Below are just a few one liners that hit me throughout the day:
You don't have to make everything a joke, in order for life to be fun.
Women want to know, that you know what you want, and then they will decide if they want that.
When walking in darkness, it is easier to walk toward the light than away. (try it)
A person who has impenetrable skin will not let pain in, but he/she will also not let pain out.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Focus
I often compare how things in nature relate to principles that are persistently controlling or leading our lives.
One day as I was riding with a friend, I was staring out the window as the background flew by. I noticed that as you focus on those things close to you(i.e. mailboxes, sidewalk, telephone pole, etc.) the objects beyond that point seemed blurry. Then as you focused on the objects in the distance, the closer ones obviously became blurry, hard to see. All of us are pretty aware of this concept. It is simple: it is hard to focus on more than one thing at once. Unless, of course, the objects are at the same distance.
This made me think of how we should live our lives and what should be important to us. Our lives are full of priorities; many different things that have an equal or almost equal importance. Examples would be family, friends, school, job, etc. These priorities can be hard to juggle, especially if by focusing on one, you lose focus on the other. Let me give an example. You hold your family as very special, important to you. You live by strong values and principles when it comes to your parents, siblings, spouse and children. But if your friendships do not reflect the same type of principles of honesty, integrity and trust; certain aspects of other relationships will become blurry. Soon you will see the two integrate and you will possibly sacrifice the sanctity of your familial relationships.
The key here is to make sure all your relationships are at the same 'depth perception'. That way you can focus on one thing, and not lose focus on another. Establish the same principles in all entities of your life. You will find that life is much more simple to understand and correct decision-making becomes easier and conflicts decrease.
One day as I was riding with a friend, I was staring out the window as the background flew by. I noticed that as you focus on those things close to you(i.e. mailboxes, sidewalk, telephone pole, etc.) the objects beyond that point seemed blurry. Then as you focused on the objects in the distance, the closer ones obviously became blurry, hard to see. All of us are pretty aware of this concept. It is simple: it is hard to focus on more than one thing at once. Unless, of course, the objects are at the same distance.
This made me think of how we should live our lives and what should be important to us. Our lives are full of priorities; many different things that have an equal or almost equal importance. Examples would be family, friends, school, job, etc. These priorities can be hard to juggle, especially if by focusing on one, you lose focus on the other. Let me give an example. You hold your family as very special, important to you. You live by strong values and principles when it comes to your parents, siblings, spouse and children. But if your friendships do not reflect the same type of principles of honesty, integrity and trust; certain aspects of other relationships will become blurry. Soon you will see the two integrate and you will possibly sacrifice the sanctity of your familial relationships.
The key here is to make sure all your relationships are at the same 'depth perception'. That way you can focus on one thing, and not lose focus on another. Establish the same principles in all entities of your life. You will find that life is much more simple to understand and correct decision-making becomes easier and conflicts decrease.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Point of Truth
Tonight I lie here reflecting the past few years. I reflect my decisions, especially the wrong ones I have made, the wrong paths I have trodden and the consequences that come with that. I ponder where I should be and why I am not there. Through all of it, one aspect rings true, a common denominator under each and every circumstance: the mistakes I made occurred because I went against what I felt was right. I acted as though I could cheat the system. Like I found a loophole.
We must all learn that there are no exceptions to that great rule: all blessings stem from the law to which it is predicated. Basically, do what is right and the right things will happen. Well this weekend I made a decision that was almost four years overdue. As much as I have avoided it and fought against the pricks, I finally made it and upon doing so, everything that was associated with that decision, made sense. It became clear.
You know, some of the most powerful words are "remember, remember". Most of our faults come because we do not remember the great lessons we have already learned. We forget what is right and how we felt when we found that answer. Then, of course, we make the same mistake, again. See forgetting has a dual purpose in our lives, for good and for evil, a blessing and a curse. It allows us to move on in life, to not 'live in the past' and in turn, be happy. If we all relived our mistakes and shortcomings daily, we would never feel worthy for happiness or be able to carry on a strong relationship. It would slowly eat away at us. So forgetting can be a blessing.
The curse comes when we choose to forget before we learn that particular lesson. Each mistake should also be accompanied with a lesson, a new principle to learn. But what if we choose to forget that experience before the principle is instilled into our mind, our heart, our own personality? Many people hate the fact that they have made a mistake, and they refuse to admit it to others and even worse, admit it to themselves. So in turn, they choose to forget about it as quickly as possible. Then later, when reconciled with the experience, they say things like "That is in the past" or "I just wasn't ready back then". What they do not realize is that if they do not learn from history, then history will repeat itself. We MUST confront every mistake or wrong choice we make. Find out what we did wrong, why it was wrong, what were we supposed to do, why were we supposed to do that, and how can I make up for it. If we do not do that, then lessons and even life, is lived in vain. We do not live in the past, but it is our past that makes who we are in the present.
Another great lesson I learned: we must let others make their own choices, and when we make choices, make them based on the present events/ circumstances/ situations and not on what things may be; if this happens or if that person changes. IF is a confusing and misleading word. The future can be a hundred different outcomes determined by an even longer list of variables. There is no way we can determine what will happen. So making a decision under those conditions, not very smart. Just remember, nothing is ever 'if', it just 'is'.
We must all learn that there are no exceptions to that great rule: all blessings stem from the law to which it is predicated. Basically, do what is right and the right things will happen. Well this weekend I made a decision that was almost four years overdue. As much as I have avoided it and fought against the pricks, I finally made it and upon doing so, everything that was associated with that decision, made sense. It became clear.
You know, some of the most powerful words are "remember, remember". Most of our faults come because we do not remember the great lessons we have already learned. We forget what is right and how we felt when we found that answer. Then, of course, we make the same mistake, again. See forgetting has a dual purpose in our lives, for good and for evil, a blessing and a curse. It allows us to move on in life, to not 'live in the past' and in turn, be happy. If we all relived our mistakes and shortcomings daily, we would never feel worthy for happiness or be able to carry on a strong relationship. It would slowly eat away at us. So forgetting can be a blessing.
The curse comes when we choose to forget before we learn that particular lesson. Each mistake should also be accompanied with a lesson, a new principle to learn. But what if we choose to forget that experience before the principle is instilled into our mind, our heart, our own personality? Many people hate the fact that they have made a mistake, and they refuse to admit it to others and even worse, admit it to themselves. So in turn, they choose to forget about it as quickly as possible. Then later, when reconciled with the experience, they say things like "That is in the past" or "I just wasn't ready back then". What they do not realize is that if they do not learn from history, then history will repeat itself. We MUST confront every mistake or wrong choice we make. Find out what we did wrong, why it was wrong, what were we supposed to do, why were we supposed to do that, and how can I make up for it. If we do not do that, then lessons and even life, is lived in vain. We do not live in the past, but it is our past that makes who we are in the present.
Another great lesson I learned: we must let others make their own choices, and when we make choices, make them based on the present events/ circumstances/ situations and not on what things may be; if this happens or if that person changes. IF is a confusing and misleading word. The future can be a hundred different outcomes determined by an even longer list of variables. There is no way we can determine what will happen. So making a decision under those conditions, not very smart. Just remember, nothing is ever 'if', it just 'is'.
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