Thursday Thoughts - Some Moments Repeat Themselves

A Warrior of the Light knows that certain moments repeat themselves. 

I've been through this before, he says to his heart.

But you have never been beyond it, replies his heart.

Then the Warrior realizes that these repeated experiences have but one aim: to teach him what he does not want to learn.

I truly believe that life provides you with the same experiences until the lesson is learned or until you have been beyond it (as per the quote above).

I have battled with my weight ever since I can remember. I am not overly overweight, and I am actually healthy and fit, but I always felt that if I lost some weight, I would look and feel better

Unfortunately that path of thinking leads to disappointment, frustration, guilt and it robs me of the enjoyment of things.

Looking back over the years and my journey with the weight thing, I find that as soon as I get to a point where I really start to feel like I'm winning this battle, something comes along to sabotage my efforts and send me back a few steps.

So perhaps I am meant to remain the size I am and perhaps because I remain that size I am motivated to continue with my exercise routine, which allows me to remain fit and in good health.

So now I walk, go to the gym, zumba and karate, no longer with the motive of losing weight and looking fabulous but with the sheer enjoyment of doing what I find exhilarating and to keep myself healthy and fit. The weight loss is a bonus. If it happens great, if it doesn't, I still feel good.

I am now beyond it.


Check out my other post on the same topic:  The Lesson Must Be Learned

Haiku Wednesday

Today's Haiku came to me as I was waiting for the bus this morning.

It was cold, wet and windy and the beautiful Pohutukawa sheltered me.

  

Tuesday Tweets

  Tweets that caught my eye in the last week

@suzyq1810

Dreams feel real while we're in them. It's only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange. ~Inception

@ShareAwakening

What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Most people see what is and never see what can be ~Albert Einstein

Faith is the daring of the soul to go further than it can see ~William Newton Clark

@Debbie_Ford

Nothing occurs by accident and there are no coincidences

@_NealeDWalsch

A smile actually changes the vibe of your body. It alters, physiologically, the chemistry of your being

@TheDailyLove

Timing is everything. Let go a little and trust

@GreatestQuotes

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it ~Johann von Goethe

@DoreenVirtue444
Be open to the Universe answering your prayers in unexpected ways

I Love Quotes

   Respond intelligently to unintelligent treatment
                                                                 ~Lau Tzu





I came across this quote about nine months ago and it has been a saviour in so many circumstances. It allows me to keep my dignity when "unintelligent treatment" is being dished out to me. I love this quote.

Question of the day - How do you get from Chaos to being Zen?

I am going to answer this question based on my definition of Zen.

For me Zen means - to be balanced and in a peaceful and calm state

So what do I do to get back to my Zen state when chaos reigns?

C  =  change the scenery 

              If I'm in a position to change the scenery, I will remove myself from the situation.

              The best way for me to change the scenery is to take a walk. 

              Gabby Bernstein sums it up nicely as "take a fiver"

H  =  humour

              One of the most effective techniques for me is to find the humour in the situation. It changes 

              the dynamics for me completely.

              If I can't find the humour myself, I will find someone who will find it for me. I have a few friends

              and workmates who have the most amazing sense of humour. I call on them to keep me sane. 

A  =  accept the situation 

             There are times when I simply can't change the scenery. Then I accept the situation as it is.

             Someone taught me a technique many years ago to "Accept and Detach".

             Having accepted the situation I place it in front of me like an object so I can detach from it.

             Then I deal with it in the most appropriate way.

     

O  =  organise

              If the chaos is my own creation, then the best way for me to move out of it is to organise.

S  =  spiritual practice

              My spiritual practice consists of many different things.  Anything that helps me connect with
              my inner being, is a spiritual practice for me.

              Ho'oponopono is a technique that is so effective for me because it is simple, I can practice it

              anywhere and it works. I love it.

              I love listening to music and I have my special playlist that I listen to when I need to get in touch

              with myself.

              I also practice my karate. For me karate is not just a martial art and a form of exercise,
              it is a spiritual practice that brings focus, sharpens my mind, and brings me back to a state
              of balance.

to

Z  =  zzz,  sleep on it

             If it's a solution that I am seeking that is creating chaos in my mind, I will usually sleep on it.

             Doesn't work all the time but more often than not the answer will be in my head the next

             morning. It may not be a complete answer, but it provides the way to the solution.

E  =  exhale and inhale, breathe

              If chaos is starting to stress me out, then the best thing for me is to undertake Dr Hew Len's

              breathing technique. It's short and simple and it helps me to calm down.

              

N  =  new way of doing 

              Sometimes a new way of doing something helps to remove the jumble. I find this most at work

              particularly when I'm planning my projects. Rather than stressing over a plan that does not 

              work or doesn't feel right, I will look at several alternatives. Then suddenly one will stand out 

              and I can feel my heart and mind nod in synch - yes! Then chaos starts to fade.

My post on Meditation  has links to ho'oponopono and Dr Hew Len's breathing technique.

Check out Gabby Bernstein's  Take a Fiver 

List It - What I would tell my teenage self

        A list of answers to a topic





     So  ... What would I tell my teenage self?


      o   Take a stand if you are right.

      o   Life will bring to you the circumstances and people you most need and will remove those you
           don't.

      o   Life will never provide you with challenges you cannot overcome.

      o   Choose your friends wisely.

      o   When friends walk away, don't be sad, know that You don't need them anymore.

      o   Friendships that are meant to endure, will endure.

      o   Don't worry about what you look like, beauty lies within.
           And opinions of those that haven't figured that out are not worth stressing over.

      o   Don't think you are useless or failed at something just because you can't do it.
           You are not meant to do it.

      o   Leadership is not being the best at something.
           Leadership is inspiring others to achieve beyond what they believe they can.

      o   Those who like and love you, just do. Those who don't, don't. It's their loss not yours. 

      o   When striving for success, strive for this:

                To laugh often and much
                To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children
                To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends
                To appreciate beauty
                To find the best in others
                To leave the world a little better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch
                 or a redeemed social condition
                To know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived
                This is the meaning of success.
                                                                                                            ~Ralph Waldo Emerson


     o   Last but not least and on a lighter note - don't walk off the dance floor because you're shy.
          He's shy too and it took great courage on his part to ask you to dance.

Thursday Thoughts - The Warrior of the Light is Grateful

Paulo Coelho is one of my favourite authors and his "Warrior of the Light: A Manual" is one of my favourite books.

Whenever I am need of inspiration, motivation or comfort, I find a passage from this book that moves me along on my journey through life.

     In my Thursday Thoughts posts, I will quote some texts from the
     book and my thoughts on it.




Lately there have been many posts and tweets on gratitude so I think this one is perfect for this week's post.


A Warrior of the Light knows that he has much to be grateful for.  
Angels help him in his struggle, celestial forces place each thing in its place, 
thus allowing him to give it his best. 
His gratitude, however, is not limited to the spiritual world; he never forgets his friends.
A Warrior does not need to be reminded of the help given him by others. 
He is the first to remember.


I know that there have been so many events in my life that have been Divinely guided.  And I am most aware of that in my working life.

I describe my projects as a jigsaw puzzles and as I progress through them, the pieces start to fall into place. I have often stood at crossroads and wondered what step to take to lead my team forward. A solution will suddenly appear. I get handed the next piece in the jigsaw that I need. Sometimes, my team will provide the answer sometimes I find it myself with a sudden thought in my head.

In other aspects of my life too, I know that Divine forces help me along my path.

Some years ago I was returning home from work and came to a busy crossing.  I was deep in thought and blindly following the crowd. I was about to step onto the road when suddenly behind me I heard someone say "We should stop there are many cars coming". It jolted me out of my reverie and stopped me just in time. Had I not, I would have probably been hit by the car that came zooming down the road.

There are so many other incidents in my life where the Universe has quietly come to my rescue or nudged me on my path. Paulo Coelho's tweet "I may not recognize God's hand each day, but I know it's there " describes this best.

I am extremely grateful for the support and help of my Spiritual helpers, my co-workers, my wonderful family and friends.  My Paint Write and be Grateful series helps me feel the gratitude every day of my life. And so before I sleep each night I give thanks to all.


My gratitude posts

     
     May post
 
     June post





Links:  Paulo Coelho

Haiku Wednesday

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry consisting of 3 non-rhyming lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively.

I love poetry and Haiku is great fun.

I  first tried my hand at Haiku a few years ago at work when we took part in a team competition during the FIFA world cup. My team was Japan so two of us in the team took on the challenge of writing some Haiku poems.  We came up with some pretty good ones.

So here, once again,  is my attempt at Haiku

Tuesday Tweets

 Interesting tweets over the last few weeks






@TheSingleWoman
Pay attention when random coincidences occur. It is Life getting your attention to teach a valuable lesson.

@6_Minutes_a_Day
When the wind rises, some people build walls, others build windmills. Chinese proverb.

@TheDailyLove
Sometimes the greatest act of Grace is unanswered prayers.

@6_Minutes_a_Day
Without change there would be no butterflies

@TheSingleWoman
Whether or not it is clear to you, the Universe is unfolding as it should ~Max Ehrmann

@TheSingleWoman
Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly on wings ~Peter Pan

@paulocoelho
A very small dose of revenge is always good for our health

@paulocoelho
When you want something the Universe conspires to help you ~The Alchemist

@paulocoelho
Happiness is something that multiplies when it is divided

@TheDailyLove
Ask for what you want no matter how large, with passion, conviction and a solid plan. It will find you.

@O_Magazine
The moments of happiness that we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us. ~Ashley Montagu

@TheDailyLove
FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real

@6_Minutes_a_Day
Make it a rule of life never to regret and never to look back ~Katherine Mansfield

@TheSingleWoman
Laughter is Timeless. Imagination has no age.  And dreams are forever. ~Walt Disney

@FindHopeWithin
The only real valuable thing is intuition ~Albert Einstein

 Check out my other blog   Photos are Fun 

Paint Write and be Grateful - June

I believe that gratitude is one of the keys that unlocks your heart and keeps it open to receive the blessings of the Universe.

This month's post in my Paint Write and be Grateful series is based on the wonderful gift of Life and the simple things in it ...

Some days ago I watched an interesting Oprah show.

The invited guest was a lady who survived a plane crash but sustained 80% burns all over her body.

Her face is completely disfigured and she lives in constant pain. She needs to wear special gloves on her hands to keep her fingers in place and she can't hug or hold her kids.

Yet she was smiling and happy. She has so much courage to live such a difficult life. I really admire her.

But it got me thinking of how lucky I am to have such a wonderful life, to be whole and healthy.

Her story triggered this post ....

So Grateful

Question of the day - Is Desire the key to Destiny?

Desire is defined as "a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen".

I believe that true desire is more than just a want, it's something that comes from deep within your soul.

I have found that when I simply want something I will analyse whether I truly need it, examine the pros and cons, procrastinate. If the want does not materialise, I may feel it momentarily but then I can pretty much shrug my shoulders and move on with an "Oh it's not meant to be".

Desire on the other hand, seems to propel me forward, compels me to take some action, won't let go, is joyful and exciting, yet serene. When I try to move away from that desire, it just seems to come back, like a second chance, as if it is a destiny I am meant to fulfill.

I am convinced that true desire is the key to your destiny and so peace comes in knowing that what you truly desire is already yours because it is your destiny.

Question of the day - Mind over matter or Destiny?

Ever done something that you never thought you were capable of doing and then failed to do something relatively simple?

There are moments in my life where even when I felt some trepidation or where the task seemed impossible, my mind willed me forward to achieve. Mind over matter prevailed.

But if mind does prevail over matter, then how does one explain those events where seemingly simple things just don't seem to fly, plans fall apart, nothing fits together. The mind just cannot find a way to succeed.

Is destiny the quiet ally or saboteur?

I believe that when it is meant to be, destiny the ally drives the circumstances for mind to prevail over matter and when it's not meant to be, destiny the saboteur steers you away from success.

What do you believe? Please post via comments. Thanks.

Love and hugs
Suzy.

Question of the day - Who do you need to forgive?

So who do I need to forgive?

I thought about this a lot as there are so many instances where people have seemingly committed injustices (small or big) towards me (or so I think) or where an action towards someone else has affected me.

But reality is that what I deem to be an injustice, the other may deem to be a necessity.

So how then does forgiveness work?

I have to take a spiritual perspective on this.

Mother Teresa summed it up well; "In the end it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway".

If we take the wisdom from Mother Teresa then the only person I need to forgive is myself.

This however raises several questions ....

Does this mean that by default I also take responsibility for the actions of others? That seems completely unfair and illogical.

Or does this mean that I only forgive myself for my actions and take no responsibility for others? That unfortunately leaves me with the inability to move on as I am now stuck with an action I cannot forgive.

In the end, my only recourse to forgiving myself for my own misdeeds and for the misdeeds of others was to understand that forgiving does not mean that I overlook or dismiss the action (whether it be mine or someone else's).

To forgive myself for an act I have committed also means that I take responsibility to not repeat that act again.

To forgive myself for an act someone else has committed towards me or for one that was committed towards another but affected me in some way, does not mean I take responsibility for the act, only the responsibility that it affected me in some way. In other words, I forgive myself for being affected. And having forgiven myself, I now have the ability to detach from that incident.

In both instances (my acts and acts of others where I am affected directly or indirectly), I take responsibility to understand that there may be a lesson in it for me and learn the lesson when I identify it. I also take responsibility to understand the reason for the action. I may not agree with the reason, but having understood the reason, I can then let it go.

Have a peaceful day

Warm Regards
Suzy.

Question of the day - How do you overcome fear?

This is a difficult one to answer because I think the way I overcome it depends on the situation that created it.

There are times when I take calculated risks and times when you simply walk away.

So if I'm in a situation that could be life threatening and I have a choice (say bungee jumping) I think I might just walk away.

Or if my action would be harmful to someone or detrimental to myself, I know I would walk away.

"Feel the fear and do it anyway" applies to a lot of scenarios but I don't think it applies to all.

If however I choose not to walk away, then I think the only way I could overcome the fear is to not think too much of the consequences (as this could hold me back) and then