If we examine the stories we tell as adults, we almost always find that they’re variations on ancient themes that have been represented throughout the ages in fables and fairy tales.
“If you try and still the mind,
it will be the mind
trying to still the mind.
Rather become aware
of the mind.
Become aware
of the flow of thoughts. Continue reading
The lumberjack story has been made popular by a reference to it in Stephen Covey’s best Selling book The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People due to all of the metaphorical messages about life contained within it.
The Lumberjack story.
It was the final of the annual lumberjack competition, only 2 competitors remained, an older experienced lumberjack and a younger, stronger lumberjack.
The rules of the competition were quite simply he who could fell the most trees in 24 hours was the overall winner.
The younger lumberjack was full of enthusiasm and went off into the wood and set to work straight away, he worked all through the day and all through the night, he felt more and more confident with every tree he felled that he would win, because he knew that he had superior youth and stamina than the older lumberjack that he could also hear working away in another part of the forest.
At regular intervals throughout the day the noise of trees being felled coming from the other part of the forest would stop, the younger lumberjack took heart from this thinking that this meant that the older lumberjack was taking a rest, whereas he could use his superior youth and strength and stamina to just keep going.
At the end of the competition the younger lumberjack felt confident he had won, he looked in front of him at the piles of felled trees that were the result of his superhuman effort.
At the medal ceremony the younger lumberjack stood on the podium still confident and expecting to be awarded the prize of champion lumberjack, next to him stood the older lumberjack who he was surprised to see also looked a lot less exhausted than he did.
When the results were read out the younger lumberjack was devastated to hear that the older lumberjack had chopped down significantly more trees than he had, he turned to the older lumber jack and said,
“How can this be”?
“I heard you take a rest every hour whilst I worked continuously through the night”,
“and I am younger, stronger and fitter than you old man”!
The older lumberjack turned to him and said;
“Every hour I took a break to rest and sharpen my saw”
One day, a professor entered his classroom and asked his students to prepare for a surprise test. They all waited anxiously at their desks for the exam to begin.
The professor handed out the exams with the text facing down, as usual. Once he handed them all out, he asked the students to turn over the papers.
To everyone’s surprise, there were no questions–just a black dot in the center of the paper. The professor, seeing the expression on everyone’s faces, told them the following:
“I want you to write about what you see there.” Continue reading
We go at it day after day. The routine is tiresome, at best, At worst, it is exhausting, even debilitating. In our daily haze, we become numb to life: we stop feeling the world the way we should. Our emotional intimacy with the people and experiences around us dulls down and with it, our joy. We become less aware, less conscious of our intentions, thoughts, and actions. Inevitably, it happens to us all. Frustration and impatience take the place of mindfulness, and this is the point at which we have to stop, remind ourselves of our purpose, and re-strategize.
If you’re seeking to reshape your life, reflect on the answers to these four questions to increase your awareness, expand your mindset, and change your outlook:
What thoughts do you keep thinking? Ever notice that the more you think about something, the harder it becomes to get your mind off of it? That’s because the neurons in your brain form clusters around your thoughts. You’ll continue to think the thoughts you’re used to thinking because there’s increasing traffic on those neural pathways. Like every other part of your being, your brain acts on habit and becomes programmed to operate in a certain way. And like a broken record, the thoughts usually repeat the same form and produce the same results. …...
1) There has never been a better time in history to live an extraordinary, unlimited life.
2) Don’t listen to others when it comes to making big decisions. Your inner voice has the answers.
3) How good you look is a reflection of how good you feel inside. The woman who taught me this is the incredible Rupa Mehta, founder of Nalini Method, here in New York!
4) We’re all connected. As Mark Nepo says, “being human is looking so deeply into the other person that you recognize yourself.”
5) Life is better when you’re in it (not on the sidelines, watching).
6) Take your desires seriously. They’re all you’ve got. Deepak Chopra teaches, “Inherent in every desire is the mechanics for its fulfillment.”
7) You don’t have to work in a corporate job. It’s not safe anyway, despite what they tell you. There’s much more fun and money to be had if you can handle a little uncertainty (warning — most people would choose misery over uncertainty, but you don’t have to be one of them). Doing work that you truly love is the best gift you will ever give yourself.
8) Laugh often. People who laugh vs. get offended or get upset over small stuff have way healthier lives.
9) Ask for a raise when you feel it’s due. Always. It adds up to more than you believe.
10) Kindness counts above all else. It does not matter how good looking, educated or interesting someone is. It all means nothing without kindness.
11) Worry less. As happiness researcher Shawn Achor says, “Adversities, no matter what they are, simply don’t hit us as hard as we think they will. Our fear of consequences is always worse than the consequences themselves.”
12) Visualize! Picture your ideal life daily and consistently take small steps towards your vision. Each small step adds up to a life.
13) Always be de-cluttering! Closets, paperwork, unsupportive friends, apps, inboxes. Simplicity is heaven.
14) It’s never about where you start. I come from a small town, a broken home, an alcoholic father and no money. If you hate your situation, I guarantee you that you can change it. Your current circumstances are always temporary (both good and bad).
15) Qualifications mean less than you think. Knowledge is only potential power. Doing/creating/building is what counts (and it’s where you gain the real knowledge).
16) The best way to do it is to do it. Take risks. You’ll be dead soon. As my friend Sean Behr says, “don’t die wondering.”
17) Read like a maniac — biographies especially. All mistakes that can be made and lessons that can be learned have already been experienced by someone else. Reading is like a Cheater’s Guide to navigating your life.
18) The biggest regrets come from pleasing other people. A Buddhist monk said if you meditated for 20 years the final message you would arrive at is, “Be yourself.”
19) Live where you want to live. Despite what you might think — you are NOT stuck! If your dream is to live in London, Paris, San Francisco — go!
20) Love yourself. Especially when you don’t “deserve” it.
21) Forgive others no matter what they did to you. This is like inner-peace on a platter. BUT you don’t have to be friends with people who’ve hurt you.
22) Success isn’t passive. Elizabeth Gilbert nailed it when she said, “Participate relentlessly in the manifestation of your own blessings.”
23) Talk to new people. All opportunities come from the people you meet. It’s humans who make things happen, nothing else.
24) Time cures heartbreak. Nothing else. As Regina Brett says, “Give time time.”
25) It’s OK if people don’t like you. Truly. I love what Paulo Coelho says, “Haters are confused admirers who cannot understand why everyone loves you.”
26) Say no and don’t feel guilty about it. Martha Beck put it best, “When it comes to saying yes or no to something or someone, choose the answer that feels like freedom.”
27) No one is ever ready. Just begin, baby!
28) Focus on your strengths, always. Crafting your strengths will get you much further than improving your weaker areas. Let your strengths shine and don’t apologize for them!
29) Everyone is scared.
30) As Ricky Gervais says, “No-one knows what they’re doing either.” We are all just doing our best as we go along. Let this make you feel free, liberated and tolerant of all others who are just doing their best, too.
31) Love is stronger than death. When we lose our loved ones all that’s lost is their physical form.
32) You are going to be OK.
by Susie Moore (you can read the full post HERE)
I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world. In others’ eyes, my life is an epitome of success.
However, aside from work, I have little joy. In the end, wealth is only a fact of life that I am accustomed to. Continue reading
If there is real relationship between two people, which means there is communion between them, then the implications are enormous. Then there is no isolation; there is love and not responsibility or duty. It is the people who are isolated behind their walls who talk about duty and responsibility. A man who loves does not talk about responsibility, he loves. Therefore he shares with another his joy, his sorrow, his money.
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ONE TUSK 