Taken me awhile to get through the next portions of the drawing books since I have started another challenge for the summer. I am reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. John Green mentioned it in a Blogtv chat and I jumped on board since I loved the www.amazon.com http:>Infinite Jest is a 1000 page fiction book that put at its most simply demostrates the mind of a genius at work. DFW's prose and linguistic abilities are beyond those of many scholars. The book is jumbled in sections that suck you in so much that his page long descriptions of moments that last only seconds have you rereading and marveling at the slight nuance of word choice. The book will take years and possibly 4-6 readings to truly glean all of DFW's intentions. For now im reading it with a group of others at www.infinitesummer.org. Should be a great summer and the schedule has it taking till Sept. 21st to finish. I emplore you to join me in a journey of mental excercise. 
  On to the drawing. I mentioned las time that I was looking forward to this section about negative spaces. Its really amazing when you look around and rather than seeing the objects you view the spaces between objects instead.

Really hard to explain but imagine it this way. You are standing at the end of a long hall way looking at a closed door. Now bugs bunny runs down the hall and smashed through the door leaving a bugs bunny shaped hole in the door. Now drawing this you can look at the spaces between the ears or the distance from the edge of the foot the the floor. Looking only at the outline of bugs bunny and spaces created to the edges of the door or  hallway. Once you get it the drawings are priceless. I loved doing these and really felt a shift in my mind when I was creating. I drew one and thought is turned out ok. Since it took a short time and I love doing it I then decided to try another style. I turned the chair upside down and propped it up against the wall. Both drawings were great and turned out fairly realistic. Remember you are just drawing the shapes not the detail of the objects. I shaded them both opposite so you can sorta get the feeling.

  Next was the perspective drawings. Its a weird thing when you look into the corner or a room and realize the lines are not horizontal when drawn on your paper. Definately got me to use all the previous skills i have learned with paying attention to edges and negative spaces as well as angles relative to the edge of my picture. This was a workout for my mind and not too joyful. I didn't find much fun in this drawing and you can see I sorta slacked on the details at the end cause I was tired of the picture. I guess something about drawing the corner of my living room was not that wonderful to me. I included an old picture I had of that corner. Its a bit different in my drawing with the chair sitting different and I was at a different angle than the photo. (The drawing is hard to see since the lighting was weird when I photographed the drawing paper.) Good experience but not as enjoyable as the past learning or whats coming next.
   I am totally excited for the next chapter which I have already started reading. Portrait drawing. I have always loved drawing(Attempting to draw) womens faces out of magazines etc. I have a few that I really like from the past. I have learned some new proportion measurements and interesting stuff about portraits already. Im gonna get to that over the next week or so depending on how deep I get into Infinite Jest.  Thanks so much for reading and please visit my advertisers if you enjoy my content. 

  

I know this blog hasn't been particularly interesting, informational or helpful in personal development lately. Im going through an interesting time and feel like Im learning quite a bit exploring these feelings. I thought I was a bit depressed from the loss of poker. It kinda feels like a loss of something important from my life. Haven't really decided if this is just a need for keeping things the same that is pulling at me. Regardless I have been having fun and filling my time with drawing and reading and a bit of cooking.
  On to the next bit of excercises in the book "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" By Betty Edwards. You will recall the begining where we were drawing things upside down so as to not know what we were drawing. This seemed to really help me get back into the drawing mode. I liked my drawings a lot and felt like I did a great job. This next couple of excercises had me a bit uncomfortable and took me a few days to actually make myself do them. Drawing hands in foreshortened views is a dreadful task if you dont know where to start.
  The excercises were amazing here. The idea is to view things on a picture plane. Essentially look at something as if you are looking through a pane of glass. Close one eye so that the images are in 2D and then hold still and draw what you see. Paying attention only to the lines, edges and contours and not what you are actually drawing. First step was to actually get a piece of plastic and draw cross hairs. Then pose your hand and balance the plastic on top. Close one eye and draw using an wet erase marker directly on the plastic. I was amazed after I opened my other eye and saw what I drew as kind of similar to a 3D version of my hand. This was just to get a feel for it and to give you a  guide for sizing via the cross hairs.

Next you were to lay the plastic on a separate white sheet and then pose your hand again. Draw the cross hairs on your sheet of paper and lightly sketch in the outline and major points from your plastic marker drawing. Fill the rest of the drawing in by looking at your hand.  Filling in the shading and details was the fun part. Strangely the position that I chose and the lighting made much of the detail of my hand kinda wash out. I ended up with a pretty interesting drawing that looks somewhat like my hand but the skin detail really isnt there. The shading and shadows really help to give a dimension and thickness I didn't think I could accomplish.



I'll be honest that I don't think the drawing is that great in the overall scheme of things. I will say however that I am amazed that I got it this good. I never thought I could draw anything remotely looking like a hand. I included some of the other students drawings from the book just for reference.



I really liked this excercise and I think Ill do another hand drawing for practice. I started reading the next chapter already. Im getting really excited about the next excercise. This chapter is about positive/negative spaces. Essentially drawing things by looking at the spaces and edges around them. By drawing the spaces around the object you will essentially have drawn the object since the objects and the spaces share edges. Seems like a fun concept in my mind. Maybe over the weekend Ill find some time.

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Recently I have removed a part of my life that took up a minimum of 5 hours a day. Finding all this free time has offered a chance to delve back into something I used to love to do when I was young. Drawing. I picked up a book called "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards. Its a rather old book but someone online mentioned it awhile back. It had been sitting on my desk for about 3 weeks until I finally opened it on sunday.
  As I started reading I became excited about drawing again. I started right in doing the excercises that Betty mentions. Her ideas that in order to draw you must use the right brain. A perception of the objects you are drawing as if they are lines and curves. Not defining them and naming them by words we know them as today. Below is the first excercise. You were to take a Portrait of Stravinsky that was drawn by Picasso and recreate it by drawing it upside down. The picture in the book is upside down and you draw it upside down on your sheet. This is so you dont know what you are drawing. Your eyes just see the relationships of the lines. Kinda like putting together a puzzle.



I did pretty well at drawing back in the day and havent really picked up a pencil in about 5 years. Id be lying if I didnt tell you I was surprised when I finished and turned the drawing right side up. I was excited at the similarities and differences between mine and the picture in the book. My happiness at my fairly competent drawing led to do another. This one seemed more difficult and took some more time and I often felt myself thinking about how I was drawing a horse which posed a problem in my mind.



When all was said and done I was pretty happy with this one as well. Its not quite as real as the picture but I feel like it has a good character. Considering its only my second drawing back I am ecstatic. Ill probably be doing many more over the coming weeks. I plan on going through the book and all the excercises. Can't wait to spend some more time in the mental state that drawing arouses. Really just a wonderful flowing of energy and a calm mental examination. It is great to experience life from this place.
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I was watching Rachel Ray cook up some Butternut squash around lunch time today. When I stopped by the grocery store later I decided I would try to recreate Rachel's entree with a touch of my own flavors. I picked up everything necessary and it turned out really awesome. If you can imagine a Nutty sweet flavor with the slight crunch of squash over citrusy couscous.
  Im going to explain to you how to make it for yourself. This would work well as a vegetarian dish as well if you want to leave out the chicken. Took about 45 mins total.

Grocery List
- 1lb Boneless Chicken breast
- 1 Butternut Squash
- 6 Baby Bella caps
- 2 small garlic cloves
- 1 Large Vidalia Onion
- 1/3 cup dried apricots
-  10z Chicken Stock
- Tablespoon of Corriander
- Tablespoon of Cumin
- Tablespoon of Crushed Red pepper
- 3 tablespoons of flour
-  1 box plain CousCous
-  Zest of a Lemon
- Zest of an Orange
- 1/2 Cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Peel and dice the Butternut squash. Put the diced bits into a bowl with 2-3 tablespoons of Olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper. Mix thouroughly and then spread them on a cooking sheet. Bake in the 450 degree oven for 15-25 mins depending on how small you have cut the cubes.

Boil water and cook the couscous by the directions on the box. While it is boiling, Zest(use a grater on the rind) a lemon and an orange into a small skillet. Also put in the almonds and a dash of olive oil. Toast this mixture for 3-5 mins. Mix this with the the finished couscous and let it stand.

Dice the onion. Cut the apricots in quarters. Dice the garlic. Brown these three in a deep pot. Dice the chicken breasts and ad them to the pot as well. Dice the bella caps and add them. Let this mixture simmer for a few minutes. By now the squash should be coming out of the oven.

Lastly put in the cumin, corriander, red pepper and flour. Stir all these in thoroughly. Then add the stock. Allow this to simmer over medium heat until it thickens up a bit. Plate this by putting a large scoop of couscous into a bowl move most of it to the edges and place two large scoops of butternut squash chicken into the middle. Garnish with parsley flakes.

This turned out to be soooo tasty and I will definately make it again. Let me know if you have any ideas or additions. Here are some photos. Thanks for reading and be sure and support my advertisers.

  

    The last time I ever play poker. Many of you may have been following my progress through poker season on my Blogspot. Things have been brutal. I had lots of fun competing in a passionate hobby that I have loved for over 6 years. The beats were so bad psychologically that I couldn’t continue. Maybe, Im bad at poker or just in a down swing. Seriously though it was just such horrible situations where I lost with my money in good. I understand that all of this is part of poker. I’ve seen it all and in my hayday I would have thrown cards,  punched tables and walls or broken chairs. Now I just smile and laugh as the gods show me that I shouldn’t be wasting my time on the felts. I feel like poker is now holding me back. I don’t get the feelings of it setting me free like I once did.
    I'll share with you the bustouts and big hands on a few of the tournaments. There are many more but this isn’t a bad beat story. Note: the ones stating “Shortstack” means I was essentially forced Allin rather than Allin by choice.
 
Binions Event #2 Bustout(Shortstack)
Allin on the flop AQ<K5d on a 7d4d9hXxKc Board

WSOP Event #4 Bustout(Shortstack)
Allin Preflop JJ<KQ on a 9KQXX Board

Venetian Deepstacks Bustout(Average Stack)
Allin Preflop 77<10Jh on a 3d 8s 9c Kx 7x Board

Binion’s  Event #10 Bustout(Shortstack)
Allin Preflop KQ<A3 on a J7843 Board

Binion’s Event #12 Bustout(Shortstack)
Allin Preflop 68d<AJ

Sit N Go Satellite $125 Crippling hand(Above average)
Allin Preflop AJs<Ad5c  on a Ac 7c 3d Jc 9c Board

WSOP 7pm Multi Crippling hand(Average Stack)
Allin preflop 66<A4 on a 6A8A4 Board

WSOP 7pm Multi Bustout(Average Stack)
Allin preflop KK<QQ on a QAQXX Board

    I remember back in 2004 when I started playing poker at The Draft sportsbar. I sat nervously learning the game of Hold’em. The more times we went around the table the more I felt like I understood something that all these people didn’t. I reached the final 2 tables out of 100+ people 6 out of the first 8 times I played. It became a love affair. Soon came Party Poker and other online sites. I was amazed and engulfed by the grip of poker.
     Looking back I don’t remember having a girlfriend in the past 6 years.  I’ve never been a big relationship guy but Im starting to realize that maybe I was dating the Q of hearts all along. Poker has taken me on a path of much learning. Many habits, the drinking, the smoking, and the sports betting have all come and gone poker stuck with me. Leading me through the dangerous field of life like a beacon of hope. When I needed a hand to hold, the ladies QQ were there for me. When I needed someone to talk to the KK was by my side. When I needed a friend to hang out with  the JJ was always near. When I looked for the biggest party in town, the Sit N Go lobby on Fulltilt was always open. Now 1000s of dollars of winnings and 1000s of dollars of loses later I sit with only an experience. A knowledge gained about myself and others. 
     Life can be looked at from  100’s of angles. In fact perception is everything. I’m ready to move to the next step on my path. I discover new and exciting thing on a journey to truly understand this world in which we live. A little something from Joe Rogan

I will never say that I truly understand this world, because the more I learn about it the more I feel that’s actually impossible. ~Joe Rogan~

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    Sunday I am playing the last of my online bankroll at Pokerstars in the $216 buyin Sunday Million. Should I win first place I will continue to play online poker. If my path is supposed to stay with poker my personal energy will lead me to win that tournament. If not, even if I get 2nd I’m going to cash out everything and move on with my life. I have no idea what’s next but I’m going to put my time, focus and energy into something new and exciting.

 

  

    How’s it going? What’s up? How are you doing? We get these sort of questions regularly. Often this is a standard greeting amongst friends or coworkers. I find that the answers you normally give to these questions say quite a bit about your outlook on life. I’d like to give you a few I heard lately and use myself.

 Q: How’s it going?
 A: Pretty well, Making miracles happen!

Q: What’s up?
A: Ya know lovin life, lettin it love me back!(Danny:TheGradualReport)

Q: How are you doing?
A: Great, Just another day in paradise!

    You can easily discern from these comments the true outlook of their day. On a basis of fact none of these answers are probably true. Making your gut response a positive one, regardless of truth can lead you to finding good situations or opportunities in unexpected places. When an idea sticks with you and you are saying it all day long it can really help you find the attitude and motivation to move past all occurrences you could deem negative. A person with a worse outlook may answer like this.

Q: How’s it going?
A:  Ok, Been working all day, wish I could get all this stuff done.

Q: What’s up?
A: Nothing really, sitting here watching tv and waiting for X to call so we can go eat.

Q: How are you doing?
A: Crappy, Its hot outside. I have to walk home and  pick up groceries on the way.

    Answering with the reality of the situation by naming specific events or rattling off a list of what ails you doesn’t accomplish anything. The person asking the question is just trying to get a feel for the interaction. There may be more important business later in the conversation. If you start off interactions with others this way it can take things in the wrong direction. Not to mention you keep your mood negative all day long. Just because things feel like a struggle doesn’t mean you aren’t creating a miracle or living in paradise.

    Your life can become the amazing miracle ridden paradise that you never thought possible.

Step 1: Take a day or two and notice your typical gut reactions to standard greetings from people in your life. Write them down in a journal if you need to so you can examine them all later.

Step 2: Read through your reactions and try to find a theme. Do you always tell people a list of what you are actually doing? Do you go into an explanation of your ailments? Do you use a lot of self created  ideas like crappy, stressed, or tired?

Step 3: Once you have consciously recognized your theme it should be easy to change. To start, write down some words or phrases that you use regularly when describing joy, excitement or overall fun.

Step 4: Make your gut reaction answers positive ones. No matter your situation start off with finding the good. Sometimes it is tough to find the good in your situation. Just use some of your happy words or phrases generically in your answers like the first examples above.

    I have discovered over the course of my life whatever you resonate all day long eventually comes into your life. Changing the quick gut responses to generic questions we hear regularly can influence the flow of positive energy into your life. By expressing the good you will attract more of it into your life. Often these positive greetings will lead to more useful conversation and accomplishment amongst you and your family, coworkers or friends. An quick easy start for controlling your own personal energy in ways that benefit your own best interest. 

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    I have been working on this post for about a week and a half off and on. The other day Steve Pavlina being the brilliant man that he is posted an article titled Abuse of Power. My article was a mess of paragraphs about all different topics strung together by the idea that YOU are responsible for your life. However you choose to use your energy is where the results will be revealed.
After reading Steve's article I came enjoy his organization of the matter. I took my paragraphs and reformated them to a similar structure that he used. I think this article turned out much better and more conscise after discovering his post. Thanks so much to Steve for all his direct and indirect responsibility in my growth and development. /end Disclaimer haha.

    As I examine life daily I have discovered something that is a widely known fact but nearly completely ignored amongst people who struggle with happiness. Whatever seems to be happening in your life you have the energy to change it. No matter what the situation may be, you and only you have the energy to recognize the value in your situation, gleen the postive experience and let the negative pass you by. Below I will discuss the ways that people often use their own personal energy to sabotage their happiness. 

 

Complaining
    Regularly I encounter people who like to complain about a multitude of things. Sometimes it’s the bad beat at the poker table or the problems with their significant other. By complaing about something you are just using your energy to create more of it in your life. Personally I like to just talk about what is good in your life. Whenever you find yourself about to complain just stop and live in the moment. Realize that what you are about to complain about will have no bearing on what is happening. You will come off whiny and nobody will want to help you at all. If you find the positive challenge in the situation and focus upon what you are trying to learn often people will feel a connection with you and offer ideas to make the situation move along.

 

Self Doubt
    You should never doubt yourself or use the words “I Can’t”. By not believing in yourself you only create a circle of not doing. This is how many people keep themselves stuck in bad situtaions. They believe they don’t know what to do or they can’t do it.  You must leave these ideas behind. All people are equally capable of using their personal energy to create. You must believe in yourself and create a confidence in all your endeavors. People who are sure of themselves and confident didn’t find this from asking someone else. You find this confidence within yourself. With the interenet these days there is no need for lack of information or the “I don’t know” or “I can’t” mindset. Search for any information you need. Make a plan. Believe in your self. Move forward.

 

Cowardice

    Fear is designed as a motivator. Nobody wants to be scared.  You must face the fears in your lift to create growth. Every moment you spend being scared of something adds your energy to that fear. This grows your fear rather than growing your being. There is no reason one person is afraid of something that another person is not. Everyone is capable of the same accomplishments. You must face your fears. Use your energy to create new growth above and beyond what you previously feared.

 

Arguing

    This was a great topic that really clicked with me in Steve’s article. I previously didn’t have this in my thoughts.

 

Arguing is trying to make someone else wrong and yourself right at the same time.~Steve Pavlina~

 

You cannot invalidate another persons ideas or beliefs. By arguing with a person you are using your personal energy against itself. There is no way to Un-create a persons viewpoint. You can certainly have a conversation or a debate as long as the final goal is that you both see things from the others perspective. Whether you agree is irrelavant.

There is no winner in an argument. If you find yourself in an argument just stop. Accept their viewpoint as your own. Then analyze the consequences of believing from their perspective. This will turn it into a creative situation where you will both grow the idea together and possibly discover something new about one side or the other. Expanding your mind and using your energy to create a solid viewpoint of your own which incorporates your reasonings from all possible angles.

 

Approval Seeking
    This runs rampant amongst the american population going nearly unoticed to many. Do not seek the approval of anyone else in order to live your own life. Even if you have a relationship, a family and a cirlce of friends you still have the freedom to choose how you life your life. You can eat what you want, choose your career, and decide where, when and who to hang out with. Seeking approval for your decisions from anyone including your wife/husband, boyfriend/girlfriend will only lead you to a powerless existence.

  Use your own energy to create your life. Examine the options. Research the Path. Make a decision. Act whole heartedly upon your plan. Adjust for the maximum positive growth. Use your energy to fuel your desires and decisions rather than the disapproval of others.

  This is often why many men have trouble meeting/dating women. If you talk to 100 women about relationships or dating at least 95 of them at some point will bring up the word Confidence. This is because they don’t want approve your ideas or decisions. Do what you want in your own way and they will either jump on for the ride or decide to move out of the way. Your energy put into your desires will create a positive flow that will attract others to adapt and enjoy along with you. The ones who don’t approve will not be attracted and this is like your own personal filter.

 

Blaming

    There is a great quote from spiderman “With great power comes great responsibility”. Steve used this and I would like to as well. I always thought about that sentence and its probably the reason I love all the spiderman series. We are all born with a great creative energy flowing. You must be responsible for what you create. You cannot control your creative energy without being responsible for it. Everything in your life is created by your and your energy.  Stop and think about any situation that you thought was someone elses fault. Examine carefully and you will find that there is something within you could be the cause.

     Often in amateur poker this is a frequent issue. Someone will say “ I lost with my pocket KK cause that stupid donkey called with his A2o and hit an Ace” This is a flawed reaction. In poker and life nothing is ever someone elses fault. Your own actions and reactions are what control the situation. If you had raised more preflop or if you had not raised and then folded when he pushed allin on the ace high flop this situation would have been a postive one.  You are the only one who can adjust the situation to be beneficial learning experiences for yourself. Use your energy to create the right situation for you to optimize your positive results and expand your chipstack or more appropriately your MIND. 

 
Finally
    There are so many different ways to lose your focus. Keep your energy working creatively for you.  Whenever you come across any of the above symptoms stop, take a breath, control your energy to create the growth and positive outcome you desire. Find the creative energy that is inside of all of us and wield it with a focus on growth.

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17 days ago I posted about realizing my bad situation and moving beyond. I have now made extensive strides back to where I was pre debacle. Recapping the general situation. I have not drank 1 drop of alcohol and my system feels clean and free. My diet is about 85% vegetables, greens, and fruits 2/3rds of which are raw. The other 15% is chicken and turkey. I have wagered only $60 in sports bets all of which were winners. Thank you Denver Nuggets in the NBA playoffs. Also I have went back to a good workout daily, either in the gym or walking/jogging on alternate days. Lastly its poker season again WSOP 2009 begins May 27th and now is the time to get warmed up and I have been doing a great job.
   I will layout a general plan to stay on track with growth and positivity over the course of the next 60-90 days. Here is an outline of my ideas broken down in a general format.

Body
-Keep with a diet of high percentage living foods(vegetables,greens and fruits)
        Purchased Dr Douglas Graham's book 80/10/10 in anticipation of being vegetarian/raw
- Continue exercise plan
        Daily workouts consiting of either 1 hr gym time, 1 hr walking outdoors or 40 mins jogging

Mind
-Daily relaxation alternating days with 1 hr meditation or 1 hr yoga
-Create inspirational thought of the day for Twitter and Facebook
-Each night before bed examine the day, let it pass and start fresh

Money
- Times are tight and I contemplated bankruptcy lately but I cannot bring myself to do it.
         Morally I am stronger than that and I believe I can pay everything I owe off before the end of 2010
-Build my destroyed poker bankroll back from $300 up to $3500 before May 30th.
-Keep focus on my business. Complete orders quickly and keep on top of bills/invoices/payments/banking
-Stretch grocery visits to twice per month and Costco visits twice per month. Under $300 would be great.


These are just some initial guidelines I wanted to lay out for myself. If anyone has any thoughts or comments please let me know. I did some brainstorming tonight and came up with 4-5 blog post ideas that I will get up of the next couple weeks. Thanks to everyone who keeps coming back. You are all wonderful. Thanks for reading. If you enjoy my content here please support my sponsors by clicking below if you see something that intrigues you.

  

I have recently dropped back into some old unhealthy habits. After getting back from Denver. I was actually + money. I actually made money from the trip. One typical sports bet when I got home and I was in good shape.  I proceeded to spend the next 5 days hanging out with old friends from Denver. Drinking and gambling for 3 of those nights. Just this short bit of consistent contact with alcohol and degenerate gambling sank deep.

    Without much of a thought all of my progress over the past 2 years was ignored. Spending time in Denver with a group of friends then coming back to Vegas to spend time with my previous friend of negativity was too much. I have been shown again that my sensibilities are much clearer and positive when used on my own. My personal thoughts are solid and very defined when Im alone. Solitude is my way. Some of us are loners.

  In a group there is a familiarity makes it easy to lose yourself. The ideas of this group do not match my own personal ideals. Though the toxins of alcohol in my body felt exciting. The thrills of gambling lit up my life. For a few days I was lost in a cloud that can only be matched by what it took me 4 years to build up to, back in Colorado. All positive progress gone in a matter of moments. Insane alcoholic binges, $1000s of dollars flying at your fingertips and waking up with only fleeting images of what happened. Knowing only you have to chase it all down again the next day. I recognized quickly this time that this is not a path to follow.

   What took me 2 years of personal contemplation to realize previously was all reenacted over the course of a 12 day scenario. I relived it all. Apparently I didn’t learn all the lessons that I should have from the original experience. All gradual effects were gone everything came instantaneously once I stopped to think. This time the mind torment was fast, the thoughts came like lightning. What are you doing? Why are you doing it? What is this going to solve? Why are you here? Whats the outcome of all this? There has to be more to life.

   I have known this MORE we speak of and I know how to find it again. Shed all the negative habits. Eat pure living food. Exercise regularly. Chase all dreams. Follow the joyful feelings. Now I sit cross legged in the middle of my living room. Concentrating on my breathing. Breathe in all the energy of the world. Breathe out all the misconceptions of my past. Breathe in silence, peace, and solitude. Breathe out Love. Know myself and start again.

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There are multiple ways to perceive the world around you. Each view will lead you to a different overall experience. I would like to examine a song that really flows with my views. This song that grabbed me back in 1993. I still remember riding my bike to Best Buy to get a hold of the Lenny Kravitz CD. Listening to the song BELIEVE I felt a connection to something in the song. I wasn't sure if it was the rhythm or the words or the meaning of the song but I enjoyed the song. Continuously, over the course of the next 15 years the song has come up again and again in my reality.  It wasn't until about 2008 that I finally sat down and analyzed the song to find my own personal meaning. What I discovered by analyzing this song really stuck with me. Back in 1993 this was an opportunity for me to tune into an especially enjoyable way of life and I am disappointed to have missed the opportunity. Being a stubborn 15 yr old I of course didn't see past the tip of my nose let alone examine my mind. Maybe I just wasn't ready.
  Im going to post each verse of lyrics and then explain.  

Verse 1:
I am you and you are me,
Why's that such a mystery?
If you want it, you got to believe.
Who are we? We're who we are
Riding on this great big star.
We've got to stand up if we're gonna be free, yeah.

This verse is to be taken very literally. We are scientifically all made of the same thing. You, me, cats, dogs, trees and rocks are all just energy. Why is it such a mystery to everyone? Our society has come to view life through many different lenses. Unfortunately we are taught when we are very young that we are all different. You have to first overcome this untrue belief. If you want to see that we are all One, you just have to believe. Look at the reality of science, we are all millions of tiny particles flying through space on an enormous rock. To feel true freedom of mind and body you have to find the belief the everything is One.

Chorus:
If you want it you got it
You just got to believe
Believe in yourself
Cause it's all just a game
We just want to be LOVE

This is a re-statement from verse one as often happens in a chorus. You want IT you got IT. In the context here the word "IT" is used in the most broadest sense possible meaning ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. He says here believe in "Yourself" meaning you aren't gonna find the answers floating around in the media. You must search within yourself to understand true freedom and receive/accomplish anything you want. The idea much of society manifests today is just a game to occupy your mind. You must examine yourself. You will find that all you really want is to be LOVE. Listen closely and notice he does not say "loved," he very clearly says LOVE. To find this freedom you must find in yourself that we are all one and then be LOVE. Love everything equally. Exude love towards every rock, tree, animal, and being that you encounter. Find the joy in everything and feel the power.

Verse 2:
The son of God is in our face
Offering us eternal grace
If you want it you've got to believe
Cause being free is a state of mind
We'll one day leave this all behind
Just put your faith in God and one day you'll see it

This part is probably going to be difficult for many to listen objectively because they have preconceived notions about God. I feel this verse is saying that the way many think of God now holds them back. The son of God is in our face, he is not a being that lived 1000s of years ago. Jesus has been portrayed with freedom and magnificence through most of our lives. Really we are all free and magnificent. He is not a being he is YOU.  We have all been offered eternal grace. All you have to do is believe in yourself. Being free is a state of mind as described in the chorus. Believe we are all One and we are Love flowing. Leave the old notions behind. But if you must stick to your old ways then just truly put your faith in this thing you call God and one day you will discover this oneness and love was YOU all along.

Verse 3:
The future's in your present hands
Let's reach right in
Let's understand
If you want it you've got to believe yeah

Everything you want, feel and need is right now. It is in this very moment. There is no real past or future. Reach right in and focus on Oneness and Love in this second, this very moment and the future will be exactly as you design. Understand that if you want it you must just believe in yourself. Believe that we are all One flowing Love.

   This song now sparks energy in me daily. Every time I hear it I know exactly what Lenny was trying to say. Many of you are like Lenny Kravitz??? Where the heck did he go anyway? He has about 7 albums out since the one I am speaking of and he still has a joy and love for music. He realized how true this song was and does everything for the passion of life rather than the fame and fortune. His newer album "Love Revolution" still shows tones fromthe ideas of "Believe" back in 1993.
   This may all seem really spiritual and over the top for many of you. I don't want to leave out anyone so I am going to attach a video here that is 2 hours (from Peter Joseph in 2008) of explaining this exact concept via a modern day economic and social stand point which in the end results in the exact same conclusion. Everyone is One, Love of every thing and sharing of every thing without exception.
   Life's mysteries are being decoded and our world is becoming more conscious by the moment. Love and Oneness to all! Thank you for reading. Please watch the video when you have time to enjoy it in its entirety(2 hours). If you enjoy my content please check out some of my advertisers below.