Aligned to Truth

Respect your every thought, feeling and action,
respect everyone else's' thoughts, feelings and actions.
You will remain in a state of contentment,
love will fill your every action - aligned to truth,
a conduit for life itself - soft like velvet.

Do your problems look big?

Most of us tend to occupy ourselves with problems, we make a big deal out of them and then panic or sulk.
Here is a saying that might help:

“Stop telling God that you have big problems.
Tell your problems that you have a BIG GOD.”

It worked for me…

Encompass All

Ramu and Shamu both claimed ownership of the same mango tree. One day they approached Birbal and asked him to settle their dispute. Birbal said to them: "There is only one way to settle the matter. Pluck all of the fruits on the tree and divide them equally between the two of you. Then, cut down the tree and divide the wood". Ramu thought that this was a fair judgement and said so, but Shamu was horrified. "Your Honour" he said to Birbal "I've tended that tree for seven years. I'd rather let Ramu have it than see it cut down." "Your concern for the tree has told me all I wanted to know" said Birbal, and declared Shamu the true owner of the tree.

I came across this story a few days ago and asked myself: at the end of the day, am I here just to take my share or do I live and act to encompass all of life's needs? Do I put other’s needs, even those of nature, before my own? Do I value the seeds that I have planted or do I only want to taste the temporary fruit of them?


Yesterday, I was looking at some photographs in someone's office - one of which was of the Pope. This person said that a few years ago he had the fortune of meeting the Pope and how when the Pope died he had felt the loss. He said if you ask most people to name individuals who have really touched the world, making it a better place, they could probably count them on their fingers. He mentioned other individuals like Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King...and I thought, just as in the story above, they cared for the world, they cared for other’s needs before their own. When you let go of the need to take - your consciousness opens, your heart opens, and so everything and much more comes back to you.

Flower

Hi guys, just sharing with you what I was asking myself today...

If I were a flower, which one would I be? What kind of colour, fragrance, sweetness, inspiration would I bring? Where would people like to keep me? What would I remind them of? What kind of plants would surround my environment? Would I let go of my thorns? How long would I last - and would I make each moment eternal? Actually, this does give a LOT of food for thought!

- BOL

Expectations kill

Recently I have been getting easily irritated and annoyed by people and trivial matters. When I dove deep into the root of the problem, I saw my own expectations of people and how they should be. If they were not doing what I thought they should be doing or if they were not doing what I had asked them to do then that made them wrong in my eyes.

A friend of mine shared with me that it is essential to see every one as a unique individual and allow them to play their role, and not to try to change their role or play it for them. She asked me "You wouldn't like someone to play your role for you would you?"

I am still practising it - I will let you know how I get on...

Get out of the BOX!

Can you connect the nine dots with four straight lines without lifting the pen from the paper? You must not cross any dot more than once though:-).

If you cannot do it within 5 minutes, then you might wish to reconsider your approach to solving problems. Try not to assume what hasn’t been said and do not allow your assumptions to limit your options by a box. All you need to do here is get out of the box and think freely just like in life!

Very often in life this box actually represents the limitations coming from the expectations of society or what we assume them to be. We are expected to get angry, to run after wealth, to do things fast, to fear loosing…

Well, we can either be that or get out of the box and choose to stop and reflect… to turn within! Choose to be calm, generous, fearless, loving! Be free! Be original!
The choice is yours! The world is yours!

Winds of Change

On a spiritual level it can be said that there are 2 different types of storms in life:

Self created
Externally created

This week life has been teaching me to become aware of 'the winds of change' inside and outside.
Within these winds there is a momentum - who knows where it's heading? It could ultimately wip up into a cyclone and before you know it where am I?

So let me know myself so well and become so giving, of peace and love in everything I do, that even in the biggest cyclones I head straight for the their centre, no deviation, seeing them for what they are - a storm for me to master. Gently moving with the storm, cool and calm, agile - observing the winds of change with acceptance and understanding and free to be me.

Happy, light, cheerful - just like the sun!

Uplifting

A friend of mine sent these images to me and I would like to share them with you. I hope you enjoy them.

Optimism will let me see the silver lining.
Pessimism only lets me see the lightning.

Looking at this image I ask myself:
Do I want to be just mediocre?
No. I want to be different and lead a brilliant life!

I found this quote quite astonishing because laziness is one of those things in me which I comfortably hold on to and use from time to time. It is such a tiny mouse but it has a huge effect on the elephant. I need to buck up now.

-Yogi Bear-

Humility

I made a discovery today: that humility is the ultimate wisdom. Think about it: no need to prove myself, to argue, to 'be right', to 'defend my ego', to complicate things, to show off... wow, the list goes on and on. So I can be simple, I can be light, I can live peacefully and happily in full self-respect. True humility does not take anything away. On the contrary, it allows me to recognize where my true value comes from.

-BOL

Real love...

“I would be full of love if …” – Does this sound like an expression of real love?
Real love doesn’t really depend on anything, it is unconditional, and there are no ifs…
Unconditional love is true love.
True love is not giving, it is something you become, it is a state of being.

So be LOVE, your real self!

"Everything comes to us that belongs to us

if we create the capacity to receive it."

Touching Life

Every one of my waking moments offers me an opportunity to touch life in a meaningful way. The ability to identify those unique 'touching points' and to make such a special contribution, which brings beauty to each scene of life, only happens if I am in tune with life. When I am present at each moment - not physically, but with my full awareness. It is the quality of my thoughts that enables me to touch life in a precious, wonderful way even in the simplest of scenes.

Spiritual vanity

Mirror, mirror on the wall, what do you have to show me today?

Generally no one likes to be told about their weaknesses or to see their weaknesses. I have found though that when I have examined my 'internal' self the result has been that I have gained a better understanding of myself and that this has allowed me to see what I needed to change in my attitude and my vision. However, there is a step inbetween and even before I can change my attitude or my vision I need to accept my own weaknesses and be very gentle with them and find something positive to replace them with. These weaknesses cannot be chassed off so easily. They have been my "friends" for such a long time, coming every time I feel "lonely" to visit me again and again. They keep me company. So let me find new "friends" to replace them i.e. positivity, gentleness, respect, kindness, calm, love, bliss and the list goes on... All I now need is courage, determination, patience and compassion for myself.

PS: When I see the weaknesses of others, they become my weakness - scary isn't it?! (I think I have mine to deal with - thank you very much and I'll leave theirs for them to deal with!)

Laughter feels good!

I came across a scientific study on laughter the other day. The scientists said that both laughter and the anticipation of laughter initiate changes in the body that “appear to carry important, positive implications for wellness, disease-prevention and most certainly stress-reduction”.

SO, LET’S GET SERIOUS ABOUT LAUGHTER!

Laugh and be happy and healthy!

Parent Training

Sometimes (very often actually) my mind races ahead into this, that and the next thing.
It's a bit like an excited child that really doesn't know what's best for it and then looks to me to get it out of the mess. You can't blame the kids!

So what do I need to do?
Parent training comes to mind.
Let me look after my wandering child.
Gently giving it good things to focus on that brings pleasure, happiness and understanding.
A good mum always puts her child first even before herself!

Don’t choke!

To avoid choking is a matter of paying attention,
being accurate and doing everything in its own time!


I think that this can also be applied to life!
So, avoid being excessive, astonished or surprised with things that you see or hear.
Don’t be breathless!
If we look around we see that lots of similar things are happening in everyone’s life!
Do not let anything obstruct your way, take out your peace!
For that! Pay attention, be accurate and know that everything has its own time!

But if you choke, DO NOT GET DESPERATE!
Just take your time, breath slowly, and it will pass!
-Fuzz-

Spontaneous Reflection

I was in Sainsbury’s this weekend doing my grocery shopping. Whilst I was queueing up at the checkout a young boy, about 9 year old, was in front of me. He had a few lemons in his hands. The checkout staff started chatting to the boy and asked him what he is going to do with the lemons. The boy answered, "I'm learning to be a juggler. Shall I show you?" The checkout staff answered, "Sure, let’s see it!" The boy took three lemons and started juggling. Seeing this I had to smile, it was not your everyday scene. I looked around and saw that all eyes were on him. Other customers in the queue and checkout staff turned to look and they all had a smile on their face. It was nice to see how an innocent boy with his spontaneity could brighten and lighten the atmosphere in the supermarket.

I went home to look up the word 'Spontaneous' and found the meaning was - a process that occurs without external influence or excitement. It seems that spontaneity is a natural process. Children still hold this state of mind because of their innocence and openness to life. As we grow into adolescence and adulthood we somehow lose the ability to live life as new each moment. We put a lot of energy into analysing situations and give so much importance to what others might think, stopping us from opening our hearts and being spontaneous in life.

So, let me live again!

Whatever happens is good!

I just remembered a story that someone told and thought I would share it with you:

Once upon a time a king and his advisor (a wise man, as advisors normally are:-)) went for a walk through a forest. They were both enjoying the walk up to the moment when the king somehow managed to cut one of his fingers. The finger started to bleed and the king was devastated. Hoping to make the king feel better, the wise man said: “Whatever happens is good!”

Already annoyed with having cut his finger, the last thing the king wanted to hear was that his finger was bleeding for a good reason! He turned around to the wise man and said: “What kind of advisor are you if you see good in my suffering? I don’t think I need such an advisor. Please leave, I don’t need your assistance any longer!”

The wise man shrugged and started to make his way back to the city, leaving the king behind by himself in the middle of the forest. Being convinced he had done just the right thing, the king continued his walk as soon as his finger stopped bleeding. Just around the corner, he came across a few men of the local tribe. Not looking at all like one of them, the king attracted their attention. “So well groomed, clean and fragrant.” – the natives thought – “Let’s catch him and take him to the chief”. A few minutes later, the king found himself to be caught within four arms and screaming at the top of his voice “I am THE KING, let me go!”. However, that wasn’t a language the natives could understand, so he was loosing his voice in vein.

Having been impressed by the latest catch, the chief decided to sacrifice the king to the gods and ordered that the king be tied up and kept until dawn. After a long sleepless night, the king’s hopes for freedom raised when two natives approached him to untie his hands. However, he wouldn’t even have dreamt that he was just being prepared to be sacrificed as an offering to the gods. While they were freeing his hands, one of the natives noticed the cut on the king’s finger and ran to inform the chief. “A cut on his finger?” – the chief yelled – “We can’t offer imperfect beings to our gods. He is no good, let him go!”

Having been freed and having remembered what the wise man said, the king finally understood the goodness behind having a cut on his finger. He ran back to the city without a breath to find the dismissed advisor. “Please forgive me for dismissing you, you are the wisest man I have ever met.” – the king screamed out of happiness when he finally found the wise man - “Please come back to work for me again!”. Having heard the whole story, the wise man answered: “I am so glad you dismissed me then. If I had been caught by the natives with you, I would have been their next choice for the offering after having noticed the cut on your finger, so thank you for saving my life!”