Hey! Where Are You Going?

That's a very important question. Where ARE you going? And here I'm referring to your life direction.

So, where are you going with your life?
Or, permit me to refrase the question like this:

If you keep moving in the same general direction, where will your life take you in 5 years? How about 10 years? Where will you be by then? What kind of financial, relationship, health and happiness situation will you find yourself in?

Who are you in the process of becoming? Those are very important questions to ask yourself. Why? Because if you don't like the path that you are currently on and the person that you are becoming, then you need to realize it now and change it. When you look at your present situation and circumstances and see that if you keep doing what you've been doing you're gonna end up somewhere you don't really want to be... then you have to figure out where you DO want to be in 5 or 10 years and start moving over to a path that will take you there.

What do you REALLY want for yourself, for your life?

Be honest.
Tell yourself the real truth.
No more secrets or lying to yourself.
What do you really want?

What kind of lifestyle do you want to have? What kind of friends? What kind of body? What kind of home?

Just play with all kinds of ideas in your imagination. Look in magazines, books, movies, TV, or on the internet. Open yourself to be inspired and to find the answers you seek. And start moving in the direction of your dreams. Find the path that will eventually lead you there and take the first step. Then take another step. Then another. And so on, and continue until you reach your goal. Then pick another goal and move towards that. It never ends. That's why we say that life is a journey and that we have to enjoy the process as it happens instead of waiting for the end to allow ourselves to be happy. And there is no end.

Hey! Where are you going?

Figure it out, and notice how far off from your dream life you are. Then get on the right path to lead yourself to the reality that you truly desire. You can be, do, have, experience, create, ect, ANYTHING that your mind can imagine. Get yourself on the right track and everything will be a lot simpler. Although it won't always be easy.

Keep readjusting your course as you go, like a smart missile making minute adjustments to its trajectory as it flies, in order to successfully hit your target. And to get the insights you need for making wise choices along the way...remember to take time to relax and breathe every single day.

1.Choose your destination.
2.Take off towards your target.
3.Be aware of your trajectory and goal at all times to make the necessary corrections along the way (relax often to clearly hear the inner voice of wisdom and to make wise decisions).
4.Keep going until you succeed.
5.When you succeed, choose your next destination and go!

Those are 5 very simple steps that can take you to the ends of the Earth... or whatever your goals might be.

CHB
Copyright © Charles Begin

If you would like to reprint these articles or pictures in part or in whole, please include my name (Charles Begin) and website (www.CharlesBegin.com) so that others know where they came from and the copyright is respected. Other than that, feel free to share... and thank you for reading!

What Do You Love?

Most people can tell you (with quite a bit of detail) what they don't like. They can rattle off a list of everyone and everything that gets on their nerves and irritates them into frustration and righteous anger. Ask them what they really love however, and they often have to take a minute and think about it. That's not always the case, but it happens enough that it becomes apparent that most people focus more on what they don't love than on what they do love. That brings anger and fear... and attracts more things to be angry and fearful about.

Hey, if you're always complaining, whining and pissed off, you will be a pain to work with and spread stress and negativity where ever you go. You've trained your mind to focus on the possible dangers and problems that could arise, so you notice everything that could potentially become a problem. You don't notice all the potential good that could manifest.

Try this instead:

Make a list of everything that you love.

If you're having trouble just start by writing down everything that you hate or that annoys you and then make a list of the complete opposite (hey, it helps). Take a page or open up your computer and write all the things that you truly love and that you are grateful to have in your life, or that you want to have in your life and that you would feel gratitude for.

You'll see, as you write, you'll relax as the tension in your body will melt and dissipate, a smile will form on your face and in your eyes, and you will start to feel better.

As long as you let go of the fear or anger you hold about your life not being "right" or "perfect" now. Just let your mind go to what you love and what you would love to have in your life and you will condition yourself to attract and notice more to love and feel grateful for.

Go ahead, give it a try right now.
It's really simple and easy.

And, as you will soon find, surprisingly powerful.

What do YOU love?

CHB

P.S. I love to dream and find wonderful ways of making my dreams come true, and I love to have fun too... I'm doing both in the picture above. Well, sort of, haha!

Copyright © Charles Begin

If you would like to reprint these articles or pictures in part or in whole, please include my name (Charles Begin) and website (www.CharlesBegin.com) so that others know where they came from and the copyright is respected. Other than that, feel free to share... and thank you for reading!

Did Someone Say 'Impossible'?

I've just been reading No Shortcuts To The Top by Ed Viesturs. Ed is one of the greatest american mountaineers today, having climbed all 14 of the highest mountains in the world - those above 8,000 meters - and he did it without using bottled oxygen. That's an extraordinary achievement, although he's not the first to do it. That honor goes to the legend of climbing, Reinhold Messner, who reached the highest points on Earth without supplemental oxygen. Ed was the 6th man in history to do this. By doing it, these guys disproved the long-held belief that to even try such a thing would be fatal, and it had to be true, ALL the foremost experts and scientists of the time said it would be suicide to attempt. It took two guys to follow their heart/instincts instead of listening to the "experts" and show the world that whatever we can imagine, we can accomplish... if we really want to.

That reminds me of another such instance in the sport of distance running.

For decades, scientists and doctors fiercely affirmed that it was physiologically impossible to run a mile in under 4 minutes. To try to do so would burst one's heart with the effort. Well, one young physiology student knew that that had to be wrong. He knew we could run faster. He knew HE could break the 4 minute barrier and prove the "experts" wrong. To make a long story short, Roger Bannister ran a mile in fractions of a second under 4 minutes and made history. A year later, dozens of runners had run sub-4 minute miles. Once the world saw that it could be done, many others allowed themselves to do it.

But it always takes those courageous few who are willing to follow their hearts and close their ears to everyone who would tell them that "it's impossible".

Things are only believed to be impossible until someone actually goes out and does it. Then more people go out and do it. Eventually it becomes commonplace, anyone can do it if they really want to.

So whatever dream you may have, no matter how big or how small, close your ears to those who would discourage you and bring you down, and open yourself to the guidance from your heart - from your deepest instincts - and listen. Ed Viesturs constantly comes back to the point that the reason why he is so successful on the mountains is due to his motto "Reaching the summit is optional. Getting down is mandatory" and to the fact that he trusts his instincts. If something doesn't feel right, he turns back. Even if he is only a few hundred meters from the top - like he did on one of his first attempts to climb Mt. Everest. In other words, you can achieve your goals, and you can do it and still be happy and healthy at the end.

Whether it's climbing a mountain, running a mile, making a fortune or having your dream relationship, nothing is impossible. Those who focus on the obstacles never get past them. Things are only impossible until someone goes out and does it anyway.

Whatever it is that you hear whispered in the deepest recesses of your soul, whatever your deepest desire... it would not be there if there was no way for you to achieve it.

If you seek, you will find a way.


CHB


Copyright © Charles Begin

If you would like to reprint these articles or pictures in part or in whole, please include my name (Charles Begin) and website (www.CharlesBegin.com) so that others know where they came from and the copyright is respected. Other than that, feel free to share... and thank you for reading!

Light the Darkness

A lot has been said over the years about the importance of feeling what we are really feeling and 'being in touch with our emotions'. To most, that may sound too "touchy feely" and weak, a simple excuse for being a wimp and cry-baby, blaming everyone and everything instead of toughening up and getting the job done.

I for one had the very same attitude.

And don't worry, I am not one to blame others and play the victim so that others may come and rescue me... not by a longshot. I believe in taking 100% responsibility for everything that shows up in my reality... every single person, thing and situation I helped create, so I might as well learn from it and resolve it as best as I can.

Lately I have been realizing something though. I realized that I had been ignoring and suppressing many of my emotions and bodily sensations in an effort to block out the negative from my experience and try to just focus on the positive.

I was trying to minimize the negative and maximize the positive.

Sound familiar?

The trigger for me was really a Star Wars novel I read just out of curiosity and fun (I know- geek alert!) . It just kept drawing my attention every time I walked in a bookstore (trust your instincts) so I finally bought it and read it. I'm glad I did. The story is about Darth Bane, a powerful Sith Lord (the "bad guys" in the Star Wars universe) and how he rose to power and dominance. I have to admit that part of me was completely drawn by the descriptions of the Force flowing through his body and the extraordinary confidence and power it brought with it.

I wanted to feel powerful energy flowing through my being as well.

There was also many discussions about the importance of giving in to the passion that fueled the Dark Side of the Force and that the reason why the Dark Side seemed stronger much of the time was that we allowed ourselves to surrender completely to it more easily so that the full power of the Force flowed freely through our being. The ancient Jedi of the Old Republic, the Sith argued, tried to control the Force by contolling and even eliminating all emotions (which could get out of control) so that they would not make horrible mistakes that would cost people their lives... and thus they limited their own power.

I started to wonder about the power of our emotions at this point.

I also wondered about what we could really accomplish if we opened ourselves and surrendered all resistance completely to the Force, um... I mean the Universe, and also found a way to cleanse our emotional pain? What could we do if we purified our emotions in the fire of awareness and openened ourselves into a clear channel for the true power of the Cosmos? And how can we stop running away from what we consider our "Dark Side" so that we can finally love our entire being and be powerful in that wholeness?

There is much here to ponder I think...

In the meantime, do as Gary Zukav says (in The Heart of the Soul) and feel your feelings in your body as well as the thoughts in your mind at ALL times. The insight and wisdom you will gain from facing the pain and immersing yourself fully into the experience of every moment will awaken you to your true authentic power in a way that you can't even yet imagine...

And remember, the deeper into yourself you have the courage to go, the greater the depth of your power you will find. Feelings aren't just for sissies. Harnessed in the right way, they hold the key to untold potential power.

What are you feeling in your body right now?

CHB

Copyright © Charles Begin

If you would like to reprint these articles or pictures in part or in whole, please include my name (Charles Begin) and website (www.CharlesBegin.com) so that others know where they came from and the copyright is respected. Other than that, feel free to share... and thank you for reading!

Freezing? Love It!

It's pretty darn cold right now here in Edmonton, Alberta. Yesterday the temperature was a frigid -38 celcius and with the wind chill factor that totalled to a icy -47 degrees below zero. Enough to freeze your bones through your skin. Most people were having issues with their cars not starting and everyone needs to wear multiple layers of clothing and winter wear to avoid frostbite and physical exhaustion from their bodies generating enough heat to survive, especially for anyone who has to wait outside for a bus. It should be a few degrees less cold by the end of the week.

I love it!

Seriously. I wouldn't want it everyday and I am as thrilled as everyone else when spring finally comes along, but I love the toughness that we build in ourselves by facing this extreme cold. Sure, living somewhere tropical by the beach is absolutely wonderful... but take that person off the beach and into a country with ice and snow and you will never hear the end of the moaning and complaining.

I once remember watching a special on the Discovery Channel which showed monks meditating in Tibet in the middle of winter. What they did that was so special was that they first soaked their bed sheets in ice water and then wrapped them around their nearly naked bodies as they sat down. All of them would chant their mantras and soon steam would rise from the soaked bed sheets as the monks increased their body temperature enough to heat the icy water. After a little while the monks would then stand up, fold, and put away their now dry bed sheets. Their bodies would be warm and dry as well. Another test was to sleep outside in the mountain on the coldest night of the year with only their own thin monk's robe as a blanket. In the morning they would shake the snow off of themselves, wrap the robe around their bodies and walk back down to the monastery. They didn't even shiver.

If they can do it, it means we all can. We just have to learn how.

I'm just making a generalization about the cold here, because you can surely find tough people all around the world, but living and working in the cold is one of the best ways I know to force people to place their attention totally in the present moment.

Think about it. If you don't pay attention to what's happening with your body in every moment when it's -47 degrees outside, you could very well lose a limb or freeze to death. To survive, you must dress according to the conditions and monitor your body to know just how much you can take before it's time to go back inside. The same is true for driving and taking care of your home and vehicle. You must drive according to the conditions or you will have an accident. Your car must be well taken car of so that it will run. Your home must be well insulated and maintained.

When you take something to an extreme, you either make it or brake it. The trick is to be prepared and to plan ahead. When you are ready for something, you can thrive in any environment and in any circumstance. Whether it be the extreme cold, heat, humidity, dryness, war, famine, the economy, or whatever. As an old samurai axiom goes:

Expect nothing, be prepared for anything.

What can YOU do to learn to thrive in your environment?
Love it for the lessons it brings.

CHB

PS. That's a picture of Canmore in December.

Copyright © Charles Begin

If you would like to reprint these articles or pictures in part or in whole, please include my name (Charles Begin) and website (www.CharlesBegin.com) so that others know where they came from and the copyright is respected. Other than that, feel free to share... and thank you for reading!

Breathe, Listen and Go!

How are the 2008 goals coming along?

Are you making progress? Moving along in the right direction? Learning what you have to do and doing the first steps, one step at a time?

If you are, congratulations and keep moving forward!
If you lost your forward momentum and are now stuck or even feel like you're back where you started... take a deep breath, and another one... and now that you feel a little bit more relaxed (take a few deep breaths and let go of the stress you feel just for a few minutes, you can do that), have a look at where you stand.

Be honest.
Be brutally honest with yourself until you realise truthfully where you are in relation to where you want to be.

Then do what you know you have to do, as a FIRST STEP, to get you moving in the right direction again.

Find out what you need in order to make progress.

Find out what you need in order to FEEL more like the person you want to be.

Ask yourself these questions:
- If I continue to do what I'm doing now, what kind of life will I be living in 5 years?
-What do I want my life to be like in 5 years?
-What do I really want? (BE HONEST!)
-What can I do to change my life so that I am where I want to be soon?
-What 's the first step?

Relax completely to quiet the mind so that the TRUE answer may come to the surface.
And then take that first step. Then take the next step. One step at a time you will move forward.

Even if the steps are tiny - like going for a walk to clear your head, or drinking a glass of water because you're thirsty and it's distracting you - you will be making progress when you start to listen to the wisdom that comes from that calm place within. And soon, your confidence will grow so that you read an article or buy a book or ask someone how to do something and you start doing it. Eventually, the momentum you build will have you achieve your goals in record time (as long as you release your resistance and fear) and you will be dreaming up bigger and better goals to achieve!

Breathe deeply to relax, listen to the inner wisdom and go for it!

CHB

Copyright © Charles Begin

If you would like to reprint these articles or pictures in part or in whole, please include my name (Charles Begin) and website (www.CharlesBegin.com) so that others know where they came from and the copyright is respected. Other than that, feel free to share... and thank you for reading!

Spiritual Strength Training

I've been pondering for a few years now how I can saturate every part of my life with powerful spirituality in an effort to inspire myself in every moment and rise in consciousness without having to spend half the day sitting in meditation (although there's nothing wrong with that if you do. I just want something to put into everything I do). One of the areas that seemed a little more challenging was strength training.

How do you take something designed to transform the body into something stronger and more beautiful... and make it powerfully spiritual?

Well, there are all kinds of mantras/affirmations/incantations you can repeat as you exercise. You can turn your workout into a rythmic moving meditation. You can also be 100% present for every movement and breath or imagine/visualize the body and the life that you want as you train so that those images and feelings are conditioned into your muscles, nervous system and entire physiology...

All of those things and more I am exploring.

In the meantime, here's an article that I really enjoyed on the subject: Vision Quest

Check it out!

CHB

Copyright © Charles Begin

If you would like to reprint these articles or pictures in part or in whole, please include my name (Charles Begin) and website (www.CharlesBegin.com) so that others know where they came from and the copyright is respected. Other than that, feel free to share... and thank you for reading!