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Thursday, March 19, 2009
Creating Your Inner Circle
Have you ever noticed that we often become our surroundings and start to base our life decisions on the decisions made by others whom we encounter every day? I notice this the most when I travel and visit friends who are walking down a different path. When I return to New York to visit my Wall Street friends, I remember what it was like to be climbing the corporate ladder and searching for the next promotion. That was a great chapter in my life and I enjoyed it greatly at the time. But now, things have changed, and as CEO of my own company, it is only I who stands on that ladder. I can swing, I can jump, and I can certainly tumble.
Realizing more now that most life decisions are completely my own, and also realizing that I still am affected by those I keep in my company, I ask myself, who do I want to keep as "colleagues" to influence and affect my life decisions?
As I do this, I think of people that I admire and inspire me. I think of ones that are living their lives in a positive, fulfilling, and confident way. Obviously I toss out any friends involved in drugs or other bad habits, but I also toss out ones who gossip, tell lies, or speak about others behind their back. Do I want that negativity in my life if I get to choose?
One of the people I choose to keep is Tom Morley, now a friend, but he has always been one of my favorite yoga teachers. I chose Tom to play the part of the Dad in Yoga for Families, having chosen him for his natural good looks and attractive personality (Studies show good-looking people are more likely to grab and keep our attention, per the September 2007 issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology).
I barely knew him at the time we took off for a week of filming in Cancun, Mexico, but after a few days, I realized that Tom is more than just a handsome face. Tom is compassionate, focused, honest, and all around agreeable.
As evidence, this week, I not only made a short film on Tom to highlight his good work during the shoot, but he told us a story after yoga that illustrates his great contribution to our lives. It goes something like this:
“There is not much that differentiates us from the bums that walk around on the street talking to themselves. We too constantly talk to ourselves, but the difference is that we just do it silently. We continue to tell ourselves stories - that we're too fat, don't make enough money, should be getting married, raising children differently, etc. We often tell ourselves these stories really loud, like those people screaming on the streets, so that it completely takes over our thoughts and we can think of nothing else. In addition, we repeat the same stories over and over again, like Joe on the corner.
If we continue to let our minds run in a million directions all the time, with all this conversation, we can certainly drive ourselves crazy. Actually, the irony is that these thoughts are keeping our full potential in prison, keeping us locked up in our mind.
The trick is to stop the mind from repeating these stories. It is the only way we are to become sane. Take time to still the mind. Take time to focus on the present moment."
I believe the reason Tom was such a blessing and a pleasure during our 5 a.m. casting calls and long week of shooting, was due to his dedicated meditation time. He religiously took time to calm the mind, and empty it of any stories or thoughts that may creep in during the day.
When he was present on the set, he was truly 100% present. He was focused, energetic, and loving. I truly couldn't have done the shoot without him and his good energy. It is for this reason that I created a movie that pays tribute to Tom, showing some of the on-camera as well as a few behind-the-scenes shots. As you will see, he is a blessing, I am proud to have him and keep him in my inner circle.
Feel free to check out my tribute to him, including some "behind the scenes" shots from Mexico: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9-UvrEPBXA
Namaste,
Ingrid
Posted by Ingrid on 03/19 at 06:30 PM
(1) Comments •
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