As many know I’m also a bithead. I love my work – I get to exercise my intuition and sensation through touch and I get to exercise my brain by developing websites. I work a lot with WordPress and recently came across their organization’s creed. I like much of what’s in here:

I will never stop learning. I won’t just work on things that are assigned to me. I know there’s no such thing as a status quo. I will build our business sustainably through passionate and loyal customers. I will never pass up an opportunity to help out a colleague, and I’ll remember the days before I knew everything. I am more motivated by impact than money, and I know that Open Source is one of the most powerful ideas of our generation. I will communicate as much as possible, because it’s the oxygen of a distributed company. I am in a marathon, not a sprint, and no matter how far away the goal is, the only way to get there is by putting one foot in front of another every day. Given time, there is no problem that’s insurmountable.

One line in particular got my attention: I am more motivated by impact than money. This got me thinking again about the grip that money has on us. I think it’s always a good idea to examine our relationship with money. I’ve been through it all. There have been times in my life where I was motivated solely by money. Like many of us, I've even measured my self-worth by money. There have also been times when I haven’t cared about money at all. I've worried about money and I've spent money extravagantly to show off.

Of course we all require some money – life is incredibly difficult without money. Yet money really doesn’t buy happiness. Money is often a mirror. Good people can use money for good - bad people can use money for bad. The problem isn't money; rather, it's what we do with it.

I’ve come to the realization that, for myself, if I focus on my impact – how what I do affects others – then the money will follow because others will see the value in what I offer. This approach has been working in both my bodywork and tech endeavors. Of course it’s not perfect and, yes, there are times when I’m distracted. But staying focused on my impact seems to be working for me. It's also a good reflection of who I try to be.

It’s political season here in the US again. Recently one of the Republican candidates said in response to a question that “corporations are people too.” Well I beg to differ. The vast majority of corporations exist to maximize the return to shareholders and, generally, that is accomplished by maximizing their profit. While some people are motivated by maximizing their profit most people are also motivated by their heart, their emotions and a sense of what they do matters. In other words – their impact. I get concerned when money has no soul. Unfortunately, we seem to be seeing a lot of that today.

A good reflective question to ask ourselves at the end of each day could be “What was my impact today?”

I really try hard to keep my bodywork rates affordable. I've been able to avoid any price increases for almost two years. To hold the line on increases I have to look at all my expenses and one of those expsenses is credit card processing fees. I'm in the process of simplifying the way I accept credit cards and reducing the amount I pay for card processing. However, one unfortunate consequence is that, after october 31, I will no longer accept Americam Express. The cost to accept American Express is just too high. This should impact just a few clients and I will continue to accept Visa and Mastercard.

Mindful Self-Loving continues on the third Monday of each month. We gather next on Monday October 17 at Eros in San Francisco at 6:30. Last month I tried an experiment that worked very well. I'm going to try it again this month.

Mindfulness means paying attention - getting out of our habits and really becomming aware of ourselves and others. In the past I've kept control of what happens during the evening. Last month I set the stage by some discussion and opening exercises then pretty much let go to see what would happen. What happned was magic! The men felt free to explore masturbation in a fun way with newfound energy. The interaction between the men was amazing and the comments at the end of the evening let me know that everyone enjoyed the evening and felt safe and comfortable. I plan to try this approach again next Monday.

The only rules are no alcohol or drugs and no inserting any part of yourself into any part of someone else. Also be mindful and respectful and play. Generating and playing with erotic energy in a group is definitely different than doing it alone. For most guys, a supportive of erotic explorers can add to the experience, even if you're a bit shy. Many men find that a group encourages each other to let go of preconceived notions and connect on a profound energetic level.

We meet in a private space not connected with the rest of the activity at Eros. You do not need to pay an admission fee to Eros for this workshop; however, you may optionally enjoy the facilities at Eros after the workshop by paying a separate admission fee. Please bring a towel.

Be well,
Ed

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