Happy Monday and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I’m excited for 2017! We are all entering one of the most important periods of human existence.
Our relationship with the planet has become one that is best described as “unconscious.” We can no longer “take from Mother Earth without giving back.”
We, the people, have a (last) chance to get together, and create and live earth-friendly and world-centric values.
By living earth-friendly, “WE” based (world-centric) values, we will be consciously directing money toward only the corporations that are earth-friendly.
This will starve the corporate giants, then inspire them to transform and use high technology for everyone’s benefit (not just profits), or they will perish. If not, we will perish in large numbers.
And no, I’m not being a fatalist here, just a realist with a well-educated opinion.
In my blog today, I will share:
1. Creating Your New Year Mandala
2. One of My Heroes…
3. Show-N-Tell With Paul
Creating Your New Year Mandala
Each year, I begin by finding space to sit quietly with myself and write out my personal, professional and spiritual growth goals for the year.
Then, I take that awareness into meditation, and ask my soul to give me an image that represents my dream for the year, and what my soul wants to share so I can paint my New Year’s mandala.
In my vlog today, I share the process I use so you can create your own New Year’s mandala by getting the right half of your brain involved and developing a balanced, holistic perspective on your New Year.
I also share the mandala I created for 2016 so you can see an example of what happens when I apply the very process I’m sharing with you.
(One of my heroes) Huston Smith, Author of “The World’s Religions,” Dies at 97
I got news today of Huston Smith’s passing. He is one of the men I’ve looked up to most in my spiritual development.
I have read many of Huston Smith’s books, completed his course on world religions, and studied every DVD I could find with him featured.
He is famous for being the only man known for immersing himself in each of the world’s major religions, then living and practicing each of them fully for five years.
Through this commitment to practical learning, he went way beyond the bounds of typical academia. He converted “ideas into legitimate experiences.”
Huston Smith is also very unique for his research on psychedelic medicines and was friends with the early pioneers of psychedelic research and exploration. He spent time working with Ram Dass and Timothy Leary, and was positively influenced by Aldous Huxley.
I love Huston Smith because he was less inclined to be swayed by social opinions, biases and fears, looked into relevant issues and practices for himself, and developed his own unbiased opinions.
My experiences with psychedelic medicines parallels Huston Smith’s, which I can paraphrase as follows: “You can look at God all you want, but eventually, one has to decide to do the work of being more Godly.”
It is apparent that those who have strong religious and psychedelic convictions get caught in nouns, but have a real tendency to avoid the verbs. As OSHO says, “God is a verb, not a noun.”
In one of his last interviews, Huston Smith was asked what he’d learned from his life of religious study and psychedelic experiences.
His answer: “Be a little kinder – kinder to all living beings,” – a verb.
I have a framed photo of Huston Smith on my desk. He’s looking at me right now. He is my constant reminder to “be a little kinder to all living beings each day.”
I am deeply grateful for the contributions Huston Smith made to the world, and am happy that he is now free of his body, and can let go of his individuality to become One again.
Huston, if you can hear me, or feel me now, I want you to know that “I love you, and am deeply grateful for all your life stood for, and will stand for over many generations to come.”
Here is a great article that encapsulates Huston Smith’s life and career:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/01/us/huston-smith-author-of-the-worlds-religions-dies-at-97.html
Show-N-Tell With Paul
My friends and students, Rianon and Julian Mateer, worked with me and followed the principles I teach in PPS Lesson 1: How To Find and Live Your Legacy, and created their dream.
Both Rianon and Julian changed careers to fully engage their dream of creating a fully functioning organic farm and teaching center in Australia. It is amazing and beautiful to see, now in bloom.
For any of you looking for a health get away, or a place to teach workshops in a beautiful Australian environment, you will find Heaven here: www.wybalenaorganicfarm.com.au www.instagram.com/wybalenaorganicfarm
Great job guys! I look forward to a time when I can visit.
I had an amazing holiday season break with Penny, Angie, Mana and Maggie.
Jennifer Baker, our COO at the C.H.E.K Institute, took us all bowling for part of our staff Christmas/New Year’s party.
I don’t recall bowling in my childhood, but it was amazing fun. We all had a great time. My first time out I bowled 107, but caught the bug and got the feel for it.
Penny, Angie, Mana, Maggie and I decided to go do some more bowling on New Year’s Eve, and had a lot of fun again. We are going to do it more often because it’s something we can all enjoy together.
My second time out I managed to bowl 165, which was exciting because on the way to the bowling alley, I told the ladies my goal was to bowl 117.
I’ve got the bug now, so I’m interested to see how I can improve each time we go out. Such fun for the whole family!
Celebrating Friendship on New Year’s Day
I got a chance to spend a day with two of my longtime buddies, Tom and Jesse Campanaro. Tom is one of the original founding members of Total Gym, and Jesse recently stepped into Dad’s boots to take over running the company.
I’ve worked harmoniously with Tom Campanaro since 1988, when I fell in love with Total Gym as an essential tool in my approach to orthopedic rehabilitation, and had multiple total gyms going non-stop in my physical therapy clinic when Steve Clarke and I owned Golden Triangle Rehabilitation.
Total Gym has been a sponsor for several of my education videos over the years, and I continue to promote Total Gym to my students to this day due to its versatility in application from pure rehab to home-based conditioning.
I worked with Total Gym years ago on one of their many very successful infomercials with Chuck Norris and Christie Brinkley. It was through that contact Chuck Norris became a client of mine.
Total Gym has enjoyed a significant amount of success by combining an excellent product line with good old fashioned, honest, supportive business practices.
Tom Campanaro has been a loving, supportive father figure for me over the years. He and his wife, Joy, have been very supportive of Penny and me when we needed help.
We had a great day relaxing, sharing conversation and exploring our art together.
Now, Jesse has two beautiful children of his own so, naturally, we had a lot to talk about with the joys of parenting and watching our children grow.
Thank you Tom and Jesse for all your love and inspiration, and for your endless contributions to the fitness and rehabilitation industries.
It was a lovely way to start the New Year.
Angie and I are working on our 2017 mandalas, and I’ll share what we create to symbolize our year once they are finished.
I hope you take the time to use your right brain to plan with the typical left-brain approach to writing goals for the year. Two halves makes a whole!
I hope you’ve enjoyed my blog today.
Love and chi,
Paul Chek
