When I decided to start writing a blog I wanted to ask and answer questions that were both thought provoking and hopefully in some way helpful. I like to think that my experiences during my time here on planet earth have afforded me the ability to share a somewhat unique perspective. During my travels I have had the good fortune of meeting a wide variety of people, many of whom left quite an impression on me. I love meeting people and I love learning from them. I find that when you engage with someone long enough, and you actually pay attention to what they have to say, there’s a very good chance that you’ll walk away from the conversation having learned something that can influence your life in a positive way. Life is all about relationships and those special encounters that move us in the most subtle ways. I love how people from just about anywhere can randomly come into your life and make an impression or in special situations they can have a profound impact on you. I’ve had amazing, deep and meaningful discussions with the homeless living on the streets of Venice Beach and I’ve had a life changing conversation with a cab driver in NYC. You never know who, what, where, or when someone will come into your life and blow your mind. That’s a big part of the beauty that this life provides us with. Out of all of those experiences that I’ve had with extraordinary people though, they pale in comparison to the messages and the information that have come to me by way of my inner voice. The inner voice being our subconscious mind, the part of our being that has an uncanny way of providing us with exactly what we need to know. Unfortunately, I was hardly aware of it for the majority of my life and I definitely didn’t start listening intently until just a few years ago. You see it’s very difficult to hear anything at all if your brain activity is never quiet– and for most of us those brains of ours are constantly chattering with all sorts of information. Now just in case you were wondering what one might hear from one’s inner voice I can tell you this; that soft, gentle voice can provide answers to some of life’s most precious questions. One’s like “who am I?”, ” why am I here?”  and “what am I supposed to be doing with my time here on earth?” If you haven’t yet heard those messages and you would like the answers to questions like these may I suggest you try two of the seven disciplines. Breathe with Intent and Connect with Nature. Mediation and visualization will create the stillness you need to open up the channels for those messages to come in and connecting with nature will provide the perfect environment for you to take the necessary time to listen and to contemplate. Until you receive the answers you’re looking for let me say this; each and every one of us has a purpose here on this earth and it’s up to you to figure out what it is. That will be a very difficult task if you choose to spend the majority of your time enslaved by social consciousness. FInd a quiet place, sit still and listen. I’d be very surprised if you’re not eventually enlightened and transformed by what you hear.

Live the 7,

John Nies

I thought it would be fitting in light of father’s day to share some of my personal views on the ‘Patriarchs’ of the world. When you look up the definition of the word Patriarch the first two definitions that I found were: “The male head of a family or tribe” and “a man who is the oldest or most venerable of a group”. Now venerable is a very interesting word that you don’t hear everyday and just in case you might not be familiar with the definition, it describes someone that is accorded a great deal of respect, especially because of age, wisdom, or character. Now it’s quite obvious to me that just because a man has fathered a child it definitely doesn’t make him a patriarch, especially if were going to consider him a venerable leader of the pack. That is a title that needs to be earned and unfortunately there are many fathers walking this earth that fail miserably in their efforts to do so. Being a father of four, I am no stranger to the requirements that are needed to gain the respect and admiration from your family, friends, and community. I’d like to write a book on this subject and I mostly likely will one day, addressing the fact that there’s a severe shortage of venerable fathers causing repercussions that are far reaching and debilitating in many ways. Being a great parent is not only challenging but it is one of the most important responsiblities a person could have. Without a parent’s support, guidance, example, friendship, and love a child can easily fall from the nest and find themselves in all kinds of trouble. We live in a hard world with many dangerous people and many scary circumstances. Without good parenting kids have a much greater chance of finding themselves in those precarious positions being influenced by the wrong people. A patriarch has an opportunity and a responsibility to try to prevent these bad things from happening. There’s no doubt that strong fathering has been deteriorting over the last few decades and I blame it on the lack of patriarchs that aren’t stepping up and taking on the roll of ‘venerable leader’. So I’m calling out all the father’s of the world, myself included. We need to rise up and do what needs to be done. I don’t need to spell it out either, follow your heart, follow your instincts, you know exactly what you need to do, so do it! Let’s make this world a better place. Happy Father’s Day.

This could very well be one of the most important topics that could use some discussion amongst the earth’s population. If there’s ever been a time in the history of the human race for us to unite it’s right now. For as long as I can remember I’ve been hearing people calling for peace on earth. There’s rallies that have been organized, songs have been sung, books have been written, movies have been made, and ironically wars have been waged, all in the name of peace. So there’s no denying that there’s been a concerted effort, and some progress has definitely been made, but there’s obviously plenty more work that needs to be done. In order for us to make that elusive dream into a reality we’re going to need lots of unity. A coming together of the grandest order. Some might consider me a hopeless romantic, or might view my optimism as being irrational, but I will never stop believing in our potential as a race. I have seen people recover from devastating circumstances, I’ve witnessed friends and clients overcome some serious adversity, and I’ve heard first hand accounts of people that have been to hell and back and not only lived to tell about it but have created a wonderful life for themselves.

Intensity is one of those words that either resonates with you or it doesn’t. Growing up as an athlete intensity was something I realized I had at a very early age. If you were to observe my demeanor whenever I was participating in an athletic event you would have known that there was some very serious competitiveness running through my veins. It didn’t matter if I were playing my Grandmother in a game of ping pong, I desperately wanted to win. Growing up I played a variety of sports and competed against thousands of athletes. It didn’t take long to notice which athletes weren’t playing around. The thing that surprised me though was the number of guys that lacked intensity and relied more on sheer talent or a combination of talent and intelligence. I always found the athletes that had all three to be the most successful and very challenging to play against. Intensity comes from the heart and I can’t imagine life without. My sports days are long gone but I continue to approach many of life’s adventures with a fairly high level of intensity. My philosophy when it comes to exercise is to push yourself as hard as you can and just when you’re about to pull up and stop, push some more. I believe that the body is capable of doing so much more than the mind wants to admit. When you approach your exercise routine with that kind of attitude it becomes a mental challenge. It’s easy to quit once the pain sets in but when you try to elevate your pain threshold it requires some serious mental fortitude, which results in a very intense experience. One of the many benefits of exercising at a very high level of intensity is that it helps you to develop a certain tolerance for just about anything that life will throw at you. We all know how difficult life can be at times but instead of dealing with life’s stressors by self medicating with street drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, or popping a pill give an intense workout routine a try. If you live in NJ anywhere near Red Bank come on in for a workout and I’ll personally show you what I’m talking about. And don’t be intimidated, remember what I said; you are capable of doing way more than your mind is willing to admit. Trust me that’s the truth.