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"Life really is a stream into which we pour our beliefs, and all of those who come after us will be the direct beneficiaries of what we believe. The great thing is that with this awareness comes choice! As we awaken to the fact that we don’t necessarily have to pass on beliefs that have not served us or others well, we can choose to eliminate them from the legacy we pass on."
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"The need for approval can be an interesting trap; if we are not careful, it can woo us into compromising our integrity. When that happens, it usually spills over into many different areas of our life. Then what do we really have left except a life that is lived in the darkened shadows of our own self-doubt and diminished self-respect?"
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"What I have discovered is that what I expect from others is what I get. People generally live up to or down to the level that I expect. Why? Because the energy that I radiate (broadcast) can only draw to me more of the same, that’s why."
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"Imagine a heartbeat monitor in the hospital that goes “beep . . . beep . . . beep” with that little blip on the screen that bounces up and down between two extremes. That’s a good sign! When it stops beeping and blipping, it’s not a good sign—a flatline indicates death. So it is with each of us on our journey through life. The ups and the downs in our life require forward movement on our part and can help us maintain our sense of being fully alive. We need the valleys as well as the peaks and plateaus in-between."
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"You and I have each had a story or trauma drama that at some point helped define who we believed ourselves to be. What is the content and theme of your story? Has the victim been liberated from the bondage of the tale yet? Are you continuing to tell it long after the story ended? If we are not fully conscious, it’s easy to become mesmerized by our own story. If we tell it often enough, it really does take on a life of its own, and we end up believing it is the truth of who we are."
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"We can revoke the permission we have given ourselves to think down rather than up at any time we choose, but it requires conscious intention. It’s about waking up and becoming aware of what thoughts are moving through our minds in every holy instant."
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"When I say we can disidentify with the ego, I don’t mean we should deny it or try to exile it, because we need the ego-self in order to survive in the earth world—it’s part of who we are. We simply need to be clear enough to know that there is a larger part of who we are who can and should be in the driver’s seat, steering our thinking and actions in a manner that correlates more fully with what we really believe."
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"If you can, imagine God as a mountain, and at the top lies the full experience of union with the infinite. Now imagine many villages surrounding the mountain at its base, each with its own unique pathway to the top of the mountain. Think of each village as a different religion. Is one pathway better than another path if they all take the devoted follower to the top? In a world with billions of people and thousands of religions, it is spiritual arrogance to say there is only one correct path."
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"In Zen, there is an old saying: The obstacle is the path. Know that a whole and happy life is not free of obstacles. Quite the contrary, a whole and happy life is riddled with obstacles—they simply become the very stepping–stones that help lift us to a new perspective. It is not what happens to us in this life that shapes us, it is how we choose to respond to what happens to us."
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"Herein lies the paradox: If you want more of whatever it is you desire, you have to first prove to the universe that you are capable of having it by developing a consciousness that affirms there is no shortage of it. The only way to do this is by creating a vacuum or space for it to be received, and the only way you can create a space for it to be received is by letting go of what you do have, trusting that the universe knows what it is doing. That’s the law of circulation in action."
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"The mind is an amazingly powerful tool that can work for us or against us, depending on the altitude of our attitude. Combined with an awareness that the infinite intelligence of God always works through us at the level of our beliefs, it makes good sense to embrace a positive attitude and never ever give up. Believe in life, believe in the possibilities that lie ahead."
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"In my work with people, I never cease to be amazed at how often they tend to focus on what they don’t have in life rather than the incredible good they do have. It is not just folk wisdom that tells us we should be focusing on the good in our lives now, it is understanding the spiritual dynamics of a universe that only knows how to increase the energy of that upon which we focus our attention. The universe doesn’t know or care if our glass is half empty or half full, that is a determination we make."
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"All that is has a beginning and an ending, where there is a period of rest (or restoration). Look around you. The planets have cycles, our bodies have cycles, day ends with night, night ends with day, summer ends with fall, fall ends with winter, winter ends with spring, and so on it goes around and around! I believe we tend to see the up as good and the down as bad. We need to look at this because without the down, there could be no up."
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"From a spiritual perspective, we are always seeking ways to connect and share our sense of unity with God and other human beings at a deeper level. When you consider it, laughter can really dissolve the distance between people because our hearts all speak the same language. Irrespective of the language or the culture, a sincere laugh is unmistakably understood. When people laugh together, it’s because in that moment, they are sharing something in common; a moment of feeling the same thing, which is when boundaries disappear. This is how authentic peace begins."
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"What we continually focus our energy and attention on becomes that with which we ultimately identify as the basis of our reality! Begin to explore where your mind is taking you. With what are you identifying as the core of your reality? To what are you giving your attention? Either you are rooted in Being (Infinite Presence, here and now) or you are rooted in the external world where the mind runs rampant, feeding on the latest fear presented by the media and unconscious others. You can’t have it both ways. A house divided always falls."
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"Wouldn’t it be great if all of our growth opportunities came in times of light, love, blue skies, and green lights, where it felt good and we could see where we are going? Unfortunately, that’s not the way it works. The reality is, we are destined to grow, one way or another. Our only choice is, Will it be consciously or unconsciously? There can be great personal growth for us as we learn to consciously push out into the darkness as well as the light. The truth is that some of our most meaningful personal growth experiences can be stimulated when life appears the darkest and most uncertain."
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"The fact is that there are some wonderful movies and TV programs available to us today, and there are some not-so-wonderful movies and TV programs available to us today. I wonder, if people understood more fully the impact that their thoughts had on their bodies and the body of their affairs, would they be more mindful of the “food” they consume with their minds? Simply put, thoughts energized by fear, violence, and negative images move energy through us in a manner that causes great dis-ease, emotionally and physically..."
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"The ability to control our experience in life takes on a new depth and meaning when we come to the realization that the only thing we really have even a modicum of control over is our own mind. What happens in our mind determines if we shall react or respond to that which is set before us at any given moment."
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"Never doubt for even one minute that there is genius within you, awaiting your recognition of it. No matter what the gift of your genius may be, the magic ingredient in manifesting it is always the same: discipline. The “D” word sends chills down many a spine, and there are times when I resist it with all my might. When I do catch myself resisting the D word, I often use this visualization: Think of discipline as a drilling tool, boring through all the layers of resistance, cutting straight through to the core of your creative genius. See the energy of that genius flowing out into expression through you. Discipline gives focus and direction to our energy of intention, which in turn unleashes the genius."
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"The fact is that the very body in which your soul self resides at this moment, perhaps with all of its aches and pains, is creating exactly the experience you need to be fully alive as a human being and as a spiritual being. The aliveness and real healing comes in knowing that it’s through fully embracing your humanness that you find your divinity."
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"You can try and wait until everything is perfect in your life before you seek that moment of enlightenment, but you will be waiting an eternity—literally. You can chew each mouthful of brown grain rice one thousand times before you swallow it, but still one day, your body will become an unfit garment in which the soul self can reside. Take care of the temple, yes, maintain it well, but don’t believe it has to be perfect in the eyes of the world before you can have the spiritual experience you came here to have."
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"Have you ever taken yourself a bit too seriously, thinking that who you are is actually defined by what you look like, how much talent you have (or don’t have), how well known you are (or aren’t), or how much money you have (or don’t have)? Those are all “garments and labels” you wear during the course of your stay here on this planet, but it’s not who you are. At the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, you will turn all of that back in just like a car you had on lease."
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"Perfectionism stems from a need to control. What do we perfectionists need to control? Other people’s opinions of ourselves! The mind–set is “If I can just cover up my flaws, I will be able to persuade other people that I am really all right, that I am enough. So I will put up this façade, which looks really good, to the world.” So we go about, adding whatever we believe we need to the image in order to convince the world (and ourselves) that we are enough, while never reaching the conclusion that indeed we really are enough just the way we are."
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"Do you ever get to feeling badly that things seem to be going poorly in some area of your life? Do you ever get so caught up in the drama of what’s unfolding that you lose sight of the gifts that life is laying at your feet in every holy instant? The beautiful gifts that life brings us every day are beyond measure, but we have to be willing to be present enough in the moment to see them. What gift has been laid at your feet today?"
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"Too often, we put off living fully today because we are living ‘fear-fully’ for tomorrow. Until we are free of our fear of the unknown, we shall never be free to fully live in the present, which is really all we have."
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"Life truly is the ultimate mystery: We are born from the pure essence of divine creation, given a body in which we rattle around for a given period of time, and then we leave again, going back into the divine essence from which we came. That, in and of itself, is AMAZING! What a miracle . . . what a mystery! The space between those two points is what we refer to as “life,” and we spend most of it trying to figure out why things are the way they are and how we can manipulate, control, and squeeze more out of it rather than living in awe of the sweetness of the mystery itself."
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"Where do we find happiness? Unfortunately, the common belief with most people is that happiness is something that happens to them when conditions are just right rather than something that happens through them when they choose to make space for it. While outer conditions may stimulate the feeling of happiness, it can never come from anywhere other than within us. Authentic happiness isn’t something we can go out and get, buy, borrow, or steal. Nor can any form of artificial sensory stimulus generate true happiness; it’s only something we can be, and it’s a choice we make with every breath we take."
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"The universe doesn’t hear words, it senses our feelings and the intention behind the words . . . and says yes to our intentions. Therefore, if our intentions are dishonorable or simply cloudy and confused, it has to show up in the body of our relationships. To be impeccable in our word is to bring our spoken word and our unspoken intention into alignment so that the inner thought and the outer action are the same."
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"What I have discovered is that for any one of us to have an authentic deepening of our sense of the sacred, we must be willing to step into the unknown. We must let go of truths that we currently hold on to (cling to), make space in consciousness for the revelation of something more, something deeper, wider, higher, and perhaps even less tangible. This requires great faith. Indeed, to be asked to give up that which we have securely sequestered away in our mind as the only truth, as the only way it can be, is scary. Welcome to the spiritual path."
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"From a spiritual perspective, we have come here to have relationships. Relationships are the vessels in which we travel toward a common destination, which is a greater realization of unconditional love. From the cradle to the grave and all along the way in between, it is the relationships we have that really make life worth living."
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Copyright 2008 ~ New Reality Press - All rights reserved
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