community. Then, when you make your transition into the great beautiful light, others will look at you just as fondly and as beautifully as many of us now look at our beloved Princess Diana.