Here's something for you to consider that may at once terrify you and yet at the same time cover your soul like a cool, refreshing breezed of unexpected relief. Remember this: your soul already knows the truth of life, and whenever it hears it, it goes: ahhhhhhhhhh. But most of the time, the mind jumps in VERY QUICKLY and does whatever it can to ruin the experience -- to make you think of something fearful or dreadful, or something -- ANYTHING! -- because the mind doesn't want you to have those ahhhhhhh moments. Those ahhhhhhh moments are experiences that are beyond the mind, and as far as the mind is concerned, if you start getting a taste for them, you won't use the mind anymore, right? It's all about self-preservation, and your mind wants to survive just like anything else in nature.

So what's this all about? What's this potential "truth" that may radically change your life from this moment forward?

It's simply this: your mind cannot be happy.

You may need to read that again, and again, and again before you start to admit the possibility that, yes, there is some truth in this.

It's not that your mind is chronically miserable or in search of misery. It's that the mind -- itself -- exists in duality. That's the very nature of mind; it is a dialectic. It exists in a world of polarities and contrasts. That's why language, itself, is fundamentally structured around opposites. What is sweet? It's not sour. What is sour? It's not sweet. What is hot? Not cold. What is cold? Not hot. And on and on and on. EVERY word in language must exists in relation to its opposite; without an opposite -- without an antonym -- words cannot exist. That is simply the nature of words -- of language -- they are like the two sides of a ladder. Take one side away, and it's not a ladder.

And that's why the mind cannot be happy, because the mind exists in duality -- in the play of opposites. So to be happy means, naturally, to prepare oneself for a period of unhappiness. Just as how you can't build a mountain unless you have a valley -- if there's no valley, there is no mountain (because how would you know it's a mountain?!), if you actually believe that your mind can "be happy," then you are simply...well, asking for the impossible. You're asking for mountains without valleys -- and that can't be, because the mountain and the valley travel together. They have to -- it's not a ethical or moral point, it's extremely practical.

So to envision -- through the mind -- a life of "lasting happiness" is envisioning the impossible. Yes, the mind can have moments of happiness -- tastes of happiness -- that can last for a little while, but it's invariably followed by a period of unhappiness. IT HAS TO BE THIS WAY. Again, think of the valley and the mountain. You can walk on the mountain for a while -- depending on the size of the mountain, and perhaps, a mixture of your skill and just plain luck -- but eventually, you will come to the valley, because the mountain can only exist in cooperation with the valley. If you want to find a mountain without a valley beside it, then you are not in fact looking for a mountain at all -- you're looking for plain, even ground.

Does this depress you? Yes, it can if you look at it through the eyes of the mind. For years and years (and maybe decades and decades), you have done all kinds of things -- some you likely regret, some that were just plain painful and some that have yet to make any sense to you and your soul -- in order to "be happy." Or, to put it more directly: you've done all kinds of things and invested so much precious energy in order to give your mind what it told you "you needed to be happy." Basically, you've been working for your mind, and your mind is a REALLY ROTTEN EMPLOYER. In fact, if your mind were personified as your actual employer, you would quit in a matter of days! And you'd be amazed that such an idiotic and often cruel employer could even exist!

Yet for so many of us, we spend our entire lives working for an inner employer -- the mind -- and we never actually get paid. We get little tastes of happiness...a moment here, a day there, maybe a few weeks or at most a few months...but then it changes. Something changes because the mountain ends and the valley arrives. And then we feel lost, and miserable, and sad, because we wanted our happiness to last forever. That's what the mind promised, right? That's why we sacrificed our present moment -- years and years of precious life -- in order to "be happy forever" right? But it never comes...and it never will, because the very fundamentals make it impossible. Your mind cannot be happy in any meaningful and lasting way, because your mind lives in duality -- and duality is DUAL (hence the name :).

There is, however, a way out of this cycle of happy/sad/happy/sad/happy/sad that infects our entire planet, more or less.

Exit the mind. Not through any destructive manner, such as through drugs or alcohol (which don't actually exit the mind, just numbs it temporarily, like a snake charmer's flute), and not through any distraction -- planning vacations or thinking of a happy future or eating excessively or the millions of things people do to avoid their own mind-created misery.

The only way out of the mind -- the ONLY way out -- is meditation. Because meditation is the one human experience -- aside from dreamless deep sleep -- that is beyond the mind. Except, of course, in dreamless deep sleep, you are unconscious, and so cannot be transformed by it. But in meditation, you are consciously aware of the space beyond the mind.

Be careful though and be VERY alert. What many people consider and label meditation these days is not meditation. Sometimes, it's simply positive thinking (which doesn't work, for the reasons noted above). Other times, it's just relaxation (which is a good idea, but won't transform you). And sometimes, it's just tired old mind-games in the guise of something called meditation. These are typically the meditations that promise you a better life or more money or something stupid like that.

Meditation is beyond the mind. It is an experience of conscious awareness.

If you really want to "be happy" then drop the search for happiness, because your very search is actually going to take you closer and closer the misery, in the end -- just as the closer you get to the top of Mount Everest, the closer you get the to other side of the mountain -- the one that leads back down.

Instead, reclaim your RIGHT to be blissful -- and you do that through meditation, or not at all.

Two BIG Reasons why Money Doesn't Buy Happiness

We've all heard the old saying that "money doesn't buy happiness."

But WHY not? I mean, what's the real problem here?

The real problem here has nothing -- at all -- to do with money. That's why we should totally leave money out of this old saying; what has money done? Money is not even alive. Why blame money? The problem is with people, not with money.

Really, the saying should be "people with money can't buy happiness" -- because, if nothing else, this puts the root of the problem where it, in reality, is: with people.

When people have excessive money -- or, at least, try to live like they do -- they start to do two things simultaneously; and unconsciously, too:

1. They start trying to solve problems with money when those problems would otherwise compel an increase in consciousness;

2. They start to view people as commodities -- "things" to be bought and sold, like anything else in a store.

Both of these things are simply against anything remotely connected to spirituality (and I'm not saying religion -- I mean spirituality, which is your intimate, divine relationship with your interiority).

Life will always give you challenges, regardless of how much money you have. That's the nature of life: to give you challenges to teach you different things. People with excessive amounts of money, however, unconsciously and automatically start solving almost EVERY problem with money -- and this is really, in many cases, a short-cut. Instead of solving the problem and deeply facing it, money can help numb the pain and in many ways avoid it entirely. It's like alcohol; except excessive spending is (rather absurdly, really) seen as a "good thing" that more people should do, whereas excessive drinking is seen as a real problem that needs treatment (and it is, and does).

That's why rich people are stunned -- truly, they're amazed -- at how problematic their life becomes after they "get rich." One core reason is simply that they stop looking at their real problems and just avoid them through money. If a job is frustrating, for example, instead of looking at it and seeing the subtle fact that problems "out there" in the world are often reflections of problems "inside," a person who has the financial means can just quit and get another job. Or another spouse. Or another house.

The problems, however, never go away because they're never dealt with. At even the merest sign of frustration or what would be called "depression," a wealthy person will almost always just spend their way to happiness; because they can -- and because other wealthy people expect them too live life that way.

The other aspect of the money-misery problem is just as real: a love of money becomes a lens of money, and that means human beings are reduced to inputs and outputs; to their value, in financial terms. That's why people really, deeply, dislike rich people -- it's not about their money, it's about the fact that rich people have a knack of making non-rich people feel dehumanized; about being nothing more than useful to a rich person's ongoing quest for wealth, or useless. If they're useful, then they are valued. If useless, they are not.

I'm not against wealth AT ALL. Wealth is fantastic. But it should be enjoyed consciously -- and not to simply avoid reality and live in a temporarily problem-free bubble, or just as destructively, to reduce people into mere commodities; into robots that serve a financial purpose or not.

Laughing Your Way to Happiness

Can baby Ethan teach us how to be happy?

You can find more laughing videos at www.4lifeselfhelp.com/movie_life_happiness

Little Ethan knows the secret to happiness! Maybe there is a lesson all of us can learn from babies and children.

I love a good laugh, but too many of us don't laugh enough.

Did you know that children laugh on average 300 times a day compared to adults only laughing 15 times a day?

Where did we lose the ability to laugh? Did we actually lose that ability?
Laughing is a vital part of being happy in our lives, and it is something that is worthwhile making a conscious effort to do more of.
Find out how children are teaching us adults how to be happy in life.

We've all heard that old adage: Laughter is the best medicine, Volumes have been written and spoken about the value of laughter in life and how laughter can make us happy – even if we don't feel happy to start with. Laughter connects people and is part of the fine art of life happiness.

How does laughter relate to life happiness?

Think of this, babies and children have more than one way of showing that they are happy, but the most common way is through smiling and laughing. Research tells us that children up to pre-school age laugh about 300 times a day. 300 times! It's because to them, life is one big happy occurrence. They have what they need and are not concerned in the least about what they don't have – children are experts at the art of happiness. They are happy to see mom and dad, so they smile and laugh. They are happy to see their lunch, so they smile and laugh, they are happy to play with a ball, so they smile and laugh – they're happy! As adults, we laugh about 15 times a day. That doesn't mean that we're miserable, but it does indicate that as we grow up, we start to worry and concern ourselves with things, and unfortunately, we end up laughing less, and yes, we're probably not as innately happy as a two year old. But that doesn't mean we can't be happier! One way to bring a sense of joy and happiness into our lives and practice the art of happiness is by adding laughter. Seems sort of backwards, sure, but if it works, does it matter? If you can add laughter to your life and discover that you find happiness in the process, isn't that great?

How will laughing help me to find happiness?

Laughing does a lot of good things for us. It gives our body a gentle work out by causing us to use muscles in the face, chest and abdomen. It causes us to breathe deeply, cleansing our system. It raises the heart rate, and causes endorphins (feel good hormones) to be released. Laughing makes us feel the same way eating really good chocolate or having sex makes us feel. After a good belly laugh, we feel relaxed and alive and energized. Wait, those are things a happy person might feel! And whatever it is that made us laugh, later when we think about it, we will probably laugh, or at least smile again, continuing the "feel goods".

How can I add laughter to my life?

You can add to your overall life happiness by adding a good dose of sincere, happy laughter to each day. Here are some ideas:

1. Make a point to watch very funny movies or TV programs that really make you laugh a couple times a week.

2. Rent DVDs of your favorite comedian and watch with a group of friends (or your cat – that's OK too).

3. Play and be silly with small children. They know how to make everything fun.

4. Play fun games that induce laughing – games like charades and Pictionary-- are good examples.

5. Have your favorite comic strips emailed to you or set to appear on your homepage everyday.

6. Look into laughing therapy – there are schools and therapists out there that will help you "learn" to laugh.

7. Just laugh – even if you sincerely fake a laugh, you will begin to authentically laugh because it's so darned silly sounding when you fake it!

Laughter is a valuable part of your authentic happiness! Laughing each and every day is as good for you physically, emotionally and spiritually as taking your vitamins and getting exercise.

Go out and have a laugh!

Cheers,

Richie. (Global Secrets)

A ‘Secret’ message to a friend.

After a wonderful break over the Christmas, New Year period I am back on board and ready to start the new wonderful year ahead.

What better way than to start with a new video that we have just made.

Inspired by The Secret movie, my partner Anneli has designed some beautiful e-cards that you can use to send a message to your friends. Pass on your love, friendship, happiness or say thank you to a friend or loved one. Show them that you are inspired or motivated by them, or let them know that they really can achieve their dreams by following their heart.

These e-cards are free to use, please enjoy them.

Check out the video below and then go to Free Secret e-cards.

Make someone smile today.

Here's to an awesome 2008.

Richie.

A ‘Secret’ message to a friend.

Changing a negative thought into a positive one.

Staying Positive

"Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same."
Francesca Reigler

If you’re reading my blog you probably know a bit about the Law of Attraction, or are at least interested in learning more about it.

Basically the Law of Attraction states that we attract what we think about most.

You might have seen the scene on The Secret where the guy keeps going to his letter box expecting there to be bills, and guess what, he gets bills, over and over again.

So how do we make those negative thoughts become positive ones and achieve the rewards that we should be receiving?

How do we stop those pesky little (and sometimes not so little) negative thoughts from coming into our heads, or if they do happen to force their way in, how do we eradicate them and replace them with positive, good vibes? (dude)

Since late 2006 I had some major issues with money and the environment. You could call me a tight-arse (stingy) and I wouldn’t argue with you (now days anyway). Saving here and skimping there, I used to buy a new pair of shoes perhaps once every 3 years when the old ones used to be just about falling apart. I used to worry incessantly about where or when I was going to make enough money to live on past the next week. In reality, I look back at that time and we were in much better shape than I ever gave credit for. We owned an investment property in Brisbane (a capitol cities in Australia), we ate good food every night, and I even managed to slip off for a surf every couple of weeks (which was 2hrs away) from the city. Yes we owned a car as well and lived in a small but nice house. There’s gratitude for you….not.

I also worried incessantly about the environment and how the future looked bleak for my daughter with global warming and record low rainfall in our area etc. But there wasn’t much I could do about this because I was working far too hard to make the next dollar for next weeks living expenses and was too much of a tight-arse to buy green energy.

So I worried!

As clichéd as some might think it sounds, it was when I watched The Secret that my attitude changed dramatically.

Probably the first thing that I did which made a huge difference was to set some real goals – the “ask” bit in The Secret.

These were positive goals that were achievable to me, although I did bump them up a bit in order to make them a bit more challenging. Funnily enough I reached the initial goals that I set before the bump up, I suppose this was concreted into my subconscious mind (by me of course) as I was setting my goals. And because I had implanted the idea in my head that this is what I could definitely achieve – low and behold, this is what I achieved.

Not only did setting these really wonderful goals help me to focus on what I wanted, it also kept me in a positive frame of mind…….most of the time.

Yes there were those moments when good old Mr negative tried to squirm his way back into my brain and pick a fight with the new boys on the block positive thoughts.

It was my partner who helped me with how to push the negative thoughts away.

The idea was to keep a tab on when those negative thoughts tried to come in, and immediately replace them with thoughts of my goals. My goals are obviously a lovely picture in my head so it made my happy and positive again. Pretty soon this became a habit for me and the negative thoughts became less and less as the days went on. This also showed up dramatically in the results I was getting, as well as how I was living my life right now. I was actually enjoying life and appreciating the things that I had – good food, a wonderful family, a house, a car, the freedom to go on surf trips.

Now, after years of unnecessary worry about money, things have changed for the better. The type of work that I do has not changed much at all, but now I see all the possibilities ahead of me, rather than losing sleep over whether we will have enough for next weeks rent. And guess what, with my new attitude, I can now do much more meaningful things towards helping the environment such as taking time to plant some trees or donating money to the right charity, and we now have 100% green energy.

The last thing that I would like to mention about changing a negative thought to a positive is about staying inspired. As you may have guessed, surfing is a passion of mind, I’ve probably only mentioned it a half dozen times here but this is what keeps me inspired. And of course, surfing was firmly embedded amongst several of the goals that I set after seeing The Secret, i.e. to do more of it.

This is what floats my boat (pardon the pun), but inspiration obviously comes in many different forms to each individual.

It can particularly help if you have had a succession of downs, a whole day of negative thoughts and you’re struggling to get your head back into a positive space.

Stop everything and go to your passion, your inspiration. You’re only going to attract more of the negative if you continue on that path, so it is not worth continuing.

For me it might be playing with my beautiful daughter, going to the beach, putting on a great surf video or some great music that I listened over and over on some of my surf trips with my surf buddies.

Turning to your inspiration is a wonderful way to help turn your whole attitude around and give you a fresh start to being positive again.

Here is a great video in another that I have watched over and over again to inspire me - Inspiration!

Feel free to leave your ideas of how you stay positive.