Here's a (really) quick look at the 10 Principles of my evolving philosophy!
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Overview of My Philosophy
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Looking forward to seeing more on this- its raditude is off the charts!!
ratitude. heheheh. hilarious. thx, bro and excited to share more!
Hey Brian ~ ok so knee deep as I said I would be and had a few minutes at lunch.. but I am curious after watching this video.. A.) Do you list your principles in order of importance or just at random? Looking at the chart you drew ( yes very quickly I know ) It would seem to me to be almost backwards but then I tend to have an outside looking in before I flip an idea. Second, have you thought of running an open forum chat or discussion group online? Would love to bang around idea's with other like minded folks..
hey laurie: it's not random but I wouldn't say it's order of "importance" per se. It's more how I see it flowing to get the real goods--if our mind is out of wack it's IMPOSSIBLE to have anything else really working. Clearly we want to live from Source/Spirit and express that in love, and these are some of the ideas I'm playing with on how to help peeps best do that!
what do you think?!?
in trms of open forum/chat: you're in it!
big hugs!
-bri
Brian, I'd like to know more of your thoughts about the 10th principle of Spirit. ty
trackback: http://www.robin-ann.com/2009/12/10-principles-of...
hey robin ann! i'm excited to share more! soon!!
immediate: you meditate?
Hi Brian .. sry it's taken me so long to reply! talk abt immediate
.. all things in there time a wonderful friend says to me quite often which I adore! now, to the question at hand - do I meditate..? I've never learned from anyone formal on this and I have not read any books on processes or procedures 'how to' meditate but I believe I do meditate very frequently throughout the day in conscious ways when I need enlightenment. I have not yet mastered keeping these moments up for long periods of time and know I will do this someday - I have yet to set a goal date tho which means it's not real for me yet. So does that mean no?
Also - does your comment system have a way of emailing me so I know when you reply back? Of course I'll be talking to you today lol
I just saw the subscribe drop-down menu - doh! I know what to do now
))
Beautiful.
thx, siona!
Thank you Brian - your wisdom and love of philosophy jumps off my computer screen. I am loving PhilosophersNotesTV and have been a member of PhilosophersNotes since reading about you in Enlightenment Magazine a year ago. I have been posting you on my FB page and all friends are super excited about this gift. Thank you so much.
In my yoga training in '93 we were required to read Man's Search for Meaning and to have your note and TV episode on this book is wonderful.
Great stuff and I am so very grateful.
Namaste, Laura
hey laura: wow! thx for your awesome note! thrilled you and your friends are enjoying PN and so cool you were required to read Man's Search for Meaning with your yoga training.
Big hugs and appreciation and wishing you an extraordinary 2010!
-bri
I'm curious about the influence or the presence of the (understandable!) masculine principle in both the emerging theory / philosophy above, and in the Philosophers Notes in general. Of the 100 books included in that batch of notes, I'd guess about a 1/10 of them, at most, were written or co-authored by women, and I'm sure this must have some effect on the values--or the approach toward those values!--of anything that flows from them.
I don't think this is a problem, necessarily, or that there's much that can be done about it--the history of philosophy itself is similarly weighted, as is, I suppose, a good portion of the personal development / self-improvement world--but I do think it's worth noticing, especially for those of us in possession of a more feminine creatureliness.
technically, it's 14 out of 100 titles (if you put esther and jerry hicks' channeled group of beings into the co-authored by women category
but i'm curious about that, too! hehe. 
there are two primary issues here as I see it: 1. the masculine energy that's inherently more at play (not exclusively, obviously, but...) in the self-development process itself and 2. the relative representation of male to female authors--which is particularly skewed until very recently.
in terms of #2: we've got pema chodron, debbie ford, esther hicks, louise hay, ariane de bonvoisin, sonia choquette, ayn rand (does she count as "feminine"?
, sonja lyubomirsky, mary elaine jacobsen, katie hendricks, byron katie, and marci shimoff. Love those women!
#1 is a longer chat. In short, I hope my Notes point people back to THEIR truths and intuition and all that so, for the women, the feminine "creatureliness" is honored and nurtured. Plus, I'm excited to have my Love rockin' her stuff and for her to share her experience with the feminine Divine (cuz I'm not going to be doing a lot of Notes on a lot of the stuff she reads!
http://MyGoddessLife.com
Perhaps the channeled entities represent 1,000 instances of the feminine. Then we'd be all set.
And thank you for that distinction. With #1, I'm not sure it's a given that self-development is inherently more masculine--I think either that is one approach or orientation one could take, or that it's one aspect of the self-development process. So I could imagine either the feminine approach toward development of the self being more cyclical or centered around nurturing and coaxing rather than striving and testing, or the feminine pole being the side of rest and allowing and a certain empty, generative, presence.
But yes. Longer chat. And again, I think just noting / noticing this is enough for now. AND thank you for pointing to Alexandra's wonderful expression and modeling of her own process of development. It's a beautiful pairing.
love it. definitely a chat over some tea.
the other issue is the actual gender difference btwn men and women--which, the more i think about it and feel into it, the more significant I think it is.
i do think that the process of "actualizing the self" is, fundamentally, a more "masculine" drive. whereas the acceptance and immersion in the current being is more "feminine." of course, it all dances together and it's all highly individual and all part of a longer chat.
I agree on both, and yes, tea! Thanks for indulging me this far.
Love your evolving philosphy. I can already see the two areas I have the most difficulty with, self-awareness and courage. I'm amxious to see/hear you ideas as you present them in the future. Thanks for sharing with us!
thx, lynn!
what areas do you feel you shine the most in?!?
excited to share more and sending lots of love!
indulging you?!? I'm thrilled you're here sharing your amazing self and wisdom! and look forward to a lot more of it!
when's the tea?
hi brian. love your videos. keep up the great work.
Wil
thx, wil!
Awesome. Brian. I think what kept me from living outside the box is that very thing. Whats outside the box. Courage. I have beat down or have allowed myself to be beat down by life so much that the energy as well is not there. I talk a great talk and I am inspired to say and write great things but the proof is in the pudding. However, I can say that the center of who I really am is spirit. This is who I really am. It think though a lot of the time I may use meditation as an excuse to distract myself. I also have challenges with acquiring things that don't really matter. The old ego versus spirit thing. But wait something just came to mind " What is your motivation?" Thank you Brian. The center is spirit.
hey dennis:
you might like my Note on the courage to create:
http://www.philosophersnotes.com/notes/all/the-co...
to connecting to and expressing our highest selves!
-bri
hey dennis:
you might like my Note on the courage to create:
http://www.philosophersnotes.com/notes/all/the-co...
to connecting to and expressing our highest selves!
-bri
Was Karl Marx an Optimist?
unfortunately, he was a perfectionist (vs. an "opitmalist"). Check out "the pursuit of perfect" for a bit more on that.
What interested me most was watching how you mapped out your ideas - how your mind visualizes concepts. Every discipline in life has a formation process. You take a Grade 12 graduating class, put them into different career paths and at some point their approach to problems reflects their education, training, experience. A mechanic, an accountant, an actor, a musician, an historian, a philosopher, a politician, a mother, etc, have very different ways of analyzing a situation, figuring out how to improve difficulties and are aiming toward different ideals. If something breaks, one could start by approaching it like a mechanic and if one is taking on a new role in life, then learning the role might be easier if one knew how actors get into character, etc.
It's efficient to have you doing the reading and making notes but each note is a separate capsule - a separate puzzle piece. Knowing your approach to capturing the ideas, brings a unity to your work and makes it more meaningful. It's being given the box as well as the puzzle pieces.
solid stuff brother! can't wait for more unpackin' of it all.
thx, bro! and me, too!
Brian:
Your fun, simple, casual, vision is perfect! I "get the picture", and hope that the entire world does as well!
Thank you!
thx, david!!!
Little Brotha' , when do you sleep? Energy. Courage. Love. Spirit. I'm right in the middle and fluctuate back and forth, don't we all? I can't wait to hear more on courage, love and spirit. I will journal my own thoughts on all of this soon. My dad turned me on to Lou Bascaglia back in the 70's(?) My wallpaper on my phone has said "LOVE IS ALL" for the last several years. Bring it on baby, keeping sharing!
Susieg
how cool on your dad!!! yayuh!
and go love wallpaper!
i sleep 8+ hours. I love rest/recovery. hehe.
bug hugs!
-bri
If feel so lucky to have come across you and your work. Great job. Love your wor!
thx, javie!!
Really cool. I see you live by these Mind Mapping Techniques.
indeed!
without sounding trite..you are what I have been looking for brian!!! I have spent soooo much money on books that i havent had a chance or gotten around to reading... but the need to figure all this out has been scratching its way to the surface of my soul for many years now. You seem to have a perfect way of breaking it all down so I GET IT!!!! I am so excited to be learning from you and your wisdom... the p.n.'s are FABULOUS...it has helped me decide which books I am ready to sit down and read and make the time for... but most important is the fact that you keep bringing up the fact that they all really do have the same basic ideas... I think we tend to try to make things so much harder than they are... and in the end it truly comes down to this video!!
I am SO grateful that i found you...(thru your goddess whom I found thru IIN...hmm universe at work???:)) keep it coming!!!!
hey tiffany!!!
how cool!!!! so great on the connection and I'm THRILLED you're resonating with how I share these ideas!
excited to share more and wishing you an awesome 2010!
thanks, Brian! This is so invigorating & exciting! You are really distilling the essence of all this and making it so succinct. I cannot wait as you delve in deeper re: sharing your own philosophy.
thx, marilyn!!!!
so excited to share more and trust you're doing great!
I've heard it all before in studies to understand the self and the power we each have. You summerize it in a way that draws my attention. Looking forward to going on with ways to live my life to the fullest. My comfort zone is a magnetic force that the past has prepared me for. I have no idea of what lies beyond. Like asking a starving child in Africa if they are miserable when the child knows no other way of being. I'm sure that when I'm ready the teacher will come and I'll know in my gutt, third chakra, I'll be ready. Maybe finding your philosophy notes is the key to my wisdom. Thanks
thx for sharing, patty!
here's to the third chakra (i have a tattoo on the inside of my right wrist for the sanskrit symbol for the third chakra!
and trusting our guts, 
-bri
Wow, what a video to see and listen to how it all comes together. Your method of teaching is perfect for me and I enjoy your video on the 10 principles of Philosophy. Thanks so much for sharing and caring to get this knowledge within you to the general public. You bring so much to those who enjoy your intelect. Thank you so much for all you do for us. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
thank you, rita!
i really appreciate your kind words and excited to share all that's in store in 2010!
happy holiday and here's to an incredible year!
-bri
Just a thought... I find your emerging philosophy very succinct and easily absorbable. It made me think back to time when I was working with at-risk youth (mainly runaways and gang members) and I was developing a program combining Buddist philosophy and outdoor adventure therapy for them. Perhaps you may want to consider eventual development of a version of this for use in juvenile incarceration faciliteis or runaway/homeless shelters as a gift for these children to begin really thinking about their lives, the interconnectedness of the 10 elements, and how they can begin to truly "live" and direct their life? I think with your energy they'd really get it and connect with you and what you are sharing!
Man bro this is brilliant! You explain this stuff so thorough to where I can comprehend everything, Amazing!
Down to the pictures and also the way you project to the listener I'm thankful for the scholarship that you
provided that's for sure, i'm taking full advantage trust me. Appreciate the dedication and inspiration!!
Looking forward to next lessons ahead.
thx, josh!! stoked you're diggin' it and excited to share all that I'm working on for 2010!!!
Great stuff, thanks for summarizing the wisdom from so many books in 10 minutes. Would love to see a couple of vids on finding one's purpose and since this is something that might take a while, what are the best things a person can do while searching for that purpose.
thx, dan!
i'll definitely be spending more time on finding our purpose. thx for planting the seed.
that's really one of the central themes that runs throughout all of my Notes. if you haven't hooked yourself up with that yet, I think you'll really love all the Big Ideas I share on that!! http://PhilosophersNotes.com/Notes
here's to an incredible 2010!!
-bri
Thank you. So eager to share this with my grown son who is ready to grow with these ideals.
Brian
that's fantastic, brian! honored to have you sharing and hope he digs it!
-bri
Thats it...I'm ordering this. You are just giving WAY too much stuff for free. That video really really says it ALL. Keep up the great work! So glad I found the site
wow. cool. thx, michael! hope you enjoy and here's to an incredible 2010!!
Great insight on these principles and philosophy.
thx, rose! excited to share more!
@_Brian_Johnson - Awesome, bro. Question: Courage - how does this match with intelligence? If Wisdom and Courage conflicts, who wins?
thx, bro!
that presupposes a conflict. I have a hard time imagining a situation where they would. can you give me an example?
i don't see where wisdom has come into play yet.
Okay: I assume it is wise to voice dissent when an individual is unjustly discriminated against. In a situation where doing this would almost certainly result in the elimination of one's income, does one choose to be wise and stand up for the person being discriminated against or do you wait and do so when you are in a better strategic position (which sounds like being a pussy to me).
@_Brian_Johnson. You want to take a principled stand immediately but it would ruin you financially.
WOW...Brian this is just awesome. I am so glad I found this site. I have been reading many of the books in your notes for years, but I love they way you are putting in all together. Next thing on my list today is to purchase your product. I can't wait for what you have next. I am going to share this with everyone I know will appreciate your wisdom. I look forward to sharing with you in 2010.
big smile, cindy!!! thrilled you're enjoying it and thanks for your amazing support!
big hugs and happy dances!
-bri
I love this concept. It names all the important things in living our lives to the fullest and then it ties it all together for us at the end. What can I say Brian other then you Rock as my grandkids would say! Have a fantastic day!
thx, cathy! big smile and appreciate the rockin' compliment.
Yeah Brian ! It's awesome ... I feel that there are lot's of happiness and success equations for everyone person I read about and knew but all those "formulas" come down to atomic principles ... It feels your 10 principles might be that atomic terms of the equation. They have a lot of synonimes and self formulas and might bring us to the idea that it might bring you to paradoxal thinking but I do think that if you manage to fix your principles, values and believes system so good that you can't slide in other directions then happiness will eventually come to your life. Yeees! This is awesome because I do think this is the role of philosophy ... to bring us clarity on what's important in our life and how to achieve this. It's a shame there is a huge mass of people that do not understand this simple principle ... that of clarity.
Congratulations again ... I really like your principles! They seam powerful enough and they make sense... at least through the glass of my "until now" experience.
Cosmin
thx, cosmin!!!
YES on this: "I do think this is the role of philosophy ... to bring us clarity on what's important in our life and how to achieve this." !!
here's to being the change as we embody our highest truths!
-bri
I'm not a fan of the hipster vibe, but you've definitely got something to say. Enjoyed this (and forwarding to others), look forward to more. Thanks! er, thx
.
hehe. does that make me a hipster?
thrilled you dug it and looking forward to sharing more!
srsly. thx.
I spelled their wrong! I had to correct bcas that's one of my pet peeves
Awesome idea and philosophy! This is interesting.. maybe you should write a book on this.
thx!
and working on this!
http://tv.philosophersnotes.com/133/life-101-stor...
fun!
Seriously, who needs self-help when you read Ken Wilber and Andrew Cohen.and Genpo Roshi? (I joined Philosophers Notes because I saw it on EnlightnenNext (WIE then)) - Well, when we are not resting in the unmanifest, we are in the world of form and a little guidance doesn't hurt.. With the notes, you retraced the history of self-help. With your book, you are definitely participating in this Evolutionary Impulse. Count me in.
hehehe. love it, veronique!!!
Hi Brian, I look forward to all of your postings and the new challenge every day, so much wisdom...WOW! Thank you so much for sharing & letting us all be a part of your life. I am going to start living your philosophy!
wow! thx, margie! thrilled to hear and excited to share all that I'm working on for 2010!!
Hi Brian
I love the way you break everything down into small points, it really works well and has more impact for like this. Sometimes I forget all the information that's given in each day's Philosophersnotes, so by the time I've finished reading it I've forgotten the important stuff and have to start again. I think I watch the video again, thanks for all the good will and wisdom you've shared!!
awesome, colin. appreciate your kind words and feedback!!
Wow! I absolutely loved this. Brian, you are seriously living my dream life. Gathering the knowledge of the world and synthesizing it into tools to help people live better lives. That's my dream and until I can get more momentum and action underway, I have to say that living it vicariously through you really makes my day. For that, I thank you.
You rock!
hehe. thx, bro!
here's to the dream and the baby steps on the way!!!
Brian, would like to hear sometime of your experiences of living a year in Bali. I haven't been there but an ex girlfriend of mine had many times before the tourist hordes discovered the island. Now it is the first foreign port of call for my fellow Aussies who just go to Kuta and Denpasar to drink in the bars and miss the spiritual Hindu soul of the island.
hey stepT: i loved bali! spent a year in ubud meditating, doing yoga, reading/writing and getting massages and generally re-wiring my consciousness as I create the last 58 PhilosophersNotes. in my opinion, the balinese hindu spirit is alive with the millions of daily blessings and incredibly sweet spirit of the balinese!
Self actualizing, isn't as much affected by gender as it is by the state the person is--its inner development. It seems that some ideas may arrive but would only be accepted by a person when he/she is ready.
In order to hold tension between our “ideal” and our “current reality” we need wisdom! And we have got to love where we are! I like that!
thx peter!!
As I was watching your video, I felt compelled to respond for a couple of reasons. When you mentioned "optimism," I also noticed that you used the world "control." In my experience with all the great resources I've explored, the idea that we actually have any control is part of the illusion that keeps us stuck in the box. And it pretty much negates our ability to live from you described as the most important part...our Spirit.. As we all already KNOW at the deepest level, nothing else really matters. In my experience so many of us (due to lack of Self-Awareness) use our egos in a vain attemtp to "try to evolve" which can never actually happen. As Einstein stated, we can't solve a problem with the same level of thinking that created the problem. In my experience, there is nothing more important than Self-Awareness, because if we are attempting to evolve in ego, and we are not aware that we are in ego, it's literally impossible to see the truth inside...as Eckhart teaches...we are arleady enlighetened, we just can't see it because there is too much mental noise.
don't agree with ya, dan.
of course we can't control outcomes in our lives, but if we don't have control over the contents of our consciousness there's *no* way we're going to connect to source consistently.
you said it yourself. there's too much mental noise. how do you turn that down? controlling the contents of our consciousness.
I'm not sure if you're familiar with Tara Brach, but she is one of my greatest influences. As I began to become more aware of my addiction the to struggle, I started listening to more of her free talks (http://www.imcw.org) online. The one on Wise Effort and Spiritual Freedom inspired me to write the poem below that I wanted to share with you and your readers.
When I first wrote it, I really failed to see the significance of what had come through me. But after sharing it with a few friends, one who is literally a living, breathing Buddah, it became clear I need to spread this around as much as possible. So here you go...enjoy!
Letting Go
For years and years
I’ve struggled to evolve
Plenty of hoops I’ve jumped through
And problems I’ve solved
I’ve conquered some addictions
And that’s just a fact
Yet for some strange reason
There’s still a huge monkey on my back
I just didn’t know
I’d been doing it all “wrong”
Thinking that if I could just fix this or that
I could finally move along
The problem with that plan
Is that it just never ends
As there is always a new place
I must make a new mends
But thinking something is wrong
Right from the start
Begins a wild goose chase
Way off the charts
Always searching and chasing
For the next little thing
Thinking it will be the last and
We’ll finally win
But winning can’t happen
When we start from behind
Always grasping and clinging
Just to keep up the climb
Now self-improvement
Well that’s a whole other thing
A wonderful process
for anyone to begin
But begin by knowing
That we are already great
While simply starting to let go of
Whatever doesn’t serve our fate
And then it gets easier
And life becomes fun
Because of instead of striving and trying
We’re blessed with the feeling that life has just begun
The joy of life
is what its all about
not all this screaming and hollering
Always trying to figure things out
You see the more we figure
And the more we try
We lose that sparkle
In our eye
But when we simply let go
And enjoy the ride
We finally see
What we’ve been missing inside
we are all one
Together one mind
Each with a purpose
That is quite divine
And when we’re done with the struggle
and trying to move so darn fast
We can now begin to enjoy
This feeling at last
The feeling I speak of
Is the one we all know
A deep sense of gratitude,
with plenty of room to grow
It’s not going anywhere
There is no place to hide
Now that we truly know
Who we are inside
So say farewell Mr. Struggle
It’s been quite the time
You’ve showed us so much
But there’s more between the lines
And so now let’s start
To slow down and pause
while creating and enjoying
just being alive.
Dan Eisner
i like the way MC says it here: “A person can make himself happy, or miserable, regardless of what is actually happening ‘outside,’ just by changing the contents of consciousness. We all know individuals who can transform hopeless situations into challenges to be overcome, just through the force of their personalities. This ability to persevere despite obstacles and setbacks is the quality people most admire in others, and justly so; it is probably the most important trait not only for succeeding in life, but for enjoying it as well. To develop this trait, one must find ways to order consciousness so as to be in control of feelings and thoughts. It is best not to expect shortcuts will do the trick.” ~ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
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