May 27, 2020 by Brian Weiner No CommentsChanging The World One Thought At A Time.

Life Is A Series Of Natural And Spontaneous Changes

Every person goes through highs and lows over the course of their lifetime. Changes are just what is in life. In Asian cultures they call this “the isness of things.” Things are neither good nor bad, they just are.

Whereas in western cultures we are trained to see things as fitting somewhere inbetween a continuum of opposites. Something is either tall or short. Good or bad. Happy or sad.

Lao Tzu remains one of my most favorite philosophers and when I came upon this particular quotation I had my doubts. I am a firm believer in being the master of my own destiny. I don’t like to leave anything open to the proverbial “what if?” I would much rather plan, stay in control and assure my results.

Sadly there are so many things that are way outside of my control, life has proven to me time and time again that regardless of all the planning, all of my dedicated efforts, everything is still completely fallible. Life changes.

Witness all of the plans that I had in December 2019 for what I thought 2020 was going to be.

If going through COVID-19 (and it really should be called COVID-20, shouldn’t it?) teaches us anything at all, it is that the best laid plans of mice and men are entirely fallible in the face of something larger than life. This clearly gives meaning to the statement that hindsight is 2020.

My takeaway in coming back to this particular quotation is the recognition that happiness is a transient variable predicated upon frame of mind. In the past, I have sent you quotations from Viktor Frankl, who endured the horrific atrocities of the Nazi concentration camp and emerged a wiser and more centered person. As you read his book you come to recognize that this was all frame of mind and that frame of mind remains supreme.

Life is certainly going to take its own course, no different than the flow of the river or the tides of the ocean, but when we are capable of seeing and interpreting those forces, it becomes incumbent upon all of us to restructure our thought processes and emerge stronger and wiser for the elasticity required to surf the tides of change.

There are forces that are much larger than anything within our control, accepting those as a foregone conclusion, and allowing yourself the strength to evolve in the face of each one of the changes, strikes me as the best strategy anyone can potentially adopt. Wishing you a very successful Wednesday!?

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How has life created necessary changes in your experiences?

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Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them-that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow forward naturally in whatever way they like. – Lao Tzu

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Written by Brian Weiner

When I was 5 years old, I discovered that the lemon tree in the backyard + dixie cups + water and sugar and I was in business. I have been hooked on that ever since. In 1979, I borrowed $14,000 to create a brand new product... photographic greeting cards with no text on the inside, called Paradise Photography. That was the start of The Illusion Factory. Since then, The Illusion Factory has been entrusted by all of the major studios and broadcasters with the advertising and marketing of over $7 billion in filmed, live, broadcast, gaming, AR, VR and regulated gaming forms of entertainment, generating more than $100 Billion in revenue and 265 awards for creativity and technology for our clients. When I took a break from film school at UCLA to move to Hawaii, my mother did not lecture me. Instead, she took 150 of her favorite aphorisms and in her beautiful calligraphy, wrote them artistically throughout a blank journal. That is the origin of the Lessons from the Mountain series. Since then, on my journeys to the top of a mountain to watch the sunrise, I have spent countless hours contemplating words of wisdom from the sages of all races, genders and political persuasions, constantly accumulating the thoughts to guide me on my life path. I hope you enjoy my books. Please let me know your thoughts, as I highly value your feedback!