it's been fun here but it's time to upgrade.

thank you to everyone who read my thoughts on a regular basis. i will continue to write, just not here.

Come visit me at my new space: http://gregsoundz.tumblr.com

You can also follow me on twitter to get updates on the blog, my life, things i find funny/interesting and some occasionally meaningless info :-)

Hope you come along for the ride!

Hey everybody!

I added 3 new videos on my YouTube page. Subscribe, leave comments and enjoy!!!

Greg Soundz on YouTube

piggy-backing on my previous blog about my one resolution for the year to "give more", i thought i'd share something i read the other day on giving and the law of circulation (giving & receiving). this one section about receiving was a serious "a-ha! moment" for me:

It's important to notice how you respond to compliments especially when they are sincere and valid. Do you downplay it, decline it or ignore it? Do you say something like "Oh it's nothing." The reason why you do not accept other people's compliments about you is because you do not accept them about yourself. Learn to have complete self acceptance so that you can look others in the eye and say "Thank you." The reason why it is important to accept compliments is that it allows the other person to give something to us.

Do not refuse anything good that is offered to you. If someone offers you a gift, take the gift and just say, "Thank You." If you are in a restaurant and someone wants to pay the bill, don't argue. Just say, "Thank you" and allow them to give to you. Give up your beliefs about accepting gifts from others. Forget about feeling vulnerable or owing them something. Don't decline it because you do not want to be affected by the law of reciprocity.

If someone gives you something you don't like or you don't need, pass it on to someone else who can use it or enjoy it. As you do this, everyone gets to win. When you refuse a gift from anyone, you are not only blocking the flow of abundance in your life, but you are also blocking the flow of abundance in the giver's life.

Source: http://www.mindreality.com/law-of-circulation-flow-of-giving-and-receiving

i can't even begin to recall the many times i've denied someone who was simply trying to give to me. of course i didn't see it that way at the time, but after reading this i realize that's just what i was doing. in resolving to "give more" i must also be aware of receiving and accepting more in my life.

i've set a number of goals for 2009 but only one resolution.
i resolve to "give more".

if asked, no two people will answer quite the same so i have to rephrase the question:

what does it mean for ME to be in love?

i've lived the fantasy of love...i know what that feels like. it's an important part of the early stages of a relationship but is not enough to sustain a relationship. somehow, a successful relationship finds a balance between the romantic fantasy we're all force-fed from an early age and the sometimes harsh reality of what it means to be a partner.

what does it mean for YOU to be in love?

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On November 4th 2008, millions of Americans will go to over 200,000 distinct voting locations and using different systems and machinery to vote. Some voters will have a terrific experiences, and others will experience the same problems we have been hearing about for years - long lines, broken machines, inaccurate voting rolls, and others will experience problems that we haven't heard about before. That's why a new citizen-driven election monitoring system called Twitter Vote Report (www.twittervotereport.com) was just launched. Using either Twitter.com, iPhone, direct SMS, or our telephone hotlines, voters will have a new way to share their experiences with one another and ensure that the media and watchdog groups are aware of any problems.

And YOU can help! Be a citizen journalist! Submit a report about conditions at your polling place.

Four ways to submit reports to Vote Report:

* Twitter: include votereport and other tags to describe the scene on the ground
* SMS: Send text messages to 66937 (MOZES) starting with the keyword votereport plus other hash tags
* iPhone: We have a Twitter Vote Report iPhone app in the App store!
* Phone: Call our automated system at 567-258-VOTE (8683) to report about conditions, using any touch-tone phone

And if you would like to talk to a human to report bad conditions you've observed, please call our partner 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

As news outlets and blogs will report on Election Day stories, www.twittervotereport.com is an invaluable resource for thousands of voters to get immediate help. From questions like "where do I vote" or "how do I make sure that my rights are being upheld," Twitter Voter Report augments these efforts by providing a new way for voters to send text messages (aka tweets) via cellphones or computers which will be aggregated and mapped so that everyone can see the Nation's voting problems in real-time.

Imagine a nationwide web map with pins identifying every zip code where Americans are waiting over 30 minutes to vote or indicating those election districts where the voting machines are not working. Collectively we will inform each other when the lines are too long and ensure that media and watchdog groups know where problems exist.

For more information, go to www.twittervotereport.com. The complete list of tags or keywords that you can include in your reports is listed there. And please help to spread the word — send this to everyone you know!

Over the weekend John Lewis said, "Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse." He went on to bring up the stanch segregationist and former governor of Alabama, George Wallace as an example of how bad things can get when those "seeds" are sown and said "As public figures with the power to influence and persuade, Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are playing with fire, and if they are not careful, that fire will consume us all. They are playing a very dangerous game that disregards the value of the political process and cheapens our entire democracy. We can do better. The American people deserve better."

source: Huffington Post

John Lewis was right. I am extremely surprised that the media does not understand what Congressman Lewis is saying. He is in no way calling McCain and Palin racists akin to George Wallace but he is issuing a prophetic warning to the campaign about what unchecked hatred can turn into. It is true that they cannot control the outburst from the crowd but they can control the words they use that has lead many naive and ignorant people down a very distrubing path of hatred, division, mistrust and misguidance.

What we see here at this stage of the election reminds me of a sermon my Dad preached titled "Negative Spiritual Alliances". This is an alliance built on mutual disdain, dislike or hatred for someone or something else. This type of alliance always fails because of what it is built on...negativity. What better proof do we need than the continued unraveling of the McCain/Palin campaign? It seems as if the more negative their campaign becomes, the higher Obama/Biden's poll numbers get.

Obama's campaign has done a lot to change the political landscape in this country. The impact of this campaign can be attributed to many things but one thing I know for certain is that the foundation set has been the fuel that has kept the fire burning through every storm, through every twist and through every turn. HOPE and CHANGE are words that sit comfortably next to LOVE and TOGETHERNESS. The seeds that have been sown by Obama and his campaign are a sign of what a Positive Spiritual Alliance can look like.

over the past few months i've been reflecting A LOT on my journey over the past 9 yrs. looking back at how my thoughts and beliefs have evolved, i can pinpoint one moment at each stage that represents a point of no return. i like to call a them "rabbit hole moments".

a rabbit hole moment is when you encounter an idea, piece of information or have an experience that forever changes your thinking. no matter how much you try to fight it, ignore it or pretend it doesn't exist, this moment permanently alters the way you see yourself and the world around you.

i am sooooo grateful for those moments...looking back i realize now that more than receiving "new" information, i was simply discovering myself...finding those things that echoed what i already knew and believed. i am experiencing a rabbit hole moment right now. while i am fortunate enough to recognize it and "let it flow", it's still a tough process that brings some anxiety and fear (of the unknown). i will not fight this journey and i will not stop it. i embrace it fully with arms wide open because i know that this moment is bringing me closer to being whole and living my best life.

have you reflected on the rabbit hole moments in your life? did you allow the process to complete or did it get too dark and scared you away? there's still time to take the journey...once you do it the first time, i promise the second trip isn't so scary.

Checkout my entry to Mariah Carey Remix contest...