WE WILL HELP YOU BECOME WHO YOU WANT TO BE.
The time of your life
Don't keep thinking of what happened yesterday and what is going to happen tomorrow. Live in the moment and every situation will seem like the time of your life.
Swamiji Paramahamsa Nithyanada
Swamiji Paramahamsa Nithyanada
Finding your true purpose
by Eckhart Tolle
For anyone who has risen above the level of mere survival in day to day life, the sense of purpose and meaning become important. The less gripped you are by the need to survive – or simply the perception that you need to survive – you are free, spiritually and psychologically speaking, to pursue purpose and even to be led by it.Take a quick moment to evaluate your life on the basis of these descriptions:
Do you feel consumed by the demands of your job or schoolwork (or both)?If any of these descriptions apply to you, then consciously or unconsciously, something is blocking your connection to meaning and purpose. That something is most likely you.
Does it seem at the end of each day that you have been running a race of time, frantically trying to do everything on some mental list of required accomplishments?
Do you suffer from stress of any kind on a regular basis?
Do you feel that you and your life are stagnant, the opposite of frantic running, wallowing instead in inaction, boredom, despair, negativity or depression?
Or, if you have said no to all the above, do you feel that your life lacks a sense of meaning and purpose, that you don't know how to find it?
It may be that you are still living in survival mode (which may be true if any of the first four descriptions applied to you). If this is the case, then it is very important that you take a good look at your priorities in life. Spend several days pondering this question all through the day: "What am I making most important in my day right now?" You may be very surprised by what you find. Be honest with yourself and write down what you learn. Notice also how you feel about these most important things you fill your days with. How satisfying and fulfilling are they? How many unnecessary activities are unsatisfying to you? Take special note of those. They are the activities you can drop altogether. As you do, you will free up time and inner space from which you can begin to contact and develop your sense of purpose.
Your true purpose already exists, that's the good news. You do not have to create it and it's not a matter of choosing it. Purpose is something you discover within yourself in the space of stillness. This is the only way you can find it, in your own stillness, not in a book or a workshop or in the analysis of your dreams. You must go within and be with yourself in stillness and there you will discover the purpose that has been waiting for you all along.
Next week we will explore the difference between inner purpose and outer purpose. Take this opportunity until then to be a detective of your own life, doing the practice described above.
Obstacles to mindfulness and how to overcome them
This is a contribution by Henri Junttila.
“Peace of mind is not the absence of conflict from life, but the ability to cope with it.” ~Unknown
Mindfulness has allowed me to become more aware of my thoughts and reach a sense of inner peace.
As my awareness has increased, so has the peace and joy in my life. The more familiar I have become with the inner workings of my mind, the better I have started to feel.
I came onto the path of mindfulness, meditation, and spirituality when I was 16 years old. I saw the TV-series Ed where the main character started experimenting with lucid dreaming.
That got me interested, and that is where my journey started. It hasn’t been an easy journey by any means, but I’m nearing a decade on this path, and I don’t regret it for a moment.
I’ve been through a lot of challenges, such as going through brief spurts of depression. I’ve felt like I wasn’t good enough, and that life wouldn’t work out the way I wanted it to.
In every one of these cases I let my thoughts run wild. I started focusing on the negative instead of on the positive, and I think many people have the same tendency.
So there have been both ups and downs, but in the end they have all been there for a reason. And with each “bad period,” I’ve learned more and more about myself.
I’ve learned more about what works and what doesn’t, and they have all been blessings in disguise.
I have wanted to give up many times, but I’m glad that I kept going.
Truly living in the present moment isn’t easy, but it is highly rewarding. The best way to move forward on your own path to “here and now” is to understand the potential obstacles and plan in advance how you’ll deal with them.
At first, your thoughts will be in chaos, and everything will seem out of control. Your situation will feel helpless, but the more you focus on being fully where you are, the easier it will be to find peace of mind in the moment.
Mindfulness is best practiced throughout your day. It’s not just for when you sit down and meditate. Focus on being mindful of your thoughts when you’re doing everyday tasks and it will be easier to remain mindful when things get tough.
The distractions could be problems in your life, drama in your relationships, or old negative beliefs popping up from your past.
These are great opportunities to practice present moment awareness. They will help you become stronger, better, and more in tune with yourself. The problems and challenges we face are teachers in disguise.
They are there to help you grow and to realize who you truly are.
We all do those things sometimes. I’ve experienced it countless times in my own life. The more I want something, the more I fixate on not having it and wanting to get it.
Once I release the attachment and focus on being grateful for what I have in the moment, my life seems to shift, and progress seems to happen naturally.
But it is during the times when you feel most frustrated that you are often on the verge of a breakthrough.
Our lives are very similar to the seasons. We go through cold, dark winters, and joyful, expanding summers. It all comes and goes. It’s the ebb and flow of life.
When you realize that the challenging times are there to help you grow, you will automatically feel more peaceful and relaxed.
You know that you’re too attached to something when you start feeling frustrated, angry, and negative.
Attachment muddles our clarity. You’re likely pursuing your goals because you believe they will make you happy. Remember that when you start letting your goals pull you into a stressful state of mind. If you focus on the good things around you, you’ll feel that happiness that you think you need to chase.
This will make you much happier in the long term, and, of course, right now.
Sure, it feels great to hit a milestone, but if you do not replace that goal with another one, you will soon find yourself feeling unfulfilled.
That’s because we are goal-seeking mechanisms. Humans need goals so they can have a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
It is in the journey that we learn, grow, and become better. When you’re practicing mindfulness, remember that there is nowhere to arrive at. If you focus on what is going on right now, the rest take care of itself.
When you do this, you become the guardian of your inner space, which is the only way to feel good inside and find peace of mind, right now.
“Peace of mind is not the absence of conflict from life, but the ability to cope with it.” ~Unknown
Mindfulness has allowed me to become more aware of my thoughts and reach a sense of inner peace.
As my awareness has increased, so has the peace and joy in my life. The more familiar I have become with the inner workings of my mind, the better I have started to feel.
I came onto the path of mindfulness, meditation, and spirituality when I was 16 years old. I saw the TV-series Ed where the main character started experimenting with lucid dreaming.
That got me interested, and that is where my journey started. It hasn’t been an easy journey by any means, but I’m nearing a decade on this path, and I don’t regret it for a moment.
I’ve been through a lot of challenges, such as going through brief spurts of depression. I’ve felt like I wasn’t good enough, and that life wouldn’t work out the way I wanted it to.
In every one of these cases I let my thoughts run wild. I started focusing on the negative instead of on the positive, and I think many people have the same tendency.
So there have been both ups and downs, but in the end they have all been there for a reason. And with each “bad period,” I’ve learned more and more about myself.
I’ve learned more about what works and what doesn’t, and they have all been blessings in disguise.
I have wanted to give up many times, but I’m glad that I kept going.
Truly living in the present moment isn’t easy, but it is highly rewarding. The best way to move forward on your own path to “here and now” is to understand the potential obstacles and plan in advance how you’ll deal with them.
1. Mindfulness takes ongoing effort.
Mindfulness takes a lot of work, but the good news is that the longer you practice, the easier it gets, and the more joyful your life becomes.At first, your thoughts will be in chaos, and everything will seem out of control. Your situation will feel helpless, but the more you focus on being fully where you are, the easier it will be to find peace of mind in the moment.
Mindfulness is best practiced throughout your day. It’s not just for when you sit down and meditate. Focus on being mindful of your thoughts when you’re doing everyday tasks and it will be easier to remain mindful when things get tough.
2. There will always be distractions.
When you’re on your journey to becoming more mindful, it seems as if the universe starts throwing stuff at you just to give you challenges.The distractions could be problems in your life, drama in your relationships, or old negative beliefs popping up from your past.
These are great opportunities to practice present moment awareness. They will help you become stronger, better, and more in tune with yourself. The problems and challenges we face are teachers in disguise.
They are there to help you grow and to realize who you truly are.
3. Progress doesn’t always come quickly.
Progress may seem excruciatingly slow. There will be times when you attach to things and situations that you want, which will make it difficult to be fully in the present moment. It’s impossible to be mindful when you’re dwelling on the past or obsessing about the future.We all do those things sometimes. I’ve experienced it countless times in my own life. The more I want something, the more I fixate on not having it and wanting to get it.
Once I release the attachment and focus on being grateful for what I have in the moment, my life seems to shift, and progress seems to happen naturally.
4. You may want to give up.
Like with any worthwhile journey, you will feel like giving up and throwing in the towel multiple times.But it is during the times when you feel most frustrated that you are often on the verge of a breakthrough.
Our lives are very similar to the seasons. We go through cold, dark winters, and joyful, expanding summers. It all comes and goes. It’s the ebb and flow of life.
When you realize that the challenging times are there to help you grow, you will automatically feel more peaceful and relaxed.
5. Your goals may challenge your mindfulness.
Having goals is fantastic, essential even, but when you become overly attached to them, something bad happens, just like we talked about above.You know that you’re too attached to something when you start feeling frustrated, angry, and negative.
Attachment muddles our clarity. You’re likely pursuing your goals because you believe they will make you happy. Remember that when you start letting your goals pull you into a stressful state of mind. If you focus on the good things around you, you’ll feel that happiness that you think you need to chase.
This will make you much happier in the long term, and, of course, right now.
6. You might forget that the journey is the destination.
Most people miss the fact that the reward is in the journey. Have you ever noticed that when you reach a goal, it’s not as exciting as you thought it would be?Sure, it feels great to hit a milestone, but if you do not replace that goal with another one, you will soon find yourself feeling unfulfilled.
That’s because we are goal-seeking mechanisms. Humans need goals so they can have a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
It is in the journey that we learn, grow, and become better. When you’re practicing mindfulness, remember that there is nowhere to arrive at. If you focus on what is going on right now, the rest take care of itself.
7. Sometimes you’ll want to be anywhere but in the now.
Even the most enlightened masters on earth have to deal with difficult situations and chaotic thoughts. The difference is they have learned to accept the moment for what it is.When you do this, you become the guardian of your inner space, which is the only way to feel good inside and find peace of mind, right now.
Forgiveness
To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love.
In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.
Robert Muller
Changed perception
Every thought you have makes up some segment of the world you see. It is with your thoughts, then, that we must work, if your perception of the world is to be changed.
A Course in Miracles
A Course in Miracles
Positive thoughts
If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a defeatist or negative thought. Since we create through thought, we need to concentrate very strongly on positive thoughts. If you think you can't do something, you can't. But if you think you can, you may be surprised to discover that you can. It is important that our thoughts be constantly for the best that could happen in a situation -- for the good things we would like to see happen.
Peace Pilgrim
Peace Pilgrim
Great days
There are two great days in a person’s life—the day we are born and the day we discover why.
William Barclay
William Barclay
Fighting vs. peace
I've spent the day thinking about Tolle's question, "Do you want to be right or do you want to be peaceful." It's amazing how some times I want to be right so much that I will suffer the consequences and let my ego take over. Sometimes the only way I can stop it is to ask myself if being right will make me feel more positive about myself or will it hurt me. Rarely do I find that being right outweighs the benefits of feeling at peace. If I'm fighting hard to be right, I'm fighting. Even if I've won the war, the victory is never sweet. Consistently I will try to choose to be more at peace.
Irritation
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