We've got the most prosperous culture in human history and we've also got the biggest spiritual hole in human history.
Mark Victor Hansen
More and more people in today's society don't beleive in God. Or at least the traditional version of God. Somehow conventional religion just seems irrelevant in a modern world. In the past, people depended on their Gods to bring rains and a good crop. Now we have some technological way to do things like that. We rely on science now the same way people in the past depended on God to help them solve problems and make sure their lives went well.
And our science has worked very well for us. We have luxuries now our ancestors could only dream of. We have machines to do our work for us, more efficiently than we could ever do by ourselves. But we have an inborn neurological part of us that needs to beleive in a God. We need to beleive that something bigger, and especially wiser, than we are is running the show; and that we can influence it to act in our best interests.
We've got the most prosperous culture in human history and we've also got the biggest spiritual hole in human history. It is actually hard to be spiritual when you have all the comforts you need. We get stuck in a comfort zone. We forget that we are meant to be learning and growing and improving all the time, and that the best way to do that is through adversity.
It is difficult to remember that God is here to help us when we don't need any help because we have invented a machine that can do it. It's difficult to remember that God is running the show. It takes a great disaster (hurricane, earthquake etc) to remind us that we don't have complete control over our world. But this is what we need to know. We need to know that we need God to help us be our best. And to be grateful that God is always here to do just that.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Beginnings and Endings
What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from. –- T.S. Eliot
Sometimes it is hard for us to accept that in order for there to be a beginning of something we want, there has to be the end of something else that we already have. There's only so much "stuff" in the world and it is being endlessly recycled. Things have to die so that new things can be born. Change is inevitable but change often comes in cycles.
We make the mistake of becoming attached to certain ideas, objects, and events; and we become very anxious at the thought of them ending because they have become part of our idea of who we are. We settle into a comfort zone having all the things we are attached to all around us. But this is another name for getting into a rut. There is no change, no growth. Because in order for something to begin, something else has to end. And that something else is often the thing we are most attached to.
Even when we feel bored or restless, we never think about getting rid of the things we have. We want to have both the things we are attached to and the new things as well. We want it all. But the world doesn't work that way. We have to learn to give up things we have grown comfortable with so that we can acquire something else, whether that is knowledge, things, time, or feelings, in order to continue our growth and our happiness. Because we can never be truly happy when we are not growing.
What is it that you have in your life that is not all that important to you but is preventing new experiences and new things coming into your life. Many people have found that when they clean up and get rid of all the clutter in their house, they get more money coming in. Because now there is a space for it to come into. Perhaps you have old and impractical ideas that need to go so that new healthy ones can come in. Or old habits that need to go so you can get new healthy ones. What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from. First we must get rid of what no longer serves us.
Sometimes it is hard for us to accept that in order for there to be a beginning of something we want, there has to be the end of something else that we already have. There's only so much "stuff" in the world and it is being endlessly recycled. Things have to die so that new things can be born. Change is inevitable but change often comes in cycles.
We make the mistake of becoming attached to certain ideas, objects, and events; and we become very anxious at the thought of them ending because they have become part of our idea of who we are. We settle into a comfort zone having all the things we are attached to all around us. But this is another name for getting into a rut. There is no change, no growth. Because in order for something to begin, something else has to end. And that something else is often the thing we are most attached to.
Even when we feel bored or restless, we never think about getting rid of the things we have. We want to have both the things we are attached to and the new things as well. We want it all. But the world doesn't work that way. We have to learn to give up things we have grown comfortable with so that we can acquire something else, whether that is knowledge, things, time, or feelings, in order to continue our growth and our happiness. Because we can never be truly happy when we are not growing.
What is it that you have in your life that is not all that important to you but is preventing new experiences and new things coming into your life. Many people have found that when they clean up and get rid of all the clutter in their house, they get more money coming in. Because now there is a space for it to come into. Perhaps you have old and impractical ideas that need to go so that new healthy ones can come in. Or old habits that need to go so you can get new healthy ones. What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from. First we must get rid of what no longer serves us.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Vision
When the vision on the inside is more compelling and powerful than what you observe on the outside...The universe is at your command
James Ray
Our sense of sight is extremely compelling and powerful. One fully appreciates that when it fails to function properly and we do not see things as they are; which fortunately never happens to most of us. Most of the information we receive about the outside world comes from our sense of sight and we rely very much on it. But that information, or the way interpret it, can be simply wrong, as we see in visual illusions. In truth what we see depends on what we expect to see. Witnesses to a crime can easily be made to beleive they saw something that never happened.
Most of us do not have a vision of what we want to happen, as much as a vision of what we expect to happen. And what we expect to happen is based on what we have seen happen. We assume that what has already happened will happen again, and that we have no control over that. Some of us don't have a picture of what we want because we are afraid of the frustration we will feel when we don't get what we want, because we secretly beleive it will never happen. So of course it never does.
When the vision on the inside is more compelling and powerful than what you observe on the outside...The universe is at your command. We need to fully understand that what we see is what we expect to see, that what other people see is irrelevant to that, and that we do have a lot of control over what we expect to see. We can always choose to expect to see the outcome we want. The hard part is maintaining that expectation even when everything you see going on around you seems to discourage your positive outcome from happening. It takes love, faith, and trust, in both yourself and in the Universe. But the rewards are incredible.
James Ray
Our sense of sight is extremely compelling and powerful. One fully appreciates that when it fails to function properly and we do not see things as they are; which fortunately never happens to most of us. Most of the information we receive about the outside world comes from our sense of sight and we rely very much on it. But that information, or the way interpret it, can be simply wrong, as we see in visual illusions. In truth what we see depends on what we expect to see. Witnesses to a crime can easily be made to beleive they saw something that never happened.
Most of us do not have a vision of what we want to happen, as much as a vision of what we expect to happen. And what we expect to happen is based on what we have seen happen. We assume that what has already happened will happen again, and that we have no control over that. Some of us don't have a picture of what we want because we are afraid of the frustration we will feel when we don't get what we want, because we secretly beleive it will never happen. So of course it never does.
When the vision on the inside is more compelling and powerful than what you observe on the outside...The universe is at your command. We need to fully understand that what we see is what we expect to see, that what other people see is irrelevant to that, and that we do have a lot of control over what we expect to see. We can always choose to expect to see the outcome we want. The hard part is maintaining that expectation even when everything you see going on around you seems to discourage your positive outcome from happening. It takes love, faith, and trust, in both yourself and in the Universe. But the rewards are incredible.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Angels
Most people don't know there are angels whose only job is to make sure you don't get too comfortable & fall asleep and miss your life.
B. Andreas
Many of us don't know that there are any angels around. We think that's a fairy story. But there is getting to be more and more evidence that they do exist. You can always choose not to beleive the stories from people who see angels and have miracles happen in their life, or those who claim to know about life after death; but personally I like the idea of there being angels there to help me deal with my life. Belief in anything, including angels, is a choice you make.
But angels are not just there to help you out with the difficulties in your life. They are also there to make sure you learn and grow in this life. We all have a tendency to want things in our lives to go smoothly and give us what we want all the time. We don't want to make an effort or spend any money if it can be avoided at all. We don't want to get out of our comfort zone. But all the learning and growing that we are meant to do does not occur within our comfort zone. We have to get out there and take risks, make huge efforts, and often spend lots of money before we get out of life what we need to get out of it.
We always grumble about the rain that falls on our parade, and, these days, the computer that suddenly has a glitch and erases about 3 hours of our typing. We say that these things are meant to try us. But they are not meant to try us as much as they are meant to encourage our growth and learning. They are meant to keep us awake and aware, to learn effective ways to deal with problems. We simply can't learn and grow with out problems in our lives to solve. So we need angels to provide us with those problems that we don't want in order to keep us on the path to becoming better, more mature and knowledgable, people.
B. Andreas
Many of us don't know that there are any angels around. We think that's a fairy story. But there is getting to be more and more evidence that they do exist. You can always choose not to beleive the stories from people who see angels and have miracles happen in their life, or those who claim to know about life after death; but personally I like the idea of there being angels there to help me deal with my life. Belief in anything, including angels, is a choice you make.
But angels are not just there to help you out with the difficulties in your life. They are also there to make sure you learn and grow in this life. We all have a tendency to want things in our lives to go smoothly and give us what we want all the time. We don't want to make an effort or spend any money if it can be avoided at all. We don't want to get out of our comfort zone. But all the learning and growing that we are meant to do does not occur within our comfort zone. We have to get out there and take risks, make huge efforts, and often spend lots of money before we get out of life what we need to get out of it.
We always grumble about the rain that falls on our parade, and, these days, the computer that suddenly has a glitch and erases about 3 hours of our typing. We say that these things are meant to try us. But they are not meant to try us as much as they are meant to encourage our growth and learning. They are meant to keep us awake and aware, to learn effective ways to deal with problems. We simply can't learn and grow with out problems in our lives to solve. So we need angels to provide us with those problems that we don't want in order to keep us on the path to becoming better, more mature and knowledgable, people.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Luck
Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
Seneca
It seems from definitions of luck that it is an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another, to create a favorable or unfavorable outcome. I think the truth is that so many of the things that happen to us in life are a complete surprise. We never expected them to happen. We didn't plan on them. And whether they make our lives better or worse seems completely random. And eventually we learn that life is something beyond our control, that what happens has nothing to do with what we are doing. This is where we learn fear and depression.
But life is not just random. We can influence the future even if we cannot control it. It all depends on our beleifs and attitudes. The first thing we need to do is to be aware of what we want. The second is to be aware of what is happening around us. We need to look for clues as to what may happen in the future. This sounds obvious but we are so often caught up in our ideas of what we want to happen that we ignore what is actually happening. If we don't know what situations are developing we can't influence them to change their course by changing our own actions towards them.
Life is full of opportunities. We tend to not notice them because we have a pre-conceived idea of what is supposed to happen in the future in order to make us happy. We are so busy looking for our pre-concieved way to get what we want that we fail to see other ways to acheive it or even to just maintain a positive environment that will make it easier to acheive. We will never be lucky unless we can see all the other possibilities for change, and especially improving the situation, that are all around us
Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. When we are prepared by knowing what we want and being open to different possibilities for acheiving that, and also being aware of what is going on around us and where it is likely to lead; then when an opportunity does show itself, we will see it as an opportunity and know what to do about it. We will have the power to influence things to turn out just the way we wanted, because we will be doing the right things to acheive that. We will get lucky.
Seneca
It seems from definitions of luck that it is an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another, to create a favorable or unfavorable outcome. I think the truth is that so many of the things that happen to us in life are a complete surprise. We never expected them to happen. We didn't plan on them. And whether they make our lives better or worse seems completely random. And eventually we learn that life is something beyond our control, that what happens has nothing to do with what we are doing. This is where we learn fear and depression.
But life is not just random. We can influence the future even if we cannot control it. It all depends on our beleifs and attitudes. The first thing we need to do is to be aware of what we want. The second is to be aware of what is happening around us. We need to look for clues as to what may happen in the future. This sounds obvious but we are so often caught up in our ideas of what we want to happen that we ignore what is actually happening. If we don't know what situations are developing we can't influence them to change their course by changing our own actions towards them.
Life is full of opportunities. We tend to not notice them because we have a pre-conceived idea of what is supposed to happen in the future in order to make us happy. We are so busy looking for our pre-concieved way to get what we want that we fail to see other ways to acheive it or even to just maintain a positive environment that will make it easier to acheive. We will never be lucky unless we can see all the other possibilities for change, and especially improving the situation, that are all around us
Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. When we are prepared by knowing what we want and being open to different possibilities for acheiving that, and also being aware of what is going on around us and where it is likely to lead; then when an opportunity does show itself, we will see it as an opportunity and know what to do about it. We will have the power to influence things to turn out just the way we wanted, because we will be doing the right things to acheive that. We will get lucky.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Awareness
Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness.
James Thurber
How many times have you looked back in anger at something that just shouldn't have happened. At the partner who treated you poorly, or maybe even deserted you. At the parents who didn't do with you the things you think they should have, or maybe even did things they shouldn't have. At the guy who ran into your car last year. There are so many things that happen to us every day that make us angry. But the problem is that we hang onto that anger. We never forget what it felt like to be insulted. And all that does is make us more angry.
How many times have you looked forward in fear, worrying about what might happen in the future. What if they have World War 3? What if an asteroid hits earth? What if I fail my exam? What if my spouse leaves me? But the truth is that nobody has any crystal ball that can see into the future. That means that nobody can control the future which is what makes it scary. Along with the tendency to assume that things will continue to go on the way they always have. And sure if we continue to have wars all the time then World War 3 is a distinct possibility. But what if things don't continue on that path and we can stop all the wars we are having now?
We can't control the past, or the future so there is no point dwelling on them. But we can control the present. The first step is to look around us in awareness of what is happening right now. Only then can we determine what we want to do about it. The only thing that is in our power is the ability to deal with what is going on right now. The past has already happened, the future is an unknown.
Look around in awareness. What can we do right now to influence the future to go the way we want it to? Rather than pacing about worrying about passing our exam, we can be aware that what is happening right now is that we need to spend more time studying, or maybe study more effectively. And when we take care of what we need to do in the present to deal with present conditions, we have made it much more likely that the future will happen the way we want.
James Thurber
How many times have you looked back in anger at something that just shouldn't have happened. At the partner who treated you poorly, or maybe even deserted you. At the parents who didn't do with you the things you think they should have, or maybe even did things they shouldn't have. At the guy who ran into your car last year. There are so many things that happen to us every day that make us angry. But the problem is that we hang onto that anger. We never forget what it felt like to be insulted. And all that does is make us more angry.
How many times have you looked forward in fear, worrying about what might happen in the future. What if they have World War 3? What if an asteroid hits earth? What if I fail my exam? What if my spouse leaves me? But the truth is that nobody has any crystal ball that can see into the future. That means that nobody can control the future which is what makes it scary. Along with the tendency to assume that things will continue to go on the way they always have. And sure if we continue to have wars all the time then World War 3 is a distinct possibility. But what if things don't continue on that path and we can stop all the wars we are having now?
We can't control the past, or the future so there is no point dwelling on them. But we can control the present. The first step is to look around us in awareness of what is happening right now. Only then can we determine what we want to do about it. The only thing that is in our power is the ability to deal with what is going on right now. The past has already happened, the future is an unknown.
Look around in awareness. What can we do right now to influence the future to go the way we want it to? Rather than pacing about worrying about passing our exam, we can be aware that what is happening right now is that we need to spend more time studying, or maybe study more effectively. And when we take care of what we need to do in the present to deal with present conditions, we have made it much more likely that the future will happen the way we want.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Marble
The marble not yet carved can hold the form of every thought the greatest artist has.
Michelangelo
A block of marble to most of us means very little. It may be just a hunk of stone that is blocking our way. To us, there is no hint of it's inherent value. It takes an artist to look at it and see it's potential. It takes an artist to develop a vision of what it might be. But this is true not just of blocks of marble but throughout our lives. In a way, our life is just like that plain block of marble.
For many of us, our life is just something to get through on our search for what will make us happy. Some of us have no real idea of what we are doing here or what we really want out of life. Others tend to focus on some distant event that will finally make them happy and ignore the possibilities that are right in front of them. We just don't see the inherent value of our lives. It takes an artist to develop a vision of what our lives might be.
But the marble not yet carved can hold the form of every thought the greatest artist has. Our lives have infinite possibilities. We can make our life into anything that we can imagine. There is no limit to what we can do with our lives. It all depends on how we look at our life, on the possibilities we can see for ourselves within it. Each of us is an artist who just needs to develop his talent for creativity and imagination and seeing possibilities, so that we can take the necessary actions to make the possible become the actual. And our life to become everything we wanted it to be.
Michelangelo
A block of marble to most of us means very little. It may be just a hunk of stone that is blocking our way. To us, there is no hint of it's inherent value. It takes an artist to look at it and see it's potential. It takes an artist to develop a vision of what it might be. But this is true not just of blocks of marble but throughout our lives. In a way, our life is just like that plain block of marble.
For many of us, our life is just something to get through on our search for what will make us happy. Some of us have no real idea of what we are doing here or what we really want out of life. Others tend to focus on some distant event that will finally make them happy and ignore the possibilities that are right in front of them. We just don't see the inherent value of our lives. It takes an artist to develop a vision of what our lives might be.
But the marble not yet carved can hold the form of every thought the greatest artist has. Our lives have infinite possibilities. We can make our life into anything that we can imagine. There is no limit to what we can do with our lives. It all depends on how we look at our life, on the possibilities we can see for ourselves within it. Each of us is an artist who just needs to develop his talent for creativity and imagination and seeing possibilities, so that we can take the necessary actions to make the possible become the actual. And our life to become everything we wanted it to be.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Our Chief Want
Our chief want in life is somebody who shall make us do what we can.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
We are social beings and we are very influenced by the people around us. There's no getting away from that. We care about what other people think about us. Our ego thrives on us seeming better in some way than the people around us. It demands adulation. It needs other people to come up to us and say "You are so clever" or "You are so strong" etc. But our ego has it wrong. It is not the admiration and respect of other people that we really crave.
What we really crave is someone who will not just tell us how wonderful we are, because talk is cheap, but who will actually make us become that wonderful person, to become the best we can be. We long for a person who will love even our faults and in so doing, will help us minimize them. We long for a person who has the vision to see what we can be; who cares enough about us to realize that we have a lot of room for improvement, and is willing to take the time to help us fill in that. What we really want is someone who will do their best to make us grow; who cares as much about our growth as their own. Sometimes this happens in marriage, but sometimes it does not.
People like that are very hard to find, so when you do find someone treat them like the treasure they are. Help them become their best too, because that not only expresses your gratitude but also has the effect of stimulating your own growth. By mutually working together to improve both of you, each of you acheives much more than you would by either going it alone or just helping the other person. It's a win-win situation. And it is exactly what you really want out of life
Ralph Waldo Emerson
We are social beings and we are very influenced by the people around us. There's no getting away from that. We care about what other people think about us. Our ego thrives on us seeming better in some way than the people around us. It demands adulation. It needs other people to come up to us and say "You are so clever" or "You are so strong" etc. But our ego has it wrong. It is not the admiration and respect of other people that we really crave.
What we really crave is someone who will not just tell us how wonderful we are, because talk is cheap, but who will actually make us become that wonderful person, to become the best we can be. We long for a person who will love even our faults and in so doing, will help us minimize them. We long for a person who has the vision to see what we can be; who cares enough about us to realize that we have a lot of room for improvement, and is willing to take the time to help us fill in that. What we really want is someone who will do their best to make us grow; who cares as much about our growth as their own. Sometimes this happens in marriage, but sometimes it does not.
People like that are very hard to find, so when you do find someone treat them like the treasure they are. Help them become their best too, because that not only expresses your gratitude but also has the effect of stimulating your own growth. By mutually working together to improve both of you, each of you acheives much more than you would by either going it alone or just helping the other person. It's a win-win situation. And it is exactly what you really want out of life
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Giving
Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege.
John D. Rockefeller
We feel like we are obliged to give things to other people. We feel like it is their right to receive things from us. We learn at a very young age that if we don't give things to parents, teachers etc that they want us to, then they can and will harm us by taking away something we need because of that. It begins to feel like a sin to us to not give other people all they desire just because they desire it. We feel guilty when we don't feel like giving. Giving seems like our duty. We owe it to them.
But the truth is that we do not owe anything to anyone. That's just a control game. If we are giving something to someone because we feel like we have to because it is our duty, then it is going to be given with resentment and anger and guilt, and then it is not really giving. The whole idea of giving presupposes that you want to give. Nobody wants to give unless he feels like he has a choice in the matter. Unless he feels like he is giving because he chose to.
Giving is actually a privilege. It is your opportunity to help the other person up, which demonstrates that you are up yourself. It is your opportunity to put your strengths and skills to good use. It is your opportunity to take the higher road and do the right thing. The desire to give is built into our spirits. It is what God intended us to do. We know that deep down. It is only when the healthy impulse to give is mixed up with a lot of unhealthy emotions like resentment and anger and guilt that it becomes something we don't want to do.
When we treat giving like the privilege it is, then it becomes enjoyable again. We feel a lot better about ourselves. Giving is a wonderful self-esteem booster. It is a great way to learn and grow and enjoy our life and our relationships. It is not just a privilege but a blessing.
John D. Rockefeller
We feel like we are obliged to give things to other people. We feel like it is their right to receive things from us. We learn at a very young age that if we don't give things to parents, teachers etc that they want us to, then they can and will harm us by taking away something we need because of that. It begins to feel like a sin to us to not give other people all they desire just because they desire it. We feel guilty when we don't feel like giving. Giving seems like our duty. We owe it to them.
But the truth is that we do not owe anything to anyone. That's just a control game. If we are giving something to someone because we feel like we have to because it is our duty, then it is going to be given with resentment and anger and guilt, and then it is not really giving. The whole idea of giving presupposes that you want to give. Nobody wants to give unless he feels like he has a choice in the matter. Unless he feels like he is giving because he chose to.
Giving is actually a privilege. It is your opportunity to help the other person up, which demonstrates that you are up yourself. It is your opportunity to put your strengths and skills to good use. It is your opportunity to take the higher road and do the right thing. The desire to give is built into our spirits. It is what God intended us to do. We know that deep down. It is only when the healthy impulse to give is mixed up with a lot of unhealthy emotions like resentment and anger and guilt that it becomes something we don't want to do.
When we treat giving like the privilege it is, then it becomes enjoyable again. We feel a lot better about ourselves. Giving is a wonderful self-esteem booster. It is a great way to learn and grow and enjoy our life and our relationships. It is not just a privilege but a blessing.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Empty Stomach
No man can worship God or love his neighbor on an empty stomach.
Woodrow T. Wilson
The first priority of any functional society must be to make sure that everyone has the basic necessities of life. If we are hungry, we can think about little else. If we are chronically hungry then it becomes the focal point of our lives, a constant struggle to get enough to eat. And eventually we will abandon our morals and decency and character and just do whatever we think would help us get some food. We will behave like animals. And in today's society, a gun is never very far away.
It is foolish to expect a hungry man to not steal, or even kill. Only when his basic needs have been looked after will he pay any attention to anyone else's needs. Even one hungry man can do a lot of damage to society. Everyone must be looked after in a well-functioning society so that nobody falls through the cracks. It's all very well to offer beautiful churches and wise doctrines to the people. But someone who is hungry isn't going to be paying attention to any of that. No man can worship God or love his neighbor on an empty stomach.
I have read, and beleive, that the reason that the West Coast "First Nations" people had such a rich and vibrant culture compared to other "First Nations" peoples is because it was always very easy for them to find food. They could afford to take the time to explore art and culture and spiritual matters. Knowing that they would survive, they could turn their attention to the meaning and significance of their survival. It is only when the matter of finding food, clothing, and shelter is taken care of, that we can each learn and grow. It is only then that we, as a community and society, can mutually enjoy and enrich all our lives as we were meant to.
Woodrow T. Wilson
The first priority of any functional society must be to make sure that everyone has the basic necessities of life. If we are hungry, we can think about little else. If we are chronically hungry then it becomes the focal point of our lives, a constant struggle to get enough to eat. And eventually we will abandon our morals and decency and character and just do whatever we think would help us get some food. We will behave like animals. And in today's society, a gun is never very far away.
It is foolish to expect a hungry man to not steal, or even kill. Only when his basic needs have been looked after will he pay any attention to anyone else's needs. Even one hungry man can do a lot of damage to society. Everyone must be looked after in a well-functioning society so that nobody falls through the cracks. It's all very well to offer beautiful churches and wise doctrines to the people. But someone who is hungry isn't going to be paying attention to any of that. No man can worship God or love his neighbor on an empty stomach.
I have read, and beleive, that the reason that the West Coast "First Nations" people had such a rich and vibrant culture compared to other "First Nations" peoples is because it was always very easy for them to find food. They could afford to take the time to explore art and culture and spiritual matters. Knowing that they would survive, they could turn their attention to the meaning and significance of their survival. It is only when the matter of finding food, clothing, and shelter is taken care of, that we can each learn and grow. It is only then that we, as a community and society, can mutually enjoy and enrich all our lives as we were meant to.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered. --Gilbert K. Chesterton
What is an inconvenience? It is something that we don't want to do because it distracts us from doing whatever we are already doing. We hate inconveniences. The need to keep doing whatever we started, to keep going down the same path that we entered, is built into our brains. We simply don't want any distractions or deviations of any kind. Sometimes this is a good thing because we were on the right path in the first place. But what if we are not?
What is an adventure? It is when we try on new clothes, so to speak. It is when we do something that is different from whatever we are already doing and see what the result turns out like. We experiment. We follow the path less travelled and see where it ends up. If we like where we turn up that's great, and if we don't we just follow another road. An adventure is the same as an inconvenience. It is still a deviation and distraction from what we were doing already. Only this time we have made it fun.
An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered. Language is very important. It really makes a difference what we label something as. We picture an adventure as fun and exciting. We picture an inconvenience as annoying and frustrating. But they are really one and the same thing. Don't go around complaining of inconveniences. See them as adventures instead. Your life will be much more fun.
What is an inconvenience? It is something that we don't want to do because it distracts us from doing whatever we are already doing. We hate inconveniences. The need to keep doing whatever we started, to keep going down the same path that we entered, is built into our brains. We simply don't want any distractions or deviations of any kind. Sometimes this is a good thing because we were on the right path in the first place. But what if we are not?
What is an adventure? It is when we try on new clothes, so to speak. It is when we do something that is different from whatever we are already doing and see what the result turns out like. We experiment. We follow the path less travelled and see where it ends up. If we like where we turn up that's great, and if we don't we just follow another road. An adventure is the same as an inconvenience. It is still a deviation and distraction from what we were doing already. Only this time we have made it fun.
An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered. Language is very important. It really makes a difference what we label something as. We picture an adventure as fun and exciting. We picture an inconvenience as annoying and frustrating. But they are really one and the same thing. Don't go around complaining of inconveniences. See them as adventures instead. Your life will be much more fun.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Recharge Your Batteries
Take time to recharge your batteries. It's hard to see where you're going when your lights are dim.
Robert H. Connelly
How often do you stop and take time to recharge your batteries. To behave like a child. To explore the world and just play. To smell the roses and enjoy the trees. To discover new friends. It is not healthy to behave like an adult all the time. Too many responsibilities is exhausting. Feeling like we are always "on" just wears us down in the same way that a flashlight will wear down and eventually go off if it is left "on" all the time.
We all need some "alone" time where we don't have to do anything but what we feel like doing; when we don't have to answer to anyone else and we can remember who we really are as opposed to who other people want us to be. When we have no obligations and can finally do what we want to. Hobbies are a great way to recharge your batteries, or even just taking the time to learn more about our favorite subject. Or taking a walk and enjoying nature. Whatever fits into your budget and lifestyle. Whatever expresses your true interests and values.
Take time to recharge your batteries. It's hard to see where you're going when your lights are dim. Sometimes we will need to make an appointment with ourselves to do "nothing". The busier we are, the more often we need to "take a break". If we are going to be truly successful, then we must remember what our true interests and values are, who we truly are, and we can only do that when we take the time to recharge our batteries as frequently as possible.
When we start to define our worth by how well we can do what other people want, how we can take care of our adult responsibilities, when our lights are dim, then the only way we can feel successful is to do what they want. But that is not really success and we know it on a deeper level. The only true success is to live up to our own potential, to support our own interests and values, to be the person God meant us to be. We can only do that when our batteries are charged and our lights are burning bright.
Robert H. Connelly
How often do you stop and take time to recharge your batteries. To behave like a child. To explore the world and just play. To smell the roses and enjoy the trees. To discover new friends. It is not healthy to behave like an adult all the time. Too many responsibilities is exhausting. Feeling like we are always "on" just wears us down in the same way that a flashlight will wear down and eventually go off if it is left "on" all the time.
We all need some "alone" time where we don't have to do anything but what we feel like doing; when we don't have to answer to anyone else and we can remember who we really are as opposed to who other people want us to be. When we have no obligations and can finally do what we want to. Hobbies are a great way to recharge your batteries, or even just taking the time to learn more about our favorite subject. Or taking a walk and enjoying nature. Whatever fits into your budget and lifestyle. Whatever expresses your true interests and values.
Take time to recharge your batteries. It's hard to see where you're going when your lights are dim. Sometimes we will need to make an appointment with ourselves to do "nothing". The busier we are, the more often we need to "take a break". If we are going to be truly successful, then we must remember what our true interests and values are, who we truly are, and we can only do that when we take the time to recharge our batteries as frequently as possible.
When we start to define our worth by how well we can do what other people want, how we can take care of our adult responsibilities, when our lights are dim, then the only way we can feel successful is to do what they want. But that is not really success and we know it on a deeper level. The only true success is to live up to our own potential, to support our own interests and values, to be the person God meant us to be. We can only do that when our batteries are charged and our lights are burning bright.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Change
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time
Barack Obama
Are you waiting for change? The problem with waiting for change is that although it will inevitably come, it probably won't be the change you want. There is often a window of opportunity to get a particular change made, and we know that if we wait too long the window has closed. Of course, God will probably open a door somewhere later on but the result won't be quite the same, perhaps not quite as good as the first one. If you wait for a better time to do something, that better time may never come. We don't know and we can't afford to find out.
We often wait for some other person to make the changes happen that we want. Someone more charismatic, a better leader, perhaps more intelligent and/or more technically skilled. But it may take a very long time to find such a person who also wants the same changes that we do. It may never happen. We don't know, and we can't afford to wait to find out. If we want something done, we can't rely on someone else to do it, especially if we haven't even identified who that person is yet.
Change will not come if we wait for some other person, who might never show up, or some other time. If we really want change, we must do it ourselves, or at least get the ball rolling; and we must do it now. Tomorrow may be too late. We can't rely on circumstances changing the way we want them to unless we take action right now to make sure they do. If you wait for some other person or some other time, the Universe will see that you are not serious about the change you want to make. And it will not be serious about making that change come about
Barack Obama
Are you waiting for change? The problem with waiting for change is that although it will inevitably come, it probably won't be the change you want. There is often a window of opportunity to get a particular change made, and we know that if we wait too long the window has closed. Of course, God will probably open a door somewhere later on but the result won't be quite the same, perhaps not quite as good as the first one. If you wait for a better time to do something, that better time may never come. We don't know and we can't afford to find out.
We often wait for some other person to make the changes happen that we want. Someone more charismatic, a better leader, perhaps more intelligent and/or more technically skilled. But it may take a very long time to find such a person who also wants the same changes that we do. It may never happen. We don't know, and we can't afford to wait to find out. If we want something done, we can't rely on someone else to do it, especially if we haven't even identified who that person is yet.
Change will not come if we wait for some other person, who might never show up, or some other time. If we really want change, we must do it ourselves, or at least get the ball rolling; and we must do it now. Tomorrow may be too late. We can't rely on circumstances changing the way we want them to unless we take action right now to make sure they do. If you wait for some other person or some other time, the Universe will see that you are not serious about the change you want to make. And it will not be serious about making that change come about
Friday, March 12, 2010
Condemnation
We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses.
C. G. Jung
It is hard to accept the things we don't like. We just don't want it there, even for a short time. We want change and we want it yesterday. We simply don't want to tolerate this thing for what it is. We focus on all the reasons why we don't like this thing, and why it needs to change. We are so busy hating what is there now that we don't consider what we would prefer to have there instead. All we really think about is not having this thing that we have condemned.
But condemnation does not liberate. Focusing on what we don't want is not going to free us from it. Impatience is not going to make things happen any faster. Instead we get stuck because thinking about something only draws it to us, especially if we feel strongly about it too. The more we hate something and wish it would go away, the more we are attracting it to us. And the more impatient we are for improvement, the less we will be open to those opportunities we have on an ongoing basis to make things better. Condemnation oppresses.
We cannot change anything until we accept it. We have to appreciate that those things that annoy us are there for a reason. They are there to strengthen our character, to help us learn and grow, and help us clarify what we want. It is only when we accept what is that we can use that to determine what we want instead; and when we focus on what we want instead, that is what we will get. Change comes when we focus on and expect to get something we want. It comes not when we condemn but when we are accept what is and are grateful for it because it helps us to determine what it is that we really want.
C. G. Jung
It is hard to accept the things we don't like. We just don't want it there, even for a short time. We want change and we want it yesterday. We simply don't want to tolerate this thing for what it is. We focus on all the reasons why we don't like this thing, and why it needs to change. We are so busy hating what is there now that we don't consider what we would prefer to have there instead. All we really think about is not having this thing that we have condemned.
But condemnation does not liberate. Focusing on what we don't want is not going to free us from it. Impatience is not going to make things happen any faster. Instead we get stuck because thinking about something only draws it to us, especially if we feel strongly about it too. The more we hate something and wish it would go away, the more we are attracting it to us. And the more impatient we are for improvement, the less we will be open to those opportunities we have on an ongoing basis to make things better. Condemnation oppresses.
We cannot change anything until we accept it. We have to appreciate that those things that annoy us are there for a reason. They are there to strengthen our character, to help us learn and grow, and help us clarify what we want. It is only when we accept what is that we can use that to determine what we want instead; and when we focus on what we want instead, that is what we will get. Change comes when we focus on and expect to get something we want. It comes not when we condemn but when we are accept what is and are grateful for it because it helps us to determine what it is that we really want.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Don't Cry
Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.
Dr Suess
How many times have we wept over what is no longer available. For the lover who left us. For the beautiful building that was torn down to make a parking lot. For the old tree that was chopped down. For the treasure we lost and now can't find. The truth is that life is always changing and any one thing can't remain available for your enjoyment forever. And that is a good thing because if it did you would never get to experience anything new.
Change is what makes life interesting and exciting. But just as new things come into our life that we love, the old ones have to go in order to make room for them. Just because something you enjoyed is now gone does not mean at all that there will be nothing else come along that you will enjoy just as much. It just means that it will be different. We run into problems because we get attached to one particular thing so much that we begin to see it as part of ourself, as part of our life story. Then we fear its loss because that would be like losing a part of ourself.
Instead of crying because what you love is no longer available, try shifting your attitude. Smile because you got to enjoy it for whatever period it was around. And because you know that there will be other and perhaps even greater joys coming into your life in the future. Trust that God is looking after you and will continue to bring blessings into your life for as long as you appreciate the ones you still have. Be grateful for all the wonderful things that you have had the privilege of experiencing over your lifetime. And don't forget to be grateful for those still to come.
Dr Suess
How many times have we wept over what is no longer available. For the lover who left us. For the beautiful building that was torn down to make a parking lot. For the old tree that was chopped down. For the treasure we lost and now can't find. The truth is that life is always changing and any one thing can't remain available for your enjoyment forever. And that is a good thing because if it did you would never get to experience anything new.
Change is what makes life interesting and exciting. But just as new things come into our life that we love, the old ones have to go in order to make room for them. Just because something you enjoyed is now gone does not mean at all that there will be nothing else come along that you will enjoy just as much. It just means that it will be different. We run into problems because we get attached to one particular thing so much that we begin to see it as part of ourself, as part of our life story. Then we fear its loss because that would be like losing a part of ourself.
Instead of crying because what you love is no longer available, try shifting your attitude. Smile because you got to enjoy it for whatever period it was around. And because you know that there will be other and perhaps even greater joys coming into your life in the future. Trust that God is looking after you and will continue to bring blessings into your life for as long as you appreciate the ones you still have. Be grateful for all the wonderful things that you have had the privilege of experiencing over your lifetime. And don't forget to be grateful for those still to come.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Fall in Love
Forget the resolutions. Forget control and discipline... too much work. Instead try experimenting. Go in search of something to fall in love with... something about yourself, your career, your spouse.
Dale Dauten
Every year, we make a New Year's Resolution that we will do something to improve ourselves. And every year, a month later we have totally forgotten about it. Why? Because we have slipped back into our regular routine of doing things, the habits we are familiar with. Saying that we want to quit smoking just is not effective when we are around our familiar circle of friends who are all happily smoking and offering us a cigarette. Our habits win out over our will every time.
Forget the resolutions. Forget control and discipline. They all stem from using willpower. Willpower is something borne of the Ego. It comes from the need to control the world around us and make it do what we think will make us superior and/or happy. Willpower is a lot of work, we are trying to force ourselves to do something that goes against what we are comfortable with. We can't will ourselves to be happy. But there is another way.
Try experimenting. Go in search of something to fall in love with... something about yourself, your career, your spouse. If we actually take the time to experiment with what we value most, and search them out, there are things to fall in love with all around us. There are blessings everywhere. We can fall in love with cool breezes on a hot summer day, it doesn't have to be something momentous. But it is when we are in love, when we can really appreciate all the wonderful things God has given us, that we really grow and develop. And most of all, that is the only way we can truly be happy.
Dale Dauten
Every year, we make a New Year's Resolution that we will do something to improve ourselves. And every year, a month later we have totally forgotten about it. Why? Because we have slipped back into our regular routine of doing things, the habits we are familiar with. Saying that we want to quit smoking just is not effective when we are around our familiar circle of friends who are all happily smoking and offering us a cigarette. Our habits win out over our will every time.
Forget the resolutions. Forget control and discipline. They all stem from using willpower. Willpower is something borne of the Ego. It comes from the need to control the world around us and make it do what we think will make us superior and/or happy. Willpower is a lot of work, we are trying to force ourselves to do something that goes against what we are comfortable with. We can't will ourselves to be happy. But there is another way.
Try experimenting. Go in search of something to fall in love with... something about yourself, your career, your spouse. If we actually take the time to experiment with what we value most, and search them out, there are things to fall in love with all around us. There are blessings everywhere. We can fall in love with cool breezes on a hot summer day, it doesn't have to be something momentous. But it is when we are in love, when we can really appreciate all the wonderful things God has given us, that we really grow and develop. And most of all, that is the only way we can truly be happy.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Smile
Don't frown because you never know who is falling in love with your smile
SinVyeSt Tan
The truth is that we can be amazingly ignorant about what other people think of us. Most of the time, people don't tell you what they think of you. They might hide it because they are afraid you don't feel the same way about them and that will become obvious, or sometimes they might hide it in order not to hurt your feelings. And then all of a sudden our best friend leaves us, or we accidently discover we had a fan we never knew we had.
It is built into our culture and into our natures to be negative. It is easier for us to notice, and discuss, what is bad than to notice what is good. We are essentially taught from an early age that we are victims, that we have to do what other people want or what circumstances dictate no matter how unpleasant it is for us; which certainly doesn't promote being positive or cheerful.
But don't frown because you never know who is falling in love with your smile. No matter how bad you feel, there is always someone out there who feels worse and who really needs you to cheer them up. No matter how incompetant you think you are, there is always someone out there who thinks you're clever at what you do because they can't do it. There is always someone out there who is falling in love with your smile. You just need to go out and find them. And then you'll have a real reason to smile.
SinVyeSt Tan
The truth is that we can be amazingly ignorant about what other people think of us. Most of the time, people don't tell you what they think of you. They might hide it because they are afraid you don't feel the same way about them and that will become obvious, or sometimes they might hide it in order not to hurt your feelings. And then all of a sudden our best friend leaves us, or we accidently discover we had a fan we never knew we had.
It is built into our culture and into our natures to be negative. It is easier for us to notice, and discuss, what is bad than to notice what is good. We are essentially taught from an early age that we are victims, that we have to do what other people want or what circumstances dictate no matter how unpleasant it is for us; which certainly doesn't promote being positive or cheerful.
But don't frown because you never know who is falling in love with your smile. No matter how bad you feel, there is always someone out there who feels worse and who really needs you to cheer them up. No matter how incompetant you think you are, there is always someone out there who thinks you're clever at what you do because they can't do it. There is always someone out there who is falling in love with your smile. You just need to go out and find them. And then you'll have a real reason to smile.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Speak
When we speak we are afraid we will not be heard or welcomed. When we are silent, we are still afraid. So its better to speak. – Audre Lorde
We're probably all familiar with the quote "It's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt." God forbid that we should look like a fool, that we should not know everything. Most of us are terrified at the thought of saying something that turns out to be embarrassing or something that we will regret later. So we don't speak up for ourselves in the right way at the right time.
But when we are silent, we are still afraid. We are afraid that other people will never get to know us, never understand us, never meet our needs because they just don't know what those needs are. We are afraid of not connecting, of feeling like a stranger. We are even afraid of being not interesting enough to hold their attention. When it comes down to it, what we are really afraid of is whether they will find us, our beleifs and feelings, interesting and/or attractive.
As long as we are silent, we will never find out the answer. So it will always remain a possibility that they don't like us or what we're saying. And we will always be afraid. Like anything else the way to get over fear is to simply do the thing that we are afraid of. It is indeed better to speak. After all it is also possible that we can open our mouths and prove that we are not fools at all, and that we are not just heard but very much welcomed.
We're probably all familiar with the quote "It's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt." God forbid that we should look like a fool, that we should not know everything. Most of us are terrified at the thought of saying something that turns out to be embarrassing or something that we will regret later. So we don't speak up for ourselves in the right way at the right time.
But when we are silent, we are still afraid. We are afraid that other people will never get to know us, never understand us, never meet our needs because they just don't know what those needs are. We are afraid of not connecting, of feeling like a stranger. We are even afraid of being not interesting enough to hold their attention. When it comes down to it, what we are really afraid of is whether they will find us, our beleifs and feelings, interesting and/or attractive.
As long as we are silent, we will never find out the answer. So it will always remain a possibility that they don't like us or what we're saying. And we will always be afraid. Like anything else the way to get over fear is to simply do the thing that we are afraid of. It is indeed better to speak. After all it is also possible that we can open our mouths and prove that we are not fools at all, and that we are not just heard but very much welcomed.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Conflict
Conflict cannot survive without your participation.
Wayne Dyer
Whether we realize it or not, most of us run around all day long in a constant state of conflict. Conflict between our own desires and someone else's. Conflict between what we think we can do and what we think other people can (or should) do. And conflict between what we want and what we think we can acheive. We are even at conflict with our environment, being angry that it rained when we wanted sunshine, for example.
All our conflict comes down to resisting what life has given us because we think that we should have got something more to our liking. That we somehow deserve more than what we got. We go around with a pre-conceived plan of what will make us happy or successful or fulfilled, as though we are the best judges of that. As though we know what should happen in order for us to learn and grow and be happy, to get the most out of our life.
Conflict cannot survive without our own participation. Ultimately all this conflict just makes us miserable. It stops us from appreciating all the good things that life sends us, all the blessings around us. It stops us from seeing new ideas and opportunities. We don't have to take part in it however. The moment we can learn to love whatever is happening in our life, knowing that even those things that seem like disasters are actually sent to help us grow, we are free of conflict. And when we are free of conflict, we are free of failure and can't lose. We are free to enjoy our lives.
Wayne Dyer
Whether we realize it or not, most of us run around all day long in a constant state of conflict. Conflict between our own desires and someone else's. Conflict between what we think we can do and what we think other people can (or should) do. And conflict between what we want and what we think we can acheive. We are even at conflict with our environment, being angry that it rained when we wanted sunshine, for example.
All our conflict comes down to resisting what life has given us because we think that we should have got something more to our liking. That we somehow deserve more than what we got. We go around with a pre-conceived plan of what will make us happy or successful or fulfilled, as though we are the best judges of that. As though we know what should happen in order for us to learn and grow and be happy, to get the most out of our life.
Conflict cannot survive without our own participation. Ultimately all this conflict just makes us miserable. It stops us from appreciating all the good things that life sends us, all the blessings around us. It stops us from seeing new ideas and opportunities. We don't have to take part in it however. The moment we can learn to love whatever is happening in our life, knowing that even those things that seem like disasters are actually sent to help us grow, we are free of conflict. And when we are free of conflict, we are free of failure and can't lose. We are free to enjoy our lives.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Approval
People who want the most approval get the least and people who need approval the least get the most.
Wayne Dyer
This begs the question "Why do other people approve of you?" Our Ego will tell us that we have the approval of other people because of the possessions and social prestige we own. We work hard to get the approval of other people, usually by trying to do whatever they want us to do. We think that the only way to get approval is to be the person that other people want or expect us to be.
I think the real truth is that other people approve of you because you have something they don't. They don't really want you to be a copy of themselves, as much as they might tell you that. They want to see something more in you. They want to see authenticity. There are universal qualities that everyone approves of, such as kindness, thoughtfullness, empathy etc. These happen to be the very qualities that we all innately possess although they are often masked by the negativity we are trained into.
People who want the most approval get the least and people who need approval the least get the most. Those people who want approval from other people are the people who are not sure who they really are and are waiting for other people to tell them that they are good enough. Those people who don't need approval are the people who know who they are and are not afraid to let it show. And because they are being authentic, they are the ones who get all the approval.
Wayne Dyer
This begs the question "Why do other people approve of you?" Our Ego will tell us that we have the approval of other people because of the possessions and social prestige we own. We work hard to get the approval of other people, usually by trying to do whatever they want us to do. We think that the only way to get approval is to be the person that other people want or expect us to be.
I think the real truth is that other people approve of you because you have something they don't. They don't really want you to be a copy of themselves, as much as they might tell you that. They want to see something more in you. They want to see authenticity. There are universal qualities that everyone approves of, such as kindness, thoughtfullness, empathy etc. These happen to be the very qualities that we all innately possess although they are often masked by the negativity we are trained into.
People who want the most approval get the least and people who need approval the least get the most. Those people who want approval from other people are the people who are not sure who they really are and are waiting for other people to tell them that they are good enough. Those people who don't need approval are the people who know who they are and are not afraid to let it show. And because they are being authentic, they are the ones who get all the approval.
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