Just Do or Do Not

It takes a split second to react and a life time to think about reacting. If the mind is calm and the body centered reaction and thought become one.

Mastering

In anything you wish to master you must understand the following concept: 

The teacher can opens the door, but you must take the step to walk the road and do the work road. 

A teacher can guide you or suggest an avenue to explore but you have to rely on your own intelligence and hard work. 

All of the students are given the same tools in a good school; the use of those tools is up to the students own want or need to learn the full range of their use.

A teacher can not make you a master only you can do that.

A good teacher will not expect to be your teacher for a life time but to become a friend a peer at some point.

I Fully Love Myself When:

"I fully love myself when", My friend Alison shared this simple yet powerful phrase with me just the other day, I tried it an quickly found my self giggling at each thing I ended the phrase with, giving myself permission not to take my successes or set backs so seriously. 

Have you even been embarrassed and felt like you wanted to shrink away? Next time try “I fully love myself when (I embarrass myself), (I squirt milk out of my nose), (I forget someone’s name)”, I had a great opportunity to do this and felt relief and also a smile came to my face denoting it was just a normal part of living.

It is useful for positive things in our life. If you have trouble accepting praise or acknowledgement or even acknowledging yourself try using the phrase “I fully love myself when (I learn a new song), (my hard work is acknowledged), (I finished a project).”

Give it a go, but maybe not out loud at first unless the people around you know you well, strangers might want to help you find your medication.

After all “Things Just Are and I Just Am”
Francisco

Reflection

 

Essential part of anyone life is time to self reflection and rejuevination. Most people consider this as vacation time. This process of self reflection and rejuvenation should be practiced everyday. Prayer, mediditation, mindfullness actions, artistic hobbies. something that brings you back to self and apart from the world, without these you will always be trying to keep your head above water so to say. Five minuetes of meditation a day will change you mind, spirit and body.

Calm Present Mind/Spirit

Most people talk about working to be enlightened like it is a far off place, a journey and by doing this putting it out far in front of where you are at the moment.

Some people talk about altering their state of consciousness to reach enlightenment. If you are not in the moment you are already in an altered state of mind, you need to be in a calm present mind/spirit.

Some study with some great guru to reach enlightenment. Following someones example who is able to sustain the calm present mind/spirit for a greater time than you can at the moment is great, but seeing them as a guru rather than just a human with a little more experience does you no good as you will not see yourself at that level.

Enlightenment is no more or less than being in the present moment experiencing all things as they are, your reaction to those things is the key. Approaching the pleasant and unpleasant with a calm mind/spirit.

People are already enlightened they must not allow either the world noises or their own to keep them from being in the moment. We learn that altered state of mind/spirit, confusion, worry, depression, chatter in our mind is normal and that being of a calm mind/spirit is something out of the ordinary.

While is is simple we do live in a toxic environment that causes us to not be able to see the simplicity of this action due to conditioning to accept the abnormal as normal.

Do not practice anything to calm your mind instead just do the practice you choose be it meditation, tai chi, prayer etc. make it something normal to your daily life.

Evaluate yourself, reactions, responses to things around you on a given day or week. If you are constantly talking about your practice then you are not doing it because once it become part of you it is like breathing, not something you go on and on about.

When someone brings to your attention that you are far off from your goal of your peaceful mind/spirit it is not a bad thing it is a great thing because those around you have noticed how calm and peaceful you are as a normal daily thing and when you are not that way then see it as strange. This in a great opportunity to deepen your own understanding of you.

Be gentle with yourself and treat yourself with kindness.