The
DISCIPLINE
of
JOY
Nathen’s Newsletter
February ’19)
Warm greetings and blessings to you, dear Friend!
May you be filled with lovingkindness.
May you be safe and protected from all inner and outer dangers.
May you be well in body and mind.
May you be at ease and happy.
THIS MONTH’S TOPIC
In last month’s newsletter, I wrote about LISTENING deeply and ACTING wisely.
The great thing about this rich human experience of ours is that we don’t have to go out of our way to do these two things; life’s “whispers” – the lessons for us to learn – are all around us, and often right under our noses.
Case in point: For the last couple of years, I’ve been augmenting my income by working in the film industry as either a background performer (aka an “extra” – human “moving scenery” in the background of a scene) or as a stand-in.
Being a stand-in requires one to pay attention for the duration of the day’s shoot, to watch the “blocking” (placement and movement of the actors) in each of the scenes to be filmed, and then quietly stand in for the actor(s) while the film crew adjusts the lighting and camera setup. It’s an interesting job, because you get to stand right in the middle of the action and observe a creative process involving dozens of people.
Over the course of my day as a stand-in last week, I realized what a rich analogy being on a film set is to living a fully engaged life:
– the physical environment (crew parking, food trucks, and sets) grounds everything (as do our rituals around adequate rest, exercise, hygiene, and nutrition etc);
– the mental environment (lighting and camera setup) illuminates and focuses our attention (as do meditation, journal writing, and inspirational books etc);
– the emotional environment (script, actors, and later, editing and music) shares stories that draw us in and make us feel (as do our own stories, songs, poems, art work, etc);
– the spiritual environment (the director and the producer) – co-creates a vision (as do each of us and God/Source).
Each of us is the director of our own movie, our own story, our own experience… And, as I kept thinking about the film set analogy, I imagined God/Source as a producer with “deep pockets” – a Universal energy that says YES to fully supporting the vision of our truest and fullest self – !
I propose that the DISCIPLINE behind the JOY of our self-expression involves three elements:
1) Everyone and everything counts and impacts everyone and everyone else. (The most pleasant t.v. show to work on, for example, is the one with the best catering!) What detail(s) need your attention, so that your “show” runs as smoothly as possible?
2) Self-expression is a co-creation – a team effort. (A director relies heavily on his/her set, lighting crew, camera crew, and actors to realize his/her vision.) Who’s on YOUR team? Who would you like to have on your team?
3) Give thanks. (Whenever an actor is finished filming his/her scenes for the day, the director and crew applaud them.) What can you give thanks for, both in yourself and in the people, places and things around you?
AND, as Abraham Hicks often says, “You can’t get it wrong and you never get it done” – so let’s be both as mindful as we can be, and let’s go out and PLAY! 🙂
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In honour of the DISCIPLINE of JOY, I offer you some of my music; may it serve you well.
Be Still (a song from my CD “Little By Little” that celebrates listening deeply);
Do That Thing (a song from my CD “Little By Little”, that encourages us to take action, and do what makes us feel the most alive).
Go For It All (a song from my CD “YES”, that invites us to say YES to our fullest expression).
(You can listen to my songs and chants here.)
(You can find the words to my songs and chants here.)
(You can buy my CDs here.)
How about YOU, dear Friend? What’s most resonating in YOU this month? WHEREVER you are on your journey, I’d love to hear from you. Please e-mail me here; we’re all in this together, and we have much to learn from each other. (BIG THANKS to all of the kind souls who respond to my newsletters; reading your comments is always a highlight of my month.)
(P.S. Three powerful tools that I use on a daily basis are meditation, a gratitude journal, and EFT [Emotional Freedom Technique]. If you’re new to EFT and want to learn more about it, here is the best place to start.)
APPRECIATION
Every Monday on my Facebook business page, I post messages of gratitude.
Please have a look, join the conversation, and SHARE the posts with your friends.
UPCOMING AND ONGOING EVENTS
– PERFORMANCES
(For the most up-to-date information, please click on any date in my online calendar)
– VIDEOS
May I be of service to you and your organization or community with my words and music?
My KEYNOTE CONCERT presentation can be seen here, and my PERFORMANCE VIDEOS, including my LATEST ONE (“Learn, Share, Grow and Belong”) can be seen here.
– MUSIC
My very dear friend and song co-writer Becca Palm has created “Community Songs”, a songbook/CD package of 23 songs which includes 4 chants that she and I co-wrote (“Ho-oponopono”, “Listen”, “Small Steps” and “Turning Within”). To get your copy, please click here. (You can also listen to and/or download the songs here.)
As a very dear and wise friend in Montreal once said to me, “All I can offer you is my experience”.
My sincere desire, in every one of my newsletters, is to encourage us all to live our Big Lives one Small Step at a time.
Much love to you, dear Friend. May you live the DISCIPLINE of JOY with Gratitude, Faith and Simplicity, and may you go with LOVE.
– Nathen
