On many occasions when desires of ours are not met and fulfilled as we wish them to be, we become angry, disappointed and disillusioned.
However, if one lives by the conviction that “whatever happens, happens for a reason and for our ultimate highest good” we then are able to reflect and see things differently.
Is it not so that we realize only much later that whatever happened truly was for our ultimate good and what we originally desired would not have been in our best interest?
Swami Sharananandji, a blind saint in India, used to say “One should forget the occurrence and remember the lesson it gives”.
We should strive to complete our day-to-day responsibilities to their fullest extent. If something unpleasant happens, it should be accepted with the firm belief that it was for our greater good. With this acceptance one is saved from numerous disappointments.
All adversity is based on “adversity in attitude”
As the saying goes “It is not your Aptitude, But your Attitude, that determines your Altitude”.
Whist maintaining such an attitude, we should never lose sight of an important warning on the subject. Which is: Attitude should be coupled with the performance of one’s responsibilities to the fullest capacity.
Therefore, by continuing to perform duties naturally everyone should strive to do Karma without any feeling of attachment, sorrow, happiness or expectation of outcome. Striving to perform a duty without attachment and pride will prevent an increase in tension of the mind and fear of the future.
Such acts are capable of making us free from the chains that hold us back from gaining freedom.
Just for this moment, remind yourself that your life is unfolding exactly according to the perfect plan of the universe. Nothing is without a purpouse - adjust your attitude accordingly.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
What new positive habits or rituals have you decided to adopt in 2010? - January 2010
With the first month of 2010 already behind us, if you have not already set yourself goals for the new year, it’s time you did so!
Setting goals is a positive start to get onto that road that needs to be tackled and traveled.
Perhaps it is time you need to look at adding some form of physical routine to your daily tasks?
Maybe you feel the desire to exercise at least once a day or even once a week as a start to a Healthier Lifestyle?
Perhaps it is time to relax with a fiction or non-fiction book, and read something interesting and new on a regular basis? This will not only increase your mind power, but it will allow you the pleasure of entering and stepping into “another world” filled with adjectives, images and creativity of the mind.
Perhaps it is quiet time that you need most? This can be achieved by setting aside a few minutes every day whereby time is allocated to meditation and/or prayer. Through this personal quiet time that you may choose to take advantage of, stillness can be found that will enable you to reach out and find solutions to questions that you need answered.
New positive habits are the key to making yourself a better person, and adding value to your “self”.
They are often more challenging than they seem, as change is never easy and we all seem to want to resist even the smallest of changes. But once these positive changes have taken place in our lives, we reap the benefits from them. Nothing is impossible if we set our minds to it!
All it takes is ‘willpower” and staying power on your part and a whole new door can be opened to a New You!
21 days is all it takes to change a habit and replace it with another.
Be brave and make the changes, set new goals and look forward to an exciting journey ahead for 2010!
Setting goals is a positive start to get onto that road that needs to be tackled and traveled.
Perhaps it is time you need to look at adding some form of physical routine to your daily tasks?
Maybe you feel the desire to exercise at least once a day or even once a week as a start to a Healthier Lifestyle?
Perhaps it is time to relax with a fiction or non-fiction book, and read something interesting and new on a regular basis? This will not only increase your mind power, but it will allow you the pleasure of entering and stepping into “another world” filled with adjectives, images and creativity of the mind.
Perhaps it is quiet time that you need most? This can be achieved by setting aside a few minutes every day whereby time is allocated to meditation and/or prayer. Through this personal quiet time that you may choose to take advantage of, stillness can be found that will enable you to reach out and find solutions to questions that you need answered.
New positive habits are the key to making yourself a better person, and adding value to your “self”.
They are often more challenging than they seem, as change is never easy and we all seem to want to resist even the smallest of changes. But once these positive changes have taken place in our lives, we reap the benefits from them. Nothing is impossible if we set our minds to it!
All it takes is ‘willpower” and staying power on your part and a whole new door can be opened to a New You!
21 days is all it takes to change a habit and replace it with another.
Be brave and make the changes, set new goals and look forward to an exciting journey ahead for 2010!
What is Karma? - February 2010
Karma is the “Butterfly Effect”. It is the belief that what you do and say affects everything around you on a cosmic level.
Those that believe in reincarnation therefore also believe that your karma effects who you will come back as, in the next life.
The important lesson to learn from the concept of Karma is that it isn’t really all about you at all (as far as you as an individual is concerned) but it has to do with “all things”, or the “universal you”.
Karma is a philosophy of understanding and realization that “life effects life”.
If you know your actions cause an imbalance or pain, and those actions, in return, come full circle and affect your own happiness, then you will be more careful in both word and deed.
When things go horribly wrong in one’s life, we often look to “karma” and question why we are being punished, therefore neglecting to take responsibility in the choices we have made and the decisions we have taken and the cause that has lead up to the effect that we now sit with.
“A short story tells of a man who sees an old shoe in the road. It reminds him that he needs a new pair of shoes, and, subsequently he decides to drive to the nearest shoe store. While there, he meets the woman he will marry and have three children with. To the man who threw the old shoe out, it was merely a useless item that cluttered space in his closet. However, to the man that met his future wife at the shoe store that day, it was one of many occurrences in his life that led to a legacy of love, children, grandchildren and so on”.
This is an example of true karma.
This is not to say that we should go out and throw away our shoes in order to create happy marriages for others, but rather it is an example of how many seemingly small, insignificant actions can have monumental effects on the world and others around us.
Just for today, take responsibility of your thoughts and actions and know that every action no matter how small plays an important part in the process of life.
Those that believe in reincarnation therefore also believe that your karma effects who you will come back as, in the next life.
The important lesson to learn from the concept of Karma is that it isn’t really all about you at all (as far as you as an individual is concerned) but it has to do with “all things”, or the “universal you”.
Karma is a philosophy of understanding and realization that “life effects life”.
If you know your actions cause an imbalance or pain, and those actions, in return, come full circle and affect your own happiness, then you will be more careful in both word and deed.
When things go horribly wrong in one’s life, we often look to “karma” and question why we are being punished, therefore neglecting to take responsibility in the choices we have made and the decisions we have taken and the cause that has lead up to the effect that we now sit with.
“A short story tells of a man who sees an old shoe in the road. It reminds him that he needs a new pair of shoes, and, subsequently he decides to drive to the nearest shoe store. While there, he meets the woman he will marry and have three children with. To the man who threw the old shoe out, it was merely a useless item that cluttered space in his closet. However, to the man that met his future wife at the shoe store that day, it was one of many occurrences in his life that led to a legacy of love, children, grandchildren and so on”.
This is an example of true karma.
This is not to say that we should go out and throw away our shoes in order to create happy marriages for others, but rather it is an example of how many seemingly small, insignificant actions can have monumental effects on the world and others around us.
Just for today, take responsibility of your thoughts and actions and know that every action no matter how small plays an important part in the process of life.
The Process of Life - 3 March 2010
Some people believe relationships come to us as assignments or projects, in this “school” that we call “life on earth”.
These relationships may last for weeks; some even for a lifetime, but they all come to teach us big lessons that are meant to spur our growth as people.
Often, as we look back on these relationships, we realize that they have brought us extraordinary moments which we didn’t see clearly at the time, but only when it was too late. But then again, is it not our greatest mistakes that carry our largest lessons?
And so it is, that if we pay attention, we realize that it is through these lessons that we are sble to become wiser if “we turn our hindsight into foresight that can reveal insight”.
In other words, it is important in life to “let your past serve you”
and not for “you to serve your past”
No human lives life by making NO mistakes at all. We are all designed to make mistakes, for it is those very mistakes that carry us through to higher levels of wisdom, if we choose to learn from them.
In other words, we should not carry on “repeating” that same mistake, but should rather “turn the wound into wisdom”
Too many people spend too much time and energy on blame, for the “mistakes” that they have made. They blame their bosses for not being happy at work, they blame strangers on the road for making them moody, they blame their partners for bad business decisions, they blame their parents for their insecurities……that all lead to making “mistakes”
But, one should always bear in mind, that by blaming others, you take on the role of “playing the victim”.
You are then essentially saying, that you are powerless and unable to lead your own life, without those around you making a change
Your question of thought is probably, “How do we change this mindset?”
The only way to make that change is to take the lead, take responsibility and learn from your mistakes.
Our lives are nothing more than a series of moments – if you miss the moments, you miss your life.
Learn to embrace each moment, learn from each moment by making every moment count. Be aware of taking responsibility of your thoughts and actions and know that every action, no matter how small, plays an important part in the process of your life.
These relationships may last for weeks; some even for a lifetime, but they all come to teach us big lessons that are meant to spur our growth as people.
Often, as we look back on these relationships, we realize that they have brought us extraordinary moments which we didn’t see clearly at the time, but only when it was too late. But then again, is it not our greatest mistakes that carry our largest lessons?
And so it is, that if we pay attention, we realize that it is through these lessons that we are sble to become wiser if “we turn our hindsight into foresight that can reveal insight”.
In other words, it is important in life to “let your past serve you”
and not for “you to serve your past”
No human lives life by making NO mistakes at all. We are all designed to make mistakes, for it is those very mistakes that carry us through to higher levels of wisdom, if we choose to learn from them.
In other words, we should not carry on “repeating” that same mistake, but should rather “turn the wound into wisdom”
Too many people spend too much time and energy on blame, for the “mistakes” that they have made. They blame their bosses for not being happy at work, they blame strangers on the road for making them moody, they blame their partners for bad business decisions, they blame their parents for their insecurities……that all lead to making “mistakes”
But, one should always bear in mind, that by blaming others, you take on the role of “playing the victim”.
You are then essentially saying, that you are powerless and unable to lead your own life, without those around you making a change
Your question of thought is probably, “How do we change this mindset?”
The only way to make that change is to take the lead, take responsibility and learn from your mistakes.
Our lives are nothing more than a series of moments – if you miss the moments, you miss your life.
Learn to embrace each moment, learn from each moment by making every moment count. Be aware of taking responsibility of your thoughts and actions and know that every action, no matter how small, plays an important part in the process of your life.
Relationships - 16 March 2010
One of the saddest things is the person who has invested everything in a relationship and when the relationship ends they sadly ask themselves, “What do I do now?”
Often we feel that if we are loved by someone or if we love someone, then it is only natural to want to become the same person. This I find to be absurd, as if we truly love someone then our goal should be to want them to be all that they are and we should encourage them every inch of the way to becoming just that.
Everytime they do something that helps them to grow or learn something to help them to become more, we should dance and celebrate the occasion. You will not be growing apart by doing this, but rather you will be gaining the opportunity to grow together, hand in hand, and not melting one into the other.
You are a unique person, therefore it is impossible to melt into somebody else.
Your aim should be to always maintain who you are and to continue to grow through change, because eventually you will once again be faced with the “you”
The poet, Gibran once said in a poem of his, “Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one also be alone. Even as the strings of a lute are alone, though they quiver to the same music…..
Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping, for only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. Stand together and yet not too near together for the pillars of the temple, in order to hold the temple up, stand apart. The oak tree and the cypress do not grow in each others’ shadow.
Don’t ever grow in anybody’s shadow, for it is there that you will wilt and forget who you are. You will lose you, and if you have lost you, then you have lost the most essential thing you have.
Often we feel that if we are loved by someone or if we love someone, then it is only natural to want to become the same person. This I find to be absurd, as if we truly love someone then our goal should be to want them to be all that they are and we should encourage them every inch of the way to becoming just that.
Everytime they do something that helps them to grow or learn something to help them to become more, we should dance and celebrate the occasion. You will not be growing apart by doing this, but rather you will be gaining the opportunity to grow together, hand in hand, and not melting one into the other.
You are a unique person, therefore it is impossible to melt into somebody else.
Your aim should be to always maintain who you are and to continue to grow through change, because eventually you will once again be faced with the “you”
The poet, Gibran once said in a poem of his, “Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one also be alone. Even as the strings of a lute are alone, though they quiver to the same music…..
Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping, for only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. Stand together and yet not too near together for the pillars of the temple, in order to hold the temple up, stand apart. The oak tree and the cypress do not grow in each others’ shadow.
Don’t ever grow in anybody’s shadow, for it is there that you will wilt and forget who you are. You will lose you, and if you have lost you, then you have lost the most essential thing you have.
A Dream- 28 March 2010
It’s vital for everyone to have “a Dream”… or two. To have a dream, gives one’s action, direction.
So begin by defining what it is that you really want, and what you want to get out of achieving your dream. Then make sure to form a clear image in your mind of that particular dream that you want to achieve. Believe it to be real by playing the part as if your dream has already materialized!
Remember that setbacks are really “set-ups for a come-back”, therefore do not become disheartened but rather let your mind remember, that everything that happens is there to teach you and help you grow into your dream.
It takes 17 yes’s (I can) to neutralize a single “I can’t.
So begin by defining what it is that you really want, and what you want to get out of achieving your dream. Then make sure to form a clear image in your mind of that particular dream that you want to achieve. Believe it to be real by playing the part as if your dream has already materialized!
Remember that setbacks are really “set-ups for a come-back”, therefore do not become disheartened but rather let your mind remember, that everything that happens is there to teach you and help you grow into your dream.
It takes 17 yes’s (I can) to neutralize a single “I can’t.
Strive to be Unique! - 11 April 2010
Imagine what this world would be like if everyone had the opportunity to be encouraged to be a unique human being that we potentially are able to become. Unfortunately, “our life teachers” are usually more interested in teaching and moulding us to become replicas of them, to an extent that we are able to “parrot” them. In this way, the teacher feels that he has succeeded and we are brainwashed to believing that we have “arrived”!
I would like to share the following story of “The animal school” with you, in order to shed some light on the importance of uniqueness.
“A rabbit, bird, fish, squirrel, duck, and so on, all decided to start a school. Everybody sat down to write a curriculum. The rabbit insisted that running had to be in the curriculum. The bird insisted that flying be in the curriculum. The fish insisted that swimming be in the curriculum. The squirrel insisted perpendicular tree climbing be in the curriculum. All the other animals wanted their specialty to be in the curriculum too, so they put everything in and then made the glorious mistake of insisting that all the animals take all of the courses.
The rabbit was magnificent in running; nobody could run like the rabbit. But the curriculum committee insisted that it was good intellectual and emotional discipline to teach the rabbit flying. So they insisted that the rabbit learn to fly, as they put him on this branch and said, “Fly, rabbit!” The poor thing jumped off, broke a leg and fractured his skull. He became brain damaged and then could not run very well, either. So instead of an A in running, he got a C in running. And he got a D in flying because he was trying. And so the curriculum committee was happy.
The same lesson of teaching was applied with the bird- he could fly like a freak all over the place, do loops and loops, and he was making an A, but they insisted that he should burrow holes in the ground like a mole. Of course he broke his wings and his beak and everything else and then he could not fly. But they were perfectly happy to give him a C in flying, and so on.
At the end of the graduation the Valedictorian was presented to a retarded eel, because he could do almost everything fairly well.
The wise owl dropped out and now votes “no” on all tax elections that have to do with schools!”
Is it not ridiculous, that you may be a genius, or one of the greatest writers in the world, but that you cannot get into a university unless you pass trigonometry? For what?!? You can’t get your Senior School Matriculation certificate without passing this and that! Look at a list of dropouts: William Faulkner, John F. Kennedy, Thomas Edison, to mention a few. They couldn’t face the traditional school of learning!
How long does it take the student to realize that what the teacher is really saying is “To pass, I want you to reproduce what I am and do”?
R.D.Laing says, “We are satisfied when we’ve made people like ourselves out of our children: frustrated, sick, blind, deaf, but with high I.Q’s”
As individuals we must not be satisfied with just becoming like everyone else. We must fight the system and become unique as we walk in love and truth. Don’t be afraid, but rather embrace your uniqueness and become satisfied with becoming yourself.
* * * * * * * * * *
A Dream
28 March 2010
It’s vital for everyone to have “a Dream”… or two. To have a dream, gives one’s action, direction.
So begin by defining what it is that you really want, and what you want to get out of achieving your dream. Then make sure to form a clear image in your mind of that particular dream that you want to achieve. Believe it to be real by playing the part as if your dream has already materialized!
Remember that setbacks are really “set-ups for a come-back”, therefore do not become disheartened but rather let your mind remember, that everything that happens is there to teach you and help you grow into your dream.
It takes 17 yes’s (I can) to neutralize a single “I can’t.
I would like to share the following story of “The animal school” with you, in order to shed some light on the importance of uniqueness.
“A rabbit, bird, fish, squirrel, duck, and so on, all decided to start a school. Everybody sat down to write a curriculum. The rabbit insisted that running had to be in the curriculum. The bird insisted that flying be in the curriculum. The fish insisted that swimming be in the curriculum. The squirrel insisted perpendicular tree climbing be in the curriculum. All the other animals wanted their specialty to be in the curriculum too, so they put everything in and then made the glorious mistake of insisting that all the animals take all of the courses.
The rabbit was magnificent in running; nobody could run like the rabbit. But the curriculum committee insisted that it was good intellectual and emotional discipline to teach the rabbit flying. So they insisted that the rabbit learn to fly, as they put him on this branch and said, “Fly, rabbit!” The poor thing jumped off, broke a leg and fractured his skull. He became brain damaged and then could not run very well, either. So instead of an A in running, he got a C in running. And he got a D in flying because he was trying. And so the curriculum committee was happy.
The same lesson of teaching was applied with the bird- he could fly like a freak all over the place, do loops and loops, and he was making an A, but they insisted that he should burrow holes in the ground like a mole. Of course he broke his wings and his beak and everything else and then he could not fly. But they were perfectly happy to give him a C in flying, and so on.
At the end of the graduation the Valedictorian was presented to a retarded eel, because he could do almost everything fairly well.
The wise owl dropped out and now votes “no” on all tax elections that have to do with schools!”
Is it not ridiculous, that you may be a genius, or one of the greatest writers in the world, but that you cannot get into a university unless you pass trigonometry? For what?!? You can’t get your Senior School Matriculation certificate without passing this and that! Look at a list of dropouts: William Faulkner, John F. Kennedy, Thomas Edison, to mention a few. They couldn’t face the traditional school of learning!
How long does it take the student to realize that what the teacher is really saying is “To pass, I want you to reproduce what I am and do”?
R.D.Laing says, “We are satisfied when we’ve made people like ourselves out of our children: frustrated, sick, blind, deaf, but with high I.Q’s”
As individuals we must not be satisfied with just becoming like everyone else. We must fight the system and become unique as we walk in love and truth. Don’t be afraid, but rather embrace your uniqueness and become satisfied with becoming yourself.
* * * * * * * * * *
A Dream
28 March 2010
It’s vital for everyone to have “a Dream”… or two. To have a dream, gives one’s action, direction.
So begin by defining what it is that you really want, and what you want to get out of achieving your dream. Then make sure to form a clear image in your mind of that particular dream that you want to achieve. Believe it to be real by playing the part as if your dream has already materialized!
Remember that setbacks are really “set-ups for a come-back”, therefore do not become disheartened but rather let your mind remember, that everything that happens is there to teach you and help you grow into your dream.
It takes 17 yes’s (I can) to neutralize a single “I can’t.
Cosmic Support
The path that speeds us toward our dreams can be quite a challenging one at times, and often very complex, so it quite natural that we easily become bogged down in confusion and insecurities, and often want to give up before we have really started.
Why is it that we so often hesitate at the start of a new path and question our purpose or our capabilities, when we should be moving forward joyously and eager to discover what our destiny has in store for us? Is it that we fear failure, or that we fear that our success will become more than we can handle? Either way, we should put aside the fear that causes us to doubt all, and allow the universe to carry out its plans for us, which include the quests we chose before our birth and the goals that we formulated in adulthood.
Our part of the deal is to work diligently to fulfill our potential and accomplish our missions, as we accept that the universe is watching over us, and believe that it will facilitate our eventual success. By doing so, the universe will then provide us with the assistance and opportunities that enable us to make significant progress on our journeys of ambition.
It is important that during our journey we always remember, “Nothing happens without purpose!”
In saying this, we need to understand that whether, we attract success or repel it, depends on our willingness to stay open to a wide range of possibilities and to embrace concepts like synchronicity. The universe is always ready to care for our needs, but we must not write off its loving attention as mere circumstance or chance.
Likewise, we must endeavor to ensure that our egos do not become a barrier that prevents us from recognizing that even perceived mistakes and strife can be profound lessons that smooth the progress of personal evolution. When we understand that we only need to enthusiastically try our best to realize our objectives, the universe will take care of the details, propelling us forward in its unstoppable current. We may not always immediately understand the significance of certain experiences, but our trust will help us choose wisely at each crossroads.
The universe wants to see you accomplish your goals. No matter how many times you have hesitated and put things off, it will always be there to put its plan for you in motion at the first sign of your faith.
The universe will provide you with guidance and, if you heed that guidance, you will find your formerly stressful quest for success will become a journey of great joy. Keep in mind always that The Universe has a Support Plan for You.
Why is it that we so often hesitate at the start of a new path and question our purpose or our capabilities, when we should be moving forward joyously and eager to discover what our destiny has in store for us? Is it that we fear failure, or that we fear that our success will become more than we can handle? Either way, we should put aside the fear that causes us to doubt all, and allow the universe to carry out its plans for us, which include the quests we chose before our birth and the goals that we formulated in adulthood.
Our part of the deal is to work diligently to fulfill our potential and accomplish our missions, as we accept that the universe is watching over us, and believe that it will facilitate our eventual success. By doing so, the universe will then provide us with the assistance and opportunities that enable us to make significant progress on our journeys of ambition.
It is important that during our journey we always remember, “Nothing happens without purpose!”
In saying this, we need to understand that whether, we attract success or repel it, depends on our willingness to stay open to a wide range of possibilities and to embrace concepts like synchronicity. The universe is always ready to care for our needs, but we must not write off its loving attention as mere circumstance or chance.
Likewise, we must endeavor to ensure that our egos do not become a barrier that prevents us from recognizing that even perceived mistakes and strife can be profound lessons that smooth the progress of personal evolution. When we understand that we only need to enthusiastically try our best to realize our objectives, the universe will take care of the details, propelling us forward in its unstoppable current. We may not always immediately understand the significance of certain experiences, but our trust will help us choose wisely at each crossroads.
The universe wants to see you accomplish your goals. No matter how many times you have hesitated and put things off, it will always be there to put its plan for you in motion at the first sign of your faith.
The universe will provide you with guidance and, if you heed that guidance, you will find your formerly stressful quest for success will become a journey of great joy. Keep in mind always that The Universe has a Support Plan for You.
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