The SKY is the limit...

Read the (below the dotted line) stuff from Steve Goodier (LifeSupport). Awesome. I couldn't agree with him more. (And not just because the core of the message is from Calvin) :-)

Whenever your mind wanders into the dark caves of materialistic desires, just do this....look up at the sky and smile! Irrespective of whether you are in the middle of a road with thousands of vehicles or in a forest full of trees....this simple act of looking up at the sky makes a lot of difference. It leaves you with the feeling that the natural world is oh so beautiful....no one needs anything else to enjoy life....it's all in the mind...

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THE SIMPLE DIFFERENCE - Steve Goodier

Calvin, of the "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip fame, once imparted some timeless wisdom: "If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night," he observed, "I'll bet they'd live a lot differently."

I believe he's right. Year by bewildering year, our world grows more complex. We crave peace within our souls. We long for simplicity in lives that too easily become inexplicably tangled in complicated webs.

David enjoyed the simple things of life. He sometimes took jobs at dude ranches, national parks and seasonal resorts. His brother, however, wanted to entice him to get a "real" job and live in a world surrounded by things that only money can buy. David's brother often sent him photos of himself enjoying the so-called "good life." He labeled his snapshots "My new sound system" or "My new car."

But the photos stopped arriving after David responded with a picture of his own. He sent his brother a large poster with a breathtaking view of Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park. On the back was David's message: "My back yard."

I believe I understand how David feels. "The Good Life" is not defined by possessions, but by pure and utter enjoyment of simplicity.

John Burroughs (1837-1921) put it like this: "To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter...to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring -- these are some of the rewards of the simple life."

Those who take time to find pleasure in the ordinary DO live differently. The simple difference is this: because they have learned to live simply, they have learned to live.

HOP HOP HOP HOPE

Jean Kerr said, "Hope is the feeling you have, that the feeling you have, isn't permanent."

It is what you have when you know that you WILL eventually get through the agony and pain and feel sunshine once again. It does not deny the present darkness, but it reminds you that the dawn is coming.

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Extracted from LifeSupport Quotes...

technorati tags:Spirituality, PersonalDevelopment

Hocus Focus!

Note: I have varied interests and so this piece of advice seems to be quite important to me...thought I'd share it with all you blog surfers as well... :)

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From LifeSupport: IN FOCUS

In reading a mortality chart, I discovered something truly amazing. A great number of people die each year from a disease I had never heard of! Of course, there was the predictable number who died of heart attacks, cancer, stroke, accidents and the like, but at the bottom of the chart was one that surprised me. It was called "miscellaneous."

Appar­ently, a large number of people die of "miscellane­ous" every year!

I think I understand why. I suffer from "mis­cel­­laneous" when I go in too many directions at once. When I am scattered, the disease begins to take over. Soon my self-esteem is affected and I feel as if I'm doing nothing important. Flitting here and there, I have no overriding pur­pose and I feel as if my life is spinning out of con­trol. It must be a terrible way to die!

However, I believe there is a cure for the disease. It's called "focus." A focused person is one who knows what is important and follows the path. She may have many interests, but one calling. A fo­cused person hears one voice more clearly than the others...and follows. Some call it pursuing a mis­sion. Some call it knowing your purpose. Others call it being centered. Whatever it is called, a fo­cused life can be meaningful and happy.

Not every path should be followed, and not every goal should become a life's calling. But a truly worthy focus can raise a life from mediocrity and save it from a slow death by miscellaneous.

Are you in focus?
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Encouragement for AL(L)

Found in my mailbox (courtesy - LifeSupport): It's amazing to know that Lincoln needed encouragement. Doesn't make me feel guilty about wanting it once in a while if not all the time! :)

The need for sincere encouragement is basic among human beings. The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., displays the personal effects found on President Abraham Lincoln the night he was shot. They include a small handkerchief embroidered "A. Lincoln," a pen knife, a
spectacle case repaired with cotton string, a Confederate five-dollar bill, and a worn-out newspaper clipping extolling his accomplishments as president. The article begins, "Abe Lincoln is one of the greatest statesmen of all time...."

Why would one of the most highly regarded leaders of American history carry around such a document? Did he not know his own worth? The answer is found in the fact that Lincoln was not as popular during his lifetime as he became after death. His leadership was under constant
fire, he was frequently an object of ridicule in the press, and bitter critics dissected his every decision. He needed something to remind himself that, though battered by the disappointments of life and scorned by those he sought to lead, there were still also others who valued his contribution. There were still those, perhaps not as vocal, who believed in him. He, too, needed encouragement.

From LifeSupport

I love this list!

Update - 7th March 07 - I originally picked up this list from Steve Goodier's LifeSupport newsletter as the tag indicates and was not aware of who the actual author is, but a couple of days ago, I received a mail from Saskia Davis who is the original author of this list and 'am therefore updating this post so it gets attributed to her! Let me use this opportunity to thank Saskia for this wonderful list! :-)

SYMPTOMS OF INNER PEACE

How would you rate your level of "Inner Peace"? Enough to stay calm in a den of lions? Enough to get through a good day? Enough for the next five minutes, so long as everybody leaves you alone?

You may need a good case of inner peace, a disease that could leave you stress-free and contented for years to come. A chiropractor named Jeff Rockwell composed a list he calls "Symptoms of Inner Peace." You may have already caught this disease! See how many of these symptoms you exhibit:

1. A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than from
fears based on past experiences.

2. An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.

3. A loss of interest in judging self.

4. A loss of interest in judging others.

5. A loss of interest in conflict.

6. A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.

7. A loss of ability to worry (this is a serious symptom).

8. Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.

9. Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.

10. Frequent attacks of smiling through the eyes of the heart. (I'd add laughing to this point)

11. Increasing susceptibility to love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

12. An increasing tendency to let things happen.

Inner peace is a communicable disease that could possibly infect your home or workplace. You may already be showing signs of it and quite possibly be passing it along to others! Rockwell warns:
"If you have all or even most of the above symptoms, please be advised that your condition of PEACE may be so far advanced as to not be treatable." Have you caught it?

Dream Big

Wonderful piece of inspiration from LifeSupport:

HOW BIG IS YOUR FRYING PAN?

Are you setting your sights too low?

I heard of a woman who fished all morning and never caught anything. But a man in the next boat was reeling in a fish every time she glanced over. Then, to make matters worse, he kept the small ones and threw the large ones back into the water!

She couldn't stand it any longer. She called over to him, "How come you're throwing the big ones back?"

He answered by holding up a little frying pan.

We may think that is silly but, in our minds, don't we all hold up frying pans? Every time we throw away a big idea, a magnificent dream or an exciting possibility, are we measuring it against a small frying pan?

We talk about making more money or be­coming more successful, but I believe that this con­cept works in other, and sometimes more important areas, as well. We can love more than we ever dreamed possible! We can be happier and live more fully than we ever thought we could! What we can do or become is limited more by the size of the frying pan in our minds than by actual circum­stances.

Author Brian Tracy reminds us that "you are not what you think you are, but what you think, you are." Think big. Dream big. Pray big...and look for big results. It all begins with changing the size of your thinking.

What would happen if you threw away the frying pan you have been using to measure the size of your dreams, and replaced it with a larger one? What would happen if you decided that it may really be possible to have a better relationship with the one you love, or that you actually can be hap­pier and more fulfilled than you are now? What would hap­pen if you decided never to settle for anything less than what you
truly want? What if, from now on, you threw the little fish back and kept the big ones?

And what if you decided to begin today?

- Steve Goodier

The Inner-net - Climbing Or Flowing?

First it was my post - Three Ideal Ways of Living
Then it was the LifeSupport Message - What a Surprise!
And now...I don't believe it.... - THIS

Extract:

PapaUncle -- Nipun's Dad -- used an analogy couple of weeks ago that seems appropriate for the trip. During one of our meditation circles, he shared that life can either be like a mountain where your goal is to get to the top, or like a river that flows effortlessly into the direction that is most natural and eventually merges into the large ocean.

When you're climbing uphill, going to the mountaintop, there's a constant struggle but in the end you reach the top no matter which side you start from and see the entirety of the universe.

So:

I am = River
I will be = Mountain

Am I getting somewhere? Like Paulo Coelho says in his book, 'The Alchemist' - 'the whole world conspires to give you what you want'. :0

What a surprise!

What a surprise! I was talking about 3 ideal ways of living a few days ago on my Blog and look what I read in today's LifeSupport message! There are quite a few similar thoughts too!!

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THREE KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL LIVING

Many people feel as if they have lost the key to getting what they
want in life -- meaning, happiness, success, peace, security. They
have been trudging and toiling at length but feel as if they are locked out of that place they really want to be. They think, "If only I had the key to a whole and happy life!"

That wise and amazing woman Eleanor Roosevelt gave three keys to meaning, happiness, success and peace. "One is that you do whatever comes your way as well as you can," she said. She knew that the key to satisfaction in life is to take pride in whatever you're given to do, regardless how grand or humble the undertaking.

"Another is that you think as little as possible about yourself and as much as possible about other people and about things that are
interesting," she continued. Eleanor Roosevelt knew that those who take a genuine interest in the concerns of others and in great ideas lose their desire to worry needlessly about themselves.

"The third is that you receive more joy out of giving joy to others
and [that you] should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give," she concluded. She was aware that the key to finding happiness is in giving happiness -- wherever and whenever possible.

These are three keys that should neither be lost nor locked away in a safe place. Learn to use them -- every day -- and you'll open doors to those important and wonderful things that will make your life worth living!
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This reading is found in Steve Goodier's popular book
TOUCHING MOMENTS