Your Need To Know

There once was a village that had among it’s people, a very wise old man.  The villagers trusted this wise man to provide them answers to their questions and concerns.

One day, a farmer in the village went to the wise man and said in a frantic tone, “Wise man, help me.  A horrible thing has happened.  My ox has died and I have no animal to help me plow my field!  Isn’t this the worst thing that could possibly have happened?”  The wise old man replied, “Maybe so, maybe not.”  the farmer hurried back to the village and reported that the wise man had gone mad.  Surely this was the worst thing that could have happened.  Why couldn’t the wise man see this?

The very next day however, a strong, young horse was seen near the man’s farm.  Because the man had no ox to rely on, he had the idea he would catch the horse to replace his ox - and he did!  How joyful the farmer was.  Plowing the field had never been easier.  He went back to the wise man to apologize.

“You were right wise man.  Losing my ox wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened.  It was a blessing in disguise.  I never would have captured my new horse had that not happened.  You must agree that this is the best thing that could have happened.”  The wise man replied once again, “Maybe so, maybe not.”  Not again, thought the farmer.  Surely the wise man had gone mad now.

But once again, the farmer did not know what was to happen.  A few days later, the farmer’s son was riding the horse and was thrown off.  He broke his leg and would not be able to help with the crop.  Oh no, thought the farmer.  Now we will starve to death.  Once again, the farmer went to see the wise man.   This time he said, “How did you know that capturing my horse was not a good thing?  You were right again.  My son is injured and won’t be able to help with the crop.  This time I am sure this is the worst thing that could have possibly happened.  You must agree this time.”   But just as he had done before, the wise man calmly looked at the farmer and in a compassionate tone replied once again, “Maybe so, maybe not.”   Enraged that the wise man could be so ignorant, the farmer stormed back to the village.

The next day, troops arrived to take every able-bodied man to the war that had just broken out.  the farmer’s son was the only young man in the village who didn’t have to go.  He would live while the others would surely die.  The moral of the story: We don’t know what’s going to happen - we just think we do.  Author Unknown

Things happen.  Life happens.  We, as humans are generally negative and most times look for or expect the worst of a situation.

Most of the time, the scenarios were create in our minds about the terrible things that are going to happen, do not happen.   Yes, life hands us difficulties and troubles, but many time these are blessings in disguise.

I am still determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions and not upon our circumstances. Martha Washington

Gina

Technorati Tags: Inspirational Stories, Quotes

A loyal reader and subscriber submitted the following list of 25 Tips for a Better Life.  She thought I should share it with all my readers.  I couldn’t agree more.  In fact, I think it is perfect for a series of articles expanding on each tip. 

25 TIPS FOR A BETTER LIFE - 2009 

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant. 

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.  Buy a lock if you have to. 
 
3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement,  ‘My purpose is to _______ today.’ 
 
4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants. 
 
5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli and almonds. 
 
6. Try to make at least three people smile each day. 
 
7. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment. 
 
8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.  
 
9. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.  
 
10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 
 
11. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 
 
12. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 
 
13. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present. 
 
14. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 
 
15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you. 
 
16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years will this matter?’ 
 
17. Forgive everyone for everything. 
 
18. What other people think of you is none of your business. 
 
19. GOD heals everything. 
 
20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 
 
21. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch. 
 
22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 
 
23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________. 
 
24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed. 
 
25. Remember: Thoughts become things…. choose the good ones! 
 
 
TIP #1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

Everyone is aware of the many benefits of a daily walk. There is something rejuvenating and peaceful about being alone and having some time to reflect, or simply enjoying the quiet. When you set aside a little quiet time for yourself, usually it makes all the difference in the rest of your day.  But what about the smiling part? 

There are many benefits to be received from a smile.  Yes, it certainly is an anti-depressant and smiling seems to automatically make you think pleasant thoughts.  As you walk around with a smile, enjoying life’s beauty,  you are reminded of all there is to be thankful for.  And when you pass a stranger, look them in the eyes, smile at them and say “Hello.”

Have you ever noticed how little eye contact most of us have with strangers?  What do you suppose keeps us from opening our hearts and smiles to people we don’t know?

Strangers are people just like you and me.  They have families and friends, troubles and good times, fears and aspirations, likes and dislikes just as you and I do.  Think of  strangers as being just like you and me and treat them with kindness, a smile, and eye contact as well.  You’ll notice how nice and grateful most people will be when you are the first one to offer a smile.

Do this, and you’ll notice some pretty nice changes in yourself and a greater feeling of inner happiness.

Though no one can go back and make a brand-new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand-new ending.

Gina

Technorati Tags:Self-improvement, Happiness, Personal Development

Not being able (or willing) to understand other people’s behavior can cause quite a lot of frustration in our own lives. 

We focus on other people’s irrational behavior and see them as “guilty.”  We get frustrated over their rude comments and actions, mean-spirited acts, and selfish behavior.   And of course, my personal favorite – their road rage.  When we do this too much, we are allowing other people to make us miserable.

Dr. Wayne Dyer sarcastically said, “Round up all the people who are making you miserable and bring them to me.  I will counsel them, and you will get better.”  What Dr. Dyer meant by this is that we are the ones getting frustrated, so we are the ones who need to change. We are the ones who need to stop letting other people make us miserable. 

We need to learn to be less bothered by the actions of other people.  I don’t mean we should accept or ignore these things, I mean we should try to see beyond the behavior and try to understand where this behavior is coming from.

Try to put yourself in the other person’s position.  Have you ever acted or behaved in the way that this person is acting or behaving?  Did you have what you felt was a valid reason for your actions? 

Have you ever heard someone say, “Don’t mind him; he doesn’t know what he’s doing”?  If you have, you have been exposed to the wisdom of “looking beyond behavior.”  And if you have children, you most certainly know the importance of this simple act of forgiveness.  If we based our love on our children’s behavior, it would be difficult to love them at all.

Of course, my personal favorite is, “Forgive them Lord, for they know not what they do.”  This has been helpful to me in many situations, not just those involving my children.

Have you ever been really rushed and had to accomplish something or be some place in a short amount of time?  Because you were rushed, maybe you said or did some things, or acted in a certain way that might have been aggravating to one or more other people.

More than likely, someone’s irrational behavior is the result of a stressful situation they are in at this moment.  Keep in your mind that there must be a valid reason for this behavior.  It is not because this person is just rude, selfish or uncaring.  Very likely, this person doesn’t realize they are being offensive or selfish.  

This is similar to what I said in Never Own Someone Else’s Anger.  We are blaming someone else for being annoying in our life.  These things are their problem and once we see them as their problem, we can better deal with it.   We can try to see the “innocence” in their actions. We should try to “look beyond the behavior”. 

If we don’t, there is a price to pay – our inner peace.

Gina

Technorati Tags:Self-improvement, Personal development