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“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”
Albert Einstein
Wise words that capture the essence of this week’s guest, Preston Smiles.
When you meet Preston, you immediately understand who this guy is. He wears it on his sleeve. It’s written all over his face. He just is exactly who he is.
It’s much harder to describe Preston in words. But I’ll give it a shot. A leader in the emergent world of conscious media, Preston is a pretty unique cat — one of the most present, focused, passionate, open and giving people I have ever met. But honestly, everything that Preston is can be boiled down to one word – maybe the most important word in our lexicon – love.
A wellspring of creativity, Preston is a writer (Huff Po / The Daily Love), a motivational messenger, a thought leader and co-founder of something called The Love Mob – a global, grassroots flash mob movement that ignites community building through “Organized Acts of Love.”
The Preston I know is an unlikely evolution from a very different guy. Raised under challenging circumstances, young Preston was a hyperactive, dyslexic gang member prone to beatings and beating others. An angry, disenfranchised young man looking at an almost certain future of violence, drug abuse, jails and institutions.
But Preston was able to escape this path. An emotional and spiritual transformation that instead produced a man full of life, devoted to serving others and downright unafraid to embrace and exude love, consciousness and unity — hardly the most popular subjects among men in our society.
Preston is both a friend and an inspiration, and I am proud to share his powerful story and message with you today.
I sincerely hope you enjoy the conversation. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Peace + Plants,
P.S.: Thoughts are things. This week’s assignment is to pay closer attention to those thoughts. Identify the negative patterns that constantly loop. Make a choice to take one of those thoughts and invert it. It doesn’t matter if you don’t actually believe the new message you tell yourself about yourself – just act as if. Do that, repeat it until it becomes the new default thought replacing the old negative one. Then tackle another one. Rinse and repeat. Let me know how it goes in the comments below.
SHOW NOTES
Connect with Preston: Website | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
- The Love Mob: Website | Facebook
- Preston on The Huffington Post
- “3 Powerful Questions That Can Transform Any Situation” by Preston Smiles (Huffington Post)
- Preston’s Presentation at Catalyst Creativ [VIDEO]
- Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires* by Esther Hicks
- Agape International Spiritual Center (Livestream)
- The Science of Mind* by Earnest Holmes
- Agape Minister Michael Bernard Beckwith
*Disclosure: Books and products denoted with an asterisk are hyperlinked to an affiliate program. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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Great podcast, Rich and Preston and VERY timely for me. I have had a crazy year, where I went beyond self-conscious thought completely for many months after a meditation disconnected me from the voice in my head . . . only to have a major life change bring back some patterned thinking and reaction that had thoughts come back into my head and almost overwhelm me, with the overriding and overwhelming aspect being not accepting taking complete responsibility for recent actions. I went so deep and so far the other way, that I actually had a rope around my neck and was contemplating getting rid of the thoughts that way . . . instead of manning up and owning the thoughts once and for all. Even then, in that depressed state, I KNEW from beyond that thinking and could see the bigger picture, but emotions can overwhelm and almost did.
As it turned out, I did react and value life, and my life – even though I was very down on myself and did not know precisely how to turn it around in the moment. I took baby steps and just started looking after myself again, surrounding myself with friends and support and trying to do for others, as I had been doing almost exclusively for many months as words of universal truth actually spewed forth – it is so fascinating to me, to have been on both sides of mind and to now be here to be able to experience and explain it all.
Preston’s words, along with your neverending insight and reflection of his words, are reinforcing all that I already knew but have not felt strong enough in my overall state of being to recapture and continue inhabiting.
It is still a process, a journey . . . and I am blessed to be here and to share.
Step one, as you both said, though – love myself again, through and through, by accepting all that I am and have been . . .
Thank you so very much.
Much love to you both,
Steve
Talk about synchronicity! I just finished to read “The Power of Now” from Eckart Tolle literally today and this podcast is probably the most directly connected to this topic of all the 103 to date. I just began a meditation practice about a month ago because of the RRP and I’m trying to live in accordance with the principles of the “now” and I’m already seeing improvement at least in my patience with my kids. I feel I’m more able to see what makes them behave like they do and how to intervene when they go too far but without loosing my temper. Thank you Rich for your great work. (I’m not usually on first name basis with total strangers but listening to your podcast really gives the feeling of being part of your close relatives…) Keep on the excellent work!
One of the best episodes! I LOVE IT! Thank you! All the best from Australia!
I’d love to hear you interview Scott Jurek!
I am not sure if you have interviewed Ben Greenfield or Matt Frazier. It would be great to hera you interview them. Thank you!
That was without doubt the best episode of your Podcasts Rich. Inspirational is not the word for it. I just wish you guys could have kept going for another few hours lol. You are doing amazing work and as a plant based triathlete as well as a high performance coach I love what you are doing and you are a true role model and inspiration. You definitely should book Preston in again soon. Keep up the great work. To Your Success. Dave
Well I wrote a whole comment and it disappeared so I’ll try to repeat it.
This was an awesome and very timely podcast for me. I am new to meditation and a newly certified yoga teacher. I’m just getting into the “I am not my thoughts” aspect. Last night I subbed a class for a very popular yoga teacher. The night started with the owner going over and telling one of the students I was the sub. She looked like she wanted to bolt. The look on everyone’s faces really shook my confidence. My husband always tells me the look on my face is a dead giveaway. Well I really got a taste of my own medicine last night. I tried to shake it off the best I could and go on and have a great class. As a person who will almost always be a sub this is something I really needed to be faced with so that I can confront the way I react. As it says in The Four Agreements, it’s not personal but more a reflection of them (or me when I’m the one reacting). I was completely doubting myself and taking what I perceived to be what they were thinking personally. When in actuality I don’t know what they were thinking regardless of the look on their face.
What I found interesting is how quickly old patters of thinking can creep in and try to destroy you. Thankfully I had just listened to this podcast and knew immediately what to do. IS THIS REAL? No, I did a good class. I’m a good teacher. What can I learn from this? You need to treat people better, be more open to others.
So thank you for bringing awesome people on RRP and sharing their message. This was truly a gift and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. #plantpowered #RRP #lovemob #gratitude
Hi Lisa – indeed I have had both of those guys on the podcast. Just search my site and you will find them both. Thanks! Rich
Thanks Rich. I will defiantely search for the Ben G. and Matt F. interviews. Thanks for all you do to honestly educate people.
I would love to see you do more interviews on the topic of addiction and shame
This was such a great episode and I’m so happy to be introduced to Preston Smiles. I can totally relate with his path. Not so much the gang activity but being young, black and wayward. I do disagree with him on his reasons for not being a christian. That’s really a sophomoric view on religion and history. Obviously he stopped short reading the autobiography of Malcom X. If you are going to make a decision at least make sure it’s informed. Also I think it’s problematic for any black person to be preaching or believing in “colorblindness”..That’s never been our problem. We’ve never collectively needed to be colorblind. The larger society should adopt those principles first. I find too many brothas and sistas resort to this mentality to appease the fears of their non-black friends. Anyway I like his vibe and his positivity. Thanks Rich.
I would love to see you interview Dr. Gabor Maté – Addiction specialist and author. Check out his Ted Talk here: http://youtu.be/66cYcSak6nE
Hi Rich,
Would like to hear you interview Natalie Slater from Bake and Destroy? And…cookbook author Julie Hasson. Love your podcasts – keep them coming!
Thank you Preston and Rich for the great interview, and Preston for your amazing story! How can one not smile 🙂 and be inspired after listening to this interview? It’s people like Preston and his message that will change the world for the better. Transformation and evolution comes from within. When we realize and embrace this concept, we have the powers to influence the world around us.
I am catching up on the Podcast and this one BLEW my mind and had me smile so much! It gave me courage to move forward. 2015 here I come! THANK YOU!!! xxx from Switzerland
hey I’m actually working on making this happen:)