Searching for MEANING

Around the mid-’90s, I was in a rut. I had an extreme hunger and thirst within me for something that I could not define. No, not the hunger that could be gratified by food or thirst that water could quench. I felt low and unhappy, and life seemed to have no meaning. My days were routinely boring and predictable, and there was nothing truly exciting in my life.

It was the same thing year in and year out. If it were February, you’d have to find an instant lover to show off on Valentine’s Day. If it were towards April, you’d have to go somewhere for Holy Week and come back with a tan or else you would not be "in." Then the summer heat would become unbearable that you’d have to escape somewhere or dehydrate. July and August bring in the torrential rains that would drown Manila in disastrous floods. Then December comes and you’d go through the same tiring commercial Christmas exercise only to suffer later from post-holiday depression. When New Year comes, you would draw up a new set of resolutions that gets forgotten by the middle of January. Then it is Valentine’s Day all over again!

In short, life was boring, draining and slow. And Manila offered no help. At that time, it had nothing new to show me. When a friend from London came over for a visit, he commented, "I went to Manila hoping to slow down but this place has stopped!" I felt consoled that someone at least agreed with my misgivings.

Dreams

I had some dreams in my heart but they were hazy and clouded over by doubts and insecurities. I was a chronic procrastinator and was extremely negative and self-critical. I ached for a zesty, adventurous, driven, uplifting, daring, happy, wild, wonderful, uninhibited, abundant, successful, meaningful and fulfilling existence (not very ambitious, huh?) but I did not know how to make it all happen.

I thought, "There must be a secret to achieving that kind of life!" because there were some people I’ve met who actually seemed to be living it. I wanted to understand why I seemed to be failing in the game of life. Most important of all, I wanted to learn how to reach my goals, turn my dreams into reality, and feel really alive. And I was willing to pay!

The Student Was Ready

Needing to have a fresh look at myself and view my life from a different perspective, I packed my bags and left for the United States hoping to find the mentors who’d provide the answers to my endless questions.

There is an ancient Zen proverb that says, "When the student is ready, the teacher appears." The lessons are actually all around us every minute but we are just not ready to learn them. I was truly ready and aching to learn. And I was very fortunate to have found some of the best gurus and success motivators in the world.

Hungry For Knowledge

That started the series of courses and seminars that I took over a period of five years. As soon as I started enrolling in seminars, it finally dawned on me that the thirst I had was for knowledge and information. It felt good to learn and quench even just a little bit of that intellectual thirst. For the first time, I was studying out of my own volition; it was not an obligation. It was pleasurable learning and I loved it! Like a parched sponge, I tried to absorb as much knowledge as I could so I took up every conceivable course available that interested me.

Among these were the sell-out seminars of New Millennium high priestess Iyanla Vanzant, PR and promotions genius Carol Sapin Gold, entrepreneurial expert Barbara J. Winter, media magnate Steve Scott, and the delightfully bodacious creativity guru, Sark. I studied Film Directing and Producing with "Mr. Hollywood" Dov Simens at the Hollywood Film Institute, Lighting for Film with Verne Carlson at the American Film Institute, and Screenwriting Techniques with John Truby. I got an inside look at the American Recording Industry with Arista Records president Clive Davis, learned about the Hollywood Star System from top celebrity agent Jay Bernstein, and analyzed cutting edge creative advertising with advertising innovators Richard Kirshenbaum and Jon Bond. Intrigued by traditional Chinese martial and curative arts, I took up Ancient Secrets of Qi Gong with Enid Ballin.

Of course, aside from attending seminars, I read tons of books and reading materials, and surfed the Net.

The Pure Pleasure Of Learning

What I loved about taking seminars was that there were no exams to deal with after the course. For the first time, I enjoyed the pure pleasure of learning and relished the freedom of voluntary studying. I believe that the present educational system fails because students have this fear looming over their heads – the fear of exams (and terror teachers!). And fear of any kind is a sure deterrent to learning.

Passionate to learn more, I went to as many museums, historical landmarks and tourist spots as I could in America, Europe and Asia. Savoring in person the beauty of art works and paintings that I have only admired in books and magazines before was an invaluable experience. I could not believe that I was actually in front of my favorite paintings by Caravaggio, da Vinci, Rubens, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Sargent, Seurat or staring up Michelangelo’s powerful frescoes at the Sistine Chapel.

I would pinch myself to check if I was dreaming while mesmerized by the Mona Lisa, the Las Meninas by Velasquez, Michelangelo’s Pieta and his towering David. I stood in complete disbelief while intrigued by the mysterious Stonehenge, enchanted by Hadrian’s Villa, captivated by the musical rush of waters from the hundreds of spectacular fountains at Villa d’Este, enraptured by the blue Mediterranean in Capri, charmed by Bruges, and totally enamored by Venice. It was heartwarming to get into the magical pulse of each city I visited. Time takes on a different dimension depending on which city you are in – eternal Rome, glorious London, scintillating Paris, stunning Tokyo, throbbing New York, or surprising Salzburg.

The amazing thing was that the more I learned, the more my thirst grew. It was an aggrandizing but humbling experience at the same time. And I also realized that the more I learned about other people, the more I understood and saw my own people in a different, better light.

There Are Formulas

My first seminar is titled "Make Your Impossible Dreams Come True!" You’ll be glad to know that there are formulas and techniques (some scientific, some secret, and some delightfully esoteric) that you can use to make even your wildest dreams turn into reality. The universe operates through laws and principles. When you know these laws and follow them, half of your journey to success is achieved. It’s just that most people don’t believe that their "impossible" dreams are actually attainable. As Cervantes said, "Our greatest foe is–within." In reality, we are the ones standing in the way of our success!

For more information about the seminars, e-mail me at the e-address below. I will post a phone number that you can call in my next article. I am looking forward to giving the seminars. As an ancient Chinese saying goes, "When one teaches, two learn!"

Did You Solve The Anagrams?

Last week I gave you anagrams to solve. To recap, an anagram is a word or phrase formed from the letters of another in different order. Look for known names, words or phrases hidden in these anagrams: "I’m a lemon art"; "to breathe lazily"; "I ship nipple"; "be croaks by test"; and "just’s riches." Don’t mind the capital letters, periods and apostrophes. Just concentrate on the letters and rearrange them.

OK, OK! I won’t make you suffer anymore. "I’m a lemon art" rearranged is Metro Manila; "to breathe lazily" is Elizabeth Taylor; "I ship nipple" is Philippines; "be croaks by test" is Backstreet Boys; and "just’s riches" is Jesus Christ.

Easy, huh? Now try these ones: "I am a corporal gaga royal," "rejected as a poorish jet" and "in a nice dismal jar." Let’s see who can e-mail me first the correct answers. Have fun! And have a meaningful Easter!

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I’d love to hear from you! E-mail deeperdoor@yahoo.com (no attachments and chain letters, please!). Should you want to forward this article, be sure to mention the author Dero Pedero and acknowledge The Philippine STAR. The reprinting, recording or publishing of this article in any form including the Web requires copyright permission from the author.