“Nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” ~Shakespeare
Full story at: Wanting to Feel Good and Look Good: Why Do We Do What We Do? | Tiny Buddha.
Simple Truth to a Richer, Deeper, Lasting Relationship
Healing thoughts from Jeff Cannon:
When a relationship becomes a one-way way street, it ends up at a dead end sooner or later. Learn to keep the traffic flowing both ways with conversation, forgiveness and mindful awareness to keep your relationship growing well into the future. It all starts with that inner conversation you have with yourself. Be aware of it, and find how easy it is to nurture your relationship in the direction you want it to go. Continue reading “Simple Truth to a Richer, Deeper, Lasting Relationship”
Wise investigation
Tara Brach may be glad to know that I have ‘discovered’ her work [I find the ‘discovery’ process, how things come to us and the language around it amusing at times]. In any case, thanks to Kristin Barton Cuthriell I became aware of the term ‘radical acceptance‘ a few week ago and devoured Tara Brach’s book by the same name shortly thereafter. I look forward to reading her book True Refuge when I can get a copy but until then I have been listening to her teaching via her podcast. Today on her blog, I found this video recording of one of these podcast meditations that I want to share with you here…
btw, Kristin — I’m very jealous you get to attend one of these meditations soon… :-D
I’m sad. Ask me why.
Then ponder this. Remember the words of Plato: Be kind, everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle…
The Time of Your Life: More Time for What Really Matters to You
Tony Robbins writes:
When it comes to managing time, most people focus on one question: What do I need to do? Focusing only on what it is you need to do, however, does not guarantee that you are making any real progress. To-do lists can keep you busy, and checking off a series of tasks can provide the illusion of progress. But have you ever crossed off everything on your to-do list and still felt like you had not really accomplished anything? There is a big difference between movement and achievement.
Activity without purpose is the drain to a life of fulfillment.
Those who succeed in life, and more importantly, achieve fulfillment—whether they are consciously aware of it or not—have three things they consistently focus on to produce results in their lives:
- They know what they want: The target or the result they are after.
- They know why they want it: The compelling purpose that gives them the drive to follow through.
- They know how to make it happen: They have a flexible MAP (Massive Action Plan) to get them there.
Start with the end in mind. By focusing on the result you desire and the specific reasons that drive you, you’ll come up with a more effective action plan to get there. There are so many things competing for and demanding your attention in life, if you don’t make a conscious effort to decide in advance which things you’re going to focus on, you’ll live in reaction to demands of the moment.
Focus is the ultimate power that can change the way we think, the way we feel and what we do in any moment. When we change our focus, we change our life.
For a free download of the first session of Tony’s Time of Your Life 10-Day Audio Coaching System, go to www.tonyrobbins.com/time.
via The Time of Your Life: More Time for What Really Matters to You.
You never know…
…how an act of kindness will help. How many times have I said ‘Nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh’, later or “I’m too tired” to the little voice in my heart?
Perhaps this is why the Christian Scriptures say: Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.
The First Agreement: Be Impeccable with Your Word
Don Miguel Ruiz writes:
The first agreement is the most important one and also the most difficult one to honor. It is so important that, with just this first agreement, you will be able to transcend to the level of existence I call heaven on earth.
The first agreement is to be impeccable with your word. It sounds very simple, but it is very, very powerful. Why your word?
Your word is the power that you have to create.
Your word is the gift that comes directly from God. “The Gospel of John” in The Bible, speaking of the creation of the universe, says, “In the beginning there was the word, and the word was with God, and the word is God.” Through the word, you express your creative power. It is through the word that you manifest everything. Regardless of what language you speak, your intent manifests through the word. What you dream, what you feel, and what you really are will all be manifested through the word.
The word is not just a sound or a written symbol. The word is a force; it is the power you have to express and communicate, to think, and, thereby, to create the events in your life. You can speak. What other animal on the planet can speak? The word is the most powerful tool you have as a human; it is the tool of magic. But like a sword with two edges, your word can create the most beautiful dream, or your word can destroy everything around you. One edge is the misuse of the word, which creates a living hell. The other edge is the impeccability of the word, which will only create beauty, love, and heaven on earth.
Depending upon how it is used, the word can set you free, or it can enslave you even more than you know.
via The First Agreement: Be Impeccable with Your Word « Positively Positive.
Related articles
- The Four Agreements. (stacyrlewis.wordpress.com)
- WPW: The 4 Agreements at Work (alwaysablogsmaid.com)
- Oprah and Don Miguel Ruiz (joanneguidoccio.com)
- Four Agreements (urdamage.wordpress.com)
- The Four Agreements for Parents (niecat.com)
Working With Difficulties
Tara Brach writes:
About twelve years ago, a number of Buddhist teachers began to share a new mindfulness tool that offers in-the-trenches support for working with intense and difficult emotions. Called RAIN (an acronym for the four steps of the process), it can be accessed in almost any place or situation. It directs our attention in a clear, systematic way that cuts through confusion and stress. The steps give us somewhere to turn in a painful moment, and as we call on them more regularly, they strengthen our capacity to come home to our deepest truth. Like the clear sky and clean air after a cooling rain, this mindfulness practice brings a new openness and calm to our daily lives.
I have now taught RAIN to thousands of students, clients, and mental health professionals, adapting and expanding it into the version you’ll find in this chapter. I’ve also made it a core practice in my own life. Here are the four steps of RAIN presented in the way I’ve found most helpful:
R Recognize what is happening
A Allow life to be just as it is
I Investigate inner experience with kindness
N Non-Identification
RAIN directly de-conditions the habitual ways in which you resist your moment-to-moment experience. It doesn’t matter whether you resist “what is” by lashing out in anger, by having a cigarette, or by getting immersed in obsessive thinking. Your attempt to control the life within and around you actually cuts you off from your own heart and from this living world. RAIN begins to undo these unconscious patterns as soon as we take the first step.
Full story at: Tara Brach – Working With Difficulties.
International Women’s Day: Unleash Your Inner Goddess
FinerMinds shares this:
In honor of International Women’s day, we wanted to share this inspiring video of Maya Angelou reciting a beautiful passage from her book Letter to My Daughter. It is an empowering reminder to be strong, courageous and to take responsibility for your own happiness – regardless of your personal circumstances.
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud. Do not complain. Make every effort to change things you do not like. If you cannot make a change, change the way you have been thinking. You might find a new solution.”
Zen Mind in the Middle of Chaos & Stress
Leo Babauta shares this:
What do you do when your job, or your personal life, is a constant source of busy-ness, rushing, nose-to-the-grindstone work, and stress?
Or what do you do if your life is simple and relatively stress-free, but something blows up and you are in the middle of chaos and high stress all of a sudden?
This is when we could use a dose of Zen Mind, or the Art of Letting Go.
What is this Zen Mind? To be honest, I’m still learning what that is, but what I’ve been practicing is a constant letting go. Let’s take an example:
I have a major deadline approaching. It is stressing me out, man! But what is the source of the stress? It’s not the work, which is just a series of actions. It’s not the deadline, which is just a time constraint. It’s my reaction to those external events — my fear that I’m not going to make it, that I’ll mess up, that I’ll look stupid or incompetent. This fear that is causing my stress reaction is rooted in my wanting things to turn out a certain way … wanting to meet the deadline and get things perfect and look good.
What if I could let go of wanting things to turn out that way? This is a fantasy, an ideal, that I’m holding onto. It might turn out that way, sure, but it could turn out a dozen other ways, and the truth is I don’t have complete control over how it’ll turn out. All I can do is do the work, and the fantasy, the fear and the stress are only getting in the way. So if I can let go of this ideal, this fantasy, I can let go of the fear, and the stress.
This is the Zen Mind that I’m learning about. It’s simply letting go, and in doing so, you attain a peace of mind no matter what chaos and seemingly stressful event are going on around you. Again, I’m not good at this yet, but I’m learning. I’ll share what I know with you.
Full story at: Zen Mind in the Middle of Chaos & Stress : zenhabits.
How to be Super Productive in Less Than 2 Minutes
More Brian Johnson. This time on the topic of productivity:
Are you starting the week with a pile of tasks you’ve been avoiding which are looming over your head?
Perhaps you’re mentally prepping yourself to tackle a lengthy list of emails, or finally taking those clothes that have been gathering dust since you cleared out your closet last spring (we won’t remind you that we’re approaching the end of winter!) to the charity shop.
Whatever’s lingering at the bottom of your to-do list, you’d be surprised just how quickly you can cross these tasks off if you have a system in place. Which is why when we saw this video by Brian Johnson, the author of the Philosopher’s Notes, we thought his method was the perfect way to ensure a super-productive week.
The video is less than 4-minutes long, and his 2-minute technique is sure to help turn your procrastination into efficiency in no time!
The Key To Healing It Is Feeling It…
Kute Blackson writes:
All of your feelings are a gift.
Yet we often judge feelings as good or bad. We often try to eliminate the bad ones and feel only the good ones. However, in doing so, you end up disconnecting from the full range of your heart, self-expression, and power.
To the degree that you suppress what you might think of as the negative feelings is to the degree that you also disconnect from your capacity to fully experience the positive feelings.
Why The Fantasy Of Prince (Or Princess) Charming Is Dangerous
Shelly Bullard shares:
Happiness is contingent upon who you are, how you choose to live your life, and aligning yourself with love (inside first, then outside as well).
Full story at: Why The Fantasy Of Prince (Or Princess) Charming Is Dangerous.
Spirituality and Stilettos
One of my favorite bloggers, Jackie Dumaine, has a beautiful post on her blog on the topic of spirituality:
“Being “Spiritual” does not mean giving up who you are. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
It’s about embracing who you are.
Being “Spiritual” does not mean giving up wine night with the girls or refraining from buying a new pair of stilettos (or two). It means embracing varying levels of friendships and the little pleasures that life has to offer, without being attached to them for your happiness. Continue reading “Spirituality and Stilettos”
How Do You Define the Divine?
The FinerMinds team shares this:
How do the spiritual leaders of today define God? Wayne Dyer calls it “the highest place within each and everyone of else. It’s our divine Self.”
Watch this 4-minute video to hear more inspiring descriptions and let us know what you think as well as what your definition of the Divine is.
via FinerMinds » How Do You Define the Divine? » FinerMinds.
Bright, shiny objects! 