The other day I drove my Mom to the airport. She was off to Florida to spend some time with my Grandfather who is 98 years young. During the drive she said she was going there to “take care of her Daddy”. When we arrived at the terminal I got out of the car to say good bye and she told me to “take care” of my sister and my niece. Her comments got me thinking about those two words that are used so frequently and how important they are for all of us. I first thought about how awesome it is when we actually have someone to take care of. Especially family members that love to look out for one another, making sure that life is good. And if it isn’t to make sure we do everything in our power to try to make it better. I like to think that there’s an innate mechanism inside of us that influences us to behave in a certain way. Could imagine if the everyone walking around this planet of ours couldn’t care less about anyone else but themselves? What a mess this world would be if that were the case. Fortunately we have plenty of compassionate people that are more than willing to extend a helping hand. I have a very high regard for the people that take caring seriously and Lord knows we need plenty of them to go around. I also admire those that choose to go into professions that fall under the “care taker” category. Those are the angels that live among us. Let us all start with trying to take better care of ourselves, because when we don’t it makes it very difficult to be able to take care of someone else. Eat clean, organic, and nutritious food! Limit the consumption of poison! Get your exercise! Say your prayers! Keep your spirits up! Love life! It’s much more enjoyable and rewarding to be the one providing the care as opposed to being the recipient. May I also suggest that we try to take better care of this amazing planet that provides us with everything we need to survive and then some. Take care of her by producing less waste, consuming less of her natural resources, and reducing our wastefulness (especially food and water). We all have the ability to take better care of ourselves, each other, and Mother Earth. So I’ll leave you with a very important question that we all need to ourselves and each other: WHO CARES?

Live the 7,

John Nies

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.

It is said that Chi Gong (or Qi Gong) has been around for over 2,000 years. It’s hard to classify exactly what it is because it fits into a variety of categories. It can be considered a physical activity or exercise, a martial art, a meditation or spiritual practice and/or a method used to prevent disease or cure certain illnesses. Chi Gong was originally practiced by Taoist monks in China and fortunately for us it has made it’s way here to America. There are many variations of Chi Gong. I was taught and practice something called ‘The Eight Pieces of Brocade.’ The woman that taught me was a doctor of Chinese medicine and acupuncturist that received her license in China. She told me an amazing story of a man that she had treated for a knee injury whom appeared to be in his late eighties, but when she checked him via a vibrational reading (a method used by Chinese Medicine practitioners that enables them to guage the vibrational frequencies of our internal organs) she said his organs had the strength of a healthy twenty five year old. The man had explained to her that the Shaolin Monks healed him from a life threatening disease and taught him the 8 pieces of brocade advising him to do them in order to stay healthy. He reported to the doctor that had been doing them everyday for the last 15 years. I myself have been doing them for almost five years now and I love it! My favorite time to do it is first thing in morning. It’s a perfect way to start your day. You’re connecting with nature,(one of the seven disciplines)–if you do them outside , you’re getting 15 to 20 minutes of fresh air, and the amazing charge of energy you feel is better than any artificial stimulant on the market!

Live the 7,

John Nies

This past Sunday was Mothers Day and I decided to dedicate my word of the week to my mother. It’s actually two words that describe the first thought that comes to mind when I think of my Mom. I know there are millions, if not billions of awesome mothers that come from all corners of the World, so you if you happen to be one of the lucky ones, like myself than you will relate to what I’m about to say. Before I get started I want to speak to those of you that were raised without a Mom or by a Mom that struggled when it came to loving you. I think it’s important to recognize that we can learn lessons and grow/evolve whether your mom was there for you or not. Some of us learn by having a positive influence in our lives, someone that we can emulate, but many lessons are learned when we have someone that is behaving in such a way where we walk away learning what not to do. So whether or not you had unconditional love during your childhood it’s never too late to be that person who now shares it with those people you have relations with. Now, in order to have the capacity to love unconditionally one may have to go back to the very beginning of their life because that is where/when we learned (learned being a key word) how not to. I believe that the large majority of human beings are born with a perfectly pure essence and as we develop as children we pick up behaviors, attitudes, and perspective. We are taught hatred, racism, violence, prejudice, immorality and fear. So the good news is this, if we can learn these things we can certainly teach ourselves how to unlearn them. The old adage, if there’s a will there’s a way definitely applies here. If you are like me and believe that love is an essential component to having peace of mind, beautiful relationships, and an amazing life than you will make the effort to love everyone and everything unconditionally. Spread the love people, our World and all its occupants could definitely use it!