On the Path | Issue 3 | March, 2021
On the Path | Issue 3 | March, 2021
A newsletter, written with joy, for the curious, adventurous, and modern-day action-takers of the world.
We're a few days into March... two complete months into 2021.. and I have one question for you. "How are you doing?"
Want a great journaling exercise to do right now? Sit down with a cup of coffee, your journal and favorite pen, and ask yourself the following questions...
How does my "self report card" look for the past 8 weeks?
How have I honored what I said was important?
What's been missing? or What got in the way?
How have I grown in my conscious awareness of my patterns, behaviors, and habits?
How have I moved in a positive direction, taken even just the slightest step toward the life I really want today?
What actions have I taken so that I KNOW, deep down inside, that I am supporting, respecting, honoring, and appreciating myself and the most important people in my life? Where are my opportunities to expand in this area?
Now... since this is only for you, and no one is going to read your answers, TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH. You owe it to yourself... It doesn't do you or anyone else any good to bullshit yourself!
And there are two things that are really important to do with your answers.
Practice being loving, kind, and compassionate with yourself so that you can accept yourself and your life as it is, today. You may not like what you see... but not loving yourself is not going to help you to find inner peace or freedom.
Create a plan for the upcoming quarter that addresses what's not working... and make it as easy and gentile as possible, while ensuring you'll be taking action that is noticeable and meaningful to you... that lets you know you're moving in the right direction.
OOH... almost forgot (just kidding). I'm trying something new this month - an audio message that goes with the message above. Click the image below to have a listen.
That's it! I hope your March is getting off to a great start!!
Andy
PS - If you love this newsletter, please consider forwarding it to someone you care about and/or someone who might value from it. They can subscribe here.)
Book Some Time with Me
THANK YOU... so many of you took the time to go to my NEW website and give me feedback. I've implemented many changes!!
As my way of saying thanks 🙏🙏😁😁, I'd like to offer you direct access to my calendar to book some time with me.
USE THIS DIRECT LINK to get to the page on my site where you can schedule time with me.
This offer comes with no commitments, no strings attached... zero, zilch, nada. This could be the only time we ever talk to one another, and if so... that's FINE!! My only intention is to serve you on these calls.
Thank you all again for all your input... and I look forward to talking with those of you who book a call!
A Worthy Watch
[click on image] This documentary was created, produced, and directed by a long-time friend of mine, Diana Rodgers. To say that I learned a lot in watching it is an understatement. So many things to consider regarding the raising of cattle, and it's use as a sustainable and healthy part of our diet. The issues are anything but simple. Whether you're an omnivore or strictly plant-based, this documentary will teach you things you've probably never thought about, and might even shift your thinking.
Stream the documentary for $4.99 on Amazon Prime, Apple, Google, etc.
From the website - "At our grocery stores and dinner tables, even the most thoughtful consumers are overwhelmed by the number of considerations to weigh when choosing what to eat—especially when it comes to meat. Guided by the noble principle of least harm, many responsible citizens resolve the ethical, environmental and nutritional conundrum by quitting meat entirely. But can a healthy, sustainable and conscientious food system exist without animals?
Sacred Cow probes the fundamental moral, environmental and nutritional quandaries we face in raising and eating animals. In this film project, we focus our lens on the largest and perhaps most maligned of farmed animals, the cow."
And How About A Sea Shanty...?
OK- got to admit it... I've had this video on repeat play for the past hour as I've been writing the newsletter. It's no wonder sea shanties used to be such a powerful and effective chant for getting work done onboard ships.
What's all the fuss about? Well... THIS VIDEO went viral on TikTok, becoming an instant sensation because of how compelled you feel to sing along when you hear it.. you'll see. The tune is an old seafaring song called the "Wellerman". How'd it go viral? The guy you'll see first in the video, Nathan Evans, recorded a solo version and put it on TikTok. Another person heard it, and added his harmony... and so on, and so on. Until next thing you know, you had a massive, world-wide collaboration. Pretty cool!
I dare you to listen without tapping your foot, getting a big smile on your face, and perhaps, even singing along, but don't blame me when you've been listening for 3 hours straight and can't get the tune out of your head! (You've been warned 😁)
Want to learn more about the history of sea shanties? Watch this free BBC Documentary on youtube.
Quotes to Ponder
“ New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.“
~ Lao Tzu
“To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time.”
~ Leonard Bernstein
Have A Read...
Have you ever found yourself in a "negative thought spiral"? You know, one of those times when no matter what is going on, you can only see the negative side of things?
When you're in one of those, it's the worst time to be engaging in any sort of meaningful or important conversation with your spouse. And yet, it's the time that for some reason, we're all drawn to WANT to engage in that sort of conversation.
This is just one of the many topics The Relationship Handbook by George Pransky covers en route to helping you get a better handle on your triggers, moods, feelings, patterns, habits, word choices, and actions inside of any relationship more thoroughly. It's as much of a personal philosophy / inner guidance book as it is on relationships because the principles he brings to light apply to just about everything in your life, including the most important relationship we all neglect... the relationship with ourselves.
Grab yourself a copy and let me know what you think.
Attachment vs Authenticity
I must admit, I'm a geek for this stuff. But when I came across this short (4 min) youtube video from an interview with psychologist Gabor Mate, I knew I wanted to share it with you.
In it, Dr. Mate explains this inner push-pull that occurs inside many of us from a very early age when we're forced to make impossible choices between the need we have for attachment (belonging), and authenticity (being true to ourselves).
Oftentimes, children, when forced to choose between the two, choose attachment... sacrificing themselves and who they are... which down the road, leads to adults who can't answer questions like 'Who am I?', 'Why am I here?', 'What do I feel?', 'What do I want to do?'
Whether you're an adult asking those questions, or a parent, who wants to understand better how the way they parent has long-term ramifications on the mental health of their kids, this is a great video to check out.
A Blender??
I'm a geek for this stuff too.
What stuff?
High quality gear, gadgets, devices, and equipment that do EXACTLY what they're supposed to do with grace, functionality, reliability, and bomb-proof design.
Our "high quality" Vitamix blender recently died. I used to think that Vitamix was synonymous with the best - and no one out there could match it. But decided to take this opportunity to see whether I was correct.
Turns out, there's a new sheriff in town. Hurom, which has been known for high-quality juicers for a long time, now makes a blender. It's powerful, has industrial controls, a 10-year warranty, and I think does a BETTER job at blending than our VitaMix ever did! Oh... did I mention that it's only $350 (VitaMix starts at $500 and goes UP).