Planning a Website

You've wanted to have your own business website for some time now. You don't want one of those cheesy sites that looks like a school-grader created it. In fact, school-graders can do a better job than even that these days. How can you keep up?

To hire a web-designer to create a site can be quite costly. Then there is the hosting, the email, the updates to the content, ecommerce, oh my God - there is so much to think about. Well, a solution is here and I'd like to invite you to take a look.

I'm so impressed, I became a reseller of an online web-hosting company that offers an easy interface so that I can create, modify, update, add to, in an almost unlimited way to the content of my very own website. They include ecommerce, web-hosting, all of it - for a dollar-a-day.

If you want to learn more, email me via my site (link will open in a new window) and I can explain further. Or, go ahead and start the transaction to set yourself up now. Create and update your own Website for a Dollar-a-Day! Link opens in a new window.

Website Updates

Recent updates have been completed for the One Man Can website. The link will open a new browser window so blogexplosion surfers won't lose any credits.

Check it out and if you see any corrections or issues, please let me know.

Thanks.

What's This Coach All About? Read on...

"The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread."

-Mother Teresa

"Love cures people—both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it."

-Dr. Karl A. Menninger

"Trouble is part of your life—if you don't share it, you don't give the person who loves you a chance to love you enough."

-Dinah Shore

"Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited and the wealth and confusion man has created."

-Edward Steichen

"A human being is a part of the whole called by us "universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to enhance all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

-Albert Einstein
(one my of all-time favorite heroes)

"We do not wish to be better than we are, but more fully what we are."

-V.S. Pritchett

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

-Mark Twain
(another one of my all-time favorite heroes)

"The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot."

-Mark Twain

"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man."

-Mark Twain

"I decline to accept the end of man. It is easy enough to say that man is immortal because he will endure: that when the last ding-dong of doom has clanged and faded from the last worthless rock hanging tideless in the last red and dying evening, that even then there will still be one more sound: that of his puny inexhaustible voice, still talking. I refuse to accept this. I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance. The poet's, the writer's, duty is to write about these things. It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past. The poet's voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail."

-William Falkner
- Nobel Prize Banquet speech after recieving the Nobel Prize for Literature (10 December 1950)

"These then are my last words to you: be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact."

-William James

"I believe that the rendering of useful service is the common duty of mankind, and that only in the purifying fire of sacrifice is the dross of selfishness consumed and the greatness of the human soul set free."

-John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

"To accomplish great things, you must not only act but also dream, not only dream but also believe."

-Anatole France

"In the province of the mind, what one believes to be true either is true or becomes true."

-John Lilly

In summary,

• the acknowledgement that we are spiritual beings,
  
• the power of love, the effort to master love and pain to be endured in loving,
  
• our journey through life to truly discover who we came here to be,
  
• the nature and truth about the value and importance of human-kind's inter-dependence,
  
• our unique power as creative-beings to have more creative power and ability for our future than we truly realize....

Now you may have noticed a couple of quotes, mainly from Mark Twain, demonstrating a darker side to man. That is important in the list as well; without the awareness and acknowledgement of our darker side, we are never truly free from it's prison. It is in embracing your darkness that you can erase the shadows by exposing them to the light. Love yourself, accept yourself, forgive yourself, and subsequently empower yourself.

- Lee Down

Additional articles of related reading are availabe at One Man Can

Noteworthy:

Are We Awakening?

What to do? Life's Big Question

Raw Love

Smile With Me

A Spiritual Teacher

There comes a time when, finally breaking free from a past reality, that you must step fully into your new future. We change; I change and you change. As time goes by, we're constantly absorbing new information and growing. When we were children (or are children and youth) we consumed enormous quantities of information as we grew up. Early adult-hood sees this trend continue as we enthusiastically engage in the bigger world and enjoy the freedom that we now have as young adults. Somewhere along the way, the unlucky ones are confronted with a reality that stops all apparent growth; feeling stuck.

This is an eye-opening moment; not right away, typically it may be some time before the truth of this gift is visible. To realize that this is an opportunity for introspection; to realize that it is a time to look within, you can engage in the journey much more quickly and enthusiastically. Having this ability will accelerate the learning that is required on a deeper, personal level. These moments are life-changing and when you are able to embrace the challenge, the end-results for your life are typically much more enjoyable than your current reality.

For those who don't understand why this happens, I can only say this: Challenging moments in life that cause us to look deeper within ourselves will challenge our perceptions and beliefs about our current reality. Doing so, we become aware of any limiting beliefs that are sabotaging our lives. This can occur for any area in life; career, relationship, values, spiritual awareness, emotional growth, and so on.

As I began writing this, I was inspired by the fact that a decision is to be made. I am a professional coach. Okay? My focus has been a wee bit open since I have background in Career Consulting. I enjoyed it to a degree and my issue is that most clients are looking for someone to point them in the right direction, to write their resume, or any number of things that will get them a job. I can't do that. It's just not possible. Only the client can do those things. The coach is a facilitator and, as I like to say, an ass-kicker; but don't worry, I wear big fluffy slippers and only do it cosmically so the energy propels you forward without the physical pain.

Nonetheless, I've been gaining clients initially due to my history as a career consultant. Those clients have dropped off somewhat and now I'm working more with spiritual awareness. I seem to have a sensitivity to it that is unexplainable and is also available to everyone. It's how to connect with this awareness and to have that perceptual shift that awakens your life to a whole new reality that screams, "FREEDOM!" at the top of it's lungs. Your perspective is light, your attitude is grateful, you feel joy and, relationships sing harmoniously.

I believe I'm very good at introducing people to this possible reality that then, when experienced, becomes more and more real in their daily life. Over time, this awareness and shift in your personal awareness, you see yourself for who and what you truly are. This experience is filled with trepidation and excitement. In addition, this experience, repeated with practice, replaces your current mundane daily life (assuming it's that bad) so that you can experience an engaged life with the energy and enthusiasm you may have last experienced as an unself-conscious toddler running naked through the sprinkler, giggling and squealing all the while.

This is why I'm posting this blog entry. There does come a time when a man (woman, child, or dawg) must take that final step forward to fully fill the shoes of his future-self. I believe I'm looking at that squarely in the face right now. Do I dicker around with career counselling and other niche coaching focus' or, do I admit that I am a spiritual teacher/coach? I'm feeling the prod, I'm seeing the writing on the wall and it looks good.

Crow's Call Revealed

As the crow brings wing to a taunting call
and the float plane drones on overhead
I am seated firmly on the old cedar log
secure in the beauty, nature surrounds me

I fantasize about life with coffee on hand
and cigarette smoldering between fingers
With one last drag and licking of lips
I exhale, as I toss it all away

The worries and troubles with taunting call
have winged away as fantasy arrives overhead
The dreams smolder within reach of my fingers
Breathing in I taste possibility upon my lips

There is no time, there is no space
It is only here, now, Oneness
Solidly present within one's presence
The choices of possibility always within reach

The noise of life and ego compete with peace
as traffic screams by the still forested trees
the tenuous grasp crushed underneath the heel
of a world rushing towards its own decay

Weak with desire for a luxurious life
I wine away priceless moments of opportunity
becrying my lot in life and community
dreaming of a new-day in yester-year brightness

Blinding the eyes toward vision and imagination
the darkness shrouds the mind's landscape
creating beliefs to exist towards limitation
I seize the moment to do nothing yet again

Wisdom seeps into the flesh of my body
as surely as the rain soaks into the earth
and the body's peace is restored to rest
as the stress drains into the log's decayed flesh

The moment stretches into forever, until
with the last sip of coffee drained away
the future's plans scream mightily for attention
while the crow swoops in upon his cackling caw

© Lee Down 2005

What this poem reminds us about is that we need time to stop, to get away from the busy activities and stresses of modern daily life, to interact with nature and allow the peace of her silent wisdom to recharge your spiritual batteries. You probably have a peaceful memory of a such a day or afternoon in your personal history.

Do you find it hard to stay in the present moment? Are you always worried about the future? Do you find yourself stumbling over past mistakes and dwelling on them? Do they prevent you from making a future decision?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you would benefit greatly from coaching. I am a personal life coach that focuses a great deal on personal awareness of emotions, thoughts, and spirituality. Understand the integration of all aspects of who you are. You won't regret it.

For more information visit One Man Can.

Hell Time

Age ain't nothing but a number
cuz time ain't nothing but change
hell, it wouldn't exist if we didn't live
to measure the while away


© Lee Down 2005


Creative writing is a significant part of my life. Often, I am inspired to write simple or long pieces that reflect observations made and experiences shared by others. The concepts will generally fit with some aspect touched on in a coaching relationship. Humorous, introspective, and sometimes incredibly deep (I like to think), offering food for thought.

Please visit my site at One Man Can if you'd like to discover more about coaching. A quick phone call and we can spend some time chatting; an important conversation that will allow you a better assessment of our ability to work together.

What to do? Life's Big Question

Sometimes, I don't know what to do. I'm sure you know what I mean. I'm sure you have experienced the same thing at important crossroads in your life when big changes were underway. I'm sure we all have. Often, we find ourselves feeling panic and frozen in time, possibly with indecision, waiting and wondering: Which way to go?; How will things turn out?

I'm asked frequently about this topic and oddly, I have a lot of experience with it as well. In fact, I find my life today is in this state of flux as more changes loom on the horizon. Everyone, myself included, wants answers. What should I do? How do I know? These answers are never forthcoming; we cannot see into the future. Every direction can be okay; one can be the best. The simple truth is, we just don't know with 100% accuracy. This is where awareness and faith come in to play.

Awareness is important on many levels. Knowing the landscape of your life, you can make calculated decisions that support your goals. In business, and daily life activities, we implement this process automatically without much awareness at all, it has become so habitual. This, in part, is where a problem lies. Habitual behavior may not be appropriate as new data becomes available. Auto-pilot means your flying blind. Even when flying a plane on auto-pilot, the pilot will check the instrument panels to ensure the data is consistent. Why don't we? Be aware of your data.

Your data comes from many sources and most of us are familiar with these sources. I might surprise some of you with new concepts. The common source that we're all familiar with is the mind and store-house of knowledge and experience we have gained from life. Again, those who rely solely upon this source risk repeating the same mistakes over and over again. The mystery of life dictates that our ability to identify with life experience as truth results in creating more of this truth in our lives. If this truth is a truth of painful experience, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Utilizing other sources, we are able to objectively assess all sources and come to new conclusions.

The next common source is our emotions and intuition; they often are synonomous. A surprising fact here is that not everyone is in touch with their emotions or permit the emotions the freedom they deserve. Emotions are very useful in interpreting and/or being aware of underlying factors that may not be evident through hard tangible data. For some this is a gut-feeling, others have a flash of insight or conclusion, and others feel twinges in certain parts of the body without being aware of any potential significance. I have scenarios for each and will refrain from elaborating further for the sake of brevity today. Be curious to explore it further though.

A less common source for most is our spiritual awareness. This is a quiet place within that has a higher level of wisdom for the greater good. This can be pertinent to you, your life, your family life, community, work, the world, and so on. The levels of knowledge accessible here are limitless. It is as though we are connected to a universal storehouse of knowledge. This place of knowing is far less judgemental and emotional but has the ability to synthesize the data from the mind and emotions, integrating and offering solutions from a much higher level of consciousness. This is something that many people find themselves seeking as they mature and look for more significance in their lives and meaning in their work.

Finally, we must talk about the role of faith. This is part of what I teach and coach in my profession. It is the co-creative relationship and process that we have as human-beings with the source of all creation. This isn't religious, it isn't specific to any religion, yet it doesn't contradict any religion. This is born from my own quest for truth integrated with my own life and spiritual experiences. It may be incomplete and is a direction to follow, not a destination for you to reach. Such is the nature of our spiritual life; it is the journey and the ever-changing, ever-increasing level of knowledge and wisdom that we gain through life experience. With an open-mind, entertain our relationship with the source of all creation.

Creation exists, as do we. We see it all around us. Scientists study deeper into the stars. More scientists study deeper into the mysterys of time and space; quantum physics. What is witnessed is creation, its' magic and its' mystery. Down at the quantum level we discover that we're mostly made up of empty space and other unusual phenomena that cannot be explained. Out in the stars, they see an expanding universe. Now, going deeper, with probing satellites and quantum sciences, new theories arise. All seem to point to an apex of creation coming from nothing... a God Force.

Mystery is lived by people accessing this God-Force, understanding their co-creative relationship to this mystery. Understanding that this force is abundant love, it supplies us with what is in our intention. What we intend for our lives becomes real. Many people who do this consistently refer to it as manifesting. As children, many of us have had at least one solid experience of this. We may have just known that we would have something in our lives, whether a gift, an experience, a trip, whatever, and then it happens. There was no fear, doubt, uncertainty, only gladness for what was to come. That is the power of intent.

As adults, so much of our lives have instructed us to ignore so much. Don't dream to big. You can't do this. Don't do that. That's only for the privileged. You need to have a degree. There is too much competition. This is the way things work. Everywhere you turn, you are told how it is and what cannot be and you become conditioned. We have spent too little time in practice with our spiritual origins that we do not understand this mystery and in our need for control, we stifle its' requirement for room to breathe and work its' own magic. We measure things by worldly standards and time clocks, not realizing that in the bigger picture, some of those so-called failures actually were important stepping-stones in a grander scheme for our lives. Is our spiritual side still influencing the outcome? Are we making the experience harder, longer, or are we co-operating and making it easier?

Okay, this is long enough for one read. If you want to know more and begin your own journey, feel free to contact me. As a coach, I spend close to 50% of the time integrating spiritual awareness into the coaching sessions. It has shown itself to be the single most important success factor regardless of the initial direction goals were set. In some cases, spiritual awareness harnessed the focus to realize a more significant goal for the individual instead of a goal that came about due to conditioning.

God, Nothing, and Existence

following a stream of consciousness

zero equals infinity - you see?

no, you can't fit limitless quantities into nothing

sure you can

no, you can't

okay, look. with nothing, there are no boundaries, there are no limits; just emptiness

so?

so, infinite fits into that space, that emptiness

huh?

yes. and so does our universe. that's where you'll find God too.

huh?

yes, God. He is those spaces - perfect - there is no light, there is no dark, there is no matter, no nothing, just - perfection - the source of love, of creation - it exists in the empty space of nothing - that's where we come from, what we're made of.

oooohhhhh, my brain!

by going inwards, within ourselves, to reach the quiet space, we can hear God and hear our spirit - we cannot comprehend what we cannot see and what is nothing cannot be seen - and yet, nothing is everything.

Yes, thoughts similar to these ramble through my head at times. They come in a creative stream and I'm buoyed by the act of expressing and sharing them. There is peace in following your heart and inspiration.

Lee Down

Gaining Ground

If you want the benefits of evolution, you'll have to cooperate with spirit. We all have distractions, demands, a whole life full of reasons why we cannot find the time to retreat into our inner sanctum. Until you consider this as vital to your well being as the need to eat and sleep, you are likely to be eternally restless and deeply dissatisfied. A spiritual routine that suits your temperament, practiced every day, is the most trustworthy path to freedom.

Dream Gladly

Think, dream, and ponder on the life that you long for. Listen to what calls from deep within the quiet still waters of your soul.



Do not lament what you do not have, it will come. Do not sorrow over the time it takes for dreams to come true. There is much learning through the journey of life in preparation for the dreams that will unfold. The bigger the dreams, the bigger the tests and challenges. So as the heights are tested, the depth of character increases.



I bid you to dream your dreams and think gladly on them. It is not in the longing lament of self-pity that these desires come to fruition; it is through the glad thoughts of power and love that creates the synergy and action in your Being necessary for growth and fruit in your life. As the trials and pains of life are faced, dwell upon those dreams. Envision the life you will have for yourself and be glad for the lessons preparing you for the loves, for your dreams, for bringing your light into the world.



This happens to me frequently. I'll be sitting relaxed, listening to music or not, and be in some space zone. Suddenly, I'll discover that a thought is running through my head repeatedly, in that quiet place, and following the thread there is a message. This is one of those that I just captured. You may have read another that actually got published and is here called Are We Awakening.

Anyway, I'm just grateful for the opportunity to capture these pearls and share them with others. I hope you get something out of them too.

It's important to recognize that following these deeper callings require us facing our fears. Quite often, what we long for the most will have us face our deepest fear. In order to achieve one we must overcome the other. In so doing, facing these trials life offers, we become better people and do not succumb to the ignorance we see among so many dishonest privileged, corporations, and governments.

We will reap what we sow;
sow Love of the Higher kind.

Peace ~ Love ~ Lee

PS - I took those photos.

The Gift of a Woman

Men struggle daily with the beast and wrest their living from the soil, their day being encompassed with strife and toil. So women bring forth children with suffering, and because they are frail their husbands rule over them. Man is conceived in the womb of woman and she brings him forth to life. Therefore, when God raised man up from among the beasts, choosing him as His heir and endowing him with immortal spirit, He placed a veil over the portals of life. This, that woman should not forget she is unlike all other living creatures and the trustee of a divine mission. For a woman not only gives life to a mortal being, she also bears the spark of divinity to Earth, and there can be no greater responsibility.

I love the highlight. What a powerful statement.

Are we the rats in the cage?

I see so much more mental illness.

• Stress. Anxiety. Depression. Drugs. Cutting. Abortion. The list goes on.

I see so much more dysfunction.

• Broken families. Runaways. Prostitution. Sexual abuse. Emotional abuse.

I see much less community.

• Neighborhoods collapse. People withdrawn. Everything locked down. Kids play inside. Nintendo. Electronics. Television.

I see many more lost faces.

• Compromised values. Dreams unfulfilled. Accepting 2nd best. Emotional dependance. Fear. Slavery to a system. Slavery to beliefs. Brainwashed emotionally.

I see much more antagonism.

• Unemployment. Theft. Financial strain. Marital abuse. Win at all costs. Increase the divide. Greed & power. Growing numbers in poverty.

I see much more dissatisfaction.

• Settling for security. Not achieving potential. Giving up dreams. Denied talent.

Are we the rats in the cage?

Is this era a period of time to study how far human beings can be pushed?

Can you imagine waking up to an earthquake every day for 5 months straight? Multiple quakes in a day?

Do you think we could be more productive if the pace slowed down and we found more time for our relationships? For community? For recreation?

What would it be like working for a company that cared about its' people, its' community, and the planet's resources?

What would it be like to experience fewer restrictions and more freedom in complete safety?

What are you doing to bring about change? Are you solutions-oriented or problem-focused?