The Happy and Prosperous Blog

Last week I mentioned that I was going to the Middle East to teach for a few days. I flew to Beirut as part of my work as a teacher for the London International College of Homeopathy.I had planned to go there last November but security concerns at the time prevented that happening.

The view down Hamra Street
from the balcony of my hotel room
photo credit: Roger Knight

Impressions Before I Arrived

I have to say that I was a little concerned about going to Beirut. Not hugely anxious, but definitely concerned. The reason being that my perception of Beirut was a place associated with violence, risk, political unrest and a potential war zone. So I was concerned for my own security and whether the students would be able to get together in one place for teaching.

I don’t read the news much and I guess my impression had formed from what I had read in newspapers and seen on the TV.

Arrival

My flight arrived at 2245 local time and I had been concerned about whether it was safe to be travelling in the city at that time of night, however I was assured that it was OK. When I arrived I was met by 2 of the students and taken to my hotel. I saw a few soldiers/police around on the streets of the city - they looked bored and everything seemed peaceful and calm.

We drove in past signs for KFC and actually passed Starbucks and Costa Coffee - so plenty of familiar brands to make me feel at home !

The Reality

I had a very enjoyable time in Beirut. I really enjoyed the teaching. All the people I met (with the possible exception of a couple of airport staff) were friendly, pleasant and welcoming. The food was wonderful. I never once felt unsafe or in the slightest danger. I had expected to see bombed out buildings and evidence of violence. There was very little of this.

The students were full of enthusiasm and I have the greatest respect for them in studying homeopathy which doesn’t seem very well established there. They have been studying for over 2 years and they’re doing well.

False Fears

Before I went to Beirut, Lebanon, to me, was a place on the map - a place with a reputation of violence to my mind. Having been there and seen the reality, I know that my impression was false and was based on a distorted (possible historical) perception. I was ignorant of the current facts.

I wondered how many other fears and limiting beliefs in life are also based on a false perception of reality. I suspect I don’t question or challenge the basis of my fears. Could we do that ? Have you had an experience which made you re-evaluate a fear or limiting belief that you had ? Maybe you hold on to a belief about yourself that you picked up in childhood which limits you in some way ? Is it based on a false perception of reality or out-of-date information like my fear was ? Do drop me a line in the comments and let me know.

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This is going to be a fairly short post this week. The reason being that I’m going to the Middle East soon to teach for a few days. I’ve been deep in preparation for that so haven’t had much time available. I think I’ve nearly got it all complete now though. I’ll tell you more about my trip when I get back next weekend.

photo credit: woodleywonderworks

So, for today, I just wanted to let you know about an online community called Gaia. You may already know about this of course, however, my impression is that it doesn’t get a great deal of publicity on the internet. I read a good few blogs every week and like to think I am quite up to date with what’s going on, yet I rarely see anyone mention Gaia.

There are so many social networking sites out there - general ones like Facebook, ones focussed on the ‘Boomer’ generation like Eons and special interest ones like Hugg for people specifically interested in ‘green’ issues.

The reason I want to bring Gaia (previously known as Zaadz) to your attention (apart from my assumption that it is not that well-known) is that it is for people interested in changing the world for the better. That’s me and I’m guessing that it could be you too.

This is what Gaia is all about

Our Mission. We’re here to change the world. You’ve probably heard Gandhi’s beautiful directive to “be the change to wish to see in the world”? Well, we’re here to help you do just that. We’re here to remind you to listen to your own heart, to discover your path-and to do something about it. We’re here to encourage you to live your dreams. Because really… what’s the difference between the deep longing within your heart and the call of the planet as a whole?

We’re already building the most inspired and supportive community you’ll find online-a network of seekers, visionaries, artists, environmentalists, healers, dreamers, creators, and conscious entrepreneurs, of all ages and from countries around the world. (We think this alone is pretty powerful: just imagine being supported by thousands of others who’ll encourage you to create the life you’ve dreamed of!) And we’re in the process of building a platform that’ll help those of you who are already working for yourselves to grow your businesses-so that we can all participate in circulating wealth and wisdom in a way that honors our connection to each other and to the planet.

I’ve been a member for about 6 months. I have to confess that I have not been a very active member during that time and I do plan to explore the site more and to participate in the community.

If you do decide to join (or if you’re already a member), do ‘friend’ me. This is my profile. Hope to see you there.

(You can also catch up with me on Facebook.)

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There was a time, a few months ago, when I was getting bogged down with ’stuff’, not really getting enough new clients and, to be honest, I was feeling in a bit of a rut. I wondered what it was in me that was attracting this situation and I couldn’t really get to the bottom of it so I decided to ask for some help.

Life Coaching

One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to find a life coach/business coach to help me push my businesses (web design and homeopathy) forward. It seemed that the time was right to put this into action. I had a search around and, to cut a longer story short, I found someone very near to where I live.

photo credit: andrew_stawarz

This post is not all about the coaching I have experienced - just one part of it that seems important and, perhaps, symbolic.

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