Life 04 (Aug 09 - Sep 09)

Life 04 (Aug 09 - Sep 09)

Postby winston » Sat Aug 01, 2009 9:16 am

Are You Uncurious? by Alexander Green, Spiritual Wealth

You may know hundreds of people. Yet how many are truly fascinating?

I've often wondered about these men and women. What gives them that special indefinable quality that makes them so enjoyable to be around?

Some will say its education, talent, money, humor or celebrity. But I think it's something that's within the reach of us all: curiosity.

Curious people are interested in the world and everything in it. They seek out new friends and experiences. They pay attention to what's going on around them and why.

Take Denny Zeitlin, for example.

Zeitlin is a world-class jazz pianist and recording artist. He is also a practicing psychologist, a professor of psychology at the University of California, San Francisco - and a fascinating individual.

I can say this with confidence even though I've never had the pleasure of meeting him personally. I merely stumbled onto his website recently and was captivated by his essays and short videos on everything from wine collecting and bone fishing to mountain biking and travel. His quiet enthusiasm on all these topics - not to mention jazz - is intoxicating.

(Feel free to browse around http://www.dennyzeitlin.com. And be sure to take a few minutes to watch both his wine cellar tour and his "Salt Water Adventures.")

Zeitlin is a man in love with life. His attitude is infectious. (And so is his music, incidentally.) He is filled with curiosity and a lust for learning.

We all start out that way, of course. But too often children are given rules and obligations that squelch their natural inquisitiveness. They are told to know their place, to avoid controversial topics, to stay away from strangers and not to challenge their parents, teachers or pastors.

"Curiosity killed the cat," we tell them.

Astronomer Carl Sagan once lamented that when a child asks a perfectly good question like "Why is the sun round?" it's not unusual for an adult to give a dismissive response like, "What do you expect it to be, square?"

(Of course, most adults probably don't know that intense gravity pulls material towards the sun's center, forming a sphere. But there's never any shame in answering a question with, "I don't know. Let's find out.")

By the time we reach adulthood, many of us are already jaded or closed-minded. We tend to speak with, read and praise people who share our point of view.

When our views are challenged, our instinct is to defend them (even if they might be wrong). In the process, we may miss the opportunity to learn something.

Other times it is the desire for certainty that suppresses our natural curiosity. After all, why look into a matter further when you've already got it all figured out?

Dr. Todd Kashdan, a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at George Mason University, says lack of curiosity is a breeding ground for stereotyping and discrimination, ignorance, rigid conformity, inflated confidence, and dogmatism.

Uncurious people tend to see the world in black and white. People are good or bad. Choices are right or wrong. Yet outside of mathematics, alternatives are rarely that stark.

Sometimes life comes in infinite shades of grey. And nothing demonstrates a low tolerance for ambiguity like a lack of curiosity.

High curiosity, on the other hand, opens us up to multiple perspectives. It is regularly tied to greater analytic ability, problem-solving skills, and overall intelligence.

Curiosity drove many of the world's finest scientists and explorers. Our greatest discoveries often come when we question authority, the status quo, or our own beliefs.

Curiosity is also what leads many of us - often late in life - to take up the piano... or fly-fishing... or ballroom dancing... or visiting all 50 states.

And it is something that can be practiced. Often it's just a matter of greater awareness. When you're making your schedule, what are you planning that you haven't tried before? When you're talking, what opinions are you hearing that you haven't heard before? When you're traveling, what are you seeing that you haven't seen before?

Curiosity is essentially an attitude toward living. It shows we are interested in adding to our knowledge, our skills, our areas of competence. We are willing to break out of our routine and experiment with our lives.

When you're curious, you're energized. You're learning. Your focus goes beyond yourself and your own petty concerns. You're making discoveries, finding opportunities, adding to your quality of life.

Best of all, these pursuits don't just make your life more fascinating.

They make you more interesting, too.
It's all about "how much you made when you were right" & "how little you lost when you were wrong"
User avatar
winston
Billionaire Boss
 
Posts: 118536
Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 9:28 am

Re: Life (Aug09 - Sep09)

Postby winston » Sat Aug 01, 2009 10:16 am

That is not change

For most of us, change implies the continuation of ourselves in a modified form. If we are dissatisfied with a particular pattern of ideas, of rituals, of conditioning, we throw it aside and pick up the same pattern in a different milieu, a different colour, with different rituals, different words.

Instead of Latin it is Sanskrit, or some other language, but it is still the old pattern repeated over and over and over again; and within this pattern we think we are moving, changing. Because we are dissatisfied with what we are, we go from one teacher to another. Seeing confusion about us and in ourselves, seeing perpetual wars, ever-increasing destruction, devastation and misery, we want some haven, some peace; and if we can find a refuge that gives us a sense of security, a sense of permanency, with that we are satisfied.

So, when the mind projects an idea and clings to it, struggles towards it, surely that is not change, that is not transformation, that is not revolution, because it is still within the field of the mind, the field of time. To clear away all that, we must be conscious of what we are doing, we must be aware of it.

The Collected Works vol VII, pp 7-8

Source: jkrishnamurthi.com
It's all about "how much you made when you were right" & "how little you lost when you were wrong"
User avatar
winston
Billionaire Boss
 
Posts: 118536
Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 9:28 am

Re: Life (Aug09 - Sep09)

Postby winston » Sat Aug 01, 2009 9:58 pm

One who is connected to the Energy Stream is more powerful than a million who are not. And two who are harmoniously focused and connected to the Energy Stream brings about a co-creative endeavor that cannot be matched by anything else in all of the Universe.

--- Abraham

Excerpted from the workshop in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, July 26th, 1997

Source: abraham-hicks.com
It's all about "how much you made when you were right" & "how little you lost when you were wrong"
User avatar
winston
Billionaire Boss
 
Posts: 118536
Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 9:28 am

Re: Life (Aug09 - Sep09)

Postby winston » Sun Aug 02, 2009 6:39 am

If your foot slips, you earn a fracture; if your tongue slips, you fracture some one's faith or joy.

That fracture can never be set right; that wound will fester forever. The softer you talk, the less you talk, the sweeter you talk, the better for you and the world.

- Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 8 Ch.26.

Source: radiosai.org
It's all about "how much you made when you were right" & "how little you lost when you were wrong"
User avatar
winston
Billionaire Boss
 
Posts: 118536
Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 9:28 am

Re: Life (Aug09 - Sep09)

Postby winston » Sun Aug 02, 2009 10:35 am

To remain with a fact without trying to change

To say, “I am angry” and remain with that fact without trying to change, without trying to explain it away, is very difficult. I do not know if you have noticed that to live with an ugly thing without its corrupting you is very difficult. To live with an ugly picture and not let it pervert your sensitivity is very difficult because to live with an ugly thing releases a tremendous amount of energy, just as living with a beautiful thing does.

You see a lovely tree in your garden, and you are proud of it, or you are used to it. Or, you see a filthy road, and you get used to it. To live with it and not let that dirty road corrupt you, or to live with something very beautiful without getting used to it, you need a great deal of energy, you need a great deal of sensitive awareness, don’t you? Otherwise you get used to both; you become dull to beauty and to ugliness.

So a mind that has become accustomed to ideals has become dull; it accepts postponing, and postponement is a facile habit. If you deny ideas, if you deny ideals, then you are free to face the fact.

The Collected Works vol XII, p 290

Source: jkrishnamurthi.com
It's all about "how much you made when you were right" & "how little you lost when you were wrong"
User avatar
winston
Billionaire Boss
 
Posts: 118536
Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 9:28 am

Re: Life (Aug09 - Sep09)

Postby Cherry » Sun Aug 02, 2009 5:16 pm

6 Simple Strategies to Stay Happy

True and simple explanation to achieve Happiness. Happiness is within ourselves. So, do not blame others on how unhappy you feel. Read on..........

6 Simple Strategies to Stay Happy
It is a fact that if you want something too badly, it is likely to evade you. And this is truer for happiness than anything else. The reason why happiness seems to evade the millions of people searching for it is because they are looking in the wrong place.

Most people look for happiness "outside" themselves and not "inside". Some feel that they would be happy if they could afford a house of their own. Others feel that they just have to own all the latest gizmos to finally find happiness.

There are some who may not seek happiness in material things but they are still not looking in the right place. They feel that they would be happy if they found the right life partner or if their children loved them more. Even in such cases, these people are searching for happiness "outside" themselves.

Have you ever wondered how most infants are extremely happy almost all the time? Physical discomfort can make them cry for a while but such aspects are transient and last for only a few minutes. The reason why infants are almost always in a state of natural happiness is because they are in constant awe of nature and the world around them. Unfortunately, it is the society, parents, friends, teachers and relatives that influence them with regards to what happiness should mean.

It may be difficult to undo all the layers of perception that have formed on the mind over time. However, it is never too late to try and address the issue and train your mind to be happy. There are some tips that can help you in shedding your inhibitions and breaking away from the shackles of predefined definitions of happiness.

Accept yourself – One of the key reasons why people are unhappy is that they do not really like or love themselves enough. It is essential that you accept yourself as what you are without any caveats and conditions to attain happiness. Don't get too critical about yourself – your looks, your brains, your capabilities or your financial condition. Just learn how to love yourself as you are. You will realize that once you are comfortable with what you are, others will accept you more willingly.

Happiness is a state of mind – It is important that you understand and appreciate that your happiness lies within. Consider this – no one can make you unhappy if you have decided for sure that you will be happy in every situation. If you have made up your mind to be happy, you can always seek out the positive aspects of a situation and remain happy. Life may throw challenges at you but solutions will come faster and to you if you face them with a smile on your face.

Prioritize your life – As we grow older, the demands that various people and circumstances they lay on us increase. While on the one hand your job pressures increase, you may also feel the need to spend time with your family and children. At the same time, you may also want to enjoy life personally by doing the things that you have always wanted like going to the gym or taking off on a mountaineering trek.

It is important that you learn how to balance the various responsibilities that you may have. If any one of these tasks becomes paramount, you are likely to ignore the others. For example, if you get extremely preoccupied with your work, you family life are likely to miss you. On the other hand, if you are too consumed with your plans for your various hobbies, your job and family are likely to suffer. You may achieve momentary happiness but neither of these situations can result in happiness in the long run.

Take care of your health – an unhealthy body cannot be the home of a happy mind. It is important that you understand the strong link between physical health and mental happiness. If you are fit and healthy, you are likely to exude positive energy.

Stay in the company of happy people – Ensure that you seek out people who are happy and cheerful all the time. Being in the company of people who have a habit of cribbing and criticizing is likely to divert your mind towards negative thoughts. Avoid getting into the sulk mode by choosing the company of happy people.

Be grateful – Saying a small "thank you" for what you have can make a lot of difference. When you make it a habit to be grateful, you seek out the things that you do have. This helps you divert your mind from negative thoughts of what you do not have. This does not mean that you give up trying. On the other hand it encourages you to think of future goals and achievements in a positive manner.
Take time off to enjoy nature, life and the small things that we take for granted on a daily basis. A beautiful sunset can bring you joy, if only you would take a few minutes out of your daily schedule and look at it.
Cherry
Foreman
 
Posts: 391
Joined: Tue May 13, 2008 1:24 pm

Re: Life (Aug09 - Sep09)

Postby winston » Mon Aug 03, 2009 6:55 am

Man needs primarily two qualities: Devotion to the Divine and the spirit of sacrifice.

Without sacrifice there can be no devotion. Sacrifice is the key to immortality. Man is caught up in the coils of selfishness and self-centredness. How long will these attachments last?

Why sacrifice the lasting bliss of a divinely oriented life for the petty tinsel of worldly possessions? Devote yourselves to the service of mankind in a spirit of dedication and sublimate your lives.

- Divine Discourse, October 1st, 1987

Source" radiosai.org
It's all about "how much you made when you were right" & "how little you lost when you were wrong"
User avatar
winston
Billionaire Boss
 
Posts: 118536
Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 9:28 am

Re: Life (Aug09 - Sep09)

Postby winston » Mon Aug 03, 2009 10:24 am

A change that is not of time

Surely, this is the fundamental question that one ought to put to oneself—how to bring about a change which is not of time, which is not a matter of evolution, which is not a matter of slow growth.

I can see that if I exercise will, control, if I discipline myself, there are certain modifications; I am better or worse, I am changed a little bit. Instead of being bad tempered or angry or vicious or jealous I am quiet; I have repressed all that, I have held it down.

Every day I practise a certain virtue, repeat certain words, go to a shrine and repeat certain chants, and so on and so on. They all have a pacifying effect; they produce certain changes but these changes are still of the mind, they are still within the field of time, are they not?

My memory says, “I am this, and I must become that.” Surely, such activity is still self-centred; though I deny greed, in seeking non-greed I am still within the self-enclosing process of the “me”. And I can see that it leads nowhere, do what I will; though there may be change, as long as my thinking is held within the process of the “me”, there is no freedom from struggle, pain.

The Collected Works vol VII, pp 8-9

Source: jkrishnamurthi.com
It's all about "how much you made when you were right" & "how little you lost when you were wrong"
User avatar
winston
Billionaire Boss
 
Posts: 118536
Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 9:28 am

Re: Life (Aug09 - Sep09)

Postby winston » Mon Aug 03, 2009 3:32 pm

From the Nonphysical, you created you, and now from the physical, you continue to create -- and we are nothing if we are not flow-ers of Energy. We must have objects of attention, that are ringing our bells, in order to feel the fullness of who we are -- flowing through us -- for the continuation of All-That-Is. That is what puts the eternalness in eternity.

--- Abraham

Excerpted from the workshop in Silver Spring, MD on Saturday, April 19th, 1997

Source: abraham-hicks.com
It's all about "how much you made when you were right" & "how little you lost when you were wrong"
User avatar
winston
Billionaire Boss
 
Posts: 118536
Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 9:28 am

Re: Life (Aug09 - Sep09)

Postby winston » Tue Aug 04, 2009 8:31 am

Anything Fully Experienced Turns to Joy or Bliss OR Nine Steps for Handling Our Experiences

Here are nine steps to guide you as you commit to fully experiencing your emotions.

1. Become conscious that you are suffering. You need to admit it. When a charge surfaces, when you are not feeling all right, the force of habit and social conditioning is to tell yourself that you are feeling fine. When you are in pain and suffering, you need to acknowledge and accept it. There is no need to make any effort to move away from it.

2. Become aware of habitual questions of the mind which take you away from the discomfort. The mind throws up questions which have no value, for instance, "Who caused this suffering?" "Why did they do it to me?" We become interested in finding cause and placing blame, which causes us to focus on the external--instead of experiencing what is going on inside. What habitual questions are you asking?

3. Ask the right questions. Right questions are driven by a vision to experience your emotions. So the questions must be: "How to I deal with the pain?" "How do I experience it?" "How do I become free?" This takes you right into the experience instead of distractions. Liberation comes from paying attention to the feelings in your body and heart. As you pay attention, the process moves deeper.

4. Become aware of your habitual response of blaming, fighting with the situation, losing all motivation in life, moving into depression and self-hate, etc. All of these are old habits. You may fight with yourself or others, feel guilty, blame others, and/or condemn yourself or others. Attention is then moving outwards. Doing something else and turning attention away from the emotion is the engrained habit and the biggest mistake. This "escaping" brings you more entanglement.

5. Make the decision to stay with the experience. You will see turning-away is a habit, and there is no sense or logic in it. It is not beneficial for you. Breaking this habit requires firm resolve. You need to become clear in yourself and re-program your responses. Make the decision that you are not moving away from this experience--come what may! "I'll do anything and everything required to pay attention to the experience." This will break the old habit pattern. Every time you get in touch with charges and you keep repeating your resolve, you will be more able to engage. It takes practice.

Body posture will help to reprogram your new habit. For instance, physically anchor your resolve by sitting erect as you make the decision. Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Keep your left palm below and close it with the right palm on the right thigh. Inhale, hold your breath, and make the decision: "I am experiencing this feeling completely." Then exhale. Do this seven times.

6. Invoke the Divine Presence. We need the intense focus and this extra bit of energy. It's important that the spiritual energy is activated by Divine Grace. The brain must be pushed into concentrating all attention--there must be laser focus. You can ask for a Divine assistance in a way that is meaningful for you.

7. Allow yourself to go through the whole experience. Just see what you are feeling physically and go with it. There is nothing to make sense of; it is just an experience to go through.

8. After you complete the experience and feel a sense of silence, joy, or gratitude, affirm that "Suffering is not in the fact, but in my perception." Repeat this affirmation seven times. Breathe in and out as before, joining your hands at your heart. As you breathe in and hold your breath, make the affirmation, and then breathe out.

9. Conclude with expressing gratitude to the Divine.

Spirituality is not so much about experiencing higher states and mystical happenings, but about re-programming our daily responses. Our responses determine our destiny. If we respond out of old habits, we damage our relationships and cause disease. If we respond through acceptance, experience our feelings, and see the transformation, we are creating a new Golden Age.

Source: www.ArleenHannich.com
It's all about "how much you made when you were right" & "how little you lost when you were wrong"
User avatar
winston
Billionaire Boss
 
Posts: 118536
Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 9:28 am

Next

Return to Archives

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 16 guests