Amazing Video On The Power of Knowledge
OK, so TED.com is one of my favorite websites. There is an incredible amount of data out in the world, but it’s useless without being able to create relationships between them. Watch this video and CAREFULLY note what Henri Rosling says at minute 13:00 about “moving faster when you are healthy first, rather than being wealthy first.” When you see it you’ll know what I mean.
Ping Pong Like You've Never Seen It
What Is Your Truth?
Recently I was struggling with my business. It wasn’t a question of money, irate clients, back-logged product, or a server crash. It wasn’t angry contractors, bossy managers, or accounts payables not paid.
It was about what I was saying.
These times we live in gives us endless possibilities to “say” what we want. We have email, SMS, voice mail, faxes, cell phones, satellite phones, landlines, video conferencing, old fashioned snail mail, and, oh yeah, talking face to face.
There’s no shortage of ways to communicate.
But all those technologies are rendered useless when you don’t know what it is you want to say. Read more
The Astonishing Revelation I Learned From Grade 2ers Today (And Why They Need You)
Today I was invited to come speak at an elementary school here in Las Vegas in honor of Nevada’s Reading Week. I spoke to a group of 15 grade two kids. I had one of the deepest revelations about where we are today as a society, a country, a people.
I started with a handstand and a flip and the took out my selected book. I read the book called “The Man Who Walked Between The Towers”, bu Mordicai Gerstein. It’s about the daring adventure of a tightrope walker named Philippe Petit who crossed the Twin Towers of New York in 1974 on a thin cable. He managed to evade security, police, doubters and pulled off one of the most amazing stunts of the 20th century.
There is a documentary about him called “Man On A Wire”, watch it if you can.
The children’s book I read was about the man who crossed the towers. It’s an entertaining read, and I thought it was the right book to read since I’m an acrobat. When it came to discussion time though, I learned something that I will never forget.
We didn’t talk about the tightrope walker…
We didn’t talk about how he managed to string up a cable across the buildings…
We didn’t talk about his life as a performer, circus artist, or adventurist.
Instead we talked about the Twin Towers, the tragic fall of the buildings, the absurdity of the violent act, and the people we lost that day.
The MOST Important Thing I Learned At My Audition At La Reve Today (And You Can Learn It Too)
I’m wiping chlorine from my eyes, slugging my training bag over my shoulder and shuffling my way back to the parking garage. The audition was at La Reve, the big production water show at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas.
I came into the audition with few expectations, simply pleased to be back in my element, dancing, flipping, improvising. The first part of the audition was strength testing like rope climbs and core exercises. The second part was learning dance routines and improvising. The third part was seeing if you could swim.
Here is what I learned.
I learned that having fun is that matters. I learned the ruthless competitive, cutthroat strive to the top attitude we harbor and encourage in western society isn’t the norm across the board. We can still be competitive, have fun, and help each other.
Doesn’t make sense? It’s not supposed to. Read more
Obama, Gandhi, and You
Yesterday I sat mesmerized in front of my computer screen watching Obama’s address to congress online. Did you watch it?
Now, whether or not you are a supporter of Obama or not isn’t my point. My point is that here’s a man who is able to carry a message into millions of hearts because of the truth of his words.
Gandhi did it, Mother Theresa did it, Martin Luther King did it.
Then I had a very mixed reaction: I felt at the same time completely inspired, and totally deflated. Read more
I Ditched My Cell Phone
The headline in today’s paper in the Las Vegas Review Journal reads:
* Number of new home sales is lowest on record
* Fed downgrades economic forecast for this yea
* Obama unveils $75 billion mortgage relief plan
There’s a lot of doom and gloom going on here in the States and we are known for our sensationalism and drama. The economy feels like it teetering on a fragile balance and good news is a distant wish.
I disagree.
I am reminded by a comment by a dear friend that this could be the best of times for this country, this people. He believes that “we are finally getting back to basics.” What fantastic insight! Read more
Alan Watts Music and Life
I used to love reading Alan Watts’ books, full of incredible insight. Here is someone’s animated rendition of some very simple, but potent words.
Fear, Money, and Mindset
The headline in today’s paper in the Las Vegas Review Journal reads:
* Number of new home sales is lowest on record
* Fed downgrades economic forecast for this yea
* Obama unveils $75 billion mortgage relief plan
There’s a lot of doom and gloom going on here in the States and we are known for our sensationalism and drama. The economy feels like it teetering on a fragile balance and good news is a distant wish.
I disagree.
I am reminded by a comment by a dear friend that this could be the best of times for this country, this people. He believes that “we are finally getting back to basics.” What fantastic insight!
In moments of fear, people cut back and return to essentials. It’s an opportunity to discard all the useless junk we’ve accumulated, and keep only what’s truly important.
My revelation this month? I’ve bucked the trend and ditched my cell phone. Yes, it’s gone, gasp! I only use an Internet phone from my computer which means I have to be sitting down to make a call.
Gone are the days of driving and talking, walking the dog and talking, checking out items at the store and talking, going to the bathroom (you’ve done it) and talking. I actually have to pay attention to people when I’m on the phone…
I’m not against cell phones or any other technology. My point is that in good times, we pick up trash we think we need but we don’t. I was paying over $80 a month to have a portable answering machine. Not worth it.
This is the mindset of returning to basics. Can you train your mind to let go of the things you think you need? Acrobatic mindset training begins with using only what you need and nothing else.
Overcoming Your Fears
I love writing and talking about fear because it’s an emotion I’ve had a chance to face so many times – in acrobatics and in daily life too. I think the way you deal with fear transcends the content, the situation, the person. That’s because I believe that fear is a catalyst for change – and anyone or anything can be a catalyst.
If you are stuck in the rut of fear, know that you’re probably on your way out. Why is that, if you feel stuck? If you can think of a situation that makes you scared AND you know you’re stuck, it means that you have already risen a level of consciousness. In other words, you are not only afraid and stuck but unaware that you are stuck. Make sense?
The transformation of fear is the process of increasing awareness and then being able to execute conscious choice. Responding (able to respond) versus reacting (doing whatever the hell first comes to mind) is the difference, and the goal. I don’t believe in such a thing as “no fear” – unless you’re dead. If you have a pulse, then at some point in your life, you’ll be scared.
I’ve seen plenty of professional acrobats walk away from a jump, turn down a good chance to flip, and save the big move for another day. That includes me. You would think if there was one fearless group of people in this world, it would be an acrobat or a Navy Seal. I don’t have any Navy Seal friends, but all my acrobat friends have had their moments. That leads me to believe that no one is fearless (without fear completely).
What does this mean for you? It means you can jettison the emotional obligation of living up to a fictitious idol and breathe a sigh of relief as you acknowledge all your fears as normal, natural, and, get this, healthy. Why healthy of all things? Because fear is a great protector, a built in response to protect you from something that you perceive is dangerous.
Maybe you’re scared of a spider. You might say, I know spiders are harmless, so what is my fear protecting me from? I didn’t say that fears were rational or logical, but the mechanism is sound – protection. Rejoice in that! Be grateful that an emotion in you is there to serve you despite how silly it might be.
There’s more to say, but in the next post, I’ll reveal the fears I’ve had, the fears I have, and what I did or am doing about them
In Health and Love,
Alvin.