the manifesto of nirvana terra firma

Like Oprah, there are a few things I ‘know for sure’.

The more I’ve learned over the years, the more I’ve come to realize what brings a big ol’ juicy slice of Nirvana (heaven) into everyday life on Ye Dusty Olde Terra Firma (earth).

To that end, for your reading-and-ruminating pleasure… my ‘rules’ for a kickass life in the material world:

  • Question everything.
  • Trust your instinct over anyone else’s advice.
  • Can’t hear your instinct? Turn off the TV, the computer, and the phone. Sit under a tree. Listen.
  • If you’re an ‘us’, then you’re also a ‘them’. Refrain from judging others and taking sides. Whatever you see in another person is also within you.
  • Pain happens in the ‘real world’, yes- but suffering happens only in the space between your ears.
  • Excellence is not optional. Find out what you are excellent at. Be excellent at it. Consistently.
  • Not everyone will want you, no matter how awesome you are. Get comfortable with that.
  • Things don’t have to be complicated to be profound or useful. When confronted with a choice, choose simple.
  • Self-discipline is nourishing and loving, not harsh and cold. Eating buttered popcorn is not giving yourself a ‘treat’. It’s like pouring house paint down the kitchen drain and expecting it not to get clogged. Eating spinach is like… well, it’s like putting a Roto-Rooter down that drain. ;-)
  • Don’t buy into the common belief that you are at the mercy of how you feel. You DO have control over your emotions. (In fact, learning this is what brings your inner genius to life.)
  • Of all the crap you refuse to take, refuse the hardest to take your own crap.
  • In the end, we’re all star-stuff.
  • You are your own creative director.  You get to decide what your life will look like.
  • Don’t worry about what you ‘should’ do. Nobody ever changed the world by following the instruction manual.
  • We are on this planet to evolve spiritually, and to help others evolve too. The quicker we get that we are not here to experience total bliss, the more blissful we’ll be. The more hell-bent we are on satisfying our physical needs for safety, security, and just plain laziness, the fewer of those luxuries we’ll have. Wake up!

There you have it, dear reader. Pretty easy-peasy, eh? Turns out this heaven-on-earth gig ain’t so complicated after all…

Smooches and embraces,