Rod Briggs Posts
16 of 12 - Why we Shout in Anger
Have you ever noticed people having a discussion which gets louder as the sides get polarized? There is an old Raja Yoga story that gives a very interesting slant as to why this happens, it can offer us a lesson in interconnectedness which is both simple and profound. A Hindu saint who was visiting the sacred river Ganges to take a bath found a group of family members on the banks, shouting in anger at each other. He turned to his disciples smiled and asked.
'Why do people shout in anger at each other?’ The Disciples thought for a while then one of them said 'Because when we lose our calm, we shout.'
'But why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You can as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner?' asked the saint
His disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the Guru.
Finally the saint explained:
'When two people are angry at each other, it causes great distance between their hearts. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance.
What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is either nonexistent or very small...'
The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they need not even whisper, they only look at each other and that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.'
He looked at his disciples and said. 'So when you argue do not let your hearts get distant, do not say words that distance each other more, or else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return. Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
'Why do people shout in anger at each other?’ The Disciples thought for a while then one of them said 'Because when we lose our calm, we shout.'
'But why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You can as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner?' asked the saint
His disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the Guru.
Finally the saint explained:
'When two people are angry at each other, it causes great distance between their hearts. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance.
What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is either nonexistent or very small...'
The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they need not even whisper, they only look at each other and that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.'
He looked at his disciples and said. 'So when you argue do not let your hearts get distant, do not say words that distance each other more, or else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return. Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
15 of 12 -Giving it Horns in Villiers
“Be careful with your thoughts……. With your thoughts you create your world!” Buddha
How we view the world is how it reflects back at us. Things that happen to us carry the seeds of both growth and destruction; it’s up to us to sift out which one we will nurture. Driving back from a trip to Johannesburg recently I had this reinforced by a breakdown on the road. In the middle of nowhere my normally whisper quiet Discovery turned into a cross between an AC Cobra and a Harley Davidson Fat Boy; I didn’t need to be a mechanical fundi to cotton on to the fact that my exhaust had given up the ghost at the manifold unleashing the full V8 battle cry to the surrounding “vlaktes.”
We were a few kilometers outside the hamlet of Villiers and after a moment or two of “damn blast deary me” curses, thankfully drowned out by the volcano under the bonnet, I had a rethink (more correctly a re-frame of mind) and said to my long suffering better half that the gods had obviously decided that we needed an adventure of the off the beaten track variety. A u turn and a dirt road or two saw us bashfully breaching the peace through the main street of the little Vaal side dorp. We easily found one of those wonderful platteland institutions which exist in such places where it’s not uncommon to find an undertaker who also fixes shoes and electrical appliances as well as selling lotto tickets and cool drinks. In this instance it was “Swanies’ Towing/ Engineering/Second Hand Tyres/Panel Beaters.”
While Swanie and his general factotum worked miracles of the “boer maak a plan” variety on the Landy my wife and I decided to go exploring. What a revelation. The neat streets were full of locals walking around between businesses and their unfenced and burglar barless homes, neatly uniformed youngsters strolled home from school for lunch and the overall atmosphere was one of tranquility not found in the hurley-burley of main stream towns.
As we continued down the main street on our excursion of delight we saw a bull meandering along the pavement. He passed a large plate glass shop front containing a plethora of vintage vehicles and paused as he noticed an identical black bull keeping pace with him in the shop. He stopped. The other bull stopped. He turned his head, so did the other one; he bellowed, his counterpart did likewise. It was all getting too much so he lowered his head and put it against the glass, seeing his reflection copying him his honour required him to charge, straight through the glass. As the glass shattered the annoying doppelganger disappeared leaving the black bull looking perplexed, amused or embarrassed, I’m not sure which. He looked around and seeing that there were witnesses to the crime he nonchalantly sauntered off with a bovine air of “it wasn’t me… it was the cat!”
When we told the shop owner, who had gone home for lunch, what had happened he proceeded to round up a posse to find the offending beast. Someone in the meantime must have called the police because in the space of five minutes two police vehicles had arrived to investigate what was obviously the crime of the year (in our upmarket, modern “A list” town we are lucky to get a response from the police for anything less than murder!). We were in hysterics and felt like we were in a Jamie Uys movie.
All in all Villiers was enchanting and well worth the cost of the exhaust. We have both resolved to take some extra time on our next ramble up country to revisit - it is definitely worth a second look.
So next time something happens to you that would normally get you hot under the collar pause for a moment and allow yourself to enjoy the adventure this amazing world will give you.
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
How we view the world is how it reflects back at us. Things that happen to us carry the seeds of both growth and destruction; it’s up to us to sift out which one we will nurture. Driving back from a trip to Johannesburg recently I had this reinforced by a breakdown on the road. In the middle of nowhere my normally whisper quiet Discovery turned into a cross between an AC Cobra and a Harley Davidson Fat Boy; I didn’t need to be a mechanical fundi to cotton on to the fact that my exhaust had given up the ghost at the manifold unleashing the full V8 battle cry to the surrounding “vlaktes.”
We were a few kilometers outside the hamlet of Villiers and after a moment or two of “damn blast deary me” curses, thankfully drowned out by the volcano under the bonnet, I had a rethink (more correctly a re-frame of mind) and said to my long suffering better half that the gods had obviously decided that we needed an adventure of the off the beaten track variety. A u turn and a dirt road or two saw us bashfully breaching the peace through the main street of the little Vaal side dorp. We easily found one of those wonderful platteland institutions which exist in such places where it’s not uncommon to find an undertaker who also fixes shoes and electrical appliances as well as selling lotto tickets and cool drinks. In this instance it was “Swanies’ Towing/ Engineering/Second Hand Tyres/Panel Beaters.”
While Swanie and his general factotum worked miracles of the “boer maak a plan” variety on the Landy my wife and I decided to go exploring. What a revelation. The neat streets were full of locals walking around between businesses and their unfenced and burglar barless homes, neatly uniformed youngsters strolled home from school for lunch and the overall atmosphere was one of tranquility not found in the hurley-burley of main stream towns.
As we continued down the main street on our excursion of delight we saw a bull meandering along the pavement. He passed a large plate glass shop front containing a plethora of vintage vehicles and paused as he noticed an identical black bull keeping pace with him in the shop. He stopped. The other bull stopped. He turned his head, so did the other one; he bellowed, his counterpart did likewise. It was all getting too much so he lowered his head and put it against the glass, seeing his reflection copying him his honour required him to charge, straight through the glass. As the glass shattered the annoying doppelganger disappeared leaving the black bull looking perplexed, amused or embarrassed, I’m not sure which. He looked around and seeing that there were witnesses to the crime he nonchalantly sauntered off with a bovine air of “it wasn’t me… it was the cat!”
When we told the shop owner, who had gone home for lunch, what had happened he proceeded to round up a posse to find the offending beast. Someone in the meantime must have called the police because in the space of five minutes two police vehicles had arrived to investigate what was obviously the crime of the year (in our upmarket, modern “A list” town we are lucky to get a response from the police for anything less than murder!). We were in hysterics and felt like we were in a Jamie Uys movie.
All in all Villiers was enchanting and well worth the cost of the exhaust. We have both resolved to take some extra time on our next ramble up country to revisit - it is definitely worth a second look.
So next time something happens to you that would normally get you hot under the collar pause for a moment and allow yourself to enjoy the adventure this amazing world will give you.
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
10 of 12 - The Tortoise and the Hare
When we were very young many of us were exposed to Aesop’s Fables such as the one that taught us that “slow and steady wins the race…” in the guise of The Tortoise and the Hare. It is a much needed lesson that I have just had reinforced all these years later. Ever since my return from my last lecture tour my inbox has been overflowing. It seems there is always one missing piece of information that is needed before a project can be finalised, an official I need to speak to prior to sending off documents or a confirmation needed ahead of a looming deadline. The result is chaos, confusion and that overwhelming feeling of brainfag (an actual and beautifully descriptive word) that occurs when you have so many things that need attending to that you are frozen to the spot and unable to attack any of them.
Most mornings I write looking out, at canopy level, across an expanse of trees to the ocean beyond. The dawn chorus is full of much frenetic activity – I have often marveled at the metabolic work rate of the smaller of our avian brothers – as sunbirds, glossy starlings, weavers, white eyes, woodpeckers and robins bounce, for all the world like windup toys, from one favourite spot to another. In the middle of this chaotic noisome throng my eyes were drawn to stillness. Immobile as a statue, and just as mute, a gorgeous malachite kingfisher sat focused with keen intent on some or other prey, invisible to me. I watched for long minutes and was amazed by the sense of presence, the Zen-like quality of the moment; it was as if the kingfisher was at the centre of a ripple of stillness which expanded as my attention was drawn into it.
I realised on reflection that this was the essence of all hunters - absolute single point focus on prey followed by a burst of maximum efficiency – and homo sapiens is, like it or not, a hunting species. Carrying the feeling of stillness brought about by the avian Yoda with me, in a sort of a “….the kingfisher you must become…” way, I returned to my inbox but this time with single point focus and, slowly, step by step, the race is being won.
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
Most mornings I write looking out, at canopy level, across an expanse of trees to the ocean beyond. The dawn chorus is full of much frenetic activity – I have often marveled at the metabolic work rate of the smaller of our avian brothers – as sunbirds, glossy starlings, weavers, white eyes, woodpeckers and robins bounce, for all the world like windup toys, from one favourite spot to another. In the middle of this chaotic noisome throng my eyes were drawn to stillness. Immobile as a statue, and just as mute, a gorgeous malachite kingfisher sat focused with keen intent on some or other prey, invisible to me. I watched for long minutes and was amazed by the sense of presence, the Zen-like quality of the moment; it was as if the kingfisher was at the centre of a ripple of stillness which expanded as my attention was drawn into it.
I realised on reflection that this was the essence of all hunters - absolute single point focus on prey followed by a burst of maximum efficiency – and homo sapiens is, like it or not, a hunting species. Carrying the feeling of stillness brought about by the avian Yoda with me, in a sort of a “….the kingfisher you must become…” way, I returned to my inbox but this time with single point focus and, slowly, step by step, the race is being won.
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
09 of 12 Fog Bank
Fog Bank
The coward believes he will live forever
If he holds back in the battle,
But in old age he shall have no peace
Though spears have spared his limbs.
Havamal – Advice from Odin
Our internal life can often affect us more than external influences, as illustrated by the age old wisdom in the above quote. We can remove ourselves from external threat but can never run away from our own inner fears. The problem for many people is that they allow little, if any time for the internal focus necessary to explore their psyche. Our energy flows where our attention goes and, as most of our attention is on the ever more frenetic external world we inhabit, the ghosts and demons that haunt our quiet moments never get a chance to be put to rest. Allowing time and space for a little introspection goes a long way to balancing our inner life. External changes can be used to kick start the process….
It was a blisteringly hot summer’s day in the Irish town of Bantry which, happily, coincided with a rare day off for me. Ireland is a place of incredible natural beauty, even more so when basked in the glow of summer sunshine and as I drove out to the Mizzenhead peninsula the signs of locals taking advantage of it were everywhere. Through the little hamlets of Durrus, Schull and Goleen the pavements were full of people, pint in hand with their shirts off outside the ubiquitous pubs, as if thawing out after a long freeze. Driving through mountain passes and along leafy lanes I was delighted by the spectacular views over hidden coves, fantastic landscapes and picture perfect farm scenes.
My destination was Crookhaven, an eponymous refuge conjuring up piratical images from antiquity. A handful of houses, two pubs and a yacht club tucked away on a tiny and very sheltered harbour make it a haven indeed. I was sat on the quay relaxing, in the local fashion -pint in hand, watching great black backed gulls jostling for territory when I noticed a cloud bank rolling in across the water. A chill Northerly breeze had brought a fog laden inversion layer and as it closed down the views of mountain and harbour I became aware of a shift in perception.
Since Homer had Odysseus’ life change because of an impenetrable fog bank authors from Dickens to Twain have used mist as a metaphor for hidden realms; we still refer to the fog of war, mists of time and clouding my judgement, I fully understand why. The borderland feeling in dense fog is a wonderful aid to introspection; as my senses adjusted to the external change I felt feelings and had thoughts totally unrelated to the sunny thoughts of minutes ago. I was able to connect to a deeper part of myself with an ennui that was so beautiful it was almost painful. I was enthralled. After a while the fogbank passed and life returned to its full bright vividness but the residue of a deeper sense of belonging remained. Pay attention to the subtle changes around you, they will allow a more subtle, deeper experience of internal life.
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
The coward believes he will live forever
If he holds back in the battle,
But in old age he shall have no peace
Though spears have spared his limbs.
Havamal – Advice from Odin
Our internal life can often affect us more than external influences, as illustrated by the age old wisdom in the above quote. We can remove ourselves from external threat but can never run away from our own inner fears. The problem for many people is that they allow little, if any time for the internal focus necessary to explore their psyche. Our energy flows where our attention goes and, as most of our attention is on the ever more frenetic external world we inhabit, the ghosts and demons that haunt our quiet moments never get a chance to be put to rest. Allowing time and space for a little introspection goes a long way to balancing our inner life. External changes can be used to kick start the process….
It was a blisteringly hot summer’s day in the Irish town of Bantry which, happily, coincided with a rare day off for me. Ireland is a place of incredible natural beauty, even more so when basked in the glow of summer sunshine and as I drove out to the Mizzenhead peninsula the signs of locals taking advantage of it were everywhere. Through the little hamlets of Durrus, Schull and Goleen the pavements were full of people, pint in hand with their shirts off outside the ubiquitous pubs, as if thawing out after a long freeze. Driving through mountain passes and along leafy lanes I was delighted by the spectacular views over hidden coves, fantastic landscapes and picture perfect farm scenes.
My destination was Crookhaven, an eponymous refuge conjuring up piratical images from antiquity. A handful of houses, two pubs and a yacht club tucked away on a tiny and very sheltered harbour make it a haven indeed. I was sat on the quay relaxing, in the local fashion -pint in hand, watching great black backed gulls jostling for territory when I noticed a cloud bank rolling in across the water. A chill Northerly breeze had brought a fog laden inversion layer and as it closed down the views of mountain and harbour I became aware of a shift in perception.
Since Homer had Odysseus’ life change because of an impenetrable fog bank authors from Dickens to Twain have used mist as a metaphor for hidden realms; we still refer to the fog of war, mists of time and clouding my judgement, I fully understand why. The borderland feeling in dense fog is a wonderful aid to introspection; as my senses adjusted to the external change I felt feelings and had thoughts totally unrelated to the sunny thoughts of minutes ago. I was able to connect to a deeper part of myself with an ennui that was so beautiful it was almost painful. I was enthralled. After a while the fogbank passed and life returned to its full bright vividness but the residue of a deeper sense of belonging remained. Pay attention to the subtle changes around you, they will allow a more subtle, deeper experience of internal life.
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
08 of 12 Compassion
Compassion
“The roots of our morality lie in empathy…”Hendrick Skolimovsky
Yesterday I was privileged to be able to address an amazing support group called Compassionate Friends. It is specifically for parents of deceased children and was set up, and is organised by, a couple whose daughter died in her teens. It is often said that losing a child is more stressful than any other loss and that children are supposed to bury their parents, not the other way round. For those parents who have to experience this loss it is a hammer blow to the psyche that is completely overwhelming; many of them are completely unable to function. Compassionate Friends helps sort out the practical day to day -pay the bills and get the groceries – help but also has a team system which is as brilliant in its simplicity as it is in effectiveness.
Mourning is not an event so much as a process, sometimes a long one, which moves through different phases. When a person is locked into one of these they believe that it will last forever, like a dark tunnel with no end. It does of course end but knowledge, from a trusted source, of how it will end and what the next stage is likely to be is very helpful in dealing with the burden. At Compassionate Friends each member is tasked to support another member who is not as experienced; so a person whose child died ten years ago will help a couple whose loss was eight years past; they, in turn can help those who are only six years into the journey. In this way they share not only their experiences, which are extremely valuable in themselves, but also their compassion. By reaching out to another, even though we carry our own pain, we can find growth and solace in the most unexpected place.
When next you find yourself swamped by life’s foul ups flying at you from all four corners, pause and give a thought to those whose lives are not so blessed as your own. Better still do something to help them.
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
“The roots of our morality lie in empathy…”Hendrick Skolimovsky
Yesterday I was privileged to be able to address an amazing support group called Compassionate Friends. It is specifically for parents of deceased children and was set up, and is organised by, a couple whose daughter died in her teens. It is often said that losing a child is more stressful than any other loss and that children are supposed to bury their parents, not the other way round. For those parents who have to experience this loss it is a hammer blow to the psyche that is completely overwhelming; many of them are completely unable to function. Compassionate Friends helps sort out the practical day to day -pay the bills and get the groceries – help but also has a team system which is as brilliant in its simplicity as it is in effectiveness.
Mourning is not an event so much as a process, sometimes a long one, which moves through different phases. When a person is locked into one of these they believe that it will last forever, like a dark tunnel with no end. It does of course end but knowledge, from a trusted source, of how it will end and what the next stage is likely to be is very helpful in dealing with the burden. At Compassionate Friends each member is tasked to support another member who is not as experienced; so a person whose child died ten years ago will help a couple whose loss was eight years past; they, in turn can help those who are only six years into the journey. In this way they share not only their experiences, which are extremely valuable in themselves, but also their compassion. By reaching out to another, even though we carry our own pain, we can find growth and solace in the most unexpected place.
When next you find yourself swamped by life’s foul ups flying at you from all four corners, pause and give a thought to those whose lives are not so blessed as your own. Better still do something to help them.
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
07 of 12 Thresholds
Thresholds
“It remains the dream of every life to realise itself, to reach out and lift itself up to greater heights.”
John O’Donohue
Our lives are a continuum of growth - physical, mental and emotional. It never stops, and we seldom give it any attention. Our external aspect is obvious and we see ourselves as growing up and later growing old but there is so much more beneath the surface. Looking back along the timeline of our lives we can see that each of our phases of development began with a decisive moment, a threshold if you will, beyond which one way of being was left behind as a new ethos replaced it. Often these thresholds are not obvious until they have been crossed and only make sense in retrospection. Becoming aware of these thresholds, and their ever increasing speed as our life seems to get ever more frenetic, takes only a small mental switch; the noticing that subtle signals are precursors to change.
The difficulty is often in embracing the changes; we long for the familiar, the status quo and the comfort zone and yet the very nature of growth means they must be continually breached and left behind. People often linger for far too long in places and spaces, physical and mental, that are far too small for the wonder of the being we are capable of becoming. If the existing space has been a pleasant one it is easy to deny the subtle signals of change and miss the threshold entirely. Conversely those who are in an uncomfortable place fervently wish for a better way of being and are often the first to embrace it when it arrives.
But bidden or not these thresholds, the gate keepers of growth, are inevitable. We may as well get used to them. Sometimes we find ourselves a being of two halves, partly enjoying the adventure yet also fearful of loss of the safety of the known. When this happens the clash is between the smaller, survivalist aspect of ourself that believes that we are separate from the universe, which must be fought at every turn, and the divine component within that only sees inclusion, growth and learning.
Threshold originally described the place where the wheat and chaff were separated at threshing. When our harvest (the experiences we have gained from living) are threshed it makes sense to allow the chaff (the environment that allowed the experiences we had) to stay behind and to cross the threshold to benefit from the wheat (lessons learnt and growth experienced)
Embrace the thresholds; they are an integral part of life’s harvest.
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
“It remains the dream of every life to realise itself, to reach out and lift itself up to greater heights.”
John O’Donohue
Our lives are a continuum of growth - physical, mental and emotional. It never stops, and we seldom give it any attention. Our external aspect is obvious and we see ourselves as growing up and later growing old but there is so much more beneath the surface. Looking back along the timeline of our lives we can see that each of our phases of development began with a decisive moment, a threshold if you will, beyond which one way of being was left behind as a new ethos replaced it. Often these thresholds are not obvious until they have been crossed and only make sense in retrospection. Becoming aware of these thresholds, and their ever increasing speed as our life seems to get ever more frenetic, takes only a small mental switch; the noticing that subtle signals are precursors to change.
The difficulty is often in embracing the changes; we long for the familiar, the status quo and the comfort zone and yet the very nature of growth means they must be continually breached and left behind. People often linger for far too long in places and spaces, physical and mental, that are far too small for the wonder of the being we are capable of becoming. If the existing space has been a pleasant one it is easy to deny the subtle signals of change and miss the threshold entirely. Conversely those who are in an uncomfortable place fervently wish for a better way of being and are often the first to embrace it when it arrives.
But bidden or not these thresholds, the gate keepers of growth, are inevitable. We may as well get used to them. Sometimes we find ourselves a being of two halves, partly enjoying the adventure yet also fearful of loss of the safety of the known. When this happens the clash is between the smaller, survivalist aspect of ourself that believes that we are separate from the universe, which must be fought at every turn, and the divine component within that only sees inclusion, growth and learning.
Threshold originally described the place where the wheat and chaff were separated at threshing. When our harvest (the experiences we have gained from living) are threshed it makes sense to allow the chaff (the environment that allowed the experiences we had) to stay behind and to cross the threshold to benefit from the wheat (lessons learnt and growth experienced)
Embrace the thresholds; they are an integral part of life’s harvest.
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
06 of 12 Ctrl, Alt, Del
Ctrl. Alt.Del.
It was not long after your first hesitant attempt at navigating your new pc or laptop, that you became aware of the magic three buttons with the amazing capacity to extricate you from whatever your minefield of ignorance had dropped you in. The Control button, when pressed with the Alt and Delete buttons, forces a soft reboot. In most personal computers, it brings up the Logout dialog. These keys are sometimes referred to in computer manuals as interrupt keys, since they are often used to interrupt the operation of a malfunctioning program.
Our on board carbon based wonder – our brain - has many similarities with the much inferior silicon based systems we use so often in our daily life, and in this case (Ctrl.Alt.Del) we can learn much from them. If you continually remind yourself of the three interrupt keys your life will become much simpler as you learn your own “soft reboot”. Start practicing on all life’s little niggles and, as the mental habit becomes reinforced, you will find that you remain centered and more effective in your daily life. With practice even the “big” things can be handled in better ways. They are, quite literally, the keys to a more balanced life.
Jot the following down, and keep it in view until it becomes your default setting:
1. Control yourself
2. Look for Alternative solutions
3. Delete the situation which brings all the tension
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new e book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
It was not long after your first hesitant attempt at navigating your new pc or laptop, that you became aware of the magic three buttons with the amazing capacity to extricate you from whatever your minefield of ignorance had dropped you in. The Control button, when pressed with the Alt and Delete buttons, forces a soft reboot. In most personal computers, it brings up the Logout dialog. These keys are sometimes referred to in computer manuals as interrupt keys, since they are often used to interrupt the operation of a malfunctioning program.
Our on board carbon based wonder – our brain - has many similarities with the much inferior silicon based systems we use so often in our daily life, and in this case (Ctrl.Alt.Del) we can learn much from them. If you continually remind yourself of the three interrupt keys your life will become much simpler as you learn your own “soft reboot”. Start practicing on all life’s little niggles and, as the mental habit becomes reinforced, you will find that you remain centered and more effective in your daily life. With practice even the “big” things can be handled in better ways. They are, quite literally, the keys to a more balanced life.
Jot the following down, and keep it in view until it becomes your default setting:
1. Control yourself
2. Look for Alternative solutions
3. Delete the situation which brings all the tension
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new e book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
05 of 12 The One Percent Difference
The Difference of One Percent
During my lectures on consciousness I am asked, with almost monotonous regularity, about aliens and the UFO phenomena. This week was no exception. Little green men in the white house and conspiracy theory aside, the topic does need exploring. To encourage people to think of off world visitors in a more logical, but if possible, in an even more disturbing way, the following astro-physical slant may prove useful.
The elements we are all composed of: hydrogen, oxygen, helium and carbon, all started life in the centre of an exploding star. Interestingly they are also the most common components of the universe itself. From a pure physics stand point we are, quite literally, all made of “star stuff” as Carl Sagan was wont to say. Given an infinite universe and the fact that the “chemical soup” is the same throughout, as far as we can ascertain with our limited probing, the chances of us being the only life in the cosmos is ludicrously arrogant. Every physicist I have ever spoken to agrees on this point. Trying to contact other life forms however, is a different kettle of fish entirely.
Dr Neil Degrasse, Astrophysicist and Director of the Hayden Planetarium has a particularly rich analogy which puts the difficulty of contact into perspective. Our nearest relative the Bonobo, a chimp like primate has a DNA which is almost identical to ours – there is only just over one percent of a difference. However small the difference it is responsible for a massive leap in both consciousness and technological achievement. Compare the Bonobos ability to use a stick as a tool with our abilities, from the building of the Sistine Chapel or the Hubble telescope to Space travel and the internet. If any alien life force is even only one percent more evolved than us, and the consensus is that to achieve intergalactic travel they would need to be at least that, their technology and awareness would be so far removed from our ability to comprehend that we would seem as chimps to them; our greatest minds and achievements as a stick tool. It is most probable that we would have no concept of their technology even if it was presented to us. Disturbing maybe, wonderful definitely.
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new e book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
During my lectures on consciousness I am asked, with almost monotonous regularity, about aliens and the UFO phenomena. This week was no exception. Little green men in the white house and conspiracy theory aside, the topic does need exploring. To encourage people to think of off world visitors in a more logical, but if possible, in an even more disturbing way, the following astro-physical slant may prove useful.
The elements we are all composed of: hydrogen, oxygen, helium and carbon, all started life in the centre of an exploding star. Interestingly they are also the most common components of the universe itself. From a pure physics stand point we are, quite literally, all made of “star stuff” as Carl Sagan was wont to say. Given an infinite universe and the fact that the “chemical soup” is the same throughout, as far as we can ascertain with our limited probing, the chances of us being the only life in the cosmos is ludicrously arrogant. Every physicist I have ever spoken to agrees on this point. Trying to contact other life forms however, is a different kettle of fish entirely.
Dr Neil Degrasse, Astrophysicist and Director of the Hayden Planetarium has a particularly rich analogy which puts the difficulty of contact into perspective. Our nearest relative the Bonobo, a chimp like primate has a DNA which is almost identical to ours – there is only just over one percent of a difference. However small the difference it is responsible for a massive leap in both consciousness and technological achievement. Compare the Bonobos ability to use a stick as a tool with our abilities, from the building of the Sistine Chapel or the Hubble telescope to Space travel and the internet. If any alien life force is even only one percent more evolved than us, and the consensus is that to achieve intergalactic travel they would need to be at least that, their technology and awareness would be so far removed from our ability to comprehend that we would seem as chimps to them; our greatest minds and achievements as a stick tool. It is most probable that we would have no concept of their technology even if it was presented to us. Disturbing maybe, wonderful definitely.
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new e book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
04 of 12 Fear of Death
Fear of Death
Many people find themselves ruminating on the future scenario of their death with such great trepidation that it robs them of any current happiness. While this may appear logical and a reasonable thing to do, a little more insight will grant us more effective ways of being that will allow for our current state to remain undisturbed by threats of the future. Think for a moment back to your school days when you imagined what being an adult was going to be like. How you thought it would be turned out to be nothing like the reality once you had “matured” into a grown up. That is because we are capable, in the normal course of events, only of perceiving what our existing state of understanding (consciousness) allows. As our awareness expands, which happens as we grow and mature, we perceive things from an ever shifting perspective. We develop the tools of life as, and when, we need them. An analogy may help understand this.
Imagine life as a long plain stretched out in front of you. At the end of the plain, made blue by the distance, are a chain of mountains (death) which, eventually, you will have to climb. This, however, will only happen after a long and convoluted journey, the navigation of which will take all of your considerable skills. Only after negotiating the complications of the journey to the foothills of the mountains, will you start preparing for the climb, and only then will you collect all the equipment you need for the ascent. To try and carry it throughout the whole journey would be an unnecessary burden if everything is available at base camp; equally, concentrating on mountaineering technique while the journey requires long distance exploration and navigation skills shows poor planning. We need to focus on the requisite skills for the job at hand.
The timing is always exquisite. We will be given the tools as and when they are required. “ to everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven…”
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new e book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
Many people find themselves ruminating on the future scenario of their death with such great trepidation that it robs them of any current happiness. While this may appear logical and a reasonable thing to do, a little more insight will grant us more effective ways of being that will allow for our current state to remain undisturbed by threats of the future. Think for a moment back to your school days when you imagined what being an adult was going to be like. How you thought it would be turned out to be nothing like the reality once you had “matured” into a grown up. That is because we are capable, in the normal course of events, only of perceiving what our existing state of understanding (consciousness) allows. As our awareness expands, which happens as we grow and mature, we perceive things from an ever shifting perspective. We develop the tools of life as, and when, we need them. An analogy may help understand this.
Imagine life as a long plain stretched out in front of you. At the end of the plain, made blue by the distance, are a chain of mountains (death) which, eventually, you will have to climb. This, however, will only happen after a long and convoluted journey, the navigation of which will take all of your considerable skills. Only after negotiating the complications of the journey to the foothills of the mountains, will you start preparing for the climb, and only then will you collect all the equipment you need for the ascent. To try and carry it throughout the whole journey would be an unnecessary burden if everything is available at base camp; equally, concentrating on mountaineering technique while the journey requires long distance exploration and navigation skills shows poor planning. We need to focus on the requisite skills for the job at hand.
The timing is always exquisite. We will be given the tools as and when they are required. “ to everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven…”
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new e book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
03 of 12 Internal GPS
Internal GPS
We live in a world of endless possibilities, we are spoilt for choice. Many of us however do not perceive the world like this and are unable to access this fantastic potential; we need to learn the engine that drives this, the thing that allows us access to this plethora of wonders. While it is a simple thing it is so very often overlooked. It is hiding in plain sight. It is our ability to direct our attention with our intention. The ability to focus on what we are interested in is what highlights objects, concepts, ideas and people and removes them from background information. I am reminded of the power of this whenever I try and read in a busy environment like an airport. When I first start to read I am very aware of the hustle and bustle around me but once my focus settles on what I’m reading the external cacophony recedes into the background and I am free to explore the world in the book.
The external world is exactly the same – where our attention goes our energy flows! Parents view the word through eyes that primarily see what is relevant to their children, even to their own detriment. Similarly, lovers have a paradigm that places their beloved in the centre of their attention zone. Motor enthusiasts, sportsmen, pet owners, religious zealots, surfer dudes and bar flies all have this in common. The attention they bring to their interests highlights relevancies which non interested parties would not be aware of. (Think, by way of example, of watching someone else’s holiday movies, or baby pictures if you are not as enthralled as they are)
The point of this is that we have to choose to allow an interest in something before our attention is drawn to it. The danger of not consciously focusing on some worthwhile expression of growth, in a world of such sensory abundance, is lassitude and ennui which leads to a life of unfulfilled potential, of “would have, could have, might have, ought have…. but never did” So get interested in something that will stretch you, something that will make you grow, something uplifting. All you have to do is supply the attention and the energy will follow.
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new e book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
We live in a world of endless possibilities, we are spoilt for choice. Many of us however do not perceive the world like this and are unable to access this fantastic potential; we need to learn the engine that drives this, the thing that allows us access to this plethora of wonders. While it is a simple thing it is so very often overlooked. It is hiding in plain sight. It is our ability to direct our attention with our intention. The ability to focus on what we are interested in is what highlights objects, concepts, ideas and people and removes them from background information. I am reminded of the power of this whenever I try and read in a busy environment like an airport. When I first start to read I am very aware of the hustle and bustle around me but once my focus settles on what I’m reading the external cacophony recedes into the background and I am free to explore the world in the book.
The external world is exactly the same – where our attention goes our energy flows! Parents view the word through eyes that primarily see what is relevant to their children, even to their own detriment. Similarly, lovers have a paradigm that places their beloved in the centre of their attention zone. Motor enthusiasts, sportsmen, pet owners, religious zealots, surfer dudes and bar flies all have this in common. The attention they bring to their interests highlights relevancies which non interested parties would not be aware of. (Think, by way of example, of watching someone else’s holiday movies, or baby pictures if you are not as enthralled as they are)
The point of this is that we have to choose to allow an interest in something before our attention is drawn to it. The danger of not consciously focusing on some worthwhile expression of growth, in a world of such sensory abundance, is lassitude and ennui which leads to a life of unfulfilled potential, of “would have, could have, might have, ought have…. but never did” So get interested in something that will stretch you, something that will make you grow, something uplifting. All you have to do is supply the attention and the energy will follow.
Namaste
Rod Briggs is an International Lecturer in the Mind Sciences. He has taught government departments, universities, Olympians and peak achievers in the corporate and private sectors from all over the world. He spends half the year in Europe and the USA on lecture tours but resides on the Dolphin Coast. Contact the Mindlink Foundation for one on one or group Stress Management Therapy or get Rod Briggs’ new e book Simple as Breathing at www.mindlinkfoundation.com
