4 Easy Steps to Deal with Difficult People

“There is a huge amount of freedom that comes to you when you take nothing personally.” ~Don Miguel Ruiz

It seemed like a simple task. Please switch my gym membership from gold to silver level. I’m not cancelling, just switching.

That was now the third time I repeated my request, each time a little more calmly and a little more slowly, despite the beginnings of blood boiling feelings.

The person on the other end of the phone could not have been ruder. It was as if I was asking for a kidney instead of a membership change. A harsh tone and harsher words ensued. Why, I still have no idea.

You have undoubtedly met them. You have maybe been one, once or twice.

Why are some people continually difficult to deal with? What makes Joe easy to get along with and John such a struggle? Here are the major reasons and what can be done about it.” via 4 Easy Steps to Deal with Difficult People | Tiny Buddha.

July 6, 2012 0

What We Pay Attention To

See on Scoop.it – Todd Lohenry’s lifestream

If we can observe and understand how our thoughts are impacting us, we can change who we’re being and what we’re experiencing in the world.

See on tinybuddha.com

June 19, 2012 0

Buddha on gratitude…

English: The moment of revealing four noble tr...

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” Buddha. via Buddha on gratitude……..

June 12, 2012 1

Who Owns Your Time?

“What you do today is important, because you are exchanging a day of your life for it.” Unknown.

When you take cash out of your wallet to give to someone, you surely expect something of equal or greater value in return. Do you treat your time the same way?

At one of my first jobs, I found myself spending a massive amount of time on tasks that didn’t really add value to me or my purpose.

“Ah well, at least I got something done today,” I would often mutter to rationalize wasting time on just busy work. Or even better: “Well, that took a lot of my time, but at least I’ll have tomorrow to take care of what I really need to do.”

I found that I didn’t truly own my time. I would arrive home from work exhausted, unwilling to do anything, and dreading that I only had an hour to sleep before waking up to do the whole thing over again.

Why did all of this happen? Because I let my boss, my friends, and poor decisions take ownership of my time.” Get more here: Why Owns Your Time? | Tiny Buddha: Wisdom Quotes, Letting Go, Letting Happiness In.

Constant Complaining: Does It Serve Us Well? (psychologytoday.com)
Choose Your Words Wisely (afteramerica.wordpress.com)
Not too tight, not too loose (mindfulbalance.org)

June 8, 2012 4

Are You Shut Down and Disconnected?

“When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another—and ourselves.” Jack Kornfield. Get more here: Are You Shut Down and Disconnected? | Tiny Buddha: Wisdom Quotes, Letting Go, Letting Happiness In.

June 1, 2012 0

What We Really Need to Be Happy

“The real measure of your wealth is how much you’d be worth if you lost all your money.” ~Unknown

Standing, getting crushed on the metro at peak hour, I look around and my heart sinks. I’m surrounded by sullen faces, their eyes focused intently on games on their iPads and smart phones.

These are the sullen faces representing a world of people dreading going to work, dreading grinding away at a job they hate.

The gadgets they use as distractions during their morning commute are constant reminders of why they must put themselves through this daily hell. They feel they need these things (among others), and their job allows them to have them.

Throughout history humans have always strived to have better “things,” to have more than their neighbors or at the very least be equal to them.

First it was outdoing the neighbor who just upgraded from horse and carriage to a car. Later it was getting a black a white TV, then the cassette player, and years later a CD player.

But in today’s modern world where trends change as soon as they begin, where the next version of the latest gadget comes out seemingly straight away, people are driven to work longer hours to afford to be at the forefront of the trends—the latest gadget, the latest car, the latest fashion.

But lurking behind the lives of shiny new cars, flat screen TV’s and iPhones is a void, is a huge deficit, and it’s not a budget one.

Our world is experiencing a passion and purpose deficit.” via What We Really Need to Be Happy | Tiny Buddha: Wisdom Quotes, Letting Go, Letting Happiness In.

May 23, 2012 0

The Heart in Our Homes

Tiny Buddha: Wisdom Quotes, Letting Go, Letting Happiness In via Tiny Wisdom: The Heart in Our Homes.

May 23, 2012 2

This Moment Is Worth Savoring

Lori Deschene has this to say today:

“The journey is the reward.” ~Chinese Proverb

So much of our language about the things we enjoy in life revolves around getting ahead.

We wonder where our relationships are going. We plan to move forward in our careers. We talk about maintaining momentum with new projects.

None of these things are necessarily bad. We naturally crave growth to feel a sense of purpose and progress.

But sometimes we put so much energy into pushing and striving that we miss out on the joy of being where we are.

When we visualize ourselves taking a pause to fully absorb and appreciate our surroundings, it’s often after we’ve arrived. It’s when we’ve climbed the mountain and can finally stand proudly on its peak. It’s when we’ve made the commitment, secured the deal, or finished working on something we love.

From a purely mathematic standpoint, it’s clear we will have far fewer opportunities to enjoy arriving than we will have to enjoy the journey.

The question then becomes: Are we willing to relish in the many uncertain moments when we’re not sure yet where our efforts are leading?

I suspect it boils down to belief and intention.

If we believe we need to create massive change in order to experience joy, we will inevitably feel a sense of restlessness. This moment will feel like something we need to endure to get ahead—something painfully inadequate compared to where we’d rather be.

If we believe that every part of the process can be beautiful and joyful, we will feel a sense of calmness and peace. This moment will feel like something we need to savor while it lasts—something unique and worth celebrating, regardless of where it takes us.

We’re always going to want to spread our wings and fly. We crave freedom, adventure, and possibility, and we don’t want to feel stuck, bored, or limited.

Perhaps happiness is recognizing that we are never stuck. Even if we don’t recognize it, we are always growing and evolving, and the world we know is always changing.

Source: Tiny Wisdom: This Moment Is Worth Savoring | Tiny Buddha: Wisdom Quotes, Letting Go, Letting Happiness In

May 16, 2012 0

Shouting In Anger!

Go to the source: Shouting In Anger!.

On anger (ferretrunner.wordpress.com)
Weapon for Self- destruction (basangsisiw.wordpress.com)
Why we shout in anger (lexokat.wordpress.com)

May 10, 2012 2

…on Questions

“Sometimes questions are more important than answers.” ~ Nancy Willard via 3 Questions Worth Asking to Find the Right Answer for You | Tiny Buddha: Wisdom Quotes, Letting Go, Letting Happiness In.

April 26, 2012 0

You have the power

Good stuff from Melody Beattie. Again.

For the first several hundred years after the Buddha died, there were no images of him. Only his dharma, or teachings, were passed on from generation to generation. Eventually, however, the people wanted an image to remind them of their ideal, and that’s when and how Buddha statues came to be.

The good thing about having statues of Buddha is they remind followers of the ideals they’re striving for in their lives. The difficult thing about Buddha statues is that people may be tempted to idolize the statue, and forget to seek the state of consciousness the Buddha represented.

It’s easy for us to idolize our mentors and teachers, the people who encourage and help us to grow. It can be easy to look around us and think others have the key to enlightenment, success, joy.

Stop idolizing other people.

Look in the mirror.

You have everything you need to learn your lessons, grow, achieve success. You have all the courage you need to fail, then try again. You have everything you need, within you, to live and follow your own path with heart.

Not only are you right where you need to be, but you can get wherever you want to go from here. And you and I have all the power we need to learn the lessons we came here to learn.

God, teach me that all I need is within me.

Source: April 12: You Have the Power | Language of Letting Go

Christians, don’t get so hung up on the B word – you know, Buddha – that you miss the lesson! Have you forgotten this?

“The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” Source: Luke 17 NIV 1984