THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Are You A Virtuous Person, and How Can You Tell?

Are you a virtuous person, and how can you tell?  And let me say right now, there are no religious connotations attached to this question!

We all know or have heard people say "I'm a good person", "I'm a nice person", "I'm a great guy", "I'm a Christian" ( I assume it implies a good person), etc. You probably say the same thing yourself. 

I have never understood people's need to make such statements.

Words are very powerful things you know and I have always been very conscious of them and how they are used. How can people be unaware of this? 

There is no way I would not make statements like these because while I do not know what people mean when they say them, I know what they imply and no way would I lock myself into such a box. That is an extremely difficult road to hoe!

Words set off a vibration clear across the ether and because of that, the saying "Your word is your bond" is quite accurate.

Do you walk the talk?  Do you walk the talk and are you man enough and woman enough to answer truthfully in your secret heart of hearts?

My concern here is the hypocrisy and judgement which seem to automatically accompany these self-serving statements.

Our problem is that we do not think enough; and when we habitually and unconsciously form opinions (usually negative) about others based on what they say or how they act which is not in conformity with what we are accustomed to, what does that reveal about each and everyone of us; not very much at all.

The so-called truth lies between black and white. This is why nothing is ever what it seems; seeing is not believing as Bill Cosby once said; and truth and facts are definitely not the same. James Allen, whose words inspired this post, in As A Man Thinketh says:

It is pleasing to human vanity to believe that one suffers because of one's virtue. But not until a man has extirpated every sickly, bitter, and impure thought from his mind, and washed every sinful stain from his soul, can he be in a position to know and declare that his sufferings are the result of his good, and not of his bad qualities.

And on the way to that supreme perfection, he will have found working in his mind and life, the Great law which is absolutely just, and which cannot give good for evil, evil for good.

Possessed of such knowledge, he will then know, looking back upon his past ignorance and blindness, that his life is, and always was, justly ordered, and that all his past experiences, good and bad, were the equitable outworking of his evolving, yet unevolved self. 

Do you believe you are a virtuous person, and why is that? Let me know.

»»  read more

THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Maintain An Attitude of Serenity

Maintain an attitude of serenity is my horoscope message which while accurate is just as applicable to everyone else. 

As I know from experience, strong feelings blind us and when we "lose it", it is usually at the most inappropriate times when we needed to be more in control of ourselves.

Experiencing your emotions, without allowing them to dictate your behavior, can help you maintain an attitude of serenity in almost any situation.

Our emotions have a powerful influence on how we behave toward ourselves and others. Reign in your emotional reactivity and allow your logical mind to assert itself during challenging times helps you focus on the issue at hand rather than how that issue makes you feel.

Your thoughts will then remain clear and unaffected by your strong feelings, so that you can judge and respond to your circumstances fairly and in a more detached manner.

When you learn to feel your emotions without being swayed by them today, your calm will be unbreakable.

Do you agree with me, and what's been your experience when things haven't gone well for you? Do share.

»»  read more

Take A Little Time Each Day To Commune With Nature Unfolding

It is essential that you take a little time each day to commune with nature unfolding around you. Not only is it everyday spirituality, it is also a vital reconnection in the most natural of ways.

The line below from Anne Naylor's article Best Practices for Healing and Good Health reminded me of how important it is, along with a simple meditation technique I learned years ago from one of Deepak Chopra's books.

Take a little time each day to awaken to the beauty and joy in you by choosing to focus on the beauty in the world around you: nature unfolding its colours and fresh growth in spring; infants discovering and exploring their surroundings; wise smiles in old eyes. ~Anne Naylor


Anne's article offers such simple and effective ways of healing and of maintaining good health. It is all about you loving and respecting who you are and accepting where you are right now. Everything flows from this natural state and you can only move forward from there.

Changes

Because as you change your circumstances will change as well. I have lived it so I know how exquisitely painful the metamorphisis can be and believe it or not, it is something to look forward to!  

It took me some time to get here, from 2008 and all of 2009, and I can say for sure that change happens when you are ready and not one moment before. You might not think so when it "hits" but you are.

Once you decide (consciously or subconsciously), the changes begin immediately on the inside and only manifest outwardly in the final stages. 

Nothing will seem right at the time because you and your ego are completely destabilized and in resistance mode. Acceptance is the last step.

At the end of the process, you will look back in wonder at the stranger you left behind.

And when you come out on the other side, congratulate yourself and say this is how much I love myself !

The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love. ~Hubert H. Humphrey

Love, Forgiveness and Healing

Love and forgiveness are essential components in healing yourself and that is why you need to take a little time each day to commune with nature unfolding. It is a grounding and a resource which fills you up and restores your energy. 
 

One, we are all part of the great cosmic mind and therefore we are all connected,
 

Two, healing comes with acceptance and forgiveness and that spells L.O.V.E. and,

Three, we are also connected to every thing around us.

It is high time that you forgive and forget and surrender to love as I did, and know this, true love is cosmic love. Forget about the big and small annoyances; as I am learning they fade away when you focus on something else.

Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Visualisation Technique

And here I segue into the visualisation technique I learned from one of Mr Chopra's books to awaken and reconnect you to nature unfolding and restore your energetic balance.

1 - Create some quiet time for yourself in a calm space that is yours.

2 - Time yourself if you wish.

3 - Sit down or lie down and position yourself where you are facing Mother Nature's representative; either a plant, a live flower or a tree outside.

If you can do this outside in natural surroundings that is even better.

4 - Take a few deep breaths and relax.

5 - Focus on the plant leaf, the tree's new buds or the flower and examine it closely as if you are seeing it for the first time (because you are).

6 - Relax and let your vision expand. 

7 - You will either come out of this state naturally or your alarm will sound.

8 - After your "rest", you will feel light, refreshed and energetic. Write down what you observed, if anything, during your time-out.

9 - This works because you were "being" instead of "doing". It is a great resource to have.

In his book (don't remember which one, sorry :-), Deepak Chopra says this can be done with your sense of touch, hearing and smell as well. If your olfactory senses are as sensitive as mine, proceed with caution.

I once got my nostrils full of a very stink man on the other side of Fifth Avenue in New York City. That put paid to my practise then and there!

Briefly, to identify all the sounds, you sit down anywhere and try identify what you hear. There are more than you think and once you filter out the obvious noises, you enter a completely new world. Same goes for your sense of touch.

Practise expanding your senses; it changes your perspective and reconnects you with what is happening around you on another level. Keep at it.

The End
I will end as I began, take a little time to commune with nature unfolding. It is good for you and the rest of us because we are all inter-connected and it is great for Mother Earth.

 Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

»»  read more

THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Become The Master of Your Thoughts and Control Your Life; It's Time to Sing Your Own Song

My thought for today comes from James Allen's As Man Thinketh - it's a small book but my goodness it's just WOW - on how to become the master of your thoughts and control your life.

When you take charge, you change your life;
It is that simple.

Do you believe you are the master of your life or are your subconscious thoughts ruling you, and how would you even know?

Clarity of vision and purpose can only be gained when you assume 100 percent responsibility for who you are and what you do.

It is all about you. Everything you are living right now is the result of righteous thoughts or negative thinking; and just so you know, limited thinking is negative thinking and it keeps you chained to the bottom of the ladder. 

James Allen's words encapsulates everything you need to know on how to be your authentic self.

As a being of Power, Intelligence, and Love, and the lord of his own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation, and contains within himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which he makes himself what he wills.

Man is always the master, even in his weakest and most abandoned state; but in his weakness and degradation he is the foolish master who misgoverns his "household".

When he begins to reflect upon his condition, and to search diligently for the Law upon which his being is established, he then becomes the wise master, directing his energies with intelligence, and fashioning his thoughts to fruitful issues.

Such is the conscious master, and man can only thus become by discovering within himself the laws of thought; which discovery is totally a matter of application, self-analysis, and experience.

Only by much searching and mining are gold and diamonds obtained, and man can find every truth to connect with his being if he will dig deep into the mine of his soul.

And that he is the maker of his character, the molder of his life, and the builder of his destiny, he may unerringly prove:

if he will watch, control, and alter his thoughts, tracing their effects upon himself, upon others, and upon his life and circumstances;

if he will link cause and effect by patient practice and investigation, utilizing his every experience, even to the most trivial, as a means of obtaining that knowledge of himself.

In this direction, as in no other, is the Law absolute that "he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened"; for only patience, practice and ceaseless importunity can a man enter the Door of the Temple of Knowledge.

Doesn't that blow your breath away?! Read these words, then read them again, and again, to absorb every nuance, every syllable, every drop of meaning. Sip them, savour them, make a true meal of them. This is food for the mind.

The Forgotten Laws

The laws James Allen refers to are the 11 Forgotten Laws of the Universe: ~ the law of supply (and demand) ~ the law of thinking (you are what you think) ~ the law of compensation (you're paid what you're worth) ~ law of attraction (you get what you vibrate) ~ law of increase ~ law of non-resistance (let go and let God) ~ law of forgiveness ~ law of sacrifice ~ law of obedience ~ law of success ~ law of receiving.

Sign up for Bob Proctor's and Mary Morrissey's free 7-part video series on these 11 forgotten laws.
It is time people, it is time to become the master of your thoughts and your life. It is time to sing your own song. Get started!

»»  read more

10 Suggestions To Make Earth Day Time-Less: Earth Day is Every Day

While Earth Day is the 22 April of each and every year we cannot leave it at that because in truth and in fact, Earth Day is every day. 

Our activities have to be time-less so that they are continually evolving, viable, impactful and useful and evergreening our planet in the years to come.

Saving Mother Earth is an ongoing process - it never stops until we all get it!  In this vein, here are my 10 suggestions to make Earth Day timeless.

1 - Rachel Erdstein of Ann Arbor dot com suggests books for the young and not so young to increase environmental awareness like "City Green" by Dyanne DiSalvo Ryan, "Where Once there was a Wood" by Denise Fleming and "The Salamander Room" by Anne Mazer.

Or books by Carl Hiaasan - "Hoot," "Scat" and "Flush," and books by Lauren St. John - "The White Giraffe" and "Dolphin Song" are thrilling and mysterious adventures in which environmental issues and wildlife conservation are in the forefront. And those are just a few of her suggestions.

2 - Envirolink provides an Organizer's Guide for social and environmentally sustainable activities in the home, school and community, and what's great is that they also provide contact information for the various groups, companies and organisations with whom you can connect. 

Their ideas are practical for adults and includes children of all ages such cleaning up garages, lakes, rivers etc., petitioning your local politician, using paper bags on Earth Day, organising food fairs with local or area organic farmers; schools and communities can organise an Earth Day Pledge, and so on. Wonderful!

3 - Kaboose dot com proposes activities such as crafts, environmental games and recycling activities aimed at the kids from creating crafts from nature, go green checklist for the home, best organic foods, creating tree and animal pictures, and special games for Earth Day, cleaning the home with only green products. Lovely stuff and by the way, the crafts can be gift items for the holidays.

4 - AboutMyPlanet's Daily Green Tips Gloria Campos has 22 suggestions from creating a compost heap, cleaning out your house and having a garage sale, planting a tree, to replacing light bulbs with energy efficient ones.

5 - FamilyCraft Earth Day Craft Projects provides clear instructions for the kids on how to create specific crafts for Earth Day - offer them as holiday gifts - and save money on gift shopping!

6 - The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide offers 10 tips for Earth Day. Buy organic food, eat more veggies, educate yourself about the planet and what you can do for it from "green" websites, advocate for the serving of locally grown foods in our favourite restaurants. For instance, garlic from China is unacceptable.

7 - EarthDay Canada provides 10 whopping great ideas which have immediate and long-lasting effects and are sustainable. Wash a full load of clothing in cold water and air dry (where you can),  take short showers instead of baths, close the tap when brushing your teeth, and so on.

8 - ApplesForTheTeacher provides numerous suggestions for parents and teachers activities which would help the environment such as go green by giving to charity, a family chores day, composting 101, tips for a family garden, eco-friendly cleaning products, etc.

9 - My own suggestion is to thank Mother Earth for your meals every time you sit down to eat and teach it to the children. I learned the following from a shaman a few years ago and it sets up a powerful energy that is worth cultivating. It goes like this:

Thank you Mother Earth for this meal. It nourishes my body to perfection. Whatever my body cannot absorb is gently and efficiently eliminated.

10- Inform yourself on the issues you are concerned about and don't take anyone's word for it. The internet contains a lot of factual information but also a lot of garbage.

However, most official documents, science papers, journals, magazines like National Geographic which contain facts and viewpoints are in the public domain so there's no reason to not support your favourite cause. Stand up, and get your kids and your community involved.

To this end, here are a few informative articles and videos:

• Alison-Rose Levy's (beautiful name!) To Detox Our Bodies, Detox Our World
• John Kerry's The Power of Earth Day
• The Oceans - 9 Reasons Why Blue is the New Green
• Segourney Weaver's Protecting Our Oceans
• Oprah's Earth Day Special (video) Dolphin Slaughter
• 7 of the Most Intelligent Ocean Animals (video)
• Julie Packard's For Earth Day: A Simple Step to Save the Oceans

Enjoy, participate, activate, in your own unique way to protect this blue Earth - we are the envy of all - and make Earth Day Time-less.

How do you contribute to create a sustainable, eco-friendly environment in your home, workspace or community?

»»  read more

GOOD NEWS (Success): The Education We Really Need To Be Successful

We all know that education is the key to the future but there's education (book sense as they say in the Caribbean) and life education (smarts or common sense - Caribbean speak).

So why are schools systems failing the children? To be successful you need an education but what kind exactly; it has to set us all on the right path because we never stop learning.

You do not close the books once you leave school!

Here are two of my favourite teachers and Elizabeth Gilbert to talk with you about the kind of education we really need to be successful. Enjoy!

Coach John Wooden on True Success

Ken Robinson says Schools Kill Creativity

Elizabeth Gilbert on Nurturing Creativity

»»  read more

GOOD NEWS (India): Plant An Idea In The Children and Watch It Grow

We hear, see and read about too much bad news and it's heart-rending where children are concerned. Bad news has taken over to such an extent that it's almost all that people talk about these days. 



This attitude is like an endemic disease; we only expect to hear about or see negativity news especially when developing countries are the "brew" of the day.  I intend to change this in my own small way.

There are those willing to share their own particular talent but they become overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the problem when trying to figure out where they should start.

This attitude must change because low energy people do not make things happen! Therefore, I am starting a Good News posting on weekends which might extend into the week once in a while.

Here are two women who stepped up to the challenge to demonstrate their ideas and inspiration in action - in TedTalks - on how to plant an idea in the children and watch it grow. Watch, listen, learn and be inspired.

And if they don't light that spark within you, I don't know what will!

Kiran Bir Sethi teaches kids to take charge

Shukla Bose: Teaching one child at a time

»»  read more

Stop Bullying Yourself and Beating Yourself Up

The experts have written reams on the topic and others are in the process of writing more on how to stop bullying yourself and beating yourself up.

However, Dr Cara Barker's wonderful post Calling Back Your Spirit: Taking The 21 Day Challenge to Stop Bullying about bullying deserves to be shared as it is heartfelt, insightful, thought-provoking and most importantly, provides practical advice on steps you can take to create a better world for yourself and those around you.

She talks about the different ways bullying occurs today from the schoolgirl who hung herself to political bullying, terrorist acts being carried out by so-called Christians and patriots, and the like, and offers her view that: 

...when cruelty comes to the fore; our focus seems to dwell on punishment, rather than sourcing prevention.



Our kids are suffering in exponential ways. Legal reform is hardly the only reform needed. Looking only in that direction focuses upon the "letter of the law," rather than the 'Spirit of the Law.' In this case, I'm talking about the "Law" as that inner Truth that sets you free, regardless the slings and arrows. When bullies bully, they do so because they are in fear of not being "enough," not being "heard, understood, and seen." They are coming from lack. Aligning themselves with mobs, be it in a high school, a terrorist group, or a government, gets down to the same thing.

Cara offers nine tips to help you "call back your spirit" and help your kids at the same time such as:

• listen to your children
• pay attention to the kids in your "village" who seem left out, alone or upset and let them know you care; it only takes a "are you okay" or a genuine smile to let them know they matter 
• set an unbreakable appointment with yourself every day to reconnect with your Inner Spirit
• do it at the same time every day to create a habit
• create beauty in your space where you reconnect
• take a class on meditation (she also suggests a practical book on the subject - read the article) 
• unplug the phone when you're "in conference"
• forgive yourself when you become aware that you're bullying yourself
• trust that taking the timeout benefits those you love  

The Challenge works like this: whenever you notice that you're criticising yourself, pause, stay with the thought and practise the following statements:

• I forgive myself for bullying myself with the thought............... (you fill it in)

• I praise and raise my best self, noticing that what I appreciate about me right now is ........ (fill it in).
  

Take her up on the 21 Day Challenge (tip no. 9 - see bottom of the article) to praise yourself, raise yourself, forgive and appreciate yourself instead of bullying yourself and beating yourself up. It is a useless exercise in self-flagellation and serves no one, not even you, as I have learned!

»»  read more

Thought For Today: Is Offering Gratitude Mandatory?

Gratitude is my thought for today in spite of the five previous posts I have written about it. It is still an engaging topic and a very touchy issue with some people. 

When do-gooders or "know-it-alls" as I have just been accused of being preach at you, who the hell wants to hear them. It's irritating, "makes" you feel angry (some guilt there perhaps, unwarranted but there all the same) and puts you on the defensive which is worse sometimes.

Should we be grateful?

There are numerous things that we have to do in life but is offering gratitude mandatory; and why should we? There's no law that says one has to offer gratitude, is there?

For myself, I thank the Universe for waking up every bless-ed day as soon as I realise that my eyes are open in the morning. And sometimes, I list ten things I'm grateful for to start my day on the right footing and sometimes, I don't.

However, when I repeat my affirmations they usually put me in such a good mood that I end up creating a mental gratitude list and the day hasn't started yet! 

At the end, I am pumped and I feel great; yes, there's a 'but' coming... but I don't always feel like saying my affirmations or being grateful.

Giving meditation a pass

When I'm dumping on myself because it's too hard to resist sometimes - and I kind of enjoy it - I give morning meditation a pass.

But because it seems to fulfill a need in me and when I give it a pass in the morning, at an odd time during the day I end up abruptly stopping whatever I'm doing and taking a  twenty-minute break. After that, I feel like me again; whatever that means.

So, it just goes to show that there's more than one way of connecting with the universal spirit. So don't let the "shoulds" and "have tos" and "musts" get to you.

You do have a choice. No one can make you feel what you don't want to feel. The only person who can influence your thoughts and behaviour is you! And that is applicable every sphere of your life.

Keeping a gratitude journal

That said, keeping a gratitude journal and completing it every night with ten things you're grateful is a good habit to develop. It calls forth more of what you want from the Universe. Here's what DailyOM says about gratitude:

The gratitude you receive when you touch someone’s life in a positive way can be a beautiful gift. When you’re on the receiving end of someone’s thankfulness, it becomes easy to see that you have the power to be a force for constructive change.

Gratitude can make you more optimistic because your actions are proof that there is always the possibility that something good is right around the corner. And when you’re feeling down, the appreciation you receive when helping others can lift your spirits.

It can also go a long way in demonstrating to you that you can be a valuable asset to others through your efforts. When you help others today, the gratitude you receive will touch your heart and enrich you.

And my answer is a resounding YES to the question "Is offering gratitude mandatory?" because it is an affirming act.

It is an acknowledgement that some things are going right in your life and so, it keeps your light shining at the "window" to encourage the Universe to bring you more of the good stuff. 

Who agrees with me? Do you disagree with me? Tell me why.

»»  read more

How Do You Know If You Have Integrity? You Either Have It or You Don't

So, how do you know if you have integrity? Because it's either you've got it or you don't and the integrity I'm talking about here is about you having integrity for yourself.


Shakespeare's quote is rather appropriate here:

If it be a sin to covet honor, I am the most offending soul

As this post today is related to James M Lynch's The Hamlet Secret: A Self-Directed (Shakespearean) Workbook for Living a Passionate, Joy-Filled Life and the chapter on Integrity.

I'm slowly working through the workbook and doing all the exercises as I go along and some catch my attention more than others.

Integrity is one of them. And that's because I never considered that being true to my word to myself was part of it. For me, keeping my word to others is sacred which is why I avoid promising anything to others unless I know I will do it.

And when I don't feel like it because... I just grit my teeth and get it done (most times).

In my youth it drove me crazy and make me very angry that people around me rarely did what they said they would do. They broke their word with impunity, like "hey, what's the big deal"! That's why I'm very careful now to whom I give my word.

And sometimes I fail spectacularly when the little me comes out, sort of six centimetres (two inches) high, if you get my drift; it's when I act small.


To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.  Shakespeare


What is Integrity

James says "Integrity is simply doing what you said you would do by when you said you would do it. Integrity is not a moral stance from which you judge someone else."

And as we all know, we are guilty of judging others regardless of how we would prefer to think about ourselves.

James says that the answer to every question is a "yes" or a "no". Anything that follows the word because is a lie. Keep it simple, stupid (KISS). Shockingly blunt isn't he but after thinking about it and reviewing my actions in this light, he's correct.

Think about this - don't you feel crummy when you don't keep your word - to yourself or someone else. You do, don't you; and that's why you feel defensive and get angry (at yourself and others).

Lying is a fact of daily life: from the excuses we invent not to do something because we don't want to (even when it's on-the-job), don't feel like it, don't know how to do it and can't admit it. Because most people are unaware that they have to power to react differently. Awareness is the key.

 I had rather do and not promise than promise and not do.  Arthur Warwick 
 

The Challenge

James goes on to say "To be truly free and in the flow of passionate life, whatever gets in the way of you keeping your word has to be exposed. If you don't do what you said you are out of integrity." 

And therein lies the challenge of being what I call an integral person - a complete person.

You have to keep your word on the big things - they matter - and leaving your comfort zone and taking a risk (as James ) is part of the process. Despite feeling vulnerable and exposed, you perform and keep your word.


If you have integrity, nothing else matters. Alan Simpson

The Choice (Evolve and Grow)
 

As scary sounding as it is, your word really is your bond.

Is there really a choice then? If your goal and stated intention is to evolve and grow and assume the mantle of the magnificent, abundant human being that you are, how could you possibly achieve it without integrity; the bedrock of your character.

Whenever I find myself in new and unfamiliar situations where I have to feel my way around, as is presently the case, I always ask myself is there any other choice but to take the risk of going forward? Of course not!

Final Thoughts

This is just a taste of James M Lynch's fabulous Workbook for living a passionate joyful life. Consider it another step on your road to self actualization and get it. It's wonderfully incisive, frank and thought-provoking.

For me, the workbook is all about self-love. Either you love yourself enough to be authentic and live your truth or you don't. As he said, it's either "yes" or "no".



If you can not find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?  Ralph Waldo Emerson
















-----------

»»  read more

Thought for Today: Think Twice Before You Speak Once

It doesn't get any clearer than this does it - and I have never heard or seen it stated like this before -think twice before you speak once.

My thought for today is an admonishment taken from Napoleon Hill Foundation and deserves sharing, and a lot of reflection.


Wise persons are those who think twice before speaking once


Perhaps the greatest quality in a leader and the most valuable skill in building relationships is the ability to think before you speak. If you have a tendency to speak hastily in anger and regret your actions at leisure, the childhood admonition to count to ten before speaking will still serve you well.
 
When you pause - if only for a moment-to consider the consequences, you may think better of what you were about to say. And if you must speak strongly, it’s a good idea to sugarcoat the words-just in case you have to eat them later.

»»  read more

5 Ways To Rule Your World and Enjoy It

Here are some great posts from my favourite website Cyndi Krupp's Evolution Ezine. I have not ever read an article, listened to a programme or played the life games on her site that were anything but top notch quality and so damned effective.


It's all quality and living life authentically to your full potential and creating a better world for us all and to this end, she (Phil and Iain) offers wide-ranging tools and tips (some simple, some not) so that there is a starting point for everyone. Evolution Ezine is worth a visit or three!


So here are my 5 ways to rule your world and enjoy it (no megalomania here!) so go on and empower yourself. Take action today.


1 - How to attract money using mindpower with James Goi Jr

Yes, what the mind expects, it tends to receive. Think about that. Now, think about money and financial matters as they concern you. Specifically, think about what you’ve been expecting your short-term and long-term financial circumstances to be.

Now, ask yourself this pivotal question: Is what I’ve been expecting to come about regarding my finances what I want to bring about regarding my finances?


2 - Never give up on your dreams! with Saleen Rama - she is offering a free ebook which is pretty powerful stuff.

There is nothing more dear to the human soul than to follow a dream and nothing more tragic than giving up on your dream. I wrote this book to inspire you to never give up on your dreams. Never give in.


3 - Make your dreams come true - self hypnosis at it's best

This 16 minute MP3 recording (for $7) is designed to help you venture into your own heart – to actualize your Genuine Potential- and to step into the Life You Have Been Designed to Live.


4 - On the power of praise (video)

How do you react when someone thanks you for something or compliments you on a job well done, a courtesy you provided, a nice outfit, your perfume etc.? Does it make you uncomfortable? Are you quick to downplay your role in bringing more light into the world? Or are you able to take it in and appreciate who you are and what you bring to the table?


5 - Why gratitude? What you haven't been told with Apollo Pampallis

Gratitude is a state of Beingness. An Attitude. It is actually an abbreviation of ‘Great Attitude’/Gr(e)atitude. The Attitude of Greatness. Or, if we are to playfully Americanize it, it’s what makes the ‘Great I dude’:)


Evolution Friends Dot Com

Evolution Friends/Tell a Friend is not to be missed. Cyndi, Phil and Iain are giving away - free - 5 great gifts with an additional one thrown in if a person or persons you refer to Evolution Ezine. Check it out for complete details.

»»  read more

Thought for Today: How Do You Develop Empathy, Compassion, Loving Kindness? And Why Would You Want To?

This is not the post I intended to write - I focussed on empathy but it all changed right before my eyes as I was typing. So there must be a message here that needs sharing.


Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.  Scott Adams


However, this is not an exposé on the subject because an expert, I certainly am not. I do not know anything so I am in the same boat with you - just sharing my view for what it's worth on empathy, compassion and loving kindness.

So how do we develop these qualities which are naturally part of who we are as human beings? Do you normally express them and why would you want to?

Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion. The Dalai Lama

Compassion and loving kindness

About Dharma says Compassion is a mind that is motivated by cherishing other living beings and wishes to release them from their suffering.

I don't know about you but this statement alone tells me that I have a long way to go.

About Dharma also states "Although we already have some degree of compassion, at present it is very biased and limited. When our family and friends are suffering we easily develop compassion for them, but we find it far more difficult to feel sympathy for people we find unpleasant or for strangers."

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.  The Dalai Lama

It is precisely because of this separation - the us and them - that I am practising the value of compassion throughout 2010. It is quite challenging because I automatically switch off when I "read" certain people but I intend to persist.

Staying the compassionate course

Developing compassion takes work. We have to override our instincts, habits, cultural upbringing and social mores and kick them out the door when we realise they do more harm than good. Lotsa work right there!

My trick to stay on my compassionate course is to recognise that people's suffering (mostly self-inflicted) put them in a bad mood and I work diligently on "seeing" the being of light they truly are on the inside.

It does not mean accepting their crap but I can ignore it sometimes, walk away at other times or put up a shield to protect myself or just plain get pissed off.

Nevertheless, it is all about becoming aware of our connectedness with every living thing around us. Compassion is universal love.

Empathy

According to the UK Online encyclopaedia, empathy is the ability to understand the experience or emotional state of another person or animal.

It was an incestuous, feel-good time in the eighties and nineties - that blatant, overwhelming need to swim in each others emotions used to make me shudder in horror. Touchy-feely gives me the scratch!

This is where a lot of us encounter problems. People mistakenly believe or have been led to believe that they do not have it or are accused of being "cold" when they don't wear their hearts on the sleeves.

Why would you want to do that for every Tom, Dick, Jane, Harry and Nancy?

Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.  Peter Marshall

Developing empathy

I found this article which states that empathy is a learned skill. That is such rubbish. Human beings are naturally empathetic. 

It is a tiny percentage of the human race which has become warped through childhood circumstance and experiences and as a consequence, are emotionally crippled.

Remembering that we all share the same planet is one way to develop a greater sense of empathy.

When you can look at others and see fellow humans, their individual quirks, actions, and feelings become more accessible and understandable to you.

You become able to see the necessity for cooperative understanding as it relates to peacefully sharing and coexisting in a single living space. When you see people as a part of the planet’s community, sharing their concerns and recognizing their needs will begin to come naturally.

You may also be more driven to understand your peers as a matter of course. Keeping in mind the vast number of individuals who are your planetary neighbors today can help you relate to others more effectively. DailyOM

It is counter-productive to swim in another's negative emotions just to connect with them. That is extremely unhealthy, limiting, debilitating, very disempowering and self-defeating.

What you do want and what is natural, is to connect on an intuitive level with someone by putting yourself in their shoes, in order to understand their point of view and experience.

At the same time, you want to stay clear-eyed and focussed in order to hear what they are saying.

Develop intuition and active listening

Active listening

This is where active listening comes in.  Active listening means being present particularly when listening to another's pain. The noise inside you dies down and the person in front of you becomes your only focus.

It enables you to hear everything that is being said without judgement - that is real empathy. When you are an active listener, you are 100 percent present!

When you become an active listener, you can help in meaningful ways that go to the heart of the problems being encountered.

People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.  Bonnie Jean Wasmund

Develop your intuition

Develop your intuition and learn to express compassion for all beings great and small on a daily basis.

Men are more intuitive than they realise but they call it gut instinct. Women are instinctively intuitive but some of them tend to allow themselves to be derailed by their emotions instead of managing them.

That takes practice and is worth the effort as it makes no sense falling into men's (societies) stereotyping of the "emotional" female when we are quite capable of using our intuition and our emotions (which are our strengths) to our considerable advantage instead. After all, women are much smarter than men.

Find out Why be intuitive? from Jim Self. Here are two of his examples:

• You will begin to walk through life with Presence and Certainty. This doesn’t mean in arrogance. This is a gentle, pervasive knowing that you are in management of your life.
• You will find doubt and fear begin to disappear and your ability to take charge of your business life and personal life increases very quickly

Bottom Line

And here ends the opus my friends, completely unintended.

Practise compassion - be kind to those around you; it is as simple as a pleasant greeting or a smile to a stranger. You won't know the effect until you try and most times, you will be pleasantly surprised.

It's not about doing; it's all about being.

It costs nothing and will always comes back to you. Use empathy judiciously, I tend to keep it for children and animals - they are the helpless ones. It's really all about living love and tough love is part of that. What do you think about it?

»»  read more