FOREWORD to the book PARACHUTE

Born in New York City, I’m an American. As a female in a western culture, I’ve been taught certain belief systems. These teachings are neither good nor bad, nor are they genuine truths. They were instilled for my protection against danger, for survival.  But growing up, I learned to fear people of other cultures who adhered to different sets of beliefs that I had no reference for understanding. These other cultural philosophies are also neither good nor bad, nor are they based on immutable laws.

All of these dogmas grew from messages created for our human safety passed on through generations. They likely emerged from real experiences. At the simplest level, when you were a child, you quickly learned that if you put your hand on a hot stove top, you’d harm yourself so you never did that again.  Other principles are not so obvious as they evolve from religious and cultural teachings. In today’s global community, these ideas now intensify conflicts, turmoil and add to personal anxieties and worries about life.

When we strive to accept our humanness and our vulnerabilities, we transcend the uncertainties.  We share our commonalities.  No matter what language you speak, you seek pleasure. You want to feel good—be healthy, productive, happy, significant, and peaceful.  You want to enjoy your family, friends, associates, life styles. More importantly, you want to avoid pain. Both physical and emotional pain are depleting, uncomfortable, and trigger primal responses in your brain that detach you from reason or good judgment.  You resist what is unpleasant and agonizing.  But sometimes in that very resistance, you get stuck in a dreadful pattern of stress and anxiety.  As Swiss Psychologist Carl Jung said: “What you resist persists.”

I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to Abbas Badami’s work. Personally, I know you can overcome all challenges by expanding understanding and tolerance.  In my humble opinion, if humanity is to survive, you and I must cultivate authentic peace as a deep value that lives within our hearts rather than exists as an idle hope.  If you’re angry at your spouse, children, boss or friend, you are not peaceful. If you are perpetually in conflict with those in your circle of influence, you are not creating harmony.  Serenity within allows you to connect to a higher frequency of vibrational energy known as love which is your very essence and links you to everyone and everything.

Of course, daily pressures can seem overwhelming to the point that composure becomes a distant memory. But rest assured, you can change this stressful cycle by becoming aware of your anxieties. When you learn to mindfully notice them in your thoughts and in sensations in your body, you can change the feelings. Here’s one method: Take time to observe physical tensions. Are you feeling them in your neck, shoulders, lower back?  Stop and take a few slow, deep breaths to release all struggles and tightness. Stand up and stretch your arms overhead as you sigh emphatically.  In just one minute, you can signal your nervous system to calm down and you will feel relief.  The more you practice this “interruptor” or time-out, the easier it becomes to access an inner quiet and activate your personal power.

So if you want peace in your life—free of fears, stress, anxieties--you have choices by your actions and your awareness.  You are nature’s work in progress. Whether you are consciously aware or not, you are in a constant state of improving yourself, biologically and psychologically.  As you use the techniques in Parachute, you will benefit by opening your mind and your heart to resonate peacefulness and love.  You will touch the divinity of wisdom within yourself so that life may unfold as an effortless flow.

Peggy Sealfon, Personal Development Coach & Author,
Escape From Anxiety-Supercharge Your Life With Powerful Strategies From A to Z

June 1, 2017

HOW I CAME TO WRITE THE FOREWORD FOR THE BOOK PARACHUTE BY ABBAS BADAMI:

In early May, I received an email from Abbas Badami. He wrote:  "I’ve read your impressive book Escape From Anxiety--Supercharge Your Life with Powerful Strategies from A to Z and it changed my life. I could truly use my talents in an effective way thanks to your book. Then I decided to help my people do the same for their lives too, and started learning more anout the topic. Fortunately, I’m about to have my latest book “Parachute!” published. The book will help readers achieve peace and deep joy and an insight to change in life.  It will help them to find freedom from fear, negative thoughts and relaxation and vitality. If you could spare a few minutes to write a foreword for my book that would be great." Abbas lives in Iran!