As a child, we are working very hard to prepare for the day when we finally go to school thinking that when we finally go to school, we’ll start living. As soon as we hit primary school, we get entangled in all the work and start preparing for high school, when we get into high school, we’ll start living. Finally you get into high school and before you know it, you start preparing for when you finally get out of high school postponing life once again to prepare for life.

Eventually you finish high school and start with college or varsity where you once again postpone life to prepare for life. You finish college or varsity and start working, pretty soon you’ll get entangled in the work life again and forget to live, again preparing for the day when you retire.

Retire, to do what? To prepare for death?

The Tibetan monks have a very simple, yet profound way of thinking about life, if the path you’re walking doesn’t lead to the goal you’re aiming for, then it’s most likely the wrong path. If your goal in life is to be happy, then you should be happy right now, planning to be happy tomorrow while doing something that doesn’t make you happy will not lead to happiness tomorrow. Having a goal to live a peaceful, stress free life of relaxation, you’ll need to live that kind of lifestyle right now to achieve that kind of lifestyle in the future, preparing to relax is not the way to do it. If you keep on preparing to relax, eventually the Grim Reaper will come along and force you to relax.

The businessman and the fisherman story is a prime example of this scenario …

A few years ago, a very rich businessman decides to take a vacation to a small tropical island in the South Pacific. He has worked hard all his life and has decided that now is the time to enjoy the fruits of his labor. He is excited about visiting the island because he’s heard that there is incredible fishing there. He loved fishing as a young boy, but hasn’t gone in years because he has been so busy working to save for his retirement.

So on the first day, he has his breakfast and heads to the beach. It’s around 9:30 am. There he spots a fisherman coming in with a large bucket full of fish!

“How long did you fish for?” he asks. The fisherman looks at the businessman with a wide grin across his face and explains that the fishes for about three hours every day. The businessman then asks him why he returned so quickly.

“Don’t worry”, says the fisherman, “There’s still plenty of fish out there.”

Dumbfounded, the businessman asks the fisherman why he didn’t continue catching more fish. The fisherman patiently explains that what he caught is all he needs. “I’ll spend the rest of the day playing with my family, talking with my friends and maybe drinking a little wine. After that I’ll relax on the beach.”

Now the rich businessman figures he needs to teach this peasant fisherman a thing or two. So he explains to him that he should stay out all day and catch more fish. Then he could save up the extra money he makes and buy an even bigger boat to catch even more fish. Then he could keep reinvesting his profits in even more boats and hire many other fisherman to work for him. If he works really hard, in 20 or 30 years he’ll be a very rich man indeed.

The businessman feels pleased that he’s helped teach this simple fellow how to become rich. Then the fisherman looks at the businessman with a puzzled look on his face and asks what he’ll do after he becomes very rich.

The businessman responds quickly “You can spend time with your family, talk with your friends, and maybe drink a little wine. Or you could just relax on the beach.”

Here are seven suggestions to help you transcend ingrained ideas
of self-importance. All of these are designed to help prevent you
from falsely identifying with the self-important ego.

[1.] Stop being offended. The behavior of others isn’t a reason
to be immobilized. That which offends you only weakens you. If
you’re looking for occasions to be offended, you’ll find
them at every turn. This is your ego at work convincing you that
the world shouldn’t be the way it is. But you can become an
appreciator of life and match up with the universal Spirit of
Creation. You can’t reach the power of intention by being
offended. By all means, act to eradicate the horrors of the
world, which emanate from massive ego identification, but stay in
peace. As A Course in Miracles reminds us: Peace is of God, you
who are part of God are not at home except in his peace. Being is
of God, you who are part of God are not at home except in his
peace. Being offended creates the same destructive energy that
offended you in the first place and leads to attack,
counterattack, and war.

[2.] Let go of your need to win. Ego loves to divide us up into
winners and losers. The pursuit of winning is a surefire means to
avoid conscious contact with intention. Why? Because ultimately,
winning is impossible all of the time. Someone out there will be
faster, luckier, younger, stronger, and smarter-and back
you’ll go to feeling worthless and insignificant.

You’re not your winnings or your victories. You may enjoy
competing, and have fun in a world where winning is everything,
but you don’t have to be there in your thoughts. There are no
losers in a world where we all share the same energy source. All
you can say on a given day is that you performed at a certain
level in comparison to the levels of others on that day. But
today is another day, with other competitors and new
circumstances to consider. You’re still the infinite
presence in a body that’s another day (or decade) older. Let
go of needing to win by not agreeing that the opposite of winning
is losing. That’s ego’s fear. If your body isn’t
performing in a winning fashion on this day, it simply
doesn’t matter when you aren’t identifying exclusively
with your ego. Be the observer, noticing and enjoying it all
without needing to win a trophy. Be at peace, and match up with
the energy of intention. And ironically, although you’ll
hardly notice it, more of those victories will show up in your
life as you pursue them less.

[3.] Let go of your need to be right. Ego is the source of a lot of
conflict and dissension because it pushes you in the direction of
making other people wrong. When you’re hostile, you’ve
disconnected from the power of intention. The creative Spirit is
kind, loving, and receptive; and free of anger, resentment, or
bitterness. Letting go of your need to be right in your
discussions and relationships is like saying to ego, I’m not
a slave to you. I want to embrace kindness, and I reject your
need to be right. In fact, I’m going to offer this person a
chance to feel better by saying that she’s right, and thank
her for pointing me in the direction of truth.

When you let go of the need to be right, you’re able to
strengthen your connection to the power of intention. But keep in
mind that ego is a determined combatant. I’ve seen people
end otherwise beautiful relationships by sticking to their need
to be right. I urge you to let go of this ego-driven need to be
right by stopping yourself in the middle of an argument and
asking yourself, Do I want to be right or be happy? When you
choose the happy, loving, spiritual mood, your connection to
intention is strengthened. These moments ultimately expand your
new connection to the power of intention. The universal Source
will begin to collaborate with you in creating the life you were
intended to live.

[4.] Let go of your need to be superior. True nobility isn’t
about being better than someone else. It’s about being better
than you used to be. Stay focused on your growth, with a constant
awareness that no one on this planet is any better than anyone
else. We all emanate from the same creative life force. We all
have a mission to realize our intended essence; all that we need
to fulfill our destiny is available to us. None of this is
possible when you see yourself as superior to others. It’s an
old saw, but nonetheless true: we are all equal in the eyes of
God. Let go of your need to feel superior by seeing the unfolding
of God in everyone. Don’t assess others on the basis of their
appearance, achievements, possessions, and other indices of ego.
When you project feelings of superiority that’s what you get
back, leading to resentments and ultimately hostile feelings.
These feelings become the vehicle that takes you farther away
from intention. A Course in Miracles addresses this need to be
special and superior: Special ness always makes comparisons. It
is established by a lack seen in another, and maintained by
searching for, and keeping clear in sight, all lacks it can
perceive.

[5.] Let go of your need to have more. The mantra of ego is more.
It’s never satisfied. No matter how much you achieve or
acquire, your ego will insist that it isn’t enough.
You’ll find yourself in a perpetual state of striving, and
eliminate the possibility of ever arriving. Yet in reality
you’ve already arrived, and how you choose to use this
present moment of your life is your choice. Ironically, when you
stop needing more, more of what you desire seems to arrive in
your life. Since you’re detached from the need for it, you
find it easier to pass it along to others, because you realize
how little you need in order to be satisfied and at peace.

The universal Source is content with itself, constantly expanding
and creating new life, never trying to hold on to its creations
for its own selfish means. It creates and lets go. As you let go
of ego’s need to have more, you unify with that Source. You
create, attract to yourself, and let it go, never demanding that
more come your way. As an appreciator of all that shows up, you
learn the powerful lesson St.Francis of Assisi taught:”…it
is in giving that we receive.” By allowing abundance to flow
to and through you, you match up with your Source and guarantee
that this energy will continue to flow.

[6.] Let go of identifying yourself on the basis of your
achievements. This may be a difficult concept if you think you
are your achievements. God writes all the music, God sings all
the songs, God builds all the buildings, God is the source of all
your achievements. I can hear your ego loudly protesting.
Nevertheless, stay tuned to this idea. All emanates from Source!
You and that Source are one! You’re not this body and its
accomplishments. You are the observer. Notice it all; and be
grateful for the abilities you’ve accumulated. But give all
the credit to the power of intention, which brought you into
existence and which you’re a materialized part of. The less
you need to take credit for your achievements and the more
connected you stay to the seven faces of intention, the more
you’re free to achieve, and the more will show up for you.
It’s when you attach yourself to those achievements and
believe that you alone are doing all of those things that you
leave the peace and the gratitude of your Source.

[7.] Let go of your reputation. Your reputation is not located in
you. It resides in the minds of others. Therefore, you have no
control over it at all. If you speak to 30 people, you will have
30 reputations. Connecting to intention means listening to your
heart and conducting yourself based on what your inner voice
tells you is your purpose here. If you’re overly concerned
with how you’re going to be perceived by everyone, then
you’ve disconnected yourself from intention and allowed the
opinions of others to guide you. This is your ego at work.
It’s an illusion that stands between you and the power of
intention. There’s nothing you can’t do, unless you
disconnect from the power source and become convinced that your
purpose is to prove to others how masterful and superior you are
and spend your energy attempting to win a giant reputation among
other egos. Do what you do because your inner voice always
connected to and grateful to your Source-so directs you. Stay on
purpose, detach from outcome, and take responsibility for what
does reside in you: your character. Leave your reputation for
others to debate; it has nothing to do with you. Or as a book
title says: What You Think of Me Is None of My Business!

– Dr. Wayne Dyer –

Garret Loporto (in my opinion) is by far the best motivational speaker that ever set foot upon this earth!
His message is simple, yet covers all of life’s tough questions, in short: “Listen to your heart”.

His latest blog entry is rather touching and I believe it’s powerful enough to influence your perception of life in a positive way.

Listen to it live on his blog by clicking here or download it here.

Quote from Principia Discordia which is totally irrelevant (is it ever relevant?)

His worrying and meditation were disturbed when, as
if in a test of his faith, ordure fell from the second floor onto him. At that
time two people walked into the room. The first asked the second who the man
was sitting there was. The second replied “Some say he is a holy man. Others
say he is a shithead.”
Hearing this, the man was enlightened.

Ever wanted something so bad it hurt. No matter what it is? A relationship, a promotion at work, being successful with whatever you want to do with your life?

Do you know how far you would go to get what you want? How much you could take, what are you prepared to sacrifice in pursuit of it? The dark side of ambition can be a haunting place to dwell in.

How many times would you have to fail and pick yourself up again to appreciate your prize? How many nights have you dreamt and fantasised how sweet it would be to be living in your ideal future?

Can you feel, smell, taste, see and hear your vision? If you can you are setting into motion a series of unstoppable events to help transcend your desire from the metaphysical world into the physical domain. It’s a beautifully synchronized ballet of cause and effect yielding your innermost wishes.

What if you got what you wanted only to realize that it wasn’t everything that you thought it would be? The old adage of being careful about what you wish for has never resonated with so much truth.

When your wants become your needs you will understand the meaning of desire. Once you infuse these needs into every fiber of your being and attach it to every thought process you will be rewarded with all the power and inspiration you will ever need.

(Wise words stolen from Wesly Jefta, it’s just too good not to share)

When we look at the world, we should realise that everything is part of the same consciousness, that other person, animal or living thing is another you and it’s part of you. There is only one consciousness and that is you! This brings us back to the Karmic Three-Fold Law which states whatever you send out into the universe, whether good or bad, will return thrice or as other might know it, love one’s neighbour as oneself. To end this piece of thought I call a blog entry, here’s some famous words from the infamous Robert Bruce:

In order to evolve spiritually, you need to observe your thoughts, observe your actions observe your words and before you speak, ask yourself these three questions:

1. Is it True?
2. Is it Kind?
3. Is it Necessary?