News
No new updates for this week.
Quote
"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves."
-Confucius
My Thoughts
Revenge, hatred, anger, jealousy, etc... These emotions will ultimately cause us more harm than the person they are directed at. From what I have experienced these emotions tend to rise up within us when our ego is hurt. I would say it's natural to experience these these feelings on occasion. I would not recommend that you try to bury them or hide them, instead acknowledge that they exist. The challenge lies in not adding fuel to the fire.
I'd like to share a story about revenge and it's dangers with you.
As many of you know, I grew up in Philadelphia. Gang violence was very common where I lived.
I'd like to take you back to when I was 16 years old. I had been out skateboarding with a few friends but it was starting to get late so we all headed our separate ways. My friend's younger brother, Brian, was out with us, so we walked home together. He was around 12 years old at the time.
We were walking down this dark street on a humid summer night. There were no other people on the street except for me and Brian. The area we were walking through was a known gang area so people tended to stay off the streets after dark, but we had no choice but to go home this way.
Then, up in the distance, I could see two guys coming towards us on the opposite side of the street. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I could sense something wasn't right, but I didn't know what to do. Brian and I continued walking.
As the two strangers got closer my heart rate increased. I figured it was just paranoia.
Now they were directly across the street from us. I couldn't tell for sure but they appeared to be older. One of them shouted, "Hey, do you have a dollar we can borrow?". It was at this point that I realized something bad was about to happen. I replied "No, I don't."
They continued walking away from us, but I knew they weren't finished. It was then that I heard footsteps approaching quickly from behind us. I turned to Brian and told him to run home, and I'll try to distract them. Brian told me he wasn't going anywhere. Very brave, but very foolish.
In a matter of seconds they were on us. The first guy swung at me with a baseball bat and hit my backpack. Luckily for us he lost his grip on the bat and it went flying off into the darkness.
I then turned around and was punched in the face. Now I got my first look at these two close up. I would guess they were 18-20 years old, and they were bigger than the Brian and I.
I was defending some punches but Brian wasn't doing so well. The one guy must have punched him in the face 20-30 times. I still clearly remember the sound of those punches. Brian was on his knees and the guy was holding him up by his hair and just continued beating his face in. Finally he let Brian go, and Brian just fell forward on his face. Honestly, I wasn't sure he was still alive.
What this meant for me, was now I had two attackers to deal with and I had to act quickly because I was quite sure if Brian was still alive he would be in serious need of medical attention.
So the guy that was pummeling Brian came up behind me. I now had one guy in front and one behind, definitely not the best situation for handling multiple attackers. At that moment, I grabbed my skateboard and swung it as hard as I could at the guy behind me. I missed his jaw by mere centimeters. But he fell backwards to the ground in surprise. I lunged forward with the board over my head, with every intention of hitting him as hard as possible over the head.
It was at this point that I felt a poke at my side. I looked down and there was a knife. The other guy was holding a knife to me, just below my ribcage.
He said to me "Stop fucking around, and give us your wallet or I will kill you.". I told him to take it easy and gave him my wallet. The other guy got up off the ground and walked over to me. I had been in fights before this, I had been robbed before this, but this was the first time that I had a knife pulled on me. I was quite scared.
They proceeded to talk about what to do with me. They said they should make an example out of me by killing me. They joked about it, how easy it would be to kill me right there. I thought my heart was going to pound right out of my chest. It seemed like time stood still.
Eventually, the one guy punched me in the face and off they went into the night laughing.
Immediately, I went over to Brian. He was still face down but breathing. His face was completely covered in blood. He ended up going to the hospital and had a broken nose, fractured cheekbones, and some other injures that I can't recall.
To make this long story short, those two guys were part of a team of three (or more) that would go around robbing people. The other guy would be wait in a car nearby. Evidently in the car he had other weapons just in case.
Eventually, a few friends of mine went and beat those guys up very badly. This, along with some other events, lead to a massive fight in which numerous people were hospitalized, and some went to jail.
What's the point of this whole story?
1. Revenge will just lead to more violence. It's a cycle and the more revenge you take the more it will continue. I believe the solution is love, but more on that in a future message.
2. Trust your intuition. When I sensed something was wrong maybe I could have done something about it. Since that experience I have learned to listen to my intuition and it has continually lead me down the right path. This does not mean that the right path has been free of challenges and setbacks, but it has continually allowed me to grow.
I encourage you to look into your heart this week and see which negative emotions you are harboring. Do your best to release those feelings by asking yourself what is the loving thing to do.
Have an outstanding week.
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Communicating Your Feelings
News
No new updates for this week.
Quote
“ If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting? "
-Stephen Levine
My Thoughts
Sometimes we think we have all the time in the world to tell someone how we feel, and/or we assume that the other person knows how we feel. Those of you that have ever lost a loved one probably wish you could have talked with them one last time.
As many of you know I lost my Mom to cancer when I was 13. She was a role model for me in my early years. My Dad has been a big role model throughout my life. He is the one that taught me the values of persistence, not making excuses,and taking risks. Oddly, I never told him that until last year. After telling him this he became emotional and then told me he never realized the positive impact he had on my life. I had always assumed that he knew. I suppose it goes back to last week's message about not assuming.
I encourage all of us this week to let someone know how much we appreciate them.
Have an outstanding week.
No new updates for this week.
Quote
“ If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting? "
-Stephen Levine
My Thoughts
Sometimes we think we have all the time in the world to tell someone how we feel, and/or we assume that the other person knows how we feel. Those of you that have ever lost a loved one probably wish you could have talked with them one last time.
As many of you know I lost my Mom to cancer when I was 13. She was a role model for me in my early years. My Dad has been a big role model throughout my life. He is the one that taught me the values of persistence, not making excuses,and taking risks. Oddly, I never told him that until last year. After telling him this he became emotional and then told me he never realized the positive impact he had on my life. I had always assumed that he knew. I suppose it goes back to last week's message about not assuming.
I encourage all of us this week to let someone know how much we appreciate them.
Have an outstanding week.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Relationships
News
No new updates for this week.
Quote
“ We mistakenly assume that if our partners love us they will react and behave in certain ways - the ways we react and behave when we love someone.
-John Gray
My Thoughts
Assumptions and miscommunication can lead relationships down a dangerous path. One that ultimately leads to failure. This is what I have experienced.
I pondered discussing this, but I am not one to hide things because perhaps my experience can help one of you.
I am recently divorced. I was in a relationship for eight years (married for five years) before we separated last summer and eventually divorced. I have no harsh feelings about my ex and I wish her the best. What lead to our divorce was assumptions and miscommunication. Even though both of us are certified coaches we still failed to communicate properly.
Relationships take work, we can't just assume that our partners will react and behave the same way that we do. Even though my ex and I knew better we eventually allowed our communication to break down and we assumed that somehow it would work itself out. The problem was that the communication broke down for so long that we weren't able to get it back on track.
Oftentimes men assume that woman will communicate directly, while women assume that men will be able to read into what they are saying. This leads to many arguments. It's the equivalent of speaking a language to someone that doesn't understand the language you are speaking.
I have learned that in order for a relationship to work we need to let go of assumptions. We need to be willing to learn to communicate. We need to learn to give up saying how our partners "should" be acting. Finally we need to stop comparing our partners to others (especially exes). Those are a few things that I have learned and I am sure that I will learn many other lessons as life goes on.
I encourage all of you to look at any of your relationships and ask yourself, "Am I doing my best?", "and What could I do to improve my relationships?". After you answer those questions, I recommend that you put what you learned into action.
I highly recommend the books "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" by John Gray, and "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman.
Have a wonderful week.
No new updates for this week.
Quote
“ We mistakenly assume that if our partners love us they will react and behave in certain ways - the ways we react and behave when we love someone.
-John Gray
My Thoughts
Assumptions and miscommunication can lead relationships down a dangerous path. One that ultimately leads to failure. This is what I have experienced.
I pondered discussing this, but I am not one to hide things because perhaps my experience can help one of you.
I am recently divorced. I was in a relationship for eight years (married for five years) before we separated last summer and eventually divorced. I have no harsh feelings about my ex and I wish her the best. What lead to our divorce was assumptions and miscommunication. Even though both of us are certified coaches we still failed to communicate properly.
Relationships take work, we can't just assume that our partners will react and behave the same way that we do. Even though my ex and I knew better we eventually allowed our communication to break down and we assumed that somehow it would work itself out. The problem was that the communication broke down for so long that we weren't able to get it back on track.
Oftentimes men assume that woman will communicate directly, while women assume that men will be able to read into what they are saying. This leads to many arguments. It's the equivalent of speaking a language to someone that doesn't understand the language you are speaking.
I have learned that in order for a relationship to work we need to let go of assumptions. We need to be willing to learn to communicate. We need to learn to give up saying how our partners "should" be acting. Finally we need to stop comparing our partners to others (especially exes). Those are a few things that I have learned and I am sure that I will learn many other lessons as life goes on.
I encourage all of you to look at any of your relationships and ask yourself, "Am I doing my best?", "and What could I do to improve my relationships?". After you answer those questions, I recommend that you put what you learned into action.
I highly recommend the books "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" by John Gray, and "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman.
Have a wonderful week.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Love
News
No new updates for this week
Instead of sharing a quote and my thoughts this week, I found a story that I wanted to share with you.
Story
by Massud Farzan
A lover knocked at the door of his beloved.
"Who is it?" she replied.
The lover replied, "It is I."
"Go away. This house will not hold you and I."
The rejected lover retreated into the wilderness. For a long time he prayed and meditated on the beloved's words. Finally he returned and knocked at the door again.
"Who is it?" she said again.
The lover replied, "It is you."
Immediately, the door opened.
Have an awesome week!
No new updates for this week
Instead of sharing a quote and my thoughts this week, I found a story that I wanted to share with you.
Story
by Massud Farzan
A lover knocked at the door of his beloved.
"Who is it?" she replied.
The lover replied, "It is I."
"Go away. This house will not hold you and I."
The rejected lover retreated into the wilderness. For a long time he prayed and meditated on the beloved's words. Finally he returned and knocked at the door again.
"Who is it?" she said again.
The lover replied, "It is you."
Immediately, the door opened.
Have an awesome week!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Priorities
News
No new updates for this week.
Instead of sharing a quote and my thoughts this week, I've decided to share two stories I found on Paulo Coelho's blog.
Stories
The umbrella
As tradition dictates, upon entering his Zen master’s house, the disciple left his shoes and umbrella outside.
“I saw through the window that you were arriving,” said the master. “Did you leave your shoes to the right or the left of the umbrella?”
“I haven’t the least idea. But what does that matter? I was thinking of the secret of Zen!”
“If you don’t pay attention in life, you will never learn anything. Communicate with life, pay each moment the attention it deserves – that is the only secret of Zen.”
Why leave man to the sixth day
A group of wise men gathered to discuss the work of God; they wanted to know why he had left it to the sixth day to create man.
“He thought about first organizing the Universe well, so that we could have all the marvels available to us,” said one of them.
“First of all He wanted to run some tests on animals, so that He would not make the same mistakes with us,” argued another.
One wise Jew showed up at the meeting. They told him the theme of the discussion: “in your opinion, why did God leave it to the last day to create man?”
“Very simple,” commented the wise man. “So that when we were moved by pride, we would remember that even a simple mosquito enjoyed priority in the work of the Divine.”
Have an amazing week.
No new updates for this week.
Instead of sharing a quote and my thoughts this week, I've decided to share two stories I found on Paulo Coelho's blog.
Stories
The umbrella
As tradition dictates, upon entering his Zen master’s house, the disciple left his shoes and umbrella outside.
“I saw through the window that you were arriving,” said the master. “Did you leave your shoes to the right or the left of the umbrella?”
“I haven’t the least idea. But what does that matter? I was thinking of the secret of Zen!”
“If you don’t pay attention in life, you will never learn anything. Communicate with life, pay each moment the attention it deserves – that is the only secret of Zen.”
Why leave man to the sixth day
A group of wise men gathered to discuss the work of God; they wanted to know why he had left it to the sixth day to create man.
“He thought about first organizing the Universe well, so that we could have all the marvels available to us,” said one of them.
“First of all He wanted to run some tests on animals, so that He would not make the same mistakes with us,” argued another.
One wise Jew showed up at the meeting. They told him the theme of the discussion: “in your opinion, why did God leave it to the last day to create man?”
“Very simple,” commented the wise man. “So that when we were moved by pride, we would remember that even a simple mosquito enjoyed priority in the work of the Divine.”
Have an amazing week.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Kindness
News
No new updates for this week.
Quote
"If you find yourself in a confrontation of any kind with anyone, be it a family member or a stranger, before reacting ask yourself, "Is what I am about to say motivated by my need to be right, or my desire to be kind?" Then pick a response that stems from kindness, regardless of how your ego objects."
-Wayne Dyer
My Thoughts
I believe this is such great advice, although it can be quite challenging to practice it in our daily lives. I think to really change the world we need to become more loving. And not just loving when it's convenient, but loving at all times. I realize this is no easy task but I think it can help make life incredibly fulfilling.
From what I have experienced and observed, the ego tends to push us away from love. It desires to be right, it seeks to get what it wants. The ego is essentially me and my, whereas love is us and our. If we start to feed the ego we start to notice narcissistic tendencies (ex: I did this; look at me, I am so...). If we continue feeding it, then it can lead to anger and of course if we continue going down that path it can eventually lead to extremes such as murder, rape, etc...
I think to counteract the ego we need to choose love above all else. I think the first step is loving yourself. Try not to constantly beat yourself up for past mistakes or regrets. Then try starting off small. I recommend trying it with someone you love. Perhaps when the person you love does something that irritates you, instead of judging them (whether you say it or not), try and understand them. Try to look at it from their point of view. If you make a continuous effort to do this, you will find yourself judging those you love less and less. Then you can make an effort to do this to strangers. Another technique with strangers is to imagine the person that you are judging as one of your family members (one that you love of course :)
This can also help in communicating better to those that you love. I am sure you may have experienced the end of a relationship because you didn't want to take the initiative to communicate after an argument because you were "right" and/or you didn't want to say sorry because you didn't do anything "wrong". Once you start trying to look at the situation from that person's point of view you will be more likely to start communicating with them first.
I encourage all of us this week to heed Wayne Dyer's advice.
Have a beautiful week.
No new updates for this week.
Quote
"If you find yourself in a confrontation of any kind with anyone, be it a family member or a stranger, before reacting ask yourself, "Is what I am about to say motivated by my need to be right, or my desire to be kind?" Then pick a response that stems from kindness, regardless of how your ego objects."
-Wayne Dyer
My Thoughts
I believe this is such great advice, although it can be quite challenging to practice it in our daily lives. I think to really change the world we need to become more loving. And not just loving when it's convenient, but loving at all times. I realize this is no easy task but I think it can help make life incredibly fulfilling.
From what I have experienced and observed, the ego tends to push us away from love. It desires to be right, it seeks to get what it wants. The ego is essentially me and my, whereas love is us and our. If we start to feed the ego we start to notice narcissistic tendencies (ex: I did this; look at me, I am so...). If we continue feeding it, then it can lead to anger and of course if we continue going down that path it can eventually lead to extremes such as murder, rape, etc...
I think to counteract the ego we need to choose love above all else. I think the first step is loving yourself. Try not to constantly beat yourself up for past mistakes or regrets. Then try starting off small. I recommend trying it with someone you love. Perhaps when the person you love does something that irritates you, instead of judging them (whether you say it or not), try and understand them. Try to look at it from their point of view. If you make a continuous effort to do this, you will find yourself judging those you love less and less. Then you can make an effort to do this to strangers. Another technique with strangers is to imagine the person that you are judging as one of your family members (one that you love of course :)
This can also help in communicating better to those that you love. I am sure you may have experienced the end of a relationship because you didn't want to take the initiative to communicate after an argument because you were "right" and/or you didn't want to say sorry because you didn't do anything "wrong". Once you start trying to look at the situation from that person's point of view you will be more likely to start communicating with them first.
I encourage all of us this week to heed Wayne Dyer's advice.
Have a beautiful week.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Why Do We Shout When Angry?
News
I will be conducting a two-hour workshop around the end of this month. More details will follow soon.
Instead of sharing a quote and my thoughts this week, I wanted to share a story I found with you:
Story
A Hindu saint who was visiting river Ganges to take bath found a group of family members on the banks, shouting in anger at each other. He turned to his disciples smiled and asked.
'Why do people shout in anger shout at each other?'
Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our calm, we shout.'
'But, why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You can as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner.' asked the saint
Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the other disciples.
Finally the saint explained, .
'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance.
What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is either nonexistent or very small...'
The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.'
He looked at his disciples and said.
'So when you argue do not let your hearts get distant, Do not say words that distance each other more, Or else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return.'
Have an outstanding week.
Bob
I will be conducting a two-hour workshop around the end of this month. More details will follow soon.
Instead of sharing a quote and my thoughts this week, I wanted to share a story I found with you:
Story
A Hindu saint who was visiting river Ganges to take bath found a group of family members on the banks, shouting in anger at each other. He turned to his disciples smiled and asked.
'Why do people shout in anger shout at each other?'
Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our calm, we shout.'
'But, why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You can as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner.' asked the saint
Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the other disciples.
Finally the saint explained, .
'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance.
What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is either nonexistent or very small...'
The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.'
He looked at his disciples and said.
'So when you argue do not let your hearts get distant, Do not say words that distance each other more, Or else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return.'
Have an outstanding week.
Bob
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Caring
News
No new updates for this week.
Story
I read this on Paulo Coelho's blog and wanted to share it with you.
The writer Leo Buscaglia was once invited to be on the jury of a school competition to find ‘the child who cared most for others’.
The winner was a boy whose neighbour, a gentleman of over eighty, had just been widowed.
When he saw the old man sitting in his garden crying, the boy jumped over the fence, sat on the man’s lap and stayed there for a long time.
When he went back home, his mother asked him what he had said to the poor man.
‘Nothing,’ said the boy. ‘He’s lost his wife and that must have really hurt.
“I just went over to help him to cry.”
Have a wonderful week.
No new updates for this week.
Story
I read this on Paulo Coelho's blog and wanted to share it with you.
The writer Leo Buscaglia was once invited to be on the jury of a school competition to find ‘the child who cared most for others’.
The winner was a boy whose neighbour, a gentleman of over eighty, had just been widowed.
When he saw the old man sitting in his garden crying, the boy jumped over the fence, sat on the man’s lap and stayed there for a long time.
When he went back home, his mother asked him what he had said to the poor man.
‘Nothing,’ said the boy. ‘He’s lost his wife and that must have really hurt.
“I just went over to help him to cry.”
Have a wonderful week.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Why Are You Crying?
News
The October discount on coaching programs is almost over. If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity please contact:
bob@oneamazinglife.com
Story
I found this on story on Paulo Coelho's blog and wanted to share it with you.
Why Are You Crying?
A man knocked at his Bedouin friend’s door to ask him a favor:
“I want you to lend me four thousand dinars because I have a debt to pay. Can you do that for me?”
The friend asked his wife to gather together everything they had of value, but even so it was not enough. They had to go out and borrow money from the neighbors until they managed to get the full amount.
When the man left, the woman noticed that her husband was crying.
“Why are you sad? Now that we’ve got ourselves in debt with our neighbors, are you afraid we won’t be able to repay them?”
“Nothing of the sort! I’m crying because he is someone I love so much, but even so I had no idea he was in need. “I only remembered him when he had to knock on my door to ask me for a loan.”
Have an outstanding week.
The October discount on coaching programs is almost over. If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity please contact:
bob@oneamazinglife.com
Story
I found this on story on Paulo Coelho's blog and wanted to share it with you.
Why Are You Crying?
A man knocked at his Bedouin friend’s door to ask him a favor:
“I want you to lend me four thousand dinars because I have a debt to pay. Can you do that for me?”
The friend asked his wife to gather together everything they had of value, but even so it was not enough. They had to go out and borrow money from the neighbors until they managed to get the full amount.
When the man left, the woman noticed that her husband was crying.
“Why are you sad? Now that we’ve got ourselves in debt with our neighbors, are you afraid we won’t be able to repay them?”
“Nothing of the sort! I’m crying because he is someone I love so much, but even so I had no idea he was in need. “I only remembered him when he had to knock on my door to ask me for a loan.”
Have an outstanding week.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Driving Out Hate
News
No new updates for this week.
Quote
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
— Martin Luther King Jr.
My Thoughts
Many people have causes or positions that they love to defend. Republican, Democrat, Global Warming, Anti-War, etc... The list goes on and on. The very act of choosing and saying this way is right can oftentimes cut you off from even being able to consider another position or option. This can be dangerous because you start judging the other side as wrong and also anyone that believes in the other side as wrong. If the other side is wrong then you may start disliking them, and if you continue down that path you can actually start to hate them.
I'll share a story that may help illustrate this point. As many of you are aware I grew up in Philadelphia. I managed to stay out of gangs, but had numerous fights with them when I was in high school and sometimes after that. My younger brother on the other hand got involved in gangs early on and eventually started selling drugs, stealing, etc.. This lead him to prison.
Gangs. Obviously the people that belong to a particular gang think that their way is the right way. All the other gangs are wrong and in many cases the other gang should be eliminated or forced out. My younger brother would hate someone just because they were from a rival gang. He didn't know the person at all but he still hated them. Occasionally the gang he was involved with would fight other gangs, sometimes they would be victorious (although in reality there is no real winner) and other times members of his gang would be hospitalized or killed.
Now it may be easy for you to sit here and judge this. It's easy to sit here and say that's stupid or I would never do that. Or they are all scum and should end up in prison or dead. These are all things that I've heard at one time or another. The problem with that line of thinking is that it doesn't solve anything. Hating them will only create more hate. Instead trying to look at them with compassion can help you to understand them better.
How can you look at them with compassion?
People always choose what they assume to be the best option at the time. Unfortunately due to perception most people can't really see what the best option is at the time. Realizing this can help all of us to stop judging others.
Why should you look at them with compassion?
Well besides all of the most important spiritual reasons, looking at them with compassion can allow you to create loving solutions. Solutions that can actually help to change the situation for the better.
I challenge you this week to consider someone's viewpoint that differs from your own.
Have a beautiful week.
No new updates for this week.
Quote
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
— Martin Luther King Jr.
My Thoughts
Many people have causes or positions that they love to defend. Republican, Democrat, Global Warming, Anti-War, etc... The list goes on and on. The very act of choosing and saying this way is right can oftentimes cut you off from even being able to consider another position or option. This can be dangerous because you start judging the other side as wrong and also anyone that believes in the other side as wrong. If the other side is wrong then you may start disliking them, and if you continue down that path you can actually start to hate them.
I'll share a story that may help illustrate this point. As many of you are aware I grew up in Philadelphia. I managed to stay out of gangs, but had numerous fights with them when I was in high school and sometimes after that. My younger brother on the other hand got involved in gangs early on and eventually started selling drugs, stealing, etc.. This lead him to prison.
Gangs. Obviously the people that belong to a particular gang think that their way is the right way. All the other gangs are wrong and in many cases the other gang should be eliminated or forced out. My younger brother would hate someone just because they were from a rival gang. He didn't know the person at all but he still hated them. Occasionally the gang he was involved with would fight other gangs, sometimes they would be victorious (although in reality there is no real winner) and other times members of his gang would be hospitalized or killed.
Now it may be easy for you to sit here and judge this. It's easy to sit here and say that's stupid or I would never do that. Or they are all scum and should end up in prison or dead. These are all things that I've heard at one time or another. The problem with that line of thinking is that it doesn't solve anything. Hating them will only create more hate. Instead trying to look at them with compassion can help you to understand them better.
How can you look at them with compassion?
People always choose what they assume to be the best option at the time. Unfortunately due to perception most people can't really see what the best option is at the time. Realizing this can help all of us to stop judging others.
Why should you look at them with compassion?
Well besides all of the most important spiritual reasons, looking at them with compassion can allow you to create loving solutions. Solutions that can actually help to change the situation for the better.
I challenge you this week to consider someone's viewpoint that differs from your own.
Have a beautiful week.
Monday, August 15, 2011
The Ego
News
We still have our programs priced at a 60% discount. You can find details about the programs at www.oneamazinglife.com
If you would like more information please email: bob@oneamazinglife.com
Quotes
"You must learn to see men and women…as perfect beings advancing to become complete."
-Wallace Wattles
"The consciousness in you and the consciousness in me, apparently two, really
one, seek unity and that is love."
-Nisargadatta Maharaj
"All troubles come to an end when the ego dies."
- Ramakrishna
My Thoughts
In last week's message I talked about loving all people unconditionally. This week I'd like to discuss the ego.
All people are innately perfect. We can not see this perfection in others because of our own egos. The ego does not like true love. The ego seeks to control, it lashes out at the Truth. The tools of the ego are anger, violence, jealousy, judgment, hatred, etc... Because of the ego we think that we are better than others. We think that our way is the right way. This also causes the illusion of separation. We are all connected, we are all one.
When we understand that all of this anger, violence, and hatred is the ego acting out, we may catch a glimpse of people as they truly are. We will notice this perfection. We will notice a beauty that we never saw before. However, it has always been there. Once we see this, even if it is for only a second, then we can start to feel compassion for all of humanity. We can see why judging others is a mistake of our perception. What is there to judge if all people are perfect?
I encourage all of us to try and view people as they truly are. Let us transcend the limitations of the ego and start to see the world as it really exists.
Have an incredible week.
We still have our programs priced at a 60% discount. You can find details about the programs at www.oneamazinglife.com
If you would like more information please email: bob@oneamazinglife.com
Quotes
"You must learn to see men and women…as perfect beings advancing to become complete."
-Wallace Wattles
"The consciousness in you and the consciousness in me, apparently two, really
one, seek unity and that is love."
-Nisargadatta Maharaj
"All troubles come to an end when the ego dies."
- Ramakrishna
My Thoughts
In last week's message I talked about loving all people unconditionally. This week I'd like to discuss the ego.
All people are innately perfect. We can not see this perfection in others because of our own egos. The ego does not like true love. The ego seeks to control, it lashes out at the Truth. The tools of the ego are anger, violence, jealousy, judgment, hatred, etc... Because of the ego we think that we are better than others. We think that our way is the right way. This also causes the illusion of separation. We are all connected, we are all one.
When we understand that all of this anger, violence, and hatred is the ego acting out, we may catch a glimpse of people as they truly are. We will notice this perfection. We will notice a beauty that we never saw before. However, it has always been there. Once we see this, even if it is for only a second, then we can start to feel compassion for all of humanity. We can see why judging others is a mistake of our perception. What is there to judge if all people are perfect?
I encourage all of us to try and view people as they truly are. Let us transcend the limitations of the ego and start to see the world as it really exists.
Have an incredible week.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Loving All
News
We have decided to discount all of our at-home coaching programs. These programs are great if you don't have time to make it to a structured coaching session. If you purchase a program by Sunday, August 21st you will receive a 60% discount.
Please check out www.oneamazinglife.com for more information on these programs. If you have any questions please email me: bob@oneamazinglife.com
Quote
“Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love”
-Mother Teresa
My Thoughts
Do you love yourself? I don't mean in some narcissistic sense. Do you respect yourself? Have you forgiven yourself for wrongs you may have committed in the past? You must love yourself before you can begin to truly love others.
Speaking of truly loving others, do you think you could love all people, regardless of their perceived imperfections? Do you think you could love someone without expecting anything in return? For many people loving unconditionally is near impossible. People say they do but their actions don't match their words.
All people are doing what they perceive is the best course of action to take at any given time. So we could say people are ignorant of what is the best course of action because of their perception. Therefore they should be forgiven (or literally you are forgiving yourself for judging them as wrong in the first place). If you start to forgive others, then you can start to let go of judgments. If you can grasp this concept then you can begin to love all of humanity unconditionally. The more people that are able to love unconditionally the better off humanity will become.
All people seek happiness, but only a few truly understand that happiness is internal and does not need to be sought but merely realized. This is hard for people to understand because so many of us were conditioned to believe that if we get something (higher degree, nice car, house, etc...) then we will be happy. But that happiness is an illusion. It fades away after time....usually after a short time.
I suppose their are multiple ways of realizing that happiness is internal. My way was to stretch way outside my comfort zone and follow my dream. So you could say my realization occurred after much struggle. I realized that you could literally have no money, no car, a tiny apartment, etc... and still be perfectly happy. Once you have this realization it stays with you forever. So no matter what situation you are in, no matter what the external stresses are, you can still remain happy.
My suggestion for this week: Forgive someone, and make an honest attempt at loving someone unconditionally.
Have a glorious week.
We have decided to discount all of our at-home coaching programs. These programs are great if you don't have time to make it to a structured coaching session. If you purchase a program by Sunday, August 21st you will receive a 60% discount.
Please check out www.oneamazinglife.com for more information on these programs. If you have any questions please email me: bob@oneamazinglife.com
Quote
“Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love”
-Mother Teresa
My Thoughts
Do you love yourself? I don't mean in some narcissistic sense. Do you respect yourself? Have you forgiven yourself for wrongs you may have committed in the past? You must love yourself before you can begin to truly love others.
Speaking of truly loving others, do you think you could love all people, regardless of their perceived imperfections? Do you think you could love someone without expecting anything in return? For many people loving unconditionally is near impossible. People say they do but their actions don't match their words.
All people are doing what they perceive is the best course of action to take at any given time. So we could say people are ignorant of what is the best course of action because of their perception. Therefore they should be forgiven (or literally you are forgiving yourself for judging them as wrong in the first place). If you start to forgive others, then you can start to let go of judgments. If you can grasp this concept then you can begin to love all of humanity unconditionally. The more people that are able to love unconditionally the better off humanity will become.
All people seek happiness, but only a few truly understand that happiness is internal and does not need to be sought but merely realized. This is hard for people to understand because so many of us were conditioned to believe that if we get something (higher degree, nice car, house, etc...) then we will be happy. But that happiness is an illusion. It fades away after time....usually after a short time.
I suppose their are multiple ways of realizing that happiness is internal. My way was to stretch way outside my comfort zone and follow my dream. So you could say my realization occurred after much struggle. I realized that you could literally have no money, no car, a tiny apartment, etc... and still be perfectly happy. Once you have this realization it stays with you forever. So no matter what situation you are in, no matter what the external stresses are, you can still remain happy.
My suggestion for this week: Forgive someone, and make an honest attempt at loving someone unconditionally.
Have a glorious week.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Love
News
The start date for the 6-Week mastermind course has been moved to Monday, July 18th at 7:00pm.
Group size: 5-10 people
Who would benefit:
- People that are seeking some sort of change but feel stuck.
- People that want to change but keep falling back into their old habits.
- People that would like to meet others that want to grow.
- People that are curious about coaching but aren't ready to make a longer time and/or financial commitment.
- People that have questions relating to dealing with fear, failure, negativity, etc...
If you are interested in joining, or have any questions, please email: bob@oneamazinglife.com
Quote
“Trying to make someone fall in love with you is about as pointless as trying to control who you fall in love with.”
-Unknown
My Thoughts
There are many things in life that are out of our control. Trying to stop love once it takes a hold of you is the equivalent of trying to stop a speeding train by standing in front of it with your hands out in front of you. That wouldn't be the wisest of decisions.
Love can move you to do incredible things. People seem to have extra energy when they are in love. They function on less sleep and will often go to great lengths to see the person they love, even if it's only for a brief moment. When people in love are separated they long to be together.
Why am I mentioning this?
All of us have had brilliant ideas but very few of us take action on those ideas and even fewer hang on and see the idea through until completion. People often get an idea and talk themselves out of it before they even get started.
If you would like to make serious change in your life then that idea will have to become your burning desire. You will fall in love with that idea. Because you are in love you will do what needs to be done to see the idea through until it is complete.
If there is some idea, or someone, that you know you love but you keep making excuses for not pursuing it then I suggest you stop denying your feelings and release control. Let love wash over you. Is it 100% guaranteed to work out? No, but the thought of never knowing can make you go mad.
Have an amazing week.
The start date for the 6-Week mastermind course has been moved to Monday, July 18th at 7:00pm.
Group size: 5-10 people
Who would benefit:
- People that are seeking some sort of change but feel stuck.
- People that want to change but keep falling back into their old habits.
- People that would like to meet others that want to grow.
- People that are curious about coaching but aren't ready to make a longer time and/or financial commitment.
- People that have questions relating to dealing with fear, failure, negativity, etc...
If you are interested in joining, or have any questions, please email: bob@oneamazinglife.com
Quote
“Trying to make someone fall in love with you is about as pointless as trying to control who you fall in love with.”
-Unknown
My Thoughts
There are many things in life that are out of our control. Trying to stop love once it takes a hold of you is the equivalent of trying to stop a speeding train by standing in front of it with your hands out in front of you. That wouldn't be the wisest of decisions.
Love can move you to do incredible things. People seem to have extra energy when they are in love. They function on less sleep and will often go to great lengths to see the person they love, even if it's only for a brief moment. When people in love are separated they long to be together.
Why am I mentioning this?
All of us have had brilliant ideas but very few of us take action on those ideas and even fewer hang on and see the idea through until completion. People often get an idea and talk themselves out of it before they even get started.
If you would like to make serious change in your life then that idea will have to become your burning desire. You will fall in love with that idea. Because you are in love you will do what needs to be done to see the idea through until it is complete.
If there is some idea, or someone, that you know you love but you keep making excuses for not pursuing it then I suggest you stop denying your feelings and release control. Let love wash over you. Is it 100% guaranteed to work out? No, but the thought of never knowing can make you go mad.
Have an amazing week.
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