Fashion is what you adopt when you don't know who you are.
Quentin Crisp
I have heard that the thing that really seperates humans from the apes is their love of teaching others. We learn a lot from each other. We are constantly teaching each other new things. But we get into trouble when we try to teach other people who they are, and more importantly who they should be. Our first mistake is to categorize and seperate different groups of people. Then we judge them according to some standard we have about who people should be and then make it clear whether they pass the test. Prejudices can arise very fast. But if we don't really understand who we are, how can we tell other people who they are?
Fashion is just a way of fitting into a certain group. Different groups adopt different fashions as a way of making themselves stand out from other groups. When we moved to a new state and my daughter went to a new high school, she was effectively cast out because she didn't wear the same brand of clothes as her classmates. She had to run out and buy a whole new wardrobe. She had to look like everyone else in order to belong in her peer group.
Fashion is what you adopt when you don't know who you are. It is people who are searching for an identity that grab onto the first one that is shown them. The fact that everyone around you is doing something makes it seem a good thing for you to do, even if it isn't. A clear example of this is street gangs. People who join street gangs are people who are lost emotionally and searching for something, a fashion, they can belong to.
If you really knew who you were, and all of your unique strengths and weaknesses, why would you want to be like all the others. You would be celebrating your originality. When you blindly follow fashion you lose your individuality. You become just like them. You exchange not knowing who you are for thinking you are someone you are not. But you still don't know who you really are. And now you no longer even think about it. After all, it is easier just to let others tell you who they think you are.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Discovery
The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance -- it is the illusion of knowledge.
Daniel J. Boorstin
How much do you think you know? Most of what we think we know has been told to us by other people. Perhaps we have read it in a book or seen it on TV, or simply talked about it over coffee. We have taken what they said and compared it to what we already know. The process of communication is very imperfect. First of all we can misunderstand what they said. And then we see what we think they said framed in the biases we already have. And then we pass on this mistake to the next person we talk to.
So we think we know a lot. There is an abundance of information floating around us. But how much of it is true? And even if it is true for someone else, it may not be true for us. The only way we can really find out whether our information is right for us is to test it out and see if things really happen the way they were supposed to. If we don't have the time or resources to test it out, we end up comparing it with what we already think we know and seeing if it is consistent with that. This is where we get into trouble because that process narrows our range of vision.
This illusion of knowledge is the greatest obstacle to discovery. If we think we already know it all, then what incentive is there for us to learn? And since the world is always changing, if we don't learn and adapt we will not be able to cope with what is coming. Ignorance is actually a good thing because it motivates us to ask questions. And when we start asking questions, we discover endless surprises, not just about our world, but about ourselves too. And that makes life much more fun.
Daniel J. Boorstin
How much do you think you know? Most of what we think we know has been told to us by other people. Perhaps we have read it in a book or seen it on TV, or simply talked about it over coffee. We have taken what they said and compared it to what we already know. The process of communication is very imperfect. First of all we can misunderstand what they said. And then we see what we think they said framed in the biases we already have. And then we pass on this mistake to the next person we talk to.
So we think we know a lot. There is an abundance of information floating around us. But how much of it is true? And even if it is true for someone else, it may not be true for us. The only way we can really find out whether our information is right for us is to test it out and see if things really happen the way they were supposed to. If we don't have the time or resources to test it out, we end up comparing it with what we already think we know and seeing if it is consistent with that. This is where we get into trouble because that process narrows our range of vision.
This illusion of knowledge is the greatest obstacle to discovery. If we think we already know it all, then what incentive is there for us to learn? And since the world is always changing, if we don't learn and adapt we will not be able to cope with what is coming. Ignorance is actually a good thing because it motivates us to ask questions. And when we start asking questions, we discover endless surprises, not just about our world, but about ourselves too. And that makes life much more fun.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Ideas
The world moves, and ideas that were once good are not always good.
Dwight Eisenhower
So many of us, deep down, want the world to stay the same as it is. Sometimes we love certain things and wish that they would always be there. Sometimes we are afraid that if the world changed, it would change for the worse. And then stay that way. We often forget that if the world changed, it might very well change into something that works out better for us. And we forget that the world is constantly changing; that change is inevitable and it's only a matter of time. Whether we love something, or hate something, it is not going to be around us very long.
As the world changes, so do our needs and priorities. We constantly have to reinvent ourselves to keep up with our surroundings. Some days we need more and some days we need less. Some days we need more encouragement and some days we need more food. Some days all we can think about is how to survive the day, and some days we are busy thinking about what fancy new toy we want to buy. All of this makes life more interesting and challenging. And it is all meant to teach us lessons about ourselves.
But with all these changes, ideas that were practical and useful at one time will not always be that way. It is those people who come up with fresh new ideas, and who continually adapt their thinking to the changes they search for and see just around the corner, who are the most successful. Just as it is essential to continually be learning new things, it is also essential to continually be open to new ideas; even if those new ideas are so radical that they sound silly at first. Of course, you need to do your homework, since many new ideas really are as impractical as they sound, but never reject then out of hand. Mixed in with all the rocks, you just might discover a pearl.
Dwight Eisenhower
So many of us, deep down, want the world to stay the same as it is. Sometimes we love certain things and wish that they would always be there. Sometimes we are afraid that if the world changed, it would change for the worse. And then stay that way. We often forget that if the world changed, it might very well change into something that works out better for us. And we forget that the world is constantly changing; that change is inevitable and it's only a matter of time. Whether we love something, or hate something, it is not going to be around us very long.
As the world changes, so do our needs and priorities. We constantly have to reinvent ourselves to keep up with our surroundings. Some days we need more and some days we need less. Some days we need more encouragement and some days we need more food. Some days all we can think about is how to survive the day, and some days we are busy thinking about what fancy new toy we want to buy. All of this makes life more interesting and challenging. And it is all meant to teach us lessons about ourselves.
But with all these changes, ideas that were practical and useful at one time will not always be that way. It is those people who come up with fresh new ideas, and who continually adapt their thinking to the changes they search for and see just around the corner, who are the most successful. Just as it is essential to continually be learning new things, it is also essential to continually be open to new ideas; even if those new ideas are so radical that they sound silly at first. Of course, you need to do your homework, since many new ideas really are as impractical as they sound, but never reject then out of hand. Mixed in with all the rocks, you just might discover a pearl.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Children
The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives.
Albert Einstein
There probably isn't one of us who doesn't wish that they could be a child again. I think that is partly because children are carefree because they have someone to look after all their needs but I think that mostly it is because children still find the world an exciting place. Those of us who are lucky enough to be around small children invariably find them enchanting no matter how much work they entail. The reason for this is that small children see their world as wondrous, and we have forgotten how to do this.
Slowly but consistently over the years we have been taught to disregard what we experience and learn the facts that other people think are important. We are taught to do what other people think we should do (in order to please themselves, not us). Our world becomes that of other people, of society's expectations, and their perceptions become more important than our own. We become adult and the world is no longer a fun place. Because it is no longer our own world. It is theirs.
But it doesn't have to be like that. Those people who pursue truth and beauty (the artists and the scientists) can remain children all their lives. And we all have the artist and the scientist in ourselves if we will search for it, and when we find it nurture it. We can make time in our lives to play, to pursue truth and beauty, and have fun. Watching TV isn't fun. Make your downtime count, do something special. Go outside and study the leaves on the trees, or the bugs on the sidewalk. Create your own art or visit an art museum and admire someone else's. Do whatever you need to do to connect with your inner child. Your life will be much more enjoyable.
Albert Einstein
There probably isn't one of us who doesn't wish that they could be a child again. I think that is partly because children are carefree because they have someone to look after all their needs but I think that mostly it is because children still find the world an exciting place. Those of us who are lucky enough to be around small children invariably find them enchanting no matter how much work they entail. The reason for this is that small children see their world as wondrous, and we have forgotten how to do this.
Slowly but consistently over the years we have been taught to disregard what we experience and learn the facts that other people think are important. We are taught to do what other people think we should do (in order to please themselves, not us). Our world becomes that of other people, of society's expectations, and their perceptions become more important than our own. We become adult and the world is no longer a fun place. Because it is no longer our own world. It is theirs.
But it doesn't have to be like that. Those people who pursue truth and beauty (the artists and the scientists) can remain children all their lives. And we all have the artist and the scientist in ourselves if we will search for it, and when we find it nurture it. We can make time in our lives to play, to pursue truth and beauty, and have fun. Watching TV isn't fun. Make your downtime count, do something special. Go outside and study the leaves on the trees, or the bugs on the sidewalk. Create your own art or visit an art museum and admire someone else's. Do whatever you need to do to connect with your inner child. Your life will be much more enjoyable.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Choices
“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.”
Denis Waitley
We always have choices. The problem that most of us run into is that we don’t know what our choices really are. Sometimes we aren’t aware that we have any choice. Sometimes we feel like a situation is hopeless. Sometimes we feel like we just don’t know what to do about a situation. We feel like things are out of our control, that they are controled by someone else. And then we tend to complain and blame the other person for creating a situation that we don’t want. But even if we can’t change the situation, we can always choose what we are going to do about it.
We can choose to accept conditions as they exist. This is much easier if we beleive that God really has our best interests at heart and maybe there is a good reason that things are this way that we just can’t see yet. We need to beleive that every cloud has a silver lining, and if we just wait patiently that silver lining will eventually show itself. “The darkest hour is just before dawn”.
We can choose to accept the responsibility of changing things. If we don’t like the situation, we need to tell the right people that, if the situation really is due to someone else’s decisions and under someone else’s control. Or, if it is possible, we can personally take action to make things better, even if it is difficult and other people don’t like what we are doing. Taking action is the best antidote for worry and even fear that there is. The more action we can take, the more empowered we can feel. And, of course, the more empowered we feel, the more successful we can be. But our response is always our choice.
Denis Waitley
We always have choices. The problem that most of us run into is that we don’t know what our choices really are. Sometimes we aren’t aware that we have any choice. Sometimes we feel like a situation is hopeless. Sometimes we feel like we just don’t know what to do about a situation. We feel like things are out of our control, that they are controled by someone else. And then we tend to complain and blame the other person for creating a situation that we don’t want. But even if we can’t change the situation, we can always choose what we are going to do about it.
We can choose to accept conditions as they exist. This is much easier if we beleive that God really has our best interests at heart and maybe there is a good reason that things are this way that we just can’t see yet. We need to beleive that every cloud has a silver lining, and if we just wait patiently that silver lining will eventually show itself. “The darkest hour is just before dawn”.
We can choose to accept the responsibility of changing things. If we don’t like the situation, we need to tell the right people that, if the situation really is due to someone else’s decisions and under someone else’s control. Or, if it is possible, we can personally take action to make things better, even if it is difficult and other people don’t like what we are doing. Taking action is the best antidote for worry and even fear that there is. The more action we can take, the more empowered we can feel. And, of course, the more empowered we feel, the more successful we can be. But our response is always our choice.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Trouble
It is the trouble that never comes that causes the loss of sleep.
Chas. Austin Bates
Lack of sleep is epidemic in North America and probably the rest of the world too. Part of the problem are people who stay up too late but I am quite sure I am not the only person who doesn't sleep enough because they don't stay asleep at night, or toss and turn for a long time before they can get to sleep. How often is it that you can't sleep because you are worrying about what will happen tomorrow. My guess would be very frequently.
But how many of the things you toss and turn at night worrying about actually come to pass? And has your tossing and turning about them made them any easier to deal with? Probably not since it is very difficult to think clearly when you are tired; quite aside from the fact that focusing on the problem itself does not lead to solutions. The truth is that worrying about what may happen in the future is just a waste of time. We will never know what will happen in the future. But whatever happens, we will be able to deal with it, if we have had enough sleep.
When trouble does come, when we are staring it in the face, it is then we gain the energy and wisdom to deal with it. I think even in the last few weeks there was a story about a man who lifted a car off of his young daughter. We are given strength we never knew we had. And we are given wisdom too. We don't wait around to gather courage because we know we have to act immediately or all is lost. Fear flys out the window in the face of emergency. We do what we need to do, and the trouble is over with.
So there is no need to lose sleep worrying about what might happen in the future. It would be a lot better for you, the next time you can't get to sleep, to imagine what you want to happen, instead of what you fear will happen. It will feel better, probably send you to sleep faster, and will help create a better future for you too.
Chas. Austin Bates
Lack of sleep is epidemic in North America and probably the rest of the world too. Part of the problem are people who stay up too late but I am quite sure I am not the only person who doesn't sleep enough because they don't stay asleep at night, or toss and turn for a long time before they can get to sleep. How often is it that you can't sleep because you are worrying about what will happen tomorrow. My guess would be very frequently.
But how many of the things you toss and turn at night worrying about actually come to pass? And has your tossing and turning about them made them any easier to deal with? Probably not since it is very difficult to think clearly when you are tired; quite aside from the fact that focusing on the problem itself does not lead to solutions. The truth is that worrying about what may happen in the future is just a waste of time. We will never know what will happen in the future. But whatever happens, we will be able to deal with it, if we have had enough sleep.
When trouble does come, when we are staring it in the face, it is then we gain the energy and wisdom to deal with it. I think even in the last few weeks there was a story about a man who lifted a car off of his young daughter. We are given strength we never knew we had. And we are given wisdom too. We don't wait around to gather courage because we know we have to act immediately or all is lost. Fear flys out the window in the face of emergency. We do what we need to do, and the trouble is over with.
So there is no need to lose sleep worrying about what might happen in the future. It would be a lot better for you, the next time you can't get to sleep, to imagine what you want to happen, instead of what you fear will happen. It will feel better, probably send you to sleep faster, and will help create a better future for you too.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
What are you doing for others?
Life's most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?
Martin Luther King, Jr.
What are you doing for others? The first question that comes to my mind is which others. Family often takes precedence. Anyone who is raising children conscientously is doing so much for them that they perhaps don't have much time to think about strangers. And that's okay. It would be the same if you had a disabled or very sick person in your family. Your family are the people you are closest to and you know the best so it is natural to want to take care of their needs first.
The next comment many people make is "But I can't keep on giving and giving and never receiving anything. At some point, my well will run dry if it is not being replenished." I have thought that way myself. It is true that yes we often don't receive anything back from the person we are giving to, and that can feel frustrating. And some people just demand your help instead of asking for it, and that can be really annoying too. But if we are giving to someone else, we will receive something from someone, even if it is someone entirely unrelated to the person we are giving to. That is the law, the way the world works.
So what are you doing for others? It doesn't have to be giving them money if you don't have any. You need to determine what you have to offer others, and then who needs those things. If you don't have any money, perhaps you could volunteer your time and energy. Even just smiling at someone who doesn't get many smiles, or listening to his story, might be a great thing to give. But the more you give to others, the better you will feel, the better they will feel, and it has been shown that even witnesses will feel better. Everyone wins. And that is what real success is all about.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
What are you doing for others? The first question that comes to my mind is which others. Family often takes precedence. Anyone who is raising children conscientously is doing so much for them that they perhaps don't have much time to think about strangers. And that's okay. It would be the same if you had a disabled or very sick person in your family. Your family are the people you are closest to and you know the best so it is natural to want to take care of their needs first.
The next comment many people make is "But I can't keep on giving and giving and never receiving anything. At some point, my well will run dry if it is not being replenished." I have thought that way myself. It is true that yes we often don't receive anything back from the person we are giving to, and that can feel frustrating. And some people just demand your help instead of asking for it, and that can be really annoying too. But if we are giving to someone else, we will receive something from someone, even if it is someone entirely unrelated to the person we are giving to. That is the law, the way the world works.
So what are you doing for others? It doesn't have to be giving them money if you don't have any. You need to determine what you have to offer others, and then who needs those things. If you don't have any money, perhaps you could volunteer your time and energy. Even just smiling at someone who doesn't get many smiles, or listening to his story, might be a great thing to give. But the more you give to others, the better you will feel, the better they will feel, and it has been shown that even witnesses will feel better. Everyone wins. And that is what real success is all about.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
The Secret
he secret is developing away from a conciousness that gets what it wants to a consciousness that wants what it gets.
Jagdish Parikh
It is your ego that is the conciousness that gets what it wants. Your ego is constantly wanting new things in an effort to make you feel more important or powerful. It is a useful question to ask ourselves what is the real reason that we want some thing. Typically it is because we beleive that that thing will make us more important or powerful, and therefore happier. But the truth is that no particular thing can make us happy. Real happiness comes from inside us. It comes from an attitude, not any particular thing.
Real happiness comes from wanting what you get. If you only wanted what you had, you could never be discouraged or disappointed; and if you wanted everything you had without exception, you could never be sad or anxious or fearful. Thing how nice that would be! But when we are in a state of pain or poverty or hunger, it is very difficult to want what we have. In order to really want those things, we have to truly understand that the pain or poverty is meant to teach us something; to help us learn and grow and evolve. "Every cloud has a silver lining" if we will only stop to look for it instead of just wishing the whole cloud would go away.
So the secret of success is being happy with what you have already got; and being able to see the blessings all around you. But that doesn't mean you need to be perfectly content with what you have and never want more. There is a balance between having a burning desire for something and having a desire that hurts you. We are meant to always be wanting more. But when we approach our desire from a veiwpoint that doesn't expect this particular thing to make us happy (because we are already happy) or build our picture of who we are (or feel we should be); but is something we expect to get because we feel worthy and capable of it, then we will have found the secret to real success.
Jagdish Parikh
It is your ego that is the conciousness that gets what it wants. Your ego is constantly wanting new things in an effort to make you feel more important or powerful. It is a useful question to ask ourselves what is the real reason that we want some thing. Typically it is because we beleive that that thing will make us more important or powerful, and therefore happier. But the truth is that no particular thing can make us happy. Real happiness comes from inside us. It comes from an attitude, not any particular thing.
Real happiness comes from wanting what you get. If you only wanted what you had, you could never be discouraged or disappointed; and if you wanted everything you had without exception, you could never be sad or anxious or fearful. Thing how nice that would be! But when we are in a state of pain or poverty or hunger, it is very difficult to want what we have. In order to really want those things, we have to truly understand that the pain or poverty is meant to teach us something; to help us learn and grow and evolve. "Every cloud has a silver lining" if we will only stop to look for it instead of just wishing the whole cloud would go away.
So the secret of success is being happy with what you have already got; and being able to see the blessings all around you. But that doesn't mean you need to be perfectly content with what you have and never want more. There is a balance between having a burning desire for something and having a desire that hurts you. We are meant to always be wanting more. But when we approach our desire from a veiwpoint that doesn't expect this particular thing to make us happy (because we are already happy) or build our picture of who we are (or feel we should be); but is something we expect to get because we feel worthy and capable of it, then we will have found the secret to real success.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Imitator
"The imitator dooms himself to hopeless mediocrity"
Ralph Waldo Emerson
In the United States at least, Halloween is a huge holiday, at least as popular with adults as it is with children. And as far as I can tell, what everyone enjoys about Halloween perhaps more than anything else is the chance to dress up as someone else. How many of us have not felt the desire, at some time in our lives, to have been somebody else. We wish we were Susan because of her popularity, or Joe because of his luxurious vacations. We wish we were John because of his job, or Betty because of her well-behaved children. We wish we were Michael because of his fame.
We don't really want to be John; we simply want his job. But we often don't see it that way. In our minds, we blur the distinction between John and his job. We zoom in on some aspect of another person life and wish we had it, but we conveniently forget that it is only one aspect of their life. Maybe John does have a fantastic job but he might also have a terrible marriage, or a mentally ill brother.
We don't really want to be someone else and deep in our hearts we know that. We want to have our own lives, perhaps with a job like John's as part of it. "The imitator dooms himself to hopeless mediocrity". The biggest problem with wanting to be like someone else is that you have restricted your possibilities. You can only have a job like his. But maybe his job isn't right for your personality, or entails more hours than you are willing to work, or doesn't make as much money as you could make if you did something more suited to your unique talents.
There are probably many people you look up to and admire. But if you were exactly like them you would never be able to reach your full potential. You would not be growing through learning about yourself because you would be too busy focusing on them. You would not be exersising and growing your own unique talents, but theirs. You would not be contributing to the world what you alone were meant to contribute. You simply would not be as successful as you could be.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
In the United States at least, Halloween is a huge holiday, at least as popular with adults as it is with children. And as far as I can tell, what everyone enjoys about Halloween perhaps more than anything else is the chance to dress up as someone else. How many of us have not felt the desire, at some time in our lives, to have been somebody else. We wish we were Susan because of her popularity, or Joe because of his luxurious vacations. We wish we were John because of his job, or Betty because of her well-behaved children. We wish we were Michael because of his fame.
We don't really want to be John; we simply want his job. But we often don't see it that way. In our minds, we blur the distinction between John and his job. We zoom in on some aspect of another person life and wish we had it, but we conveniently forget that it is only one aspect of their life. Maybe John does have a fantastic job but he might also have a terrible marriage, or a mentally ill brother.
We don't really want to be someone else and deep in our hearts we know that. We want to have our own lives, perhaps with a job like John's as part of it. "The imitator dooms himself to hopeless mediocrity". The biggest problem with wanting to be like someone else is that you have restricted your possibilities. You can only have a job like his. But maybe his job isn't right for your personality, or entails more hours than you are willing to work, or doesn't make as much money as you could make if you did something more suited to your unique talents.
There are probably many people you look up to and admire. But if you were exactly like them you would never be able to reach your full potential. You would not be growing through learning about yourself because you would be too busy focusing on them. You would not be exersising and growing your own unique talents, but theirs. You would not be contributing to the world what you alone were meant to contribute. You simply would not be as successful as you could be.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Tomorrow
The poor, the unsuccessful, the unhappy, the unhealthy are the ones who use the word tomorrow the most.
Robert Kiyosaki
How often do you think about tomorrow? Do you think about tomorrow as being better or worse than today? Perhaps the worst thing you can do is to create an unconsious conflict within yourself between your here and now, where you don't want to be, and the projected future, where you want to be; a state of mind in which you don't want what you've got, and you want what you haven't got. Whenever you have a mental conflict like that, you have a problem.
To a person who is emotionally healthy, there is no false seperation between the past, the present, and the future. All that matters is what he wants and what is going on around him right here and now that he can utilize to move towards what he wants. He knows that success is a journey instead of a destination, and life is intended to be for the purpose of enjoying the ride. He knows that no matter what his circumstances are, no matter what happens to him, there is much to be grateful for right now; it is only right now that he can think, feel, and act towards what he wants.
The poor, the unsuccessful, the unhappy, the unhealthy are the ones who use the word tomorrow the most. It is they who believe that they have no control over the future, and so they vainly hope that something good is going to happen independantly of anything they think, feel, or do. It is they who see tomorrow as seperate from today so that nothing they do today can influence it. It is they who are victims of circumstance. But you know better. You know that the most empowering place you can be is right now. There is no tomorrow.
Robert Kiyosaki
How often do you think about tomorrow? Do you think about tomorrow as being better or worse than today? Perhaps the worst thing you can do is to create an unconsious conflict within yourself between your here and now, where you don't want to be, and the projected future, where you want to be; a state of mind in which you don't want what you've got, and you want what you haven't got. Whenever you have a mental conflict like that, you have a problem.
To a person who is emotionally healthy, there is no false seperation between the past, the present, and the future. All that matters is what he wants and what is going on around him right here and now that he can utilize to move towards what he wants. He knows that success is a journey instead of a destination, and life is intended to be for the purpose of enjoying the ride. He knows that no matter what his circumstances are, no matter what happens to him, there is much to be grateful for right now; it is only right now that he can think, feel, and act towards what he wants.
The poor, the unsuccessful, the unhappy, the unhealthy are the ones who use the word tomorrow the most. It is they who believe that they have no control over the future, and so they vainly hope that something good is going to happen independantly of anything they think, feel, or do. It is they who see tomorrow as seperate from today so that nothing they do today can influence it. It is they who are victims of circumstance. But you know better. You know that the most empowering place you can be is right now. There is no tomorrow.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Confidence
Confidence, like art, never comes from having all the answers; it comes from being open to all the questions.
Earl Gray Stevens
Deep down inside us, we know we don't have all the answers. Just like a person who has been humiliated, we boast to everyone else that we know it all in a desperate attempt to make ourselves seem good enough, and to impress our neighbors. We want to measure up to the Jones's and we don't know that the Jones's don't have any more answers than we do. We judge other people by what they say, but what other people say isn't necessarily the truth about themselves even when they beleive that it is.
Nobody knows everything, and nobody, except God, ever can. There are always events in our lives that we didn't expect and don't know what to do with them. It is part of being human to wish we were better than we are. It is also part of being human to ask questions; to want to understand the meaning of life and how the world around us works. There are endless things to learn. But we can't learn if we don't ask the right questions, even questions about why we aren't learning. And unless we are learning, we can't gain confidence in ourselves that we will be able to handle new experiences.
So many times people miss out on valuable lessons because they are too embarrassed to ask questions; they think others will laugh at them if they don't know all the answers. Don't let this happen to you. In order to grow at a person you must be open to first examining and then asking questions about all those things you are ashamed of or embarrassed about; especially the most important question of all "Why?". In order to learn, we must know what to ask, but also who to ask, for the information we need; and that in itself is often something that demands asking questions of yourself. Be open to all the questions, because nobody will ever know all the answers.
Earl Gray Stevens
Deep down inside us, we know we don't have all the answers. Just like a person who has been humiliated, we boast to everyone else that we know it all in a desperate attempt to make ourselves seem good enough, and to impress our neighbors. We want to measure up to the Jones's and we don't know that the Jones's don't have any more answers than we do. We judge other people by what they say, but what other people say isn't necessarily the truth about themselves even when they beleive that it is.
Nobody knows everything, and nobody, except God, ever can. There are always events in our lives that we didn't expect and don't know what to do with them. It is part of being human to wish we were better than we are. It is also part of being human to ask questions; to want to understand the meaning of life and how the world around us works. There are endless things to learn. But we can't learn if we don't ask the right questions, even questions about why we aren't learning. And unless we are learning, we can't gain confidence in ourselves that we will be able to handle new experiences.
So many times people miss out on valuable lessons because they are too embarrassed to ask questions; they think others will laugh at them if they don't know all the answers. Don't let this happen to you. In order to grow at a person you must be open to first examining and then asking questions about all those things you are ashamed of or embarrassed about; especially the most important question of all "Why?". In order to learn, we must know what to ask, but also who to ask, for the information we need; and that in itself is often something that demands asking questions of yourself. Be open to all the questions, because nobody will ever know all the answers.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Teachers
I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers.”
Kahlil Gibran
We have learned over the years to focus on how much we want to get rid of anything that seems to interfere with us getting what we want. We are very much aware of what we don’t want. Most of us, when asked to describe a person, can make a long list of all their faults but a very small one of their virtues. We want them to get rid of their faults, instead of to develop their strengths. We focus on wanting to end all wars, instead of on how to develop peace.
But there is a reason that sometimes bad things happen. They are meant to teach us a lesson but we very rarely learn from them. Often we just see them as some sort of punishment from God or as what we “deserve” somehow. Sometimes we see them as proof that God doesn’t really care about us. But that is all wrong. God sends us these events precisely because God cares about us a great deal.
Those negative events are meant to teach us to really appreciate the positive ones. People who know no unkindness have no appreciation for kindness. People who know no intolerance have no appreciation for tolerance. And even more than that, those negative events encourage us to become more resourceful and less fearful. They are meant to teach us how to cope with things that are not what we want.
So those negative events are very valuable to you. Instead of being afraid of them, be grateful for them. You will never appreciate, and therefore enjoy, what is desirable in your life unless you have had a taste of it’s opposite. You will never be motivated to strive for peace until you have experienced war. And you will never be motivated to become successful unleass you have tasted failure.
Kahlil Gibran
We have learned over the years to focus on how much we want to get rid of anything that seems to interfere with us getting what we want. We are very much aware of what we don’t want. Most of us, when asked to describe a person, can make a long list of all their faults but a very small one of their virtues. We want them to get rid of their faults, instead of to develop their strengths. We focus on wanting to end all wars, instead of on how to develop peace.
But there is a reason that sometimes bad things happen. They are meant to teach us a lesson but we very rarely learn from them. Often we just see them as some sort of punishment from God or as what we “deserve” somehow. Sometimes we see them as proof that God doesn’t really care about us. But that is all wrong. God sends us these events precisely because God cares about us a great deal.
Those negative events are meant to teach us to really appreciate the positive ones. People who know no unkindness have no appreciation for kindness. People who know no intolerance have no appreciation for tolerance. And even more than that, those negative events encourage us to become more resourceful and less fearful. They are meant to teach us how to cope with things that are not what we want.
So those negative events are very valuable to you. Instead of being afraid of them, be grateful for them. You will never appreciate, and therefore enjoy, what is desirable in your life unless you have had a taste of it’s opposite. You will never be motivated to strive for peace until you have experienced war. And you will never be motivated to become successful unleass you have tasted failure.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Small Jobs
Don’t be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.”
Albert Schweitzer
Many times, those of us who have taken the time to formulate clear, well-defined goals make the mistake of focusing entirely on the end result. The problem with that is that it will undoubtedly take time and many mistakes and possibly failures until you get to the end result. You need to have stepping stones to get there, short-term goals that are easier to devise an action plan for so that you can get started and keep moving. Often reaching that first objective is more exciting than reaching your final goal because you have discovered that your actions actually do pay off.
The most important foundation for success is self-confidence. And if you focus completely on your end result, you may start to feel like you may not be able to get all the way there and then give up and not get started. But if you focus on a seemingly reachable objective, and get started, you will start having small successes if you give your best to the small jobs that are on your action plan. And “nothing succeeds like success”. The more successes you have, the more your self-confidence rises, and the more action you will take, which will bring even bigger successes.
Every time you conquer a job, no matter how small and trivial it seems, it makes you that much stronger. It makes you feel like a success. It gives you the courage to attempt something greater next time. And if you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves. Before you know where you are, you will have indeed reached your end goal.
Albert Schweitzer
Many times, those of us who have taken the time to formulate clear, well-defined goals make the mistake of focusing entirely on the end result. The problem with that is that it will undoubtedly take time and many mistakes and possibly failures until you get to the end result. You need to have stepping stones to get there, short-term goals that are easier to devise an action plan for so that you can get started and keep moving. Often reaching that first objective is more exciting than reaching your final goal because you have discovered that your actions actually do pay off.
The most important foundation for success is self-confidence. And if you focus completely on your end result, you may start to feel like you may not be able to get all the way there and then give up and not get started. But if you focus on a seemingly reachable objective, and get started, you will start having small successes if you give your best to the small jobs that are on your action plan. And “nothing succeeds like success”. The more successes you have, the more your self-confidence rises, and the more action you will take, which will bring even bigger successes.
Every time you conquer a job, no matter how small and trivial it seems, it makes you that much stronger. It makes you feel like a success. It gives you the courage to attempt something greater next time. And if you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves. Before you know where you are, you will have indeed reached your end goal.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Mistake
The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one. - Elbert Hubbard
How often we dread the possibility that we will make a mistake. Some people dread this because they assume that if they ever make a mistake they will be laughed at and ridiculed. Some people dread this because they assume that if they ever make a mistake, it will mean that they have failed, which means that they are a failure. We learn at a very young age that if you make a mistake there will be some kind of punishment, either from an authority figure or your peers. Few people tolerate a mistake, whether it is their own or someone else's.
We all assume that mistakes are inevitable, and we typically fear the consequences. This is a major reason why we don't start a project in the first place, why we procrastinate until we think that we have absolutely every base covered (and by then it is usually too late). But mistakes are not inevitable, although they are likely, and we don't have to fear their consequences. All mistakes do is tell us that we need to try something else next time. They are meant for our benefit, but we are so afraid of them that we fail to take advantage of them.
The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one. Imagine what you would attempt if you were not afraid of making a mistake! See how much your fear of making mistakes is holding you back. Once you understand that mistakes happen for your own benefit, to help you succeed, if you will just learn their lessons, there is no stopping you.
How often we dread the possibility that we will make a mistake. Some people dread this because they assume that if they ever make a mistake they will be laughed at and ridiculed. Some people dread this because they assume that if they ever make a mistake, it will mean that they have failed, which means that they are a failure. We learn at a very young age that if you make a mistake there will be some kind of punishment, either from an authority figure or your peers. Few people tolerate a mistake, whether it is their own or someone else's.
We all assume that mistakes are inevitable, and we typically fear the consequences. This is a major reason why we don't start a project in the first place, why we procrastinate until we think that we have absolutely every base covered (and by then it is usually too late). But mistakes are not inevitable, although they are likely, and we don't have to fear their consequences. All mistakes do is tell us that we need to try something else next time. They are meant for our benefit, but we are so afraid of them that we fail to take advantage of them.
The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one. Imagine what you would attempt if you were not afraid of making a mistake! See how much your fear of making mistakes is holding you back. Once you understand that mistakes happen for your own benefit, to help you succeed, if you will just learn their lessons, there is no stopping you.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Riches
My riches consist not in the extent of my possessions, but in the fewness of my wants.
Brotherton, J
When we think of a rich person, we think of someone who has lots of possessions; a mansion, fancy cars etc. We think of a person who has all the things that we want but have always seen as out of our grasp. We define ourselves as not rich because we don't yet have everything we want. We think that when I have ... then I will be rich. But our very definition of rich may be off. Maybe being rich is not about how many things you have. When it comes down to it, the only one who cares how many things you have is your ego. And your ego is never satisfied, so you will never feel truly rich if you define being rich as having everything you want.
One could say that a rich person is someone who does not want many things. This is a person who appreciates all the blessings he already has. He knows that he is rich right now, not if and when he gets something he wants. He is satisfied right now, because he is not letting his ego run the show.
Yes, he does want a few more things, but they are not what will make him happy, because he is already happy. And the truth is that the only real definition of rich is how happy a person is.
We all know of cases when I person is very rich yet miserable, and that often what we would consider a poor person is very happy. It is not the extent of our possessions that make us truly rich because it is not the extent of our possessions that make us truly happy. The key to being happy is to appreciate, and utilize, all the blessings that we already possess. A thankful person is a happy person, and therefore truly rich.
Brotherton, J
When we think of a rich person, we think of someone who has lots of possessions; a mansion, fancy cars etc. We think of a person who has all the things that we want but have always seen as out of our grasp. We define ourselves as not rich because we don't yet have everything we want. We think that when I have ... then I will be rich. But our very definition of rich may be off. Maybe being rich is not about how many things you have. When it comes down to it, the only one who cares how many things you have is your ego. And your ego is never satisfied, so you will never feel truly rich if you define being rich as having everything you want.
One could say that a rich person is someone who does not want many things. This is a person who appreciates all the blessings he already has. He knows that he is rich right now, not if and when he gets something he wants. He is satisfied right now, because he is not letting his ego run the show.
Yes, he does want a few more things, but they are not what will make him happy, because he is already happy. And the truth is that the only real definition of rich is how happy a person is.
We all know of cases when I person is very rich yet miserable, and that often what we would consider a poor person is very happy. It is not the extent of our possessions that make us truly rich because it is not the extent of our possessions that make us truly happy. The key to being happy is to appreciate, and utilize, all the blessings that we already possess. A thankful person is a happy person, and therefore truly rich.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Believe
“Whatever you want in life, other people are going to want it too. Believe in yourself enough to accept the idea that you have an equal right to it
Diane Sawyer
There is a lot of competition in life. Some people thrive on it, and others are scared of it. But we all want the good stuff. Most of all, we all want to know that we are better than someone else. Our ego really thrives on winning, on being the best. Winning is it’s lifeblood. But the problem with competition, of course, is that only one person can win. Everyone else “loses”. That’s why some people are so scared of it. They see themselves as losers. They lack to confidence to try again.
They don’t think they deserve to win. They think that they don’t have enough talent to be as good as their competitors. They feel that they will never be better than them. They remember all the times that they have lost in the past, and assume that will continue. They have no confidence in themselves. They don’t have faith in their abilities. They don’t even see themselves as worthy of having the prize.
In order to be a winner, it is essential that you beleive in yourself and in your abilities. You need to beleive that you deserve success and that you can do whatever it takes to acheive that. You need to beleive that you have just as much of a right to those things you desire as anyone else does. You need to beleive that your talent is, or can be, just as great as any of your competitors. You need to beleive that you are just as deserving as they are. You must beleive that all people are created equal in the sense that they all are worthy and deserving of having everything they desire.
Diane Sawyer
There is a lot of competition in life. Some people thrive on it, and others are scared of it. But we all want the good stuff. Most of all, we all want to know that we are better than someone else. Our ego really thrives on winning, on being the best. Winning is it’s lifeblood. But the problem with competition, of course, is that only one person can win. Everyone else “loses”. That’s why some people are so scared of it. They see themselves as losers. They lack to confidence to try again.
They don’t think they deserve to win. They think that they don’t have enough talent to be as good as their competitors. They feel that they will never be better than them. They remember all the times that they have lost in the past, and assume that will continue. They have no confidence in themselves. They don’t have faith in their abilities. They don’t even see themselves as worthy of having the prize.
In order to be a winner, it is essential that you beleive in yourself and in your abilities. You need to beleive that you deserve success and that you can do whatever it takes to acheive that. You need to beleive that you have just as much of a right to those things you desire as anyone else does. You need to beleive that your talent is, or can be, just as great as any of your competitors. You need to beleive that you are just as deserving as they are. You must beleive that all people are created equal in the sense that they all are worthy and deserving of having everything they desire.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Obstacles
For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin–real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.– Alfred D. Souza
Are you waiting for life to begin? A life that you can finally relax and enjoy? We tend to beleive that “When … happens I will be happy”. Most of us spend our whole life trying to figure out what must happen before we will be happy. Our milestones come and go and yet we still don’t feel happy. We always find that something else needs to be taken care of, more unfinished business. We decide that we will be happy when that has been taken care of and the next problem is solved. And the cycle continues.
It seems that no matter what we do, there is always some problem still to be solved, some action still to be taken, some unfinished business. We never get everything sorted out so that we can finally relax and be happy. It just doesn’t work out that way. We are designed to be growth seeking beings, and in order to grow we must continue to solve problems and take actions to work things out. Obstacles are an essential part of life. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t be happy.
A truly happy person knows that obstacles are a part of life that is there for his benefit. He just learns to take them in stride. He expects and plans for them, and knows that there is always an opportunity in them if he will just look closely enough. He doesn’t let obstacles steal his happiness. He acknowledges and accepts that there will always be obstacles, and even times of challenge and suffering, and he also knows that by staying true to who he is he will not just endure but thrive.
Are you waiting for life to begin? A life that you can finally relax and enjoy? We tend to beleive that “When … happens I will be happy”. Most of us spend our whole life trying to figure out what must happen before we will be happy. Our milestones come and go and yet we still don’t feel happy. We always find that something else needs to be taken care of, more unfinished business. We decide that we will be happy when that has been taken care of and the next problem is solved. And the cycle continues.
It seems that no matter what we do, there is always some problem still to be solved, some action still to be taken, some unfinished business. We never get everything sorted out so that we can finally relax and be happy. It just doesn’t work out that way. We are designed to be growth seeking beings, and in order to grow we must continue to solve problems and take actions to work things out. Obstacles are an essential part of life. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t be happy.
A truly happy person knows that obstacles are a part of life that is there for his benefit. He just learns to take them in stride. He expects and plans for them, and knows that there is always an opportunity in them if he will just look closely enough. He doesn’t let obstacles steal his happiness. He acknowledges and accepts that there will always be obstacles, and even times of challenge and suffering, and he also knows that by staying true to who he is he will not just endure but thrive.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Responsible
“I am responsible. Although I may not be able to prevent the worst from happening, I am responsible for my attitude toward the inevitable misfortunes that darken life. Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have - life itself.”
Walter Anderson
We all wish we could somehow prevent anything bad from happening. We want a guarantee that we will be happy because we will have circumstances that please us. But that’s not the way the world works. God can’t please everyone all the time. Sometimes people have conflicting desires, and giving one person the circumstances they want would make the other person unhappy with their circumstances. Sometimes things have to happen that please nobody, such as this recession.
What is really important is not what happens to you but how you react to it. You always have a choice whether to make the best of the circumstances you find yourself in, or the worst. You always have a choice of complaining and blaming, or of doing something to improve the situation. You always have a choice of how you see the situation, as God punishing you or as just something that happened. You always have a choice as to whether to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of your loss, or to rise from the pain and treasure life itself.
Joy comes from knowing that you can deal with whatever life gives you, not from always having the circumstances you want. Character comes from coping with bad things, not from never having anything bad to cope with. A better quality of life comes from being empowered to deal with whatever circumstances you find yourself surrounded by.
Walter Anderson
We all wish we could somehow prevent anything bad from happening. We want a guarantee that we will be happy because we will have circumstances that please us. But that’s not the way the world works. God can’t please everyone all the time. Sometimes people have conflicting desires, and giving one person the circumstances they want would make the other person unhappy with their circumstances. Sometimes things have to happen that please nobody, such as this recession.
What is really important is not what happens to you but how you react to it. You always have a choice whether to make the best of the circumstances you find yourself in, or the worst. You always have a choice of complaining and blaming, or of doing something to improve the situation. You always have a choice of how you see the situation, as God punishing you or as just something that happened. You always have a choice as to whether to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of your loss, or to rise from the pain and treasure life itself.
Joy comes from knowing that you can deal with whatever life gives you, not from always having the circumstances you want. Character comes from coping with bad things, not from never having anything bad to cope with. A better quality of life comes from being empowered to deal with whatever circumstances you find yourself surrounded by.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Doubts and Fears
Don't waste your life in doubts and fears: spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour's duties will be the best preparation for the hours or ages that follow it.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
How often do we worry about the future? And when we are not worrying about it, we are busy trying to guess what it holds in store for us. We are worried that we won't get what we want, or that some unfortunate surprise will happen. Some of us even worry about the world coming to an end! But all this worrying is completely useless. It isn't going to change the future; especially when we don't even know what the future will hold in store for us
Sometimes we are afraid that we will continue in the future all the mistakes we have made in the past. This is a valid concern, but assumes that we don't have the capacity to change our behavior. And indeed, we probably won't change our behavior; unless we forget about the future, and about the past, and concentrate on what is going on around us right now. Now is the only time we can change our behavior for the better.
We can only act on what is going on right now. The past is over with and the future is unknown. The only way we can influence the future at all is by taking the right actions in the present moment. And we can only take the right actions if we are aware about what actually is going on around us at the present moment. If you want to prepare for the future, and to create a future you love, you must focus not on the future, not on the past, but on the present moment. If you focus on what you want most for the future and do what needs doing right now, that future will fall into place.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
How often do we worry about the future? And when we are not worrying about it, we are busy trying to guess what it holds in store for us. We are worried that we won't get what we want, or that some unfortunate surprise will happen. Some of us even worry about the world coming to an end! But all this worrying is completely useless. It isn't going to change the future; especially when we don't even know what the future will hold in store for us
Sometimes we are afraid that we will continue in the future all the mistakes we have made in the past. This is a valid concern, but assumes that we don't have the capacity to change our behavior. And indeed, we probably won't change our behavior; unless we forget about the future, and about the past, and concentrate on what is going on around us right now. Now is the only time we can change our behavior for the better.
We can only act on what is going on right now. The past is over with and the future is unknown. The only way we can influence the future at all is by taking the right actions in the present moment. And we can only take the right actions if we are aware about what actually is going on around us at the present moment. If you want to prepare for the future, and to create a future you love, you must focus not on the future, not on the past, but on the present moment. If you focus on what you want most for the future and do what needs doing right now, that future will fall into place.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Anger
Anger is just a cowardly extension of sadness. It’s a lot easier to be angry at someone than it is to tell them you’re hurt.
Tom Gates
We often hide beneath our feelings. We do things because we “feel like it”. We talk about ourselves using comments like “I am angry”. It is as if we are our emotions. Not only that it feels like we have no control over our emotions and so our emotions run our lives. No wonder we feel so out of control. We are behaving like puppets on a string, ruled by emotions we have no control over. But we can learn to control our emotions and make them work for us.
The first step towards controlling anything, including ourselves, is to understand what it is that we are trying to control. We have to understand first of all what we are really feeling. When we feel bad, it could be for all kinds of different reasons which are not at all obvious. Feeling angry has all kinds of emotions behind it, such as sadness, jealousy or envy, a feeling of injustice, and fear. It takes a lot of self-awareness sometimes to figure out the real reason for your anger. But until you do that, it will be impossible to do anything constructive about it.
We don’t usually think of anger as being cowardly. It tends to make us feel powerful. But in reality, anger only strengthens your ego, and not the real you. It is much easier to blame the other person than to question your own feelings and needs. And it takes courage to ask for what you want or need, especially when you feel unlikely to get it. But ultimately being able to tell the other person that you are hurt and what you really want, is the only constructive way to deal with anger. Any other reaction hurts both you and your relationship with them.
Tom Gates
We often hide beneath our feelings. We do things because we “feel like it”. We talk about ourselves using comments like “I am angry”. It is as if we are our emotions. Not only that it feels like we have no control over our emotions and so our emotions run our lives. No wonder we feel so out of control. We are behaving like puppets on a string, ruled by emotions we have no control over. But we can learn to control our emotions and make them work for us.
The first step towards controlling anything, including ourselves, is to understand what it is that we are trying to control. We have to understand first of all what we are really feeling. When we feel bad, it could be for all kinds of different reasons which are not at all obvious. Feeling angry has all kinds of emotions behind it, such as sadness, jealousy or envy, a feeling of injustice, and fear. It takes a lot of self-awareness sometimes to figure out the real reason for your anger. But until you do that, it will be impossible to do anything constructive about it.
We don’t usually think of anger as being cowardly. It tends to make us feel powerful. But in reality, anger only strengthens your ego, and not the real you. It is much easier to blame the other person than to question your own feelings and needs. And it takes courage to ask for what you want or need, especially when you feel unlikely to get it. But ultimately being able to tell the other person that you are hurt and what you really want, is the only constructive way to deal with anger. Any other reaction hurts both you and your relationship with them.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Adventure
“Adventure isn’t hanging on a rope off the side of a mountain. Adventure is an attitude that we must apply to the day to day obstacles of life - Facing new challenges, seizing new opportunities, testing our resources against the unknown and in the process, discovering our own unique potential.”
John Amatt
Most of us have this idea that adventure is doing something spectacular like mountain-climbing or discovering lost cities in the jungle, or deep-sea diving. We are often jealous of people who engage in activities like this. We imagine how much more fun they must be having than we are. We can feel the excitement that often seems to be completely lacking in our own lives. But the lack of excitement in our own lives is only a result of our attitude towards life.
We are meant to face new challenges, seize new opportunities, test our resources against the unknown and in the process, discover our own unique potentional. Only then do we truly live. But the good news is that these things can be applied to our everyday life. Even something as mundane as cooking allows us to seize new opportunities (to try a different food), to face new challenges (to decide which foods would go together best, or how to prepare them most appealingly), and to test our resources against the unknown (to find the most practical yet tasty thing to make for dinner tonight).
Adventure is an attitude that we must apply to the day to day obstacles of life. As we go through life, we are constantly overcoming little challenges that we barely notice. The thrill of conquest doesn’t have to come from climbing Mount Everest. Sometimes it can come from just pleasing everyone at the dinner table. We need to realize that life itself is an adventure, given to us so that we can discover our own unique potential. And sometimes our greatest growth is gained from just getting along smoothly with our family, friends, and workplace.
John Amatt
Most of us have this idea that adventure is doing something spectacular like mountain-climbing or discovering lost cities in the jungle, or deep-sea diving. We are often jealous of people who engage in activities like this. We imagine how much more fun they must be having than we are. We can feel the excitement that often seems to be completely lacking in our own lives. But the lack of excitement in our own lives is only a result of our attitude towards life.
We are meant to face new challenges, seize new opportunities, test our resources against the unknown and in the process, discover our own unique potentional. Only then do we truly live. But the good news is that these things can be applied to our everyday life. Even something as mundane as cooking allows us to seize new opportunities (to try a different food), to face new challenges (to decide which foods would go together best, or how to prepare them most appealingly), and to test our resources against the unknown (to find the most practical yet tasty thing to make for dinner tonight).
Adventure is an attitude that we must apply to the day to day obstacles of life. As we go through life, we are constantly overcoming little challenges that we barely notice. The thrill of conquest doesn’t have to come from climbing Mount Everest. Sometimes it can come from just pleasing everyone at the dinner table. We need to realize that life itself is an adventure, given to us so that we can discover our own unique potential. And sometimes our greatest growth is gained from just getting along smoothly with our family, friends, and workplace.
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