Heroism ~ August 30, 2011

I'm not sure why I chose to heroism as a topic today . . . I've been kind of going in alphabetical order as far as topics and heroism seemed to leap off the page at me today.

I didn't feel very heroic today. Well the morning started out great. When I got to work (which is something I love ~ my own business Coastal Serenity) this morning it seemed like things spiraled out of control. The only part I had any control over was my reaction to it and yet I chose to let it make me grumpy. Only for a little while though, but still . . .

The day did get better and is ending on a more positive note. I know that tomorrow will be a better day.

Quotes

True heroism goes beyond a single act of courage-it is a lifestyle of loving mankind everyday, the effects of which ripple from each practitioner out into the world. ~ Chris Benguhe

~ I like this one. It reminds me how we are all connected.

We all live in suspense, from day to day, from hour to hour; in other words, we are the hero of our own story. ~ Mary McCarthy

~ Yes we are . . .

The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with composure one heavy mischance after another, not because he does not feel them, but because he is a man of high and heroic temper. ~ Aristotle

 
~ I have days where it seems like nothing can go right, I know we all do. I have met people who it seems that nothing ever goes right for. One thing after another piles up on their shoulders. Yet some of these people shake it off and have a great attitude and continue to get up every day. Writing themselves as the hero of their story.

Blog Posts

Lighten Your Life ~ "If where you’re going is important, decide what really matters and take responsibility for your freedom. Hold tight to everything and everyone that will support your voyage and let go of everything else. Embrace your essence and when there is doubt let love lighten your load: a life painted in love outweighs a voyage completed unprepared."

What You Need to Live a Life of Purpose ~ I think this goes great with my topic today - heroism. I believe that when we live our lives with purpose it is a heroic act. When we stand up for our values and live them every day despite what others think that is heroic. ~ “Suffering unnecessarily is masochistic rather than heroic.” ~ Viktor Frankl

Tiny Wisdom: Are You Afraid of Success? ~ "We all deserve to live lives that feel passionate and purposeful. And the world needs for us to find the courage to do the things we want to do—not because we’re chasing success, but because we want to make a difference, and we know we deserve and can handle whatever that entails."

Gratitude ~ August 29, 2011

I am grateful for many blessings in my life. I am grateful that I live in a place full of beauty (the ocean, the night sky, the deer and wildlife that surrounds me). I am grateful that I am able to do a job that I love. I am grateful that I do not have to rush anywhere. I am grateful for all of you who have joined me here.  I am grateful . . . What are you grateful for?


Quotes

There are times I forget to be grateful
easier to see things that are wrong
as I dishonor the the gifts I've been given
with worry, angst and woe.

There are times I need reminding
of the things I take for granted each day;
my children, my home or a stranger,
sent to brighten my way.

Take some time to say thank you
for the blessings that color your day;
Those colors will form a rainbow,
and chase the darkness away.

~ Marianne Goldweber

i thank You God for most this amazing
day; for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes.

~ e.e. cummings

. . . a basic law: the more you practice the art of thankfulness, the more you have to be thankful for. This, of course, is a fact. Thankfulness does tend to reproduce in kind. The attitude of gratitude revitalizes the entire mental process by activating all other attitudes, thus stimulating creativity. ~ Norman Vincent Peale 

Blog Posts

How to Maintain a Relationship With a Loved One Who's Hurt You ~ This post really goes well with yesterday's post on Forgiveness.

Tiny Buddha: You Make a Difference ~ You Matter. What you do matters. You Make a Difference

You Matter ~ Here is the post that inspired the previous post.

Forgiveness ~ August 28, 2011

I made a few changes to the blog (some of you may have noticed). I added an RSS feed button so you can subscribe now through feedburrner. I also added an option so you can subscribe by email if you would prefer that.  I hope that you will take a moment to pick one and subscribe. Thank you.

Forgiveness today. I know how hard this can be.  I come from a family that knows how to hold a grudge . . . and to top it off we're a stubborn group too.

If we are truly to live in the present and maintain positivity we need to let go of these old feelings of hurt. We need to forgive those that have hurt us and to forgive ourselves the pain we have caused others.

Quotes

Forgiveness of others is a gift to yourself. ~ Larry Miller

~Forgiveness frees you up for more positive energies. Instead of spending your energy being hurt or angry. Forgiveness leads you to being in the present moment.  

Write the bad things that are done to you in sand, but write the good things that happen to you on a piece of marble. ~ Arabian proverb

~I have the immense pleasure of living at the beach. You can write your the bad things in the sand and the tide will eventually wash it away. I like the idea of this.

Forgive, you will have happiness.
Forget, you will have satisfaction.
Forgive and forget,
You will have everlasting peace
Within and without.
~ Sri Chinmoy

~What else can I say . . .

Enligtenment ~August 27, 2011

No input from me today . . . going to let the words stand for themselves. I hope that you enjoy.

Quotes

to know people is wisdom, but to know yourself is enlightenment.
to master people takes force, but to master yourself takes strength.
to know contentment is wealth, and to live with strength resolve.
to never leave whatever you are is to abide, and to die without getting lost-
that is to live on and on.

~ Lao Tzu

We are on a journey of becoming that which we already are. That is the impossible paradox of our lives. ~ Leonard Jacobson

Enlightenment is a state of wholeness, of being "at one" and therefore at peace. At one with life in its manifested aspect, the world, as well as with our deepest self and life unmanifested - at one with Being. Enlightenment is not only the end of suffering and of continuous conflict within and without, but also the end of the dreadful enslavement of incessant thinking. What an incredible liberation this is! ~Eckhart Toller - The Power of Now

A loving journey of transition begins by nurturing self care. If we honour our inner selves we not only live our divine blueprint, we also embrace the richness of humanity as we promote spiritual enlightenment. ~ Micheal Teal

It is not until you awaken and become fully present that you will realize that you have not been present. It is not until you awaken that you will realize you have been asleep, dreaming that you are awake. ~ Leonard Jacobson

Blog Posts

Tiny Wisdom: On Realizing You're Complete ~ I may have posted this one before . . . but I really like the quote that makes up the better part of this post.

I have Some Bad News For Some of You ~ "The thing is my friends, you can do all those things you crave but there is no magic pill.  You have to do the work, put in some effort and sometimes be willing to risk, fail and try again.  Sometimes it’s hard.  And that’s okay.  This is how we learn what really matters."  ~ Bonnie has this one right on. There isn't a magic pill. Life takes work. Sometimes you are going to fail. Sometimes you are going to falter. But that's okay as long as we learn a lesson from it and get back up and try again. And remember to never give up.

Dreams ~ August 26, 2011

What keeps you from moving towards your dreams?  Fear . . . fear of what? Failure? What others may say? I do not believe there is ever a reason to not move towards your dream. I know that it is not always easy and there may be some things that stand in our way. As long as we always move forward one step in front of the other we will eventually get there.

Quotes

Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dream. ~ Paulo Coelho

~ Pursuing your dreams is a joyful process, we should do it as often as we can. Never mind the fear, naysayers and what ever else holds us back. How can pursuing your dreams ever be wrong.

The distance between your dreams and your reality is always traversable.  If you can dream it, you can make it so. ~ Daisaku Ikeda

~ Absolutely. We are never given a dream without also being given the ability to make them come true.

Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake. ~ Henry David Thoreau

~ Because that means we are living our dream.  What could be better than that? 

Blog Posts

You Can't What ~ First a warning . . . some may find the language of this blog post offensive, for that I am sorry. I am not sorry for sharing it though. Because, language aside, it is a great post about telling the the cant's, etc. to move out of your way.  


Today is Your Day ~ “Let us not bankrupt our todays by paying interest on the regrets of yesterday and by borrowing in advance the troubles of tomorrow.” ~ Ralph W. Sockman