The competitive nature of our society leads us towards winning. The person who comes in second is commonly know as the "first loser". Kilgallen's quote reminds us that winning should not be everything. Have a gracious demeanor when losing is just as important. It is in how we treat others and how we share our lives together that we are able to connect. The connectedness of relationships is what enables us as a society to make change.
Mindfulness....the ability to step out of the hecticness of society and into the knowledge of what is around us. The acknowledgment of the wind, the breaths, the birds, the heart beat. Listening to our bodies, not ignoring what they are telling us through our busy lives. Stepping beyond the assumptions into the understanding of all that is. Mindfulness is accepting the world, where it is at, how it is.
Take today to stop, smell the roses, and be mindful of the inner body.
Understanding is not what we think someone else is trying to convey, but stepping outside of ourselves, past our preconceptions, and into the connection with another. When our preconceived notions, anger, intolerance, and desire to be in the right are guiding our listening and abilities, we are unable to clearly understand where others come from. Setting aside ourselves and focusing on the person conveying the story is where we need to lead.
Take today to step past yourself and into the understanding of others.
Love is the underlying emotion behind all positive human actions. As a necessity, it is a human right, to love and be loved. To love someone who can make you happy and be loved by them.
To love one's self is just as important, too. All too often society teaches its members that they are not good enough, there is something wrong with them. It is time to show our members that we are acceptable as we are and deserve to love and be loved, by our self, by others, by the world.
When we acknowledge, we bring life to things around us. We take the steps toward stating what is important and is a choice that we make. When we are able to share what is important to us, we start to make the world a better place
Meyer's quote is a great reminder that it isn't that we wait, it's our actions while we wait. Patience is the ability to take the time for things to happen and not rush things to happen with poor timing. When we are able to wait with positive behaviors, we show patience.
Waiting for things to happen isn't easy, but much like anything else...Good things do come to those who are willing to be patient.
Praise, much like other positive ideas, grows when engaged. As one is able to realize all there is to praise and celebrate, one recognizes all that is worthy of praise and celebration. As part of life, it is important to share the praise of the good things of the people in your life. These can be those who you contact day-to-day or those you may never meet, but you hear of seomthing
Making amends is as important as forgiveness. When we determine that we have made a mistake or a decision that has hurt someone else, it is our responsibility to find a way to heal the hurt. It is easy to ignore someone else's pain and continue life as if we did nothing wrong. On the other hand, this is not fair to the person who is hurt or ourselves. We show respect for all involved when we are willing to move past the mistake and make up for it by doing something for the other person, not because we think we have to but because it is the right thing to do.
Forgiveness can be difficult as it means admitting that not only is the other person is human, but that they deserve another chance, which means he/she could hurt us again. The benefit of forgiveness is that it allows us to not dwell or focus on how we were wronged. It allows us to move on in our lives to grow.
The hardest forgiveness to give is a forgiveness to oneself. Each of us has high expectations of what we expect of ourselves. When we are only able to do a portion of that, we deserve forgiveness. It is not our intention to hurt others as humans our intent is to love each other. When we do hurt someone else, especially unintentionally, we must forgive ourselves by noting that we are human and can only make decisions based on the knowledge we have. Our mistakes must turn into our learning experiences. Only then can we move on.
Listening is a talent that can be hard to come by in today's busy world. Each of us can learn so much when we take a moment to stop, smell the roses, and listen to our bodies, those giving us feedback, and anyone who is trying to communicate with us. It is important that we take the time to be where we are when we are there and participate in our lives as they happen.
Take today to stop and listen to what your body, mind, friends, and enemies are saying.
Natalie was raised in an upper-middle class family in a suburb where many would have believed she had it all. It wasn't until she was an adult when she came to terms with how far from the truth that was. Through her healing and meeting others, she found a new way of thinking. A new way of realizing that life can be better. It's through this education and these relationships that she has found a passion to bring change to the world.