To my way of thinking, as I juggle all sorts of aspirations and possibilities, life isn't about having it all, but rather about making room for it all.
Two major go-getters in my life right now are urging me to take some big steps in expanding and enhancing my prosperity consciousness ideas as originally contained in my bestselling book, Moneylove. This has already led to a Spanish edition of the book, which will be ready in an online ebook version within the month. Plans are also underway for a new sequel, plus many new audio products on the same subject. Then there's my new enthusiasm for a book on time and how we perceive and use it. And plans for some big seminar events with a couple of partners throughout Latin America.
While all of this is going on, I am taking my first Spanish lessons, looking at the best place to take salsa lessons, getting acclimated to a new country, culture, and language, and sampling some new food item almost every day.
My plan was to have a leisurely time preparing my material to be the very first English-language stand-up comedian in Panama. I already have the offer to perform at a brand new 300-seat-theatre at the elegant new Royal Sonesta Hotel and Casino, whenever I want. It will open in May, or maybe June or July, this, after all, being Panama. Now that effort is being slowly pushed to a back burner, though still very much alive and well.
My point is that I feel very good about myself and my life right now, and part of this is that I have left room for both to grow in any direction that feels right. More than any specific goals or plans, when I made the move to become an expat, I intended to go with the flow, to follow my heart and to move in any direction where it seemed there was excitement, fun, and positive energy.
The existential question here is, "How much room have I left in my life to take advantage of opportunities and fun offers that are bound to come up?" Ask yourself, if you have the time and room.
Jerry
To find out more about why so many people are so excited about Moneylove and prosperity consciousness, check out my other blog:
http://MoneyloveBlog.com
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
THE FITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM
It's a catchy title, though I didn't invent it, but it does not lead to a clear definition. Would having such a regimen mean you are hiding from exercise or embracing it as a way of protecting your health?
For me, the answer is simple--I have been hiding out for a lifetime, even cutting gym back in my schooldays. I don't deny that a moderate amount of working out is beneficial, but have always felt I would rather get my dose in fun and natural activities, like walking and swimming and sex, rather than through the use of exercise equipment or calisthenics. And I cannot count the number of exercise devotees I have outlived and outlaughed.
I've even talked about this in my comedy act, recounting the true statement that I have successfully avoided doing yoga even though I had a girlfriend who was a yoga teacher. In fact, I say, "I've bent myself out of shape avoiding yoga."
Another challenge will surely come up from a new friend in my life who is a world famous fitness guru. Then again, I survived my friendship with Jack LaLanne without ever succumbing to his blandishments on exercise and juicing. But he certainly was a marvelous testimonial to the benefits of regular workouts. As is another friend, Suzy Prudden, speaker and author following in her mother's footsteps. Bonnie Prudden, who died at 97 in 2011, was the very first TV fitness trainer.
So there is lots of evidence that fitness is a protection program...at least for some people. But I am an avid libertarian and individualist on this issue. And as such, I reserve the right to completely change my mind. It would be fun to start exercising for the first time at 85 or 90. But if I choose my activity based on the kind of body I would like to have, Dancing With The Stars would be more of an inspiration than Gold's gym or Arnold Schwarzennegger. I'm not planning to take salsa lessons in Panama for this reason, however, but rather for the fun of it. And to my way of thinking, like producing substantial income, the best way to produce a fit body is by doing something you love and have fun at. May I have this dance?
Jerry
Check out my financial fitness blog at:
http://MoneyloveBlog.com
For me, the answer is simple--I have been hiding out for a lifetime, even cutting gym back in my schooldays. I don't deny that a moderate amount of working out is beneficial, but have always felt I would rather get my dose in fun and natural activities, like walking and swimming and sex, rather than through the use of exercise equipment or calisthenics. And I cannot count the number of exercise devotees I have outlived and outlaughed.
I've even talked about this in my comedy act, recounting the true statement that I have successfully avoided doing yoga even though I had a girlfriend who was a yoga teacher. In fact, I say, "I've bent myself out of shape avoiding yoga."
Another challenge will surely come up from a new friend in my life who is a world famous fitness guru. Then again, I survived my friendship with Jack LaLanne without ever succumbing to his blandishments on exercise and juicing. But he certainly was a marvelous testimonial to the benefits of regular workouts. As is another friend, Suzy Prudden, speaker and author following in her mother's footsteps. Bonnie Prudden, who died at 97 in 2011, was the very first TV fitness trainer.
So there is lots of evidence that fitness is a protection program...at least for some people. But I am an avid libertarian and individualist on this issue. And as such, I reserve the right to completely change my mind. It would be fun to start exercising for the first time at 85 or 90. But if I choose my activity based on the kind of body I would like to have, Dancing With The Stars would be more of an inspiration than Gold's gym or Arnold Schwarzennegger. I'm not planning to take salsa lessons in Panama for this reason, however, but rather for the fun of it. And to my way of thinking, like producing substantial income, the best way to produce a fit body is by doing something you love and have fun at. May I have this dance?
Jerry
Check out my financial fitness blog at:
http://MoneyloveBlog.com
Monday, March 4, 2013
THE EXPERIENCE OF EXPATHOOD
When I look back to my emerging years and think of all the friends who talked about eventually living abroad, and now realize that I am the only one who has accomplished this, it underlines for me the amazing reality of my becoming an expat. There is no doubt that Panama is a booming small country set in a tropical wonderland replete with two oceans, rain forests, jungles, many islands, indigenous Indian tribes, and perhaps the greatest engineering feat of the 20th Century.
What makes me sigh with pleasure, however, is none of these advantages, though I thoroughly enjoy them. No, it's the pleasure of living in a cosmopolitan small town with tall buildings and world class restaurants and in a neighborhood that is a cornucopia of new sights and smells and sounds to explore as I walk around. The last time I enjoyed living in this kind of neighborhood was in Greenwich Village in the 1970s when I worked at NBC in New York. Instead of a fourth floor walk-up, I'm on the 11th floor of a luxury high rise tower, but it's the street that calls out to me in the same way.
I took a moment today to reflect on one of the strongest human desires--to stand out in a crowd, to be noticed for something different, doing something unique. So many people spend so many years trying to make their mark when it could be so easy, just move to a new country and you will definitely not qualify for one of the 21st Century's most pejorative terms, "sheeple". The Urban Dictionary describes this as people who cannot think for themselves, who have a herd mentality. When you are living in a totally new culture, and don't even yet speak the native language, there is such an awareness of every sensory sensation available that one begins living the difference in a new and profound way.
This can only intensify and accelerate in the coming months as I start my first Spanish classes, work on the first English language stand up comedy performance in Panama, explore the other parts of the country, and come out of the cocoon of the language barrier and my current ignorance of a lot of what is normal and appropriate in this Latin culture.
Perhaps it is ironic that as I moved out of the U.S., I felt less out of touch. I didn't realize how much of a rut I was in until I leapt out of it.
Jerry
Do your own leaping in terms of prosperity by checking out my other blog: http://MoneyloveBlog.com
What makes me sigh with pleasure, however, is none of these advantages, though I thoroughly enjoy them. No, it's the pleasure of living in a cosmopolitan small town with tall buildings and world class restaurants and in a neighborhood that is a cornucopia of new sights and smells and sounds to explore as I walk around. The last time I enjoyed living in this kind of neighborhood was in Greenwich Village in the 1970s when I worked at NBC in New York. Instead of a fourth floor walk-up, I'm on the 11th floor of a luxury high rise tower, but it's the street that calls out to me in the same way.
I took a moment today to reflect on one of the strongest human desires--to stand out in a crowd, to be noticed for something different, doing something unique. So many people spend so many years trying to make their mark when it could be so easy, just move to a new country and you will definitely not qualify for one of the 21st Century's most pejorative terms, "sheeple". The Urban Dictionary describes this as people who cannot think for themselves, who have a herd mentality. When you are living in a totally new culture, and don't even yet speak the native language, there is such an awareness of every sensory sensation available that one begins living the difference in a new and profound way.
This can only intensify and accelerate in the coming months as I start my first Spanish classes, work on the first English language stand up comedy performance in Panama, explore the other parts of the country, and come out of the cocoon of the language barrier and my current ignorance of a lot of what is normal and appropriate in this Latin culture.
Perhaps it is ironic that as I moved out of the U.S., I felt less out of touch. I didn't realize how much of a rut I was in until I leapt out of it.
Jerry
Do your own leaping in terms of prosperity by checking out my other blog: http://MoneyloveBlog.com
Friday, February 1, 2013
FITTING RIGHT IN
I've been in my new home country, Panama, for about 24 hours now, and it feels more like home than anyplace I've been in at least 17 years. And for February, I'm not even in my own place, but rather a luxury 23rd floor suite at the Esplendor Hotel.
Maybe it's the people. Even though I speak hardly a word of Spanish, we seem to communicate and they are welcoming and friendly, if not downright exuberant. I definitely am more a tropical person than a chilly wet weather aficionado, though the transition from San Francisco may take a few weeks in body adjustment. But sunny and warm are my favorite weather report words.
So I've begun my status as an expat. Some of my friends are pretending to be jealous or envious. But most of them have less hurdles to leap over to accomplish such a major move than I had. If they knew all the nitty gritty facts about Panama, it would no longer be pretending. This is perhaps the most telling fact about this small Central American nation between two great oceans--those who are its most enthusiastic fans are mostly well-traveled folks who have seen much of the world and can thus compare the delights of Panama to many alternatives.
I had a great meal last night at Jimmy's, just across the street. And a great brunch at Manolos, just down the road. Played some low stakes three card poker at the Royal Casino, got my factory unlocked iPhone 5 fitted with a sim card, a month's worth of unlimited text and data service for $15, and a $10 prepaid phone card, walked down the street to the huge Rey supermarket and bought some preliminary necessities, like Coke Zero, locally made paper towels and toilet tissue, Kleenex, an onion, and a very strange purplish tomato that sliced open looks like a maroon kiwi, but tastes like an interestingly tart tomato. My total bill was $8.50.
Tomorrow, with two friends, I visit the famous Allbrook Mall for some more shopping. They serve such generous portions at the restaurants here, that in between eating out, I may largely survive on doggie bags.
Bringing all my stuff with me means I have about three days worth of intense unpacking to do. But knowing me, I will probably take three weeks to do it. No one has to say, "Welcome to Panama, Jerry," though they do. The place itself shouts out a warm Latin welcome from every direction.
You may enjoy my prosperity blog, too:
http://MoneyloveBlog.com
Maybe it's the people. Even though I speak hardly a word of Spanish, we seem to communicate and they are welcoming and friendly, if not downright exuberant. I definitely am more a tropical person than a chilly wet weather aficionado, though the transition from San Francisco may take a few weeks in body adjustment. But sunny and warm are my favorite weather report words.
So I've begun my status as an expat. Some of my friends are pretending to be jealous or envious. But most of them have less hurdles to leap over to accomplish such a major move than I had. If they knew all the nitty gritty facts about Panama, it would no longer be pretending. This is perhaps the most telling fact about this small Central American nation between two great oceans--those who are its most enthusiastic fans are mostly well-traveled folks who have seen much of the world and can thus compare the delights of Panama to many alternatives.
I had a great meal last night at Jimmy's, just across the street. And a great brunch at Manolos, just down the road. Played some low stakes three card poker at the Royal Casino, got my factory unlocked iPhone 5 fitted with a sim card, a month's worth of unlimited text and data service for $15, and a $10 prepaid phone card, walked down the street to the huge Rey supermarket and bought some preliminary necessities, like Coke Zero, locally made paper towels and toilet tissue, Kleenex, an onion, and a very strange purplish tomato that sliced open looks like a maroon kiwi, but tastes like an interestingly tart tomato. My total bill was $8.50.
Tomorrow, with two friends, I visit the famous Allbrook Mall for some more shopping. They serve such generous portions at the restaurants here, that in between eating out, I may largely survive on doggie bags.
Bringing all my stuff with me means I have about three days worth of intense unpacking to do. But knowing me, I will probably take three weeks to do it. No one has to say, "Welcome to Panama, Jerry," though they do. The place itself shouts out a warm Latin welcome from every direction.
You may enjoy my prosperity blog, too:
http://MoneyloveBlog.com
Friday, January 11, 2013
MY INNER EX-CONVICT SPEAKS
In preparation for relocating to Panama in a few weeks, I have been sorting through many piles of papers, including hundreds of letters written and received during my 12 years in prison. I also came upon a bunch of writing from those days, some of which I plan to tap into when I eventually write a prison memoir. The following essay, from sometime in the late 1990s, is an example of this:
There is in Eastern tradition something known as "The walk of a thousand days." In this spiritual cleansing process, someone gives up not only all his (or her) possessions but everything and everyone familiar in life and walks forward into uncharted territory so that he may come to know himself and the true nature of the universe in a much deeper way. When I first heard about this I thought that three years was an awfully long time to be spent in lonely contemplation--and I also thought that very few people have the luxury to be able to walk away from their lives and responsibilities to take on this kind of project of self revelation, or as some might see it, self-indulgence.
Thanks to an unpredictable series of events involving some immensely stupid choices on my part and some turns and twists beyond my control, I've been given a chance to take my own thousand day walk times four. I don't get to do that much walking and the scenery isn't constantly changing, but all the other elements are there and perhaps even intensified. The actor, Robert Downey, Jr., told the Today Show two weeks before his release from Corcoran State Prison, located just down the road from my current place of worship, Pleasant Valley State Prison, that "prison is spiritually debilitating, it's like dying."
I can't say I agree with Downey. Yes, there are many horrible truths about prison--some that would shock even the most ardent supporter of law and order if they became known. But prison also has the capacity to be spiritually strengthening, and it has the power and potential to allow someone to find new meaning and purpose in life, free from many of the distractions and concerns of the outside world. In this, it has much in common with the walk of a thousand days.
There is in Eastern tradition something known as "The walk of a thousand days." In this spiritual cleansing process, someone gives up not only all his (or her) possessions but everything and everyone familiar in life and walks forward into uncharted territory so that he may come to know himself and the true nature of the universe in a much deeper way. When I first heard about this I thought that three years was an awfully long time to be spent in lonely contemplation--and I also thought that very few people have the luxury to be able to walk away from their lives and responsibilities to take on this kind of project of self revelation, or as some might see it, self-indulgence.
Thanks to an unpredictable series of events involving some immensely stupid choices on my part and some turns and twists beyond my control, I've been given a chance to take my own thousand day walk times four. I don't get to do that much walking and the scenery isn't constantly changing, but all the other elements are there and perhaps even intensified. The actor, Robert Downey, Jr., told the Today Show two weeks before his release from Corcoran State Prison, located just down the road from my current place of worship, Pleasant Valley State Prison, that "prison is spiritually debilitating, it's like dying."
I can't say I agree with Downey. Yes, there are many horrible truths about prison--some that would shock even the most ardent supporter of law and order if they became known. But prison also has the capacity to be spiritually strengthening, and it has the power and potential to allow someone to find new meaning and purpose in life, free from many of the distractions and concerns of the outside world. In this, it has much in common with the walk of a thousand days.
Jerry
My other blog focuses on prosperity and can be found at:
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
THE GREATEST NEW YEAR'S SHOW ON EARTH
Finally, the Philadelphia classic (going back to the 18th Century) New Year's Mummer's Parade is getting some of its just due, with livestreaming available nationwide (and I suppose worldwide), and lots more exposure of this greatest parade I've ever experienced, dwarfing the Rose Parade and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in terms of sheer volume, music, dancing, and comedy.
http://www.mummersmuseum.com/
Before I was born, and I think before he even met my mother, my dad, Edward, was a marching banjo player in the most popular band in the parade, The Ferko String Band. My own favorite instrument in watching the parade were the xylophones. We kids would imitate the strutters by holding our coats open and singing the iconic song most identified with the Mummers, "Oh, Dem Golden Slippers." Which was written near the end of the 19th Century by an African-American composer and was a mainstay for blackface performers in minstrel shows. It is still ubiquitous in today's parade.
New Year's Day was usually cold in Philadelphia, and I would be bundled up as I walked with my parents the three blocks from our 11th Street home in South Philly to Broad Street, where, if we were early enough, we could get a place on the curb to sit. As I grew older, I would go with my friends. It was like a three ring circus. There were the string bands, with their Vegas showgirl-type elaborate costumes and headdresses, then the comic divisions, making fun of just about everything going on in the world, and the fancy dress divisions, as colorful and inventive as any Rose Parade float. There were actual floats, too.
It was a far longer parade than most, often lasting six hours or more. A sort of endurance contest, but worth every minute shivering in the cold and watching one's breath as the parade went by. If I was lucky, a soft pretzel vendor would appear and I could warm my hands on a heated version of Philadelphia's gift to culinary culture.
Perhaps Carnaval as celebrated in several cities in Panama can match the Mummer's Parade, but somehow I doubt it. I'll be moving there in time for that mid-February celebration, so we shall see.
http://www.mummersmuseum.com/
Before I was born, and I think before he even met my mother, my dad, Edward, was a marching banjo player in the most popular band in the parade, The Ferko String Band. My own favorite instrument in watching the parade were the xylophones. We kids would imitate the strutters by holding our coats open and singing the iconic song most identified with the Mummers, "Oh, Dem Golden Slippers." Which was written near the end of the 19th Century by an African-American composer and was a mainstay for blackface performers in minstrel shows. It is still ubiquitous in today's parade.
New Year's Day was usually cold in Philadelphia, and I would be bundled up as I walked with my parents the three blocks from our 11th Street home in South Philly to Broad Street, where, if we were early enough, we could get a place on the curb to sit. As I grew older, I would go with my friends. It was like a three ring circus. There were the string bands, with their Vegas showgirl-type elaborate costumes and headdresses, then the comic divisions, making fun of just about everything going on in the world, and the fancy dress divisions, as colorful and inventive as any Rose Parade float. There were actual floats, too.
It was a far longer parade than most, often lasting six hours or more. A sort of endurance contest, but worth every minute shivering in the cold and watching one's breath as the parade went by. If I was lucky, a soft pretzel vendor would appear and I could warm my hands on a heated version of Philadelphia's gift to culinary culture.
Perhaps Carnaval as celebrated in several cities in Panama can match the Mummer's Parade, but somehow I doubt it. I'll be moving there in time for that mid-February celebration, so we shall see.
Jerry
Check out my prosperity blog: http://MoneyloveBlog.com
Friday, December 28, 2012
HAPPY IS AS HAPPY DOES
"HAPPY HOLIDAYS!" "HAPPY HANUKKAH!" "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" "JOYFUL AND TRIUMPHANT!"
We hear a lot of references to happiness and its synonyms during this time of year, and we are seeing an interesting phenomenon throughout the year and throughout society. Happiness is becoming more relevant. In part this is due to a number of research studies that have shown that people are healthier and live longer and are even more financially successful when they feel happy.
There was just a study reported on which shows that grumpiness is related in men to a lowering of testosterone levels, so that the term "grumpy old men" is pretty accurate. And grumpy is pretty much the opposite of happy. Twenty years ago, when college students were asked about what their major aspiration was, a large majority said it was to make lots of money. Now, when the same question is asked, the answer is that they want to be happy and make a difference in the world.
More than a few people have asked me how in the world I could have been happy during my time in prison, how I could smile and write cartoon gags and notes for a humorous prison memoir and future stand-up act in the midst of that depressing environment. I think just asking that question indicates more about the person asking it than me no matter how I answer. It reveals someone who doesn't understand the basic truth about states of mind, moods, and psychological balance and well being. To put it as simply as possible, happiness has nothing to do with one's external reality. It is an inner experience, and as such can transcend even horrible physical environments and situations. We are happy when we choose to be happy no matter what else is going on around us in that outer world.
Lots of people are struggling with financial anxiety, worried about the debt and deficit and government dysfunction in dealing with the economy. But none of that matters, or has to have anything to do with whether we are happy or unhappy. Unless we choose to make it matter, unless we choose to stay focused outside ourselves on something that may or may not occur.
If you didn't see or feel or remember at least a dozen things today that made you feel happy, then you are not paying attention to what is really going on, but rather choosing to focus on limited, negative, disappointing, frustrating fantasies about what is going on.
You may not have the same view on this as I do, but I'll guarantee you one thing--if not, my smile as I write this is a lot bigger than yours as you read it.
Jerry
Check out my prosperity blog at: http://MoneyloveBlog.com
We hear a lot of references to happiness and its synonyms during this time of year, and we are seeing an interesting phenomenon throughout the year and throughout society. Happiness is becoming more relevant. In part this is due to a number of research studies that have shown that people are healthier and live longer and are even more financially successful when they feel happy.
There was just a study reported on which shows that grumpiness is related in men to a lowering of testosterone levels, so that the term "grumpy old men" is pretty accurate. And grumpy is pretty much the opposite of happy. Twenty years ago, when college students were asked about what their major aspiration was, a large majority said it was to make lots of money. Now, when the same question is asked, the answer is that they want to be happy and make a difference in the world.
More than a few people have asked me how in the world I could have been happy during my time in prison, how I could smile and write cartoon gags and notes for a humorous prison memoir and future stand-up act in the midst of that depressing environment. I think just asking that question indicates more about the person asking it than me no matter how I answer. It reveals someone who doesn't understand the basic truth about states of mind, moods, and psychological balance and well being. To put it as simply as possible, happiness has nothing to do with one's external reality. It is an inner experience, and as such can transcend even horrible physical environments and situations. We are happy when we choose to be happy no matter what else is going on around us in that outer world.
Lots of people are struggling with financial anxiety, worried about the debt and deficit and government dysfunction in dealing with the economy. But none of that matters, or has to have anything to do with whether we are happy or unhappy. Unless we choose to make it matter, unless we choose to stay focused outside ourselves on something that may or may not occur.
If you didn't see or feel or remember at least a dozen things today that made you feel happy, then you are not paying attention to what is really going on, but rather choosing to focus on limited, negative, disappointing, frustrating fantasies about what is going on.
You may not have the same view on this as I do, but I'll guarantee you one thing--if not, my smile as I write this is a lot bigger than yours as you read it.
Jerry
Check out my prosperity blog at: http://MoneyloveBlog.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
