D. Westry in this incredible act demonstrates the art of speed painting. Even more amazing is that he shows us that sometimes meaning is hidden till we change our perspective. Are you stuck or in a rut? Maybe it is time to look at things from a different angle!
Related:
D. Westry’s Web site. and Facebook page.
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Lauren Fields
It all started with a VHS and curiosity. I had no yoga mat, no skin-tight pants, no top with an inclusive bra and no clue what I was getting myself into. Though bizarre and different, there was nothing overtly magical happening as I followed the yoga sequence lead by two leotarded beautiful people on the screen of my console television. However, an undeniable spark was fluttering in my heart and I knew that I was doing something pretty special. I was sixteen.
It wasn’t until college that I became enamored with yoga and I can’t say that my love for it was anything more than the physical aspect at that time. By then I’d been through countless videos and books and had found my yoga hero, Bryan Kest. His Power Yoga series from the early nineties was the best workout I’d experienced outside of my karate training (another story altogether). It was wildly challenging in strength, endurance, balance and flexibility. In addition to that, he himself was quite sexy with his Kenny G locks and cut-off blue jeans, his message was humbling, calming and encouraging and the practioners on the video were mesmerizing. I always felt sensational afterwards, like I had just wandered back from an island adventure–physcially spent yet more relaxed and at ease than ever.
At the time I was living in Birmingham, AL attending the University of Alabama at Birmingham for my Bachelors degree in Theatre. There weren’t any yoga studios or yoga classes in gyms like there are today. The only yoga there was in Birmingham was at The Golden Temple, a vegetarian restaurant and holistic market. The idea of practicing yoga there was very intimidating to me. I assumed I had to fall into the category of Unshaven Hippy to fit in there, which I now know to be an absurd assumption. (Later I would discover that Akasha Ellis was the teacher at Golden Temple, the same teacher who would, years down the road, certify me to teach yoga.) So it wasn’t until I had moved away to Chicago that I actually got out of the living room and into a real yoga studio. Continue reading
After a meeting I was coming out of a hotel and I was looking for my car keys. They were not in my pockets. A quick search in the meeting room… it wasn’t there.
Suddenly I realized I must have left them in the car. My husband has warned me many times for leaving the keys in the ignition. My theory is, the ignition is the best place not to lose them. His theory is that the car will be stolen. Immediately I rushed to the parking lot, I came to a terrifying conclusion. His theory is right. The parking lot was empty.
I immediately called the police. I gave them my location, car number and description of the place where I parked etc. I also confessed that I had left my keys in the car, and that it had been stolen.
Then I made the most difficult call of all, to my husband!!!
“Honey,” I stammered; I always call him “honey” in times like these.
“I left my keys in the car, and it has been stolen.”
There was a period of silence. I thought the call had been dropped, but then I heard his voice.
“Darling!”, he said in a tight voice and paused to gather his breath. He uses “darling” when really upset and I feared what would come next. “I dropped you at the hotel!”
Now it was my time to be silent. Embarrassed, I said, “Well, come and get me.”
He finally lost it and shouted, “I will, as soon as I manage to convince this policeman that I have not stolen your car!”
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Many amongst us do not think of ourselves as leaders. This may be because we may have the mistaken notion that leadership is about something big like “changing the world”. Drew Dudley in this amazing talk, seeks to redefine leadership. He says that leadership should be viewed simply as being able to help somebody. There is nothing big or pompous about leadership. It is simply about taking the initiative and the trouble to be of assistance to a fellow human being. He says that not only we should not shy away from taking on the mantle of leadership, but we should also be ready to acknowledge if someone’s actions have had a positive impact on our lives. If you watch this video and share it with others it may be a “Lollipop moment” and may positively impact somebody else’s life! And that according to Dudley is showing leadership!
Related: What Is Servant Leadership?
You may also like: Success Made Easy!
The Golden Buddha
In the fall of 1988 my wife Georgia and I were invited to give a presentation on self-esteem and peak performance at a conference in Hong Kong. Since we have never been to Far East before, we decided to extend our trip and visit Thailand.
When we arrived in Bangkok, we decided to take a tour of the city’s most famous Buddhist’s temples. Along with our interpreter and driver, Georgia and I visited numerous Buddhist temples that day, but after a while they all began to blur in our memories.
However, there was one temple that left an indelible impression in our hearts and minds. It is called the Temple of Golden Buddha. The temple itself is very small, probably no larger than thirty feet by thirty feet. But as we entered, we were stunned by the presence of a ten-and-half-foot tall, solid-gold Buddha. It weighs over five-and-half tons and is valued at approximately two hundred and fifty million dollars! It was awesome sight – the kindly gentle, yet imposing solid-gold Buddha smiling down at us.
As we immersed ourselves in the normal sight-seeing tasks (taking pictures while oohing and ahhing over the statue), I walked over to a glass case that contained large piece of clay about eight inches thick and twelve inches wide. Next to the glass case was a type written page describing the history of this magnificent piece of art.
Back in 1954 a group of monks from a monastery had to relocate a clay Buddha from their temple to a new location. The monastery was to be relocated to make room for the development of a highway through Bangkok. When the crane began to lift the giant idol, the weight of it was so tremendous that it began to crack. What is more, rain began to fall. The head monk, who was concerned about the damage to the sacred Buddha, decided to lower the statue back to the ground and cover it with a large canvas tarp to protect it from the rain. Continue reading
