Benjamin

009 Coming Back to Now

009: Coming Back to Now – Because It’s the Only Place We Can Ever Be.

Bringing myself back to the present moment has been the number one most helpful thing in just being myself and not feeling like I should be any other way than I am.

When I first heard about coming back to the moment, I didn’t understand what it was and how to get there. Where is this ‘present moment’ you speak of? What does it feel like? What’s it going to be like when I do get there?

In this episode I share some of my experiences with the present moment and how it has dramatically reduced the power of the self-critical thoughts and feelings which were running rampant in my mind and body.

I go into the techniques which have been the most effective for coming back into the moment, and take a look at some of the common doubts and difficulties which can show up as you exploring the present moment more and more.

008: A Grand Woozle Wimbie (Talk) with Simon Höfer

008: A Grand Woozle Wimbie (Talk) with Simon Höfer

Simon’s energy is tricky to describe. Perhaps the best way to describe it is in the form of a recipe:


Take one handful of spontaneous joy, a generous portion of raw creativity, and a delicate serving of sensitive curiosity and compassionate caring. (I’m not really sure what sort of recipe this is. It’s more of a list of things which describe Simon’s energy.)

Working and living in Germany, Simon earns a living as an illustrator. He lives a humble yet action-packed life which includes (but is not limited to) rock climbing, art-battles and backflips. But unlike an artistically-gifted mountain climbing hedgehog, he’s also published multiple illustrated books which are packed with his flowing creativity, including his most notable book to date – Jackson Norby – a collaborative project between himself and the imagination of Lenn – a four year old child.

Why I wanted to talk with Simon.
Being someone who has struggled to express myself freely, Simon’s authentically flowing self-expression instantly captured my attention.

I wanted to know, had he always busted such hustling tunes? (translation: had he always been living so authentically?) or had this been something he’d worked at and developed over time? How did he come to be the way he was? What was his childhood like? And how had that influenced how he interacts with himself and the world around him now?

I sat down with Simon and we had a big chat over Skype. This interview really is action packed with gold nuggets of wisdom about childhood, personal growth and being yourself, including sprinklings of spontaneous fun.

007: Perfectionism is Selfish

007: Perfectionism is Selfish

This week I’m computerless. With no computer to edit, I deliver a raw, completely unperfect, stream-of-consciousness about why indulging in perfectionism is depriving people from experiencing our inherent value. Our unique ideas, insights, creations and expressions. The world deserves to experience that value.

006: The Self Relationship

When I first heard about the idea of a ‘self-relationship’ I had no idea what it was. How do you have a relationship with yourself? Do you start talking to yourself, taking yourself for walks, smooching with your reflection in the mirror?

In this episode I take a look at my journey with establishing a caring relationship with myself and how it’s helped me express myself with less fear and doubt. I also look at some of significant changes I’ve encountered on this journey: healthier relationships, more grounded and relaxed perception of the world, and some doubts which were telling me I was doing something wrong by taking care of myself.

Stepping-Out-of-Negativity

005: Stepping Out of Negativity by Becoming Aware of Our Awareness

Our negative thoughts and feelings certainly have a tremendous power behind them. It’s easy to dwell on these negative feelings, entering into endlessly looping fears, doubts and criticisms – ‘What if I’m not good enough?’ ‘I should be more …’ ‘I shouldn’t be so …’.

Becoming aware of our body as a single point of reference where all our experiences take place – thoughts, feelings and sensations – we can use our body’s awareness of these experiences to break out of these loops of negativity and take the positive action we desire.