A Parenthesis

In Memory of James Wu (1983 - 2011)

2011-05-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

To James:

You claimed you will be happier in other world.

May it be--as you wished.

Most earnestly:

May you be happy, at peace

At your new existence,

In your brand new identity.

May the new world under your command

As easy as bending your finger.

May your brand new world listens

when you are in deep thoughts,

rejoices when you laugh.

weeps when

you cries.

James:

Yes, you can have your way.

I, your auntie, would rather

You have your way

If that makes

You happy

Even though

The mention of James

Will always brings about

Tears, to no end…

Be your own King,

Your own world maker,

Your own magician,

Your own comedian.

Flip your finger,

Roll your eyes,

The new world is waiting to serve you.

Just send a thought,

They’ll execute the rest,

Easy as that.

Before I forget:

close your eyes,

And feels this:

A warm pink and white light

Wrapping around you.

You may not sense this before.

But it has always be with you.

- by Ming-Zhi Yang, James' Auntie, New Jersey

2011-04-24T13:48:00.000-07:00

Wings to Fly
You are a courageous soul who recognises that whatever you face will become the wings with which to fly.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2011-04-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

Keep It Simple
To be simple means to be completely pure: to have royalty and greatness whilst being ordinary.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2011-03-23T00:34:00.000-07:00

Send Peace
The call of time is to send thoughts of peace and power to the world.
Your thoughts travel, moving at a great speed and with considerable impact.
Let the thought of peace sit in your mind, knowing that the vibes from your thoughts can radiate out and touch any person, any place.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2011-03-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

As you Travel on through life, brother, whatever be your goal, keep your eye upon the donut and not upon the hole

--Anonymous

2011-01-24T20:03:00.001-08:00

Spiritual Progress
There is benefit for you in every situation. If, that is, you know how to look for it. The idea behind steady spiritual progress is to see every circumstance and situation (particularly those that challenge you) as a tailor-made lesson in your personal plan for self-development.

For example, in a situation where hurtful or angry words were exchanged, why not see it as the chance either to perceive things about your own character which need changing or to rehearse some virtue or quality that you need to put into practice more often?

Actually, we should be grateful for the opportunity to evaluate ourselves. In this way you can transform anything into a constructive lesson. Never think that you've learned enough and now can stop. You should love it when people try to correct you or give you advice. It keeps you alert and gives you plenty of opportunity to put your truth into practice.

It's a sign of great danger to be unable to accept criticism and instead use your understanding to criticise others. Realise deeply the significance of every moment, and your spiritual progress will be assured.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-12-16T22:48:00.001-08:00

Power Of Blessings
The power of blessings changes the fire of adverse situations into water.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-11-11T20:29:00.000-08:00

Every Action Is Recorded
As you do, so you become. Every action that you perform is recorded in you, the soul. These imprints ultimately mould your character and destiny. When you understand this principle, you will pay more attention to bringing your best to everything you do.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-10-05T17:58:00.000-07:00

Even Greater to Forgive
It is one thing to tolerate someone's mistake. It is something even greater to forgive the mistake.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-09-25T09:12:00.001-07:00

Happiness
I open my eyes to the wonder of being. Delighted in the way things turn out, amazed at the beauty of it all. I am happy.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-09-17T21:26:00.001-07:00

Self Mastery
Within each one of us there is a master of the universe. Not the universe out there but the inner universe of our thoughts and feelings, attitudes and actions. Most people realise too late what awaits within and how valuable it is. For too long we allow ourselves to be distracted and bewitched by all that is happening outside. To be the master of your inner world is to be the master of your own destiny.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-09-11T08:29:00.000-07:00

Your Vision
When someone's feeling low, you can help them restore their self-belief by keeping a firm, clear vision of their goodness and what makes them special.

Increase their self value by letting your vision be drawn to the diamonds (their specialities), rather than any stones (their defects).

Take a gentle encouraging approach and never give up on anyone.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-09-03T22:16:00.000-07:00

Going Deep
Just as the highest tower needs a deep foundation, so too our higher thinking is based on going deep within.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-09-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

Independent Observer
Peace ends when you are emotionally involved in a situation. The practice of being an independent observer helps you stay stable and calm. It is the best way to approach a decision in any circumstance.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-09-01T20:12:00.000-07:00

Are YOU Communicating Effectively?

Life is relationship and the quality of our relationships will be hugely influenced if not defined by the quality of our communication. Relationship is an exchange of energy, so our communication with others takes place at many ‘energetic levels’ – physical, mental and spiritual being the main three. Communicating effectively whereby we don’t just send the other a message but where we build, nurture, empower and nourish the relationship itself is helped with an awareness of the main principles of relational communication.

The Principle of Right Attitude

Our attitude is the foundation upon which our communication with others will be built. Attitude begins with the first thought that we create the moment that we awaken in the morning. Is that thought an ‘I have to’ thought or an ‘I want to’ thought? For many of us, whose workplace is the first destination after breakfast, it can be easy and somewhat habitual to create the ‘I have to get up and go to work’ thought. In so doing we create an attitude of reluctance signaled by a definite absence of enthusiasm. In fact we have not yet realized that anytime we say we ‘have to’ to do anything we are, in that moment, living our life reluctantly. If a day of working with others is met with reluctance then every exchange throughout that day, even those with whom we like to talk, will be permeated with our ‘have to’ attitude.

Some however, awaken with and meet the day with a ‘want to’ thought that can be encapsulated with one word… YES! When daily life begins with a YES even those whom we may prefer not to connect with will be on the receiving end of an enthusiastic and energizing attitude. So are you beginning the day with a reluctant ‘have to’ or an enthusiastic ‘want to’ attitude? It’s our first and probably most significant choice of our entire day. Are you YESING people in your communication or are NOING people in your exchange of energy.

The Principle of Reciprocity

We all seem to intuitively recognize the saying ‘what you send out is what you get back’ or what goes around comes around. Yet we often miss its significance in our day-to-day relationships. If someone is throwing negative and grumpy energy at us through their communication there is a good chance that we may be getting our own back. An awareness of this ‘principle of reciprocity’, sometimes known as the law of cause and effect, helps us to diagnose the state of any relationship. It means that if we are on the receiving end of another’s negativity we first check to see if, in our history with that person, there were any moments when we gave them negative or grumpy energy. If we value the creation of a harmonious and positive atmosphere then we will start to ensure that we end any negative reciprocity from our side, knowing that whatever we do send to the other will eventually return. We may however need to be patient!

This is where leadership emerges in all relationships. ‘Relationship’ is the dance of life and as the old saying goes it ‘takes two to tango’. Every dance has a leader and the leader sets the tone by establishing the level and quality of the exchange. The leader can receive the negativity of the other and, even when it’s ‘personal’, they have the capacity to return a positive energy thereby ensuring any cyclical process of negative exchanges is either broken or simply not established. Needless to say the underlying attitude of a leader is not a ‘have to’ but a very definite ‘want to’. The leader’s mantra is always YES!

The Principle of Respect

Prior to attitude and even prior to the understanding of reciprocity is the very ground on which every relationship stands or falls – respect. Perhaps the most common mistake made in almost all relationships is when we expect to get respect. And as soon as we sense that we are not being respected we become grumpy and send out the energy of anger and then wonder why the ‘other’ sends the anger back or builds a barrier around their heart. And when any anger or the subtle face of anger, which is resentment, is present there is an absence of respect and therefore almost no relationship.

It doesn’t help when we assimilate the beliefs that others have to earn our respect and that others can lose our respect and vice versa. We forget that everyone is worthy of respect because everyone is a worthwhile person. We forget that to give respect is simply to affirm the innate goodness and worth of the other and no matter what they may ‘do’ they never lose that goodness and worthiness. They only lose their awareness of it. Those who know the secret of relationship building know that when unconditional respect is giving it helps to lift the other out of any lack of self respect as well as take the relationship and therefore the communication to new heights.

The Principle of Self Responsibility

Each of these three principles is underpinned by the awareness of our personal responsibility for our own thoughts and feelings. Only when we stop projecting our ‘feeling states’ onto others i.e. mistakenly believe they are responsible for our feelings, can we maintain our respect for others. Only then can we create and radiate the highest quality of ‘attitudinal energy’ into our relationships through our words and actions. Knowing that it must come back!

An keen awareness of the power of our attitude, an understanding of the law of reciprocity, the unfailing ability to transmit unconditional respect and the absolute truth of our self responsibility all lie at the heart of relationship building and therefore the art of effective communication. They are prior to all communications skills, techniques and methods regardless of how slick and streamlined those skills may be. As the old saying goes it’s not what you say but how you say it, it’s not what you do but how you do it that will bear the sweetest fruit in the dance of life and living that we know as relationship.

Question: Which of the above principles do you notice needs to be strengthened in your relationships in general?

Reflection: Why is it so important to unconditionally respect the other?

Action: Take each principle on separate days this week and consciously check to see if your communication is being ‘shaped’ by that principle.

2010-08-22T17:42:00.001-07:00

Introversion
The ability to enjoy one's own company is one of the greatest gifts life has to offer. Learning to turn my thoughts away from all my responsibilities at the day's end and take my mind into a state of peace and benevolence enables me to carry greater and greater loads without feeling the burden. Gently, I calm down chaotic situations and offer solace to troubled minds.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-08-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

Are YOU Awake Yet?

Although you believe you woke up this morning it is highly likely that you are still asleep. Not from the kind of sleep that keeps you unconscious during the night, but the kind of sleep that has overcome us all, to some extent or other, during our waking hours. It takes time and the practice of self awareness to ‘wake up’ from the illusions and beliefs, accumulated on life’s journey, that keep us less conscious, less aware, during our waking hours, than we could be.

However we have been in this form of sleep for so long that our thought and behaviour patterns based on these beliefs and illusions are now so well established. Waking up and staying awake means ‘seeing through’ the illusions and recognizing the false beliefs to which we are subconsciously clinging. Only when we reawaken a deeper awareness of what is true can our thoughts/feelings/behaviours change. Some of those illusions are so obvious we might wonder why we didn’t see through them earlier. Others are harder to see as we are so deeply schooled to believe that these beliefs are true!

Are you awake or are you still asleep? We can only fully know for our self. Here are four of the main signs and symptoms of someone who is sleepwalking through their life.

1 Stress Projections

You are still asleep if you blame others, situations or events for your stressful feelings. You believe others create your stress. Stress is a form of pain or discomfort that comes to tell us there is something we need to change within our self, not in the other. All stress is self-created regardless of the circumstances. That’s why some people appear to be emotionally devastated by some situations whereas others sail on through without a second thought. Every time you blame others for what you feel it means you are asleep to the truth that your thoughts and feelings are your response, therefore your responsibility or ‘response ability’. The awakened person accepts full responsibility for their thoughts/emotions/attitudes/actions…everywhere and always! Not easy, especially when almost everyone seems to find it easier to point the finger, which means they have learned to believe ‘it’s not me, it’s them’.

2 Self Comparisons

You are still asleep whenever you compare yourself with another person. It means you have not yet realised your own uniqueness and value. In effect you are saying, “I want to be someone else”. You believe that you should aspire to be like someone else and that when you are you will have achieved some sort of success. Which of course is impossible. Or you unconsciously believe, “I am unworthy, I am of less value than them”. Which is untrue! The awakened soul knows their value and is able to affirm their own worth. They never aspire to be someone else. They are constantly rising to the challenge of expanding their capacity and awakening their own true potential.

3 Controlling Behaviour

You are still asleep whenever you attempt to control or manipulate others. Whenever you become upset with someone it means you subconsciously believe you can control what you cannot control. You believe that you can make others do your bidding. Sometimes it looks like they do, but they don’t. The truth is everyone makes their own decisions on how they will act and interact, regardless of the external situation and circumstances. If you are a clever sleepwalker you may even sense the vulnerabilities of others and be quite adept at exploiting them to your own ends. But that only keeps you locked in a false power trip that is actually draining your power. As you try to take advantage of the other, deep down your conscience knows that you are compromising your authenticity and acting against the grain of right relationship. The awakened soul never takes advantage of other sleepwalkers. They know their role is to awaken others, not exploit them.

4 Emotional Indulgence

You are still asleep when you indulge your emotions, when you go searching for some stimulus to invoke the ‘feeling’ of certain emotional states. Perhaps you like to argue because is seems to enliven your day, which means you are indulging in anger. If you keep talking about what went wrong, what you have lost, it means that you like to wallow in your own sorrow. And if you keep looking into the future with trepidation and anxiety then you are likely to have an addiction to fear. The awakened soul has broken their addiction to, and dependency on, their emotional states. They have relearned to choose and create their feelings at each moment in every scene. Not so easy in a world where the most common currency of exchange in our relationships tends to be such ‘unhappy emotions’.

By © Mike George 2010, Clear Thinking

2010-08-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

Spotting the Qualities
A compassionate person develops an eye for spotting the qualities that make each person special. Even when others are at their lowest ebb, it is possible to help them restore their self-belief by keeping a firm, clear vision of their goodness and specialities. Taking a gently encouraging approach, I must never give up on anyone.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-08-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self pity, these adverse situations that look like they could bury us, have within them the very real potential to make us unshakeable.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-08-06T23:21:00.000-07:00

Antidote to Stormy Emotions
Are your emotions easily affected by people and events? If so, then like the sea, when the weather is calm your waves roll gently. But when stormy winds blow, you become wild and out of control.

If you make time to dive deep into the sea, beneath your emotions, you will experience a world of stillness and great strength. Then, you'll stay unaffected - resilient to the winds of change.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-08-05T20:44:00.001-07:00

Seeds Of Thoughts
Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples don't count on harvesting Golden Delicious.

2010-07-31T14:25:00.000-07:00

Steady Light of Hope
No matter how dark the situation, let me always hold on to the steady light of hope.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-07-30T00:59:00.000-07:00

Even when you feel as though things aren't going well in your life, you have reasons to be grateful. Today, take time to appreciate the gift of life and all its wonders. Count your blessings and cherish what you have.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-07-10T21:43:00.000-07:00

God sends trials and troubles to strengthen your character: Greet them and test yourself."

By Swamii Sivananda

2010-07-03T09:24:00.000-07:00

The Quality of Mercy
A person with the quality of mercy works on such a subtle level that the support given never demeans or implies weakness in the other person.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-07-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

Compassionate Soul
A compassionate soul will travel great distances and scale high walls in order to understand another point of view.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-06-25T22:53:00.001-07:00

Give Regard to Every Soul
Because you recognise that everyone is of unique value, you give regard to every soul by never comparing it to another.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-04-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

Peace of mind comes not from wanting to change others, but by simply accepting them as they are.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-03-21T10:14:00.001-07:00

Rest Easy
Rest does not come with sleeping, it comes with waking. This is both an insight and an action of enlightenment. When we are enlightened we realise that real rest is possible only when we become free of illusion and we no longer struggle against life.

Illusion is the idea that people should be, and do, what we want them to. The truth is, all is as it should be, despite appearances, or our perceptions of others to the contrary. This means you can be easy on yourself, easy with others and easy with the world around you. Easiness is a virtue, an attractive one at that. It is much more influential than force. So quit forcing, end the struggling and...relax!

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-03-20T18:56:00.001-07:00

Contentment
To be content with a little is a great wealth.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-03-17T18:15:00.001-07:00

The Game of Life
By seeing life as a game, your lightness of spirit will make problems seem easier.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2010-03-07T12:19:00.001-08:00

Kind Thoughts
Great souls take advantage of every moment and every opportunity to give happiness to others through kindness in their thoughts; such souls are willing to overlook weaknesses and mistakes and have the desire to help everyone reach their potential.

My personal reflection is that I am far from becoming a Great Soul and every bit as embittered and revengeful in my thought as any person next to me. This posting is a reminder and I honestly couldn't remember how many times I needed to be reminded of!

2010-03-06T08:51:00.001-08:00

The Final Analysis
People are often unreasonable, self-centered: Forgive them anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you, but be honest anyway. What you spend years to build, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow. Do good anyway. You see, in the final analysis it is between you and God; it never was between you and them anyway.

2010-02-21T09:22:00.000-08:00

Respect
Have the heart to forgive souls for being who they are not, and the respect that inspires souls to become who they are.

2010-01-23T09:55:00.001-08:00

When you build a house, every brick counts. When you build a character, every thought counts. You are what you think. Love, purity, peace, wisdom - the more you think of these qualities, the more you will become them.

2010-01-16T10:31:00.000-08:00

To limit your faith to one set of beliefs or an institutional belief system is to commit intellectual suicide. We shut down the possibility of being enlightened and enriched by others' experiences, which may be derived from their beliefs. We build a barrier between ourselves and our fellow travellers and then feel threatened, even in small and subtle ways, by someone of a different faith.

The deepest faith is the intuitive conviction that all is as it should be, despite appearances, and that every human being is intrinsically good, despite appearances. This reminds us to keep our minds open, not take the law into our own hands, and look out for the best in others, regardless of what they say or do.

2010-01-16T10:26:00.000-08:00

Tolerance
If you realise that everyone is an individual with their own unique part to play, then the power of tolerance is easy to develop.

2010-01-08T18:14:00.001-08:00

Inner Calm
The greater the demands on me, the more I need to sustain my inner calm and stability.

2010-01-02T09:41:00.001-08:00

Peace
Not to cause anyone sorrow even in your thoughts is complete non-violence.

2009-12-31T12:08:00.000-08:00

Character
To forgive and forget is to reflect love. Situations pass, they cease to exist, but they continue to be alive in the mind. Open your heart and be generous, free yourself from that sorrow, forgive and forget and you will live every moment in peace.

2009-12-27T09:00:00.001-08:00

Character
Humility dismisses nothing, rather, it takes even small things into consideration. It recognises that whatever life presents, needs to be respected. Small things are easily found in something big, but inside little things there is often greatness.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-12-02T20:28:00.000-08:00

Peaceful and Patient
We are never without the solutions to our problems. It's just that sometimes we may have to wait a little. Learn how to remain peaceful and patient.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

A Little Reflection

2009-11-25T22:35:00.000-08:00

During last two years, I have not written anything substantial in regards to my inner development. I often find myself in a juncture of being torn on the crude reality of living. By subscribing to "Thought for Today", it become my daily spiritual companion providing crucial source of emotional support when no human could have ever done it without overly biased and critical.

There are times that when I desperately need guidance and I would often find the passage in "Thought for Today" embalming to my troubled soul. Like everything in life, I learn, I stumble, I get up and I keep going. Looking back to all that I wrote years earlier, I can only say that things has changed drastically in the direction that I have trouble avoiding it from moving into the ultimate collision with the unseen catastrophe.

Even with this unpleasant ultimatum, I still believe that there is a purpose and reason of my experiencing this harsh reality and not all is lost with whatever the consequences I will be facing.

2009-11-25T19:34:00.001-08:00

Unshakeable
If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self pity, these adverse situations that look like they could bury us, have within them the very real potential to make us unshakeable.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-11-22T19:02:00.001-08:00

Living In Peace
In order to live in peace, try not depend on anyone and at the same time try to help others not to depend on you. Help them become independent, free and responsible for their lives. In the same way, ensure you do not cause anyone sorrow, and do not allow others to be a source of hurt for you.

This message seems to be sending exclusively for my present situation. I appreciate it. I just hope that it is not too late for me to accomplish "Living in Peace".

2009-11-11T20:26:00.001-08:00

Courage
Courage is taking a step forward into an area of difficulty without a solution in mind, trusting that whatever help you need will become available.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-10-28T21:44:00.001-07:00

Forgiveness
Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-10-10T21:43:00.001-07:00

Contentment
To make good use of what you have and to let go of what you do not use is to live in a contented way.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-10-06T20:45:00.001-07:00

Balance
Maintain the balance of responding to situations with a cool head and to people with a warm heart.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-10-04T18:38:00.001-07:00

Tolerance
Everybody is right from their own stand point ... hence the need for tolerance.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-09-29T23:03:00.001-07:00

Silence
In the ocean of silence you may discover your eternal treasures of peace, love and happiness. In silence, you can let bad feelings and past sorrows dissolve. In silence you can hear the whisper of God saying "Come child and rest with Me. You are a peaceful soul."

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-09-26T09:55:00.001-07:00

Admiration not Envy
Very fortunate is the one who has learned to admire, but not to envy. To envy others neither diminishes their good fortune nor increases your own.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-09-25T09:57:00.001-07:00

The Best
The best ornament is Humility. The richest wealth is Wisdom. The strongest weapon is Patience. The best security is Faith. The best tonic is Laughter.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-09-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

The Truth About Illusion
Illusion is the idea that people should be, and do, what we want them to. The truth is, all is as it should be, despite appearances or our perceptions of others to the contrary.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

comment:

I have no doubt that one day when I become a master of the universe, this phrase will be true in all it's glorious colors. But for the moment, I struggle with it, contemplate it and I honestly believe that I can't see this truth in my life, at least not now. Only occasionally in a sunny, beautiful Southern California Saturday morning, it could be true in about an hour.

2009-09-17T20:11:00.001-07:00

Give Up the Habit of Worrying
As we grow in strength in our spiritual life, we give up the habit of worrying. It serves no purpose other than to make us feel tense and miserable. When I stop fretting about things that are beyond my control and focus instead on generating optimistic and kind thoughts, my life can begin to flow in ever more positive directions. Such a light and easy approach to life enables me to take everything in my stride.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

Comment:

Worry is natural for human, of course I don't know if animal is ever in the habit of worrying. As we set foot on the plant earth, worry is like shadow that we can never quite get rid of. I took the advise of not to worry and focus on positive aspect of all things, but the result is 50-50, meaning I flow and sink half of the time.

2009-09-17T20:08:00.001-07:00

Harmony
Even when another person seems a world apart from you: find a bridge.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

Comment:

What if I can't find a bridge and I can't swim?

2009-08-24T21:43:00.001-07:00

Learn a Lesson
Instead of being afraid of situations, consider them to be your teacher and learn a lesson from them.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

Comment:

The problem is, most of the time, I don't know what I supposed to learn. I wish there is a curriculum of life so that I can follow the course along. I wonder if God has ever got a grade card for his creation! If it's up to me, I will definitely give him, well not quite an "F" but possibly a "D" fail to include an instruction manual.

2009-08-19T22:56:00.001-07:00

A Long And Healthy Life
There are three ingredients for a long and healthy life: live with attention but without worry, use time in a worthwhile way, keep your thoughts pure, positive and filled with strength.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-08-19T22:53:00.001-07:00

Appreciation of Every Soul
See through God's eyes and feel through God's heart and you will appreciate the value of every soul including yourself.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

Comment:

I like very much to see and feel as God does, but I have no inkling of how this can be done in a normal course of a day.

2009-08-15T09:45:00.001-07:00

Failure
Failure doesn't mean - you'll never make it, it means - it will take a little longer.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

Comment:

Much longer! Just so we are all clear, we are talking about lifetimes not just half an hour!

2009-08-15T09:42:00.001-07:00

Meditation
At the core of your being, you are deeply peaceful, immensely loving, infinitely wise and profoundly contented.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

Comment:

Wow, I did not know that I am almost God-like. I wish I can bank on them!

2009-08-12T21:04:00.001-07:00

Obstacles
It is good that obstacles come, but the obstacles should not defeat you. Obstacles come to make you strong. Therefore instead of being afraid of obstacles, overcome them by considering them to an entertaining game. When you have the company of God there is no need to be afraid.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

Comment:

It is easier said than done. My experience is that whenever I was in trouble, God was always nowhere to be found!

2009-07-22T18:22:00.001-07:00

Balance In Life
The indication of balance in life is a sense of well-being, optimism and a clear conscience. The foundation for achieving this is to look after myself spiritually - making my mind peaceful, loving and thoughtful at all times. Then I will instinctively know how much time to spend on my own well-being and how much on fulfilling other responsibilities

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-07-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

An Ancient Peace
There is a silence into which the world cannot intrude. There is an ancient peace you carry in your heart and have not lost. There is a love you have missed for so long and will always come back to.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

My Comment:

OK, Can anyone show me the way to this magical world?

2009-07-11T10:32:00.001-07:00

Daily Decisions
What I am experiencing at this moment is the result of choices and decisions made in the past; what I will experience in the future depends on choices and decisions I make now. Happiness is a daily decision.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-07-03T11:28:00.001-07:00

"The highest mission of plants is not merely please our eyes with color, our mouths with delicious fruits. Not only do they do this and more, but they are ever silently but surely eating up what is impure and injurious to ourselves in the atmosphere and in the earth all around our homes; and any dwelling in which plants are well and healthily grown will be more likely to be a clean and healthy house than if plants were not there.

-Author unknown

2009-07-02T19:10:00.001-07:00

Law rules throughout existence, a law which is not intelligent, but Intelligence.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

2009-07-01T20:06:00.001-07:00

Enjoy Moments of Silence
When you open your eyes in the morning, sit for a moment and appreciate the gift of a new day, create a peaceful thought and enjoy some moments of silence throughout the whole day.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-06-30T19:54:00.001-07:00

Your Choice
Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-06-22T21:34:00.001-07:00

2009-06-20T11:56:00.001-07:00

86,400 Seconds
Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with £86,400. Every evening whatever part of the balance you fail to use during the day is deleted. What would you do? Draw out every cent and use it well, of course!!! Each of us has such a bank - Its name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Invest the day's deposits well, or the loss is yours. How could you bring the most contentment, happiness and benefit to yourself and others? The clock is running.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-06-19T09:47:00.001-07:00

During the early days of modern era, in the Italian Renaissance, the possibility of crafting our destiny was seen as the very beauty and dignity of our humanness - but also as its inherent danger.

According to a story of that time, God created all beings in the universe and gave to each a particular quality and, therefore, a specific destiny. He gave cunning to the fox, fidelity to the dog, strength to the lion, and so on. When, at last, God came to the human being, He decided to leave him with an open destiny:

He welcomed him as an entity of indefinite nature, put him in the heart of universe, and spoke to him in this way: " I created you as a being neither mortal nor immortal, neither heavenly nor earthly, so that you, as a sovereign and free artificer, could mold and forge yourself in the shape your choose. You can sink to the level of inferior beings. You can, if you so will, regenerate yourself in the likeness of superior beings."

-from the book "What We May Be"

2009-06-17T17:43:00.001-07:00

Like the bee, gathering honey from different flowers, the wise man accepts the essence of different scriptures and sees only the good in all religions.

- Srimad Bhagavatam, Hinduism

2009-06-13T10:09:00.001-07:00

Spotting Qualities
A compassionate person develops an eye for spotting the qualities that make each person special.
Even when others are at their lowest ebb, it is possible to help them restore their self-belief by keeping a firm, clear vision of their goodness and specialities. Taking a gently encouraging approach, I must never give up on anyone.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-06-12T08:04:00.001-07:00

Recipe For Happiness
Two heaped cups of patience, One heartful of love, Two handfuls of generosity, One headful of understanding and a dash of humour. Sprinkle with kindness, add plenty of faith and mix well, Spread over a period of a lifetime and serve to everyone you meet.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-06-07T08:45:00.001-07:00

Remind Yourself
If you know a little of yourself, you will have realized that you are more than meets your eyes in the mirror in the morning. What you see is not what you are. You see the form not the content, the body not the soul, the matter not the mind.

In quiet and profound moments, we innately know that is true. But we forget. The world tells us and wants us to believe that we are what we see. We believe.

That's why the awakening of spirit and the flowering of our spirituality (nothing to do with religion) means we have to keep reminding ourselves, a hundred times a day, I am a soul - not a body, I am an eternal spirit - not a perishable piece of meat. I am quality, not quantity. I am.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-06-06T09:47:00.001-07:00

All Actors
The world is a stage and we are all actors. Each actor plays a unique part and is responsible for their own actions. Responsibility means doing the right thing no matter how big or small the task may be. Each one of us has a special role to play in the making the world a better place.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-05-30T10:26:00.001-07:00

Smiling Opens the Heart
Good feelings are like ointments that heal wounds and re-establish friendships and relationships. Good feelings are generated in the mind, are transmitted through your attitude and are reflected in your eyes and smile.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-05-28T07:34:00.001-07:00

2009-05-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

2009-05-21T22:32:00.001-07:00

Grand Canyon, Arizona

2009-05-21T22:20:00.001-07:00

Moraine Lake, Canada

2009-05-21T22:15:00.001-07:00

Athabasca Glacier, Canada

2009-05-15T18:28:00.001-07:00

Introversion
The ability to enjoy one's own company is one of the greatest gifts life has to offer. Learning to turn my thoughts away from all my responsibilities at the day's end and take my mind into a state of peace and benevolence enables me to carry greater and greater loads without feeling the burden. When my inner landscape is full of beautiful thoughts, everything I do is a pleasure. Gently, I calm down chaotic situations and offer solace to troubled minds.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-05-13T09:26:00.001-07:00

Trustee Consciousness
We all have a relationship with everything. Obviously the relationship we have with the people and objects in our immediate vicinity is more intimate than the rest of the world. For most of us the most common relationship is possession.

In our minds we think we own and possess things like cars and houses and carpets and golf clubs etc. This thinking easily spreads into jobs and tasks and positions and perhaps even other people. "I want you", and "You are mine alone", is the essence of many romantic film scripts and song lyrics.

It is not possible to possess anything. Care for..yes. Use...yes. But possess...no. You can't take it with you when you go, so we say! And yet it's the idea of possession which lies at the heart of all fear, war and conflict. Can you see it? Fear of loss, fear of not acquiring what we have already decided is ours in our minds.

So what is a better relationship we can choose which takes all the fear away? Be a trustee. Everything comes to us in trust, for us to use and then to set it free. The consciousness of trustee sets us free of the tension of grasping and guarding. To see ourselves as trustees of everything that we receive, including our bodies, encourages our innate capacity to 'care for with dignity'. It is a much more relaxing way of relating to the things which we are privileged to receive in life.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-05-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

Transform Negativity

The energies of life come to meet us at every moment. Most come from other people who either in the same room or on the flickering, technicolour screens with which we now share most of our homes.

The vast majority of these energies are not positive. So how do we handle the 'the negatives', whether it's someone's attitude, their hurtful gestures or our daily dose of world violence and mayhem.

There are three cardinal rules.

First, do not absorb it - don't be an emotional sponge.

Second do not reflect it back. Otherwise you begin a cycle of emotional exchanges which may last a long time.

And third, do the one thing which marks us as intelligent human beings - transform it.

Even if the scene is a disaster there is some benefit somewhere in it. Even if you are watching two peoples beliefs or opinions slug it out to the edge of violence don't take sides. Instead offer a solution then stand well back. Even if the person hates you, accept their state of being and return the light of love. In time, with patience, it will illuminate their darkness, and return to you by the bucketful! Just wait.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-05-08T21:38:00.001-07:00

In this life, you cannot be responsible for anyone's happiness but your own.

- unknown -

2009-04-28T19:47:00.001-07:00

2009-04-27T19:07:00.001-07:00

2009-04-26T08:46:00.001-07:00

The Spirit of Generosity
Generosity means more than just giving. It also means to cooperate with others. The greatest act of generosity is to see beyond the weaknesses of others and ourselves, helping all of us to recognize our innate value.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-04-25T09:54:00.001-07:00

Help Yourself
Unfortunately these two words tend to describe the generally selfish and materialistic culture in which most of us live. They result not in self-help but in dependency. Our education and our role models do not encourage us to help ourselves to grow, change and expand our capacities as human beings. Real self-help means recognising that no one else is responsible for our thoughts and feelings, and that we are only ever victims because we choose to be. Our destiny is always and only in our own hands - despite all apparent evidence which may indicate otherwise. Learning to help ourselves is also a prerequisite to extending a hand of assistance to others. We all need a leg up from time to time, but once there, we are always on our own.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-04-22T20:41:00.001-07:00

2009-04-18T20:32:00.001-07:00

2009-04-12T08:44:00.001-07:00

2009-04-06T21:41:00.001-07:00

2009-04-02T22:47:00.001-07:00

Treasure Every Moment
Treasure every moment that you have. Remember that time waits for no one. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow a mystery. Today is a gift... That's why it's called the present.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-03-27T16:17:00.001-07:00

2009-03-22T10:05:00.001-07:00

Be Reluctantless!
We have a tendency to make significant choices in our lives and then forget that we actually made the choice. Work is such a choice. If we forget to choose the work we do then each day of our life can easily be an experience of continuous reluctance.

Would you choose to live your life reluctantly? Every time you use the words ‘have to’ you are telling the universe you would rather not be where you are and you’d rather not do what you are doing at that moment. And if you keep thinking in this way in one area of your life, it becomes a habitual thought pattern which you soon find turning up in your attitude every where in your life.

And if you keep thinking, feeling, saying and living with this pattern of reluctance you can be absolutely sure the universe will eventually grant your recurring wish. But you will like the result even less. Nothing positive, fulfilling or empowering was ever created with the energy of reluctance.

Don’t be reluctant about anything in your life today. Re-affirm your presence and your choices every day.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-03-18T17:52:00.001-07:00

Cripple Effect
What goes around comes around is not a new insight. It is something most of us intuitively know but easily forget, as we attempt to hold on to most things which come to us. What we don't realise is the ripple effect can easily become the cripple effect.

Everything we think and do not only ripples out into the world, it also creates an impression on our own consciousness inside. If one day you decide to get really angry (very unrelaxing) at someone, then you create a memory of your irritation and carve a kind of scar or groove on your consciousness (non-physical of course). Within this scar or groove is a recording of the image of the person as you have decided to perceive them, and the energy of your anger surrounding that image. Remember, you put it there, not them.

Two days later you see the same person and that triggers the image and the anger which you have already recorded within. The emotional turbulence inside your consciousness makes it very hard for you to remain positive, connect and communicate effectively, positively and harmoniously with them. In effect you are crippled and clouded by your own emotion. Most of us experience this, sometimes many times a day, but refuse to see that we cripple ourselves, preferring to blame the other person. Which is why we can stay crippled for a long time and not even realise it.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today

2009-03-08T19:22:00.000-07:00

Character
When you do not upset yourself thinking about how others must change and instead you concentrate on your own change, good things start to happen. First, you will feel better about yourself. Second, you will start to have positive feelings towards others and start to understand them. Third, others start having a more positive attitude towards you.

- from Copyright © 2006 Thought for Today