It's All In Your Mind

Whatever you hold in your mind will tend to occur in your life. If you continue to believe as you have always believed, you will continue to act as you have always acted. If you continue to act as you have always acted, you will continue to get what you have always gotten. If you want different results in your life or your work, all you have to do is change your mind.

[via facebook]

the path

“There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path.”

― Gautama Buddha (or not)

[via facebook]

the strongest people

“The strongest people aren’t always the people who win, but the people who don’t give up when they lose”

[via facebook]

was it said by Liam Payne or Ashley Hodgeson?  (probably the former was quoting the latter)

admiration

“When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people; as I grow older, I admire kind people.”

-- Abraham Joshua Heschel [via facebook]

the best kind of people

The best kind of people are the ones that come into your life , and make you see the sun where you once saw clouds.The people that believe in you so much , you start to believe in you too. The people that love you, simply for being you.The once in a lifetime kind of people.

-- via facebook

Observe, Observe, Observe

Observe others and learn, observe nature and learn but, above all, observe self and learn, for this is one of the main keys to spiritual perfection.

-- Ian Gardner [via facebook]

life is simple

"Life is really simple but we insist on making it complicated"
Confucius

[via facebook]

just breathe

Sometimes the best thing you can do is not think, not wonder, not imagine, not obsess. Just breathe, and have faith that everything will work out for the best.

[via facebook]

patience

Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.

-- Joyce Meyer, Spiritual Inspiration (via facebook)

Lao Tzu

ten quotes

“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich.”

“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.”

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”

[there's five more, but don't be in a hurry to read them..]

[via roy on facebook]

Two things

Two Things to Remember in Life : Take care of your thoughts when you are alone, and Take care of your words when you are with people.

The Noticer

Then one fateful day, things changed. We'd just picked my older daughter up from kindergarten and were getting out of the car. Not going fast enough for her liking, my older daughter said to her little sister, "You are so slow." And when she crossed her arms and let out an exasperated sigh, I saw myself -- and it was a gut-wrenching sight.

I was a bully who pushed and pressured and hurried a small child who simply wanted to enjoy life.

My eyes were opened; I saw with clarity the damage my hurried existence was doing to both of my children.

Although my voice trembled, I looked into my small child's eyes and said, "I am so sorry I have been making you hurry. I love that you take your time, and I want to be more like you."

Both my daughters looked equally surprised by my painful admission, but my younger daughter's face held the unmistakable glow of validation and acceptance.

"I promise to be more patient from now on," I said as I hugged my curly-haired child who was now beaming at her mother's newfound promise.

It was pretty easy to banish "hurry up" from my vocabulary. What was not so easy was acquiring the patience to wait on my leisurely child. To help us both, I began giving her a little more time to prepare if we had to go somewhere.

When my daughter and I took walks or went to the store, I allowed her to set the pace. And when she stopped to admire something, I would push thoughts of my agenda out of my head and simply observe her. I witnessed expressions on her face that I'd never seen before. I studied dimples on her hands and the way her eyes crinkled up when she smiled. I saw the way other people responded to her stopping to take time to talk to them. I saw the way she spotted the interesting bugs and pretty flowers. She was a Noticer, and I quickly learned that The Noticers of the world are rare and beautiful gifts. That's when I finally realized she was a gift to my frenzied soul.

My promise to slow down was made almost three years ago, at the same time I began my journey to let go of daily distraction and grasp what matters in life. And living at a slower pace still takes a concerted effort. My younger daughter is my living reminder of why I must keep trying. In fact, the other day, she reminded me once again.

The two of us had taken a bike ride to a sno-cone shack while on vacation. After purchasing a cool treat for my daughter, she sat down at a picnic table delightedly admiring the icy tower she held in her hand.

Suddenly a look of worry came across her face. "Do I have to rush, Mama?"

I could have cried. Perhaps the scars of a hurried life don't ever completely disappear, I thought sadly.

As my child looked up at me waiting to know if she could take her time, I knew I had a choice. I could sit there in sorrow thinking about the number of times I rushed my child through life... or I could celebrate the fact that today I'm trying to do thing differently.

I chose to live in today.

"You don't have to rush. Just take your time," I said gently. Her whole face instantly brightened and her shoulders relaxed.

And so we sat side-by-side talking about things that ukulele-playing-6-year-olds talk about. There were even moments when we sat in silence just smiling at each other and admiring the sights and sounds around us.

I thought my child was going to eat the whole darn thing -- but when she got to the last bite, she held out a spoonful of ice crystals and sweet juice for me. "I saved the last bite for you, Mama," my daughter said proudly.

As I let the icy goodness quench my thirst, I realized I just got the deal of a lifetime.

I gave my child a little time... and in return, she gave me her last bite and reminded me that things taste sweeter and love comes easier when you stop rushing through life.

-- via Maile

slow progress?

 “Be not afraid of making slow progress, be only afraid of standing still.” - Chinese Proverb

-- via Life Coach Jay

the virtue of man

The great virtue of man lies in his ability to correct his mistakes and continually make a new man of himself -- Wang Yang Ming

- David W. Fuller, Costco Connection, January 2013, page 9

Also:

Think of the beauty still left around you and be happy -- Anne Frank

Always be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle -- Plato

watering your grass

-- via roy

rough day?

via lessons learned in life via roy

wuabg

 

via roy

what we think

we become

-- the Buddha

Didn't know the Buddha said this.

So did James Allen, kind of.

BTW, this is The Secret (more or less).

what to look for

via Roy

three questions

From this fool.com article comes George Kinder's three questions about life planning.

Kinder poses three questions:

1. Imagine you are financially secure, that you have enough money to take care of your needs, now and in the future. How would you live your life? Would you change anything? Let yourself go. Don’t hold back on your dreams. Describe a life that is complete and richly yours.
2. Now imagine that you visit your doctor, who tells you that you have only 5-10 years to live. You won’t ever feel sick, but you will have no notice of the moment of your death. What will you do in the time you have remaining? Will you change your life and how will you do it? (Note that this question does not assume unlimited funds.)
3. Finally, imagine that your doctor shocks you with the news that you only have 24 hours to live. Notice what feelings arise as you confront your very real mortality. Ask yourself: What did you miss? Who did you not get to be? What did you not get to do?

Kinder says that answering the first question is easy. There are lots of things we’d do if money were no object. But as the questions progress, there’s a sort of funnel. They become more difficult to answer, and there are fewer possible responses. Life planning is all about answering the third question.