Thoughts to Live By

Thou shalt not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all human activities.

Thou shalt not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come to pass.

Thou shalt not cross bridges before you get to them, for no one yet has succeeded in accomplishing this.

Thou shalt face each problem as it comes. You can handle only one at a time anyway.

Thou shalt not take problems to bed with you for they make very poor bedfellows.

Thou shalt not borrow other people's problems. They can take better care of them than you can.

Thou shalt not try to relive yesterday for good or ill — it is gone. Concentrate on what is happening in your life today.

Thou shalt count thy blessings, never overlooking the small ones, for a lot of small blessings add up to a big one.

Thou shalt be a good listener, for only when you listen do you hear ideas different from your own. It is very hard to learn something new when you are talking.

Thou shalt not become bogged down by frustration, for 90 percent of it is rooted in self-pity, and it will only interfere with positive action.

I love this list and this is why I am posting it. However, I wonder if lists like this ever helped anyone change that which was not working? I think for real change to take place, we need to grab one thing, just one thing at a time, and change our minds about it. Once we think about it differently, we experience it differently and real change has begun. Yes, and sometimes we need someone to help us with learning to change our minds and think about things differently.

Presence

What in Zen is called Satori is a moment of Presence, a brief stepping out of the voice in your head, the thought processes, and their reflection in the body as emotion. It is the arising of inner spaciousness where before there was the clutter of thought and the turmoil of emotion.

If there is awareness in you, you will be able to recognize the voice in your head for what it is: an old thought, conditioned by the past. If there is awareness in you, you no longer need to believe in every thought you think. It's an old thought, no more.

Awareness means Presence, and only Presence can dissolve the unconscious past in you. (Eckhart Tolle)

Enjoy What You Are Doing

Expansion and positive change on the outer level is much more likely to come into your life if you can enjoy what you are doing already, instead of waiting for some change so that you can start enjoying what you do.

When you make the present moment, instead of past and future, the focal point of your life, your ability to enjoy what you do....and with it the quality of your life...increases dramatically.
(Eckhart Tolle)


Each of us has to find for ourselves a way, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem to us, to accept the present moment. We need to look for that "click" experience. For me it was stumbling across a definition of "acceptance". I had struggled with not being able to accept certain things, no matter how hard I tried. The beginning of freedom came in the discovery that this is o.k. .......If you cannot accept, then accept that you cannot accept. Forcing anything only brings resistance.

Taking Responsibility

Whatever you cannot enjoy doing, you can at least accept that this is what you have to do. Acceptance means: For now, this is what this situation, this moment requires me to do, and so I do it willingly.

If you can neither enjoy not bring acceptance to what you do.....stop. Otherwise, you are not taking responsibility for the only thing you can really take responsibility for, which also happens to be the one thing that really matters: your state of consciousness. And if you are not taking responsibility for your state on consciousness, you are not taking responsibility for life.
Eckhart Tolle

Creating Change

It's that time again ...have you made your New Year's Resolutions? Or are you like many well-intentioned people who have decided it's a losing battle and not worth the aggravation?

New Year's Resolutions are always filled with good intentions and hope for a better life this year than we had last year. But what happens when February rolls around and our good intentions have become a source of frustration and self-recrimination? There are many reasons why resolutions don't stick. See if any of these feel familiar:

• Too big or too unrealistic; they create a sense of "Overwhelm-Induced Inertia."
• Floating Resolutions; they're not attached to your vision.
• Externally motivated; they're what someone else thinks you should do or want.
• There's no detailed plan or strategy to reach them, they're all talk and no action; or your plan is too broad and not specific enough. Lack of motivation or follow-through.
• Too rigid or absolute.

If you want to create positive change in your life, here are some strategies to help you increase your chances for success:

1. Choose a resolution that feels manageable, yet still challenges you.
2. Be sure your resolution or goal is clearly attached to your vision; achieving it will take you toward your vision rather than away from it.
3. Be clear that your resolution is something YOU want.
4. Have a plan that not only defines the major steps over time, but also the small, individual action steps you can take on a daily basis.
5. Create some system of accountability; enlist the help of a Buddy who is as motivated as you are.
6. As you work your plan, allow the process to evolve and be refined. (Laurie Cameron)

Wisdom of Not Knowing

There are many types of wisdom....from intellectual to emotional to physical intelligence. Yet, even deemed experts in their fields do not know all there is to know.

There is wisdom in not knowing. It is a true master who professes ignorance, for only an empty vessel can be filled. When we can admit that we don't know something, we can then open ourselves up to the opportunity to learn. We can then discover what lies beyond our current levels of understanding. There is real power in that.
(based on the Daily OM)

Recipe for The New Year

1. Take a 10 to 30 minute walk every day, and while you walk, smile.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
3. When you wake in the morning complete the following "My purpose is to ............to day. I am
thankful for ........................
4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants, and eat less food that is manufactured.
5. Drink plenty of water and green tea. Eat blueberries, wild salmon, broccoli, and almonds.
6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
7. Don't waste energy on gossip, energy vampires, the past, negative thoughts, or things you
cannot control.
8. Eat breakfast
9. Remember that though life may not be fair, it is still good.
10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
11. Don't take yourself so seriously.
12. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
13. Make peace with the past so it won't spoil the present.
14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is about.
15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
16. Regarding each so-called disaster, ask yourself "In five years, will this really matter?"
17. Forgive everyone for everything.
18. What other people think of you is none of your business.
19. God heals everything, but you have to ask.
20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
23. Each night complete the following. "I am thankful for........Today I accomplished.............
24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
25. When you are feeling down, list your many blessings.