There Are Simply No Better Words To Live By

December 13, 2009 by Terry  
Filed under Happiness, Mind, Zen Forever

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self centered; Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies; Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you’ve got, anyway.

~Mother Teresa~

6 ways To Let Go Of All Fear, Worry, And Money Stress

December 6, 2009 by Terry  
Filed under Happiness, Mind, Zen Forever

My path to living a life of Zen is going very well. I am realizing more and more that my inner peace is all in my mind. Here are the main steps that I have been taking to reach a life of total serenity and joy. You can follow the exact same path if you choose to.

  • My mind controls my life. When I step out of my thoughts and use my conscience I realize I am in control, not my thoughts , I am more than my thoughts. I can observe my thoughts and let them go.
  • I do not worry about money as much. I live in the now and do not think about what I would like to buy. I have everything I need already.
  • I am finding more moments of peace throughout the day by shutting of the TV and radio in the home, car and morning shower. I do not hear advertisements for cars or MacDonald’s.
  • I have found out how important it is to open my heart to love. This is one of the most important journeys to go through. This is a spiritual love, not necessary an emotional love. I choose to be a loving and accepting person.
  • I am not a weak person, I have simply chosen to accept the goods and the bad in life and stopped trying to control what I can’t. I let experiences and thoughts pass through my heart before my mind attaches to them and closes down my heart.
  • Each day if am becoming more free, liberated and happy.

How I Am Learning To Live My Best Life

November 1, 2009 by Terry  
Filed under Happiness, Mind, Zen Forever

Opening my heart and finding beauty

I was not brought up in an emotional household. My parents were very strict and unforgiving. Years later I realized that this was the way they cared. Better to have strict parents than parents that don’t care. The worst thing a parent can do to a child is not care. Children want to know that their parents care for them in some way shape or form. I know my parents cared. Now years later, I am on my own spiritual path. I am on a path to open up my heart and to be totally free. I want to be free of worry, doubt, envy and fear. I want to find beauty in all of life’s simplest of moments. I want to live each and every moment to the fullest. Tonight I was watching the sunset turn the sky into ribbons of a deep salmon color. It was one of those beautiful “ah ha” moments. This is what life is all about. Letting go of all those illogical worries and loving my short time on this earth. I want to embrace each moment and open my heart to all of them. Always.

Opening my heart before my mind reacts.

As I drive across the bridge in the morning, I sometimes click off the Audio book I’m listening to and drive in silence. I then hear the soft thumping of the tires on the bridge struts. As my mind quiets I watch the soft, grey morning clouds float off the top of the skyscrapers. I watch the golden rays of sunshine reflect off a thousand window panes, creating a magical splash of vibrant gold across the city. If a driver cuts me off, I feel my heart contract and begin to close. Before my mind reacts I allow my heart open again and let the moment go. I am too much in love with this morning and this life to allow my heart to close and have my mind react negatively. It is going to be a magnificent day. I only have a short time on the earth. This is my path. I am on it now, there is no going back.

Peace

See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out
See the Bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light
And see the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colors came out

It was a beautiful day
Don’t let it get away
Beautiful day

U2

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The #1 Goal In My Life

October 15, 2009 by Terry  
Filed under Goal Setting, Happiness, Lifestyle, Mind, Zen Forever

I am seeking permanent serenity, joy and happiness. It isn’t always easy. Becoming enlightened means we have to let go of all the conditioning, worries and ego that we carry with us every day. It requires that we accept life as it is and stop struggling against it. We slowly learn how to tear down all the walls that protect us and to let the light shine in. We learn how the heart reacts to life and then the mind afterwards, creating unnecessary pain, insecurity and worry. We learn how to not react and to not keep the pain inside of us. We also learn to accept suffering, instead of avoiding it and move on. We learn to let it all go. We learn to use our consciousness. We learn to be truly happy.

I read that we are one spinning planet of water and dirt spinning around a star, amongst hundreds of billions of stars in our own Galaxy. Sometimes I look up at the sky and think about that. It seems that everything else is trivial compared to that thought. Should I be that concerned about what people think about my clothes or car?

I am learning to accept everything life has to offer. My time is limited on this planet. I want to spend the rest of it experiencing freedom, joy, peace and love. I hope you choose to join me.

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3 Reasons Why Some People Almost Always Go Insane But I Don’t

October 1, 2009 by Terry  
Filed under Happiness, Lifestyle, Mind, Zen Forever

Traffic

There are some days when I feel like slapping people in traffic. They rudely cut me off and force me to jam on my brakes like a rookie F1 driver on a rainy day. I then fantasize about rolling down their window and smacking them silly. Or if the traffic is thick I would jump out, crouch and sneak up while springing up at their window shrieking BOO!! and waving pretend claws in the air. Of course the first would get me arrested and the second may cause a heart attack.

Traffic solution – Audio books

I listen to audio books in my car. Lately I’ve been loving “Living a Life of Inner Peace” by Eckhart Tolle. I take pleasure in some spirituality on occasion and this audio book is not only spiritual but hilarious. Eckhart gives an amusing, introspective and at times wistful talk to an audience and shows us a side that really makes him more human (less robot). Believe or not, probably my favourite Audio book for the car. Look at me calling him Eckhart, like I’m his beer drinking bud.That should be MR Eckhart.

Purchasing dress pants

I tried going to discount stores like TJ Maxx to buy cheap dress pants but discovered that I end up looking like MC hammer in his hilarious balloon pants after a while. Hard to find nice inexpensive dress pants. Shirts are much easier.I think so.

Dress pants solution – Find a store you like (and that has nice pants?)

Now I buy all my dress pants from Tristan. They fit well, have a good selection and I try to purchase them on sale. After Christmas is a great time. The only down side is the buttons pop off because they are machined on (and made in Canada!). So I get this tiny Chinese woman to sew them back on. Out of the blue last week she accuses me of not paying 3 cents on the tax and I threatened her boss about taking my business elsewhere. WTF? Anyhoo, we straightened it out and almost had a three way group hug. Who knew buttons or 3 cents could cause WWlll! Find a store you like and stick with it.

Work stress

For many years I found myself in the morning gulping down breakfast, worrying about the latest work issues, hopping in the car and barreling down the highway to make it in on the hour. Yes, a very stressful way to begin the day.

Work stress solution – Have a great morning

Now I gulp down my breakfast and tweet! Ok, not the most relaxing method but one major difference is that before hopping in my piece of metal on rubber tires, I take a few moments to take in the beauty of the morning. This comes from years of meditation and practicing living in the now. The world can be a truly stunning place in the morning. The air is amazingly fresh and at times delightfully dewy. Clouds roll lazily by. Just looking up at the sky can be a Zen experience if you  take your sweet time to soak in the moment. Not hours now, we are talking a few minutes here. After my morning intermission I’m then prepared to barrel down the highway once more. Kidding! But that small break creates a much more relaxing start to the day.

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Also a few related posts

Five Small Ways You Can make Yourself Happy

A Simple Strategy To Start Meditating Right Now

Five Huge Ways You Can Make Yourself Happy

Enjoy each and every moment life has to offer.

The most important rule in life is to live in the present moment. Letting of the past, future, and all your trivial worries will by far be the best change you can make. Stop whinnying. Please stop complaining. Appreciate each and every moment from now on. Love life. Never take anything for granted. Every moment you lose to your worries is a moment lost forever. This is how people with terminal illnesses think. Life is too short. Every moment is precious. Find your Zen, right now.

Don’t leave this life without following your dreams.

Don’t be afraid to take chances. Write that book, comic strip or screen play. Go to the job interview. Take action right now! Don’t delay your dreams any further. There is absolutely no reason why you can’t take the first step towards your dream life today. There is no excuse. And as you take action and stay in the moment, you will be shocked how staying in the now helps.

Shut your shallow ego up.

Shut your ego up right now. Your ego brings up all your past conditions and failures to the surface. You are a human being who can make a conscious choice today to drop your ego and find the love within yourself that is always there. You are a magnificent human being, never forget that. Shut your ego up right now and send it packing.Your ego only makes you feel afraid. Say goodbye to it today.  

Buy yourself a treat once in a while.

Buy yourself a present. There are a million articles out there blabbering about the evils of being materialistic. Most of this is pure bullshit. There is nothing wrong with treating yourself with a nice purchase for all your hard work. So buy that car, plasma TV, or night out. But don’t think you are a better person because of that new car. You aren’t. It’s a piece of metal on wheels. Just because you are driving it doesn’t make you better than Bob next door. So buy yourself a treat, but don’t identify yourself with it. Once you identify yourself with your stuff you become a shallow, ego filled and empty person. Enjoy your treat for what it is. No more no less. Oh yes and please make sure you can afford it. That always helps. Or else you start worrying again.

Have dinner with your close friends.

It has been proven that life’s happiest moments occur when you are with your good friends. Have a dinner party and drinks at least once a week. Laugh. Cry. Joke. Have deep and meaningful conversations. Love life with your best friends. Watch the stars together. It just doesn’t get any better than this.

So what makes you happy?

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A Simple Strategy To Start Meditating Right Now

July 22, 2009 by Terry  
Filed under Mind, Zen Forever

Here is a simple strategy to begin meditating tomorrow morning. Meditation isn’t some mystical journey whereas you are required to become a Zen or Buddhist master. Meditation is simply staying in one place quietly, eventually learning to be in the present moment until it becomes natural.

Living in the present moment is the beginning to ending the mindless clatter and worries that are constantly bombarding you. Meditation teaches you to ignore self destructive thoughts and become at peace with ones selves, warts and all.

My meditation techniques are based on the practices of Pema Chodron .

Find a quiet room away from your bedroom. Sit upright, hands on lap, legs crossed and focus on a spot 4 to 5 feet in front of you.  Concentrate on your outer breath as a way of focusing the mind. When a thought arises, label it as “thinking” and go back to concentrating on your outer breath.  Let your thoughts go over and over again by labeling them as thinking. Continue to relax and allow whatever thoughts to arise without labeling them good or bad. Return to your outer breath.

Try to perform this exercise 15 minutes a day to start. After a while you will notice that you can return to the present moment much easier. This is one of the best ways to reduce the stress caused by over thinking and worrying.

You are the master of your life.

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