There is a tree outside my window that marks the passage of time with its cycle of leaves that float to the ground in Autumn, whose branches remain bare throughout the Winter until one day I wake up to find they have sprouted buds — which eventually become the lush greenery of Summer before slowly turn yellow, fall off, and go dormant again until Spring. No matter how extreme the weather is — and we’ve had some doozies lately — my little tree never ceases to amaze me with its remarkable and reliable transformation year in and year out.

Those of us who are either born or became city slickers find ourselves existing in a concrete jungle filled with technological wonder and have to make a conscious effort to get our green on. But spending time in Nature is not just about breathing fresh air and taking a hike in the forest or swim at the beach: it’s about realigning ourselves with how the world really works, not how us humans have manipulated or want it to be.

It’s easy to forget that we are made up of the same elements as the trees, birds, oceans and stars and have within us an innate nature that, if we tune into it, will always serve us exactly as it should. But this means we must tune out the loud voices and headlines screaming for our attention telling us how we should feel, what we should do, who we should fear, or what we should buy; we need to block out the many warped perceptions of how long things should take and in what way they should transpire.

Spending quality time with yourself each day strengthens your “you muscle” so you can get to know, love and accept who you are and operate accordingly. Music is a powerful tool to counteract the “noise” of the day and get you into your own space, so make sure you are feeding your soul with a good dose of melodies, harmonies and/or lyrics that uplift, soothe or energize depending on what you need at that moment to create peace in your little world.

What if you don’t quite fit in the status quo? For example, being an introvert and a night owl living in a society that favors and rewards extroverts and early birds might require more effort to go against the grain, but the more you go with your own flow and march to the beat of your own drum, the less stressed and more rewarding life will be.

You can then experience the joy of synchronicity, because it is when you are so connected to yourself and the Universe that “magic” happens: You see a scene or hear a line in a movie or come across a book that speaks directly to you; you find out about an event or run into a person that helps get you your dream job; or perhaps receive an unexpected check in precisely the amount you needed just in the nick of time. It all comes down to having trust and faith in yourself and your path — and trusting in the very process of life itself is the best way to honor being alive.

Those of you who know me know that one of my favorite sayings is that everything happens “in time and on time”. In Eastern philosophy, this goes hand in hand with the concept of wu wei, loosely translated as “non-action” or “effortless doing”. I am also here to remind you to have patience, because life doesn’t happen overnight or like an instant message; there is ebb and flow, a shedding and a blossoming, and an unfoldment that is under the control of something far wiser than our little pea brains.

Feeling a bit tone-deaf trying to find your own rhythm in a world of distraction and dissonance? Give me a buzz and I can be like a piano teacher with a fancy metronome who gets you back in the groove to make beautiful music in every area of your life!

Suffering without catharsis is nothing but wasted pain. ~ Jim MacLaren, via Elizabeth Gilbert

It is not enough to win a war; it is more important to organize the peace.~ Aristotle

If you’re like me, my clients, friends and family, the last three years or so have felt as though you’ve been fighting your way through a series of battles, one deeper or slightly different from the last, but all relentlessly asking you to deal with one particular area of life, even if that area spills over to a few others. And it doesn’t help that our world has been going through its own revolution with major insanity via governments and insurgents, the misuse of technology and military/police force, and the dis-ease that Mother Nature has been rebelling against in her own way …

Maybe a war was being waged against you from the outside – perhaps in the form of losing a job or a loved one, or dealing with a health crisis, breakup, financial issues – or from the inside, i.e., confronting depression, addiction, OCD, ADD, emotional trauma, co-dependency, self-esteem, toxic relationships, negative thoughts and patterns. Either way, it’s been a time that’s forced you to go to the mattresses with your psyche, getting schooled in something or by someone, but ultimately yourself, in a probably not-so-pleasant way.

If you rose to the challenge and hunkered down to face those adversaries, you will find, as the fog starts to lift, a super-stark reality check; things that you thought to be stable or secure no longer hold that position; things that once gave you comfort, now not so much. We see things now as they really are, not how we wish them to be. Smooth sailing it has definitely not been, but if you can honestly reflect on all that’s transpired, you will see that indeed it has been quite productive!

Yes there were some casualties, but most likely they were the enemies, real or imagined, internal or external, holding you back from moving forward anyway. We might have some scars, but we’ve recognized and liberated ourselves from our own self-imposed torture chambers and internment camps. You have decided what is or isn’t important and have begun to adjust some behaviors in order to reflect your new attitude and revelations.

The most dangerous threat we all continue to face is that of “divide and conquer”; of thinking we are the lone soldier in the battlefield and that we have to suffer in silence. Sure, at the end of the day we have to vanquish our own demons, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t call in the troops and rely upon our buddies for support, even if just moral, along the way. We cannot isolate in our trenches. We must reach out to our platoons – that is what they are there for!

The good news is that after sloshing through this winter’s punch [summer’s heat], we can revel in the Spring [Fall] knowing that lighter [cooler] days, both literally and metaphorically, are ahead. Be patient with yourself and others as you enter back into civil society and express kindness, compassion and forgiveness to all you meet, even your so-called adversaries, as we have all been struggling in one way or another with our wounds and probably have a little PTSD that can be cured with a lot of TLC. It is finally time for a truce, and to surrender to the peace that is waiting for you should you choose to accept all that the Universe has asked (well, more like demanded!) you to change.

Not quite sure what you’ve gained or lost in this epic battle with yourself? Give me a buzz and I’ll help you see this particular War – what it was really good for, so you can say, “Thank you for letting me be myself again” – only a better, new and improved version of who you are truly meant to be!

One of the things I learned when I was negotiating was that until I changed myself, I could not change others. ~ Nelson Mandela

Revolution is the evolution of humans into a higher humanity. ~ Grace Lee Boggs

Those of you who know me or have been reading PGG for a while are aware that my passion and mission in life has always been to contribute to world peace, mostly through my work best expressed in my mantra that personal transformation is the key to social transformation.

So it should come as no surprise that I profoundly relate to and revere the lives of these two nonagenarians, Nelson Mandela who died last week at age 95, and the 98-year-old* activist and author Grace Lee Boggs.They literally embody this philosophy in every cell of their beings; they have demonstrated it externally with their activism and sacrifice for racial equality and social justice, and internally by the wisdom they have gained and generously share from nearly a century of experience, observation, and, most importantly, reflection.

Both started out as “radicals”, and were branded as terrorists with the requisite FBI/CIA files (Mandela was even on the US terrorism watch list until 2008!) because they initially saw the only way to overthrow the entrenched power structure was by employing the more literal and sometimes violent tactics of revolution through organized movements and a spirit of rebellion. But through trial and error, incarceration, and maturity, they eventually evolved; they gave themselves permission to change their minds, learn and grow in light of new information, experimentation and once again, reflection – ultimately coming to the conclusion that in order to change the world, they would have to change themselves.

They came to understand that indeed humanity is made up of humans and that humans were going to have to deal with other humans in order to get anything done. So we’d better be the best we can be as individuals and try to get along and get past our differences and disagreements, because the reality is that we must co-exist harmoniously – whether in a racially divided African country, a rundown bankrupt American city, or in your very own household.

We are living in extraordinary times, and it is no accident that you are who you are at this moment in history.

What does your humanity mean to you? As our world continues to go through turbulent changes and upheavals, it will be up to us individually and collectively to do our part to “tear down” where necessary and rebuild a more enlightened society that reflects our evolved humanity. But we have to start with ourselves and do what we can in our immediate environments to demonstrate our own revolution – which, by the way, does not happen overnight or with a magic pill, silver bullet, or special app.

Only through keen observation, deep reflection, and inner and outer sweating effort and energy over a long period of time directed towards improving ourselves and serving others that true transformation can take place. Then, if we’re lucky, by the time we reach our 90’s we can look back and see how our journey has positively and productively unfolded in both a personal and political way, and be proud of what we accomplished and the legacy we will leave behind.

Wondering how it will all go down if you take up the cause? Give me a buzz and I will incite a riot in your heart to make the most of what you got, so at the end of the day you know it’s gonna be alright. 

In 2009, Southern Australia experienced some of the worst bushfires in over 20 years. But the climate and landscape make them a regular occurrence, and many flora and fauna have adapted over time to use these periodic blazes to fertilize their soil, spread their seeds, and regenerate more quickly. New species that can thrive in such conditions have been introduced, and folks in many places have even used controlled forest fires to remove underbrush and clear land for other constructive uses.

So with all the heartache and devastation that accompanies such incidents, it’s important to remember that there is a positive and negative aspect to everything – even disasters can ultimately be productive and have a silver lining. One thing is for sure: You cannot ignore a fire.

Sometimes we get to the place where destruction is required so a situation can be addressed/corrected/acknowledged and/or given the opportunity for something new and improved to exist. The riots in London, the stock market and debt ceiling madness, the crises in Syria and Somalia, extreme weather [current 2019 snapshot: U.S. democracy, British government, global border crisis, climate change, Amazon forest fires, women’s rights, Hong Kong, the Middle East to name a few] and other “fires” here and around the world are ablaze, calling us to pay attention to them in one way or another. It’s up to us to know what needs to hosed down, and what needs to simply burn, baby, burn.

In many ancient cultures, it is said the mythical phoenix dies many deaths by bursting into flames, only to return, rising from its own ashes for all eternity. As you look upon the landscape of your life, what needs to be consumed and let go of in its current form in order to be reborn anew more magnificently?

Can’t quite see through the smoke or feel the heat? Give me a buzz and I’ll show you which fires need to be put out, which need to be stoked, and where you might need to have one lit under your butt so that something better can sprout up in its place, allowing you to move forward in any area of your life. I’ll either be a spark to Light Your Fire or help you with Burning Down the House…