Not everyone will understand your journey. That’s fine. It’s not their journey to make sense of. It’s yours.
Author | Photographer | CG Artist | Filmmaker
Excerpt from: If you want to be happy
The more you release yourself from the negatives in your life and let go of the things that are holding you back from being happy, the more you free yourself to adopt a lifestyle that creates an environment that allows for, nurtures, and sustains happiness.
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Does your current life reflect who you are today or has it become a reflection of someone you used to be?
You are a different person today than you were last week, let alone years ago when you made decisions and commitments without the knowledge and experience you have at this moment.
Bring your life back in line with your current values & your current level of understanding. And do the things you know are good for you.
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“When I despair, I remember that all through history, the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it—always.” — Mahatma Gandhi
Refuse to let a non-stop cycle of negativity and bad news divert your attention from all the good in the world.
Remember your friends. Your family. And the kindness of strangers.
Make note of those doing good, acting selflessly, or going out of their way to make a positive difference in other people’s lives.
The world is not just war, hate, and conflict. It’s not just people only looking out for their own best interest at the expense of anyone who crosses their paths.
Refuse to be manipulated into thinking the world is mostly made up of people seeking conflict. Because it’s not.
The answer to the world’s problems is not less love. It’s more.
Look for and be the good in the world.
Spread light, not darkness.
Love. Not fear.
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” — Lao Tzu
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Provide the inspiration that others can use to provide the inspiration that others can use.
Lead by by example.
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“I don’t know how to save the world. I don’t have the answers or The Answer. I hold no secret knowledge as to how to fix the mistakes of generations past and present. I only know that without compassion and respect for all of Earth’s inhabitants, none of us will survive—nor will we deserve to.” — Leonard Peltier
The world’s problems will not be solved by building walls, discriminating against anyone who isn’t like “us”, or harming innocent people.
Hate, violence, shutting people out, and turning a blind eye to the needs of others never solved anything for long.
Want to make enemies? That’s how you do it.
The world’s problems will not be solved without taking steps to work together for the common good of the inhabitants of this planet.
You can help by acting with kindness, showing tolerance, and being the kind of person you wish there were more of.
“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.” — Kurt Vonnegut
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Afterword:
“How do we stop those who are hell bent on the death & destruction of anything they oppose?” is beyond the scope of any single individual to answer. And is certainly beyond the scope of this post.
That said, we should not allow the extreme minority to dictate the actions, attitudes & behaviors of the overwhelming majority in a way that makes the world a more violent, hostile, and unfriendly place to live.
“Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
We should not allow the disruptive actions of a few cause us to turn against each other or act in a way that is contrary to how we would wish to be treated.
It’s one thing to deal with these kinds of people directly. It’s another thing entirely to discriminate against and turn our backs to those who have nothing to do with the negative actions of those causing problems.
One of the issues with blind optimism is that living your life with blinders on can leave one vulnerable to being exploited by others or simply knocked off balance when something you didn’t see coming happens.
It’s better to live with your eyes open and acknowledge what you can’t control — while directing your attention to what you can — than it is to pretend that the things you don’t wish to see don’t exist.
Whatever you focus on grows stronger because energy flows where attention goes.
So focus your attention on what you desire — and what you wish to change — without putting blinders on, and you will be putting energy where you want it, without losing sight of the larger picture.
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Originally published on: Nov 17, 2014 @ 09:05
“The mind is everything. What you think you become.” — Unknown
If you treat your mind like a trash can, don’t be surprised when you reach for a thought and all you get is garbage.
“Believing in negative thoughts is the single greatest obstruction to success.” — Charles F. Glassman
Don’t hold onto negative thoughts any longer than necessary. Refuse to reach for toxic memories that do nothing more than generate negativity. Let go of faulty thought processes & coping mechanisms that no longer serve you.
If a negative thought or memory isn’t serving a positive purpose in your life — such as triggering personal growth — let it go.
Make a deliberate decision to collect knowledge, not negativity. Don’t let negative thoughts inhibit your ability to take positive action.
Learn new strategies and new ways to think, as necessary, and resist holding onto anything that no longer makes you happy or helps you develop as a person.
Treat your mind like a vault, not a trash receptacle.
“By means of personal experimentation and observation, we can discover certain simple and universal truths. The mind moves the body, and the body follows the mind. Logically then, negative thought patterns harm not only the mind but also the body. What we actually do builds up to affect the subconscious mind and in turn affects the conscious mind and all reactions.” — H.E. Davey, Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation
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It’s important to recognize that although some portions of one’s path through life may resemble another’s, we all have a very unique set of personal resources, life experiences, and circumstances that keep our paths from ever totally matching someone else’s. On top of that, we are all driven by a combination of values and priorities that are as unique to each of us as our DNA.
So it should be obvious that no two people live the same life.
And yet, many not only make a habit of comparing their lives to others, they get discouraged when they discover that someone has attained something they lack or achieved something they haven’t.
“The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind the scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.” — Steve Furtick
Always remember that although some people’s paths may, at times, resemble others, no two people are on the same journey through life.
And because every person’s path through life is unique, it makes no sense to let the apparent successes of others on their paths discourage you from walking your own.
If you focus more on what you wish to accomplish in your life and less on what others are doing in theirs, you will be rewarded with an authentic life that fits you and not a poorly fitting imitation of someone else’s.
The point of life isn’t to follow the footsteps of others. It’s to make your own. So do your best and concern yourself more with what you want to do on your path in life and less about what others are doing on theirs.
Be inspired by the greatness of others on their paths, but don’t ever let the accomplishments of another person deter you from your own.
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