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4 March 2008 |
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Hope
is both the earliest and the most indispensable virtue inherent
in the
state of being alive. . . . If life is to be
sustained hope must remain, even where confidence is wounded,
trust impaired.
Erik H.
Erikson
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We
are possessed by the things we possess. When I like an
object, I
always give it to someone. It isn't
generosity--it's only because I want
others to be enslaved by
objects, not me.
Jean
Paul Sartre
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What
we call philosophy today is a complicated method of avoiding all
the important problems of life.
Kenneth
Rexroth
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It
is a wholesome and necessary thing
for us to turn again to the
earth and in contemplation of her beauties to know
the sense of
wonder and humility.
Rachel
Carson
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Inspiration
Wilferd A. Peterson
I know a
man who read a sentence that changed his whole mental
chemistry about being a father. When his son was
about six years old this father happened to read these
words: "A boy does not have to be shown a mark
on the wall to measure up to when there is a man around
about the size he wants to be." He decided to
so live that his example would be an inspiration to his
son. He didn't go off to the golf course and let the
son grow up without him. He wasn't "too
busy" to be a companion to his son. They played
ball together, fished together, read books together, went
to the circus together, attended church together.
That father raised a fine son through the influence of an
inspiring example.
What are
some of the inspirational chemical elements that we can
use to inspire others?
Appreciation.
Pass the praise along. Praise stimulates and results
in improved work, for it increases a person's
confidence. One feels that one "belongs,"
that one is on the team. Praise a child's good marks
or good behavior and watch that child improve.
Praise your wife's pie and you'll have more and even
better pies in the future.
Vision.
Often we quit because the future is clouded. We feel
there is no hope. It is as though we are trying to
look into the future through a soot-covered window.
Wash the window so that you can see through its gleaming
surface into the months and years ahead. Many a
young person has been helped and inspired to carry on
because someone has shown him or her the possibilities of
the future.
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Faith.
Most of all we need someone to have faith in us,
especially when we meet with failures and reverses.
Faith is a steadying quality. When someone believes
in us and in the work we are doing we are greatly
strengthened. Edison was sent home from school
because the teacher said he was hopeless. Years
later Edison said, "I won out because my mother never
for a single moment lost faith in me."
Courage.
Someone has said that beaten paths are for beaten
people. People with new ideas, big plans, great
ambitions, noble dreams, need someone to lift them up,
cheer them on, stimulate them to dare, to wrestle with
so-called impossibilities, and to win. Every new
idea, from steamboats to airplanes, has met with ridicule
and opposition. But someone believed in those ideas
enough to urge the inventors on.
Imagination.
Arousing the imagination arouses the creative powers of
people. Help people to see themselves as they wish
to be. Help them to visualize themselves
succeeding. Help them to dream great dreams.
Patience.
People need to be taught the wisdom of working and
waiting. Many people have left the dock just before
their ships came in. Time has great power to solve
problems. Counsel patience.
Love.
The most wonderful inspirational chemistry we can use on
one another is the gift of our love and acceptance.
Devoted and unquestioned love has a magic creative
power. The consciousness of being loved is an
uplifting, saving, healing force that causes one to go on
when otherwise it would be impossible to do so.
"Love," said Emerson, "is the affirmative
of affirmatives."
We talk
about the inspiration of God in our world. That
inspiration can come only as individuals like you and me
become channels for it. In our behavior, in the
words we write and speak, we can become ambassadors of
God's inspiration. Whenever we strive to lift others
in ways that are good and noble we are serving as
radiating centers for God's inspiration.
All we
know of God's inspiration has come through the great lives
that have been lived, the great books that have been
written, the great music that has been created, the great
buildings that have been built, the great pictures that
have been painted. The great and good men and women
of all the ages expressed God. To strive to
express the goodness of God is to become a supreme
inspirationalist.
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It's
Almost Springtime - Time to Break Out of Your Cocoon
Russ Stiffler
Winter is
ending. We've been wrapped in a cocoon of a warm house
and/or warm clothes to stay comfortable and protected from the
elements.
Now
spring is arriving. The weather is warming up, the flowers
are blooming and the clear skies and sun are pulling us out into
the beautiful world. We no longer need our protective
cocoon.
This
changing of the seasons draws us out of our cocoon of warmth to
the warming rays of the sun. As the butterfly spreads its
wings as it emerges from its cocoon, its life is
transformed. The caterpillar was limited to crawling
slowing from leaf to leaf. The world has opened up to the
butterfly; it is no longer bound to the area it could crawl to.
Your life
can be transformed like the butterfly's. Most of us live
in a cocoon of safety, called our comfort zone, to protect
ourselves from the elements. We are accustomed to the
routine of our lives. We know what to expect each day as
we crawl out from under our warm covers.
Our
comfort zone keeps us safe. But our comfort zone limits
us, just as the caterpillar is limited when compared to the
butterfly. To the caterpillar, life is fine. There
are branches to climb. There are leaves to eat. It
can even use the leaves to hide from the birds of prey.
But to
the observer who can see the whole picture the reality of the
caterpillar's life is very limited. That observer can see
the possibilities of transformation that lie ahead for the
caterpillar. That observer can also see the possibilities
of transformation that can lie ahead for you.
Our
comfort zone limits us in the same way the caterpillar is
limited. The vision of the caterpillar is limited to a few
feet around it. It cannot even imagine a life beyond its
vision. But the caterpillar is lucky. Nature has
provided a path that will transform it into a butterfly with a
hugely expanded vision. It doesn't have a choice.
We also
have a path of possibilities. But instead of nature making
the transformation for us, we have to do it ourselves. We
do have a choice. We do have a vision beyond our comfort
zone. But our comfort zone wraps us tightly to keep us
safe. We may not be able to even imagine the possibilities
in store for us that the observer can see, but we do have a
vision beyond our life today.
Break out
of your limiting comfort zone, just like the butterfly emerges
from its cocoon. Do what is uncomfortable. Do what
scares you. Do what stretches your limits. The more
you do, the more your vision expands and the more you can see is
possible for you.
Breaking
out of your comfort zone does amazing things for you. It
transforms your life, just like the butterfly's life is
transformed. Today, just like the caterpillar, you cannot
even imagine what your life can be like. But just like the
butterfly, you can emerge from your comfort zone into a life of
limitless possibilities and beauty.
©
Russ Stiffler. Reprint rights are granted if this entire
resource box is included. Break Out of Your comfort
Zone. Free report shows you how. 7 Ways to Plug into
the Power Source of the Super-Successful. To get your free
report, send blank email to: report@idesiresuccess.com
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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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Little
Things
Orrick Johns
There's
nothing very beautiful and nothing very gay
About the rush of faces in the town by day;
But a light tan cow in a pale green mead,
That is very beautiful, beautiful indeed.
And the soft March wind, and the low March mist
Are better than kisses in a dark street kissed.
The fragrance of the forest when it wakes at dawn,
The fragrance of a trim green village lawn,
The hearing of the murmur of the rain at play
These things are beautiful, beautiful as day!
And I shan't stand waiting for love or scorn
When the feast is laid for a day new-born . . .
Oh, better let the little things I loved when little
Return when the heart finds the great things brittle;
And better is a temple made of bark and thong
Than a tall stone temple that may stand too long.
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Eyes Wide Open
tom walsh
This Day, This Moment
We've all heard and read about how today is the only day that we
have, how this moment is all that we truly have, how yesterday and
tomorrow really don't matter and that we must focus on living in
this present moment if we're truly to be able to live happily.
While this sounds like a great philosophy, it raises many questions
that seem to contradict it: what about planning for
tomorrow? What about the lessons that we learned last
week? Does this mean that we shouldn't have the memories of
the beautiful times in our past? If we do truly live in this
moment, doesn't that leave us open to many problems that planning
and remembering could help us to overcome?
Well, yes and no. Basically, the focus of this philosophy
is on those things over which we have control, and this moment and
its decisions and actions are the only things that we actually can
control. If I insulted someone yesterday, I no longer have
control over that action--it's over and done with. However, I
do have control over today--my choices are mine. Do I mope
around, angry at myself for my insensitivity, beating myself up
emotionally and calling myself horrible names? Each moment
that I continue in such behavior, I'm making a choice to beat myself
up and not to pursue an alternative action such as apologizing for
my behavior and allowing myself to continue with my life.
Perhaps my action occurred over a long period of time when I was
thoughtless or harmful to others. If that's true, acting
ashamed and treating myself badly today isn't going to change
anything that I did, but it will assure that I don't contribute
anything positive to the world. Allowing myself to go on and
act differently right now will add a positive force to the world, a
positive influence for many people to see. Ebeneezer Scrooge
is a wonderful example of this--once he found his change of heart,
he was immediately happy and joyful, and he helped many people
because of it. He didn't waste time on regret, even though
many of us would like to see such a person suffer to "pay
for" the pain they've caused. Their suffering, though,
contributes nothing to the world except for giving us a warped sense
of justice. When those people change their ways and contribute
positively to the world, then there's a change worth seeing.
Living for today also doesn't preclude planning for the
future. I know I have to go to work tomorrow, so one of the
decisions I make today is to go to bed at a decent hour. I
know that my stepkids will be in college in a couple of years (one
already is), so I decide today not to buy certain things, and to put
money away to make the sting of paying for college less
painful. I know that I'll probably be going into the same
stores that I'm going into today, so I decide to be courteous and
polite (and enough of this behavior turns it into a habit). I
know that when someone asks me tomorrow what I did today, I don't
want to have to hide something that I'll be ashamed to admit, so I
make the decisions today that will make it unnecessary for me to
hide anything.
Besides, I have no control over what tomorrow brings. How
many times have we said no to some possibility because we have to do
something else tomorrow, only to find that the something else never
happens? Tomorrow may bring a snowstorm or a bright sunny day
that precludes many possibilities. How many people didn't
invest money anywhere except the stock market in the late 90's, sure
that the market would continue to bring huge returns? The
decisions they made in the 90's to put their money in just one
investment (stocks) brought about huge financial losses in the last
three years. If I had ten thousand dollars to invest today
(and I don't!), I would keep in mind that I can't predict or control
what tomorrow will bring, so I'd invest the money in several
different areas to offset possible disasters.
This moment offers you many riches. Look around yourself,
starting with the miracle of the computer that sits before
you. Think of the amount of information and processing power
that the machine holds! Look out a window at the buildings
that we've built, the trees that are so beautiful and that provide
oxygen for us to breathe, the flowers and the plants and the animals
and insects. Think of the people in your life, and the wonders
that they are.
If you're carrying resentment or anger or cynicism, remember that
it's your choice to do so--you can choose at this moment to let go
of those feelings that are causes of stress and unease. Or you
can choose to hold on to them, guaranteeing yourself that you'll
feel bad in this moment and in the coming moments.
The only actions or decisions that we have control over are those
of this moment. We can choose to appreciate and admire with a
sense of wonder, or we can choose to take for granted and not
appreciate with a sense of ungratefulness. The important thing
to keep in mind is that what we do in this moment is our choice, and
what we choose to do now will leave a definite mark on our future
moments.
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Living
in the Moment (an excerpt)
Susan L. Taylor
Feeling
connected to the natural world connects us to the rhythms of
life. Get away! Any way you can. Walk, drive,
take a train or hop on a bus to a peaceful place where you can
enjoy the beauty of nature. In the winter, I go skiing
with my husband, and while I'm not that anxious to navigate my
way down some steep and winding slopes, I love taking the ski
lift up to the majestic mountaintop. I am awed when I
behold the magnificence that God has created all around
us. God's glory is everywhere: in a field of weeds
and wildflowers; in the stillness of the woods with the trees
arching over us; in a crystal lake lapping softly at the shore;
in the rustling of leaves, the scamper of little animals.
If you
can't escape to the country, you can still sit at your window
and watch the sky. You can watch the rain and the
snow. You can visit a nearby park and watch the foliage
change with each season. You can turn your face toward the
warmth of the sun or feel a gentle breeze whisper against your
skin. You can wonder at the changing patterns of light in
a summer sky, and feel the brisk tingle of snowflakes in a
winter storm. Revel in the knowledge that your senses are
finely attuned to these sensations of the natural world.
By staying in tune with nature, you nourish the eternal spirit
within, you come back to the center of life and to the awareness
that God is everywhere present at each moment in time.
Our
beloved poet and sage Maya Angelou believes that every few weeks
we should take a day off to do absolutely nothing.
"What we really have to do is take a day and sit down and
think," she shared in a recent interview. "The
world is not going to end or fall apart. Jobs won't be
lost. Kids will not run crazy in one day. Lovers
won't stop speaking to you. Husbands and wives are not
going to disappear. Just take that one day and
think. Don't read. Don't write. No television,
no radio, no distractions. Sit down and think. . . . Go
sit in a church, or in the park, or take a long walk and
think. Call it a healing day."
How wise
Maya Angelou is. A healing day, a day just to sit and
think, a day in which you become still and experience each
precious moment of time. By learning to stay centered in
the moment, we put ourselves in charge. We experience the
joy of living, the wonder in each breath. If we take
control of the world within ourselves, no circumstance outside
us will have its way with us. When we live moment to
moment, we place ourselves at the center of life, where infinite
wisdom abides, rather than on the periphery, where things are
forever changing and we are susceptible to the vagaries of the
world. It is in our awareness each moment of our oneness
with God that our inner peace and greatest strength lie.
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| This
compilation of writings is another honest expression of Taylor's life's
journey and the "lessons" that she has learned. Taylor
offers intimate expressions on self-worth, empowerment, faith, and
commitment for the benefit of others. Her ability to describe
"loving ourselves" in a moving and thought-provoking way
is the style that has endeared her to Essence subscribers
over the years. Readers never feel as if she is lecturing on or
dictating the only way to deal with life's challenges but rather are
inspired to face life's challenges by listening to their own inner
voices. This is one of my favorite books of all, one that I
revisit on a very regular basis for feelings of peace and hope and
balance. |
click on the cover to see the
book at Amazon
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Never
think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified,
is not a
crime. Ask the infantry and ask the dead.
Ernest
Hemingway
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| The whole
secret of remaining young in spite of years, and even of grey
hairs, is to cherish enthusiasm in oneself, by poetry, by
contemplation, by charity,--that is, in fewer words, by the
maintenance of harmony in the soul. When everything is in
its right place within us, we ourselves are in equilibrium with
the whole work of God. Deep and grave enthusiasm for the
eternal beauty and the eternal order, reason touched with emotion
and a serene tenderness of heart--these surely are the foundations
of wisdom.
Henri
Frederic Amiel |
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thanks
for your visit! |
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