August 22nd, 2008
On Thursday I was balancing my check book and was super pleased with the fact that after my Aug. 15th paycheck, I would be able to pay all my bills for this month and have the extra $975 for my next payment toward attending the Costa Rica workshop in January. Yay! I thought…its all coming together!
But then Fri happened…on Friday, the little wart that I found on my dog’s paw the week before that was supposed to go away with some soaking and meds was suddenly larger and he was suddenly limping. I brought him back to the vet for another exam and as it turned out the wart was more like a cyst, that was not only large on the outside of his paw but twice as big on the inside of his paw. It needed to be removed and I had to bring him back in on Sunday for surgery. Life was not showing up how I planned. This doggie surgery and post care was going to cost me (is costing) $2000-2500! Argh.
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August 3rd, 2008
In order to provide you with a nice mixture of material…we’ll be posting transformational articles, podcasts, and even videos here on the blog. Without further adieu, here’s a superbly written article by Ariel & Shya on what happiness is…and isn’t. One of my favorites.
Cheers,
David H.
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“Happiness”
by Ariel & Shya Kane
Happiness is a very popular theme these days and we guess it always has been. From the time we were children, we have been taught that it is better to be happy. Everyone knows it is better to be happy or joyous than sad or angry or upset or unsure of what to do with one’s life. So people try, they try to be happy. In this country we pursue “The American Dream”.
We have been taught that acquiring certain possessions will bring satisfaction and so will landing the right job. And of course, many believe that finding that perfect someone, our soul mate, will bring bliss eternal. Obviously this isn’t true.
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July 13th, 2008
On Saturday, Artur (my husband) and I headed off to visit his family (brother, Celso; sister-in-law, Steph; niece; nephew; and sister, Idilia.) Now, I have a confession to make: I usually dread these visits. I usually fail to implement the brilliant suggestion Ariel & Shya make about doing things as if they were your own idea. Instead, I usually sit in their living room, or in their garden, and make small talk while I count the minutes until we can leave. For, while I love Idilia very much and am very close to her, the rest of the family I have just never connected with at all. I’ve given myself many reasons for this, reasons that mostly allow the responsibility to fall outside of myself! : we’re so different, we have nothing in common, they’re not interested in me, I’m not interested in them, we don’t care about the same things, they’re boring, they just talk small talk, there is no chance to get deeper with them - no chance to make a real connection… So, every time I would go, while holding tightly to my judgments, my heart closed to any other possibility of what it might be like to be with them. Well, the weekend started out with me still like this, and, as we set off to drive south, Artur and I started bickering a bit, and I realised it was because I was resisting the situation and blaming him for it. So I stopped, right then, apologised, and made a commitment to myself to embrace the trip, the people and choose to actually have fun!
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Posted in Communication, Intimacy, Relationships | 1 Comment »
July 9th, 2008
Recently, I’ve been searching for great musicians to create a band, and I recorded a demo track to present “my sound”. I recorded it on my computer in my living room. I sang, played and arranged everything on it. It was so much fun to write and record! I’m working on more demo songs and getting in touch with many musicians in the New York area. I’m very excited about it all. I’ve been receiving lots of positive feedback on it. As music has come alive in my life again, I’ve also been taking a very cool songwriting class with some really lovely people at Gotham Writer’s Workshop in New York. I’m learning so many different ways to write songs and so much about the music industry. I might even attend a songwriting camp in Nashville one of these weekends. It’s all an adventure!
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Posted in Creativity & Intuition, Productivity, Creativity, Business & Workplace | 1 Comment »
June 21st, 2008
Ever since attending the Time and Project Management course, I find myself looking at my life as though it is a river of opportunities to be a role model, a healing presence and available for everybody around me.
Today, walking down a busy sidewalk, I began to notice something that happened as I passed different ‘types’ of people; men and women of different ages, level of attractiveness, etc…
I discovered that I automatically put on an ‘act’ for each person as they approached. With an attractive woman, I pretended not to be interested. With an older woman, I became exceptionally polite and smiley. As I stood near an older couple, I acted like a little boy. When a good looking man passed, I acted tough and mean, as though I was stronger, smarter, or even better.
I realized that I had been “staging” acts like this for years as a way to protect myself from people seeing who I genuinely am.
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Posted in The Art of Relating, Transformational Time & Project Management, Communication, Relationships | No Comments »
June 21st, 2008
From the moment I signed up for the upcoming Art of Relating, I have already noticed a significant difference in the way in which I relate to the people in my life. So much so that just last week I landed an amazing new teaching job at an incredible new school in Sunset Park, Brooklyn! Between the Time and Project Management course, which I attended a couple of weeks ago and the Art of Relating course for which I have already signed up, I can truly feel the magical effects of transformation in my life. During this time, I had been contemplating leaving my current school and finding another teaching position elsewhere. About two weeks ago, my friend suggested that I come to her school and speak with her principal. I could have had a thousand excuses not to listen to her, but since attending the Kane’s workshops, I have learned the importance of listening, and also trusting my intuition. Read the rest of this entry »
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June 16th, 2008
Hello, Friends! Life is so amazing! Four years ago when I was still in the midst of searching for well being, I never could have imagined where I am currently at in this moment of my life. In 1995, I was hired as a receptionist at Société Générale (a French Investment Bank). Two years later, I was promoted to Administrative Assistant (Secretary), and I stayed in this position for the next 8 years of my life. So four years ago, while still a Secretary at the bank, I was a walking complaint. I am also a singer/songwriter, and I was constantly lost in the thought that “This isn’t it! I’m supposed to be a rock star performing at Madison Square Garden! What am I doing here?”
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June 11th, 2008
About two weeks ago I had the great opportunity to chat with Ariel and Shya about dating. It was an amazing and eye opening experience… I am not sure what happened but suddenly and miraculously I have so many dates!! I have been scheduling meetings in open air markets, cafes, during my lunch hours, at museums, going to play tennis, cooking… And all the guys have been fun to be with! I somehow discovered how to be with each of them, not thinking if they were “relationship material” while at the same time I stopped putting pressure on myself to find “THE ONE”. Ariel and Shya masterfully hit the nail on the head when they explained that I had been conditioned to be “a good catholic girl” through my culture and I’d been approaching dating as a “mini-marriage” in hopes that the date would turn into a husband. The thought of just enjoying myself while meeting many men was outside of my realm of possibilities…I mean ‘What kind of woman dates many men?.. I am sure you and I came up with the same word..it starts with a W and ends with an E.
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Posted in The Art of Relating, Intimacy, Dating | 4 Comments »
June 1st, 2008
As a Literacy Coach, I’m invited to schools to work with teachers and often asked by the principal to focus on specific projects. In every school, there is something very different to do. In a school I visit weekly, the principal asked me to sort through materials & books that were in the basement and find ways to use them with the teachers. It would require bringing things into the teacher room, which is about 8 feet by 8 feet. It has 6 full size desks around the perimeter of the room. The room is shared by 6 specialty teachers (science, social studies…) It was so cluttered with papers and “stuff” piled so high on the desks, that the windows were covered. The room felt very “stuck” and uncomfortable to be in. As someone who loves to organize, I realized that before we brought anything new in, the room was begging to be cleaned and cleared. I approached the principal and shared this with her and she gladly agreed.
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May 24th, 2008
March 3, 2008, Monday morning, 9:00 a.m. I eagerly sit at my new desk in the law library of the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department, in Brooklyn, New York – often recognized as the busiest appellate court in the nation [1]. For over two years, I worked at the Appellate Division as a Court Attorney, serving the Justices of the Court and supporting them in reaching fair and just decisions. My name was on numerous memoranda of law and confidential reports submitted to the Court. However, until about two months ago, I doubt if any of the 22 Justices would even recognize my face.
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