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18 April
2023
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Many of us say that we have faith, and that
we believe that our supply will manifest, yet at the same
time make arrangements in case it does not appear. We
say we are going to be victorious, yet we make preparations
for defeat. The life of faith cannot be lived in this
way.
Henry T. Hamblin
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Life,
like any other exciting story, is bound to have
painful and scary parts, boring and depressing parts,
but it's a brilliant story, and it's up to us how it will
turn out in the end.
Bo
Lozoff
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It
is a psychological fact that people always conform to the
image they hold of themselves. Change their images and
you change their actions, their reactions, their
environment, their world.
Jack
Holland
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Nourishing
Awareness in Each Moment (an excerpt)
Thich Nhat Hanh
One
cold, winter evening I returned home from a walk in the
hills, and I found that all the doors and windows in my
hermitage had blown open. When I had left earlier, I
hadn't secured them, and a cold wind had blown through the
house, opened the windows, and scattered the papers from my
desk all over the room. Immediately, I closed the
doors and windows, lit a lamp, picked up the papers, and
arranged them neatly on my desk. Then I started a fire
in the fireplace, and soon the crackling logs brought warmth
back to the room.
Sometimes
in a crowd we feel tired, cold, and lonely. We may
wish to withdraw to be by ourselves and become warm again,
as I did when I closed the windows and sat by the fire,
protected from the damp, cold wind. Our senses are our
windows to the world, and sometimes the wind blows through
them and disturbs everything within us. Some of us
leave our windows open all the time, allowing the sights and
sounds of the world to invade us, penetrate us, and expose
our sad, troubled selves. We feel so cold, lonely, and
afraid. Do you ever find yourself watching an awful TV
program, unable to turn it off? The raucous noises,
explosions of gunfire, are upsetting. Yet you don't
get up and turn it off. Why do you torture yourself in
this way? Don't you want to close your windows?
Are you frightened of solitude--the emptiness and the
loneliness you may find when you face yourself alone?
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Watching
a bad TV program, we become the TV program. We
are what we feel and perceive. If we are angry, we are
the anger. If we are in love, we are love. If we
look at a snow-covered mountain peak, we are the
mountain.
We can be anything we want, so why do we
open our windows to bad TV programs made by sensationalist
producers in search of easy money, programs that make our
hearts pound, our fists tighten, and leave us
exhausted? Who allows such TV programs to be made and
seen by even the very young? We do! We are too
undemanding, too ready to watch whatever is on the screen,
too lonely, lazy, or bored to create our own lives. We
turn on the TV and leave it on, allowing someone else to
guide us, shape us, and destroy us. Losing ourselves
in this way is leaving our fate in the hands of others who
may not be acting responsibly. We must be aware of
which programs do harm to our nervous systems, minds, and
hearts, and which programs benefit us.
Of
course, I am not talking only about television. All
around us, how many lures are set by our fellows and
ourselves? In a single day, how many times do we
become lost and scattered because of them? We must be
very careful to protect our fate and our peace. I am
not suggesting that we just shut all our windows, for there
are many miracles in the world we call
"outside." We can open our windows to these
miracles and look at anyone of them with awareness.
This way, even while sitting beside a clear, flowing stream,
listening to beautiful music, or watching an excellent
movie, we need not lose ourselves entirely in the stream,
the music, or the film. We can continue to be aware of
ourselves and our breathing. With the sun of awareness
shining in us, we can avoid most dangers. The stream
will be purer, the music more harmonious, and the soul of
the filmmaker completely visible.
We
may want to leave the city and go off to the countryside to
help close those windows that trouble our spirit.
There we can become one with the quiet forest, and
rediscover and restore ourselves, without being swept away
by the chaos of the "outside world." The
fresh and silent woods help us remain in awareness, and when
our awareness is well-rooted and we can maintain it without
faltering, we may wish to return to the city and remain
there, less troubled. But sometimes we cannot leave
the city, and we have to find the refreshing and peaceful
elements that can heal us right in the midst of our busy
lives. We may wish to visit a good friend who can
comfort us, or go for a walk in a park and enjoy the trees
and the cool breeze. Whether we are in the city, the
countryside, or the wilderness, we need to sustain ourselves
by choosing our surroundings carefully and nourishing our
awareness in each moment.
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The
Most Important Meetings You'll Ever Attend
Are the Meetings You Have With Yourself
Denis Waitley
You are your most important critic. There is no
opinion so vitally important to your well being as the
opinion you have of yourself. As you read this you're
talking to yourself right now. "Let's see if I
understand what he means by that. . . How does that compare
with my experiences? - I'll make note of that - try that
tomorrow - I already knew that... I already do
that." I believe this self-talk, this
psycholinguistics or language of the mind can be controlled
to work for us, especially in the building of
self-confidence and creativity. We're all talking to
ourselves every moment of our lives, except during certain
portions of our sleeping cycle. We're seldom even aware that
we're doing it. We all have a running commentary in
our heads on events and our reactions to them.
- Be aware of the silent conversation you have with
yourself. Are you a nurturing coach or a critic?
Do you reinforce your own success or negate it? Are
you comfortable saying to yourself, "That's more like
it". "Now we're in the groove."
"Things are working out well." "I am
reaching my financial goals." "I'll do it
better next time."
- When winners fail, they view it as a temporary
inconvenience, a learning experience, an isolated event and
a stepping-stone instead of a stumbling block.
- When winners succeed, they reinforce that success, by
feeling rewarded rather than guilty about the achievement
and the applause.
- When winners are paid a compliment, they simply
respond: "Thank you." They accept
value graciously when it is paid. They pay value in
their conversations with themselves and with other people.
A mark of an individual with healthy self-esteem is the
ability to spend time alone, without constantly needing
other people around. Being comfortable and enjoying
solitary time reveals inner peace and centering.
People who constantly need stimulation or conversation with
others are often a bit insecure and thus need to be propped
up by the company of others.
Always greet the people you meet with a smile. When
introducing yourself in any new association, take the
initiative to volunteer your own name first, clearly; and
always extend your hand first, looking the person in the
eyes when you speak.
In all your telephone communications, answer the telephone
pleasantly, immediately giving your own name to the caller,
before you ask who's calling. Whenever you initiate a
call, always give your own name up front, before you ask for
the party you want and before you state your business.
Leading with your own name underscores that a person of
value is making the call.
Don't brag. People who trumpet their exploits and
shout for service are actually calling for help. The
showoffs, braggarts and blowhards are desperate for
attention.
Don't tell your problems to people, unless they're directly
involved with the solutions. And don't make
excuses. Successful people seek those who look and
sound like success. Always talk affirmatively about
the progress you are trying to make.
As we said earlier, find successful role models after whom
you can pattern yourself. When you meet a mastermind,
become a master mime, and learn all you can about how he or
she succeeded. This is especially true with things you
fear. Find someone who has conquered what you fear and
learn from him or her.
When you make a mistake in life, or get ridiculed or
rejected, look at mistakes as detours on the road to
success, and view ridicule as ignorance. After a
rejection, take a look at your BAG. B is for
Blessings. Things you are endowed with that you often
take for granted like life itself, health, living in an
abundant country, family, friends, career. A is for
accomplishments. Think of the many things you are
proud of that you have done so far. And G is for
Goals. Think of your big dreams and plans for the
future that motivate you. If you took your BAG -
blessings, accomplishments and goals - to a party, and
spread them on the floor, in comparison to all your friends
and the people you admire, you'd take your own bag home,
realizing that you have as much going for yourself as anyone
else. Always view rejection as part of one
performance, not as a turndown of the performer.
And, enjoy those special meetings with yourself. Spend
this Saturday doing something you really want to do. I
don't mean next month or someday. This Saturday enjoy
being alive and being able to do it. You deserve
it. There will never be another you. This
Saturday will be spent. Why not spend at least one day
a week on You?!
Action Idea: Go for one entire day and night without
saying anything negative to yourself or to others.
Make a game of it. If a friend or colleague catches
you saying something negative, you must put a dollar in a
drawer or container toward a dinner or evening out with that
person. Do this for one month and see who has had to
pay the most money toward the evening.
* * * * *
Reprinted with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly
E-zine
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When I was six or seven years old, growing up
in Pittsburgh, I used to
take
a precious penny of my own and hide it for someone else to
find.
I was
greatly excited. . . at the thought of the first lucky
passerby who
would receive
in this way, regardless of merit, a free gift from the
universe.
I've been thinking about seeing. There are
lots of things to see,
unwrapped
gifts and free surprises. The world is fairly studded
and
strewn with pennies
cast broadside from a generous hand.
Annie
Dillard
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Simple Love
One of my favorite songs from the time that I've spent on this
planet so far is called "Simple Love," written by Sarah
Siskind and performed by Alison Krauss. It's a haunting song
with a beautiful melody and a beautiful message that tells us of a
man who lived his entire life loving others. It's one of my
favorite kinds of songs--the type that gets me to think about my
life and how I'm leading it, the kind that gets me to think about
whether or not I'm able to give love simply, or whether my love is
conditional and limited. I'd like to think that my love is
simple and shared well, but there's a good chance it isn't.
What does it mean to have a simple love? Or, better said, to
love simply? How can we look at love in a way that we can
allow others to be the recipients of our love without having to
earn it or beg for it? Love is one of the most powerful
forces of this world of ours, yet most of us tend to withhold it
or share it conditionally, if at all. What can it mean to
allow ourselves to love fully, freely, and simply? How can I
adopt this trait in my life? One day in the future, will
other people remember me for the love that I shared, or for the
ways that I held back my love?
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Little
yellow house sittin' on a hill
That is where he lived
That is where he died
Every Sunday morning
Hear the weeping willows cry
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I suppose that
one way to show simple love is to listen to others,
to let them have their say without interruption,
without being told what they should do to make
things better, what they have to change in their
lives. A simple love would allow others to be
exactly what and who they are without judgment, with
complete acceptance. Simple love, after all,
would be love without conditions and without
judgment. I know that I feel a lot better
about life and about myself when I've had a chance
to talk to someone else and that other person hasn't
tried to cure me or make me all better. Can I
be that someone for someone else?
Simple love would also require me to be satisfied
with simple things, to not try to complicate my own
life with new gadgets and new things that would keep
my focus off of the people I love and with whom I
associate. Four walls and living--isn't that
enough? When I need more than that, how can I
be satisfied with myself? And if I'm not
satisfied with myself, then what good am I going to
be to others who need me?
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Two
children born, a beautiful wife
Four walls and livin's all he needed in life
Always giving, never asking back
I wish I had a simple love like that
I want a simple love like that
Always giving, never askin' back
For when I'm in my final hour lookin' back
I hope I had a simple love like that
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I think that
simple love would include smiles and encouraging
words, compliments and praise. It isn't
necessary to always give lavish, expensive gifts
that we hope will impress those we love--in fact, if
we do so we could end up causing them to expect to
get such
things and be extremely disappointed when they
don't. Rather, it's important that we
communicate with our loved ones in positive and
uplifting ways, telling them that we love them, that
we're proud of them, that we find them amazing--all
the things that we'll regret not having told them if
they were suddenly out of our lives this afternoon
for whatever reason.
And of course, simple love means "always
giving, never asking back." We hear
people say "whatever's mine is yours" from
time to time, but are we people who will say that to
our loved ones and actually mean it? When
someone needs something, will we be there to supply
it? No, we don't want to be enablers, but we
definitely don't want to be selfish, either.
While it is important to treat ourselves well, in
the end life isn't about self--it's about community
and togetherness and unity. Giving can mean
grocery money for a week, it can mean a much-needed
hug, it can be a car to help someone get to work, or
it can be a ride into town or to the
supermarket. True giving, of course, is just
what the lyrics say it is--"never asking
back." I had someone "loan" me
money many years ago telling me that they wanted me
to pass it on, and not return it, and that was one
of the most special gifts that I've ever received
(and yes, I have passed it on, many times over).
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My
momma was his only little girl
If he'd had the money he'd have given her the world
Sittin' on the front porch together they would sing
Oh how I long to hear that harmony
I want a simple love like that
Always giving never asking back
When I'm in my final hour looking back
I hope I had a simple love like that
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So many of us
complicate love with our expectations of what it
should be and of how other people should show
it. We confuse love with infatuation and lust
and neediness and all sorts of other feelings.
But at its heart, love is very simple--and while I
wouldn't deign to actually define it myself, I know
that it does include giving and accepting and
sharing and taking. Love can be very simple if
we unburden ourselves of those pesky expectations
and just love one another, and I sincerely hope that
before I die, I am able to reach a state at which
I'm able to share love simply, openly, and freely.
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If I were to wish for anything,
I should not wish
for wealth
and power,
but for the
passionate sense of the
potential,
for the eye which,
ever young and ardent, sees the
possible. . .
what wine is so
sparkling,
so fragrant, so
intoxicating, as
possibility!
Søren Kierkegaard
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Thinking
Like a Farmer
Jim Rohn
One
of the difficulties we face in our industrialized age is the fact
we've lost our sense of seasons. Unlike the farmer whose
priorities change with the seasons, we have become impervious to the
natural rhythm of life. As a result, we have our priorities out
of balance. Let me illustrate what I mean:
For farmers, springtime is their most active time. It's then
when they must work around the clock, getting up before the sun and
still toiling at the stroke of midnight. They must keep their
equipment running at full capacity because they have but a small
window of time for the planting of their crops. Eventually
winter comes when there is less for them to do to keep him busy.
There is a lesson here. Learn to use the seasons of life.
Decide when to pour it on and when to ease back, when to take
advantage and when to let things ride. It's easy to keep going
from nine to five year in and year out and lose a natural sense of
priorities and cycles. Don't let one year blend into another in
a seemingly endless parade of tasks and responsibilities. Keep
your eye on your own seasons, lest you lose sight of value and
substance.
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The
desert dweller has lived in the desert so long that all of
its moods have long since become a part of the daily rhythm
of his life. But it is not that fact that is of
crucial importance. For many years, it has been his
custom to leave a lighted lantern by the roadside at night
to cheer the weary traveler. Beside the lantern there
is a note which gives detailed directions as to where his
cottage may be found so that if there is distress or need,
the stranger may find help. It is a very simple
gesture full of beauty and wholeness. To him, it is
not important how many people pass in the night and go on
their way. The important thing is that the lantern
burns every night and every night the note is there,
"just in case."
Years ago,
walking along a road outside Rangoon, I noted at intervals
along the way a roadside stone with a crock of water and,
occasionally, some fruit. Water and fruit were put
there by Buddhist priests to comfort and bless any
passerby--one's spiritual salutation to another. The
fact that I was a traveler from another part of the world,
speaking a strange language and practicing a different
faith, made no difference. What mattered was the fact
that I was walking along the road--what my mission was, who
I was--all irrelevant.
Howard
Thurman
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It's been said that to wonder is to begin to understand.
Wonder most definitely
creates possibilities! Where's your
sense of wonder? Have you gotten so
bogged down in the
minute-to minute "stuff" that life has become
dull? Bring
forth your curious, creative, sense of wonder
and dust if off -- lighten up and
wonder about everything!
We are all amazing and awesome beings and our world
is
extraordinary even when days may be dark. A sense of wonder
reminds
of just how vast the unknown is and how much we have to
learn each day.
Beth
Burns
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