Sharing My Story and Life Lessons...

Recently, I have talked a lot about my experiences at Burning Man in 2009-2011. I have begun to share with you the 10 Principles of Burning Man. Burning Man co-founder Larry Harvey wrote the 10 Principles in 2004 as guidelines for the newly-formed Regional Network. They were crafted not as a dictate of how people should be and act, but as a reflection of the community’s ethos and culture as it had organically developed since the event’s inception. I urge everyone to LIVE the 10 Principles every day. Here, I want to share with you the introductive text of the book I am working on titled "Life Lessons I Learned on the Playa." In this, I do my best to describe this transformative experience and place. It is my hope that you will more fully understand some of my thoughts and emotions going forward. Enjoy!!

THIS PLACE, THIS EXPERIENCE...

For one week each year, tens of thousands gather on a windswept, dry and dusty desert plain high in the Black Rock Mountains of Nevada, one hundred miles from anywhere. These determined and dedicated souls come from all over to build a city in celebration of the possible, the individual, and of community. This place, the playa as it is called, openly and without question embraces its new inhabitants and for each of them, and for just a few days, becomes the place they call home. It is a place that is at once harsh, but comfortable. The brilliant white expanse of hard gypsum dirt stretches infinitely to the blue horizon. It is an environment that challenges, tests your ability to survive, yet at the same time, provides a canvas of opportunity to bring any dream possible to reality. This is Burning Man. 

 

It was to this place where I came to seek some sort of meaning in my life. After many years of emotional upheaval and drifting, addiction, and denial of truths, I wanted to find meaning for my existence. I wanted to find meaning for all of those challenges that had presented themselves to me. I wanted to find meaning for my thoughts and my values. I had heard that Burning Man was nothing more than a weeklong, drug-filled, crazy party. Just a plain crazy event in the overwhelming heat of the high desert. But what I found from the first moment I stepped onto the playa was nothing less than an incredible, unexpected state of mind. I found a way of life and being that I could not have previously imagined, much less thought even existed. It was into this place where I set forth on a journey of personal discovery, self-appreciation, self-reliance, and acceptance of the real beauty of the world and people around me. While I may not have known it in those first few moments, my participation in this place and my embrace of this state of mind would profoundly transform my life.

 

Like many of us who are “Burners”, I have difficulty explaining what home on the playa is like. After all, how do you adequately describe a “state of mind” to someone unless they have experienced it themselves? In a wholly inadequate way, here is my attempt at relating the place, the people and the ideal for you. 

 

This is a place where anyone can go and free themselves mentally and emotionally (and even physically) from whatever binds them to what we call the “default” world. We gather as individuals to be part of an interwoven community that celebrates cooperation, participation and communal caring of one another. As hostile and forbidding as the playa and its surroundings may seem, it's in this desolation and harshness where I found a beauty that is inviting and comfortable. There is a feeling that this IS home, and it surrounds me every moment I am there. I know I am home as the sun begins its brilliant orange rise from behind the mountain each morning and then crosses the brilliant sky to set in a blaze of pink, red and purple each evening. I know I am home as I stare up into a deep night sky filled with an infinity of stars and then look out on a dark-backed plain punctuated by an equally infinite circus of neon colors and flames. I know I am home when I am immediately greeted upon my arrival by strangers who become immediate friends, sharing the spirit of this place and embrace me openly without any preconception or judgment. In this vast emptiness, all of us become free to create a personal experience limited only by those boundaries we have set for ourselves. Transformation comes to those who can transcend those boundaries. I am forever awed by how perfectly the surreal beauty of this place seamlessly intersects with the astounding creativity and limitless imagination of humanity. This joining of the human spirit with the raw beauty of the playa is as paint to canvas, creating a harmonious community – a city – that rises like a mirage from its parched, dust swept surface. Burning Man is, at its core, a unique expression of thousands of unique individuals who have a singular focus – to create a community in celebration of the possible, and live in that community joyously, each participating, learning, and growing as part of a personal journey of self.

 

I will be sharing more of my transformative experience in the hope that you also can find new perspectives in your own life from my, and others, stories. For more information about Burning Man, I encourage you to visit www.burningman.org.

-Text taken from "Life Lessons I Learned on the Playa" by Larry Eiring, copyright 2013, 2023. Reference to Larry Harvey and the 10 Principles taken from "The 10 Principles" on the Burning Man Project website at https://burningman.org/about/10-principles/. Copyright by The Burning Man Project, 1989-2023.

 

So...What Now?

So, what now? Is that a question you ask yourself often? I guess I have had that experience in the past few days or weeks. Last week, I had a complicated ear surgery, which the outcome is still in doubt. Will I hear again in my ear? Will I look different with my ear sewn on? So..what now?

Well, when I take a moment to reflect, the answer is clear. You just get up and move onward. Life deals all of us with a lot of challenges. Big and small and everything in between comes at us each day. Many challenges we just take on without thinking about, while others are so large as to weigh us down and push us over. 

The secret to moving on is to look for every possible opportunity within the challenge. Think about it. If someone has been told they a have life-threatening disease, the challenge is immense, yet they can look at the opportunities to connect deeper with family, take on something they thought they could never do, or embark on a spiritual journey. The opportunities are really endless. For me, well...so what if I look a little different, I can embrace my new-found look, laugh about it and know that it helps make me even more unique than I am. As for my hearing, well, I can always hear from one side, and I can always take the opportunity to see what technology is available to give me more hearing ability with what I have. Point is that nothing is lost, and all can be gained. How about that I can use the challenge to refocus my senses and talents on my other senses, visual and creative. I can move away from self-doubt and move into self-discovery. How exciting is that!!

Late today, an amazing friend of mine, Jim Bowers, sent me the following message that is timely and relevant in so many ways. Jim and I are artists, creators. He is also a dreamer, inspirational and authentic. We are both "perfectly imperfect", as he says. Here's what he had to say:

“Every single human being on this planet (NO EXCEPTIONS) has something BRILLIANT to offer mankind, whether they know it, believe it, or not. It may be obvious, or it may be hidden, deep within an insecurity. Self-doubt renders that BRILLIANT YOU undiscovered, unrecognized, and unappreciated. 

Given time, trust, and commitment, I WILL discover, reveal and then include that uniquely BRILLIANT contribution as an equally integral part of my/our Art. 

Above all else, this is what brings me true joy and my greatest sense of genuine accomplishment.” 

- Jim Bowers, Artist

These are words to live by. So, look at the brilliant YOU and discover your own Art, and say, "What now?"  I think you'll know the answer!!!

Comments please!!

A Thought Of Colors and Words and Life

 Here is another poem of mine. This one was written as I thought of how people see me, and I see them...and how we all see each other. Think about yourself and the colors of our world...and the beauty within.

Paint Me With Words

Paint me with words

What colors will you see

How about bright yellow

Shining just like the sun

Maybe a bit of cool blue

Is that for the mood I'm in

Or orange bold and forceful

A color full of my energy.

Paint me with words

What colors do you see

Did you consider clean white

Pure and simple and bright

There's green like new life

Renewal and rebirth seep out

Or pure red flowing and warm

The love and hope in my heart.

Paint me with words

What colors do I see

As I look outward at you

Funny how I don't see 

Any colors at all now

Black and white and in between

Blend all together into one

Beauty in all and everything.

Paint me with words

What colors do we see

Should we see any at all

Paint me with words

Laughter and tears

Smiles and fears

What colors do I see

I see them all and more

Painting words of love

Painting words of life.

    "Paint Me With Words"  Larry Eiring, Copyright, 2018

So, think about it! What colors do YOU see? I'd enjoy your comments!!! Let's discuss!

What Did You Do Today...?

Ok, here's the question: What did you do today to create value?  

Think about that for a moment. Are you wondering what I mean? Are you asking, "what value?" OK, fair enough. Let me make this a little clearer. First, think about what you did today to create value in yourself. Did you look in the mirror and smile at yourself, thinking "I am going to make this a great day?" or did you create something positive for yourself? In creating and building a value-driven life, it is important to take some time each day for yourself. This means that you can do a positive activity, like working out at the gym, or writing something, or even do something artistic. These positive activities - things you want and like to do - will help you build your self-value. The more your build your own self-value, the better you will feel about yourself and your ability to meet the challenges that you will face each day.

Now, how about sharing some of your value with others! Maybe you simply opened a door for someone in the store. Maybe you thanked someone for their help, or maybe you called a friend and listened to them as they related an issue to you. By sharing your value, you are giving of yourself and helping to build someone's own value-driven life. And, just as importantly, you are helping to build your own self-value. 

See! Simple things you do today mean a lot to you and someone else. Each day, by doing something to create value, you are continuing to build on your own life of value. So, the question is...what are you going to do today...and tomorrow??

Please share what you do (and have done) to create value for yourself and others. You just may help someone on their journey towards a value-driven life!!  Comments???

Yesterday? That's so yesterday!!

Today, I was reminded of something that I learned a few years ago. I had someone say to me today that they wish they could go back and fix all of the stupid things they did, and maybe they would not have ended up in the situation they are in now. Really!!?? We can wish all we want. We can lament what we did or didn't do. We can say and think all of the "should haves, would haves, could haves" we want. But there is a reality: It's simple really. No matter how hard we try, we can't relive or redo what happened in the past. So why spend time and energy dwelling on it? What will spending all of that energy get us? Nothing but more aggravation and self-doubt. In fact, when we spend time lamenting our yesterday, we are giving away our own value. And that ends up causing us to spend even more negative energy...or worse. So how about this: Think about today. Think about the good, positive things you can do today, right now. Think about how wonderful your life is now. What?!? You say it's not wonderful? Think about this...you are alive. You have opportunities to be who you want to be. Take the time, even a few minutes to lift yourself up. Smile at yourself. Laugh at your own silliness (I do that every day!). Remember that no matter what, you have today. Make it your day. And...in this today, you will have tomorrow. So, stop dwelling on yesterday and start celebrating today. After all, as my leadership mentor John C. Maxwell says....today matters!!! In fact, it's all we really have.

What do you think? We've all been there. Share your thoughts and how you deal with "yesterday"! 

So....What is the VALUE in you? BTW...Happy Holidays!

 Well, here we are. It's Christmas 2022. Do you feel like you are of value? Do you wonder if anyone cares? Well, first of all, YOU should care. Yes, no matter what you think - you are valuable. I remember ten years ago. Yes, that's right in 2012...I felt like no one cared. But the reality is that I didn't care about myself. Wow...how three-O stupid that was, huh? So, I want everyone to know this.... YOU are valuable. YOU are loved, by someone. And maybe that someone is YOU!! I don't care if you think this is BS, look deep inside of yourself. You KNOW you are worth something. I have worked with a lot of people...and when pressed, they DO find value in themselves. And so will you. Let's walk on this journey together. I promise you; you will find your own value...and a life of hope and dignity!!! Enjoy! 2023 will be OUR year!!

It's Been A Long Time

 Hello!! Yes, it's been a very long time since I have been here. Well, I am back. And...I am better than ever. In fact, I have found the value inside of myself that was there all along. What? You are looking for your value too? Imagine that!! Over the last ten years, I have met so many people who thought they were not of value...to themselves, or anyone else. I thought that about myself, but you know what? I was wrong. And so were they. I found that if I figured out the "whys" in my life, I could...with a lot of willingness and determination, find out the value I have inside of myself. In doing so, I became transformed, evolved really, into the person I am today - valuable, honest, authentic, comfortable, and hopeful. You can get to this too!  In 2018, I developed a program called "A Value Driven Life." In summary, it's a mental wellness, self-help program that helps you figure out the "why's" in your life, so you can build a life of value - a true value-driven life of dignity, respect and hope.

Now that I'm back, I want to share this program, and so much more with everyone. So...hang with me, be patient and come along on an exciting journey of self-discovery, self-evolution, and hope!!

Fear, Commitment and Loosing Yourself

We all know that at the depth of the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt in his inaugural address stated, “the only thing we have to fear…is fear itself.” But what was FDR really trying to say to the depressed and disillusioned masses that had lost everything? Simply, that fear was just a feeling, an emotion and a state of mind that did not have to take over and consume every part of people’s lives. In effect, it’s just a word, like other words, but at the height of despair and ruin, people had given in to it. Millions had given in to a simple “word”.  What fear really does, if we let that “word” take over our minds and allow it to consume us, is to push us to the point where we end up losing ourselves. We start thinking we are something we are not and ultimately let fear drive every action we take, sometimes with awful results.

Yes, we all have fears. Many of us have a fear of flying, fear of dying and fear of snakes and spiders. But what about the fear of making a real commitment? Many relationships break down because one or the other partner has given in to their fear of being committed to someone else simply because they fear they might “loose” a part of themselves.  Often, these individuals let their fear take over and never even give the relationship a chance to grow and thrive. Their fear of losing something, anything of themselves, as unrealistic as it may be, stamps out the flame of happiness and contentment before it’s even had a chance to burn brightly. Imagine what they have lost by letting a simple word – fear – drive their actions. Not only have they lost the opportunity to self evolve in concert with another human being they may actually love, but they have lost the opportunity to evolve and grow themselves into a life of contentment and freedom from “fear”. For these individuals, the only thing they then have to fear…is themselves.

Giving and Taking - It’s All about Balance

I’ve been told over and over that I’m a “giver” in my life. That’s probably true. I love to give of myself, give to others and donate to causes I believe passionately about. But I also enjoy giving to those I love and care about too. In that is the issue. I’ve always given so much, without asking for anything in return, that I end up getting disappointed and hurt. The cause of this discord is that unconscious and unrealistic expectations are created. Our human nature causes us to think that “if you give, you shall also receive”, but the reality is that this almost never occurs. So many of us, myself included who are givers end up waiting for a return that doesn’t equal what we give out. We become disillusioned, disappointed and discouraged. If we let this go on long enough, we become hurt and unhappy with ourselves, even to the point that we feel that the problem is with “me”. At its worse, this spiraling downward and inward ends up becoming self-destructive to the point that we stop giving to the most important person who matters – ourselves.

To begin mastering the art of self-evolution, we (and I) need to take a step back and look at reality. The reality is that a happy, healthy life is all about balance. As a “giver”, we need to know that some people are truly “takers” and will take from us all we have if we let them. It becomes our own choice to let that happen or not. To evolve, we as givers who are seeking and needing balance need to seek out others who are also seeking and needing balance. We then need to open up a questioning dialogue between ourselves and listen to each other. We need to reach a point where we seek mutual understanding about what we need to give and what we need to take. In essence, each of us needs to find a proper balance. Finding this balance is not always easy or comfortable, but it will help each of us grow and evolve. In the end, happiness and contentment can and will come from achieving this simple balance between giving and taking in our lives, but only if we open up to it. 

Want to Succeed? Try A New Formula

One of the keys to success and happiness in life is realizing that using the same formula for the way you live your life just might be failing. Whether it’s sticking with a not-so-happy situation just because it’s “comfortable”, hanging with friends who always get you in trouble because they "like me", or staying with an addiction because it “feels good”, haven't you noticed the end result is always the same? I'll bet you feel depressed and end up in a state of despair and discontentment. You probably have even asked yourself, “how do I get off this crazy roller coaster?”  Actually, the answer is quite simple. Take a hint from the process of self-evolution. Sit down and seriously question each situation. Don't let others influence you and don’t back down from what you see. Open your self to every new opportunity to all of the challenges you face. Allow yourself the opportunity to define these opportunities and look at them for how they will allow you to move forward in life. Remember, you don’t need anyone else’s permission or input to succeed other than your own. So go ahead, use a new life-formula, use the courage you know you have and give yourself permission to succeed and continue on your journey of self-evolution.

(with thanks to Michael Butler, Sr. for prompting this entry out of me!)

Don't Change - Self-Evolve!

How many times in your life have you been told you should ‘change’ something or another about you? Maybe it was the way you act or the way you work that you were told to change. Or maybe it was even the way you think that you should ‘change.’  Do you remember your reaction to this outside encroachment on your personal being? Did it make you change or did it make you merely alter the next action and your reaction to it? In the end, did anything really ‘change’ about you? I would bet it didn’t. But if you had approached the situation as an opportunity to review and alter your process of reacting, you would have opened the door to “self-evolution.”

Henry Ford once said, “One who fears failure limits his activities. Failure is only the opportunity to more intelligently begin again.” We should all see our failures, no matter how small or how large, as the challenges of life from which we can turn into great opportunities. The key to doing this lies in our ability to recognize every challenge, every failure, indeed every interaction in life as an opportunity for us to evolve our way of thinking, our way of acting and our way of being.  It is a natural human tendency to question everything. We do it every minute of every day with everything we see, hear, smell, touch and think. The answers we derive from these questions then direct how we react. We question the actions that come from our reactions and the cycle starts again.

Like you, I have encountered great challenges on the journey of my life. I question what is happening and then react. When my questioning has been focused on everything except the reasons why I let the challenge affect me directly, I ended up reacting in such a way that the challenge reappeared, often with dire consequences. In those instances, I had failed to question fully and failed to learn from the challenge. However, when I questioned much more deeply and focused on why the challenge affected me directly, I ended up questioning my initial actions and reactions. It was in this act of questioning my own way of questioning that I realized what I needed to know.  I stopped becoming a passive and reactive questioner and started becoming an active and proactive questioner of myself. 

None of us likes ‘change’ because it means that we may have to do something or become someone we inherently are not comfortable with. That’s a very natural reaction.  In fact, Morris Massey in his What You Are Is Where You Were When series very correctly shows that by age 21, our values are ‘locked-in’ and become very difficult to change. He goes on to say that only through a ‘significant emotional event’ can we alter our way of thinking and acting. Yet, I believe we can do this every minute of every day. I believe we can ‘self-evolve’ by making every challenge, every failure, every question presented to us as an opportunity to be a better, more content and happy person leading a fulfilling life. That’s what my blog, dedicated to my thoughts surrounding "Mastering the Art of Self-Evolution", is founded upon. This is my opportunity to share my experiences, actions, reactions and questions, both good and bad, to those challenges of life which have caused me to ‘self-evolve’ and ultimately seek out those opportunities which can lead to ultimate personal satisfaction and happiness.

I invite you to join me on this journey and share your own experiences. Let’s question each other and ourselves. In the end, I believe our own personal self-evolutions will collectively help lift the whole of society to a better future.