Archive for unicycle
Logical Soul Talk Summer – Week 4
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Tune in today (Tuesday, July 12th) on Logical Soul Talk, for the FOURTH show of a 10-part series where I accept ALL CALLS to cover anything you want to talk about related to wealth, success, self-help and self-growth.
I can also do a Logical Soul or Money Matrix Method session with you – live on the air! Call in at 347-843-4544 and press “1” to raise your hand to be called on, or just listen to the live podcast stream, or catch it later as a recorded session.
If there are no calls, I will (as usual) play it by ear and talk about my favorite topics – how to generate wealth and how to ride a unicycle!
This is your chance, however, to MOVE THROUGH ALL BARRIERS that may be blocking your wealth success, personal growth, health or relationship happiness! So don’t miss this opportunity to learn some real success mastery tips, and/or be a case study for free on the show!!
Twelve Miles on a Unicycle
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I broke my personal record today, pedaling my unicycle 0ver 12 miles (12.1 to be exact)! I’d say that’s not bad for a 57-year old guy who just started back riding about a year ago. My goal, however, is to be able to go at least 50 miles a day without my body falling apart.
The reason I’m doing this slightly-offbeat thing is two-fold:
- 1. I love and need the exercise and hate going to the gym, and
- 2. I’m training to ride this summer for Bruce & Susan Keenan’s charity – sending orphan Nepalese kids to school.
If anyone wants to sponsor my ride, please contact Bruce Keenan and say you’d like to be a sponsor of the Unicycle Ride for the Keenan’s Kids. Or you can make a donation at www.HimalayanCharities.com.
Meanwhile I’m still looking for the right venue for my ride. Suggestions?
Unicycle Valentines Day
Posted by: | CommentsJust for fun, Brigitte and Michael Craig visited their friends Chuck and Melinda Powell on Tybee Island, Georgia over the Valentines Day weekend. Michael had a chance to get out and chase seagulls on his unicycle. Exclusive footage; enjoy!
Detox Your Mind Naturally: Begin Where You Are
Posted by: | CommentsThe Logical Soul(tm) is a method whereby the mind can detox naturally by addressing both the conscious and subconscious yearnings for happiness. This happiness can take two forms: restful and active. similar to meditation, the Logical Soul(tm) technique allows the mind to go to a place of resolution where it finds the greatest happiness, both inside and out.
Sometimes this resolution will be restful, and sometimes active, depending on the need of the person at the time. I learned over the years that there is a way to harness the power of what Maharishi called “the inward and outward strokes” to where it can have a faster and more direct effect on the mind and body than merely waiting for those effects to surface through years of meditation.
Group Meditation
I used to teach meditation (Transcendental Meditation, or TM) back in the 70’s. One of the biggest complaints I would hear from people at the time was “I can’t meditate; my mind is too busy.”
In fact, I still hear this from my wife whenever I suggest sitting and closing our eyes. She practiced a different “meditation” – what I call the “Hoopin and Hollerin” a.k.a. Dynamic Meditation. Followers of OSHO – a.k.a. Sri Rajneesh – learned this in India and on “the Ranch” in Oregon in the 70’s and 80’s as a sort of cathartic release method that ended with silent eyes-closed meditation.
Although I’ve tried Dynamic, I much prefer doing a few Asanas or yogic postures, then sitting comfortably with eyes-closed. It more adequately addresses my need to be lazy. I start from where I am (lazy) and go within rather effortlessly. My mind will detox naturally, beginning from a relaxed state.
active meditation
The key here is: start where you are. If you are the very active type (like my wife Brigitte), you are usually in a state of motion. Therefore it is only logical that you start there. Personally, I find this approach taxing to my system, so I seldom do it. My “active meditation” is to do Logical Soul(tm) sessions and ride my unicycle.
Different strokes . . .
How to AVOID Achieving All Your Goals . . .
Posted by: | CommentsIn the last two blog posts, I wrote about the uncanny power of our own mental potential, and about how our weakest link is our CONSCIOUS MIND. This post is about how to strengthen this weakest link without going through a lot of psycho-analysis, self-help courses and books.
Enjoy . . . and USE it!
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Pearl Harbor
Happy Pearl Harbor Memorial Day. This is the day that America made a decision to go to war . . . and finished that monumental task in fine fashion (at least from our point of view!). We set a goal and accomplished it.
On a lesser note, this is also the day that marks only 17 shopping Days ‘til Christmas!
Are you out looking for that special gift for that special someone? Or are you, like me, waiting until the very last minute and ordering online, hoping to get that thing in before the US Mail decides to shut down on the 24th? Assuming the Postman decides NOT to cater to our whim, we have a “contingency plan†of begging and blaming, i.e., give her a card with sincere apologies along the words “Well it SHOULD have been here by now…â€
I notice we all do it – sabotage our success. But why? The road to success is not easy, but really quite simple. As the lesson of Pearl Harbor taught us, just finish what you start.
“It’s not what you do in life that counts; it’s what you finish.†– Kathryn Hepburn
Oh, there are plenty of excuses (and lots of blame to throw around) but why would we bother to agree to something and proceed NOT to finish or do it properly? Is it laziness? Inherent stupidity? Are we at the whim of a vengeful God? Or are we just overwhelmed with possibilities, don’t know how to say “no,†and forget what we agreed to??
I vote the last one. Remember the story of the dog with the bone in his mouth? He was standing on a bridge staring into his own reflection in the water. He wanted SO BADLY to get that OTHER dog’s bone that he dropped the one he had in his mouth to jumps into the water to get the other one.
Like that, we make a snap – mostly reflexive – decision about some item that we feel should be on our agenda, then jump before we realize it is all part of our own illusion. This promised “bone†is very seductive, if only because it is new and fresh. It could be a
- “once-in-a-lifetime money-making opportunity,â€
- “must have†new pair of bejeweled jeans, or a
- lover who “gets us†so much better than our existing mate.
Whatever the reason to jump ship, cut short our existing project or commitment, or just spread ourselves too thin, is it so important that we give up our very center? Our peace of mind? I think not.
Part of a complete “mental detox†program is to actually DECIDE (consciously, not subconsciously) that a particular course of action is worthwhile . . . then proceed to finish it NO MATTER WHAT.
By doing this even a few times, you will build up the mental strength (i.e., habit) to continue doing this over and over again. Then you know what? You WILL accomplish your goals. You WILL gain that elusive peace of mind.
“But Dr. Craig, what if I decide half-way through that this course of action is a waste of time and counter productive?â€
Hey, if you REALLY feel it is that way, then quit. Be aware, however, that every time you start something and quit, you are driving another nail into your own “success coffin†and weakening the mental strength you would need to finish other, more important project!
Do this simple exercise: If you have trouble completing goals – say finishing a whole book – make a very small one, like reading two pages by next week. Then DO IT. Then set another goal, i.e, read 3 pages before another week. Then do that!
Before you know it, one of two things will happen – either you will complete what you set out to do, or you will do MORE than you set out to do, get bored, and do even more!
Raymond Aaron
I did and it made a HUGE difference in my ability to accomplish my goals. With the help of Raymond Aaron, I set out last May to ride my new unicycle 3 miles in one month. Now I ride almost 3 miles per day, and I did this by setting (and completing) very small goals each time.
Try it for 3 weeks, long enough to establish this action as a new habit. Then write me to say how it went!
Halloween Unicycle Ride at Stone Mountain
Posted by: | CommentsI rode a unicycle in the 1960’s as a kid for about 5 years, and started back in April of this year. I have NEVER actually ridden at the same time as another human being.
Until today, that is.
Robert Coggins invited me to the Atlanta Unicycle Club’s monthly ride around Stone Mountain, and I was eager to participate. Finally I would get to see what its like to be part of a group of one-wheelers instead of my usual group of one.
It was pretty special – other than the rain. It started pouring ten minutes into our ride and we decided to cut it short and head back. I slipped in a puddle, fell and bruised my knee, hip, and left leg, but that’s a small price to pay for experiencing this turning point in my life.
Thanks guys. I look forward to doing this again! This helps me get to my goal of riding the Cherohala Skyway in April!
Meeting with Bruce Keenan re: Orphan Charity
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Bruce Keenan
I had a great meeting this morning at the Norcross IHOP with Bruce Keenan, founder and director of the Himalayan Children’s Charities.
Bruce just got back from Nepal where he set up a trekking company to raise money for the orphan children of that isolated and depressed area. He and his wife Susan are also holding a fundraiser in Atlanta on November 14th and hope to attract a good crowd.
Bruce told me his trekking company is the only one in that area truly set up for – and dedicated to – a specific charity. I’m looking to attract a bevy of unicyclists to ride the Cherohala Skyway in April, 2010 to raise money. If you ride a unicycle and want to participate, know any movers or shakers who would like to help . . . or just want to donate a few bucks to a great cause, contact me or Bruce at our respective websites or blogs.
Also appreciate any comments you might have!
Jane Seymour, Somewhere in Time, Beauty and a Unicycle.
Posted by: | CommentsIt happened on Sunday in Roswell, Georgia, north of Atlanta. Actress Jane Seymour, star of Bond films, a retro-romance movie with Christopher Reeve, and TV’s Medicine Woman, appeared to auction off some of her latest “wearable art” creations to raise money for “Beauty Becomes You,” a charity formed by Alison O’Neil Andrew to give shut-in Senior Citizens a loving connection with beauty and other “touch” caretakers.
See if you can guess who’s riding the unicycle…
The Outrageous Life of Raymond Aaron
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Raymond Aaron with Michael
Don’t miss my interview with the fabulously-outrageous Raymond Aaron tonight on Logical Soul Talk at 6 pm. I will be asking Raymond questions about his life’s turning point that led him out of being divorced and $100K in debt at age 39 to making his first million by the time he was age 41.
I’ll also be talking with Raymond about his Monthly Mentor program and the special discount he is currently offering. You can benefit from these special giveaways right now at www.monthlymentorreview.com.
I also want to find out if Raymond has retrieved his unicycle from storage and started riding it again. Don’t miss this unique radio interview – and check out his program!
July Fourth Trail Ride on My Uni
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I didn’t know what to expect.
I took a sort of “scouting expedition” to Tennessee this past weekend to determine the suitability of riding the Cherohala Skyway on my Unicycle next year. My early optimism quickly vanished.Â
I discovered that the CS is rather lacking in its  accommodation to cycles of any persuasion, whether a  bicycle OR unicycle. There is no road shoulder at all, and the traffic is rather thick (at least during this Fourth of July weekend), and the curves and hills were a bit trickier than I remembered!Â
I figured I have three options as far as riding the Cherohala:Â
1) Join the bicycle event next June so as having extensive company during the ride, 2) Ride in the dead of winter when traffic will be very slight or non-existent, or 3) Don’t ride the Cherohala at all.Â
The first option appears to be the most logical – and accommodating, since I’d be “covered” by many others during a ride. The only problem with that option is that I would be slower than the 2-wheelers, hence still vulnerable to the onslaught of summer traffic when alone. Also, the bike ride did not go the length of the Cherohala anyway, but took several detours.Â
The second option is not appealing for obvious reasons (i.e., cold, ice and snow!) and the third option was viable only if I could find a suitable riding alternative.  I may, in fact, choose this one if I can find a more practical venue within the next few months.Â
While in the mountains I visited Indian Boundary Lake (just off the Cherohala) to let my wife enjoy the beach while I traversed the 3.2 miles of bike trails around the lake perimeter. It was great fun, but much harder than I am used to! The trail was not paved, but consisted mostly of packed and loose gravel, mud, roots, narrow bridges, and the occasional big rock. I fell four times and dismounted an equal number of times during this trek, but finally made it back around. I was tired, but felt the glow of a sense of accomplishment. Â
I also experienced the exhileration of riding over the dam, a 100 yard wide,  18 inches thick concrete structure at the river cutoff point.  Truth be told, it was covered on both sides by a chain-link fence, but still . . . the sensation of balancing on a concrete highwire was something that rarely presents itself!  A fall would not have sent me over the edge, but would certainly have produced a few nasty results!
I’ll be returning in a few weeks to check out some other trails, roads and path alternatives to the Cherohala. Stay posted!Â
