Land of Oz Workshops Blog: The Beauty of Perception

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: The Beauty of Perception: When I was a boy my grandfather told me a wonderful story about a man who bought his son a white horse and all the neighbors marveled a...

The Beauty of Perception

When I was a boy my grandfather told me a wonderful story about a man who bought his son a white horse and all the neighbors marveled at its beauty. They told the boy how lucky he was to own such a regal animal. One day when the boy was riding, he fell off and broke his leg. It was a very serious break and the boy was bedridden for many months. The neighbors told the boy’s father it was a tragedy that his son broke his leg. If he hadn't owned the horse, they said, the accident would never have happened. Then, a war broke out and all the able-bodied young men were summoned to fight. Now the neighbors told the injured boy's father what good fortune it was that his son broke his leg, since he would be spared going to war and potentially being killed. Following the boy's recovery, his horse ran away and the boy became very sad. The neighbors told the father it was a tragedy that the horse the young man loved so dearly ran away. But one day the white horse returned but not alone. A dozen majestic horses had joined her and now the family had more amazing horses than they ever dreamed of before. And the neighbors rejoiced again.

In the field of Psychology, perception refers to your interpretation of what you take in through the senses. Perception is your sensory experience of the world around you. What two people see in the same situation can be startlingly different, and this is the beauty and excitement, the challenge and annoyance of perception.

When you see a film, you perceive its meaning in different ways. When I read the commentary of movie reviewers, oftentimes I am shaking my head in disbelief that they saw the same movie that I saw! The fact is, some people are more observant of the imagery; some are more attentive to the dialogue, some are more conscious of the feelings the characters are experiencing, and some people are more focused on the overall storyline. We are all watching the same film but perceiving it differently.

Different perceptions lead to different paths in life. Mother Teresa had a calling and spent her entire life working on behalf of the poorest of the poor. Composer Johann Sebastian Bach said he stumbled over notes everywhere he walked and therefore became a prolific musician and composer. Picasso saw distortions of the human anatomy and his art mirrored his perception. Gandhi perceived life as an opportunity for greater service to humanity and therefore, spent his life dedicated to this principle. Walt Whitman saw beauty all around him and his poetry reflected his excitement about life and the delightful people he met on his travels.

Historian and philosopher, David Hume wrote, “Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty.”

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Leading a Spiritual Life

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Leading a Spiritual Life: In 1995 I went on a spiritual journey to Ubud, Bali Indonesia. I spent my days visiting holy shamans in caves and ancient dwellings and...

Leading a Spiritual Life

In 1995 I went on a spiritual journey to Ubud, Bali Indonesia. I spent my days visiting holy shamans in caves and ancient dwellings and going to dozens of ornate temples. In the morning, I watched devoted Balinese women making offerings to the gods and then sat in amazement as these same women carried huge stone boulders on their heads as they gracefully walked to take them to construction sites.

There are many definitions, perceptions, and misperceptions of what spirituality is and what leading a spiritual life consists of. When I ask others who come to mind when thinking of a person leading a spiritual life, Mother Theresa, the Dalai Lama, and the Pope typically come up again and again.

When I went to Ubud, I was transfixed by peaceful and smiling faces of local Balinese people dressed in their native clothing living a very simple life in an amazingly beautiful and picturesque place. In Bali, there isn’t a word in their language for an artist because everyone is naturally considered to be an artist.

Looking up the word spiritual at thesaurus.com, synonyms include: devotional, pure, blessed, blissful, sacred, creative, and refined….all the qualities I found in the Balinese people. Spirituality then is a path dedicated to making our little world a heaven on earth. Mother Theresa said, “It is not necessary to make a pilgrimage to India and to join me in feeding and caring for the poorest of the poor. But do this work within the community you live in!”

Writer Deepak Chopra says, “Spirituality is not some kind of religious dogma or ideology but the domain of awareness where we experience values like truth, goodness, beauty, love, compassion, creativity, and insight.”

Author David Mixner writes, “Nature for me has always been a healing place. Going back all the way to my childhood on the farm, the fields and forests were places of adventure and self-discovery. Animals were companions and friends, and the world moved at a slower, more rational pace than the bustling cities where I'd resided my adult life.”

One of the qualities that stand out for people who are on a path to bring more spirit into their day to day life is inner peace. Using this as a guideline, inner peace comes about because we have made peace with our past, let go of everything that causes us distress, and have learned to live more in the moment. In the Buddhist philosophy one of the keys to achieving inner peace is to let go of our attachment to things and outcomes that have no real value or significance.

Author and lecturer Marianne Williamson writes, “The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts. Love is the essential reality and our purpose on earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life. Meaning does not lie in things. Meaning lies in us.”

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Brain Fitness

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Brain Fitness: The human brain is composed of over 100 billion cells, creating a network of 100 trillion connections, and over 400 miles of blood vess...

Brain Fitness

The human brain is composed of over 100 billion cells, creating a network of 100 trillion connections, and over 400 miles of blood vessels. This remarkable and elaborate communication system controls, coordinates, and regulates all the physical and mental activities you perform each day. Every action you engage in, every step you take, every gesture, every breath, every thought, every word you speak and write, the decisions you make, and the memories you store and retrieve require the direction, orchestration, and responsiveness of your miraculous brain.

Brain cells communicate by releasing chemicals allowing an impulse to pass from one cell to another. What you think about and the imagery you entertain directly affect the chemistry of the brain. The food you eat, like the thoughts you engage in, either support the healthy functioning of the brain or deprive it and starve it of the nutrients it needs. When you see and appreciate things of beauty your brain releases chemicals that support the good feelings associated with what you see. The memories and the future imagery you entertain immediately impact the neurotransmitters the brain releases.

Every day new research is coming forth from major medical universities and research centers revealing that lifestyle is the key to protecting your brain and caring for it as you age. By leading a healthy lifestyle, you can significantly increase your chances of slowing down the physiological changes that occur as you age.

The health of your brain depends on many lifestyle factors such as regular exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, incorporating mentally stimulating activities into your day, sleeping soundly, leading a satisfying social life, learning to effectively deal with stress, limiting TV time, maintaining a healthy weight, and drinking plenty of water. Another interesting component of brain health is to alter your daily routine by doing things differently. Try using your non dominant hand more often and taking a class on a totally different subject.

More than ever we need to be cognizant of the toxins in the food we eat, the toxins in the cigarettes we smoke, and the devastating effect of too much alcohol. We need to make a concerted effort to cut way back on the amount of refined sugar we ingest every day. The average American consumes over 150 pounds of sugar a year in a variety of forms, including high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, processed food, fast food, and starchy carbohydrates that lead to inflammation.

Begin thinking in terms of brain fitness and ask yourself, “What are the things I can do each day to assist this precious brain of mine to function at an optimal level? Am I exercising and moving enough? Am I maintaining a healthy diet? Am I managing my weight? Am I sleeping soundly? Am I spending time with people socially who I enjoy being with? Am I laughing and playing often and doing fun things? Am I effectively handling stress? Am I participating in mentally stimulating activities? Am I taking time each day to relax?”

Take the time to make the health of your brain a priority. What do you have to lose?

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Living an Extraordinary Life

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Living an Extraordinary Life: I heard a story about a couple who wanted to do something extraordinary with their lives and so they decided to take a kayaking journey...

Living an Extraordinary Life

I heard a story about a couple who wanted to do something extraordinary with their lives and so they decided to take a kayaking journey around the entire perimeter of Lake Superior. According to Wikipedia, Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes of North America. The lake is shared by Canada's Ontario and the United States' Minnesota to the north and west, and Wisconsin and Michigan to the south. It is generally considered the largest freshwater lake in the world.

The idea came to them after they had done some kayaking on the lake. In their excitement they decided to take a 2 month journey around the water’s edge to clear their minds and to bring their full attention to the question, “Am I doing the most I possibly can with my life?”

Lake Superior is not just large, 1,300 miles around; it is also unpredictable, capable of 20-30 foot waves, and high winds. It is one of the coldest lakes on the planet and for most of the year, the water temperature hovers around an uncomfortable 40 degrees.

When I lived on the California coast, I used to take 5 mile walks on the beach to clear my head and to ponder questions and ideas for the books and magazine articles I was working on. Some refer to it as writer’s block, but whatever it was the long walk on the sandy beach, which included carefully navigating over dozens of weather-beaten rock formations, would open the door to my imagination and the next chapter and next idea would suddenly appear. The amazing thing is that the beach walk always worked like magic.

Writer Sam Keen wrote, “Nothing shapes our lives as much as the questions we ask.” He followed this up by clarifying the value of the questions we ask. For example, it is a lot more powerful and helpful to ask a question like, “What do I want to do with my life at this point?” as opposed to, “What do people think about me?”

Kayakers Ann and Paul did not care about what people thought of them taking their long voyage around Lake Superior. They did what they needed to do to clear their minds and to allow an inner door to open to a wiser voice within. Ann said, “It wasn’t until I went around the lake that I discovered the biggest truth; that I want to have the courage to make spirit foremost in everything I do.”

Whether you are currently working at a great job, or are an executive, a physician, a teacher, a chef, an accountant, or a business owner, think about Ann’s realization of the importance of making spirit, passion, enthusiasm, and enjoyment central to everything you do. And since work takes up a big chunk of your day, make an effort to ask yourself often if the work you are doing is the work you really want to do? Am I doing the most I possibly can with my life?

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Getting a Good Job

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Getting a Good Job: I read a new Gallup Poll the other day which showed that 70% of US employees hate their jobs. The poll asked random workers how engaged...

Getting a Good Job

I read a new Gallup Poll the other day which showed that 70% of US employees hate their jobs. The poll asked random workers how engaged or disengaged they were in the workplace and 70% were disengaged strongly indicating that they had low involvement with their job, were not enthusiastic, and were not committed to the work they did or to the company they worked for.

When I was a college student,  I was engrossed with the writings of Psychologist Abraham Maslow who said that to love your work is of utmost importance. He said that it is imperative that the job we accept and the work we do are in alignment with what we value and what we really want to do.

I took Maslow’s writings to heart and I made a point of being very discriminating about the jobs I applied for. If the person interviewing me for a job was not to my liking and I did not have a good feeling about the company, I graciously left the interview and did not accept the job even if it was offered to me.

I remember going on a job interview at a psychiatric facility when I was 23 and being called by the director the next day to hire me for the position of Activities Therapist. I asked her what the starting pay was and when she told me I responded that that was the same pay I was making in my current job. I really wanted the position and I really liked the facility but I was not going to make a big move if she couldn’t offer me more hours and better pay. She told me she would get back to me. The next day she offered me the position with more hours and higher pay. Within a month, she unexpectedly left her director’s position there and I was given the task of keeping the entire program going until the medical director found her replacement. Since I loved working there so much I decided to apply for the open position myself and somehow miraculously was hired as the new Program Director for a very well respected 80 bed psychiatric institute.

Psychologist Shawn Achor wrote, “If you get a good job you will want to get a better job. By raising your positivity in the present, your brain can experience the ‘happiness advantage.’ This means your brain is finely attuned to positivity rather than negativity.”

Enthusiasm has amazing power to effect change and influence people. It is the quality that separates people who are simply doing their job from those who bring creativity, passion and excitement into the workplace. If a job allows you to use your talents and strengths and you feel good about getting up in the morning and going to work, then it is the right place to be. If the opposite occurs, namely that you wish you could stay in bed for a few hours longer and you have to drag your comb across your hair and drag your feet out the door, then like the 70% in the Gallop Poll, think about making a change. You owe it to yourself.