"Every day is a good day" is a quote from a Zen koan, spoken by Zen Master Yun Men, who lived and taught in 10th century China. (Jeff Brooks: 2008)
What he meant by these words is:
To have the conviction that every day is a good day means that we are really living our own lives. If we discriminate based on our own feelings of happiness or unhappiness and say: "I wonder if today will be good," or "Today I am happy so it is a good day," or "Today I am unhappy so today is a bad day," or "If something nice happens to me today I will have the opinion that today is a good day," then we lose our lives. That kind of attitude means we are living passively, as if life is just something that happens to us. If we live this way we have given up the direction of our own lives and we will inevitably decline. (Jeff Brooks: 2008)
To understand that every day is a good day takes courage. Because on some days we will suffer. Then, when that is necessary, when that is the reality of our lives, it is our day to suffer. That reality shifts, as we all have experienced, from day to day, even from moment to moment. It shifts as a result of our intention, as a result of our karma. Some days we will be happy. Then it will be a good day to be happy. Some days we will have to struggle. Then it will be a good day to struggle. Some day we will need to fight. Then it will be a good day to fight. Some day it will be our day to die. (Jeff Brooks: 2008)
There is a lot of truth in these words. We have control of whether we are going to have a good day or not. If you are alive and healthy, then it is a good day regardless of what is going on around us. We are too quick to base our days on what has happened to us, and not on the notion of living another day.
If you wake up in the morning, you are having a good day. We cannot judge a day by our attitudes. If we continue to do this, we are not really living. We are choosing to allow the negativity to affect how we live.
Every day you have been blessed with is a good day, SO LIVE IT!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Our greatest strengths are our greatest weaknesses.
Our greatest strengths are our greatest weaknesses...
When reading this topic for the first time, millions of thoughts went rushing through my mind. Recalling all the things that I find to be strengths and weaknesses to myself.
We, as humans, have all been given the opportunity to love or to be loved. But when a person takes it too far, and yes you can actually take it too far, it becomes harmful and destructive. Everyone wants to be loved, not over-loved.
When we are born, we either get born with special talents or we get have to work a little harder at developing special talents. We are all born gifted in one way or another. It is how we use these talents that counts. If one goes over board and doesn't use them wisely, they can become soul destroying.
It is also not a good idea to boast about certain talents you may have and others don't. This will leave them feeling rather inferior and will not want to be around you.
Weaknesses have the potential to become strengths one day if we keep working hard on them.
Using our strengths in a positive way or to help others gives one a rewarding feeling. Boasting about them may make you feel better about yourself, but in the end you'll only be left with yourself.
One needs to draw from their strengths and draw from their weaknesses to try find the perfect balance for themself.
When reading this topic for the first time, millions of thoughts went rushing through my mind. Recalling all the things that I find to be strengths and weaknesses to myself.
We, as humans, have all been given the opportunity to love or to be loved. But when a person takes it too far, and yes you can actually take it too far, it becomes harmful and destructive. Everyone wants to be loved, not over-loved.
When we are born, we either get born with special talents or we get have to work a little harder at developing special talents. We are all born gifted in one way or another. It is how we use these talents that counts. If one goes over board and doesn't use them wisely, they can become soul destroying.
It is also not a good idea to boast about certain talents you may have and others don't. This will leave them feeling rather inferior and will not want to be around you.
Weaknesses have the potential to become strengths one day if we keep working hard on them.
Using our strengths in a positive way or to help others gives one a rewarding feeling. Boasting about them may make you feel better about yourself, but in the end you'll only be left with yourself.
One needs to draw from their strengths and draw from their weaknesses to try find the perfect balance for themself.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Feelings follow behaviour
What are feelings? And what is behaviour?
According to Wikipedia.org, a feeling is used to describe the physical sensation of touch either through experience or perception. AND behaviour refers to the actions or reactions of an object or organism, usually in relation to the environment. Behaviour can be conscious or unconscious, voluntary or involuntary.
James D. Laird wrote in his book, Feelings, "If feelings follow behaviour, they cannot be the causes of behaviour, since causes must precede their effects."
According to Wikipedia.org, a feeling is used to describe the physical sensation of touch either through experience or perception. AND behaviour refers to the actions or reactions of an object or organism, usually in relation to the environment. Behaviour can be conscious or unconscious, voluntary or involuntary.
James D. Laird wrote in his book, Feelings, "If feelings follow behaviour, they cannot be the causes of behaviour, since causes must precede their effects."
Often behaviour can change one's feelings. Weird, but true. For example, if you force yourself to be happy, you will eventually become happy. And if you force yourself to think before you react to certain emotions, you will change your behaviour before doing things.
Behaviour usually follows feelings, but, in some instances, one's behaviour can alter one's feelings. For example, you go shopping because you are sad and need some cheering up. After you find the perfect pair of shoes and purchase them your feelings go from being sad to a feeling of happiness.
Feelings work together with behaviour. People are more concerned about their feelings than their actions. We all just need to take a step back and let our behaviour lead the way for a change.Thursday, May 14, 2009
It's better to practice a little than talk a lot.
It really is better to practice a little than to talk a lot.
When it comes to touchy topics, such as politics or opinions, it is better to know all the facts first before passing judgement. People are so quick in giving their opinions, but do not always know the facts. When this happens, a lot of the time these people end up looking like fools. When all they really needed to do was to just keep up-to-date on these certain topics.
If one doesn’t fully know what they are talking about, they shouldn’t talk at all.
One is also more confident if they prepare before speeches too. If one is confident, the margin of errors during the presentation gets reduced. Taking the time to prepare put you at ease, as you know what you want to communicate and how you would like to communicate that message.
Unfortunately, in life, it is too easy to give our opinions and thoughts on certain topics, whether we know what we are talking about or not. This often lands us in trouble if we really don’t know all the facts. We are all guilty of this, no matter who we are or what we are. It is one of those things that are just easier said than done.
When it comes to touchy topics, such as politics or opinions, it is better to know all the facts first before passing judgement. People are so quick in giving their opinions, but do not always know the facts. When this happens, a lot of the time these people end up looking like fools. When all they really needed to do was to just keep up-to-date on these certain topics.
If one doesn’t fully know what they are talking about, they shouldn’t talk at all.
One is also more confident if they prepare before speeches too. If one is confident, the margin of errors during the presentation gets reduced. Taking the time to prepare put you at ease, as you know what you want to communicate and how you would like to communicate that message.
Unfortunately, in life, it is too easy to give our opinions and thoughts on certain topics, whether we know what we are talking about or not. This often lands us in trouble if we really don’t know all the facts. We are all guilty of this, no matter who we are or what we are. It is one of those things that are just easier said than done.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
It is a poor idea to lie to yourself
Lying in general is a bad thing to do.
When one lies to themselves, they are either trying to hide something or cannot face the truth. Women generally tend to do this more than men, seeing as we are the ones more concerned with our appearances and want to appear as doing okay.
It all depends on what you are lying to yourself about as well. There is no point in beating around the bush. You are the way you are. You cannot help that, so face it and learn to live with it.
We cannot tell ourselves we are okay about something when we are really not. It'll always be there at the back of our minds not matter how much we lie to ourselves about it. We need to stand up to it and own it.
When we lie to ourselves, what is stopping us from lying to other people? Nothing. Lying may make you feel better for a little while, but it is not permanent. The happy feeling will fade and you'll be stuck where you started.
The best solution is to always be honest with yourself, because only then can you be truly honest with others.
If you are not happy about something, let it out. Do not lie about it. If you lie, it cannot be changed, if you tell the truth something can be done about it.
When one lies to themselves, they are either trying to hide something or cannot face the truth. Women generally tend to do this more than men, seeing as we are the ones more concerned with our appearances and want to appear as doing okay.
It all depends on what you are lying to yourself about as well. There is no point in beating around the bush. You are the way you are. You cannot help that, so face it and learn to live with it.
We cannot tell ourselves we are okay about something when we are really not. It'll always be there at the back of our minds not matter how much we lie to ourselves about it. We need to stand up to it and own it.
When we lie to ourselves, what is stopping us from lying to other people? Nothing. Lying may make you feel better for a little while, but it is not permanent. The happy feeling will fade and you'll be stuck where you started.
The best solution is to always be honest with yourself, because only then can you be truly honest with others.
If you are not happy about something, let it out. Do not lie about it. If you lie, it cannot be changed, if you tell the truth something can be done about it.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Not all who wander are lost
Not all who wander are lost. J.R.R Tolkien’s quote, that he wrote in a poem for his fantasy novel; The Lord of the Rings, has a ring of truth to it. Those who wander are merely exploring the unknown. What could be better than exploring without a plan? If there is no plan or sense of where one wants to go, they cannot be lost. They are simply trying to find themselves and experience what life throws in front of them.
Without a plan one cannot expect anything or predict anything, making wandering more appealing for those who just want to get away from the normal day-to-day happenings of their lives.
Those who wander want to try new things and break the boredom of their lives. As humans, the wanting of going down the less travelled road is appealing, especially to those who either do not know what they want from life or they don’t know what they want to do career wise.
Those who wander are not lost; they are taking a risk to find out what could be and exploring their inner selves. Nothing is better to a person than finding their true selves. Once we know what we want and who we are, we can live our lives with content.
Those who wander are not lost; they are merely trying to find their way home.
Without a plan one cannot expect anything or predict anything, making wandering more appealing for those who just want to get away from the normal day-to-day happenings of their lives.
Those who wander want to try new things and break the boredom of their lives. As humans, the wanting of going down the less travelled road is appealing, especially to those who either do not know what they want from life or they don’t know what they want to do career wise.
Those who wander are not lost; they are taking a risk to find out what could be and exploring their inner selves. Nothing is better to a person than finding their true selves. Once we know what we want and who we are, we can live our lives with content.
Those who wander are not lost; they are merely trying to find their way home.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
How do you step off a 100-foot pole?
What does it really mean to step off a 100-foot pole?
It is about climbing up that pole and having to take a risk in order to achieve what something.
In life, we need to take risks in order to be successful. Not all risks we take will work out, but one day one of them will. If we just stop trying and become afraid to step off that pole, we will never know what could have and what might have been.
If you step off, you could either die, get injured, or land perfectly on your feet. It all depends on how you step off that pole.
Life is full of surprises and sometimes we need to listen to ourselves and just take those risks. We’ll never know unless we try.
Life’s too short to live completely risk free. Life is about taking risks and learning from those that weren’t successful.
If one doesn’t take any risks, they are saying they are happy and content with not knowing their true and full potential.
They are playing it safe, afraid of getting hurt. Risks bring some excitement to our lives. They open us to worlds we might not have known or discovered before.
Sekiso, a Zen Master in Japan said, “The “hundred-foot pole” is in one sense the position of awakening to oneness, of awakening to that view in which there is nothing excluded, nothing outside. It’s the position of no thing, of nothing special. One who sits on top of the 100 foot pole has not quite attained true enlightenment. Make another step forward from the top of the pole and throw one's own body into the 100,000 universes."
It is about climbing up that pole and having to take a risk in order to achieve what something.
In life, we need to take risks in order to be successful. Not all risks we take will work out, but one day one of them will. If we just stop trying and become afraid to step off that pole, we will never know what could have and what might have been.
If you step off, you could either die, get injured, or land perfectly on your feet. It all depends on how you step off that pole.
Life is full of surprises and sometimes we need to listen to ourselves and just take those risks. We’ll never know unless we try.
Life’s too short to live completely risk free. Life is about taking risks and learning from those that weren’t successful.
If one doesn’t take any risks, they are saying they are happy and content with not knowing their true and full potential.
They are playing it safe, afraid of getting hurt. Risks bring some excitement to our lives. They open us to worlds we might not have known or discovered before.
Sekiso, a Zen Master in Japan said, “The “hundred-foot pole” is in one sense the position of awakening to oneness, of awakening to that view in which there is nothing excluded, nothing outside. It’s the position of no thing, of nothing special. One who sits on top of the 100 foot pole has not quite attained true enlightenment. Make another step forward from the top of the pole and throw one's own body into the 100,000 universes."
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