We’re working our jobs, collect our pay
Believe we’re gliding down the highway, when in fact we’re slip slidin’ away ~  Paul Simon

I’m not sure why the older we get the faster time seems to go, but coupled with the technological superhighway we’ve been on, the perception of it is certainly speeding up and life is passing us by in a blink of an eye.

Between the boob tube, a gazillion distractions on the internet, aimless nights out on the town or sales at the mall, and whatever celebrity gossip channels and news media outlets force us to be focused on at the moment, it’s easy to lose track of what we can control and create for ourselves.

And no matter what you do for a living, it’s easy to let the daily grind eat up your days;  if you’re not connected in a meaningful way to your work it makes it worse, and if you have others to care for on top of your own stuff that adds even more to your load.  Whew!

This is why it’s so important to stop every now and then – daily, weekly, monthly quarterly – the more the better – to see what’s really happening in your life, rather than perpetually going through the motions to get through the day.

I am constantly reminding my audiences and clients that our time and energy are our most precious resources, so with only seven weeks left of 2011, take this opportunity to check in to see if you’ve been using yours the way you said you would back in January.  Have you checked off all the things you wanted to accomplish before the clock strikes midnight on December 31st?  If not, there’s still a reasonable amount of time to do something about a few of them I’m sure.

It’s also that time of year when we reflect upon all the blessings in our lives – and no matter how challenging things might be, we can always find something for which to give thanks.

Because unlike the shows on our DVR’s, we cannot simply rewind our lives and recover lost time, but we can review for ourselves what’s transpired in order to learn from our experiences and move forward with a better understanding and clearer purpose for whatever is next on the horizon.

Not sure where the minutes, hours and days are going, what you did with the ones you had, or feel like you don’t have anything to put on your gratitude list this year?  You can get some ideas from Alanis, or simply give me a buzz – we’ll do an instant replay and send you on your way!

(Today’s PGG was originally posted November 15, 2011)

I often feel like Forrest Gump, bearing witness to the personal history of many interesting and notable folks and serendipitously finding myself in significant places at precisely poignant moments.

Nine years ago I was at a fundraising event and was present for one such moment when Kirsten Gillibrand turned to me and said “I think I’m going to run for Congress” as I stood at the bar next to of all people, Andrew Cuomo (in between jobs at the time, now, NYS Governor) and Moby.  Who could have imagined then that not only would she become a US Senator only four years later in a fluke appointment, but that she would rise well above the challenge and take actions so bold she would be catapulted on to the national stage. Watching her fight most recently for justice for victims of sexual assault in the military, among her other numerous accomplishments has been inspiring to say the least.

Seven years ago I was at a small book party where a then largely unknown Dr. Oz was speaking to me and another women about holistic women’s healthcare of which she was an expert;  little did I know the phenomenon he would become, eventually having his own TV show, and that she would publish a book that was recently featured with her as a guest on that program!

About six years ago, I had the opportunity to travel with and spend some time getting to learn about noted religious scholar and author Karen Armstrong. I was blown away by her ability to articulate the unity and compassion of all religions, something our world so desperately needs to grasp. I couldn’t believe she hadn’t been on Oprah, and felt so strongly that needed to happen and went on and on to her about how ‘we’ needed to get her on there. Although I had nothing to do with it, I couldn’t have been more thrilled to see that she was recently featured on OWN’s Super Soul Sunday, which is an even better format for her, and one she should return to again.

And then there is my client who I met with five years ago because she was miserable and hating her job and whose dream it was to become a Broadway producer, which after a few years she did indeed become, and who now just won a Tony Award for Best Musical!

There are many, many other stories I could tell you, like when I was crossing the street on September 11, 2008 and just happened to be there right when then candidate Obama’s van was driving by and he was literally stopped at a light right in front of me, or when I just happened to be walking down the block when the Dalai Lama was walking out of his hotel, and just the other day nearly tripped over a man who was then introduced to me as Peter Diamandis, founder of the Xprize Foundation, whose tagline is “Radical Breakthroughs for the Benefit of Humanity.”

What it all means I really can’t say, but I do know it’s happened too many times for me not to pay attention and reminds us that we are each a part of living history – because today’s events and everyday people could be tomorrow’s milestones and leaders, and that every person has their journey and to bear witness to that journey is an honor and makes very real and tangible the possibility of what anyone can achieve over time.

What surprises are waiting around the corner or in the next bite you take?  Give me a buzz and I’ll open you up to the biggest possibilities of your life so you can experience the magic that can happen when you follow your heart, live in the present, and have faith that the Universe will guide you to the right people and the right places at the right time.  And that’s all I have to say about that.

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Our culture has made a virtue of living only as an extrovert. We discouraged the inner journey, the quest for a center. So we lost our center and have to find it again. ~ Anaïs Nin

Compassion isn’t just a nice thing to do. It is not a luxury. It’s the key to our survival, and the key to our humanity. ~ Karen Armstrong

In a gentle way you can shake the world. ~ Gandhi

For this week’s PGG, I thought I would keep it simple with a few things to meditate on. Enjoy!

(For a regular dose, you can read any of my past posts by scrolling down below and click on any month/year)

One thing we know for sure is that history, unfortunately, often repeats itself. War is rarely simple or justified. We’ve had so many movies and video games laden with violence that as a society we’ve become de-sensitized. What we see on the big screen is now starting to unfold in reality on the small; even still there has been so much massive tragedy and destruction the last several years, both natural and man-made, it doesn’t even phase us as much as it should. As long as we still have our DWTS, American Idol and Jersey Shore we can numb ourselves and tune out. When will we ever learn??

Because we’ve been lulled into such a state of complacency and so many are dealing with financial survival, the gravity of what happened this weekend* is barely registering our richter scale. But if you can’t comprehend and connect globally, then at least reflect and act locally.

There’s a old song that says “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” So the question is: Are you at war with yourself? Is your head battling your heart and gut as to the direction it wants to go, or your body struggling with your mind and not doing what you need it to? Where in your life is history repeating itself? What conflicts are constantly being re-created with different uniforms, labels, scenarios and countries?

As Bob Marley sang, we don’t need No More Trouble, not only with our multi-front wars in the Middle East, but our wars at home on the middle class, women’s health, Muslims, and homosexuals to name a few. Right now we’re Rock in the Casbah but at the end of the day All You Need is Love , so start by learning to Love the One You’re With – yourself and those closest to you. Then, and only then, can we start to truly stand united and break the chains of our past.

As Yogi Berra famously said, ‘It ain’t over til it’s over’, so if you’re feeling like you’ve been stuck in a Nick at Nite M*A*S*H marathon loop, give me a buzz and we’ll pull the plug, launch Operation Open Heart and finish this thing once and for all.

*Today’s PGG was originally posted on March 22, 2011