January 31, 2008 Campaigns

Personal, not political.  I intend to discover and succeed in launching personal campaigns – and then passing on that knowledge.

Very simple.  I am an excellent author.  This is a daily smattering, but I have written numerous books.  And I simply offer some on my website – but even people who go to my website don’t even know I’m offering these books.  Websites are obsolescent.  They’re like business cards that travel from hand to hand to pocket, desk, draw and recycling – human roadkill.  So over the next week I’m planning on how to let you know about, Less Stress – More Wealth
and It’s Best to Love and Win and Memoirs of a Middle-Aged Hippy  and The Time of Ray  and A Brief HIstory of the End of Hunger  and Guide to a Fulfilled Life.

My intention is to sell 1500+ copies over the next 6 weeks.  I’m releasing these all as e-books at $12.95.  This is a steal, believe me.  They are part of my commitment to a sustainable environment, social justice and spiritual fulfillment.

January 30, 2008 New Beginnings Are Fun

Some people are up tight about starting anything new – Old habits are hard to break; starting something new changes routines, introduces new people, new systems, new methods.  Hey – these are also the advantages, aren’t they?

Endings rarely disappear things – completions do.  And completions give rise to new beginnnings; it’s automatic.  They can be great or same-old-same-old – Up to us. 

Bad endings can be complete and lead to great new beginnings.  The value of a bad ending is that the price – whatever makes it bad – is tuition to earn your next degree.  When you look back at your life – look at the bad things (we all have them & mostly would rather not look at them)  But take a look and see what the eventual consequences have been…  Getting fired, always moved me to what I wouldn’t have been moved to.  Getting divorced, which I thought was a terrible tragedy has led to my greatest happiness.

So the best way to hold bad circumstances is to know they lead to new beginnings.  Said more traditionally — it’s always darkest before the dawn.

Look at what we’re going through in order to get to a spiritually fulfilling, environmentally sustainable and socially just world.

January 29, 2008 Foggy Day

And it’s not Londontown…no, it seems to be a cold; the fog is within.   I wrote yesterday about this wonderful routine I’ve created.  I should know that that must generate a jinx… No gym today; I took Diamond to school because I wouldn’t subject Camron to me; etc.

So here I am, with beau coup(?) symptoms. I’ve come to relish these kind of circumstances – They test my resolve – to function when circumstances can be used as excuses…

January 28, 2008 To the Gym

I interrupted this journal to go to the gym.  Used to be a habit – but it’s the kind of habit that disappears quickly… And it is a habit again–I have 3 goals, though the sthird isn’t a true goal:  The first is to go no fewer than 3 x a week.  Last week was 5.  I will do 45 minutes on the treadmill. 5 warm up, 35 at 3.5mph, 5 cool down  (so far I’m at 5 warm up, 20 at 3.2 , including 5 at 3.5, and 5 min cool down.  The non-goal is to do other machines in the circuit at my limit.  Today I did 15 stomach crunces, 12 leg curls, 10 weight pull downs.

Doesn’t take that long.  Week days are pretty much the same – I wake, have fruit & coffee.  Handle my treeth and shaving.  Then Nancy & I meditate, using a Paraliminal CD (new one each week.) Then I handle email until Phil leaves me Camron while he takes Diamond to school.  Then I go to the gym & my ‘real’ day starts.  Wednesdays Nancy works home so the time is different, but the same.

I find this ritual spiritually fulfilling and the real day is fully comitted to social justice and environmental sustainability.

January 27th 2008 Dealing with Tomorrows

Sundays used to be pure relaxation days (aided by the football game, which, of course, doesn’t happen until next week – or the baseball game, which has a few months off)  So Sundays let us completely rest until Monday.

Why is that not so any more? I can tell from my tone of write that I am bemused by circumstances.  I remember writing that once and my typo had me write circustances, which I think describes them to a ‘T.’ I will say no more about them, I think ‘T’ suffices.

Same root as ’sufficient’, which I’ve been writing about recently. I do not need abundant circumstances; sufficient suffices.  I’ll only add that they are counter to spiritual fulfillment, social justice and environmental sustainability which are my commitments in life.Here’s what I know:  Things work… in their own way, not necessarily mine. 

January 26, 2008 Staring Blankly

Which is what I’m doing.  Approaching lunch and getting everything together– I’m struck by phrases we use casually and don’t know what they mean.  I just did that; I said, “getting everything together.”  And we know that’s impossible.  So we know I don’t mean, “everything.”  So I say something and I leave it to you to guess what I mean..  My “everything” is certainly different from yours.

This is what I end up writing when I ’stare blankly.’

January 25, 2008 Inertia

I’m just not starting today.  I went to the gym – and while I haven’t started recording my progress – I’m making  progress.  This was the first time in many months that I went 5 days straight — will pause this weekend and hope I don’t screw myself up — There’s a momentum there and inertia here.

I promised Nancy I’d look at this inertia.  My fundamental act is, “I shouldn’t have to.”  Whatever it is, I shouldn’t have to  — I’m so good, I shouldn’t have to…  And every time I do have to, I have to overcome inertia.  Here’s how it manifests:  You should read this, tell your friends to read it, read my other stuff (I started a poetry blog ) and my other stuff is worth reading – but I shouldn’t have to tell you; you should explore unprompted.

- When I call you and leave a messagfe to call back, you should call back (I suspect we all have this complaint)
- When I ask questions or ask for input, you should answer or input.  You need to respect my ability to influence and manage your life.

‘Nuff.  I got it off my chest, hopefully out of my head – at least for a coffee break time.  How do you get moving?

January 24, 2008 Sufficiency

I’ve spent a lot of time seeking abundance – and I no longer do that… Funny, it just came up for me in a completely different context – not environmental sufficiency, not financial sufficiency –

I belong to two Mastermind groups.  In one of them there are 7 members; in the other there are 4.  Now the four of us love each other.  And what came up for me today is this – I got that — But are we sufficient? 

Because we hiccoughed over the New Year and so far we have eached missed at least one of our weekly meetings – for reasons ranging from work to vacation to carelessness.  And 2 or 3 turns out to be insufficient.  And that’s the ‘problem’ with sufficiency… Because there’s no slop when anything happens.

The advantage of abundance is that it allows for tithing– Because it may not be possible for all to be sufficient in all ways.  My commitment in life is a world of spirirual fulfillment (abundance of that is certainly possible), social justice  and environmental sustainability.  And those last require that the abundant few provide for the insuficient many.

January 23, 2008 It’s Not Too Late

How many times have you heard that?  It’s one of those phrases that automatically make me suspicious.  But what if it’s true?  And serious?
How do we learn to discriminate – to tell the wheat from the chaff?

And on the other side – because I do market my coaching and I intend to market my teleseminars.  How can I avoid those highly suspicious phrases and keep your interest.  You know I used to think that all I had to do with my creativity was create?  Doesn’t seem to matter that much – I now understand that it’s an upside down world…

I do have lots going on – My next free 6-session seminar (Successful Relationships) starts February 18th – Write Michael Lipp at michael@michaellipp.com for more info and to sign up) — I’m not going through the whole litany – It’s not too late)…It’s all in line with my fundamental commitment to spiritual fulfillment, social justice and environmental sustainability — Hope you’ll join me.

January 22, 2008 Rhythym

There’s an uncanny rhythym to each life, even though every day is different and does not resonate with continuity – particularly when you’re ‘in charge.’  Similar things happen – in different order, with little or no consequence – even ignoring stuff like brushing your teeth.

I know I’m the same as you, but in different ways — I take care of my grandson while my granddaughter goes to sachool.  Then I go to the gym and run one or two errands.  I catch up on my email (I only get about 100/day) and I write this.  That still leaves a good chunk of day for meditation, work and other play.

When I think of it all as rhythymic, the context changes – I can listen for the melodies, hear the poetry, wonder where it’s going.

I captureand deepen what’s in line with my commitment to spiritual fulfillment, social justice and environmental sustainability.

I am offering a new, free, 6-session teleseminar -Successful Relationships -
February 18, 25, March 5, 12, 19, 26 – Sign up by emailing me (michael@michaellipp.com) — Comments/Questions welcome.