Max Simon

Will you be ok if nothing ever changes?

Max Simon — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 18:21:00 GMT

"Will you be OK if things never change? Absolutely, because you're already
living the way you are now."

I recently heard this statement in a seminar and it really struck me. Think about
it - this is the reason why more people haven't made an effort to evolve. They
are already living life (consciously or unconsciously) as they are so they know
they can stand the way it is.

This really put things in perspective for me. As a teacher, I often see people who
are flat out stuck and yet when solutions are put in front of them, they choose to
stay exactly where they are. The result is that people repeat the same mistakes,
create the same stories, and complain about the same things.

So what's needed for people to want to change? Looking at my own life, I feel
there are only two answers:

Pain: Unfortunately, suffering seems to be the leading cause of transformation.
You hit rock bottom (enough times), feel miserable (enough times), and then
(finally) decide to start seeking new ways.

Inspiration: Someone or something strikes a chord to show you what's
possible and that lights your fire.

That's it. You are either motivated by the desire to stop hurting or you are inspired
to be great. Both can take you to the same place (freedom) but each journey will
carry a very different energy. One comes with desperation and the other is guided
by personal power.

So what side of the coin are you on?

On this day of rest, really sit with that question and listen to what comes up. If your
answers are to "not be" something, pay attention to that. The first step to change in
any area of life is to become aware of what's happening now.

With this awareness, you have a few choices. You can do what you're doing now
and nothing changes, you can wait until you experience enough pain that change
becomes absolutely necessary, or you can step up to create your world right now.

I choose to step up now. Are you with me?

Much love,

Max Simon
Founder, Chief Enlightenment Officer
www.getselfcentered.com

PS: If you have been dreaming about becoming an Awareness Architect but don't have
the funds, I've got some good news. Next week, we will be announcing a scholarship
program to put the hungriest selfcentered people through the training. Only be a few
spots will be available so contact us if you're interested.

I've been getting beat up a lot lately

Max Simon — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:04:00 GMT

But it's not a "middle-school I'm going to steal your lunch money" kind of experience but rather a "you thought you knew something and it's time for a rude awakening" type of shakedown. A few weeks ago, it became clear that I needed guidance in certain areas of my life. My creative solution was to find mentors, teachers, coaches, and entrepreneurs that could shine a light on my blind spots.So I found them, and while my interactions with these people have been super challenging and flat out uncomfortable at times, I've learned some great lessons that I would like to share with you.

Ask for it
Ask for guidance and be prepared to hear their non-sugarcoated feedback. For example: I was sharing a recent situation with one of my teachers and he said: "You are being an inauthentic fraud by not allowing people to support you. Stop being a phony and you will get the help you need." Ouch, that stung! But it also cut through my BS and helped me make shift into a much healthier space. Thank you, may I have another?

Sit with it
Allow the conversation to absorb before you do anything. Don't take everything you hear as truth but don't ignore what serves you. Take some time to reflect on what was said and how it can impact your life. Write down your thoughts, get clear on your take away, and then move into action.

Know that you don't know
Even when you think you've got everything figured out, leave room for possibility that change is still to come. The more comfortable you are in the knowing that you don't know, the easier it is to stay selfcentered when another curve-ball gets thrown your way.

The moral of this story is to find great teachers and spend as much time with them as possible. This world is full of support so ask the right questions, get out of your own way, and keep showing up.

Much love,

Max

BTW: The tuition to become an Awareness Architect will soon be going up from $695 to $995. If you have been looking for a way to make a living and help the world transform, sign up for this program before the price rises. There are only 10 spots left so contact us about the details.

We're almost there

Max Simon — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:56:00 GMT

Hi friends,

Lately, I've been doing a lot of press interviews. It seems as though the cat's out of the bag and the media is intrigued by our meditation inspired revolution for authenticity seekers. It's all very exciting.

But something has been troubling me that I wanted to share. Many of the press in the "new-age" community keep talking about how there's a massive shift happening in the world and that we're "almost there".

Where are we going?

How will we know when we get there?

I find this approach to be a major turn-off to the mainstream. And I keep feeling like people are setting themselves up for disappointment by believing that there will be a moment when there is a collective "shift". Furthermore, I continue to ask myself what that even means in the context of our society. Will all wars stop at once? Will everyone switch to organic? What are the indicators that change has occurred?

To me, a much healthier approach is to look at what we want to accomplish as individuals and as teams. If you want to be a part of the change, set a measurable goal such as "teach 50 people to meditate" and then celebrate the accomplishment. If we want the mainstream to shift, we should meet them where they're at with systems and language that make sense. Saying a collective shift will occur seems so esoteric to me. Saying we want to teach 2 million people to meditate sounds cool and real....to me.

I bring this up because I have my finger on the mainstream pulse. While significant advancements are being made to clean up the environment, ie the green movement, spirituality is still hidden and scary to the masses. In my eyes, it's our responsibility as new school leaders of consciousness to look at how we communicate and what we stand for to make sure that we're turning people on, and not off to the power of these tools.

For some, it's easier and safer to play with the people who are already "in it." For The SCT, we we're constantly looking at how we teach, what image we portray, and how we can do a better job of "meeting people where they're at." As a result, more and more people are willing to come play with us. As a result, we are teaching more and more of the world how to get selfcentered.

It's not easy to merge both worlds. As you become more and more connected, the negative conversations became less and less relevant. But what about the billions of people who don't know any different? The one's who wake up feeling stuck every day. They are the people who need the tools the most and yet are the most resistant to anything that sounds "new-agey." They are the one's who need to hear the wisdom the most, and yet the way in which the wisdom is being delivered is the very same reason for why they won't hear it.

It's a really interesting challenge.....yes? What are your thoughts on the matter?

The PDM in Beverly Hills

Max Simon — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 18:51:00 GMT

The PDM (Public Display of Meditation) was AWESOME!

Here's a recap written by our SCT sound sculptor Noa Winter Lazerus:

"We met at Lululemon and Max Simon briefed everyone on the "strategy" for the PDM. And then it was on to our first "sit" on the sidewalk in front of Louis Vuitton at about 7:30 pm. amazing experience and remarkable opportunity to get centered in the chaos.. had some beautiful engagement with passersby who were, like us, "fielding the whole thing and drinking it in", this large row of folks sitting on the sidewalk meditating.

Then it was on to our last destination, the corner of Wilshire and Rodeo Drive...in front of a very fashionable restaurant/Caffe. Magic things happened here for me and most, I went very deep into the "zone" and what was going on around me, the cafe crowd and comments, the passersby, the traffic all disappeared and I was left with a tangible deep sense of connection to The One, The True and The Beautiful..

So valuable to know this is possible anywhere under any circumstance. This sit on the sidewalk on Wilshire Blvd also had quite a beautiful effect on the folks around us with remarkable comments when we all got up to walk back to Lululemon..

The peace we shine in this Public Display of Meditation is so real and it's being parachuted into the middle of "life" so profound, many tales of the second sit. Louis Vuitton was the warm up for certain. Fun, yep, Joy Full Fun. Much smiling ensued.. thereafter.. folks coming up to us as we're standing up and leaving and asking "What were you doing"? "Meditating". "Oh, Meditating, that was amazing, never seen THAT before".

Yep, in this world, having a group of young people simply sit and meditate for ten minutes is, alas, pretty rad..The sits are usually ten mins to fifteen and time truly goes away...it's impossible to tell how long we're in it.. everything safely coordinated by the SCT team.

We returned to Lululemon and "unpacked" the experience and then had an improv music jam in the store which they allowed us to inhabit after closing for about an hour... beautiful vibe, it's a bit like a yoga studio as clothing store at Lululemon.

We had a great turn out.. consider coming sometime, in the future if you couldn't make this one.. the film will be up sometime on this i'm sure.. soon.Who knows where our team will go next? It's the "extreme sports" of meditation.. to be continued.."

"It was an incredible experience! The sounds were an amazing tool to tap into the field, especially when traffic was at it's busiest. It really puts you in the feeling!" - Jennifer

"This PDM was a beautifully fulfilling experience of how the supports you. What is in us and what we believe is one and the same." - Rachel

"I didn't know what to expect, but I was able to into a deep meditation and I really enjoyed it!" - Javier

"An out of body experience!! I was able to drift from reality. So Awesome!!" - Becky

"This sh*t was dope!" - Mateo

Allowing nature to take it's course

Max Simon — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 04:52:00 GMT

I've had an interesting few days that's worth sharing with you; partly to process and partly to share the lessons I've learned.

I've come to realize that The selfcentered Tour is a collection of energy composed of all the people around the world who connect and contribute to the vision of inspiring the world to meditate.

What it isn't, is a business.

What that means is that I haven't figured out how to create a model that honors the law of giving and receiving. Despite all the output of energy (including resources), very little has come back in. What this means to me is that I'm "forcing it" rather then allowing nature to take it's course. Natural laws, such as the law of giving and receiving, only exist when they're that - natural. You can't force the sun to rise or flowers to bloom. Yet when you create an environment that supports organic development, nature steps in to deliver results.

Fortunately or unfortunately, it took me running out of money to realize this. So as I came to the conclusion that the current model wasn't working, I decided to make some changes. This involved me letting go of my staff, unwinding my relationship with my business partner, respectfully stepping away from investors, and committing to re-think the entire strategy. As you could imagine, this has been a difficult week.

Before I got together with each of these people, I kept thinking about how difficult and heart-wrenching these conversations would be. I felt ashamed, guilty, sad, and disappointed that I wasn't able to lead the team to success. In essence, I felt like I failed.

But instead of going into these meetings with a sense of blame or negativity, I assumed responsibility for what had happened, talked about where we were at, shared my openness to discovering the next steps, and honored their contribution. And much to my surprise, each person was totally understanding, full of support, and quick to offer some very helpful feedback for me / selfcentered. Hmmm....that wasn't so bad.

As I sit back and reflect from a clean slate, here's what I've learned from this process:

1. When somethings not working, acknowledge it, own it, and then change it. Don't keep going down a path if it's clearly leading to troubled waters. People will appreciate your honesty and courage, even if that honesty and courage comes from realizing that you f*cked up.

2. Being a leader doesn't mean having all the answers. It means showing up with integrity, honesty, and a willingness to look at what you're doing wrong in order to start doing things right.

3. Fulfilling a big vision is difficult and it will take many twists and turns. Remain attached to how it will unfold and it's destined to fail. Allow it to develop organically and you've got nature on your side. Never loose sight of your vision, even when it seems impossible to know how it will manifest.

A friend offered this quote that is perfect for this blog: "It's actually tough to totally believe in the thing you want to manifest so it's better to believe in the process." At this moment, that wisdom feels so true.

So I'm in full blown exploration mode, looking to discover the best approach to bring our meditation inspired revolution for authenticity seekers to the world. I don't know how it's going to happen but I know it is. I'm thinking about starting a creative mastermind group that would connect once or twice a month over the phone to brainstorm....anyone interested in participating in that?

Cool.....thanks for being a part of this ride. Let's see where it takes us.

Much love,

Max

True leadership

Max Simon — Fri, 30 May 2008 23:43:00 GMT

I just arrived in Austin Texas after a whirlwind adventure in NY where I hosted four experiences in two days. While I will have more to comment on that later, I wanted to share one experience that was particularly powerful that happened at the last event on the last night.

After the workshop at The Chopra Center NY was over, a beautiful woman named Ivy came up to ask if I was planning to come back to NY anytime soon because she was interested in hearing me talk about money. I shared with her that my philosophy around teaching was to only speak about subjects that I could authentically comment on and at this current time, making money wasn't one of them (I'm working on it though). She responded with the statement:

"I feel like true leadership isn't about knowing all of the answers. It's about being strong enough to honestly say that you don't know all the answers and that you're willing to dive into the conversation together to figure it out. That's the type of teacher I want to study with!"

As I sat with her words, I've come to appreciate how profound this statement really is. As a teacher, there's a self imposed pressure to feel like you have to "know" everything. But the truth is that it is totally self-imposed and those that judge your lack of knowledge probably aren't the people you'll vibe with in the first place. Rather then putting on a show like you know it all, it feels like such a relief to admit that you don't.

So here's my revised quote based upon sweet Ivy's remarks. To me, it's a beautiful way of expressing the true qualities of leadership:

"True leadership isn't about knowing all the answers. It's about feeling secure enough to know when you don't know and ask the right questions to figure it out." Max Simon

A private response to my last blog....made public!

Max Simon — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:40:00 GMT

Friends,

I am safe and sound in NY and about to head into the city to lead a few different experiences today and tomorrow (check the events calendar for details). But before I do, I wanted to share something with you.

As you know from one of my last posts, I was in Utah for the Zrii convention last week where I taught two yoga classes and four Ayurvedic breakout sessions. This event was freaking amazing!! 4500 people showed up to experience, learn, and grow from a suite of different wonderful speakers. Going into the event, I had the thought that Zrii was going to be like every other network marketing company full of ra-ra and hype. But the truth is that there is a tremendous amount of integrity flowing through that organization and the people involved which was all clearly exhibited during this massive event. It was so refreshing.

All that said, I had a mini-break down on one of the days. The energy of the event was so strong that I got overwhelmed. In that moment, I needed to get that block out of my awareness so I wrote the post "I'm pissed off!". I felt so much better once I posted it and the responses I got were genuinely comforting (so thank you for that!!). But I also got an email from a woman who had this to say:

"I read your blog entry, and wonder how you can be jealous of the Center where you cut your spiritual teeth: Must you feel / be separate? Yes, I spend the big bucks to here your dad and godfather speak, and yes, I know you're reaching a younger, hipper, poorer audience... But can't you keep a connection with the founders and approach enlightenment in your own creative, unique, young, hip, poor way?! Why be separate and jealous? Aren't you the prodigal son if you want their blessings? Who left whom, anyway?"

Interesting. Here's my take:

1. All emotions are real. It's the unwillingness to look at them honestly and embrace them as part of you that perpetuates the shadow.
2. Am I allowed to feel separate sometimes? Does my communication of that feeling take me closer or farther away?
3. What do you suppose was the reason for the jabs at the end? Ouch......feels like a slap down for following my heart.

Here's my truth. One of the reasons that I started this movement was so that I had a portal to express myself openly and honestly. To be real as a young spiritual being living in a modern world. I saw this as not only a good thing but something that was necessary for my own evolution.

Whenever I have the desire to share an experience with you via a post, I am always aware of conscious communication: 1) is it kind and 2) is it real? As long as I check in a realize that my words aren't hurting anyone and I acknowledge that the energy within me is something valid, then I open up and share. Sometimes my direct honesty can be judged or critiqued. Excellent! That's the point, to fuel a conversation.

So instead of emailing me personally to share your opinions in private like a parent would to a child, open up to the community and post your responses as a comment so that everyone can engage. Sometimes what you say will be mind blowing and powerful, and other times it will be received as just complaining. Regardless of how others look at it, take the opportunity to be real; to embrace your truth.

Try it sometime: it's liberating, gratifying, and humbling all in the same breath.

funny funny

Max Simon — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:57:00 GMT

Want to hear a joke someone told me yesterday? It came at the perfect time for me.....

The Dali Lama is walking around in NY when he stops for a hot dog. He rolls up to the street vendor and says:

"Make me one with everything."

Get it?

So the guy makes his hot dog and says "$4 dollars please". The Dali hands him a 5 dollar bill. After about a minute, the Dali starts to get impatient and says: "excuse me sir, where is my change?" The guy looks him in the eye and says:

"Change happens from within."

hehehehe.....funny funny.

BTW - I feel better. Taught yoga this morning and now I'm off to do some Ayurvedic breakout sessions. Thanks for listening to my rant yesterday. It's surprising how much better it makes you feel to let that energy out.

Have a good day.

I'm pissed off!

Max Simon — Thu, 22 May 2008 22:50:00 GMT

Friends,

When I sit down to write these blogs, I'm usually in a pretty positive space and the energy of the message reflects that same state of being.

This will not be one of those posts. Frankly, I'm feeling a whole bunch of crappy, dark, twisted emotions right now and instead of processing them in my mind, I've decided to process them with you (because your comments always add a lot of value to my world).

So here's what's up. I'm in Utah right now with The Chopra Center for the Zrii convention where 4500 people have come from around the world for a three day convention extravaganza. I'm teaching yoga both mornings to about 250 people and four Ayurvedic breakout classes for about 650 people (each class). From the outer world, I should be leaping with joy that I'm getting to lead such large groups. But inside, I'm feeling resentful (yes, that's probably the best word). From what I can gather, here's why:

1. I'm jealous of the Chopra Center's success.
2. I'm frustrated that 4500 people have showed up to learn how to sell a liquid nutritional and we can't seem to fill up our events.

My dear friend Sierra has an amazing magazine called The Rey who's tag line is "comparison is the thief of joy". That saying keeps echoing in my mind even as I write this blog. But at this very moment in time, I'm having a difficult time not looking at what other's are accomplishing and comparing it to what's happening with selfcentered....and that just makes me angry.

Yes, this energy will pass.
Yes, I will regain my confidence.
Yes, I will embrace that everything unfolds when it's supposed to.
Yes, I will fashion my vantage.

But right at this moment, I don't feel good. In fact, I'm flat out pissed off. So the reason I made this post is because I want your feedback AND I want to make it clear that everyone (no matter how much you meditate) has days that flat out suck. Being a new school leader of consciousness means being real....so I'm taking the opportunity to do just that.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

ok, I feel a little better.

The body is saying "f*ck me!"

Max Simon — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:46:00 GMT

Now that I'm finally feeling settled in LA, I've opened myself up to dating again. Yet because I've been so focused on building selfcentered, I kind of feel like I've lost touch with what to do. It's funny how that works....right?

So I've gone on a couple of dates and they've all been sweet but not quite right. As I was sharing this with my mom this morning, we got into a very interesting conversation that I would like to share with you. But before I do, I just want to say that I'm feeling very vulnerable for letting you into such a personal part of my life. Not only was this a private conversation with my mom but it's about my sex life.....geez, what have I got myself into?

Ok, this is how it went down:

"Maybe my standards are too high and I'm not giving people a chance. I meet some really great women but often find some reason to rationalize why they won't work. Then I feel like I'm not giving them a chance so I stick with it for longer then I should and that doesn't work out either. Are my standards too high?" I said.

"It's not that your standards are high, it's that your voice is clear. Your standard is to be happy, at home, and at peace in someone's presence. If you don't get that feeling, then you shouldn't explore it any further. That's the bottom line!" My mom said.

"But there isn't any reason for why I shouldn't be in to some of these girls." I said.

"That's your head trying to rationalize the situation. Your heart will know if it's right. Nobody's perfect. But your inner knowing will give you the green light if it's supposed to be." Mom replied.

"But these girls are pretty smokin' hot momma." I said.

"When you're with someone attractive, the body is saying f*ck me! But that's the body, and there is something else inside that feels a twinge if you go down that path and it's not right. If you ignore that voice, it will come back to bite you. This is the way god commnicates to you. It's these subtle, quiet impulses. The more you are able to listen to those signals, the faster you are able to make the right choice." Mom said.

"Fine. I guess no sex for me." I said, and hung up shortly after that.

So that's where I stand and that's that. My mom makes some EXTREMELY valuable points....and I totally don't want to hear them. But I'm going to listen because breaking patterns is never easy but always evolutionary. If I want my relationships to unfold differently then they have in the past, it's time to make different choices.

But to be blunt, I hope the universe puts me in touch with a woman that I can vibe with soon because this conscious choice thing is killing my sex life!!