All
Relative
You can complain
about the size of your home until you see someone living in a box. The great
Sufi poet Rumi has a saying: “I complained about my shoes until I met a man who
had no feet.” There is always somebody worse off than you and conversely
someone doing a million times better. But, you are you, you have to live the
life that your mindset, and actions have created. If you don’t like what you
see, act on changing it but- try to
appreciate the good aspects of what you have- there is always something to be
thankful for. It’s all about putting things in context.
Ask
and Receive a No! (Secret to “The Secret”)
The Law of Attraction. There it is. You
attract what you think about most of the time. Oh yah? Then why does Angelina
Jolie not show up in my bedroom, and why is there no Lexus parked in my
driveway? Does anybody else have an issue with this? How can someone without a
million dollars attract it if like creates like? Do we just stack monopoly
money up? Or how about Canadian Tire money (a great incentive program at one of
the big hardware store here in Canada). The power of positive thinking isn't a
new concept. Norman Vicente Peals had this covered in the 70's.
Now, fundamentally I agree with this premise,
and I think you should also. I mean do you want the temperament of an Ebenezer
Scrooge or Ghandi or the DaLai Lama. Isn't there enough negativity already in
circulation around our little planet? Maybe we could offset it with an
overwhelming display of positivity. I'm not talking Mr. Rogers here. More like
those chipmunks from the Warner Bros. Cartoon. They were always so
exceptionally polite to each other and always considered the other ones need
first.
“Om”
The world is too
much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
William
Wordsworth- The World is Too Much With Us
In this beautiful
poem Wordsworth expresses that we are too concerned with material gain, that we
have forfeited our natural world for man’s creations. Life is really a
fleeting, transitory experience. Try to hold moments. Warmth, empathy,
kindness, compassion and consideration create moments of joy. A bliss
consciousness. Meditation is an
incredible method for calming the excessive chatter and busyness in your head.
It will slow down your scattered thoughts and clarify muddy thinking.
Life
Sucks? Perspective and Relativity
If you think your
life sucks it probably does. If you think someone else always has it better
than you, you’re right too. Henry Ford said, whether you think you can or you
think you can’t you’re right” So I guess it does come back to “our thoughts are
things” mentality again. Seriously, you ever notice that there are those people
who seem to continually have crappie weeks? You know, flat tires, or little
annoyances that manage to throw their balance out of whack. And what happens?
By complaining about it, they attract more of the same. It’s like a cycle they
can’t break. Until they do break it. By moving, maybe physically, but more so,
psychologically, to a new state of mind.
Keeping a perspective of positivity will change the cycle of inevitable
negative expectation. Really, it boils down to just feeling abundant. Buying
one bottle of good wine can give you just as good a feeling as having a wine
cellar- if you appreciate it. It’s because we take so much for granted in our
Western civilisation that we almost have a spoiled, deserving, privileged
attitude, when in fact we should enjoy the privilege of such choices we have in
our society.
Character
Why bother
building up your character to one with integrity, altruism, authenticity, and
honesty? People will judge you based on the filters of their own lives.
Everyone will see you through their own interpretation based on their own
experiences. You can't possibly rise to the expectations of others. They see
their own flaws in you. It is an
interesting fact that when we criticize others we are really criticizing a part
of our own personality that we don’t like and have repressed. Carl Jung says
this shadow self will always manifest though and sometimes in unwanted
behaviours. The only solution is to have an exterior of steel, and a will of
iron. Who really gives two cents about what anyone thinks of you-you have to
live in your own skin and sleep with yourself every night. Right?
No
man is an Island
However... we don't function in a vacuum; we
are not the solitary captains of our own universe. We live as part of a social
fabric and therefore must function in a social context and with social
connection. What someone thinks of you might have dire impact on your next deal,
contract or even career. Call it want you want, A 'vibe' 'feel' or intuition,
people will pick up on your true character and will base their behaviour on
this responsiveness instinct. Don't fake being a good, authentic person-you
will be spotted as a phony, and besides it takes a lot of energy to keep up a
facade. Instead, be it! Leave people feeling better after they've met you than
before. Exchange a feeling of warmth that comes from politeness, benevolence
and extending a compliment on their style or an attribute that you admire about
them.
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