Socrates Nudges

“If you don't get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don't want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can't hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is law and no amount of pretending will alter that reality.” Socrates  

An Inspiring Book Excerpt

"Whenever there is worry in the mind, all we can think about is what might go wrong or what has gone wrong. In the absence of any obvious problem or concern, the worrying mind will simply manufacture problems. (What we perceive as problems are often only circumstances). Restlessness is a similar agitated state. When meditators are caught up inagitation, there are so many mental objects seeming to clamour for their attention – regretful thoughts, neurotic thoughts, anxieties, speculations, assumptions – the volume of mental activity can seem overwhelming. A surprisingly simple and useful technique for countering worry is to deliberately put to one side the specific concerns that are dominating the mind. Certainly there are things in life that need planning but so much of what we call planning is actually worry. So often, we try to solve problems when we don’t have all the necessary information – concerns that are purely speculative – ‘what might happen if’ – are a complete waste of time. The significant feature of a restless or worried mind is the absence of happiness. When we introduce happiness into the mind, restlessness and worry fall away. Choosing to think positively – we can think about everything that is good in our lives, as opposed to what’s wrong. As the mind stops jumping back into the past or forward into the future it becomes content to settle into the moment. Concerns that loomed large now seem insignificant; we wonder why we ever got so het up."

From "Buddhism: The Plain Facts" 

Robert Mann & Rose Youd

"Greatness" by David Marquet

"Fly By Night, Rush" Avery 6 year old Drummer

Telekinetic Coffee Shop Surprise; Made me Smile

Do you know the difference between Strength and Courage?

Strength and Courage

It takes strength to be certain,

It takes courage to have doubts.

It takes strength to fit in,

It takes courage to stand out.

It takes strength to share a friend's pain,

It takes courage to feel your own pain.

It takes strength to hide your own pain,

It takes courage to show it and deal with it.

It takes strength to stand guard,

It takes courage to let down your guard.

It takes strength to conquer,

It takes courage to surrender.

It takes strength to endure abuses,

It takes courage to stop them.

It takes strength to stand alone,

It takes courage to lean on a friend.

It takes strength to love,

It takes courage to be loved.

It takes strength to survive,

It takes courage to live.

May you find strength and courage

in everything you do,

And may your life be filled with

Friendship and Love

Anonymous

From the Quote of the Week Files; October 28, 2013

It's Quote of the Week time again!!  Enjoy!

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'Be a hill seeker. Most of us try to avoid hills, but what’s so good about flat? Think about it: flat tires, flat hair, flat returns and- the ultimate- flatlining. Life happens on the hills. They’re opportunities to prove to yourself that you’re stronger than you’ve ever imagined. If you’ve never attempted the ascent, you’ll never know the thrill of swooshing down to the other side."

Anonymous

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A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

"Let go of your attachment to being right, and suddenly your mind is more open.  You're able to benefit from the unique viewpoints of others, without being crippled by your own judgment."

Ralph Marston

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Wishing you a most BEAUTIFUL day, wherever this may find you! 

I Forgot My Phone; A Reminder!

The Star Thrower; Inspiring Story

The Star Thrower

I awoke early, as I often did, just before sunrise to walk by the ocean's edge and greet the new day.  As I moved through the misty dawn, I focused on a faint, far away motion.  I saw a youth, bending and reaching and flailing arms, dancing on the beach, no doubt in celebration of the perfect day soon to begin.

As I approached, I sadly realized that the youth was not dancing to the bay, but rather bending to sift through the debris left by the night's tide, stopping now and then to pick up a starfish and then standing, to heave it back into the sea.  I asked the youth the purpose of the effort.  "The tide has washed the starfish onto the beach and they cannot return to the sea by themselves," the youth replied.  "When the sun rises, they will die, unless I throw them back to the sea."

As the youth explained, I surveyed the vast expanse of beach, stretching in both directions beyond my sight. Starfish littered the shore in numbers beyond calculation.  The hopelessness of the youth's plan became clear to me and I countered, "But there are more starfish on this beach than you can ever save before the sun is up.  Surely you cannot expect to make a difference."  The youth paused briefly to consider my words, bent to pick up a starfish and threw it as far as possible.  Turning to me he simply said, "I made a difference to that one."

I left the boy and went home, deep in thought of what the boy had said. I returned to the beach and spent the rest of the day helping the boy throw starfish in to the sea.

           

Loren Eisley

Minding Your Mitochondria: Dr. Terry Wahls at TEDxIowaCity; Inspiring

The Man in the Red Bandana; Inspirational

Abraham Maslow; On being Authentic

On Being Authentic...

Discover your true identity.

Strive to be honest in the sense of allowing your behavior and speech to be a true and spontaneous expression of your inter feelings.

Live in a way that expresses your real desires and characteristics. Know yourself.

Authenticity is the reduction of phoniness toward the zero point.

Abraham Maslow

From the Quote of the Week Files; October 21, 2013

Time for the Quote of the Week!  Enjoy!

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"Most people can look back over the years and identify a time and place at which their lives changed significantly. Whether by accident or design, these are the moments when, because of a readiness within us and a collaboration with events occurring around us, we are forced to seriously reappraise ourselves and the conditions under which we live and to make certain choices that will affect the rest of our lives."

Frederick F. Flack
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A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

"If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy."

 Anonymous
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!