Enjoying a Wonderful Day

Enjoying a Wonderful Day

How about living and spending one day in a different way from your other days? You can create and enjoy a beautiful, satisfying and wonderful day. You can do so, by making small changes in your daily life.

Your preparations have to start the night before.

Sit down on your bed before lying down to sleep, and tell yourself that tomorrow morning you are going to wake one hour earlier than usual. Repeat some autosuggestions or affirmations to make the mind accept this idea. Think for a while about the benefits you will gain by waking and getting up earlier, and about the things you can do in this extra hour.

It is not enough just to wake up early. Often, after waking up, we do not get out of bed, but stay for some more minutes, and then fall asleep again. You have to persuade and explain to your mind that you have to get out of bed immediately after awakening. It is pleasant to cuddle under the blankets, especially on a cold morning, but on this special day you need to get out of bed immediately.

Set your alarm clock to the appointed hour and enter your bed. While in bed, watch the thoughts that pop up into your mind, but try to do so detachedly and without any tension. Just watch them dispassionately, calmly, and in a relaxed manner, until you fall asleep.

When the alarm clock rings in the morning, get up immediately, with a smile on your face. Don't give in to the desire to stay some more minutes in bed. Don't listen to your mind, which will probably persuade you to stay in bed a little longer, because it is too early. The feeling of pleasure and power you gain by getting immediately is greater that the pleasure of staying in bed.

Get up, wash, change your clothes and sit for meditation for about twenty minutes, using any meditation technique that you know. If you do not know how to meditate, just sit down and visualize some pleasurable and happy events from the past.

I am not going to describe how to handle each and every action and situation during the day, as every individual has a different life and schedule. However, I am going to give some general examples and hints to help you design your own day.

# Waking up earlier gives you more time in the morning, so why not enjoy a nourishing and tasty breakfast? Prepare something you love, something that you usually do not have the time to prepare in the morning. You have got the time today.

# Endeavor to be aware of what you are doing throughout the day. When you eat for example, pay attention to your food, and don't read the newspaper or watch the television at the same time. If you do so, you will enjoy your food much more. In the same way try to focus your attention on your other activities. Concentrating on what you are doing helps you do it better and more efficiently.

# Remember to smile more often during the day. It is important that the smile is not a artificial, but that it comes from inside you. Smiling makes you and other people feel happier.

# Expect the best and do your best.

# Be patient and tolerant toward others.

# While driving your car, decide to be kind and tolerant toward the other drivers. Stop at street crossings to let the pedestrians cross the street. Be courteous and considerate on the road. This behavior will make you and the other drivers and pedestrians feel good. As a consequence, they too will be kind to other drivers and pedestrians, at least for a little while.

# A good morning with a smile has a great influence on everyone. Greet the people who work with you, even if you have never done so before.

# Coming to work with a strong intention to have a great day, and handling everything in a positive and decisive manner, will have its influence upon the people whom you come in contact with. This will help you to broadcast peace, good will and happiness.

# Do your best to be nice and polite today, to your family, colleagues, friends, the seller at the grocery or supermarket, to the bus or cab driver, to the delivery boy and to anyone else you meet today. It is all a matter of inner attitude and choice. Exercise your power to choose a polite and considerate attitude.

# Make a decision that during this special day you are going to handle everything in a cool and calm way. If you need to meet someone or do something that usually makes you feel nervous or irritated, have a talk with yourself beforehand. Tell yourself that you are going to stay calm and relaxed, and that you are going to handle everything in the best way. If you feel you need it, make several mental rehearsals. Visualize yourself going through the situation in a very efficient way, and achieving a positive outcome.

# In this special day act unhurriedly. Do your best to stay relaxed. Remind yourself often that it is your beautiful, wonderful day. Invite into your mind thoughts and feelings of happiness, satisfaction and competence. Imagine scenes and events from your past experiences, when you felt good and happy. By concentrating on these mental images you let the associated feelings and emotions well up again. Enjoy these good feelings, and try to go on enjoying them, even after you stop thinking about them.

# When back home from work, what about a flower, a book, or some other small gift to your spouse and children? Even a smile, a hug or a kiss will do. You have tried all day to be kind to other people and stay positive. Do this at home too. Devote some quality time to your family. You have been out the whole day; now enjoy being together with them. Earning money to suppurt your family is not enough. They need to feel your love and attention too.

# During this special day, make also some special effort to use your time more efficiently. Do not watch too much TV, and shorten the time that you read the newspaper. It is better to use this time to read something inspiring that will help you improve your life, or devote a few minutes to meditation in the afternoon or evening.

# Don't forget to devote some time for yourself. I have talked about meditation, but do also something that you love, such as reading a book, writing, devoting some time to your hobby, walking or any other physical exercises.

The above are suggestions to show you what you can do. You can adapt these hints to your specific situation.

Try to live one wonderful day. Then enjoy another day like it. If you continue, this will become a habit.

Remember that today is a special and wonderful day. It is different from the other days.

The Happiness Factor

The Happiness Factor

If you analyze people's actions, you will come to the conclusion that they all seek happiness. Every act is in fact a search for it, even if on the surface it doesn't look so. Happiness is always the main target.

Going to the movies, eating in a restaurant or going to a party, are motivated by the desire to be happy. Sometimes the movie is not interesting, the food is not good and the party is boring. Then the search goes on. Maybe the next time the search will be more successful.

If the activity is pleasing, there might be a feeling of happiness, and then this activity is sought again in order to repeat this pleasant feeling.

Who does not dream of a vacation in some fascinating location, a new car, a new house, or the ideal match? All people daydream, and some even try to make their dreams a reality. And why is that? In order to be happy.

What about people who endanger themselves by climbing steep mountains, entering unexplored caves, or diving into the deep of the ocean? They too are looking for the few moments of happiness and rapture.

A thief may steal because he loves the thrill of danger, or because he desires to have quick money to spend. He is actually looking for happiness, though in a criminal and perverted way.

The list can be endless. It is the happiness factor that is dictating the behavior of each and everyone. It is sought in many ways and forms. Sometimes though, it is sought in a selfish way, or by hurting other people through stealing or taking by force.

Of course not all actions end in happiness. The motive is happiness, but the results not always bring the coveted desire.

According to some spiritual traditions, we are spiritual beings in physical bodies. The spiritual part is always happy, or rather is happiness itself. The body covers this happiness essence, but it is there all the time. There is a constant desire to be aware of this happiness. This is the reason it is constantly sought.

No matter what activity is sought, at the moment that happiness is experienced, something happens. Whether it is the thrill of arriving to the summit of a high mountain, eating a delicious cake or winning the lottery, there is a common element that is always present.

At the peak of happiness there is a stoppage of the thinking process. There is inner silence. Worries are dropped away. There is peace. The competition or dangers are over. This may last for a brief moment or a little bit longer. In this vast peace we feel happy. It is not the object gained or the successful performance that brought this feeling. It is something internal and independent of the outside world.

Happiness is always here, but covered by thoughts, desires and fears. It is experienced when these covers disappear for a while. When fear or worry come to an end or a desire attained, there is a temporary disappearance of these covers. The ego and personality stop moving for a while, and a great satisfaction and inner happiness is experienced.

In order to experience it on a daily basis, one has to learn to quieten the restless mind. One has to dive inside, because happiness is an inner attribute and is not in the objects or circumstances. It is in this world, but out of this world.

There is no need to search for happiness or to create it. There is no need to have all kinds of outer experiences and actions in order to feel it. On the contrary, everything has to be dropped in order to experience it.

Every technique, which helps to relax the mind and quieten the rush of thoughts will lead to happiness. Developing concentration and engagement in meditation are the main ways towards this goal.

When the ability to have a quiet mind under all circumstances is gained, one enjoys constant happiness, no matter what he is doing and where he is. This is quite attainable, but to gain this peace and happiness you need to work towards it. By making the first step today, happiness will start to fill your life.

Happiness and Security Are the Primary Desires

Happiness and Security Are the Primary Desires

What do you really want to attain or achieve? Do you have some clear goals, or you don't know what you really want? Do you go through life, wherever it takes you, or you have definite plans, and work on accomplishing them?

Not everyone has goals. Many go through life wanting this and that, but never something definite. Some even feel bad for not really knowing what to do with their lives.

We read and hear so much about the importance of having goals, but the truth is that most people don't have definite goals. Actually, all people have two important goals, though they are not consciously aware of them.

What are these two goals? What is it that you really desire, money? A better job? Love? A house? A new car? To travel abroad? Do you wish to do something big, or maybe you are satisfied with your life as it is, and don't want to change it? If you analyze your goals, small or big, you will ultimately discover that what you really want are happiness and security. Everything you do is motivated by the desire to gain happiness and security, whether it is money, a TV set, a house, a car, a new job, love or losing weight.

You desire this and that because you believe their attainment will bring you happiness and security, and therefore freedom from stress, anxieties and fears.

Too often, people devote a lot of time and efforts for getting something that in the end does not bring them the happiness or security they have anticipated. Ask yourself, what would bring you a sense of happiness and security? Analyze each goal sincerely, and think whether it would bring the coveted happiness and security you desire. If it does not, why not find some better goal?

True happiness does not depend on possessions and circumstances, true happiness emerges from within. True security begins as a mental state, as inner strength, as faith in yourself, and in the power that has created the Universe. If you feel happy and secure it will be easier to attain happiness and security in the material world.

You can awaken inside you feelings of happiness and security, even if now they are absent in your life. Awaken these feelings several times a day, by visualizing and feeling that you are happy and secure on the mental and material levels. Feel and imagine how fulfilling it is to experience and enjoy these feelings.

It is a sensation of inner harmony, peace, and the conviction that you can attain whatever you want.

If you persist with this action, and do not destroy this feeling by negative thinking, doubts, worries or disbelief, it will start to affect the way you think, act and react. You will become optimistic, energetic and motivated. You will see new opportunities and have the motivation to follow them. There is no magic here, just simple natural laws at work.

Everything starts in the mind. Start the sense of happiness and security within you, and it will manifestin in the material world.

All actions are motivated by a subconscious desire for happiness and security and their derivatives, which are inner peace, harmony, love, good relationships, success, money, possessions, etc.

It is good to have at least some definite goals. They give you direction, something to aspire for, motivation and something to live for. However, even if you don't have anything definite, just focus your mind and feelings on the sense of happiness and security, feel that they are real in your life, pretend they are real, and have no doubts about it.

If you continue doing so, you will soon see how your life changes and improves, as you truly desire.

Happiness Is Within Us

Happiness Is Within Us

What is happiness, and why is this incessant running after it? What does it mean to be happy? What is the difference between happiness and pleasure?

It is a hot summer day, and you feel thirsty. A friend offers you a refreshing cold glass of lemonade. How do you feel when you see the glass? How do you feel when to drink it?

Will you describe your feeling as happiness or as pleasure? I believe you will say it is a feeling of pleasure. There is a connection between these two kinds of feelings, and sometime one evokes the other, but they are not the same thing. Pleasure is more dependent on the five senses while happiness is independent of them.

Pleasure is a good feeling that comes from eating good food, watching a good movie, feeling the warm caressing rays of the sun on a winter day, enjoying a party, etc. Pleasure has to do with enjoyment through the five senses and is dependent on circumstances, objects and people.

When you are happy, minor unpleasnt events usually do not disturb you. When you are unhappy, you feel as if everything is against you. You may compensate for it by eating chocolate and sweets because this gives you pleasure; yet you stay unhappy.

A person may smoke cigarettes because it gives him pleasure, yet, this does not make him happier, especially if he acknowledges the fact that it is not be good for his health.

There are people who fear that if they experience happiness, it is soon going to be taken away from them. They regard it as a temporary state and are afraid to experience it. In this way they avoid the pain that may follow when it goes away. They believe that happiness is always followed by unhappiness.

Others may go to the extreme of not seeking it at all, because they feel unworthy of it, and prefer to avoid it. There are also people who upon experiencing it, always look around, wondering wherefrom will come the blow.

The physical world is always in a state of flux. At each moment a new thing is being created, sustained, changed, transformed and then destroyed. This is the normal state of affairs and no one can change it. If we attach ourselves to a certain state, we are bound to experience unhappiness sooner or later. No state remains as it is. These are the laws of nature. When circumstances change, and the changes are not to our liking, we experience unhappiness. On the other hand, if we exercise detachment, nothing can influence our moods. Then outer events have nothing to do with our inner joy and peace of mind.

From the moment of birth there is yearning for happiness and endless race towards it. It is considered as one of the greatest positive attributes. If we analyze our actions we see that all of them are in some way or another, happiness oriented. Everyone wants to feel good and happy. When circumstances and events are to our liking we are happy, and when they are not, we feel miserable.

When do we experience this coveted state? This feeling emerges when some problem has been solved, a burden has been lifted, a fear has disappeared or a desire or ambition has been fulfilled. We also experience it at a time we acquire or receive something we wanted very much. It comes when we are assured of the love of someone dear to us, when we win a sum of money in the lottery or when we get good grades at school.

What happens at these times? The tension that has been accumulating while we were pursuing, waiting, expecting or desiring is released. There is no more any need to run after the coveted object or evade a fear. Some tension, worry or burden has been lifted. At this moment happiness appears. It is a kind of feeling that erupts from the inside.

When something happens that puts to an end or brings to a happy conclusion, a search, a worry, a fear or anything else, our minds become calm. We then have no need to think, worry or desire the object, event or circumstances. There is a kind of a mental relaxation, which makes happiness manifest.

The room of the mind was filled with desire, worry or fear. Now the room has been emptied, and the mind freed of the compulsion of thinking about them. There is freedom, a feeling of ease, inner peace and joy.

Watch your mind next time you experience happiness and see what is happening. You will find out that the mind becomes quiet, and its constant chatter stops for a while. You will see that happiness comes from the inside.

Happiness Is Inside Us And Is Attainable

On a cloudy day the clouds hide the sun, but the sun is always there. The clouds of thoughts, worries and desires cover and hide our happiness. We have to disperse them in order to experience it. Then the happiness that is inherent in the soul and is always there shines forth.

Happiness is not something far away and unattainable, and it does not depend on circumstances. Objects and events are not its causes. It is an inseparable part of our consciousness, only that as mentioned previously, it is hidden and covered from sight by our endless thoughts, desires and worries.

The experience of mystics down the ages has been that happiness is inherent in our souls; it is not something to be gained anew. All that is necessary to do is to uncover it.

If we can silence the chatter of the mind we will experience this inherent happiness. It is dependent only on one thing, the silencing of thoughts. This means that in order to experience happiness intentionally we have to make our mind silent, calm and relaxed.

What have all the mystics, yogis and saints pursued down the ages? They have not been looking for pleasure, but have been searching for inner happiness that no one could take from them no matter where they were. It is independent of outer events.

This happiness I am talking about is constant and eternal. It is our nature; only our thoughts stand in our way of experiencing it. Dispel the thoughts and you are happy.

You cannot see a treasure at the bottom of a stormy and muddy lake though it is there. Make the water still, and let the mud sink, and you see the treasure. The treasure is there whether you see it or not. So is happiness. It is always here, only covered and hidden.

Now you may ask, what one has to do in order to gain happiness? One of the key factors is detachment. Endeavor to be detached, and do not let your feelings be influenced by each little blow of the wind. If you can convince yourself to stay relaxed and calm in every situation, this will be the first step.

Activities such as learning to concentrate and control the mind, developing will power and self-discipline, practicing meditation and reading spiritual literature bring happiness, because they calm the mind.

In the East they say that if you are in the presence of a realized teacher, your thoughts slow down and you experience elation and bliss. The mind of such a teacher is completely calm and undisturbed by thoughts. It is also very powerful and causes the minds of people in his vicinity to behave similarly, as if influencing them by telepathy. The mind being calm, it stops being an obstacle to the welling of happiness.

Happiness is here, within you. Just calm your mind and stay relaxed, and you will experience it. You do not need to wait for it to come. You do not need outer circumstances and events to bring it. A calm and detached mind is the gate to true happiness. It is your decision to choose happiness.

Tips for Happiness in Daily Life

Tips for Happiness in Daily Life

Daily life can be made happier. It is a matter of choice. It is our attitude that makes us feel happy or unhappy. It is true, we meet all kinds of situations during the day, and some of them may not be conductive to happiness. We can choose to keep thinking about the unhappy events, and we can choose to refuse to think about them, and instead, relish the happy moments. All of us constantly go through various situations and circumstances, but we do not have to let them influence our reactions and feelings.

If we let outer events influence our moods, we become their slaves. We lose our freedom. We let our happiness be determined by outer forces. On the other hand, we can free ourselves from outer influences. We can choose to be happy, and we can do a lot to add happiness to our lives.

What is happiness? It is a feeling of inner peace and satisfaction. It is usually experienced when there are no worries, fears or obsessing thoughts, and this usually happens, when we do something we love to do or when we get, win, gain or achieve something that we value. It seems to be the outcome of positive events, but it actually comes from the inside, triggered by outer events.

For most people happiness seems fleeting, because they let changing outer circumstances affect it. One of the best ways to keep it, is by gaining inner peace through daily meditation. As the mind becomes more peaceful, it becomes easier to choose the happiness habit.

Here are a few tips for increasing happiness in daily life:

1) Endeavor to change the way you look at things. Always look at the bright side. The mind may drag you to think about negativity and difficulties. Don't let it. Look at the good and positive side of every situation.

2) Think of solutions, not problems.

3) Listen to relaxing, uplifting music.

4) Watch funny comedies that make you laugh.

5) Each day, devote some time to reading a few pages of an inspiring book or article.

6) Watch your thoughts. Whenever you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts, start thinking of pleasant things.

7) Always look at what you have done and not at what you haven't.

Sometimes you may begin the day with the desire to accomplish several objectives. At the end of the day you might feel frustrated and unhappy, because you haven't been able to do all of those things.

Look at what you have done, not at what you have not been able to do. You may have accomplished a lot during the day, and yet you let yourself become frustrated, because of some small things that you did not accomplish. You have spent all day successfully carrying out many plans, and instead of feeling happy and satisfied, you look at what was not accomplished and feel unhappy. It is unfair toward yourself.

8) Each day do something good for yourself. It can be something small, such buying a book, eating something you love, watching you favorite program on TV, going to a movie, or just having a stroll on the beach.

9) Each day do at least one act to make others happy. This can be a kind word, helping your colleagues, stopping your car at the crossroad to let people cross, giving your seat in a bus to someone else, or giving a small present to someone you love. The possibilities are infinite. When you make someone happy, you become happy, and then people try to make you happy.

10) Always expect happiness.

11) Do not envy people who are happy. On the contrary, be happy for their happiness.

12) Associate with happy people, and try to learn from them to be happy. Remember, happiness is contagious.

13) Do your best to stay detached, when things do not proceed as intended and desired. Detachment will help you stay calm and control your moods and reactions. Detachment is not indifference. It is the acceptance of the good and the bad and staying balanced. Detachment has much to do with inner peace, and inner peace is conductive to happiness.

14) Smile more often.

Bruce Lee

Inspirational and Motivational Quotes by Bruce Lee

• I'm not in this world to live up to your expectations and you're not in this world to live up to mine
  
  
• If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of
  
  
• A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at
  
  
• Take things as they are. Punch when you have to punch. Kick when you have to kick
  
  
• If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them
  
  
• To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities

Bruce Lee
1940 - 1973
Chinese Kungfu Movie Star/Instructor, founder of Jeet Kune Do

Walt Disney

Inspirational and Motivational Quotes by Walt Disney

• When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do
  
  
• We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths
  
  
• All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them
  
  
• You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality
  
  
• I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter
  
  
• The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing

Walt Disney
1901 - 1966
American Cartoonist, Film Producer

Albert Einstein

Inspirational and Motivational Quotes by Albert Einstein

• Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind
  
  
• The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed
  
  
• The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing
  
  
• Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere
  
  
• Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions
  
  
• There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle

Albert Einstein
1879 - 1955
American Physicist

Thomas Edison

Inspirational and Motivational Quotes by Thomas Edison

• We shall have no better conditions in the future if we are satisfied with all those which we have at present
  
  
• Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up
  
  
• Nearly every man who develops an idea works at it up to the point where it looks impossible, and then gets discouraged. That's not the place to become discouraged
  
  
• Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time
  
  
• Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless
  
  
• The only time I really become discouraged is when I think of all the things I would like to do and the little time I have in which to do them

Thomas Edison
1847 - 1931
American Scientist

Miyamoto Musashi

Inspirational and Motivational Quotes by Miyamoto Musashi

• Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eye
  
  
• People in this world look at things mistakenly, and think that what they do not understand must be the void. This is not the true void. It is bewilderment...
  
  
• You should not have any special fondness for a particular weapon, or anything else, for that matter. Too much is the same as not enough. Without imitating anyone else, you should have as much weaponry as suits you
  
  
• Aspire to be like Mt. Fuji, with such a broad and solid foundation that the strongest earthquake cannot move you, and so tall that the greatest enterprises of common men seem insignificant from your lofty perspective. With your mind as high as Mt Fuji you can see all things clearly. And you can see all the forces that shape events; not just the things happening near to you
  
  
• Study strategy over the years and achieve the spirit of the warrior. Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men

Miyamoto Musashi
1584 - 1645
Legendary Japanese Swordsman

Buddha

Inspirational and Motivational Quotes by Buddha

• All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else
  
  
• Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed
  
  
• Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it
  
  
• Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense
  
  
• You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself
  
  
• Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes

Buddha
563 - 483 B.C.
Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, founder of Buddhism

Lao Tzu

Inspirational and Motivational Quotes by Lao Tzu

• Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step
  
  
• If I have even just a little sense, I will walk on the main road and my only fear will be of straying from it. Keeping to the main road is easy, but people love to be sidetracked
  
  
• Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment
  
  
• At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want
  
  
• If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading
  
  
• If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve

Lao Tzu
570 - 490BC
Chinese Philosopher, founder of Taoism

Confucius

Inspirational and Motivational Quotes by Confucius

• The wheel of fortune turns round incessantly, and who can say to himself, "I shall today be uppermost"
  
  
• When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps
  
  
• Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous
  
  
• Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall
  
  
• Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change
  
  
• Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart

Confucius
551 BC - 479 BC
Chinese Philosopher

Aristotle

Inspirational and Motivational Quotes by Aristotle

• Hope is the dream of a waking man
  
  
• No great genius has ever existed without some touch of madness
  
  
• Even when laws have been written down, they ought not always to remain unaltered
  
  
• Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all
  
  
• Learning is not child's play; we cannot learn without pain
  
  
• First, have a definite, clear practical ideal; a goal, an objective. Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends; wisdom, money, materials, and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end

Aristotle
384 BC - 322 BC
Greek Philosopher

How To Overcome Fear

How To Overcome Fear
Secret of Life and Answer to your Future

How To Overcome Fear?

How can you overcome fear, to overcoming fear and become fearless?

Well, let us begin by going through this simple exercise. Now, name me the most scariest ghost movie you have watched; the one that has greatly frightened you, haunting you with scary images and imagination after watching it. Good! Now go get hold of the disk of that movie. And what are we going to do with it? We are going to watch it of course and I want you to keep watching it everyday for a week or so.

And now, after watching it so many times, what is your comment on the show again? I bet you be so bored of the show after repeatedly watching it. And now, is it still as scary as it was the first time you watched it? Definitely not I am sure. Perhaps, you are even laughing at the stupidity of how the ghost looks and the way it walks, a scary movie turn comedy for you?

And well, that is exact idea! The best way to overcome fear is to jump into it and face it, feel the fear, be in touch with fear, live it and let fear be part of you. And just like repeatedly watching the scary movie, to get so used to fear that you will conquer your fear without you even knowing it. The more you confront your fear, the more comfortable with fear you will get each time and when you get more and more comfortable, that fear of yours will just naturally disappear. To name an example, for those of you who have been on stage before, you would have understood that the more you go onto stage, the lesser the fear will be each time. No doubt that you may be nervous but once you are up there on the stage, the rhythm will just slowly kick in. In fact, they are many who at the end of the day, actually look forward to their next stage performance or presentation and that is because they know they can perform and do better the next time.

Now, what exactly is fear? To understand, fear is afterall just an emotional feel of uneasiness of ours. In short, we self created fear. To begin with, fear wasn't even there till we actually created it! And what is the reason behind? One of the key causes of fear is uncertainty, we fear the undesirable outcome of things; we fear that things will not go in the way we want them to be and we begin to anticipate and imagine the scary and ugly side of things. But to just ask back yourself, has things really happened?

That is just the problem with many of us; the bad habits of ours as human, to have the tendency to think negatively. Before things could really fail, many of us have already in our mind sentenced ourselves failure. And to be actually having such negative thoughts of failure, it is just very natural that fear would arise within us. But again, may I just ask, is this fear really necessary? It is really necessary to fear for what that has yet to happened? No! This is definitely not the way life should be, this is just too tiring a way to be living your life. An enjoyable one is how your life should instead be, isn't it? Think about it. Have you been unknowingly giving yourself too much stress, unnecessarily fearing too much for what you shouldn't fear?

Understand this. In life, there is never a thing known as the perfect; there can never be a perfect outcome. No matter how good the result is, there is just bound to be still flaw to it. Even the wisest ruler can err in his judgment; even the strongest army can be defeated. So to be saying, there is absolutely nothing wrong with failure. Instead, you should be ready to face and accept failure, to learn from your mistake and correct them. And the very first mistake to correct now is to stop fearing for the unnecessary, to stop fearing for what that has yet to even happen.

You see, every event that happened in life is interrelated in one-way or another. Just like the sun that affects the healthy growth of the plants, your thought is going to very much affect your action and your action will ultimately affect next the final outcome of things. Think positive and you shall react positively, think negative and you shall react negatively; this is natural human reaction.

And to be talking about fear, what would fear be associated with? Fear would bring about the growth of courage. It is actually with fear that brought about courage and wisdom; it is with the experience of fear that we been through that we grow to be wiser. Well, I don't suppose you would stupidly jump into a pool of fire? And that is because you understand from your experience of fear that fire will hurt you. But then again, if we have allowed ourselves to be frightened off just because we were burned once, we would not have gone on to understand and enjoy the many other benefits of the use of fire which has significantly helped improve the quality of our living.

So similarly, if you allowed fear to stop you from exploring life, there is no way you could ever learn; there is no way you can ever progress in life. And I am sure that this is not the way you want your life to be? Now, understand this. Fear is there not as your enemy; fear existed only because you created them. The greatest enemy is ultimately still you yourself. Nobody but you can stop you from achieving what you want in life. Well, to be thinking and planning ahead is good but to be fearing ahead and bring yourself down is not. To work to the best of our capabilities, that is what we should be doing. But if you were to self create that obstacle of fear, do you think you can achieve that? Have you actually allow yourself the chance to work to your fullest capabilities? Now, if you can create fear, you have the power to similarly destroy fear.

And let me just ask you this last question. Now, why is it that you think you are actually walking and running on your twos now? Well, that is because you, as a baby back then, were able to overcome and conquer your fear. Despite facing uncertainty and repeatedly falling and hurting yourself, you courageously picked yourself up each time never giving up learning to walk till you triumphantly succeed. And if you can do it back then, why is it you can't do it now?

Well, to befriend fear and let fear be a pushing force to push you on in life or to give in to fear and let fear overrun your life with failures, it is your call. Think about it. Fear and courage lies just between a line, which side of the line are you going to be in?

Forget The Past and Move On?

Forget The Past and Move On?
Secret of Life and Answer to your Future

Forget The Past and Move On?

Everyone is bound to experience unhappiness in his or her life. I am sure you have had some unpleasant memories too, perhaps some which are of real painful ones? Well, forget the past and move on and let time heal your pain, a lot would advise you. But if I were to just ask, I am sure you can still name me a pretty lot of those unpleasant memories of yours? And to be mentioning them again, some would still hurt a lot isn't it?

So here, what does it suggests? Very simple, it just goes to say that you have not forgotten them! But does this then mean you are not ready to move on?

Well, we humans are by nature affectionate with feelings and emotions and to be feeling down and unhappy at times is inevitable. But then, this is nevertheless the gift of ours. Now, I am sure you wouldn't want to be one who is cold blooded and without any feeling of love and affection? Then, the presence of unpleasant memories has got to just be part and parcel of your life. You see, it is only when you actually went through unhappiness, will you be able to then understand and truly appreciate the gift of happiness. And just as you are not able to forget all those sweet and wonderful memories of yours, there is no way you can simply forget the unpleasant past. To forget the past, that is only running away from reality. Rather, you should instead of forgetting them, remember and accept them.

Now follow this scenario. Imagine you enjoying your vacation and suddenly you receive an overseas phone call from back home with the news that your mum met with a car accident and is in hospital. Receiving such news, no matter how fun and exciting your holiday is, you definitely won't be able to enjoy yourself anymore isn't it? But what if we say that at the next instant, you receive a follow-up call informing you that it was only a very minor accident and your mum has been discharged?

You see, what that happened is you actually went through a state of drastic change in emotion. On hearing about the accident, you got scared and worried, overwhelmed by fear and anxiety; the more you think about it the more fear and anxiety grew within you, weighing you down each and every second. But on receiving next the good news, you let go of them all. And yes, the very key here is you Let Go! Once again, you return back to your normal self and were back smiling again. And why is this so? That is because you have let go of all those fear and were no longer burdened by them anymore. You understood clearly the situation, knowing very clearly that the problem has been resolved and there is no need for you to worry further. Well, when there is nothing for you to worry, why would there still be unpleasantness of fear and anxiety?

And well, the same principle applies here. To move on, you have to learn to let go of the unpleasant past. But to get it clear, by asking you to let go is not asking you to try and forget the past. As mentioned, it is not going to be easy for you to just forget all those past unpleasantness. Yes, you may claim that you are able to forget some though. But here, you have to understand that those are just the insignificant events that have got not at all any harsh impact on you and which is why you are able to forget them very easily. In short, you have understood their insignificance and let go of them. And hence to be saying, for those that that still haunt you, you have yet to understand them enough; you are still unwilling to accept the fact that they actually happened.

Now, everything in life happen for a reason and the reason for going through these unhappiness is actually to help you to better understand yourself, to allow you to grow wiser and to move on and progress in life.

Ok, just picture your life to be a test. Now, in that many tests which you have taken, I am sure you didn't score a perfect full mark for all of them? And why is it so? That is because you didn't fully understand every of what was tested? And should you be to retake the tests, why would you do to ensure that you score a full mark? Well, to be able to achieve full mark this time, you have to study and understand the mistakes that you have earlier made. And here, to be able to truly move on in life, you have to study and understand your unhappiness just like how you would for your mistakes in your tests. Instead of clinging on so tightly, you should examine where things actually went wrong and correct on them. Take for instance a break up in relationship, you should instead of refusal, graciously accept it as a learning experience for you to improve on yourself, to understand your mistakes and to hence be able to do better in your next relationship. Well, think about it. If you are not going to open up yourself, do you think you can fare better in your next relationship? Even if you were to be given another chance to patch up with him or her, of what difference would it make if you are going to remain immature still and not willing to adopt changes?

Now, I would choose to believe that you are mature enough to think for yourself. To cling on to your unhappiness or to stand up and courageously face them, it is all up to you. But I am sure you will make a wise choice, yeah? Afterall, if you have had that courage to stand up again and again despite all those hurtful falls when you were a baby, I am sure you can once again stand up on your feet to walk on and move on? Don't let your unpleasant past be an obstacle to you, let it be instead a driving force for you to move on and progress in life. Let go of the unpleasant past now, happiness is what you should deserve.

Are You Knowledgeable Or Are You Wise?

Are You Knowledgeable Or Are You Wise?
Secret of Life and Answer to your Future

Are You Knowledgeable Or Are You Wise?

A knowledgeable man and a Wise man, what is the difference between the both? This is a very simple question to be answering, isn't it? But still, there is many variations to how it could be answered; some can answer it with just one simple sentence while some could actually go on with paragraphs and paragraphs for it.

What would be the correct answer to this question then? Again, that depends on what kind of a person you are, whether you are the knowledgeable or the wise type.

What am I trying to get at here? Well, am definitely not here to argue about the meaning of the two words. Rather, the purpose is to allow you a moment to ponder and think, to bring to your senses the mistakes that you might have unknowingly made and for you to next correct them.

Ok, let me give you an example. Since young, we have been repeatedly taught to be honest and that it is wrong of us to lie. But now, if you were given a choice between telling a white lie to save someone's life and telling the truth to end his life, which will you choose? And let just take it that he made a mistake but then he has done no harm to in anyway hurt anyone physically. Given such a scenario, I am sure you wouldn't be so cruel to actually indirect murder him? We were taught to be also kind and forgiving, aren't we?

So here, what would be the rationale behind this decision of yours? Why would you actually want to give him this chance? The reason? Well, that is because there is kindness in you; you understand the essence of what true kindness is. You see, what that was taught to you is what we would call knowledge, theories that made beautiful sense; theories that should work in the ideal case. But in actual life, are things going to be that ideal all the times? Definitely not always possible! And here is where you need to be wise, to have the wisdom to be able to judge properly what is true or right. And yes! You did very well. In the given example, you are able to judge wisely for yourself between honesty and kindness.

Give you another example, let us take for instance medication and herbalism. Now, if we were to simply base our approach on pure knowledge, there are several long past records from the ancient times that document the use of healing agents for the recovery of various illnesses. Yes, these records would provide us with good references but then, are we going to just simply base on them and apply the immediate and complete use of them? No! Rather, we have to still study them carefully and understand their true effect and influence before actually applying them. And even when using them, we have to keep monitoring their progressive effect and influence on the individuals; the effect may not be the same for every one and sometimes instead of curing, an over dosage can inversely cause harm. So here, we have to be wise to remain rational in our actions. Yes, it may hurt us a lot to see our loved ones in pain but still, we can't get emotional and react impulsively and feed them with extra dosage or worse, unclear medicine that might threaten their life.

Get the picture now? In short, we can put it this way, knowledge is knowing the steps and processes but wisdom is understanding them to correctly apply them in accordance to the situations that arise. But to be saying, many have been too blinded by knowledge to respond wisely especially with the younger generations of Today where most are of at least a university graduate. You see, knowledge can give you a very misleading idea that you are the expert who knows everything but in reality, do you really understand? Just picture a psychologist who has never been in love advising you on how to handle your marriage, do you think he could totally understand the very problem? Your mum though not as highly educated but who has the experience may provide you with just better advice.

So back to our life, don't look down on yourself just because you possess poor paper qualification. Real wisdom is what that cannot be taught to you from school. Rather, it can only be manifested through your own understanding and realization of life. So similarly, don't be too prideful of yourself if you were to possess excellent paper qualification. You have to understand that what you have is only the knowledge; beautiful theories of others pass on to you. But how to be applying them into your own life, that is for you to comprehend and figure out still. At the end of the day, it is whether are you willing to explore and seek the further understanding of life.

Now, you don't need others to plan for you what you want in life. What is it that you want for yourself, that is for you to decide yourself. Well, if you can't even decide this for yourself, what is the point even if you were to be the most knowledgeable man on earth? Let knowledge be a tool to help you but not an obstacle to bring you down.

Learn By The Way Of Life

Learn By The Way Of Life
The correct way of learning - To let go to learn or to learn to let go?

Learn By The Way Of Life

The correct way of learning - To let go to learn or to learn to let go?

Well, you see. To be able to efficiently learn and master a new knowledge or skill, you have to first be willing to let go and abandon any hindering thoughts or ideas, which you might have. You should not allow any past knowledge and experiences to reject the intake of new information and ideas. Instead, you should graciously welcome them and embrace the learning of every new skill. As to whether you are going to apply them, that would come later. The key is, once you mastered the skill it will follow you forever; at the very least when you need it, you know you have the ability.

To start off, if you are not hunger for new knowledge, how can you possibly learn? If you are not hunger for food, you are just not going to enjoy your food not matter how tasty they are. The principle is the same.

Once you have decided to pursue a new skill, you go all out for it. You make the best out of the learning process. You make sure you take in to the best of your capability, the acquiring of the new knowledge and skill. It is never a disadvantage to know more. Don't unknowingly let your pride and ego hinder your achievement.

So to be asking, which comes first for you? To let go to achieve the best learning or to learn how to be able to let go first?

It can be quite a conflicting argument here, isn't it? But that is the way of life! In life, there could never be a thing known as the Perfect Balance. How to balance out your life; your learning process in life, that is for you to handle.

Similarly, what is the best tactic to winning? Again, there could never one perfect winning tactic. In fact, having of no tactics can be the just the best tactic sometimes. Haven't you hear before the joke, no choice is a good choice?

And well, for those of you who are the Chinese Kung Fu novel or movie fans, you should have come across plots where the key to learning the superb kung fu skill in the story is to first destroy one's very own skill; to start from scratch. Or perhaps other similar plot where the highest-level of the art of kung fu is one that is without actually any fixed move and pattern. The invincible kung fu master is able to defeat his opponents without the use of any special move or stroke; taking his opponents down just as they come along.

So the point here is, you have to be open and keep a clear mind to achieve the best learning result. Sometimes less is actually equal to more.

When there come the chance to learn more, you welcome them. Don't let any past hurting experience stop you. Similarly, don't be too prideful of yourself. You have to understand that you can't win all the times. You may be winning now but still it doesn't mean you won't lose. Be open, learn to accept new ideas and opinions from others. It is not going to do you any harm to be learning more and likewise, to listen and to learn from others. You never know when that new knowledge would come in useful; to help you through suicidal problems that may arise. Well, life is always full of surprises, isn't it?

Work smart but don't outsmart yourself. Learn by the way of life and you shall be able to flexibly handle any problems like the invincible kung fu master, defeating his opponents just as they come.