(This is the first of a multi-part series of blog posts)

Today marks two full years of living without a car for me!

Today I feel really great, because I have been able to have a great life these last two years, and life just keeps getting better. I take transit everywhere now in the Twin Cities, belong to a car-sharing organization, and also now a bike-sharing one as well. I’m looking forward to the beginnings of year three of car-free living!

It wasn’t always this easy though, I will have to tell you. Going car-free for me was a mix of personal conviction, personal challenge, and a final push of financial need to unload my vehicle. In 2009 I was living in Duluth, MN after going through a foreclosure on my condo in Northfield, afterward living in a toxic intentional community, not working very much as a massage therapist due to pain still lingering from an auto accident in 2007, and to boot – I was financially depleted. So in 2009, financially, I had to make the choice to no longer own my car. I needed the money I was spending on car payments, car insurance, and gas to continue to support myself. Financially, I chose to let go of my car.
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This is my call to you all in 2011. Release your fears, and disarm yourself. How many times do we let fear and anger get in our own way, limiting us from our own progress? We do not need to chase our demons away. All we need to do is let go and release into this fear, experience it, and reach out for support if we need it. I believe that 2011 is a shifting time. It’s time to stop blaming others. It’s a time to stop wielding our defense mechanisms to others and to our inner self, and to start opening up and releasing patterns in our life that don’t serve us.

Disarm Yourself – Now.

About the video:
Dash Berlin is a big rising star in the DJ world. He and Emma Hewett had the #1 dance song in Europe last year with “Waiting”. This video was shot in Brisbane, Australia, and all of the proceeds from the sales of the single, “Disarm Yourself”, are going toward flood relief in that area.

One of the things I’ve really been pondering as of late is that of trying to live in more in my “Higher Self” rather than revert to my “Ego” in stressful times or situations. I’m sure a lot of us know this drill. Something causes us to feel hurt, alone, distressed, or even more simply “like something has changed” – and our Ego, or “so-called protector” jumps in.

The Ego snaps at people, adopts a defensive posture, gives “the look” to others, and has to “win” any argument, even if it’s imagined.

Today I had a few too many Ego-moments, and I need to remind myself that “I’m strong when I’m fragile.” My Ego creates a huge weight sometimes, and it’s the reason I struggle with my friends, partner, and even sometimes strangers on the street.

I found this song by Sara Bareilles today called “Gravity” that I’d like to share. While listening to the song and reading the lyrics, I address the words to my Ego, as it’s time to start the process of breakup.

Enjoy!

I realized that I skipped around a bit with Julia Stewart’s Free Coach Training program, and completely forgot about the module – What Drives Your Client. Interestingly, it was probably the Universe or my Higher Self that allowed me to take this module right at this time.

A great exercise in this module is to List 20 things in your life that you are “tolerating.” These are the things that are happening or that you are putting up with that aren’t allowing your life to move forward, or to pull you forward.

Here’s a portion of my list.

I’m Tolerating:

1. Not having an organized office space at home
2. Not having enough furniture to feel I could entertain guests
3. Not having a clean or uncluttered space to meditate or do yoga
4. How every flat surface in my apartment starts collecting piles of paper

So, these were all environmental influences on me that were keeping me a little stuck in feeling motivated.  The clutter, disorganization, and arrangement of my living space just wasn’t in line with how I wanted to live.
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Psst.. I decided to put the blog post on “Global Paradigms” on my HolisticGeek.com blog (where I do my web-design related work)! No, I didn’t jump ahead!

If I could reflect and sum up the lessons coming forward for me in this module of the Free Coach Training program, they would be:

• It pays to collaborate rather than compete
• Too much energy is spent on FEAR and Blame, and
• Be of service to something BIGGER than yourself

Now, I have to admit, that sometimes I ride along the edges of these paradigms, just holding on!  I don’t really believe in competition, however, I’ve learned that I play best as a soloprenuer rather than a collaborator on a team.  Maybe it’s just my working style, because I love to engage a lot of my diverse skills.  Maybe there is a small “fear” of letting go of tasks, responsibility, or the thought that I might lose my identity in the process of sharing and collaborating too much.

There have been times I’ve “walked out” of collaborative situations because I felt that they weren’t resonating with my goals or personal ideals – sometimes even very NOBLE causes or projects.  I think too, that there is definitely a learned skill at navigating collaboration so that everyone wins, no one person takes on too much, and everyone has their needs met throughout the process.  So I’m hopeful.  I do like to be the one in charge of my own destiny, and definitely I have more of a collaborative relationship with my clients.  But so far, I’ve realized that I work better on my own.

People are imperfect and they fail.  They fail a lot!  I include myself in the “people” I’m talking about!

Deciding to not live in Fear however – I believe that this is the biggest lesson of all for healing to come about in an individual, group, family, etc.  In all of my experience, I’ve benefited so much more from being courageous rather than fearful.

Fear and Blame are evil twins!  In my mind, they travel around together like a Yin-Yang style bowling ball!  Sometimes it’s easier to give up, not take any risk, throw up our hands and say something like “Well, it’s the ECONOMY.  That’s why I’m can’t make more money.”   Then we just throw our dreams in the gutter.  And conversely, sometimes when there’s no one left to blame, we simply blame ourselves and stay stuck in our fear, and we don’t move forward.  We don’t even step up to play.  It’s time for a new bowling ball I think!

If we just got out of our internal and external “blame game” and spent our energy on possible solutions, even if we failed at a few attempts, maybe we’d be propelled into success FASTER!

Finally, being of service to something bigger than ourselves, to me, opens up some new possibilities.  Even for me currently, I’m very steeped in my own research and thinking about the concepts of Indigo Children and Indigo Adults, that some of my old ways of thinking are being challenged, and I’m thinking of some new possibilities in actively reaching out to these communities.  I’m starting to see that regardless of the definitions or labels we put on children with special sensitivities, that they need positive adults in their corners, and others who will help to build structures and alternate institutions that benefit rather than hinder them.

So, while I’m still a work in progress, feeling more comfortable in a solo role in my work, some great inspiration is poking through within these wonderful Personal Paradigms for me!

I’ve been diving into the concept of Indigo Children, New Children, Indigo Adults, and the like for quite some time now. I feel like I should put up a bit of a loose definition for what it might mean to be an “Indigo Child” or an “Indigo Adult.”

Though the consensus is that these children and adults have always been here on the Earth in some fashion, placing definitions or a conceptual framework around “Indigo Children” is happening more now. First characterized by psychics, mediums, and new age philosophies – children with heightened sensitivities, gifts, extraordinary talent, intellect, and spiritual grounding would appear to have “an indigo aura.” But now, what New Age theory began is being looked at closely by scientists, psychologists, health professionals, parents, clergy, and others. There is a perception that children are evolving, and that a certain percentage of children really have tipped the scales like never before seen, in the areas of intelligence, IQ, aptitude, adaptability, learning, etc.

And with new paradigms, come new problems. Many of these kids just don’t fit into our world and the structures built for them, and they often are diagnosed and labeled ADD, ADHD, Aspergers, Autistic, etc. Many children with these diagnoses and labels also show these same heightened abilities, but have varying degrees of difficulty adapting to the world around them.

Some believe that Indigo Children are here to help us to evolve as a human race, and that they are worthy of our attention. The world has changed, and we face problems and situations which we’ve never had to face. Are these “Indigos” part of a group that can lead us into a new, better, and changed world?

In future blog posts, I’ll talk again about Indigo Children and Indigo Adults, but I also wanted you to see some videos that can also show you some of the evolution that’s happening. Take a look at these great kids and what they can do, and then ask yourself, “Could kids be evolving or learning at an accelerated rate?” and moreover, “If there is some truth to this evolution – what’s our responsibility to these kids? How can we change our thoughts and our world to help them flourish?”

“How could we change as people, if we fully supported their development?”

Enjoy all of the videos!

Today while walking my dog through the park near where we live, I saw one lonely rose, still holding on to its life while all of her friends had withered. It reminded me of the cycle of life and how we are all just precious works of art, present only for a glimpse in time.

Here’s a wonderful song to illustrate, and hopefully warm all of your reflective and renewing hearts this Autumn.

After a very busy last two weeks, I have finally started on a new set of classes for The School of Coaching Mastery’s Free Coach Training Program. This one is about New Paradigms for coaches, and outlines the Metaphysical Paradigm.

This is probably a paradigm that I receive a lot of my knowledge and attitudes about “truth”, concepts of God and the divine, Spirituality, and Consciousness. Also, the mention that we are now, in the 21st century, living in what many now call the “Integral Age.” This is a time of integration, of both/and, of cross-pollenation of ideas, and where many of the problems we are facing in the world can’t be as easily answered by the paradigms of science, government, rational thought, or institutions.

In some of my work, I talk about the concept of “A River Between.” The idea that “when boulders of institutions no longer serve us, we need to find that ‘river between’ as a means of navigation. As a river winds around to easily flow to it’s source, it is also working to carve new paths – and to erode the landscape, or even ‘dissolve’ the very boulders in its path.”

My river wants to flow out of the “old age” of Empire, Institutions, Control,etc. – and find its path into the New Age of Integration, “new truths”, and new ways of being. With this, I often identify as an “Indigo Adult” – someone who feels they have always been about the new coming change, even throughout their childhood, but couldn’t always articulate it, maybe had certain gifts and creative ventures, but didn’t feel as supported as they could have been – and so often, emotions like anger, resentment, fear, and anxiety would come up as a result of living in a world that they feel just wasn’t designed for them. They have heightened sensitivities, and are often attuned to this “metaphysical paradigm”, and are very purpose driven people above all else in their life. This makes it very hard to be “practical” in the eyes of others who might not feel the same way.

Even in 4th grade, I remember being very articulate about Jimmy Carter when he was running for president.

“Jimmy Carter is a man who loves peace and loves the earth.”

School was never a challenge for me, but I learned how to play the game, get good grades, and use that as a kind of “currency” of approval from my parents and peers. My real passions were for the arts, leadership, and helping people.

For as long as I can remember, I felt that I wanted to “change the world.” From a conversation I had with someone a few weeks back, we agreed that “saving the world” just wasn’t an option anymore. “Changing” the world implies that old paradigms and ways of being will fall away to make way for the new. “Saving” seemed to us more about the old age of Empire, Institutions, control, fear, etc.

I’ll have to talk more soon about Indigo Adults and Indigo Children. But for now, I wanted to just brush the surface about what’s coming up for me as I keep progressing through this course!

Amazing insights, indeed!

This is probably mostly what the “New Paradigms for Coaches” is bringing up for me most of all. I’ve even spoken it out loud to someone that “Down the road when I get more coaching experience I’d like to start an ‘Indigo Adults Support Group’ and apply my skills.”

A little peek into some of the youtube videos and blogs that I sometimes view with this post. I’ve been a follower of The Truther Girls for a little while now, and this video speaks volumes right now to what I’m going through as well right now, and the things I’m talking to folks about too.

Ask yourself – What has my fear really done for me lately? Enjoy this video!

I just made my first batch of Kombucha in Minneapolis! For some reason, it was much tougher in Duluth to make this really yummy and healthy drink (probably because even in summer, some days did not reach 70 degrees or more, and fermentation needs heat!).

Kombucha is probably my biggest guilty pleasure! I love making this healthy,fizzy, fermented tea at home. Kombucha is said to have come from China thousands of years ago. It has been historically a popular health tonic in Russia for centuries. Many people have claimed that Kombucha helped in their illnesses, cancer, the regrowing of hair, the un-graying of hair, and of course, just general all-around well-being.

For me, Kombucha eliminates heartburn and acid reflux that I sometimes experience at night, and I’ve noticed a lot of other benefits.

In 2007 I experienced a car accident and moderate whiplash. There are times when I now have episodes of Fibromyalgia-like symptoms in my body, and my skin and body become incredibly sensitive to pressure. Drinking Kombucha throughout the day (about 3 cups a day for me) is as effective, if not more, as the supplement 5-HTP, which my chiropractor recommends.

I also eat a mostly vegetarian diet (I’m a lacto-ovo-pesco-veg-guy), and Kombucha helps me to receive the B-complex vitamins (especially B12) that are often lacking in a vegetarian diet.

Kombucha starts with basic black or green tea, sugar, and the addition of a Kombucha “mushroom” or culture. By placing the culture in a glass jar of prepared tea with sugar, over about 7-10 days it literally eats up the caffeine and sugar – and converts it to healthy acids and B-vitamins. The tea begins to taste like fizzy apple cider.

It’s oh so yummy! I’m brewing about 2 gallons a week now!

Stay tuned, because next week I’ll show you how to make it, and in the future, if you live in the Minneapolis metro area, I might also be sharing my Kombucha cultures!