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June
9, 2009
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Good
day! The sun's come up once more, and we're all here on this
planet
to give and love and share and feel. . . we hope that your newest
day of your
life is a very positive one, and that you're able to find
something here that's
useful and relevant to you, wherever you are and whatever you're
going through! |
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Be
who you are and say what you feel
because those who mind don't matter
and those who matter don't mind.
Dr.
Seuss
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Some
writers confuse authenticity, which they ought always to aim
at,
with originality, which they should
never bother about.
W.H.
Auden
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The
world reflects what
you need to see,
not only
what you want to see.
Stephen C.
Paul
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We
need to find the courage to say NO to the things and people
that are not serving us if we want to rediscover ourselves
and live our lives with authenticity.
Barbara
De Angelis
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from
Letters to a Young Poet
Rainer Maria Rilke
translated by Stephen Mitchell
My
dear Mr. Kappus:
I
have left a letter from you unanswered for a long
time; not because I had forgotten it - on the
contrary: it is the kind that one reads again when one
finds it among other letters, and I recognize you in
it as if you were very near. It is your letter
of May second, and I am sure you remember it. As
I read it now, in the great silence of these
distances, I am touched by your beautiful anxiety
about life, even more than I was in Paris, where
everything echoes and fades away differently because
of the excessive noise that makes things tremble.
Here,
where I am surrounded by an enormous landscape, which
the winds move across as they come from the seas, here
I feel that there is no one anywhere who can answer
for you those questions and feelings which, in their
depths, have a life of their own; for even the most
articulate people are unable to help, since what words
point to is so very delicate, is almost unsayable.
But even so, I think that you will not have to remain
without a solution if you trust in things that are
like the ones my eyes are now resting upon. If
you trust in Nature, in the small things that hardly
anyone sees and that can so suddenly become huge,
immeasurable; if you have this love for what is humble
and try very simply, as someone who serves, to win the
confidence of what seems poor: then everything
will become easier for you, more coherent and somehow
more reconciling, not in your conscious mind perhaps,
which stays behind, astonished, but in your innermost
awareness, awakeness, and knowledge.
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You
are so young, so much before all beginning, and I
would like to beg you, dear Sir, as well as I can, to
have patience with everything unresolved in your heart
and to try to love the questions themselves as if they
were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign
language. Don't search for the answers, which
could not be given to you now, because you would not
be able to live them. And the point is, to live
everything. Live the questions now.
Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will
gradually, without even noticing it, live your way
into the answer. Perhaps you do carry within you
the possibility of creating and forming, as an
especially blessed and pure way of living; train your
for that - but take whatever comes, with great trust,
and as long as it comes out of your will, out of some
need of your innermost self, then take it upon
yourself, and don't hate anything.
Sex
is difficult; yes. But those tasks that have
been entrusted to us are difficult; almost everything
serious is difficult; and everything is serious.
If you just recognize this and manage, out of
yourself, out of your own talent and nature, out of
your own experience and childhood and strength, to
achieve a wholly individual relation to sex (one that
is not influenced by convention and custom), then you
will no longer have to be afraid of losing yourself
and becoming unworthy of your dearest possession.
Bodily
delight is a sensory experience, not any different
from pure looking or the feeling with which a
beautiful fruit fills the tongue; it is a great, an
infinite learning that is given to us, a knowledge of
the world, the fullness and the splendor of all
knowledge. And it is not our acceptance of it
that is bad; what is bad is that most people misuse
this learning and squander it and apply it as a
stimulant on the tired places of their lives and as a
distraction rather than as a way of gathering
themselves for their highest moments. People
have even made eating into something else:
necessity on the one hand, excess on the other; have
muddied the clarity of this need, and all the deep,
simple needs in which life renews itself have become
just as muddy. But the individual can make them
clear for himself and live them clearly (not the
individual who is dependent, but the solitary
man). He can remember that all beauty in animals
and plants is a silent, enduring form of love and
yearning, and he can see the animal, as he sees
plants, patiently and willingly uniting and
multiplying and growing, not out of physical pleasure,
not out of physical pain, but bowing to necessities
that are greater than pleasure and pain, and more
powerful than will and withstanding.
If
only human beings could more humbly receive this
mystery - which the world is filled with, even in its
smallest things -, could bear it, endure it, more
solemnly, feel how terribly heavy it is, instead of
taking it lightly. If only they could be more
reverent toward their own fruitfulness, which is
essentially one, whether it is manifested as mental or
physical; for mental creation too arises from the
physical, is of one nature with it and only like a
softer, more enraptured and more eternal repetition of
bodily delight. "The thought of being a
creator, of engendering, of shaping" is nothing
without the continuous great confirmation and
embodiment in the world, nothing without the
thousandfold assent from things and animals - and our
enjoyment of it is so indescribably beautiful and rich
only because it is full of inherited memories of the
engendering and birthing of millions.
In
one creative thought a thousand forgotten nights of
love come to life again and fill it with majesty and
exaltation. And those who come together in the
nights and are entwined in rocking delight perform a
solemn task and gather sweetness, depth, and strength
for the song of some future poets, who will appear in
order to say ecstasies that are unsayable. And
they call forth the future; and even if they have made
a mistake and embrace blindly, the future comes
anyway, a new human being arises, and on the
foundation of the accident that seems to be
accomplished here, there awakens the law by which a
strong, determined seed forces its way through to the
egg cell that openly advances to meet it. Don't
be confused by surfaces; in the depths everything
becomes law. And those who live the mystery
falsely and badly (and they are very many) lose it
only for themselves and nevertheless pass it on like a
sealed letter, without knowing it. And don't be
puzzled by how many names there are and how complex
each life seems.
Perhaps
above them all there is a great motherhood, in the
form of a communal yearning. The beauty of the
girl, a being who (as you so beautifully say)
"has not yet achieved anything," is
motherhood that has a presentiment of itself and
begins to prepare, becomes anxious, yearns. And
the mother's beauty is motherhood that serves, and in
the old woman there is a great remembering. And
in the man too there is motherhood, it seems to me,
physical and mental; his engendering is also a kind of
birthing, and it is birthing when he creates out of
his innermost fullness. And perhaps the sexes
are more akin than people think, and the great renewal
of the world will perhaps consist in one
phenomenon: that man and woman, freed from all
mistaken feelings and aversions, will seek each other
not as opposites but as brother and sister, as
neighbors, and will unite as human beings, in order to
bear in common, simply, earnestly, and patiently, the
heavy sex that has been laid upon them.
But
everything that may someday be possible for many
people, the solitary man can now, already, prepare and
build with his own hands, which make fewer
mistakes. Therefore, dear Sir, love your
solitude and try to sing out with the pain it causes
you. for those who are near you are far away, you
write, and this shows that the space around you is
beginning to grow vast. And if what is near you
is far away, then your vastness is already among the
stars and is very great; be happy about your growth,
in which of course you can't take anyone with you, and
be gentle with those who stay behind; be confident and
calm in front of them and don't torment them with your
doubts and don't frighten them with your faith or joy,
which they wouldn't be able to comprehend. Seek
out some simple and true feeling of what you have in
common with them, which doesn't necessarily have to
alter when you yourself change again and again; when
you see them, love life in a form that is not your own
and be indulgent toward those who are growing old, who
are afraid of the aloneness that you trust.
Avoid providing material for the drama that is always
stretched tight between parents and children; it uses
up much of the children's strength and wastes the love
of the elders, which acts and warms even if it doesn't
comprehend. Don't ask for any advice from them and
don't expect any understanding; but believe in a love
that is being stored up for you like an inheritance,
and have faith that in this love there is a strength
and a blessing so large that you can travel as far as
you wish without having to step outside it.
It
is good that you will soon be entering a profession
that will make you independent and will put you
completely on your own, in every sense. Wait
patiently to see whether your innermost life feels
hemmed in by the form this profession imposes. I
myself consider it a very difficult and very exacting
one, since it is burdened with enormous conventions
and leaves very little room for a personal
interpretation of its duties. But your solitude
will be a support and a home for you, even in the
midst of very unfamiliar circumstances, and from it
you will find all your paths. All my good wishes
are ready to accompany you, and my faith is with you.
Yours,
Rainer Maria Rilke
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It
would take a deeply
cynical heart not to fall
in love with Rainer Maria
Rilke's Letters to a
Young Poet. Every page
is stamped with Rilke's characteristic grace,
and
the book is free of the
breathless effect that occasionally mars his
poetry. His ideas on
gender and the role
of the artist are also
surprisingly prescient. |
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Living
Life Fully, the e-zine
exists to try to provide for visitors of the world wide web a
place
of growth, peace, inspiration, and encouragement. Our
articles
are presented as thoughts of the authors--by no means do
we
mean to present them as ways that anyone has to live
life. Take
from them what you will, and disagree with
whatever you disagree
with--just know that they'll be here for you
each week. |
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Spring
Cleaning: How to get Fit in All Areas in the Next 60 Days
John
Spencer Ellis, co-author of The Compass
One
of the things I love about the work that I do is that it's all
encompassing. Fitness isn't just about being physically
fit. It's about your mind, body, and soul. If even one of
those areas is off balance, your life will feel out of sync,
because you are one being, and it's important not to neglect any
part of you.
Does
your inside, match your outside?
As
a fitness expert for decades, I've coached men and women to get
themselves in the ultimate shape, from the inside out.
Exercise is an important part of life, and how you fuel your
body, affects your mind, the way you operate and function, and
how well you can perform in all areas of your life. Your
body is your temple, a machine, and how well you energize it and
fuel it determines how well it works! It sounds simple,
but if it were, the diet and fitness industry wouldn't be as
massive as it is today!
When
someone wants to improve their physical fitness, there are often
other areas that need improvement as well. Whether it's an
everyday person with a normal job or a television personality --
we're all human. We all have the same core issues and
needs.
When
I worked with one of The Real Housewives of
Orange County cast members Jeanna Keough, I focused on
the inside, as well as the outside. She'd been in the
throes of a divorce, and the resulting feelings and trauma from
that would naturally take a toll.
It's
important not to overlook what is going on inside someone, when
you're coaching them on external changes. It's all
integrated, and who we are inside, affects who we are
outside. Exercise is an important part of life, yet one of
the hallmarks of depression is an inactive lifestyle.
Psychologists will tell you that it's hard for someone who is
depressed to think about moving. But moving is exactly
what's needed to lift your mood, and create the physical changes
you desire. Even in the darkest valley of your life, it's
important to see the light, and reach for it. Often that's
the first step in mental and physical wellness.
One
important and still relevant life lesson stems from the old term
no pain, no gain. Throughout the peaks and valleys in your
life you'll discover that true strength comes from the
ashes of struggle. This is the same way with physical
fitness and it's a big focus in my training and coaching
programs, because a lot of people are trying to understand how
to get from where they are, to where they want to be. How
do you get out of debt, shed 50 pounds, and achieve the life of
your dreams? It seems impossible when you're in the pit of
depression, when you're in debt, when you're overweight, or
struggling. But it's all possible, and I coach people how
to take one day, and one step at a time to transform.
How?
Step
1: Take action in your life today.
You
must be willing to let go of the life that you have (or some
things within it) in order to grasp the life ahead of you, the
life you are destined for! This lesson is about letting
go, and moving on. It's about taking action in order to
live the life of your dreams!
Are
there people, places, or even things you need to let go
of? Make a list today and you'll be amazed at how this one
simple act ignites transformation. Once you do you are
free to take action towards your dreams because you're moving in
the right direction, without any anchors or unnecessary baggage.
Step
2: Keep moving.
Movement
is about creating inertia, in your body, mind and soul. When you
move mentally, you create change. When you move
physically, your external body transforms!
There
is power, in movement.
Exercise
increases blood flow to the brain and body. That increases
the amount of oxygen and removes cellular waste products.
Physical exercise causes the lungs to draw in extra oxygen to
bathe the tissues and help power the heart. Exhalation
removes carbon dioxide, and waste products from biochemical
reactions. It's the same when you exercise your mind and
take steps towards your dreams. When you take action,
instead of waiting to attract something, your life unfolds and
things start to happen!
Step
3: Take a holistic approach.
Don't
allow yourself to focus too much on one area, only. Give
yourself a brief assessment. Are you in the best mental,
and physical shape you could be in? If not, what can you
do to change? Taking a moment to pause, and think about
the condition of your body mind and soul, will help you stay
balanced and healthy in all areas. Taking a holistic
approach means understanding what's out of balance in your life.
Step
4: Get into a routine.
Successful
people who live healthy lives have learned to incorporate some
sort of routine in their day. That's because consistent
healthy patterns on a daily basis, create the foundation for
real growth and success. Add physical and mental fitness
to your schedule. Focus on your physical routine (exercise) as
well as your mental routine (reading a positive book,
affirmations, or studying something that will expand your mind).
Step
5: Re-wire your mind.
Program
your brain for healthy thoughts! Listen to positive music, ipod
downloads, and CD's in the car. Your thoughts drive your
future, and if you tend to process things negatively, be
self-aware enough to turn that around. Top athletes like
Tiger Woods, are masters of their minds, focusing on positive
thoughts, concentration, and mental management. Having a
healthy and positive outlook is essential for your best life.
Getting
Mentally Fit and Physically Fit
In
life, your mental and physical routines should be
intertwined. One thing affects the other, and even if
you're physically fit on the outside, it's important to be just
as physically fit on the inside. Ask yourself today, does
your inside, match your outside? The benefits of a
regular fitness program are increased muscle mass, toned legs,
buttocks, arms, abs, and healthier looking skin. But the
benefits of paying attention to your emotional and intellectual
state of mind are a healthier outlook on life, and more positive
relationships in life, and also in business. When I coach
someone in fitness, I always emphasize the power of routines,
and a holistic mind, body approach.
Are
you satisfied with your progress in all quadrants of your life
-- physical, spiritual, emotional and financial? If
not, what's holding you back? Find your compass, and get
in sync. Take steps that will lead you to live the life of
your dreams.
©2009
Co-Author John Spencer Ellis, co-author of The
Compass John
Spencer Ellis, co-author of The Compass, is an
internationally recognized personal development and wellness
expert. Aside from holding four degrees, John is a
philanthropist, professional speaker, and educator. He is
the CEO of the Spencer Institute for Life Coaching and the
National Exercise and Sports Trainers Association. John is
the creator and executive producer of The Compass movie.
He can be reached at www.JohnSpencerEllis.com.
For more information please visit http://thecompass.tv/
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The
Eight Verses on Transforming the Mind
(an
excerpt)
the
Dalai Lama
With a
determination to achieve the highest aim
For the benefit of all sentient beings,
Which surpasses even the wish-fulfilling gem,
May I hold them dear at all times. In
this verse you are making the aspiration to hold all other
sentient beings as supremely dear to you, because they are the
basis upon which you can achieve the highest goal, which is the
welfare of sentient beings. This goal surpasses even the
legendary wish-fulfilling jewel, because however precious such a
jewel may be, it cannot provide the highest spiritual
attainment. There is also a reference here to the kindness
of all other beings. . . it is due to other sentient beings that
you can develop great compassion, the highest spiritual
principle, and it is thanks to other sentient beings that you
can develop bodhichitta, the altruistic intention. So it
is on the basis of your interactions with others that you can
attain the highest spiritual realizations. From that point
of view, the kindness of others is very profound. When
we talk of cultivating the thought of holding others as supremely
dear, it is important to understand that we are not cultivating
the kind of pity that we sometimes feel towards someone who is
less fortunate than ourselves. With pity, there can be a
tendency to look down upon the object of our compassion, and to
feel a sense of superiority. Holding others dear is in
fact the reverse of this. In this practice, by recognizing
the kindness of others and how indispensable they are for our
own spiritual progress, we appreciate their tremendous
importance and significance, and therefore we naturally accord
them a higher status in our minds. It is because we think
of them in this way that we are able to relate to them as dear,
and as worthy of our respect and affection. |
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The
Dalai Lama's Book of Wisdom
The Dalai Lama
Very nice teachings on what it means to be a human being, to
have compassion, to love, to see the rest of the world as
something that we're a part of, not separate from. These
are "simple but profound teachings and advice to all those
who want to bring more love, compassion, and understanding into
their lives." |
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Eyes
Wide Open
tom walsh Another
Way of Climbing a Mountain
My wife and I love to
hike, and recently we went with some friends to climb a
mountain not far from our home. It was a cloudy,
rainy day, and there wasn't a whole lot to see as far as
views were concerned, but we were enjoying ourselves
anyway. We had no way of knowing on our way up,
though, that we were going to be treated to a very special
experience when we ran into another group of hikers who
also were ascending. It
was a group of about 15 people, ranging in age from about
14 to about 65, it seemed. The most interesting
thing about the group, though, was that at least seven of
the hikers were either blind or severely impaired
visually, yet there they were on the trail, heading up to
the top of the mountain. And the most remarkable
thing about them was that they were in training--this
group of blind hikers was training for a hike up Mt.
Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Now,
I don't know too many people who would be able to make it
to the top of that mountain, over 19,000 feet high.
But to think of doing it without the benefit of sight is a
pretty difficult thing to imagine. I like climbing,
myself, but this will be a seven-day climb for them,
meaning that they'll be carrying plenty of equipment and
food with them. They'll be on the go pretty much all
day, every day, having to maintain an extremely high level
of focus the entire time if they're not to injure
themselves seriously. But
watching this group was an extremely inspiring
experience. There was no one asking for special
favors when we saw them, no one complaining, no one
bringing attention to their visual impairments. It
was simply a group of people with a common aim, and the
willingness and desire to achieve that aim. The
blind climbers were certainly very careful, but they were
by no means any slower than most day hikers that I've
seen. Some of them carried sticks or staffs, using
them to "feel" the ground before them.
Others held on to another, sighted person for
guidance. Still others walked on their own, guided
by another person who was describing very facet of the
trail as they moved. And
these guides were perhaps the people who most moved me. I
was very impressed with the blind climbers, and I hold a
great deal of respect for them. But I was amazed at
the patience and the dedication of the people who were
guiding them up the mountain with a never-ending
monologue. "There's a step about six inches
high right before you; it's clear for your right foot;
snow coming up on your left, so step carefully; you'll
have about four steps in the snow; then clear path for
eight steps; now a bunch of rocks together. . .
." and on and on. I
can't tell you how impressed I was with that type of pure
giving, that kind of love, that kind of unconditional
acceptance of the way things are and simply dealing with
it. This was pure giving--hour after hour of
focusing on the needs of another person and making sure
that those needs are met. Without the constant
speaking, the blind hikers never would have made it up the
mountain, obviously. And thinking forward, they
would need to continue this all the way down the mountain,
too. As patient as I like to think myself being, I
have to admit that I'm not sure that I would be able to do
such a thing myself. I'm not sure that I would be
able to stay focused, that I would be able to continue to
give and give in that way without getting something back. And
sure, I know about the awards of satisfaction, the sense
of accomplishment that comes from a job well done, the
gratification that we can feel when we help others.
But this was a lengthy, drawn-out sort of giving that
brought out in me one of the strongest feelings of
admiration that I've ever experienced. I
have no doubt that this group will be able to climb
Kilimanjaro, and I wish them all the best when they do
so. Our hike that day was a blessed one, for we were
able to witness and experience something that was truly
inspiring: blind climbers who were not kept at home
by their impairments, and loving people who were giving
all that they had to make sure that the blind climbers
could achieve their goals. It was a beautiful thing
to witness, as well as a very humbling experience, and
everyone in our group was just a little different
afterwards.
If you're interested, you
can visit the website of this group here: http://www.seekiliourway.org
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Please feel free to re-use material from this site other than
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Marie
Curie
You
cannot hope to build a better world without improving the
individuals.
To that end each of us must work for his own improvement,
and at the same time share a general responsibility for all
humanity,
our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can
be most useful. |
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