Category: wisdom

No Experience Wasted

Well, my friends, I hope you’re enjoying a beautiful Tuesday. I’m about to head into Gallbladder surgery shortly.

I’ve been thinking about this quote this morning by the sculptor Rodin in preparation.

Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.

Every moment of our lives is an adventure. Some days things fly along and some days are rife with changes and challenges.

Yet, if you take a step back and see it all as an experience with something to teach this current you and the broader you beyond, then it all becomes a useful classroom.

Off for my day at class. See you on the other side.

Ray

Your Puzzle Pieces Do Fit

Good evening, my friends. I want to share an experience I had Tuesday. It’s representative of a frequent experience, even though I only remember after the fact that things work this way.

My early morning mission was two-fold – pick up something from the grocery store and run by Sonic to pick up breakfast.

Things quickly went awry. The grocery store didn’t have the item I needed. When I arrived at Sonic, they informed me they were running 10 minutes behind.

I debated my options and decided to make my way to the larger town about 10 miles from us. There I picked up breakfast and visited Walgreens to pick up my needed item. The day before I’d called my doctor’s office and was informed they’d have no COVID vaccines until Fall.

As I was checking out, the very enthusiastic young Walgreens employee asked if I’d had my COVID vaccine. I replied I had not. He handed me a card with a QR code that allowed me quickly schedule my first shot yesterday and my second in a few weeks.

On my way over to the other town, I had to readjust a momentarily very negative attitude. My morning plan had been foiled and I was none too happy.

I wasn’t seeing the whole puzzle. Thankfully, the universe had my back, as it always does; even when I forget.

We can often think we lack the pieces to successfully complete our puzzle or the pieces don’t fit the way we expect them to.

It’s discouraging, frustrating, pick your word. Remember though, you do have the pieces and with a little patience things do fall into place.

After the fact, we look back and wonder why we ever doubted. The delay or the redirection of our plans was exactly what the situation called for.

Trust and know, as the ancient saying goes.

Just in case no one else has reminded you today, you are awesome!

Ray

10 Wise Things Jesus Said…Without Fine Print

Whether you view Jesus of Nazareth as your personal savior, a great teacher, or an interesting historical figure; there’s little doubt he left behind powerful words that provide a template for the better world we’re all seeking in this moment.

Here are 10 things Jesus said, without qualification or fine print, that we can all use as a basis creating better selves and a better world.

  1. Love your neighbor as you love yourself.
  2. Let he among you who is without sin cast the first stone. (Social media would go silent. LOL)
  3. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
  4. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
  5. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (Matthew) (Alternatively from Mark – Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
  6. So, in everything, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
  7. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
  8. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
  9. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
  10. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

We see in these sayings words about peace, affirmation, bettering ourselves, and caring about each other.

Jesus spoke many other important and, for many, sacred words. Yet if we took these 10 items alone and built our character upon them and the world’s character upon them; how much better would that world be?

Just sayin’.

In case no one else has reminded you today, you ARE AWESOME!

Ray

Happy, Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise Affirmations Video

Enjoy the video! If you’d like to download your own copy of the mp3, click here.

Follow your bliss. Experience your bliss. Become your bliss

Ray

Share Your Light Once You Own It – Day 290 of 365 Days to a Better You

Good morning, my friends. There’s a challenge in our world today. Many of the people who practice personal development and spirituality tell you to avoid negativity – negative people and situations – like the plague. One common piece of advice is to drop friends and family who are negative. They tell you that once you’ve found your enlightenment, you should go blissfully about your business without touching the darkness in the world.

This is not a new problem. There’s a story in the Buddhist tradition that the Buddha, having attained complete enlightenment, looked at the darkness and evil in the world and considered keeping it to himself. It’s said the god Brahma appeared before the Buddha and pleaded with him to teach the dharma, arguing that both men and gods needed to hear it. As history tells us, the Buddha did go out and encounter that dark world with his enlightenment and transformed half this planet.

There is much darkness in our world today. Our economic, military, and even religious ideologies create havoc, violence, and injustice.

You and I have the same choice the Buddha had all those centuries ago. We can say our affirmations, meditate, develop our bodies and our minds and our spirits and keep it all to ourselves. We can say, “Thinking about or exposing myself to those realities upsets my balance, is unspiritual, or risks what I’ve achieved for myself.”

Here’s the thing. We still have to share the world with all the institutions and people who live in this negativity. Just like positive thinking, negative mindsets create in the world what begins in the mind. If you look at many of the challenges we face, you can see this at work all around us.

I believe we are called upon, having attained some understanding ourselves, to spread the light into the darkness that is hatred, war, and injustice; doing more than simply letting it persist.

Involvement in the process is actually the most enlightened thing you can do. If enough of us do it, then this world has hope of turning the ship around and heading in directions that will change everything and everyone for the better.

Engagement not avoidance is the way forward. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this below.

As always, in case I’m the only one who tells you today, you ARE awesome!

 Ray

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