Gary February 1st, 2013
The biggest destroyer of oneself are one’s beliefs, if such beliefs lead to other than one’s happiness. We emotionally cling on to and defend our beliefs as defined by our observations, deductions and experience, even contorting logic to support and reinforce them, so they become irrefutable facts. Our reality then becomes how we see and interpret the world through this window.
Gary December 21st, 2012
If you lack or want to change something in your life, ask yourself what that is, what would be the perfect scenario for you, whether the cooperation of others is needed and if so are they willing to cooperate and what are the terms on which you want to lead your life. Most importantly reflect on whether it would lead to your ultimate happiness.
Make choices in your mind; your life will then begin to align itself with your goals. You would have made your mind work for you by carving a path for yourself, rather than you being an instrument of your mind.
Life is like a game of cards; the hand you are dealt is determinism; the way you play it is free will.
— Jawaharlal Nehru
Gary November 16th, 2012
A sense of trust allows you to connect with people and share intimacy of thought, which is key to happiness.
Most people are so closed that it bothers me; such as when I talk to a little girl and she does not answer, feeling awkward or hesitant likely due to the conditioning of her parents and friends about not talking to strangers or worse, being afraid of pedophiles. Such closed people may never be harmed by another person in their lifetimes, but they are certainly harming themselves on an ongoing basis, like dying a slow, painful death in anticipation of one’s death, rather than living one’s life to the fullest for however long one has to live. However people don’t realize this and spend their lives in pursuit of one special relationship with a significant other, to the exclusion of people at large, and then wonder why they feel lonely and disconnected in the absence of that one person.
People who are uninhibited spread joy to others who are similarly open to connecting with people. Beyond an open mind, radiate a warmth; initiate or respond with a smile, wave, handshake, hug or conversation; all work wonders to make us happy as a collective.
Gary October 10th, 2012
Hope is a drug; one takes it and forgets one’s sorrows. Like any other drug, when the intoxication wears, one feels miserable. Hope is more dangerous and addictive than any other drug, because it is legal, encouraged, free and readily available, and when the illusion is shattered, one sinks into a greater depression.
We hope everything will be better tomorrow, and it keeps us going today. How is that unlike taking a drug to take the edge off today?
When one accepts one’s circumstances, one becomes content and happy with one’s today, with the additional benefit of living one’s today to the fullest rather than living for the next day that may never come.
Most people treat the present moment as if it were an obstacle that they need to overcome. Since the present moment is Life itself, it is an insane way to live.
— Eckhart Tolle
It is not about resigning oneself to the belief that everything has a purpose, that everything happens for the best or that whatever happens is a blessing in disguise. It is about not enquiring as to why, and going with, “That is how it is”, regardless of reason, and that has an additional benefit of conserving one’s energy by not having to think about it in an attempt to justify one’s circumstances to oneself.
Acceptance is the permanent and universal cure to our temporary and changing circumstances.
Gary September 21st, 2012
We constantly seek security, whether it be money in the bank, owning as opposed to renting or job security. There is safety and comfort in permanence, or at least what we perceive as permanent. There are four factors to consider in our quest for the security of what we consider permanence:
Gary July 27th, 2012
Why is this happening to me?
The bottom line, after all has been said and done, is acceptance. Anything and everything you hear from supportive family and friends, read in books or online or understand through analytical thinking is moot, as those are no more than means to justify to your mind why things are the way they are. They are not solutions.
The WHY is an impediment; a means to an end that becomes an end in itself; it overshadows and envelopes us, keeps us engrossed to the point where we lose sight of the reason we asked WHY in the first place – to justify to ourselves why we need to accept what is happening. Any way you justify it, all explanations are just that; explanations; and they are worthless if you do not use them to achieve the effect they were designed to deliver – acceptance of your situation, regardless of what the answer is to your WHY.
It does not matter what one believes; whether it be destiny being pre-written or the course of our lives being in our own hands by virtue of our power of choice. That would be akin to being concerned about the lock and neglecting the key. The key being acceptance of the sorrow, regardless of it being pre-destined or brought about by the exercise of our own choices.
Belief is a tool for achieving effects; it is not an end in itself.
— Peter Carroll
Gary July 20th, 2012
When life is out of control, hopelessness sets in and one wonders how will life go on, remember the answer, “One day at a time”.
As long as one is motivated, the key to accomplishing any task that is overwhelming due to its magnitude, appears unattainable or beyond one’s ability, is, ‘one step at a time’.
If I were to plan to startup a hotel, I should only think of first taking up a job at one or doing a hotel management course. Or a smaller baby step, like researching where I want to study. Not think about hiring staff for my hotel, worry about potential competition or how to achieve occupancy. That would overwhelm me and would be counter-productive.
Gary July 20th, 2012
If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it’s not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.
— His Holiness The Dalai Lama XIVWorrying is worthless. When you stop focusing on what has already happened and what may never happen, then you’ll be in the present moment. Then you’ll begin to experience joy in life.
— Brian Weiss
Here’s a story – A couple were worrying about their upcoming journey that required them to cross a rickety makeshift bridge. From well before the journey and through the trip, they kept worrying if the bridge would give way when they would attempt to cross it. When they got to the bridge, they saw that the makeshift bridge had been replaced by a sturdy, permanent one. Thus their worrying was needless and they ruined their days and nights prior to and the entire journey over it. Hence they say,
Cross the bridge when you get to it.
Gary July 20th, 2012
The concept of having one “special someone” in one’s life is a recipe for devastation that would result from when such person is no longer in one’s life. Instead we need to expand that circle to include everyone, even connecting with strangers. Draw larger circles so the world is one’s family. The more emotional intimacy we share with others, the happier will we be.
Gary July 3rd, 2012
I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. Happiness comes from:
(a) accepting unhappiness as being a part of life, not hating or fighting against it. Hate being a negative emotion causes more unhappiness. The fact that there are ups and downs in life like an electrocardiogram, is proof that one is living; without that one would flatline.
(b) being connected to other people, even strangers. Connection comes from intimacy. Intimacy comes from sharing, whether it be in the form of communication or being of service. The keys to communication and service, are honesty and compassion. If one is honest, one has nothing to hide, and thus being fearless removes any barriers to communication. Compassion helps us see and feel things from the other person’s point of view, hence the biblical saying,
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.