good to meet you

I've found many "pressing" matters fall by the wayside as I become a loving father to my beautiful son. This shift has altered so much about the dynamic of time and the nature of participating in life. We often find ourselves driving toward one high or another, the next great meal or satisfying consumption, failing to recognize the innate beauty in front of us. I urge you to be available for all that presents today and love it without wanting more. 

As I wrapped up the series finale of The Good Place, I felt compelled to recount the ethical quandaries of our life, how we carry each other through this life, and what it means in the end.

I'm looking to the future, 2023 is one of opportunity for you to rest within your nature. Being insightful about how you feel or view the world is so important, as society seems to buzz by with great haste, you can sit as a patient witness of the reactivity stirring in your life. Start to sit with that and sit with yourself. Reflect on the way you feel about yourself as well as the ideas you conjure up about others and their motivations. Are the circumstances or environments, whether it's work, a relationship, or a state of being really in your best interest? Are you there because it's comfortable or there because it's necessary? Only you can know this and through self-inquiry you do find that centering mechanism in your life. 

Blessings to you and all that you hold dear, happy New Year!

I think it's really interesting to examine the context of our existence, from the ways we see the world to the attitudes we hold toward it. Enlightenment doesn't appear to be something we can learn, but something we realize. This is why the Buddha was an enlightened being, he woke up to the conscious reality beyond the person he was to the all-encompassing being that rejects nothing.

Thomas Mearns was the first person I ever considered that I wanted on my podcast outside of Katie. Sometimes we get glimpses into the unique realities that people live in, the highs and the lows that are individual but undeniably relatable. That was my first exposure to Tom, but over time there was more. We as people learn to share experience, live vicariously through others, and grow in each of our lessons. I think that's part of what I see more and more, is the circumstances that you grow from aren't necessarily binding. No matter the external packaging, there is a depth of knowledge that touches the depth of experience, including the shared experience.

Thomas Mearns, it's Good to Meet You.
https://www.instagram.com/thomasmearns
https://www.instagram.com/zaccassel

It's not every day you get to talk to someone that you've watched grow up before your very eyes. Tyson Smith was a football player on a team I coached, who then turned into a leader. But what happens after the games end and the lights go out? We discuss playing football, making friends, catching feelings, and finding who you are in this 40-minute talk. Please enjoy.

Find Tyson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tyson_2.0
Find Zac on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zaccassel
Email me: gtmyzac@gmail.com

Under a blossom tree I saw the reflection of the journey our lives take, all the while remembering that we are indeed a part of that cycle. Sit back with me as I ruminate on these simple, approachable recognitions.
 
Find me on Instagram: www.instagram.com/zaccassel

We really do have it all. I say it, yet you probably still don't believe me. Look around, look inside, but know that it's true. Everything you've ever gone through, even the hard times, have brought you to this point. You have love, even if you feel like no one loves you or cares. You have patience, enough so that you will sit with your pain. You have compassion for yourself, otherwise you would fail to comprehend the conditions you inhabit that bring you pain. You have pain, but on the other side is gain. What are you gaining? Perspective, flexibility, and persistence in the face of unspeakable odds. So what do you not have? What else could you possibly need but everything you've already got?

I know you've heard it before from me, love everyone and tell the truth. You've probably gotten sick of it, but how much have you actually heard? Explore key tenets, such as compassion, understanding, love, acceptance, patience, contemplation, honesty, truth, fulfillment, and practice. These values are not only applied to what we involve ourselves in, but also why.

We live in a world of surprise, but what happens when we focus too much on the eventuality instead of the reality? Follow me on this journey as I examine the over-complication of what the future may hold, good and bad. 
Find me on Instagram: @zaccassel

2021 has been a very dynamic year, with changing jobs, states, and coasts. I've gotten engaged and even starting a podcast! What I have appreciated more than anything is how grand it continues to be. The year and the experiences within it have offered up a chance to grow toward a future with clarity. Best wishes to you and your family in 2022.

Franklin (22) is living a life in the Now, formulating his model of the future. He offers a fresh perspective of what it was like growing up without a mother, losing her at the age of 4, then his father at 16. Raised by his extended family, including his grandmother, Franklin demonstrates maturity and mindfulness, expressing his interest to grow into the world and better himself in the process.

Today is a day to be thankful, a time to share the present with the ones we love. Take a moment to value your friends and family, even their quirks! We forget how precious the present is while in search of the next thing. If you're around a table with the people you love, tell them you're thankful for them. There's nothing else to do at gatherings but be with other people.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sage wisdom stems from a deeper, conscious place. Thankfully, those who have awakened have infinite access to the fountain. Vanessa Zarate brings her own comprehension of this life, our collective journey, and what the path is available for those who want to seek their own understanding about this incarnation. 

It's easy for us as social beings to see someone acting outside of what we would expect. How should someone act? How should a dog act in a social situation? When we set expectations or social norms for how a situation should be, we set the stage for some big failures. Surprisingly, the failure stems solely from the individual who's casting those judgments. There's nothing wrong with feeling uncomfortable and wanting to change your environment. I would, given the chance! Unsurprisingly, the environment in which we exist is often dictated by those with very little comprehension of what their impact is. It's up to every individual to grow into that space and be responsible for cultivating compassion.

Have we forgotten what it's like to be human? We work, we coexist, but when did you last look at a stranger and recognize that they are living their lives completely independent of you and your influence. While they go through life they struggle against the resistances to who they are or how they are supposed to perceive the world. Your experience, just like theirs is beyond reproach and doesn't need to be comprehended. Compassion peers through the reality of illusion, past your assumptions, and into the heart of another. Thanks for listening and I can't wait to check in soon!

The YouTube channel is live right here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQJCg6VVR70ovuKFX7hUdVA
Thank you for supporting the podcast to this point and I can't wait for you to join me over there as well. Shoot a comment and let me know where you're from. It's a joy to produce these things for you and I will continue to strive for excellence in everything I touch.

It's easy to get caught up in doing something, accomplishing an objective because you have to get it done. Even down time can feel active, a necessary struggle for production.  Finding the headspace to come down from that place of driven activity can be difficult. We've been conditioned to work toward something rather than being content with where we are. 

When I get a moment to unload my mind, find my center, it's being at ease with whatever is available. Non-judging, the witness of all things.

It's tricky to grow into the self that you're supposed to be. Not the person you are to other people but that real genuine self. It's all ripe for the picking if you're ready to receive it.

Sitting down with a friend is a treat. Sitting with a friend who enhances your growth and wants to share in the process is a blessing. Check out Kenny on instagram: Freshstreet.