Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Some Things You Still Cannot Do on the Web

I woke up late to go to the gym to work-out this morning, so instead, I went for a walk around the neighborhood, something I typically used to do only at night, but here I was in the cool morning after a nice Arizona rain last night, and it was still cool.

The first thing I noticed is that freshness that everything has when it is still wet from rain, not that it is the first time I have noticed it, but as with anything, when we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change.

I have been doing a lot of changing and my awareness of the world around me is heightened. As much time as I spend on the web, I try to never lose track of the fact that everything I do for money, is for the sole purpose of being able to spend more time in the places of the world that I want to be with my sweetheart, Holly, and my wonderful kids and grandkids.

There is no way I can see that we will ever be able to exercise on the web, but even if someday someone discovers a way, I don't think I will ever trade away one such simple pleasure of life.

Monday, August 18, 2008

When the Student is Ready...

I have heard and thought I understood the oft repeated phrase, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."
 
Today, I understood that on a new and entirely more meaningful level, because of an interview I heard with Dan Millman, the author of "The Way of the Peaceful Warrior."
 
He said that so many of us think of this in the way that when we are finally ready to listen, and learn, we will have some master or wise teacher come along and take us under their wing, and teach us.
 
Dan said this is not the sense we should understand this, and it takes away from the truth of the phrase.
 
According to Dan, and I totally see his point, it can be simply enough read, "When we begin to listen, those things that have lessons for us, will finally get through to us, to teach us, and thus the teacher appears."  In that sense, the teacher is always there, and when we change our thinking, raise our eyes from their downward gaze, we see what has been waiting to teach us, and we finally hear, and to the extent we are indeed ready, to understand.
 
This is really how I understand the Law of Attraction, and the Law of Vibration, which many see as the basis of the Law of Attraction.
 
When you are on a certain frequency, you feel and see those things that vibrate on that frequency.  As you elevate or change your vibration, you come into sympathetic vibration with other things and you become aware of things that, while always there, have not been evident to you while vibrating at a different frequency, much like changing the TV channel.  Those signals were all in the room with us, but as we change the channel, we see those things that we could not, at a different frequency.
 
Seems simple, yet some never get it, or at least they never get the relevance in their own lives, of the need to elevate their own frequencies.
 
I have so much more to find, but at least I am finally searching, a willing student, yes, and learning still.

Friday, August 15, 2008

The Cost of Doing Nothing

I have lately heard many friends and associates say that they are just not going to vote this time around, because they can't stand either candidate. While that feels like a safe route to take, the truth is harder to take. Either way, one of these men will be voted into office, and frankly, one of the greatest costs of doing nothing, is that you have added nothing of your own personal wisdom to the debate or the outcome.

Worse than that is that some of you who do nothing will likely still claim the right to complain or worse, whine, about the way things have gotten with whomever ends up in office.

I voted for the last guy, and yes, I have learned something, but I can't say I would change my choice if I could go back right now and do it again. Sometimes, even when it feels like we have no choice, no voice, it turns out that we do. We just sometimes need to talk louder, or find a better platform. Or build one.

The internet gives so many people, the tools to accomplish a world of good, and to add their voice to the billions of others in such a way that it can indeed be heard, and make a difference.

So, speak up Americans, educate those around you, or learn more, from others, and from the candidates themselves. Don't throw in the towel because the system is not apparently set up for your opinion to count. Make some changes, there is plenty of time, though the clock is ticking on this one.

Some will sit back, and beat their chests, and then change... the channel. Others will speak up, and make their mark upon the world. Still others will never even know things have changed.

How rare indeed was the founding of our great nation. In a world where most rebellions are led by the "fed-up few" who have nothing to lose, ours alone in the history of the world, was led by men of means, who had much to lose, and were willing to pledge it all to the casting off of the tyranny of a king whose usefulness had run out. I still search for its equal in world history.

What will it take for us to be willing to leave our comfort zones and lead a cause for change?

One by one we see it happening. Don't wait. Be the change you want to see in the world; one man proved it can happen that way.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

No Snow, No Test Pattern on the WWW

I still remember growing up, if all else failed, it was time to go to bed when the last channel went to snow or a test pattern. It was the end of another programming day.

Now, being connected to the world, and having cyber friends and events happening all over the world, the line is harder to see.

Oh wait, that's my heavy eyelids! ;)

We have to remember, that even though somewhere in the world, the sun is rising, our bodies have a clock, set to local time, and they need to rest. Living on the WWW does not mean we have to be awake for all events.

No worries, if anything important happens while you sleep, someone will come get you, and let you know, maybe even Ted Turner (CNN). Either way, the adage still applies, "early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." You won't find yourself falling asleep in the middle of the day.

Now off to bed with ye.

Friday, August 1, 2008

PayPal really is What it Calls Itself

Living on the web has the potential to make life a lot easier and at the same time, a lot less private. One area that still has a lot of people worried, and with some good reason, is making purchases. The main frustration I encounter plenty, is with the requirement of most purchases, that you default to an auto-renewal of that purchase unless you notify otherwise.
 
This is a very legitimate and profitable way of doing business, and allows people the freedom from having to babysit subscriptions and other recurring purchases.
 
Sometimes we make credit card purchases that turn out to be something other than what we wanted or in some way cause us to reconsider having that recurring charge. Usually, the last information available, and sometimes not available easily, is how to cancel; the less legitimate, the harder it is to find. Well, PayPal has an option, whenever a purchase is made that sets up a recurring hit on the account, that allows the cancellation of that recurring hit, with the click of an option.
 
Obviously, credit card purchases should never be made capriciously, however, many websites use the, "this price available this time only, if you leave this site, the price is gone..." approach, and that does sometimes lead to purchases that are less than well researched.
 
It's nice to know that some places not only guard your online information well, but have safeguards built in that to some extent, make the reversal of a rush decision not have to result in an all night search for the receipt, or purchase information.
 
This is just one more reason that I am ecstatic to be make my home on the Web.