Lori Todd’s transformational insights are given as part of a larger purpose. Lori Todd is committed to creating a world community of authentic leaders standing in integrity where all human beings express their unique gifts. This blog includes transformational distinctions, quotes, and techniques to support people in choosing authenticity, connection, oneness, integrity and ultimately making a profound and unique difference on this planet.
The Alchemist and Our Hearts
Alchemist and Our Hearts When you want something with all your heart, then you are connected to the natural order of the Universe. Some say it is the Soul of the World. A positive force. This is true of man, animal, vegetable, mineral, energy, etc. "Everything on earth is being continuously transformed, because the earth is alive… and it has a soul. We are part of that soul, so we rarely recognize that it is working for us." We have an abundant Universe, so why do we choose Scarcity? The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho “Why do we have to listen to our hearts?” the boy asked, when they had made camp that day. “Because, wherever your heart is, that is where you’ll find your treasure.” “My heart is a traitor,” the boy said to the alchemist, when they had paused to rest the horses. “It doesn’t want me to go on.” “That makes sense. Naturally it’s afraid that, in pursuing your dream, you might lose everything you’ve won.” “Well, then, why should I listen to my heart?” “Because you will never again be able to keep it quiet.” “My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer,” the [...]
Friendship and Honesty
What is friendship? Is friendship counted by the number of Facebook friends we have? Of course, that is absurd. If that were true, I would be an extrovert with an enormous number of friends. For me friendship has to do with who is really there for you above their need for monetary gain, approval from others, when we do really stupid things, or when we have sharp differences. We all end up at some time or another being really dumb. As of late, "a test of friendship is assistance in adversity, and that too, unconditional assistance."
We Have Dreamed It: Therefore It Is
I have become convinced that everything we think and feel is merely perception: that our lives--individually as well as communally-- are molded around such perception: and that if we want to change, we must alter our perception. When we give our energy to a different dream, the world is transformed. To create a new world, we must first create a new dream." John Perkins
Dr. Lori Todd: Stand on the Skinny Branches
Dance on the skinny branches Dr. Lori Todd: Stand on the Skinny Branches Dance on the skinny branches. Invite people to dance with you. When you invite people to stand on the skinny branches with you, it is really a metaphor for you inviting people to stand with you for transformation in the world. You are inviting people to live distinctions of responsibility, oneness, integrity and love. You are inviting people to see the world through new glasses. Imagine standing with a team of people who are agents of change. Risky business. "Love means to commit oneself without guarantee, to give oneself completely in the hope that our love will produce love in the loved person. Love is an act of faith, and whoever is of little faith is also of little love." Erich Fromm "In thus giving of his life, he enriches the other person, he enhances the other's sense of aliveness by enhancing his own sense of aliveness. He does not give in order to receive; giving is in itself exquisite joy. Giving makes the other person a giver also and they both share in the joy of what they have brought to life. In [...]
Ho’oponopono: Hawaiian Forgiveness Ritual
Ho'oponopono: The Hawaiian Forgiveness Ritual Sometimes things happen in life that we can feel blindsided by and do not fit in any box that is easily explained. Sometimes the pain is deep and hard to shake. Here is one simple method that has helped me lately get centered and connected back to the unexplainable universe. Ho'oponopono: The Hawaiian Forgiveness Ritual You focus on the person in your mind and in your mind say the words. I am sorry. Please Forgive me. I love you. Thank you. I am sorry (I no longer reject the problem. We are both free) Please forgive me (Please forgive me, or my past for consciously or unconsciously disturbed you and me in the course of our evolution. Please forgive me for having judged you (or the situation), and in the past disregarded our connectedness.) I love you (I love you and myself unconditionally with all our weaknesses and faults.) Thank you (Thank you, for I understand that the miracle is already underway. Through the power of forgiveness, I am now freed from the energetic chains of the past. I am Source)
What Are You Resistant To?
What are you resistant to? Resistance sucks the life out of your transformation. When you experience Resistance – choose Surrender. Surrender is a courageous act that fuels transformation. Surrender is not the cultural definition of defeat. Resistance It’s your Ego’s maneuver against growth and change. It’s your Ego’s desire for control and is a defensive stance. Resistance seeks to maintain the familiar and comfortable. Under the hood is resignation, defeat and passivity. Surrender Surrender chooses what is rather than what one wishes, wants, likes, dislikes or expects. Surrender is a choice toward growth and transformation. Your authentic self wants to let go of control and be free. Surrender is liberation, expansion and the letting down of barriers. Under the hood is trust, flow and vibrancy. What you resist, persists. Dr. Lori Todd
Are you a Leader who operates from “Reckless Intention”?
Are you a Leader who operates from reckless intention? Intention: Having a clear purpose and goal, an unbroken commitment to have it happen. Standing in one’s heart and mind that the result has already happened. Reckless: Without thinking or caring about the consequences. A person who is risking, daring, audacious, and bold.
Authenticity Requires Courage and Discipline
Authenticity Requires Courage and Discipline. Be true to your Self when events, people and your ego are pressuring you to be something else. Be and act in alignment with who you hold yourself to be. Stand that the Unique You is something beautiful and essential to the fabric of humanity. Be uncomfortable as you operate without evidence, agreement or guarantee. Be transparent and tell the truth about your inauthenticity, mistakes, and masks. Confront yourself and discover your inauthenticity. Tell the truth even if you feel like you are going to fail or die. Break the cycle of your addiction to “look good, be right, and be in control.”
Authenticity is necessary for healing humanity
Authenticity is necessary for healing humanity Imagine a dynamic planet where we operate as one and are all part of the essential fabric of existence, the collective creative consciousness. We are not separate selves that must worry incessantly and spend our time being right, looking good or being in control. We are integral to the whole and we are also unique beings. The expression of our gifts is important, beautiful and indispensable. Waking up to our unique gifts is no small task. We look in the mirror and we see a distorted image, like looking in a funhouse mirror and thinking it is accurate. We then enroll people around us in this conspiracy and they relate to our funhouse mirror as if it is the truth. What does it mean to be your authentic self? Being true to your Self, despite a world and external pressures attempting to have you be something else. Your Self is not a fixed entity given to you at birth. It is not your small EGO self separate from humanity. Being and acting in alignment with who you hold yourself to be and the commitments that come out of your mouth. This is distinct [...]
Whatever you do: Don’t be poor and go to jail
Most people in jail in the U.S. have not been convicted of any crime, they are legally presumed innocent. Sixty to 75% of them are awaiting trial in pretrial detention. This wait can be from a few months to over a year. - Why are they still in jail waiting for resolution of their case? They are too poor to post bail. Bail amounts keep going up, and research has shown that the bail system is totally unrelated to keeping the public safe. - What can happen to these people? They sit in jail, lose their jobs, lose their homes, lose their children, and they can lose their souls. And their children lose their parents and innocence as well. - Yes I know they are responsible for their lives and where they are. But the system, the way it is configured, only creates more damage to humanity. And by the way, we pick up the tab. This poem is from a woman I know who has been waiting in jail for her trial, for over eight months, to prove her innocence. It looks like it will be another four months. So much for a speedy trial. She says that [...]
Leaders Declare the Impossible
Leaders Declare the Impossible and Make It Possible Making and Managing Promises Leaders make powerful promises from their vision, from outside their historical box. Leaders don’t wake up in the morning and say; “The sun is going to rise in the east!” Of course the sun is going to rise in the east. Leaders wake up in the morning and declare a man on the moon, the end of world hunger, 100% literacy, and equality for all. The power of a promise is that it brings a possibility into existence that was currently not in existence. A promise is what will tangibly occur within a specified time frame. A transformational promise is outside the box and is the first step in the manifestation of a vision. Leaders then take action consistent with the promise and stand responsible for the ways of being actions and results. Leaders declare the impossible and make it possible. Most people do not make a promise. Most people say, “I’ll do the best I can. I’ll get the highest raise I can. I’ll be a little more open. I’ll try to go to the gym this week. I’ll try to have a date.” When a [...]
Steps to Creating an Unprecedented Future
Steps to Being Successful and Creating an Unprecedented Future Envision it -> Big Promises -> Big Requests -> Make It Happen 1. Envision it: What do you really want? What is your vision? 2. Big Promises: What is the tangible manifestation of your vision? Invent a new place to operate from by making bold promises and then embodying the promise. Interact in the world by standing in this promise and allowing yourself to engage with forces both seen and unseen in an entirely new way. 3. Unconditional Commitment to Make It Happen. Be willing to risk everything. Operate without any guarantee. Be willing to “go for it anyway” and be committed, even though the odds of failing are high. If the odds of failing are low, you are not operating in the arena of an unprecedented future. “I have no guarantee, I make my commitment my guarantee.” 4. Set a powerful intention and Be The Source. Own your “unprecedented future.” Own that you are the Chessboard upon which all pieces play. You are not a pawn. Own that you are the writer, director and producer of this magnificent production. You are the Source. Get out of the way and [...]
Loving Your Unacceptable Sides
Loving Your Unacceptable sides. What are your unacceptable behaviors/sides? What do you hate to be? What behavior in yourself or others do you resist? Fearful, greedy, angry, sexy, quiet, bold, cheap, spend freely, sad, dead, dramatic.... Whatever you resist or disown about yourself will take on a life of it’s own. What are the prices of locking those parts of you away in the shadows? You will be exhausted, have low energy, get sick, be far less effective at relating to people, and have less power and freedom in expressing your unique self and leaving a legacy on this planet. It takes an extraordinary amount of energy to keep aspects of us hidden. What if your power was actually in all the parts of you that you deny? What if the parts of you that are not OKAY with hold your gifts? Dr. Lori Todd
The Invitation
It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your hearts longing. It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive. It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have you become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human. It doesn’t interest me if the story you’re telling me is true. I want to know if you can [...]
Dr. Lori Todd Asks Who’s Driving Your Car?
Dr. Lori Todd Asks Who’s Driving Your Car? Meet my ego. She is always thinking. She broods about past mistakes, plots new ways to stay safe so I don’t have to risk, and she worries about the future. Left unchecked, my ego could drive me around for hours and hours and I would get nowhere fast. Sound familiar? How do you get yourself back in the driver’s seat? First, stop fighting with your ego, reasoning with it, enrolling others in it, feeling bad about it or waiting for it to go away. What you resist persists! All the energy you put into it will only drive you faster to nowhere. Be up to a game that is bigger than you, one that isn't even practical, convenient or realistic. Be committed to a vision that requires reinvention, and is too big for your ego to win at. Surrender to this vision without any evidence that it can be accomplished. What can you do? Ask yourself, “What is your purpose in life?” Decide what you could do today that would make you proud. Write a list of 15 things you are grateful for. Take immediate action. When in doubt, focus out. [...]