Category Archives: Stillness

Why We Must Be Still…

We yearn for a moment’s peace and quiet, only to turn on the radio, make a phone call, or run an errand as soon as an opportunity for solitude presents itself.Ronnie Polaneczky

constant movement

We fill our life with motion. Incessantly. Why?

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ponder

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We’re running away from self. We do need action in life, just not constant action. At some level we’re afraid of facing our apparently lonely self. We feel more alive when we’re moving. Life is movement. When we’re still and without interaction we fear our mortality

breathe instead

Let’s take pause and focus on our breathing. Slowly we’ll find ourselves calming down. The mind will want to race, let it, don’t attach attention to it or to its production, which are thoughts.

Once we start getting used to being still, at rest, a peace will start to descend, actually emerge from within. Then we will know that we’ve never been alone.

Daily Affirmation: Today I AM still and know I AM not alone…

Recommendation: Moments in Between: The Art of the Quiet Mind

Moments in Between: The Art of the Quiet MindKindle Paperwhite, 6

How To End The Masquerade!

A person begins earnest work on himself when first sensing he is not who he imagines he is. The end of the masquerade is the start of peace.Vernon Howard

the big game

We all play a game. We project a self that’s not real. We employ various accouterments to support this masquerade. We might speak for effect or do certain things to get noticed. We’re even adept at fooling our own selves. It becomes a very intricate and long running game. It’s almost impossible to see what we’re doing.

observe self

We become privy to this elaborate masquerade when we decide to observe self. Slowly the stories we tell self become more clear. We recognize why we do things to impress others, we realize what lies we tell self to feel better, we understand how we label others so that we can be justified. It all starts to fall apart. And it must if we are to be at peace.

Daily Affirmation: Today I AM stepping aside…

Recommendation: The Mystic Path to Cosmic Power by Vernon Howard

The Mystic Path to Cosmic PowerKindle Paperwhite, 6

How To Understand the Inevitable!

There is absolutely no inevitability as long as there is the willingness to think.Chuck Jones

inevitabilities…

Death and taxes are certainties we are told. Once we know that an event is inevitable it’s best to come to terms with it and face it squarely. Our character is truly revealed under such trying circumstances. Our human nature and its creativity can face any situation. Let’s do just that when it comes time!

life principles

4th Basic Technique to ‘Break the Worry Habit Before it Breaks You’ : Cooperate with the inevitable!

I know someone who’s facing his sudden cancer diagnosis in the most amazing way! He’s jumping right into the treatment plan, as horrific chemo and radio can be, and continuing to enjoy and live life fully! He understands the joy of family and friends and won’t let a minute slip by! Kudos to people like that! Let’s learn from them!

Daily Affirmation: Today I AM facing inevitabilities!

Recommendation: How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie

How to Stop Worrying and Start LivingKindle Paperwhite, 6

Why We Must Face Shame!

If we’re going to find our way back to each other vulnerability is going to be that path. Brene Brown

vulnerability

On Tuesday I shared some thoughts on Brene Brown and her talk on vulnerability. Here’s her next TED video which delves deeper into vulnerability by tackling ‘shame’ head-on! Real good stuff. Forces us to become more real, with self and others, check it out!

shame

According to Brene Brown guilt is ‘I did something bad. I made a mistake.’ While shame is ‘I am bad. I am a mistake.’ Women most often feel shame when they cannot do it all or can’t do it perfectly. Men feel shame when they think ‘I am weak’. It’s important to recognize shame when we experience it so that we don’t brush it aside. It pays to shine a light into a dark corner inside us. Because then we can be more human, more vulnerable and therefore more lovable and loving…

Daily Affirmation: Today I AM facing my shame!

Recommendation: Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulne… by Brene Brown

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and LeadKindle Paperwhite, 6

Why We Must Forgive…

Those who feel they are victims will be most eager to make victims of others.Vernon Howard

victim?

How do we feel when we’ve been victimized? It gets us mad and we feel awful. We think it’s ok to not be nice to others; we might even decide to hurt someone else.

forgive

Instead we should consider understanding the situation and the other person. Understand our own reaction and why we felt hurt. Then remind self that feeling hurt and victimized only injures us. Can we possibly forgive the person and the situation? Can we feel whole again and regain our peace?

Daily Affirmation: Today I AM forgiving therefore peaceful!

Recommendation: The Mystic Path to Cosmic Power by Vernon Howard

The Mystic Path to Cosmic PowerKindle Paperwhite, 6

Why We Must Be Present To Life…

Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.John Lennon

life happens

Life is happening to us right now. We’re all getting older; some relationships are blossoming while others are withering; everything around us is changing. Where are we during all all this?

where are we?

We are generally absent. We’re lost in our thoughts. We’re focused on self. The roses die before we smell them. People move on before we can say goodbye. When will we be present to the eternal now?

Daily Affirmation: Today I AM relishing every minute of life!

Recommendation: Arriving at Your Own Door by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Arriving at Your Own Door: 108 Lessons in MindfulnessKindle Paperwhite, 6

Why We Should Say ‘Yes’ To Life!

When you say "yes" to the "isness" of life, when you accept this moment as it is, you can feel a sense of spaciousness within you that is deeply peaceful.Eckhart Tolle

this moment

This moment is, it just is. Accept it. Breathe deeply and let go. Now, feel that acceptance settling in…

 

When we do so experientially, we begin to feel the calmness and peace that pervades all that is. And this despite the movement of life and time itself.

life

When we accept this moment and reside fully therein, we’re ready to accept all that Life brings to us. It doesn’t mean we appreciate everything that’s happening to us. It just means that we accept it, can feel the ‘nowness’ and can act from this settled frame of mind. And then we do the same thing in the next moment, and the next…

Daily Affirmation: Today I AM here…

Recommendation: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual EnlightenmentKindle Paperwhite, 6