Question: What is Occupy Wall Street? Answer: Just the Beginning.

I’m going to present videos & photographs & information about the Occupy Wall Street movement (OWS – also #OccupyWallStreet or #OWS, written as Twitter hashtags). Following that, I’ll write a few words on how I feel about the global need for change & what I think is on the horizon. And lastly, at the end of this post, I will leave information on how you can support the OWS movement.

Occupy Wall Street, New York City

I received a FAQs sheet at Occupy Wall Street being held at New York City’s Zuccotti Park (formerly Liberty Plaza Park) near Ground Zero. What struck me is that the sheet clearly read: “We are not a protest movement. We do not protest against things, and we do not have one or two simple demands. We are a movement which does call for accountability, however – accountability to ourselves and to our country.” To me the key word is: accountability. Personal responsibility for all aspects of one’s life is very important. This movement stems out of people who are tired of living in a country that calls itself a democracy when it is not. And now they have held themselves accountable for being the ultimate source for creating this democracy.

It continues, “We must be accountable to ourselves. First and foremost, we are calling upon ourselves, and upon one another, to wake up and employ our power as citizens: to participate rather than observe, to raise our strong voices together, rather than complaining feebly in isolation. We cannot ‘whine’ about the injustices wreaked upon us if we have been complacent and silent in the face of these injustices. We must take responsibility for our own futures – and here at Liberty Plaza, that is exactly what we are doing, by modeling the kind of society in which everyone has the right to live. Here in Liberty Plaza, having lost our sense that we live in a democracy, we are reclaiming its practice.”

The next paragraph states, “Our government must be accountable to us, and corporations must be accountable to the government. We are saying definitively: We no longer live in a democracy, and we refuse to accept that. We seek an end to the collusion between corrupt politicians and corporate criminals, as democratic and capitalist institutions have become conflated. (*1) As such we must see major advances in the area of the relationship between corporations, and people, on par with the amendments which outlawed slavery and assured civil rights to all people regardless of race, sex, or class…”

I wish I could type the whole FAQs sheet out for you, but this blog post would be way too long (-it’s too long as it is!) So, I will just add one footnote that belongs to the paragraph above, I think it’s important.

*1 “In the United States, the right to become rich has become collapsed with the very notion of liberty. From the time we are children, Americans learn to confuse democracy (a system of decision-making and governance), with capitalism (a system for regulating and releasing money flows).”

Occupy Together: Occupations all over the USA

All over the USA “Occupations” have been popping up from city to city. It’s steadily growing in the number of supporters & in the number of locations.

I was so proud to see this video of my hometown, the East Bay in Northern California. The video is from Occupy Oakland (aka #HellaOcuppy).

Occupy World: Occupations all over the globe

October 15th, 2011 was a day of Global Occupation, the International Day of Action. There were Occupations everywhere.

From Paris to Palestine, demonstrations were held in over 950 cities & 85 countries.

England’s Occupy London had the pleasure of demonstrating side by side with Julian Assange of WikiLeaks. He spoke to demonstrators from the steps of Saint Paul’s Cathedral.

If this is the beginning, what is next?

No doubt about it, there is much more to come. Not only in the way of government reform, or even epidemics & environmental concerns  – but in each one of us individually in a way we haven’t been challenged before.

We will eventually find that there is nowhere to turn for a sense of true security & peace. At that point it will be obvious that it can only come from the one who is seeking it.

The only thing we can truly change is ourselves. The only place we can truly find peace is within us.

Looking for answers or solutions outside of oneself never works in the long-term.

At the same time, yes! – Occupy Wall Street & other movements are important & necessary. Especially when it comes to waking people up & taking them out of their comfort zone – their automatic way of sheepishly & passively speeding through their lives. It makes total sense to be forward moving & create the external changes needed at the moment, but after that, the work just gets deeper.

Otherwise, everything reverts back to the way it was. The work will not be done until we have uprooted the source of the confusion & suffering within us, & cultivate a new way of being.

In my opinion we need a balance between the tangible side of ourselves & the intangible side. Our culture is so wrapped up in the importance of materialistic things, or external things (anyone or anything outside of ourselves). But it is the intangible experiences of love, harmony, joy, generosity, trust, balance, peace, & more, that truly make us happy, that make us come alive & make us feel whole.

Love, harmony, & joy are states of being & they can only be experienced & generated from within. The only one that ever has control of this is us. Each one of us has the power to create & maintain these states of well-being.

For lasting change, the most important revolution that needs to take place, is the one within.

Creating a daily lifestyle for ourselves that is meaningful & healthful, as well as  building communities with others based on the values & qualities we believe in, this is what change in action is all about.

So let’s #OccupyLove!  #OccupyBliss! #OccupyJoy! OccupyAwareness! #OccupyMindfulness #OcuppyPeacefulness #OccupyOneness!

The ways you can support  Occupy Wall Street or other Occupations near you…

Every Occupation needs something, the most important thing you can give is you. Share your love & support by physically being there & by sharing your intentions (what you intend by showing your support) with others. If you aren’t able to be there in person, actions like: donating money, food, blankets, hygiene supplies, drinking water, rain gear, tarps, tents, etc, can also be a great way to show your support. So can blogging, taking & sharing photographs or video, spreading the word, & doing whatever you can to contribute.

To send a donation to Occupy Wall Street in New York, their shipping address along with a link for information on their current needs is listed below. There is also a link to all other city Occupations in the USA.

The UPS Store
C/O Occupy Wall Street
118A Fulton Street #205
New York, New York 10038

Occupy Wall Street NYC donation link

List & map of over 200 Occupy Wall Street USA solidarity events link

10/16/2011 UPDATE:
I also forgot to add that you can support by donating to a billboard in Times Square; or by showing your support with blog comments for those who stand for #OccupyLove; or by getting involved via yoga as activism; or by banking with a credit union instead of big banks like Citibank & Wells Fargo; or you can mentor a young person & share your journey of developing a more sustainable lifestyle; or you can sign petitions that stand for civil rights; or you can start a community food growing program & other sustainable projects to empower yourself & your fellow neighbors; and! …you can share this blog post on Twitter & Facebook. Here is a short link for you: http://tinyurl.com/3lgvksx

Thank you! ♥

“As I go through all kinds of feelings & experiences in my journey through life — delight, surprise, chagrin, dismay — I hold this question as a guiding light: “What do I really need right now to be happy?” What I come to over & over again is that only qualities as vast & deep as love, connection & kindness will really make me happy in any sort of enduring way.”
– Sharon Salzberg

FOCUS on what you love: it’s important

Over the last 3 years I have completely (well, not completely, but a pretty major overhaul) changed my life. I have been digging deep and uprooting old ways of being. I have been gradually changing the way I work, changing the overall feel of my life and what it looks like day to day.

I was reading a book about simplifying ones life (& work) last month by Ev Bogue. The book was Minimalist Business, and it had a good proposal in it. The proposal was; 9 Ways to Focus on the Important. Earlier in the book Ev Bogue quoted Leo Babauta and talked about designing your life completely around what you love.

“Focus on what you love, and nothing else.” – Leo Bauta

I made a list of what I love to do, and a list of my top priorities after reading that book. I feel very happy about getting clarity on what makes me happy, what lights me up, and what I am really devoted to. Of course there is so much more to that story. But the few Loves & Priorities that I focused on are just pointers. They are there to keep my life (and my time) pointed in the right direction.

My four priorities are: blogging, exercising, meditating, & studying
My four loves are: creating, dancing, being, & reading
(And a few more Loves are: raw & wild foods, learning french, helping others, being outdoors.)

If you notice, the Priorities are very similar to the Loves. This is ideal! And if I get even more clear, my Priorities/Loves are more like this: Sharing (blogging/creating), Moving (exercising/dancing), Being (meditating/presence), and Seeing (studying/reading)
(Seeing, as in; seeing the unseen or seeing the bigger picture.)

Having this target list makes it so easy to have an ideal day or an ideal year. All I have to do is base all if my decisions around my top loves or top priorities. It makes choosing how to spend my time quite simple & effortless. If what I have as a option (a request or invitation) doesn’t align with what I love, then it’s a definite “No” for me. I pass on it and choose something that speaks to what I am about, what I truly enjoy most.

The whole idea of this takes practice. I still have old responsibilities in my life that need some weeding, pruning and removing. These are past choices that I am still responsible for, so they are still an active part of my life. But having the target (as well as the list I will share below) is wonderful way to slowly transition yourself and your life. (It’s helping me tremendously!) If you put your Love & Priorities in practice, you will gradually become a more authentic you. Every aspect of your life will become what you truly wanted to create for yourself. This is a life created with awareness and the power of choice. It’s really easy to fall into what you should do, or to keep building on top of decisions you made in the past (when you where someone else, a you from 10 or 15 years ago!) But now we can build and create from an empowered place. We can be an aware and responsible us, a this moment us, an I know who I am and what I want, and I am living it, us!

9 Ways You Can Focus On The Important:

1. IDENTIFY THE FOUR AREAS OF YOUR LIFE THAT ARE MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU.

It can be powerful to know what is most important to you, because then you can begin to focus on only the essential.

2. LEARN TO SAY NO TO REQUESTS.

Once you’ve identified the essential, you have to start saying no to things that come your way which don’t coincide with your interests.

3. START TO ELIMINATE THINGS YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT.

Stop doing things you’re doing just out of obligation. Abandon the busy work.

4. GIVE YOURSELF HUGE BLOCKS OF TIME TO WORK ON ONE PROJECT.

Give yourself five hours to work on one project, and do nothing else.

5. TURN OFF DISTRACTIONS.

Turn off your phone, power down social networks, destroy your TV, and eat your lunch before you sit down to focus on the important.

6. DON’T COMMENT ON THINGS THAT YOU DON’T WANT TO BE INVOLVED IN.

The next time you’re tempted to tell someone that what they’re doing is wrong, maybe consider first: are you willing to help them do it right?

7. MAKE TIME FOR IMPORTANT THINGS.

If you want to be good at something, you have to do it every single day for at least a few hours (if not more).

8. TELL PEOPLE ABOUT YOUR PRIORITIES.

By telling people, you can hold yourself responsible. Live and breathe your priorities, and they will become what you are and what you do best.

9. LEARN AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.

You have to study the subject of your priorities regularly. I promise you, it is the most important element.

And here are a few more notes from that chapter…

Focus Your Use of Time on the Important MANIFESTO:
• I will value my time to the highest potential.
• I will not engage in activities that do not contribute value to my life.
• I will focus my attention on creating great work that changes the world.

Focus on what you love, and nothing else. This often means restructuring things so that you can eliminate most of your emails, calls, meetings, paperwork, financial work, and so on. That takes some careful thought, some planning, and groundwork.

One of the easiest ways to avoid finishing is to complicate the process so much that you can never finish. If you’re writing an e-book, give it a title and start writing it. If you’re recording a podcast, turn on the recorder and start talking. Set a date to publish, and don’t miss that date.

And one last thought (in a link) to a chapter from another book that is on the same topic… It’s an e-book called Focus, by Leo Babauta. Chapter 1: Getting Amazing Things Done

What are your top four loves in life? What are your top priorities everyday?
For everyone it’s different. That’s what makes life so rich. It is most beautiful and most interesting when everyone feels empowered to be their most authentic self. When everyone feels content because they are living a life they love.