Acceptance and expectations…

Your happiness grows in direct proportion to your acceptance and in inverse proportion to your expectations.Michael J. Fox

Wow isn’t that true?

As we accept life as it is, flow with the river that is time, we experience an equanimity, we experience peace. You can still have ambitions and goals but you don’t tie yourself to the outcome that’s all. You understand that all life and its experiences have a purpose and you try to fathom that purpose.

Top that off with having no expectations of anyone else and your life problems are solved! Doesn’t mean that you don’t tell others what bothers you, but you’re not hurt by what they say or do. How? By understanding their humanness and by knowing that you decide how you react, not they.

Recommendation: Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Inc…

Lasting happiness…

Being sensitive and responsive to human need creates genuine and lasting happiness, while such kindly attitudes safeguard the soul from the destructive influences of anger, hate, and suspicion.  – The Urantia Papers (140:5.16)

Ok, so ‘genuine and lasting’ happiness can only be found when we are aware of and service other people’s needs! Would you agree?

Taking care of ourselves, our needs, finding our own life meaning etc., is all fine and dandy, but according to this quote long term and real happiness is found only in serving others

Reminds me of an oft quoted phrase: ‘Living for a cause greater than yourself’

What is that cause you were meant to serve?

Recommendation: Way of the Peaceful Warrior

Need madness…

You have everything but one thing: madness. A man needs a little madness or else – he never dares cut the rope and be free.Zorba The Greek

Why are we so timid when it comes to doing what’s best for us? We go about life, daily, in a humdrum fashion thinking that we have an eternity on Earth.

Why are we so fearful of taking the next step? We make all kinds of excuses to get to the most important things in life, the one’s that need our attention next.

Why?

When we care less about others and what they think of us, we can be more of ourselves and that magical madness can start to do its wonders…

Unhook yourself.

Recommendation: Notes from the Universe

What is success to you?

Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.Thomas Edison

What is success for you? It’s very important to know what you truly value in life. That in turn will help you define what success will be for you.

Where have you found success already? Asking this question will help you realize all that you have and all that you are. Maybe you’re successful already?

What more do you seek? This question can lead you to vistas and experiences unknown right now. It can also encourage you to stay on the determined path so that you don’t give up too early.

Recommendation: Little Gold Book of YES!

Do some, Be some…

Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for things we did not do that is inconsolable.Sydney J. Harris

Our other regrets come from ways we couldn’t be. Like when we couldn’t be loving and patient, especially with our kids or our parents.

Regret is a lot of wasted energy. Instead of wallowing in what you couldn’t do or be, Do what you need to do and Be what you need to be, starting right now.

Then, we won’t have any ‘inconsolable’ regrets!

Recommendation: One Month to Live: Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life

Passion, Obsession and Joy!

To achieve your goal, your life may sound like a perfume counter – full of Passion and Obsession, leading to Joy.John-Roger McWilliams

What is your goal in life? Passion and obsession about any goal will do at least 2 things:

  1. Either it’s a goal worth pursuing in which case you’ll be closer to your Life Purpose. Which only leads to more passion and joy!
  2. You will learn a lesson or two during your journey in the pursuit of a goal that eventually turns out to be not that fulfilling, in which case you’ll still be closer to your Life Purpose!

Being passionate about any goal ain’t such a bad thing!

Go be a fragrant being!

Recommendation: Do It!: Let’s Get Off Our Buts

Positive ‘thunking’?

I was going to buy a copy of ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’, and then I thought: What the hell good would that do? – Ronnie Shakes

🙂

Well why is all this positive thinking stuff, good health, happiness, joy, God, life purpose, love etc., necessary or even valid?

Well sometimes you need to turn a commonly accepted concept on its head. Why accept what others tell us? Why accept what any book or article tells us? How can we know for sure? How can we be sure about anything?

Recommendation: Here Be Dragons: An Introduction to Critical Thinking