I came across this audio put into a video on YouTube and shared by youtuber PSNy2kUK, and what caught my attention was that the narrator is from 1956, Earl Nightingale. The same principles apply today. Think and enjoy.
existence
Watercolors Friday – Inspirational Blog
Today, I want to share an awesome blog that many of you might know, but the more the merrier, and it is the blog of Jack Canfield, and you can find it here . It is a blog full of inspirational and motivational energy, and tons of good tips to live a more positive and happy life. Through videos, articles and goodies, Jack Canfield manages to awaken readers.
If you are not familiar with this blog, take a look; you won’t be disappointed, and you will gain so much by reading or watching some of his videos. It is truly a treasure, and one to be shared, so if you love it, keep sharing! And since today is Watercolors Friday, let’s celebrate Mr. Canfield, and Happy Solstice and Watercolors Friday to YOU! Don’t forget to watch the Super Moon tomorrow, the brightest and biggest moon of this year. I will try to get some pics to share with you 🙂
Ghost Words
A trashcan at a food court in Salt Lake City, Utah (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The more I think about our kind, I see the complexity of our being. This morning for example, I went for my early walk, and saw this complexity unfolding. I am a hello, good morning person, so when I am walking and happen to see another of my species, I usually say the words. Many times, I get some kind of response – a smile, a gesture of a head tilted sideways with a subtle up movement, a hello or a good morning. Other times, I get nothing, a stern look, or a head down, avoiding eye contact. This has puzzled me for so long – why do people do this? Even animals, acknowledge other species, and theirs. This morning, I said Good Morning to a woman who was cutting some flowers, and who politely answered with a short and quick good morning, the kind with the absence of a smile. Later on, I said good morning to a man who had come out of his home and was ready to collect his garbage cans. He looked at me, as if I had just insulted him, and said nothing. As I walked further, I spotted a crossing guard who was walking to reach her morning post. I smiled, but instead met with the quick head down to avoid eye contact. Later on, I encountered two neighbors driving to their destination flashing smiles and waving. Thank God I’d just reached home and that was the last image I had on my mind – my happy neighbors – because I was beginning to feel a bit uninspired and yes, puzzled, about why people behave that way so early in the morning. I understand when people have had a rotten day, but so early?
It is true that we are living in a fast technologically “challenged?” society, and that we seem to “need more hours” to keep up the pace. However, we seem to have forgotten good manners while we spend the 24 hours we have. It seems to me that two very important words/phrases are almost nonexistent these days – GOOD MORNING (or Hello) and THANK YOU.
It may be my perception, but I seem to hear them less these days. It was very important to say Thank You or Good Morning, not too long ago, although it may seem another century, or as if these words have been relegated to retail pleasantries status. It puzzles me when a door is held or opened for someone, something is given, or someone takes the time or effort to do something for someone, even for a stranger, and these words are never said. As if the person at the other end was a ghost.
What has happened to us? Why are these words less important today than a few decades ago? I am not sure if the speed we live our lives has to do anything with it, or is it that our values have changed, and good manners are not important any more? Sometimes I get more thank you’s from automated systems/services or machinery than from human beings. It is not that I want to be thanked all the time, but more of a concern about “where is our kind headed.” A world where everything is taken for granted? One without gratitude? One where machines seem to have better manners than humans? Or are we there?
We all have our slip-offs and moments of “zombie awareness,” but when our hurried steps/lives become more significant than the generous acts of others (who happen to have the same 24 hours that we have), maybe it is time to stop the purposeless frenzy and think about how long has it been since we said the Ghost Words. By the way, Thank You for reading this.
A Taste of Ramblings of the Spirit
Here is a small excerpt from my novel Ramblings of the Spirit, Book 1 of The Dinorah Chronicles.
“I picked up the book again and slowly placed it on my bed. I was not sure if opening it or let it be. I laughed at myself. The impression of the dream was so real in my mind that I thought I felt the book’s heartbeat. I turned to go to the kitchen when I heard a thump. I looked back; the book had opened. This time, I mustered the courage to look at the page. It was the page of the boy and the serpent; however, the image had changed. Now, I was looking at my dream. Spilled all over the ground were human hearts; next to the boy, I saw a key, and next to it a heart with wings that seemed to bleed. I grabbed the loupe from the nightstand to inspect the picture. There were initials printed on the heart – DS. What could it mean? Only one thing came to mind – Dinorah Sandbeck” – Chapter 21 – The Thump of the Bleeding Hearts.
I hope that you enjoyed that little bit; you can sample a little more on Amazon. Here is the official book trailer. I hope that you like it.
The Pursuit of a Simple Life is Not Simple
It may seem as a contradiction but it has been my experience. Maybe, I over think stuff, maybe I am over-committed to stuff (and I don’t mean material stuff), but for many, the pursue of a simple life has started by abandoning all that is, and starting fresh; not my case. I love to hear stories about people who have made radical changes and quickly left their jobs, old life, material ties, and abandoned themselves to the pursuit of a meaningful and simple life, whether traveling the world, or doing something totally different – careers … Yes, I love those stories and deep inside, I wish I could do the same.
However, when I started the pursuit of a simple life, life got in the way of it. How it happens? To each its own, and circumstances are individual, that is the only explanation I have. It has taken work, time, and effort to start this pursuit – it almost takes all the fun out of it, right?
For me, the simple life goes beyond the abandonment of the current – it has taken the path of learning a new lifestyle, of changing career, understanding spirituality, and the attempt of moving physical locations, along with the systematic purging of the material, and the fulfillment of some material commitments as well. All that takes time, and it will take as much time as you are deep in it. Somehow, the simple becomes slow, systematic, complicated … far.
As long as there is an understanding of this reality, the pursuit of a simple life becomes a dream, a goal, an aspiration. You learn to ditch, you learn to do, you learn, and you learn, and at one point you get tired of learning and doing, and you want to learn to ditch more, but life becomes reality, and simplicity becomes a place down the road, and the wheels suffer wear and tear. It makes you think of the one who have jumped in the pursuit with no regrets and no second thoughts of what is behind – have they? I will never know – to each, its own.
One thing is for sure, the simple life does require other than a simplistic approach, at least, in my understanding. I have ditched, learned to do things different, to wait for the right time to be able to change physical locations, to change careers and to learn all needed to do that in the process, to deal with the close-minded, to deal with consequences, learned to accept time, and learned to let go of what doesn’t suit the simple life anymore – whether material, spiritual, or human. In the meantime, I hope that time does not morph into lassitude, and pray that I don’t end up with broken wings.
Why Am I Here?
I am sure that at one point or another we ask this question to ourselves. It is the big question, at the brink of figuring out existentialism, our own, our desires, our goals, but no – it is more than that, the big Why. But maybe that is not the only approach, or even the right approach; maybe, it is better to know that WE ARE HERE. Yes, we are here and what you do with your time here is up to you and no one else. Do you really need a why to realize it? Or, do you dare to realize that YOU ARE HERE, and that in itself is one of the greatest discoveries and mysteries. Dare to dream, but dare to accept that the infinite lives in you and you are here, in the infinite, while you try to figure out why. Once you accept this, the why will be secondary to the greatness that you heart will experience, to the deep communion with all it is, and all it is inside you, and all is everything.
I came across this awesome NASA Timeless Earth video posted by youtuber boatright. Watch it, and pay attention at how you feel when you are watching, and enjoy it because yes, you are a part of all that – of everything. All I can say is that I am glad that I AM HERE.
How to Stay Balanced When You are Upside Down
A triangular prism, dispersing light; waves shown to illustrate the differing wavelengths of light. (Click to view animation) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Today, I didn’t want to write about my novel or a writing topic, but instead, I wanted to write about what I was inspired at the moment. So I asked my Muse, what do you want me to write about today? The title you just read came to mind, so that is what I am writing about this instant.
As someone who has known what this means, I can tell you that it is not easy to hang in there when everything has flipped upside down at one point in your life. When your world hangs the opposite to your focus, it is easy to be discouraged, throw the towel, and just hang for eternity. I think that hanging a bit is fine because you need to rest to fix your focus. You need to rest emotionally, physically, and spiritually, as well as in the material state. So give yourself time to just be, and let your broken spirit rest.
Once you have rested and pondered on your misery, the moment to make a decision knocks at the door of your heart, and you know that this is the time when you decide to pick yourself up and fix your focus, or maintain a state of hanging, sinking slowly into a deep hole. Whether the contents of that hole is depression, sadness, anger, hopelessness, inertia, hate, laziness … and many other things, it is different to each individual. However, when you are hanging upside down, after the rest, you will hear that knock, and you will have to answer. Whether you start pulling at that rope, lifting yourself up slowly, and appreciating how the image comes back to focus bit by bit, or let the rope go, it is up to you. One thing is for sure, you need to balance yourself to be able to pull that rope and getting yourself back up. How is it possible to balance yourself when everything around you seems to be spinning out of control and you hang but by a leg? It is not easy, but it is possible. This happens when you rest and give yourself time to focus.
- First, you need to recognize that you need help – whether from a professional or a best friend, and of course yourself. Whether you can do this on your own, or need help is personal.
- Second, you need to recognize that there are no blames in this process. I truly believe that we are responsible for our own choices, and no one is to blame.
- Third, you think about what you believe as truth in your life and make a commitment to yourself.
- Fourth, you learn to view the world upside down for a while, and ponder about it. What you discover about it may surprise you.
- Fifth, you learn what your priorities are, and decide to make them your priority or not – knowing that there will be consequences to your decision (positive or negative).
- Sixth, you accept to deal with those consequences understanding the process.
- Seventh, you do this slowly, one step at a time.
- Eight, you remain true to your beliefs and priorities when you start to fix your focus.
- Ninth, you will discover that some things from your old upside down world, do not go into focus no matter how hard you try, so you will have to let those go, otherwise you will stay out of focus in some areas. In this process, you will learn to say no. You will learn that you will have to accept that you cannot please everyone. You will also learn to weigh which opinions matter more to you – others or yours.
- Tenth, you must accept that no one can live your life but you, and that you cannot live your life according to other’s ideas of what your world should look like. You have been given a responsibility to manage your life (a gift) and live it as well as you can; however your truths and priorities will guide you here.
- Eleventh, this is when you start feeling that the image in front of you is just an image, and what matters is how you feel about it and how you live your life in this quasi upside down world. You make it as straight as you want, and you do it one step at a time, balancing yourself in the process – checking from time to time your beliefs, truths, and priorities.
- Twelfth, the realization that you are always in control hits you, and suddenly, even that you might be still pulling yourself up as you pull on the rope slowly, trying to straighten your world and fix your focus, you can see that the view upside down and in between is as ugly or beautiful as you make it to be, and that there is always a prism changing colors.
This is what I had to write today.
WWYD? – Questions to Alter Your Reality
Most people dream about something in the future, whether they create goal plans or not. Our nature is to dream; we are dreamers. We love to achieve, to go forward, to obtain, as we did once, as hunters, gatherers, and inventors. We keep evolving, and each step (back or forward) will produce change, and therefore, a reaction. Whether that reaction catapults us into creating our dreams, or not, it is up to us (always) to go in pursue, set sail, walk the journey, and create the path. No one can do it for us.
Whether your reality now seems closer or far away from your dreams, it is up to you to activate your path – the path that will take you there. Most of the time, it only takes a change in mindset, and things start falling into place. One way to start activating the path to your dreams is to ask yourself questions to alter your reality. If you know what your goals/dreams are, then, you are one step ahead. If you don’t, then the first question to ask yourself is “What do I love?”
These questions will serve as a tool to help you alter your reality and inspire you to activate the path to your dreams. What Would You Do?
- Do I love my present reality?
- How do I feel about it? Why? Why? Why? (keep answering the why until you cannot answer it anymore)
- Is there something missing in this reality?
- What would make my reality a Complete Now?
- Would changing my attitude/perception change/improve my reality?
- What is the dream that is not present now in my reality?
- Why?
- What do I have to do to manifest it? (steps)
- What is the next logical step? Repeat until you are closer to your dream reality. When we work towards taking the next logical step, it is likely that we begin to walk the path.
- What are my perceived obstacles – the ones that I think impede my dream to become my reality?
- If all the “perceived obstacles” were removed, what would I do?
- Considering the answer to the previous question, is there any step that I cannot (truly) take now? Why?
- What would I have to do to work on the steps I can do now?
These are questions that I have asked myself at one point. The answers have shown the path, as well as the crafting of a road map. I hope that this post is of some inspiration to you.
photo by Maria Antonia Diaz
The Quest for Mind Domination – Our Quest
English: Earth rotation as seen against the Milkyway-background. Animation from 20 single exposures with a DSLR on an motorized, equatorial mount. Deutsch: Rotation der Erde gegenüber dem Milchstrassenhintergrund. Animation aus 20 Einzelaufnahmen mit einer DSLR auf motorisierter, äquatorialer Montierung. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The other day, I was thinking about what makes “me” and inevitably, I went down memory lane, visiting childhood and young adult memories. I saw a young mind being shaped by the people and experiences around it, a series of beliefs, traditions, cultural traits … which began clothing and molding “me.” Although I turned out a decent human being, I realized that I could have shed out a few of those beliefs or ideas, with which I was not totally in tune with (as a young adult and older), but accepted anyway, since they had been passed on by generations and culture.
Many times, we feel obligated to believe or “honor” a system of beliefs/values/information that has been passed along in our upbringing and we end up living our life in a constant silent battle of ideas. Our mind has been dominated by other’s beliefs/ideas and they have nested in us for so long, that even when we feel that we no longer need them, we feel obligated to carry them with us, in fear of dishonoring someone’s memory or culture or social ties. We don’t realize the harm that we are doing to “me” when we keep holding on to ideas that do not fit us anymore.
In being fair to “me” I realized that one can only continue to grow and evolve if one sheds out all that does not feel in tune with the actual self, with the person that is and continues to be, whether that be religious, social, or cultural ideas. Is that an easy thing to do? Not really; most likely, you will encounter opposition from many sides, internal and external, as well as judgement or pre-assumptions. The real issue here is, do you keep evolving or do you “play nice” and hold on to those ideas (which do not serve you anymore) for self-preservation (avoiding judgement or hurting feelings).
It takes guts to say, “I am finally free and I don’t have to believe in anything anymore; I just am.” The key words here are have to. When you feel that you have to believe or accept an idea which you have outgrown you are denying the essence of being; you are reversing the process of creation, of creativity. You may exist, but you are not – you are not creating, you are un-creating. You are denying your essence (I’m not talking about ego here). I choose to believe that I am part of a greater and collective creation, and that in order to honor (LOVE) that essence, first, I must honor (LOVE) my own. To be (part of creation), first I have to know and respect that I am. By acknowledging that, I am opening the door to LOVE, the essence to all.
The Ghost of a Thousand Lives
Ghost?! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Muse made me do it …
The Ghost of a Thousand Lives
Where is the crown that makes you king?
Where is the sword that shines of courage?
Where is the stare that froze a thousand fires?
Where is the fire that melts an iceberg heart?
Where have you gone, the eyes cannot see,
If not but a speck of the brave, nor a sunshine ray,
In the depths of the soul, the hero is lost,
All that remains … the ghost of a thousand lives.
Inkspeare 