Tag: buddhism

I can exercise superficial discipline, where I force myself to do something, bemoaning and hating it the entire time (I’ve operated this way for most of my life), but there’s a higher discipline that serves me better, one where I consistently seek the easiest-feeling pathway of thought (with negative emotions, this feels like relief.  With…

As the years pass, I’ve come to realize the “price” I must pay is abiding in acceptance—ceasing to obsess over conditions and machinations and allowing myself to viscerally appreciate whatever’s in front of me. That’s why I was doing all that work in the first place.  Now that I’ve figured out I can get there…

I find it unproductive to focus on appreciation when I’m angry or depressed (I just end up fighting my anger or depression and they tighten their grip on me.) But it IS possible for me to accept my anger or depression, which begins to shift my focus onto acceptance.  From there, I can move onto…

I like to move in the direction of my dreams, even if it doesn’t seem to lead to any treasure.  I’ve found unexpected rewards along the way.  And on multiple occasions, I’ve been given more than I asked for. Sure, I’ve had to compromise at times—make sure I could pay the rent or deal with…

The cool thing about accepting my negative feelings—telling myself it’s fine to feel that way—is that my focus shifts from negativity to acceptance.  Then I can reach for positivity.

Obviously, it’s good to weigh risk when moving toward betterment.  But I’ve seen that become deceptively toxic—I’ve seen people use risk as a justification to stagnate, to never breathe life into their much-deserved dreams.

If our emotions are dependent on measurement and contrast, we will continually come up short, and either exist in perpetual dissatisfaction at best, or unhappiness at worst.  But we have the ability to see it differently—as an opportunity to weave our stories and pursue our dreams. At that point, it becomes a blessed game, instead…

I used to believe I had to earn my happiness. Then I realized that I could be happy in “miserable” conditions (as well as vice versa—I could be miserable in “happy” conditions).  My happiness wasn’t dependent on sacrificing or justifying my way into a predetermined “heaven” or “enlightenment.” Happiness, in my opinion, springs from an…

In my quest to attain more, I have continually realized I have more than enough (sometimes it took time and perspective to see the validity of that within certain circumstances.). That’s not an excuse to stop dreaming, but to dream without the burden of a lack-tainted focus.

Externally, I seek satisfaction from imperfect circumstances, because in my opinion, circumstances are constantly moving towards long-run perfection. Internally, I’m much more strict.  I seek—at a minimum—a state of satisfaction.  And in so doing, I can appreciate the perfection as it unfolds.