Life's tests

"What you still need to know is this: before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we've learned as we've moved toward that dream. That's the point at which, as we say in the language of the desert, one 'dies of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon. Every search begins with beginner's luck. And every search ends with the victor's being severely tested."

Paulo Coelho, from his best-selling book The Alchemist

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Rest in stillness

By engaging in frequent periods of stillness, we connect more easily with our spiritual center and benefit from a rested mind and body. We are often taught that doing nothing is counterproductive and lazy, which can cause us to develop the habit of busyness. While living productive lives is important, we also do need periods of rest and quiet in order to recharge our batteries. When we put aside all activities and allow ourselves a few moments of stillness, we immediately begin to feel more balanced and peaceful. The quietness of our mind and body eliminates distractions and allows us to forge a deeper connection with our spiritual center, and we regain our energy and feel more productive again. By giving yourself the gift of rest and restoration today, your feelings of fatigue should dissipate and be replaced with energized optimism again.

Source: The Daily OM

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The Gift of Faith

Since trust is a vital component in the formation of relationships, putting your faith in others is necessary when connecting with people on a personal or professional level. It’s easy to justify defensiveness when we look out into the world and see only potential enemies. However, mistrust can drive a wedge between you and others before you even have a chance to bond, thus making bonding impossible. When you approach people openly, assuming that they, like you, have good intentions, intimacy and respect are nourished by your trust. You will discover that others live up to your expectations by treating the faith you have in them as the gift that it is. When you trust that others will not try to deceive you today, you will begin to relate to people in a more productive way.

Source: The Daily Om

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Learning detachment

Watching the stream of our emotions helps us become less attached to their effects on us. We can become overwhelmed by our feelings when we feel despondent. If we learn to let our feelings glide by us, however, we realize that our feelings are never permanent. While they may seem important at the time, they do not define our lives. We may even begin to notice that sadness often is a signal for us to take a rest from the outside world and find peace within ourselves. Learning to see the changing nature of your feelings today will give you the means to cope with any uncomfortable situation that arises.

Source: The Daily Om

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What if tomorrow never comes?

What if tomorrow never comes? Have you lived the courageous life you've always been inspired to live? Have you taken risks, fallen down, stood back up, tried again and again and again until you finally got it right? Did you give it your all so when you look back you have zero regrets and lots of scars? Can you honestly look at yourself in the mirror and see respect staring back at you? Have you felt fear and done it anyway?

What if tomorrow never comes? Could you honestly say you lived your life to the fullest? Could you say with a hearty "YES!" that you never ran away from love? Would you be able to say that you let the most important people in your life know how much they mean to you and that they aren't taken for granted? Would you change anything in the past or are you proud of the path you've taken?

What is tomorrow never comes? Have you been able to embrace life's messiness and realize it'll never be perfectly perfect? Did you have the courage to stand up for what you believe in not minding the consequences, no matter what?

What if tomorrow never comes? Would you have died with your music still in you? Would that precious gift that is only yours to give to this world die with you? Or would you and your gift live on eternally in the hearts of those it touched?

What's true for you and me is that one day tomorrow will never come, what if it's tomorrow?



By Mastin Kipp

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Dealing with conflict

One of the most difficult challenges we face in our quest to be compassionate is dealing with conflict. Those we love most tend to be the ones most likely to engage us in sparring that cuts the deepest. 

Why do we allow ourselves to use our harshest words and most acid tone of voice with the people we love most? Precisely because we love them most. We're counting on unconditional love. 

We know we are likely to be forgiven. We feel close enough to let our true ugliness shine. 

(Maya Talisman Frost)

The above quote pretty much says it all, but it is so ironic that we all seek that unconditional love from another person, yet these are the people who hurt us the most and we hurt back in return . . . or the other way around.

The quote also begs to ponder the question about using our harshest words that we know will hurt the most.  We should not want to hurt that person we love so much, yet we try so hard to inflict as much pain on them as we possibly can.  Why can't rational thinking people be kinder to each other when dealing with conflict, even if we totally disagree about something.

It is one of the absurd oddities of life!

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Love Yourself

"It's surprising how many persons go through life without ever recognizing that their feelings toward other people are largely determined by their feelings toward themselves, and if you're not comfortable within yourself, you can't be comfortable with others."

Sydney J. Harris


"We have the need to be accepted and to be loved by others, but we cannot accept and love ourselves. The more self-love we have, the less we will experience self-abuse. Self-abuse comes from self-rejection, and self-rejection comes from having an image of what it means to be perfect and never measuring up to that ideal. Our image of perfection is the reason we reject ourselves the way we are, and why we don't accept others the way they are."

Don Miguel Ruiz


"There is no freedom like seeing myself as I am and not losing heart."

Elizabeth J. Canham


"If we could learn to like ourselves, even a little, maybe our cruelties and angers might melt away."

John Steinbeck

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