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December 2006In this Issue: Circumstances |
Ahhhhhhh! The Holidays! Do you ever notice how even the most sane people can start to act crazy come year end? The holidays do seem to have a way of bringing out the worst and the best in us, don’t they? Maybe it’s just the circumstances we find ourselves in. Or maybe we aren’t choosing what we really want for ourselves. I can’t say that I unequivocally love Christmas, but I do believe in what Jesus stood for and, what Hanukkah is a really about. And I do truly appreciate candlelight. This year, my five-year old son wants to light candles, every day, over the holidays like his friend in kindergarten does with his family. I agreed. As a great poet once said, the darkness around us is deep. If you want to see the Light this holiday season, look into a child’s eyes, or if there’s no child around, remember what Jesus said and, become child-like! Blessings of peace during the holiday season.With love, If you'd like to share this issue with a friend, they can view the newsletter online at http://www.seanleclaire.com/ezine/. If you'd prefer not to receive future issues of Be The Change, click the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of this message. CIRCUMSTANCESPeople are always complaining about circumstances. I don’t believe in circumstances. If I don’t like a situation that I find myself in, I work at changing it. If I can’t change it, I choose to accept the circumstances completely, and often, that changes them. I’m in no way implying that we can transform ourselves. That’s new-age, self-help dribble. We can only allow Grace to enter the situation and change us. But I do, and you do, have free will. Use it son, or lose it, my mom used to say. Recently, a distraught man approached me after a men’s meeting. He asked me how I had made the shift away from founding partner and president of an advertising agency & event marketing company. I could see that he was frightened about some circumstances in his life. I immediately thought of my story and how many more changes, in circumstances, I have been present for and participated in, since leaving the advertising world in my mid-thirties. Just as I was about to answer the man’s question with my own story, I thought of a friend of mine. His name is Mike. He’s an unassuming guy, with soft blue eyes and an Irish edge to him, an affable and gifted fellow. I thought if I shared some of Mike’s story, that maybe it might help the guy standing in front of me. Here’s what I said. “Look man, everyone complains about circumstances. This buddy of mine, Mike, wanted to be an actor more than anything. He couldn’t stand his job selling stocks for a living. No more fleecing the lambs, Mike used to say. He’d had it! So he took acting classes. Then he landed some good roles in a few plays, and some smaller parts in television. But acting didn’t quite fill up his dance card. And he didn’t want to go back to working in the stock market. One afternoon, Mike and I were sitting in my apartment in Vancouver , British Columbia . He was showing me some pictures that he had taken of friends. Amazing work, I thought to myself. I asked Mike to photograph me and he did. The picture Mike took that day is now on my web site and the masthead of this “Be the Change” E-zine. A few weeks later, I challenged Mike to take pictures of ten people he knew and to make a photographer’s portfolio. He did. The work was stunning. He took photography courses. He researched and studied photography. He bought cameras. He took tons of pictures. He felt lost. He talked with friends. He took pictures. He felt elated. He took more pictures. He felt down, depressed. He took pictures. He felt sad. He took more pictures. He chose to stay positive. He had crazy thoughts, like driving a brewery truck for a living. He took pictures. He didn’t really understand where his life was headed. He prayed and took more pictures. Mike created a small studio in his new home. He went to work as a photographer and, slowly, steadily, built a business taking pictures of people. Last year, when His Holiness, The Dali Lama went to Vancouver , who do you think was the photographer asked to do the photo shoot? You guessed it! Today, Mike is a sought-after photographer and to quote him, ‘I’m happy with what I do, Sean.’ I no longer believe in circumstances. Neither does Mike. You don’t like what life has given you. You don’t like what you have created. Create something else! According to the Gandhi contemporary and profound meditation teacher Ecknath Esawaran…human beings are immense spiritual forces barely contained in a physical form. I try to remember that when it’s time for me to show up for another change in my life. Everything is subject to change and to circumstances, without notice. Succumbing to circumstances is for victims. Victims need compassion, and many people choose to live small lives. You know why, man? Well, because it takes more courage to be positive!” Some people thought I wasn’t compassionate with the guy. I don’t agree. There’s idiot compassion and there’s genuine compassion. Sometimes, the latter can feel like a slap, an ice cold shower, a wake up call! Thank God and foul-weather friends that I heard the wake up call when it came for me. I pray that I keep listening. BODY-CENTERED BREAKS (BCBs)The Body-Centered Break is a body-focused inquiry and awareness meditation lasting only two minutes and done whenever and wherever you are in your day. Benefits as described by coaching clients include: calmness of mind, overall sense of well-being, sharpened mental focus, reduced anxiety, increased ability of autonomous nervous system to recover rapidly from stress, and an increased capacity for learning. CLICK here for an audio-guided BCB at any time you feel the need to slow down and center into yourself. Enjoy the Benefits NOW! HeadRest Radiate QuietMind SteamValve SHARED WISDOM Be not afeared.
POEM The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
INQUIRYWhy do we so often go after what we don't want? EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS Join me in a day of play and creative expression, as we engage the teachings and technique of Michael Chekhov, taught by Master Teacher Lisa Dalton. Each participant will have the opportunity to present a monologue, poem, or any personal writing/story using Chekhov’s profound approach. No acting experience required, only a desire to become more fully expressed in your life and work. The workshop is limited to 10 people. Lunch is included. Cost $150 To register: sean@seanleclaire.comRIGHT ACTIONI have benefited greatly from ongoing studies and practice with Svaroopa Yoga pioneer Rama Berch. I highly recommend Foundations of Svaroopa Yoga and Meditation Made Easy courses offered by The Master Yoga Foundation. http://www.masteryoga.org/ |
Men's Meditation and Mindfulness Group 
Michael Chekhov Theatre Day
© 2006 Sean Casey LeClaire, all rights reserved. |
