In our Western advanced civilized society, business equals importance and speed equals success. It used to be we drove to the office on a surface road thinking about our parents getting older or the cute mischievous deed little Jimmy did this morning just before we left home. Driving to the office was a man’s job and there was comfort in the fact that Betty would take care of the kids and have a homemade stew ready to be eaten by the time James Sr. would come home. Not so today.

The comfort of Mom being home left us in the 70s. Mom, like Dad, goes to work now. The kids are notified at 6:30 a.m. that they must get up, shower, dress and have breakfast. All this must happen in exactly sixty minutes. If they sleep in for just ten more minutes, they are admonished, then warned, sometimes gently and sometimes harshly. Bickering with teenagers before 7:30 a.m. has become common place.

Breakfast consists of a bowl of cereal with milk or a hot pocket – something quick and easy. By 7:30 a.m. Mom, Dad and the kids rush out of the house. The engines roar, the radio blares, the kids shout over the noise until they are dropped off at kindergarten and school – glory to those whose kids are sixteen and can drive themselves, while Mom and Dad hit the freeway or expressway paying a few extra dollars to get to work faster.

Mom and Dad of course is just another name for you and me. We park in designated areas for speed of access to our workplace and when we are really important, we get on a plane and fly abroad every so often, whether to Europe, Africa, Asia, South America or Australia – just for a couple of days to wrap up a big deal. We are proud to have learned to multitask. Our computer screens have gotten bigger, our keyboards faster, our software applications have multiplied. And those of us who are really talented can work with two computer screens at the same time.

Many of us listen to music all day long which is piped into our workplace. It used to be soft and gentle for subtle relaxation but that has changed. Nowadays, it is loud and obnoxious, making our hair stand on edge, but we have learned to tune it out or so we think. We like to cut our lunch hour short to get more done, may need an Advil or two in the afternoon to counteract a completely inexplicable headache, and feel good when we have had to leave our seat only twice that day to go to the bathroom. We are proud to have a job.

In the evening, we speed home again in rush-hour traffic, pick up the kids together with a fast food entree or we pop a frozen dinner in the microwave while the TV blasts some devastating news in the background. Time together in the evening at home is spent watching Fear Factor or a comedy in which family members shout at each other. On weekends of course we watch sports.

The kids are admonished to study hard. Perhaps we may get them a tutor because competition is tough and tuitions run high. Of course, we want our children to go to college so that they can get a decent salary and live the good life. What is the good life?

The answer comes easy: A life in which one achieves success. First, one must receive a title – become a dentist or an attorney or a stock broker or investment banker. Then one can achieve success.

It used to be – if I remember correctly – a person became - not a title - but somebody by the way he or she lived. The American way of life was characterized by our values: honesty, integrity, freedom, liberty and justice for all. Our values then were reflected in the way we acted and in the movies we watched: To Kill a Mockingbird for example, demonstrated how justice prevailed against prejudice; the series Lassie was a wholesome family adventure honoring people and animals alike; Bonanza portrayed the Cartwright family supporting not only each other but often also strangers; and the all time favorite Little House on the Prairie allowed us to witness a pioneer family that grew closer and stronger in faith and integrity through challenges posed by neighbors, gossiping city folks, illness, societal progress or natural disasters. That was a long time ago.

What has changed? Perhaps it was the Vietnam War that shook us awake from our trance of idealism and heroic American dream. Or was it the sixties where we pleaded to give peace a chance and expressed our freedom through sexual revolution? Where drugs and hallucinations helped us break the illusion of wholesomeness? Or was it the eighties where our silence was replaced by loudspeakers and constant background noise in malls and restaurants putting our nervous systems on edge and unconsciously increasing our level of anxiety? Or was it the turn of the Millennium that gave us the final push to blame others for our unhappiness and complete inner dissatisfaction? What gave rise to our justification to blame the disintegration of our values, the failing of our economy, the corruption of our political system and corporate superheroes on terrorists?

One thing has not changed much. Our values are, in fact, still reflected in the way we act and in the movies we watch. Road rage, high school shootings and sexual assault have become regular news. The media mirror our minds perfectly. Let us just look at best selling shows then and now:

To Kill A Mockingbird -- Killing Fields
Lassie -- King of Queens
Bonanza -- Fear Factor
Little House on the Prairie -- Sex in the City

Any questions?

Are you comfortable with the way things are? Or do you want to get out of the mess – the stress, the anxiety, the sleepless nights, the rage? If you long for a little peace in your life, a place to feel safe, an inner haven – read on.

Not everybody wants change. Change is mainly sought by individuals – those who are stressed out of their minds, those who are too sensitive for the insanity, those who are fed up, and those who cannot handle the status quo. How can we improve our situation when we are already so busy? What can we possibly add to our daily rituals to make things better when we are already chronically out of time?

There is a grass roots movement back to the self. Some find rejuvenation in massage, t’ai chi or yoga. Others learn breathing techniques to help with stress management. Some use visualization and guided imagery. My personal favorite is the M&M challenge. No, I am not talking about devouring bags of the small chocolate-covered peanuts. M&M stands for Meditation and Manifestation.

When the speed of our lives becomes so rapid that it rushes us to our graves, it is time to hit the breaks. We are blindfolded by our national goals of having success, meaning having money and material wealth. Please note we “have success.” Can we really “have” success or are we fooling ourselves? Is success a possession? Can we buy it? We certainly have tried, haven’t we? We know that with enough money, we can buy titles, people, and properties and thus have success – external success, that is.

Albert Einstein once said, “try not to become a man of success, but rather, try to become a man of value.” Of course that was in the old days. Value can be owned. Value is something internal. Our values describe who we are, not what we have.

M&M, as I mentioned above, can help transform us from wanting to be people of success to people of value. Meditation helps us turn inward. Do you want to know how?

Here are some easy steps to practice.

Instead of listening to TV shows or news or stock quotes, take a few moments in silence and listen to your breath. Do you realize what a miracle your breath is?

Have you ever pondered all the functions and processes your body fulfils without your conscious awareness? How, through your nose, your body draws oxygen into your lungs?

Your breath keeps you alive. Without your breath you will be dead within a few minutes. Cherish your breath. Close your eyes and follow it as it barely touches the sides of your nostrils and gently travels through your windpipe into your lungs where the most intricate biochemical exchange occurs before the carbon dioxide returns through the same passageway to exit from your nose. Between each inhale and exhale is a still point. Can you find it?

As you follow your breath in and out, pay attention to your posture. Are your shoulders slumped? Is your neck stiff? Allow your back to be straight and your muscles to relax. Breathe.

The main muscle in your body is your heart. Focus on your heart. Can you feel its beat? Do you ever listen to your own heartbeat? Do you ever marvel at it? Can you feel your blood pulsating in your veins? Keeping you alive?

How does your body feel? Do you ever pay enough attention to feel it? Just to check in and ask how it is? Do you allow it to de-stress and unwind without it yelling and shouting at you in pain? Do you allow it to let go of all the tension it unwillingly accumulates?

What frequency do you maintain in your body? Do you run on anger, guilt, sadness, grief, frustration, or joy? Where does that frequency arise? You may know that every emotion inside of you reflects a specific frequency in your body. Anger, guilt, frustration or grief create low frequencies while joy, happiness, contentment and peace create high frequencies. It is as simple as that.

Our constant busy-ness keeps us in a narrow range of vibrations, a narrow range of frequencies. We think and do, think and do, think and do. We are bombarded by noise and negative news, feeding our negative frequencies, keeping us stuck. We follow the same daily routine: Get up, shower, eat, work, eat, pay bills, watch TV, shower, sleep. At times it feels like treading water. Maybe it is. Low frequencies provide the grounds for manifesting a low frequency lifestyle filled with frustration, mishaps, disorder, chaos, and dissatisfaction. High frequencies provide the opportunity to manifest a joyful, peaceful and happy life of bliss. You did not know? Still - the choice is yours.

Despite what you may have heard, you are not a victim of your emotions. You can control your mind and emotions and if you do not know how, you can learn. The prerequisite for living a high-frequency lifestyle is inner awareness, a willingness to take responsibility for your thoughts and actions, and discipline. Still interested?

Then let the work begin. Let’s gather all that anger and frustration and use it in a positive way. Let’s use it for motivation. Here are a few easy steps to take on the M&M challenge.

Every morning, when you wake up, before you rush out of bed, take a few minutes and breathe deeply. Follow your breath in and out and feel your aliveness. Feel the miracle that you are. The air you breathe in is the same air that Einstein breathed in, the same air Mother Theresa breathed. As your breath enters your body and keeps you alive, acknowledge that you have as much inner power, intelligence and potential as they had. Feel it. Believe it. Trust it and thank God or the powers of the universe or whoever you believe in for this potential.

As you step in the shower, feel thankful for the water that cleans not just your body but also your emotions and your mind. Allow all negative emotions and all negative thoughts to be washed away down the drain. Flush them out. As you dry off, stretch your muscles and allow the light of day to enter deep into your pores. Know that you will be filled with radiance throughout the day.

When you see your family members or pets, your neighbors and friends, feel your love for them and share this love with them. Break the routine.

No matter what your work is, take a moment every hour or so to breathe in deeply and spread your inner light into your surroundings. Not only will the mood of your coworkers enhance; you, too, will be surrounded by that same beautiful light.

In the evening, leave off the TV. Listen to soft music, share your thoughts with those around you, laugh, kiss, and hug; then sit in silence, alone or together, following your breath, allowing your body to unwind. Imagine that your mind can expand until it is as big as the sky and all petty thoughts disappear in the wind. Listen to the sky. Listen to your heart. What do you believe in? What values do you cherish? Kindness? Compassion? Joy? Peace? Trust? Honor? Don’t let others define you. Learn to define yourself.

Our news are flooded with reports of celebrities and their lifestyles. Celebrities come and go. But people such as Gandhi, Einstein, Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama live forever in our hearts and minds because of the positive impact they have had on this earth. Life gives you a choice. Do you want to have success or be a success? Chose wisely.

Meditation helps you clean out all the dirt – the negative thoughts and emotions. When the dirt is gone, you can manifest all the positive things in your life. You simply invite them. You draw them to you. It won’t happen over night. Be patient. It takes time, just as it takes time to grow a baby. Give yourself nine months to redefine yourself. What is nine months out of an entire lifetime? You deserve it. Become a person of value, then you are a success.