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July 3, 2007 |
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No matter
what accomplishments
you achieve,
somebody helps you.
Althea Gibson |
We
don't know
who we are until
we see what
we can do.
Martha
Grimes |
The
finest test of
character is seen in the amount and the power
of
gratitude we have.
Milo
H. Gates
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The
Rhythm of Life
(an excerpt)
Matthew Kelly
As
I reflect on the world in which we live, it isn't any
wonder that I fell so blindly into the traps I did.
We
live in a world obsessed with noise, speed, and
activity. We live in an age plagued by greed, lust,
and violence and paralyzed by fear. The climate of
our age is seductive. The effects are so gradual
that we hardly notice them from day to day, but over time
they are dramatic, even devastating.
We
live in a troubled time, in many ways an age of confusion
and crisis. Not only in a personal sense, but also
from a social and cultural perspective. It is my
belief that any adequate solutions to the challenges that
face us in the world today must be both accessible and
applicable to everyone, everywhere, regardless of age,
color, creed, or culture. Furthermore, the
practicality of these solutions must impact and be deeply
intertwined with people's day-to-day living.
My
experience and reflection lead me to believe that one of
our greatest challenges in the modern world is
lifestyle. In today's hectic world, we often push
ourselves to the limit--sometimes forgetting that our
bodies, hearts, minds, and spirits all need time to
refocus and recharge. Striving for a balanced
lifestyle--one that enables us to maintain a natural
state--will ensure optimum health and well-being.
We
need a new way of living. We need a new way of
life. Our lifestyles are self-destructive. We
need a way of living that brings out the best in us.
We need a way of life that honors our legitimate
needs. We need a lifestyle that helps us to become
the-best-version-of-ourselves.
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The
rhythm of life is a passport to achieving this balance.
The
rhythm of life is a way of life. It is a lifestyle that
integrates all of our legitimate needs--physically,
emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually.
The
rhythm of life is the perfect combination of rest,
activity, and pace; it ennobles us to become the unique
individuals we were created to be, enables us to excel in
all we do, and empowers us with a certain clarity of mind
and peace of heart.
The
rhythm of life is the antidote for our busy age.
I
believe life should be lived passionately and that the
day-to-day drudgery that stifles the greatness of the
human spirit should be avoided at all costs. I do
not despise simple daily tasks, but I believe their place
is in building us up, not in tearing us down.
The
challenge life presents to us all is to develop a balance
between activity and thought. But, particularly, to
fill our lives with action that springs forth from
contemplation and an understanding of our essential
purpose.
Look
at the world. Look at yourself. Look at your
lifestyle. Ponder these things. Our chaotic
world and complex lives are crying out for a little order
and simplicity.
Most
people stumble through life believing that one day they
will find the pace of life and variety of activity that
will create the rhythm of life that is conducive to
optimum health, happiness, efficiency, and
contentment. They will not. The rhythm of life
must be desired and created.
We
make a thousand lifestyle choices every day. Those
decisions either create or destroy the natural rhythm of
life.
Life
is not a hundred-meter dash; it's a marathon.
There
is more to life than increasing the speed. Faster
isn't always better, bigger isn't always better, louder
isn't always better. More isn't always the
solution. Life is not a competition to see who can
collect the most expensive toys. The best things in
life are not things--and sometimes less is more.
Find
your rhythm. . . and you will flood your life with
passion, creativity, and energy.
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In
this expanded version of
The Rhythm of Life he syntheses
Christian theology, cognitive
psychology and storytelling to
unpack the paradox of being happy.
As Kelly explains, "We want to be
happy. We know what makes us
happy. But we don't do those
things--because we are busy trying
to be happy." So here's the gospel
according to Kelly: Find a
life-changing rhythm by choosing
a central purpose and becoming
"the best version of yourself." |
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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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Eyes
Wide Open
tom walsh
Peace
If I
could give any gift in the world to all the people of
the world, I think that I'd give peace. That's
inner peace, mind you, not the kind of peace that exists
when wars aren't being fought. Because I'm
convinced that if each person on the planet had inner
peace, there would be no more wars. Inner peace
gives us the ability to relate to other human beings on
a compassionate level. We have nothing to prove
when we're at peace; there's nothing to get upset about
when someone does something we don't like.
I'm
kind of surprised that almost no one teaches
peace. Many people talk about the need for inner
peace, but few even try to pass on their knowledge of
how to reach it. If peace were a subject in school
and we taught it effectively to kids, just think of how
little delinquency we'd experience--after all, most of
the criminal problems in the world, most of the
addictive behaviors, most of the conflict come from
people who are not at peace with themselves, whose
behaviors reflect a desire to control or manipulate
others. A person at peace with him or herself
wouldn't feel such a desire, now would they?
I've
learned a few elements of peace over the years, and I'll
share them now for what they're worth. You can
take these ideas as you will, and do with them as you
will. I do know that for me, these things have
been very important things that I've had to do to take
steps closer to being at peace. Am I there
yet? I don't think so. But I do know that
I'm much more at peace much more often now than ten
years ago, and following these behaviors, making these
decisions, has helped me to reach the point I'm at.
1.
Accept without judgment.
Others will do things differently, see things
differently, feel differently, and expect
differently. Recognize that they're unique human
beings with feelings just as valid as your own,
perspectives just as valid as your own, and many things
to teach you. Judging them will bring you down and
take away your peace as you think of just how they
should change to become "better."
2.
Don't assign meaning.
Sometimes we lose our peace of mind because of what we
think something means, not what the other person has
intended something to mean. When in doubt, ask for
clarification--don't assign your own meaning to someone
else's words or actions.
3.
Don't take things personally.
Nine times out of ten, things that we take personally
are simply a matter of misunderstanding. And I've
long believed that if someone means to hurt me with a
personal attack, then that attack isn't worth me losing
my peace of mind.
4.
Let go of expectations.
We expect waiters and waitresses and other people to say
"Please" and "Thank you." When
they don't we get upset. Why? Being upset
doesn't help anything, and the person is just doing
things the way he or she does them. Much of our
loss of peace results from other people not living up to
our expectations, most of which are artificial,
anyway--things we've learned from others that we should
expect.
5.
Live and let live.
Live your life and be who you are. And let others
do the same without intruding on them or disturbing
them.
6.
Enjoy the process and don't worry so much about the
outcomes.
When we can do this, we keep ourselves open to a variety
of potential outcomes, and we don't face disappointment
when the one expected outcome doesn't pan out. And
the unexpected outcome usually is much better!
7.
Make decisions that will keep you at peace.
Many of our decisions--to lie, to take on more work, to
skip our vacation or to work over the weekend--do little
to help us to stay at peace with ourselves. The
decision to wait to fix the tire can have drastic
results. You make your own decisions--make the
ones that will help you to stay at peace.
8.
Rest.
The most commonly ignored piece of advice in the
world. If we snooze, we lose, right?
Wrong. If we don't recharge our energy, we become
less effective, less enjoyable to be around, and less
healthy. How can that help us to maintain peace.
9.
Slow down.
We live in cultures that seem to value quickness and
instant gratification. As the expected speed
rises, so do our stress levels. A body and mind
that are awash in stress simply cannot know peace.
10.
Scale back.
The more you have, the more you have to keep track
of. With fewer things comes less stress, less
worrying, fewer responsibilities, fewer potential
problems--and more peace.
11.
Don't try to be Atlas.
If you try to carry the world on your shoulders, you
will fail. And you know you're going to fail--who
can be at peace with failure such an imminent reality?
12.
Wish peace for others--always.
Even your enemies, even people you dislike or
despise. What goes around does come back around
again. If you want peace, be generous with your
blessings of peace.
13.
Talk to God.
Whatever you conceive God to be. As creator of
everything, God created peace, too, so why not go to the
source?
I'm
sure there are more principles for peace, but for now
these are enough. I wish you peace of mind and
peace of heart, and I wish you the desire and
willingness to make peace an important part of your
personal world. When we're at peace, virtually
everything else comes easier.
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Young people say, What is the sense of our small
effort? They cannot see that they must lay one brick at a time;
we can be
responsible only for the one action
at the present moment. But we can beg
for
an increase of love in our hearts that will vitalize
and transform all
our individual actions,
and know that God will take them and multiply them,
as Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes.
Dorothy Day
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I don't ask
for the meaning of the song of a bird
or the rising of the sun on a misty morning.
There they are, and they are beautiful.
Pete Hamill |
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Mission
statements represent your belief system—the priorities,
values and principles that measure your decisions. It
provides overall direction and clarifies your purpose and
meaning. When you clearly know what you want to be and to
do in your life, you feel strong in your sense of mission.
You’re no longer driven by everything that happens to
you. Rather, you feel a deep and complete commitment to
following your innermost values.
Dawn
Angier |
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The
Balanced Self
Wilferd
A. Peterson
The man
walks out on the high wire over empty space, sways above the
breathless crowd, defies the law of gravity. . . .
The
successful living of a life can be compared to walking across
a high wire.
The
indispensable quality needed is balance.
The
balanced self is the well-integrated self. A harmonious
combination of all the constructive elements of personality
makes the self whole.
The
balanced self practices moderation, avoids extremes, follows
the maxim "Not anything too much."
The
balanced self meets the challenges of life with
equanimity. It is neither exalted by success nor
dejected by failure. It meets despair with hope and
climbs the heights with humility.
The
balanced self maintains mental equilibrium. It has ideals
without illusions. It separates fact from fancy.
It keep a level head.
The
balanced self is mature. It considers everything from a
grown-up viewpoint balanced by a child's simplicity.
The
balanced self balances dreams with action. It uses the
power of inner thought to inspire outer achievement. And
it uses action to stimulate further dreams.
The
balanced self guards against quick emotional reactions.
It does not jump to impulsive conclusions. It delays
action until it has had time, calmly and fairly, to balance
all the factors involved.
The
balanced self is resilient; it is flexible to change.
Like a tree in the wind, it bends without breaking.
The
balanced self knows the error of constant effort. It
renews itself through prayer and relaxation, that it may apply
a higher impact of energy and creative power to the task at
hand.
The
balanced self lives a balanced life. It balances work
and play, love and worship.
The
balanced self maintains the I AM of the spirit at the center
of self, in full command of its destiny.
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Alone
in his car heading west, it's easy for Jason to feel sorry
for himself and mad at the world. But then he gives
a ride to Hector and learns life isn't as negative as we
sometimes see it. The friendship between this young
man and his 70-year-old passenger is an inspiring story of
love and of dealing with obstacles in life. It's a
story that you'll treasure long after you've finished
reading. Three
Cavaliers, Tom Walsh's second published novel, is now available in book form! Click
on the image to the left to order! |
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We've
been looking for a way to recommend many of the books
and movies that inspire us to live our lives more fully, and
Amazon
finally has provided it. Check out our new bookstore,
which is full
of inspirational and motivational material. We'd also
appreciate any
suggestions you might have of what to stock it with--please
visit
our feedback page
to make recommendations! |
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Grandfather's Table
A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-
law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man's hands
trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step
faltered.
The family ate together at the table. But the elderly
grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating
difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.
When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the
tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became
irritated with the mess.
"We must do something about Grandfather," said the
son.
"I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and
food on the floor." So the husband and wife set a small
table in the corner. There Grandfather ate alone while
the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.
Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food
was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in
Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his
eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple
had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a
fork or spilled food.
The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One
evening before supper, the father noticed his son
playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the
child sweetly, "What are you making?"
Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a
little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when
you grow up."
The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The
words so struck the parents that they were speechless.
Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though
no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.
That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and
gently led him back to the family table. For the
remainder of his days he ate every meal with the
family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife
seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk
spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.
Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever
observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever
process the messages they absorb. If they see us
patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family
members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest
of their lives.
The wise parent realizes that every day the building
blocks are being laid for the child's future. Let us be
wise builders. |
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