I always feel such extraordinary luck when I find myself in an airport holding area waiting to get on a plane. This took many months of planning: the complicated ticket; the saving of the necessary funds to travel with; the requisite visas and sundry documentation — all to produce this state of readiness. It is a common experience, I am sure. You are going on your own Grand Tour. (1) All of your efforts have brought you to this moment. It is similar to going on stage. You are being held in the Green Room (2) prior to your performance. The astute observer is there long enough to be able to look at some of the other acts. There are the comedians giggling nervously; the impresarios, pretending to be people they are not; the rock and roll stars with their earpieces glued to their heads, listening to their newest releases and, the most unfortunate, the enormous souls pacing back and forth, liked caged circus animals. They should be restricted to oversized planes — sizes L and above. Then it begins — First Class is summoned. In most cases, this is an oxymoron: they are neither first nor seem to have any class. They bumble into line with confused, poorly-displayed wealth. Much like one major world leader who can’t tie a tie — it is either too short or too long. In Western culture, we call it new money: wealth without tradition and style.
The time traveler
You are stunned by the silence! I recently stayed at my friend’s estate in southern Poland outside of Krakow. (1) My first morning, I awoke at 5 AM facing a blazing morning sunshine and literally “bolted out of bed”: peace and quiet – no cars, no voices, no movement – shocking! For anyone who has lived anywhere, you could not help but be shaken by the stillness that pervaded everything – even the birds seemed to be “on pause.” I honestly felt naked and exposed – so frail, such another piece of humanity. I had to face my own thoughts without interference. They were, therefore, pure and unsullied. I returned to the “age-old question”: “What was the first thing I knew this morning upon opening my eyes?” The answer: “I am alive?” Its compatriot: “How do I know it is me?” “I have my memories from yesterday.” Now to get to work: I am in the process of giving myself options.
The morning person
We often hear talk of the morning person: the person who bounds out of bed at 6 o’clock, just as light cracks the dawn, and expresses a great elation at the world: “What a wonderful day.” Gandhi tells us that each night we die and each new day we are reborn.
The Art of Public Speaking
You may ask yourself. “How am I actually going to get my message out into the world?” This is a very interesting and clever question. First and foremost, you are going to have to be “just a touch brave.” To paraphrase Osho: “There are no heroes and no cowards: there is only action.” (1) Public speaking is not a natural process for most people. You will become nervous: your palms will perspire and your heart rate will increase. You must accept this as natural. There are many techniques that you can use to calm yourself. Mindfulness, (2) for example, is an excellent meditation technique. At the onset, it is imperative that you unflinchingly believe in “your message,” (I want to save the world, for example): this is paramount. Then you are able to proceed. There are several “tried and true” methodologies that will greatly assist you as you build your communication skills. Firstly your discourse must be rational: it must be predicated on a thesis or idea (A); it must hold an interesting and articulate main body (B+C+D) and possess a succinct and clever conclusion that ties back to the original thesis (A).
Do you have “color” in your life?
Most colorful, interesting people have many positive qualities; you’ll find they usually have the following in common: “They are curious; they love to discover new ideas, places, people, and interests. They are expressive; they’re not scared to speak their minds and express themselves well. They take initiative; they don’t sit around waiting for permission to do what they want to do, and they like to try new things. They are inventive; they think outside of the box and constantly come up with original ideas and new ways of doing things. They are confident; they are not scared to make mistakes and act like they know what they are doing, even when they don’t.” (1)