Recognize the greatness

When you recognize greatness in another, you recognize it in yourself.
This entry presumes you are familiar with and practice satya, or right speech in body, breath, and mind. I've come across a number of masters in my life. Their fields of study are vast: actors, singers, dancers, speakers, negotiators, teachers, managers, painters. They share a number of common qualities when creating their art:

simplicity- often so much you don't recognize they are doing anything at all
lateral connection- they associate everything with the practice of their art, always practicing whether they know it or not
listening- to their inner voice and the outside world to understand which is which
spontanaeity- ability to quickly adjust their way of being to cause greater change in less time

It's the balance among these that makes the master.
The more you look for these people in your life, the more you will find they are right in front of you. What you see is what you get. Or, what you expect is what you find. Suddenly, you discover everyone around you is a master at something, whether they know it or not. Let go of the jealous voice inside, because once you turn your lens back onto your self, you'll discover you are a master, too. It's important to use time every day to practice this way. When you recognize greatness in an other, you are really recognizing it in yourself.

Colors of the Spring Life

For those of us in New York City, it's officially spring. We've had a Summer-like day to show us what's coming, wind and cold rain to remind us where we've come from. The reminiscing, preparing season has passed, along with some of our old ways of being, our extra layers for warmth, and perhaps some of our friends. As blossoms of your winter-work bloom, we get a chance to see what we've sown.

To me, Spring is a celebration of color. So many things add different hues to our lives: family adds the base tones, new and old friends are varying shades, experiences of food, vocation(s), and play give us the finer details and contrast. These all weave together, year after year, to express your greatest artistic work- your life. Do you have a zoomed-out grand vision for your finished piece, or are you the zoomed-in moment-by-moment manager of your experience?

We know from studying Yoga that there must always be balance. To live a full life, we have to be good at both. To live only every thinking in broad strokes, thinking of your legacy, is to live a life removed from people. Calculating only the narrow day-to-day tasks will only get you more of the same pattern. We must practice both- being able to scale in and out effortlessly. Then we can live life taking small steps toward our big goal, while still sharing our hours with ours.