Tag Archives: inspiration

Daily Sign Post: The Mind Is A Powerful Thing

Someone asked me today the key to being positive and happy in life. This is the foundation:

 

“The mind is a powerful thing and its power can be used to make us happy or miserable. We can concentrate on how the world has done us wrong or the ways it does us right. We can focus on where we're stuck or how we're free. We can take the opportunity to notice the ordinary miracles around us. We can find ways to truly enjoy, even to relish, the moments of our lives.” -M.J. Ryan, “The Happy Makeover”

 

This isn't necessarily easy to accomplish, with the laundry list of things you may need to shift your mindset about, so it's also very important to have patience with yourself. Patience that allows you to realize that, even if you stray from the path of positivity, all you have to do is start again. With time you'll see the difference in your overall outlook on life, you'll understand the power of your thoughts, and you'll find it easier to maintain control of your thoughts, your feelings, and your happiness.

 

Love.Trust.Hope.Peace.

Daily Sign Post: Practicing with Loss

“We are all going to suffer our losses. How we deal with these losses is what makes all the difference. For it is not what happens to us that determines our character, our experience, our karma, and our destiny, but how we relate to what happens.”

- Lama Surya Das, “Practicing with Loss” from Tricycle Daily Dharma

 

Love.Trust.Hope.Peace.

Daily Sign Post

“The trick to not thinking is not adding energy to the equation in an effort to forcibly stop thinking from happening. It’s more a matter of subtracting energy from the equation in order not to barf the thoughts up and start chewing them over again.”

- Brad Warner

 

Love.Trust.Hope.Peace.

Daily Sign Post: Don’t run from life, run into it.

I have always been an achiever. Even my grandparents have told me that when I was a baby I had an exceptional amount of determination. I haven’t lost it. It has something to do with how I was raised – pushed to excel and perform above expectations. 

In the past year, I have made it a point to take life head-on. Why  not? I’ve done things in the past year that I never thought I would be capable of doing. I’m now a triathlete (what?!), organized a women’s rugby team, and have a newfound passion for food. Not to say these aren’t things that any person can’t do or acheive – but it definitely required from me patience, persistence, and acceptance that no matter what, my life is and will always be great. Your life can be great too. You just have to think is so and strive to do something different, something spectacular. What that is in your life is unique to YOU, so go out and find what that is. Live life head-on, be a doer.

That’s what I do and who I am.

“Don’t run from life, run into it.”

-Judith Orloff, M.D., Emotional Freedom

Love.Trust.Hope.Peace.

Daily Sign Post: You don’t have to be afraid of pain…

“You don’t have to be afraid of pain. If it’s going to be there, you can let it be there – but don’t let the mind be in pain with it.”

- Upasika Kee Nanayon, “Tough Teachings to Ease the Mind”, www.tricycle.com

Love.Trust.Hope.Peace.

 

Daily Sign Post: Creating Karma

“Your thoughts, your words, and your deeds all create karma. And so through practice, you learn how to create better karma, and then everything about your life changes.”

- Myokei Caine-Barrett, Shonin, “A Right to the Dharma” http://www.tricycle.com/

Daily Sign Post: A positively memorable oil change at Toyota

I’ve had a great morning…and it’s only 7:49am. How? Because I started it all with positive thoughts and good intentions. Although I thought I was running late after I snoozed my alarm for the 3rd time (it might be a little problem of mine), I ended up having just enough time to get myself out the door in time for my oil change appointment. I showered, took care of my cats (which is actually a big chore these days), made lunch (nom nom), made breakfast (extra nom nom), and got myself out the door.

I pulled into the Toyota dealership right on time for my 7:30am appointment, score. I walked inside with my slip to sign in, chocolate almond milk in hand, and was questioned by the guy checking me in, “Protein shake?” Ha. I must look silly when I prance around in the morning with my chocolate (almond) milk, but oh well! The guy (we’ll call him G) started telling me about his family and how he also drinks almond milk, coconut milk and limits his and his family’s dairy intake. Turns out that G and I are on similar paths! We got to talking about all the documentaries that we’ve both seen that have inspired us to change our ways. He told me how he too is trying to inspire his family to be healthier as he’s noticed the effects his diet and eating habits have had on his overall energy and happiness. This was a GREAT start to my day! I never would’ve thought I’d run into someone this morning who’s on such a similar journey as myself.

It was a great motivator for me. I’m not alone. Not alone in my journey and not alone in my desire to share the positive impacts my new lifestyle. G and I are not only trying to make a difference, we’re living the difference.

And to think I was rushing around today thinking it was going to be just another Tuesday. Boy was I wrong! You never know what each day has in store for you. Use the morning to prepare your positive intention for the day, but even if you rush through the morning without consciously doing so, be receptive to the positive things that happen that should make you realize each day is great as long as you think it so.

“When you wash, imagine that you are washing your divine body with blissful energy instead of washing your mundane, suffering body with water. Then dress your divine body with blissful, divine robes instead of ordinary clothes. If you start your morning like that, the rest of your day will be much easier.”

- Lama Yeshe, “Visualizations”

Daily Sign Post: Dare to keep expanding your heart (new blog post)

I’ve read about living in the Now, the importance of patience, and true happiness. It’s now time to dig deeper into emotions. We face difficult situations everyday that effect our emotions. We get hurt, but we get better. I’m now putting this into practice in combination with other lessons I’ve learned recently. I am in control of my thoughts, my feelings, and my emotions. I will not let them take control of my life.

“Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better. To make this a reality you must begin to see each event of your life, uplifting or hurtful, earthshaking or mundane, as a chance to grow stronger, smarter, more light-bearing…dare to keep expanding your heart even if you’ve been justifiably wounded by pain or disappointment.”

-Emotional Freedom, Judith Orloff