Mental Heath Non-Negotiable, Wonder = JOY

    My Mental Health Non-Negotiables come from my own personal journey with depression. They are my own mental health hacks that came from the ups and downs, the highs and lows, and the weird things that mental health will do to you. We need more transparency about mental health and eliminating the stigmas that still pervade the landscape around mental health. Their is no shame, there is no weakness, there is no brokenness, mental health doesn't have to define a person or how they live. Removing the labels and seeing the person is what is required. I have accomplished much in my life even through my depression. Mental health knows no boundaries. Mental Health Warriors are out their walking amongst us daily living with their mental health issues. I love them all and hold them in the highest of regards for their brave walk and journey.

"My greatest mental health shifts don't come through force, they come through freedom."

                                                                                                                                    Daniel O'Neill

      My first Mental Health Non-Negotiable is simply to experience wonder. How so you say? I mean I am looking for wonder everywhere I go. Last week looking up at the full moon. What a wonderous sight illuminating the night sky. Beautiful clear, crisp October nights with amazing views of the gorgeous orb gliding across the sky. Stars twinkling bright, basking in the light of the moon, the air so fresh. Trips to Jasper and Canmore to just hangout and take in the mountains. I find tremendous amount of wonder as I am blessed to make those journeys. A trail run on the Tsuut'ina lands, a beautiful hike with Vivian and JYD. I can feel the wonder in my heart as I experience the beauty of nature as I am greeted by the mountains, flowing water, trees, animals, and a reflection of my own true nature amongst the beauty.

      I define wonder as eliminating the need to understand and know everything. When I am living from a sense of wonder I am free. I am living from my intuition and telling my mind to stand down. As I look for wonder even in the daily stuff I find that there is still so much wonder at being human.  I can struggle in this area, the day to day stuff. It's harder to stay in Spirit here for me. I have discovered for myself that a Spiritual walk is essential for allowing wonder to remain part of my daily vibe. I'm not talking about religion, although if that works for you then seek wonder in that avenue. For me Spirituality is personal, a way that I have discovered creates through me the joy I had as a boy. Creating joy brings me to a level of myself that doesn't allow for heavy mental stuff to seep in. This is where the magic of my spiritual practice brings out wonder in the daily stuff.

     Environment and wonder go hand in hand. In 2018 I removed myself from a toxic environment that was so unhealthy. I made a conscious choice to create a minimalist lifestyle for myself. The sense of wonder I started to feel around this way of living invigorated me and stimulated immense joy everyday. Joy I had lacked and was unavailable in the environment I left. Let's face it, there will be people on our path who are energy vampires and we will need to remove them. Having less shit really made a world of difference for me on so many levels. I am free now to explore the wonder of my own vibration and seek what makes me happy. There is something to be said for not having all the stuff society deems as necessary. I am saying this from my own perspective, we all take the journey in our own way.

     Wonder for me means stepping outside the boundaries of societal conditioning. Turning off the media and it's manipulation. Not looking at people as Conservatives and Liberals, Black and White, or as their religious denomination. Wonder cannot be labeled and put into a category, that's why I love it so much. Wonder is a high frequency vibration and in our current low frequency vibration society people can lose their way. I walk outside those lines because I don't want the mental energy they bring. Mental Health is struggling right now and people are hurting in many ways. 

     Here is the most important aspect of wonder to me, myself. I love myself in ways I never used to. I judged myself against others opinions of me, the way I thought society wanted me to be, so much unnecessary bullshit. i find wonder in my own curiosity to see people feel healthy mentally and spiritually. I find wonder in my pursuit of living my life authentically I define the terms and conditions. I sense wonder in my own unique mind and how it functions. I hold it with great love and joy as it works to process the world around me. I love my body and how it allows me to pursue the pleasure, joy, and wonder of physical adventure and exploring. I am a man who has suffered from mental health issues. I am a man who will never stop pursuing wonder. I love the joy that expressing my path brings to me.

    Know that you are never alone. Reach out, there is a world of wonder in people and resources to assist you if you're struggling. 

Peace 

Manifesto: a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer

From Racing Death

THE UN MANIFESTO
From this day forward, we shall make no excuses. We understand that
the power lies within us, and we take that power seriously. Our life is
not dictated by the status quo or the limiting mentality that aligns with
it. We choose a course of action and boldly pursue our Vision.
Our life is not something that we leave to uncontrolled chance. We
are willing to take a chance when pursuing our Vision: it is calculated
chance. We are not afraid of risk: we take control of that risk so that
others are not pulling the strings in life for us.

VISION
Vision is the template, the blueprint, we have designed for our life.
Vision gives us a clear path to follow that will light our way. Our Vision
is as unique and special as each of us. We don’t allow others to alter,
dictate, or criticize our Vision. This Vision of ours is an obsession.
With this very breath, you have the option to step up in pursuit of
your Vision. Today, we make our decision to accept the abundance in
which we were designed to live, and we will stand in our true nature. We
walk in steadfast belief that we were designed for our Vision. When we
feel low or down, our Vision will bolster our spirits and carry the day.
This is our life right here and right now.

PASSION
We are not passive people … we are passionate people. We make no
apologies for our passion as we pursue it. Our passion and commitment
are to strip away the conditioning that keeps us from being true to our
Vision. We are not resolved to a life of mediocrity, but to the pursuit
of our true nature—bold, willing, and able. We are willing to be
indomitable in our pursuit of fulfilling our Vision.

PURSUIT
This life we have is our greatest gift, and we have every intention of
UNwrapping it every day. We shall release the entire value of our spirit
into the world and share our talents to lift others up. The world is waiting
for your energy and spirit.
We are bold enough to understand that today we can create radical
change. To be radical means simply going to the root, or to the origin.
For each of us, that means living our true nature that was coded on
our hearts at birth. We’re going to our origin to create a lifestyle we
design, control, and implement for that radical change. We no longer
live with false perceptions and narratives about who we are and what
we are capable of. We radically pursue our Vision with bountiful energy
and truth. Today we begin the process to create radical change. Today we
become our authentic selves.
We refuse to sacrifice the things that matter most in our lives for
those things that matter least. We control and write the narrative of
our lives and continually build our pursuit based on that narrative. It
is our daily pursuit of our Vision that drives that narrative and builds
on it day in and day out. How we act, how we speak, the way we
respond, and our daily habits and patterns are all based on a narrative
designed to pursue our Vision, which is based on our true nature. We
refuse to allow others and society to write our narrative or dictate our
Vision and remove our truth. Our intention is strong. Our energy will
not waver.

OBSTACLES
We understand that as we pursue life, we will encounter obstacles. We
don’t shy away from or wither in the face of these obstacles. Obstacles are
a way of life. To us they are simply a challenge that will make us stronger,
more resilient—and we will overcome them all. Our minds don’t hold
on to any form of self-pity or allow apathy to set in when faced with
obstacles. We rise to a higher level of thinking to solve any problem,
and we enjoy the process required to overcome. We understand that
obstacles are a means to improve and grow ourselves.
We pursue the lesson the obstacle is offering us rather than focusing
on any inconvenience or discomfort it may cause. It’s within us to rise
above all of our challenges, because we have created a powerful narrative
and mindset of perseverance. UNlife hacks become our way; we don’t
need to have an easy path to achieve our Vision. We understand that if
we want to be tougher, then we need to be tougher. Grit is an attitude
we relish, and we work hard to make our way.
We understand our power and respect that power. The power to
re-frame the way we respond to the world around us is our tool. We
strive for peace and harmony, yet we will not allow life to beat us down
or dictate our way.

GRIT
Our character and attitude are sprinkled heavily with grit. Working hard
to master our craft is first and foremost in our minds. When required,
we rise up with a solid work ethic that drives us forward in pursuit. We
are willing to suffer and bleed for the life we are promised.
There’s no fear in us when we step up to face energy that tries to
keep us from pursuing our Vision. If gatekeepers appear on the path, we
don’t give in to the mentality of “No!” If we need to, we will change the
rules to get past the gate. Ours is a mindset of and belief in possibility.
We are not only passionate, but obsessive about our pursuit.

DEATH
Death has no power over how we live. We race death with exuberant
energy and passion. As we pursue life, we choose to not decay or wait for
life to come to us. Rather, we are vibrant and willing to touch every facet
that makes life possible. Limits are not a way of thinking or living for an
UN master. Imposing a limit is to buy into the status quo, and it takes
your energy away. Our energy is so intense and focused, we curve our
dimension to overcome any limits with our ability through innovation
and grit. Death only marks a physical end. Our pursuit is for a greater
reward and promise.

JOY
We are unapologetically weird about the joy of our pursuit. It’s never
our intention to harm others or to impose our will on anyone. We fully
understand our societal responsibilities and respect others and their
pursuit; however, we will not allow others to compromise our way as
we pursue life. Our will to achieve our objectives is strong, disciplined,
and joy-filled.
We build joy—in ourselves and our environment—through the
glorious way we pursue life in our Vision. Uplifting others is important
as we pursue our Vision. In service to others, we create our greatest
masterpiece. It’s what we are called to do. We excel in the qualities of
empathy and compassion. Our nature is one of community and love
for one another. If we help another person succeed, we will be raised
up higher in our own pursuit. We strive to inspire and motivate others
through our example of pursuit. Our energy can and will make a dent in
the universe. Ours is a life filled with hope, and we are a part of that hope.

MASTERY
UN is mastery. Mastery is inner peace gained from the process of creating
a lifestyle of deliberate practice in which you’re working to achieve your
Vision and become the best you are capable of being. Mastery is the
ability to contain emotion, harness frustration, and channel it all into
our pursuit. With mastery we will find a serene way of being that doesn’t
feel like we are out of control or lost.
Mastery means balancing the mind, body, and spirit into a cohesive
unit that has been molded for our Vision. We strive for mastery, as we
cannot control anything other than ourselves. To master ourselves means
to take the ultimate responsibility for our actions related to thought
and intention. Mastering our minds is the greatest reward we can give
ourselves. UN means winning in our minds first, and then translating
that victory into actions. Those actions are the process we create to
achieve our Vision.
UN is building and respecting the Temple. We have but one
body that was created for us, and it’s designed to be a healthy, thriving
organism with unlimited potential and energy. This is where the gift of
the Holy Spirit resides along with His ultimate knowledge and wisdom.
Turn to the Spirit for guidance, and you will never be lost.

CODE ALIGNMENT
UN requires taking our true nature, which was coded on our heart long
before our birth, and releasing the full energy of our spirit. We are not
designed to be at the mercy and control of societal conditioning. We are
not designed to be conformists. We are not designed to decay and live
in apathy and mediocrity.
We are designed to be new wave warriors, moving the needle of
change with the code written on our hearts. We choose to take small,
deliberate, daily actions to move the needle along and stay true to what
we are and see as our Vision. UN is an obsession of faith and trust in a
higher power that designed us for our specific Vision.
UN means aligning our skills and abilities with intentional desire to
pursue Vision. When we’re living UN, we choose lanes of pursuit rather
than the crippling ones offered by societal conditioning. UN keeps us
from feeling pressured to be and do things we are not. We are the type of
warriors who look to enter through the narrow gate rather than through
the way of ruin that is wide and enticing. We have a disciplined mind and
body, focused on our true nature and Vision. We seek to eliminate bad
code and distraction from our path to maintain our values and integrity.
UN means riding on the edge to avoid the comfort zone mentality.
UN warriors are mavericks and choose to build a path that takes them
away from the status quo to the wilderness mindset. In our wilderness
mindset, we seek to connect with the deep-seated authentic connection
we have with our very reason for existing. In the wilderness of our mind
resides the true message we can carry to the world through our Vision.
UN requires trading the conformist rituals of the status quo for the
ridiculous energy of pursuit and racing death. Wilderness thinking is
about creating a culture that is specific to your pursuit and will sustain
your values throughout your journey.

2019 Tour Of Hope

    This year marked my fifth Tour Of Hope cycling adventure for The Kids With Cancer Society. Being able to pair a passion (cycling) with the ability to serve is truly a blessing. Riding my bike is something that gives me great joy, it's a freedom I've always felt deep in my heart. My heart has great love for serving others, the Tour Of Hope is one of the best weeks of every year in my life.

    Yearly I get to reunite with my cycling family to help make a difference in the lives of families. Families that are facing circumstances they never thought they would have to. Cancer doesn't discriminate and the number of childhood diagnosis's are rising yearly. These families face great challenges as they navigate the world of information, treatments, finances, health, and recovery for a child battling cancer. The Kids With Cancer Society is a light in the darkness for these families. The Society provides fifty programs and services to families to help and support them. After five years of meeting families through the Tour I have found one common thread that keeps me coming back. The Kids With Cancer Society becomes a member of these families and work tirelessly to help them on their journey.

     The Tour riders are a family that comes together every year to bring hope to the families who need it. We ride our bikes to raise money for the society. What we receive in return is far greater than words can describe. Being able to provide hope through every peddle stroke makes the distance, elements, hills, sore butt, and mental challenges worth every minute on the bike. Everyday of the Tour brings the riding family a little closer together. We grow in our joy through time together on and off the bike, encouraging each other, and talking about our why for being on the Tour. There are tears shed during the evening stories, some that include stories of children who have passed. Our Angel MacKenzie was with us this whole Tour.  The journey is about weaving together our lives to make a difference in the lives of families we may or may not meet.

     The Tour family doesn't consist of only cyclists. There are Kids With Cancer Staff on the Tour and the Support crew are beyond amazing. As cyclists our job is really easy, we eat, sleep, cycle, and repeat. The Staff and Support crew keep everything moving, safe, and functioning at a high level. There are so many great people who give up a week to come out and make this such a success. For the entire week I feel incredibly blessed. There were amazing additions to the Tour this year. Great new cyclists and support staff. It was inspiring to meet younger cyclists who are doing amazing things in the world. Another amazing young woman who stepped out of her comfort zone to cycle the Tour and give back to the Society. On the support side an amazing photographer and cyclist who went above and beyond for the Tour. I fell in love with all of them because of their amazing energy, passion, joy, and commitment. The bond a group of people can make over one week when they are changing the shape of energy is incredible.

    And once again we were able to meet and amazing family who came and spoke to us about what the Kids With Cancer Society has meant to them. These nights are always special, emotional, and beyond rewarding. Seeing the way the Society works in these people's lives simply makes the 850 kilometers of cycling worthwhile.  I have met kids who have fought for their lives and they are happier than you could imagine. They are grateful and excited for the lives they have ahead of them. These are the leaders of the future, the kind of kids I want to meet. It's a reality check every year, a reset for myself about being grateful. That is why I ride this Tour every year. It makes a difference, it creates hope. The world needs more hope.

Together the cyclists raised $191,000 for the Kids With Cancer Society this year.

Thanks to all of my family, friends, and businesses that donated to me this year. I'm grateful you all helped to make a difference.

Blessings

Daniel

30 Hours on a Spin Bike, Community, Love, and Gratitude. In memory of MacKenzie

    On Saturday May 4 at 06:45 I climbed on a Spin Bike to ride for 30 hours at Exist Fitness in Sherwood Park. I had no idea what 30 hours would be like. I've done 24 and it's tough. What would another 6 hours be like? So the goals were survive 30 hours on the bike and raise $20, 000 for The Kids With Cancer Society. As the clocked rolled on the goals morphed and became something much more than goals, more than raising money, and more than an event. This year the ride became a movement that was stirred by an amazing community of people.

    I witnessed amazing human beings come together and create an atmosphere of joy, happiness, love, and conquering. In 2015 I had an idea and a community has created a movement of perseverance in an attempt to make a difference. I believe as humans we all want to make a difference, to know we are making a difference. When we can raise a cause up and carry it with our energy, hearts, and within a community that understands the power of a group united and lovingly caring about one another we all transform. It's a transformation built around helping people we may never know. That doesn't matter, they are in our hearts as they battle an ugly disease. We hope that you felt us as we carried you in our hearts and minds.

     I hadn't told anyone going into this year it was going to be the last 24 Hour Ride. For personal reasons I felt that I had accomplished what I set out to and this would be the crowning accomplishment. However when you surround yourself with amazing people who are loyal, magic fucking energy happens. If I were to list all the names responsible for the way this ride went down I would run out of room here.. The truth is my job is easy on a weird level. I show up and ride a bike, the organizing committee and so many others make the atmosphere that creates the success of this event. I get to drink it all in from a surreal vantage point on my bike. I can't tell you the love I was able to witness and experience because of these people. I know the meaning of being blessed and this year my Tribe carried me along on a wave of extreme loving energy.

    The last two hours of the ride this year were simply a monumental experience in energy, enthusiasm, and human beings driving vibrations to higher levels than I have ever felt. The Disc Jokey had us signing to YMCA, Bohemian Rhapsody, Rasputin, Sweet Carolyn, and many more great songs. I have images seared into my mind and onto my heart from hose two hours I'll never forget. As I was taking it all in I realized I couldn't give this up. This community of people had built such an incredible means to raise money for The Kids With Cancer Society I had to keep this ride alive. The movement I was witnessing was bigger than the idea I had come up with. It was bigger than the low energy I felt coming into the ride. This movement was flowing through all the people that had come to support us by riding, volunteering, and being there for the event. In the end it was epic.

    I can't cure cancer, but I can make a difference. And with the help of this community of people who come to Exist Fitness once a year we have now raised almost $60,000 in five years. Money that goes directly to families who have a child battling cancer. I've met some of these families and heard the stories of kids who have received help from the Society.  It's why I aligned with The Kids With Cancer Society.  They don't have huge operating costs, they use the funds to make a difference. And by the end of this year's ride we had changed the shape of energy. We had made a small dent in cancer the way we know how to.

The fact kids get cancer is sad enough.This year we rode in memory of MacKenzie who passed away in November 2018 after fighting her cancer. Mackenzie's dad Jake had ridden the Tour of Hope with me for several years. I got to spend one memorable afternoon with MacKenzie I will never forget. Seeing her immense wisdom and vibrant energy even while having the ugly disease cancer attacking her was life altering. MacKenzie was a bright star and I'm certain she still shines as an Angel. We were honored to ride for you MacKenzie. The extra six hours were not pretty, not fun, and not something I'll do again. However it was worth what I was able to experience, what we accomplished, and how amazing the community I live in came together to make a difference.

1 Degree

    Borrowing this from the Pastor at The Summit Church in Edmonton. He educated us that a train will not move until the steam reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature is 211 degrees Fahrenheit the train will not move. So one degree difference makes locomotion possible. His analogy was how much could one degree difference make in our own fire to relate to God?

    So let's take the God equation out of it for now. In what areas of your life could 1 degree difference in the fire you bring Change The Shape Of Energy? The possibilities are boundless.

1 degree could be the difference between getting that promotion or not.
1 degree could be the difference between a disciplined child or them dictating your home.
1 degree could be the difference between writing that book or not starting.
1 degree could be the difference between passing or not.
1 degree could be the difference between reaching that weight goal or not.
1 degree could be the difference between saving the relationship or not.
1 degree could be the difference between changing careers or staying stuck.
1 degree could be the difference between getting the part in the play or not.

     The list could go on and on and maybe it should. Why do we sell our selves short instead of going full out with that one extra degree! I think it is societal conditioning and the status quo. We are more willing to conform than make a stand for ourselves and burn as brightly as we can. Think about that one degree difference and how it could impact the world.

Blessings

Daniel

"Changing The Shape Of Energy"

Insecurity - my series in Vulnerability

     Ten years ago if you had told me I would Author two books and had won the 2018 Pride of Strathcona Mayor's Award I probably would have laughed at you. Not that I didn't want to be an Author. I was working towards it, coming up against many obstacles that any Author faces. Five years ago when I had the idea for Dan's 24 Hour Ride in support of the Kids With Cancer Society I never knew how it would grow to what it is today. I never had dreams about winning the top award in the County.

     Truth be known even with what I have accomplished I have some deep seated insecurities. One could say at times painful. There are two sides to Daniel, the outer identity that I created to hide the secret of childhood sexual abuse. And the inner Daniel, still struggling with the dark mental effects of that abuse. The saying goes you never know the battles someone is facing. I have become much more powerful in myself. The kind of power that allows me to be grounded and more capable of facing the demons in my mental world. Having a strong support network of friends and family help. And yet some friends and family have had to be removed because they judged when I would slide down into lower frequencies of vibration. Not worth having those people around.

       The greatest gift I have learned to use in battling the low times is my faith in Christ, and wanting to serve others. The word serve means to be worthy of reliance or trust, to be of use. Culturally we look down on the word serve, as if it conjures up a lesser level of success on the status quo scale. For me to take the emotional, physical, and mental pain I have suffered and turn it into a message or means to help others is to serve. Some day's it takes great energy and effort to not just run away, hide and say fuck it. Today is actually one of those days.

     We all have insecurities that make us feel like we don't have what it takes to realize our dreams or goals. We feel that we are limited by them and will never overcome them. They lurk like great shadows in the depths of our souls. We have been given a spirit of courage not one of fear. Remember that when you feel like you can't. Take small actions everyday in the direction of your dreams. Small actions piled one on top of the other lead to massive change and growth. Make it your aim to serve others. Knowing that you are making a difference in the lives of others helps to tame the feelings that rise up around our insecurities. I still have mine, I just know that once I start I always get to the other side. I'll see you on the other side.

God Bless

Daniel

"Changing The Shape Of Energy."

The Shift my series in Vulnerability

     Big gulp, you can write this. Being a male vulnerability can be a difficult to express. To me vulnerability is the ability to express and handle all of your emotions. It's getting hot in here. As an Author in my first book 'Nobody Can Take It Away From You' I essentially laid bare my soul to the world. It was a difficult to put down on paper what I had experienced in my life to that point. Being an Author its a part of my function and purpose so it was a necessary step. Yet being vulnerable is still a battle. Honestly as I write this I feel a shortness in my breath, my body tenses, and I want to stop.

    However I'm not going to stop because there is a shift going on inside of me that is many parts amazing, many frightening, many I am saying fuck yeah to, many I am saying fuck no to! But here is the truth, I'm afraid. I am vulnerable and I am afraid, there I said it. I grew up in a time when boy's didn't cry. It's bull and boys should cry, I encourage them to cry, and society should support and encourage it. There is still to much of that old male philosophy in place and running the show. I have been crying a lot at night lately. You know what, it feels good, freeing. It is all apart of my shift I've been lead to and am walking out.

    I know all to well what holding that energy in can cause. I have never spoken much publicly or at length in my books about the sexual abuse I was subjected to. What purpose would it serve to describe how it all went down? To me it would only keep me in a negative loop of memories and shit I don't want. Here I am though going down that road because of the shift. What people don't realize is that vulnerability never leaves you. I have dealt with way more emotional release over the course of my life than I care to express. Healing it was and has helped me immensely. Because the abuse was a secret for many years I learned to bury all that emotional stuff way down inside. I was never going to be vulnerable again, boy's don't cry. I can't tell you how much I cried as a boy at night all alone, vulnerable.

     I'm not writing this for sympathy.So why this article now? Because men we need to talk. We need to express our emotions in a safe and healthy way. We need to understand that vulnerable is strong and vulnerable makes you more of a man than withholding vulnerability. We need to teach our boys that crying is alright and that vulnerability is strength. For them, the females they will encounter throughout their lives. For healthier relationships, workplaces, schools, Universities, maybe even the world. That is the shift I am experiencing and it's beautiful in a painful but freeing way.

God Bless

Daniel

"Changing The Shape Of Energy."