"The psychological rule says that when an inner situation is not made conscious, it happens outside, as fate. That is to say, when an individual remains undivided and does not become conscious of his inner contradictions, the world must perforce act out the conflict and be torn into opposite halves." - Carl Jung
"Much of your pain is self-chosen. It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self. Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility: For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen." - Kahlil Gibran
"The attempt to escape a problem is the problem. See the logic of this. When a man tries to escape, when he moves away from the problem, he divides himself into one man with a problem and another man who will escape the problem. In reality, there is no such division, so the escape must always fail, as the man sadly experiences. But when seeing that he is the problem itself, that he and his problem are one, he stops trying to escape because he sees there is no other course. In this state of intelligent acknowledgment of reality, he will not have the problem." - Vernon Howard
"The aphorism, "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he," not only embraces the whole of a man's being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his life." - James Allen
"Whether you believe you can or you can't - either way you are right" - Henry Ford
So, what are you believing?
This is the reason we work very hard on our own self-talk and even what we write. It is a creating and powerful force...words. Because by our words we form our intentions, by our intentions we engage with the creative force of the Universe. This is a large part of our lack mentality that we discuss so often. We say... we *need * money or that we * have* bills...and guess what? We are right. In mentoring with the different friends that we have that are successful in their various disciplines, we have consistently found that they did not gain and stop being in * need*, they trained themselves to stop thinking in terms of * need* then gained. The Universe constantly supplies us with what we ask for...exactly. “I have all these bills.” “I'm so sick.” “I'm broke.” And it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Every single successful person we interact with never, never says something like that. Never. And all of them are self-made successes, they all had to learn this same truth, change your self-talk, change what you say, how you concentrate on your future, Rearrange your worries into “I'm so glad our bills are always paid.” “I feel great!” “I am a successful person!”
It has made a tremendous difference in our lives.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Monday, July 25, 2005
Belief
Without belief, we would be left with nothing but an overwhelming doom, every single day. And it will beat you. I didn't fully see, until the cancer, how we fight every day against the creeping negatives of the world, how we struggle daily against the slow lapping of cynicism. Dispiritedness and disappointment, these are the real perils of life, not some sudden illness or cataclysmic millennium doomsday. I knew now why people fear cancer: because it is a slow and inevitable death, it is the very definition of cynicism and loss of spirit... So, I believed.
Lance Armstrong
Way to go Lance in showing the way to succeed with such grace and perseverance!
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
POSITIVE, EXUBERANT OUTLOOK HAS MANY BENEFITS
By: Robert D. Foster
A University of Texas study suggests that people with a positive attitude age more slowly than pessimists. A team of researchers studying 1,558 older people reported that cheerful types were less frail. The study speculates that positive emotions may directly affect health by altering the chemical balance of the body.
In her latest book, Exuberance: The Passion of Life, Kay R. Jamison celebrates the gift of exuberance – which she describes as a propelling force in discovery, creativity, leadership and survival itself.
“Exuberance drives all of us to think and act in slightly different ways than we otherwise would do, to take risks we would not otherwise take, to tolerate pain and setbacks we might otherwise find incapacitating,” Jamison writes. “It allows or gives us the optimism to believe in the future and in the possibilities and importance of what we are and what we are doing; it forces us out into a greater arena of life.”
It’s not hard to recognize exuberance in those people that have it. Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt fairly bubbled over with the stuff. Legendary showman P.T. Barnum’s unflagging exuberance led him to create ever more spectacular feats of razzle-dazzle for his circus-going clientele, even into his last years.
Snoopy, the buoyant beagle in the “Peanuts” comic strip, may be the world’s most exuberant canine. Winston Churchill’s exuberant character may have saved the world from the tyranny of Adolph Hitler. And exuberance was the engine that drove naturalist John Muir to the American wilderness; as a result, today we have the breath-taking and unforgettable Yosemite and Sequoia national parks.
Someone has observed that researchers have devoted more than twice as much space to “negative” emotions, such as depression and anxiety, than they have to “positive” ones. Yet these buoyant, uplifting moods may be the most significant of all!
I suspect that King Solomon, who reigned over ancient Israel, would totally agree with Dr. Jamison’s conclusions about the value and importance of exuberance in every facet of daily living. His writings in the book of Proverbs would strongly indicate that. Here are a few examples:
“A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; A sad heart makes it hard to get through the day” (Proverbs 15:13).
“A miserable heart means a miserable life; A cheerful heart fills the day with songs” (Proverbs 15:15).
“A cheerful disposition is good for your health; Gloom and doom leave you bone-tired” (Proverbs 17:22).
Remember this: A blacksmith can do nothing when his fire goes out. In a similar way, when flames of our internal fire die out, our eagerness and enthusiasm for life – for work, relationships, even the ordinary activities of the day – start to fade. Our skills and personal gifts become underutilized, and our potential for making significant contributions to the people and world around us diminishes markedly. We need to “rekindle our flame” to renew a positive, energetic approach to life and its challenges. And while you’re at it, try to fan the flames of the exuberant people around you. We have too much negativity already; promote the power of the positive!
Taken and adapted from Take Two On Monday Morning, written and published by Robert D. and Rick Foster. Permission to reproduce with proper credit is freely given and encouraged.
-------------------------
This is so true in life. What a serious and major change this can make!
A University of Texas study suggests that people with a positive attitude age more slowly than pessimists. A team of researchers studying 1,558 older people reported that cheerful types were less frail. The study speculates that positive emotions may directly affect health by altering the chemical balance of the body.
In her latest book, Exuberance: The Passion of Life, Kay R. Jamison celebrates the gift of exuberance – which she describes as a propelling force in discovery, creativity, leadership and survival itself.
“Exuberance drives all of us to think and act in slightly different ways than we otherwise would do, to take risks we would not otherwise take, to tolerate pain and setbacks we might otherwise find incapacitating,” Jamison writes. “It allows or gives us the optimism to believe in the future and in the possibilities and importance of what we are and what we are doing; it forces us out into a greater arena of life.”
It’s not hard to recognize exuberance in those people that have it. Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt fairly bubbled over with the stuff. Legendary showman P.T. Barnum’s unflagging exuberance led him to create ever more spectacular feats of razzle-dazzle for his circus-going clientele, even into his last years.
Snoopy, the buoyant beagle in the “Peanuts” comic strip, may be the world’s most exuberant canine. Winston Churchill’s exuberant character may have saved the world from the tyranny of Adolph Hitler. And exuberance was the engine that drove naturalist John Muir to the American wilderness; as a result, today we have the breath-taking and unforgettable Yosemite and Sequoia national parks.
Someone has observed that researchers have devoted more than twice as much space to “negative” emotions, such as depression and anxiety, than they have to “positive” ones. Yet these buoyant, uplifting moods may be the most significant of all!
I suspect that King Solomon, who reigned over ancient Israel, would totally agree with Dr. Jamison’s conclusions about the value and importance of exuberance in every facet of daily living. His writings in the book of Proverbs would strongly indicate that. Here are a few examples:
“A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; A sad heart makes it hard to get through the day” (Proverbs 15:13).
“A miserable heart means a miserable life; A cheerful heart fills the day with songs” (Proverbs 15:15).
“A cheerful disposition is good for your health; Gloom and doom leave you bone-tired” (Proverbs 17:22).
Remember this: A blacksmith can do nothing when his fire goes out. In a similar way, when flames of our internal fire die out, our eagerness and enthusiasm for life – for work, relationships, even the ordinary activities of the day – start to fade. Our skills and personal gifts become underutilized, and our potential for making significant contributions to the people and world around us diminishes markedly. We need to “rekindle our flame” to renew a positive, energetic approach to life and its challenges. And while you’re at it, try to fan the flames of the exuberant people around you. We have too much negativity already; promote the power of the positive!
Taken and adapted from Take Two On Monday Morning, written and published by Robert D. and Rick Foster. Permission to reproduce with proper credit is freely given and encouraged.
-------------------------
This is so true in life. What a serious and major change this can make!
Imagine
Imagine. There is some tribe in the Amazon jungle who has never had contact with our modern world. This is a very sophisticated tribe with good laws and a commendable system of education. The teachers are intelligent and highly trained. Obviously their knowledge is based on what the world around them seems to be, what their observations are. It is, in fact, highly probable that they have an advanced system of scientific evaluation as well, using the tools, knowledge and material available to them. Well, one day fresh young Peace Corps volunteer is left on the bank of a nearby river, dropped off by a local pilot. This area is a bit uncharted and for our purposes, the young man is sent there to meet the locals. He arrives in the tribal village and there is a lot of surprise for the villagers, but they are a peaceful and sophisticated tribe and after a while they welcome the young man to dinner.
During dinner, there is the question of how the young man got here in the first place, since he is so different from the few people they have met outside their village. The young man attempts to explain through body language and some rudimentary words they have exchanged about how he flew in a plane, landed at the river and then walked to their village. Looks are exchanged amongst the teachers and rest of the group. They ask further questions about the flying motions the young man made and ascertain that this is indeed the idea he is trying to put across.
Then, the commotion begins. Arguments erupt from the villages, how can this flying be? They know that it is impossible. Crazy Ato had always said it was possible, but wasn't his widow tearful proof that it was not so? The young man knows he cannot explain with his limited vocabulary and the matter is put aside. Some time later, when the young man's vocabulary has grown and so has the tribe's, he again attempts to explain how flying is possible. Heads and fists are shaken, because they know this is simply not possible. They have irrefutable proof. They have tried it before. They have not succeeded. Therefore , IT IS NOT POSSIBLE! After much discussion and explantion, which is difficult for the young man, since he doesn't actually understand the principles of flight that much. But he does know that it works. Some may begin to believe, but are still unsure. When the time comes for the young man to go home, the villagers walk with him to the river where the plane will pick him up. The villagers, despite being told that flight is possible, are still quite afraid. When the plane lands, only one will brave a ride in the machine. It seems that it is more and more impossible as the plane is obviously too heavy for a man to carry, how could it fly? And why would they want such a device in their lives? The young man understands that with such a tool as this, some of their people could have been saved after a fall with new medical trauma techniques. How does one explain this? How does one show them that this 'impossible' situation is not only possible, but beneficial?
Perhaps this is the million dollar question.
I think it is important to remember that simply because a thing hasn't existed in your observation of the universe, it does not mean that it is impossible to exist. That because you don't believe a thing is possible, does not mean that it is impossible.
How do we keep our minds open to possibility? How do we make the leap into future possibilities?
Points to ponder I believe.
During dinner, there is the question of how the young man got here in the first place, since he is so different from the few people they have met outside their village. The young man attempts to explain through body language and some rudimentary words they have exchanged about how he flew in a plane, landed at the river and then walked to their village. Looks are exchanged amongst the teachers and rest of the group. They ask further questions about the flying motions the young man made and ascertain that this is indeed the idea he is trying to put across.
Then, the commotion begins. Arguments erupt from the villages, how can this flying be? They know that it is impossible. Crazy Ato had always said it was possible, but wasn't his widow tearful proof that it was not so? The young man knows he cannot explain with his limited vocabulary and the matter is put aside. Some time later, when the young man's vocabulary has grown and so has the tribe's, he again attempts to explain how flying is possible. Heads and fists are shaken, because they know this is simply not possible. They have irrefutable proof. They have tried it before. They have not succeeded. Therefore , IT IS NOT POSSIBLE! After much discussion and explantion, which is difficult for the young man, since he doesn't actually understand the principles of flight that much. But he does know that it works. Some may begin to believe, but are still unsure. When the time comes for the young man to go home, the villagers walk with him to the river where the plane will pick him up. The villagers, despite being told that flight is possible, are still quite afraid. When the plane lands, only one will brave a ride in the machine. It seems that it is more and more impossible as the plane is obviously too heavy for a man to carry, how could it fly? And why would they want such a device in their lives? The young man understands that with such a tool as this, some of their people could have been saved after a fall with new medical trauma techniques. How does one explain this? How does one show them that this 'impossible' situation is not only possible, but beneficial?
Perhaps this is the million dollar question.
I think it is important to remember that simply because a thing hasn't existed in your observation of the universe, it does not mean that it is impossible to exist. That because you don't believe a thing is possible, does not mean that it is impossible.
How do we keep our minds open to possibility? How do we make the leap into future possibilities?
Points to ponder I believe.
Being remarkable
What does it mean to be remarkable?
Does it mean we must do something that is put into the public eye? Something spectacular? I think that isn't the same thing at all. I think that being remarkable is an inner knowing that we are all remarkable, that within us all is a being of incredible majesty, goodness and light. I am no perfect person by any means, nor am I anywhere close to being where I know I could be...because I have allowed fear, circumstance, tiredness, etc...to get in my way of being all I can be. However, this is something I am constantly conscious of in myself, something I strive to work on everyday. To this end, my journey has spoken to me of inviting others along this beautiful path.
I invite you to share my journey...and ask that I may share yours as well...that on twists and turns of these paths we may grow...we may become what we are meant to be, that we discover our purpose, share our load and bravely take the actions to get us to our goals.
Does it mean we must do something that is put into the public eye? Something spectacular? I think that isn't the same thing at all. I think that being remarkable is an inner knowing that we are all remarkable, that within us all is a being of incredible majesty, goodness and light. I am no perfect person by any means, nor am I anywhere close to being where I know I could be...because I have allowed fear, circumstance, tiredness, etc...to get in my way of being all I can be. However, this is something I am constantly conscious of in myself, something I strive to work on everyday. To this end, my journey has spoken to me of inviting others along this beautiful path.
I invite you to share my journey...and ask that I may share yours as well...that on twists and turns of these paths we may grow...we may become what we are meant to be, that we discover our purpose, share our load and bravely take the actions to get us to our goals.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
