To Fly

“He was not bone and feather, but a perfect idea of freedom and flight, limited by nothing at all”
Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull

To Fly

To Fly…

Not as if to fly away,

But to fly with courage, strength and power.

Oh, To Fly…

Not as a small helpless sparrow,

Nor with the crudeness of a vulture.

To Fly…

As an eagle,

Graceful, beautiful and strong.

Oh, to Fly…

To laugh at the raging waters below,

To glide through the storms with the lightning and thunder.

To dance with the waves that crash on the shore.

To soar along the sweet fragrances of the flowers within the deepest valley floors.

Oh, to Fly…

Commanding respect from all creatures, both great and small.

O Friend, Dear Friend,

The future is yours,

Take hold of all the beauty, splendor and magnificence.

Come Fly…

Come taste the freedom and wonder.

Come Fly

Beyond your own narrow horizons,

Stretch your beautiful wings,

Discover the power and strength that lie within.

And when it’s time to rest and be still,

Hold your head high and receive the respect that is yours.

 

Remember my friend,

All the beauty, dignity and strength that is yours.

Do not be afraid to spread your beautiful wings to soar.

Fly…

Fly above and beyond,

Your future is vast, abundant and free.

 

The 1^st Advanced Course    August 1-5

The 2018 Basic Courses:       Sept. 14. 15, 16 and 24/Follow Up night

                                                Nov. 9, 10, 11 and 26/Follow Up night

For more information regarding Self Mastery courses, email martha@marthaborst.com or call Martha @ (707) 433-2282

Humanity Is My Religion

“Humanity is my religion . . .

I believe in compassion and kindness.

I believe in empathy.

I believe in love.

I believe in the good within us all.

…even with all our flaws.

I still believe in the human race.”

When it comes to our families, we sometimes see only our differences. We see the way our parents cling to ideas we don’t believe, or act in ways we try not to act. We see how one of our siblings can be so practical or irresponsible and wonder how we can be from the same gene pool.

Similarly, within the human family, we see how different we are from each other, in ways ranging from gender and race to geographical location and religious beliefs. It is almost as if we think we are a different species sometimes. But the truth is, in our personal families as well as the human family, we really are the same.

A single mother of four living in Africa looks up at the same stars and moon that shine down on an elderly Frenchman in Paris. A Tibetan monk living in India, a newborn infant in China, and a young couple saying their marriage vows in Indiana all breathe the same air, by the same process. We have all been hurt and we have all cried. Each one of us knows how it feels to love someone dearly. No matter what our political views are, we all love to laugh. Regardless of how much or how little money we have, our hearts pump blood through our bodies in the same way. With all this in common, it is clear we are each individual members of the same family.

We are human.

Acknowledging how close we all are, instead of clinging to what separates us, enables us to feel less alone in the world. Every person we meet, see, hear, or read about, is a member of our family. We are truly not alone.

We also begin to see we are perfectly capable of understanding and relating to people who, on the surface, may seem very different from us. This awareness prevents us from disconnecting from people on the other side of the tracks…and the other side of the world.

When we begin to understand this, we realize we are simply a part of one huge human family. When our actions reflect that awareness with compassion, kindness, empathy and love, we become fully human.

Love Does That

 

All day long a little burro labors,

sometimes with heavy loads on her back

and sometimes just with worries

about things that bother only burros.

 

And worries, as we know,

can be more exhausting

than physical labor.

 

Once in a while, a kind man comes

to her stable and brings

a pear, but more than that,

he looks into the burro’s eyes

and touches her ears…

 

and for a few seconds, the burro is free

and even seems to laugh,

because love does that.

 

Love frees.

 

Love Poems from God by Daniel Ladinsky

 

Thank you to my good friend Kathy Julian for sharing this

Building a Tree House with Teamwork and Tequila

“Nothing is perfect in carpentry. Or in work. Or in love.”

Mark Lange

 

Many years ago, I wrote a Weekly Words of Wisdom Quote on corporate teamwork. Mark Lange, a Silicon Valley senior executive and client of mine (now a dear friend) responded with his following observations of teamwork and building a tree house. It is simply too good not to share…especially near Father’s Day.

 

“Yesterday after the kids finished their homework and music, we climbed into the tree house we’re building. It’s pretty neat (totally over the top, actually, as you might expect) – old windows from the salvage yard that Jake picked out ($5-$10 each, a splurge) and helped me load into the VW bus, redwood siding cut from cheap knotty fence boards, a sharply peaked roof soon to be nailed up with salvaged cedar shingles – the works. There’s even talk of wiring it for lights and putting up a zip line… though Mama hasn’t approved this (yet).

 

So there we were, aged 4, 8, 10 and 47, with the tape measure, carpenter’s square, pencil, saws, nail gun – up there in tight quarters with our common goal and real differences (in patience, enthusiasm, motor skills, numeracy, willingness to share and take turns, proclivity toward drama) – all wanting and needing to be of use, to know that our contributions are of value, to see the difference we’re making.

 

All of the dynamics you talk about in your marvelous piece (on corporate teamwork), they were in ‘play’ at this ‘work.’ And really, what’s the difference?

 

At first, when Emerson (4) would start sawing a board, he’d go way off the line Jenna had carefully measured and marked. She would chide him. Then he’d get all mad at her – strategy being a hell of a lot easier than execution. And I’d have another draw on my margarita, and mumble something about teamwork, respect for each other, everybody needing to contribute. (A margarita machine would make the average corporate manager much more effective.)

 

Then, eventually, Jake (10) started convincing Emerson to let him ‘restart’ the saw… because Jake already knows, at some level, that contrary to conventional wisdom, there are, in fact, times when a good carpenter blames his tools… and Emerson would go back at it, a bit straighter now… and Jenna would find herself cheering him on… and Emerson’s little chest (which not long ago I could circle with both hands) would puff out – more with pride than with effort, you could see it — his skinny arms summoning a strength only little kids have, working a saw that’s nearly as long as he is tall, sawdust falling on his sneakers like snow… and no matter how far off the line he might have gone, he’d eventually straighten out and get through it. And it was the most beautiful thing, the way the three of them smiled.

 

Can I find the words to express how proud I was of them? I have a state-of-the-art, geared circular saw with a laser guide that turns out perfect results in a tenth the time, but that would have been a waste of spirit. And they carried their satisfaction (like magic sawdust in their tousled hair) right to their pillows and into their dreams last night.

 

Nothing’s perfect in carpentry. Or at work. Or in love. Whatever you think you’re building, things go off center, get crooked, won’t be level. No matter how hard you try, how much care you take, places warp and crack where you least expect it, and sometimes, where you’re trying the hardest, they just split apart. And you think of all that’s imperfect, focus on what has gone so wrong, and imagine how it reflects on you (though really no one notices; and if they did, they’d forgive you if you let them). Because we forget it’s the effort that matters – the will to hope and work your way through everything that, for whatever reason, just has to go wrong.

 

But now, somehow, there’s a little house taking imperfect shape in the most improbable place (a tree?) – slowly, miraculously – and it is so perfect. Or perfect enough, which is the same thing.

 

Like kids, trees grow. Even the one we’re putting a house in grew just a bit more last night, I like to think, lifting the little house maybe a fraction of an inch closer to heaven. And what a ride we’re having.”

 

Several years ago, Mark Lange a highly regarded corporate leader, also decided to follow his lifetime aspiration to write serious commentary on some of our nation’s most challenging social issues.

 

He has been featured on the Op-Ed pages of the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor and many other prestigious newspapers and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. But I think he would proudly tell you that his most important title and life accomplishment is that of “Dad” to three remarkable children.

 

Happy Father’s Day Everyone!

 

 

Who Would You Help First?

“Watch your thoughts for they become words. Watch your words for they become actions. Watch your actions for they become…habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character.”

Margaret Thatcher

 

Our decisions in moments of great pressure and stressful situations truly express in great details about our actual personality. Look at the given image carefully and choose who you would help first. See what it has to say about you…just for fun!

1. The Nurse

Laid back and casual by nature, your choice says that you are a positive and carefree person. The nurse needs the least amount of help in the image and so it suggests you saw her first.

You believe bad times are not permanent. You are quite jovial by nature.

 

2. The Man with Crutches

This particular choice reveals your leadership skills. You noticed the hardship the man was going through in order to walk with a broken leg and so your instinct screamed at you to lend him support and comfort.

Practical and a leader from the very core, you are determined and sharp. Your decision to help him says a lot about your organized and strong personality.

 

3. The Crying Baby

It is important to understand babies cry for multiple reasons and they do so to express their discomfort as they cannot explain their problems in any other way.

Your decision to help the crying child first shows you are an empathetic person who is caring and emotional. You are someone who has a protective and nurturing nature and feels the need to provide safety and comfort to all.

Your kind-heartedness and soft soul encourages you to reach out to anyone who is facing some kind of issues in life in order to help them. This however leads to you being manipulated and used for the benefits of others.

Your inert calm and peaceful aura and a deep sense of spirituality make people come to you to seek guidance, a helping hand or a listening ear. People believe that you can relieve them of their pains.

4. The Old Lady

This choice of helping the old lady shows that you possess a very strong sense of morality and value system. Your ethics and priorities are straight. You are a traditional person who deeply cares about their culture, heritage and age-old values and teachings passed on from one generation to another.

You care deeply about the elderly and feel just how important they are to society and you don’t care about returns for your help as the act itself gives you joy, which definitely shows your altruistic side.

Found in: www.TruthInsideOfYou.com

 

The Sole Purpose of Human Existence

“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light of meaning in the darkness of mere being.”

Carl Jung

Carl Jung, the famous Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst identified four major stages of personal growth. As we awaken and mature in our own development, we find that we move forward through these various stages and as we do, we become more comfortable in our own skin.

We become self-actualized, centered and grounded, are aligned with Universal energy. We are at one with all living things and live with trust and internal peace.

Each step of growth will affect the depth, breadth and quality of your life experience and ultimately, your ability to know what it means to be fully human.

Take a moment now to briefly examine your own thoughts, emotions, actions, reactions and inactions. As you review the different stages, what is your personal experience regarding these four stages of life? In which one do you currently find yourself?

1 The Athlete Stage

At this stage, we are mostly preoccupied with our physical appearance and with the way our body looks. We are sensitive with the way others look at us and see us. During this stage, we might stay for hours looking and admiring or criticizing our reflection in the mirror. Our body and our looks are the most important things to us – nothing else.

2 The Warrior Stage

During this stage, our main concern is to go out there and conquer the world, to do our best, be the best and get the very best, to do what warriors do, and act like warriors act.

This is a stage when we continually think of ways to get more than everybody else, a stage of comparison, of defeating those around us so we can feel better because we have achieved more because we are the warriors, the brave and successful ones. This might show up in a job position or in social climbing or material possessions.

3 The Statement Stage 

At this stage in your life, you realize what you have achieved so far is not enough for you to feel fulfilled, to be happy… you are now looking for ways to make a difference in the world, for ways to serve those around you.

You are now preoccupied with ways to start giving. You now realize what you chased after until now, money, power, possessions etc. will keep on appearing in your life, but you no longer attribute them the same value as before, you no longer are attached to those things because you are now in a different stage of your life, where you know there is more to life than that.

You receive them, you accept them and you are grateful, but you are ready to let go of them at any time. You are looking for ways to stop thinking only about yourself, of ways to receive and start focusing on living a life of service. All you want to do at this stage is give.

You now know that giving is receiving and it is time for you to stop being selfish, egotistical and self-centered and think of ways to help those in need, to leave this world better than it was when you arrived.

4 The Stage of the Spirit

According to Jung, this will be the last stage of our life, a stage where we realize none of those previous 3 stages are really who and what we are. We realize we are more than our body, we are more than our possessions, more than our friends, our country and so on.

We come to the realization that we are divine beings, spiritual beings having a human experience, and not human beings having a spiritual experience. We now know this is not our home, and we are not what we thought we are. We are in this world, but not of it.

We are now able to observe ourselves from a different perspective. We are now capable of stepping out of our own mind, out of our own body and understand who we really are, to see things the way they are. We become the observer of our lives. We realize we are not that which we notice, but the observer of what we notice.

More than 2500 years ago, the ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao-Tsu was trying to teach us just that. He was trying to show us how to get to the last stage of evolvement – the spiritual stage.

He asked:

“Can you step back from your own mind and understand all things? Can you give birth and nourish, without possessing? Can you achieve and accomplish without attachment? Can you act with no expectations, lead and not control?”

As you evolve and continue on your personal journey of self-discovery, I encourage you to participate in the Self Mastery programs, which are specifically designed to assist you to grow, and move up these steps in the most effective ways possible with guidance and support.

Learn how to live a balanced, joyful, fulfilling life in the here and now without causing or experiencing unnecessary turmoil or distress. Anyone who can harmonize with universal energy will be at peace with existence. These are the people whose lives are filled with “miracles”.

Life is a journey and we are never done. Never. It is only with your last breath that your growth here on earth is complete…and then another journey begins…

 

Make it the very best it can be.
Please contact me: (707) 433-2282

 

The Self Mastery Basic Course –

July 20, 21, 22 with a Follow-Up evening July 30^th

 

The Advanced Course –

August 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5, with a Follow-Up evening August 13^th

The Value of a Life

 

“The value of life is not in its duration, but in its donation.”

There was a farmer who grew excellent quality corn. Every year he won the award for the best grown corn. One year, a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors.

“How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked.

“Why sir,” said the farmer, “Didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.”

So is with our lives… Those who want to live meaningfully and well must help enrich the lives of others, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all…

• Call it power of collectivity…
• Call it a principle of success…
• Call it a law of life.

 

The fact is, none of us truly wins until we all win!!

Author Unknown

 

The next Self Mastery Basic course is July 20, 21, 22

with a Follow-Up evening on July 30.

 

Make a difference. Pass it on and enroll a friend

(707) 433-2282

Thank you to my good friend Bryan Peters who shared this story with us