Posts Tagged ‘Core Transformation’

How Much Change Can We Expect? Lessons from Juggling

Friday, January 28th, 2011

Most people with average coordination can learn to juggle three balls in an afternoon. Beginning with one, you practice throwing from one hand to the other and back without moving your catching hand. Once you have the perfect throw basically down, try with two. As the first reaches it’s peak, throw the other. At first they might collide, or go way out in front of you or to the side. But after 50 or 100 tries, you’ll get the hang of it. Then comes the tricky part, adding in the third ball again messes everything up. Your once-perfect throws seem possessed by an invisible force field only to fly out away from you. Perhaps you return to two balls again, get your confidence back, and then try three. After several or perhaps many unsuccessful but very close attempts—suddenly, “I’ve got it!” Miraculously, you catch all three balls on their descent.

It may take a week or up to a month to really master the three ball cascade (as jugglers call this basic maneuver), as you go from 3 catches in a row to 100 or more. Once you reach 100, you will rarely drop the balls at all—even if you stop practicing and only rarely try this trick with three oranges at the grocery store. But if you get cocky, you might find yourself making an embarrassing mess in public! (more…)

What Should We Do With Inner Critics?

Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010

Many personal development books and blogs talk about banishing, firing, destroying, maiming, or otherwise seriously injuring one’s inner critics. Inner critical voices seem to be obstacles to creating “awesome” things, to being authentic, or even to just being happy. What happens when we try to get rid of an inner critical voice? Can we embrace this unwanted experience without letting it run our behavior?

I know a kid who sometimes blames his hand for doing things. For instance if he knocks a cup filled with water over he’ll say, “it’s not my fault—my hand did it!” Getting rid of a critical voice is like cutting off your hand because it does stuff you don’t like. Want to quit smoking cigarettes? Cut off your offending hands! (more…)

Can We Love Our Enemies Without Idiot Compassion or Shaming?

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

Cat and dog, hugging (via clover_1 on Flickr)
For most of my life I’ve thought of myself as the kind of person who doesn’t have enemies. “Enemy” is a strong word, one that evokes thoughts of moral superiority if not hatred and violence. Surely I’m not a person who wishes the death or injury of others, or thinks I’m better than anyone, right? After all the work I’ve done on myself, I must be beyond all that. After all, I try not to be judgmental. I say, “to each his own” when I encounter unusual beliefs and ways of being. I listen to others and try to see from their perspective no matter how much I disagree. I don’t wish harm on any man…or do I?

If there is anyone who qualifies as being my enemy, James Arthur Ray does. In the wake of his terrible and reprehensible actions in November at his Spiritual Warrior Event workshop in Sedona, I have spent countless hours angry at him and what he represents. I have called him names in public and in private, most of which he probably deserves, but none of which have changed what happened (note to JRI’s lawyers: everything I’ve said and written have been my opinions only and not verifiable facts, thus my words and speech are fully protected under the law—just sayin’).

Speaking Truth to Power

When James Arthur Ray came to my home town only a few short weeks after his seminar injured and killed several people, my friend and I stood up suddenly while he was in the middle of a sentence. In a large hotel conference room with approximately 300-500 people, trembling with fear and anger, I looked James Arthur Ray right in the eye and challenged him to take responsibility and cease all his seminars immediately. (more…)

Good News: You Can’t Have it All

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

jamesray349-200pxMany personal development gurus posit that you can and should have it all, that every area of your life can be perfected without any need for compromise. Consider this quotation from personal development guru James Arthur Ray’s website:

“You really can enjoy total abundance financially, relationally, mentally, physically and spiritually…” ~James Arthur Ray, Master of Hyperbole

The total abundance James Arthur Ray is really enjoying is an abundance of total bullshit. Not surprisingly, Ray’s tagline is “As seen on Oprah, Larry King, and The Secret,” sources not exactly known for their journalistic integrity.

Nothing real exists in “total abundance.” Not atoms in the Universe (approximately 1080), not the amount of money in circulation, and not even “abundance mentality”–which is sometimes present and sometimes not, no matter how often or intensely you visualize your goals. Perhaps Ray is referring to mathematical abstractions? “You really can enjoy counting a total abundance of integers. The possibilities of multiplication are unlimited!” (more…)