Stormy
Weather
This
week we are starting meditation classes. One of the main reasons
is that in the past we've talked about achieving peace of mind
but then we realised that a lot of people don't know how to have
peace in the midst of a storm.
How
do you fare? Can you experience peace in the midst of a life storm?
Wayne
Dyer once called Deepak Chopra to ask how to solve a problem Wayne
was having. Deepak paused and breathed in (the pause and breathe
of stating the obvious) ... after a moment, in that wonderful
Indian cadence, he replied "Meditate ... meditate".
Remember
the old Rudyard Kipling line ... "if you can hold your
head up high when all about you are losing theirs" ...
that's what it's all about. Being in a place of everlasting peace.
Stress serves no one.
A
colleague recently commented on an old article I'd written about
removing stress in our lives and said, "You are wrong".
He went on to say that people need stress to motivate them. Really?
I've never met a stressed person who operates at 100% efficiency
and makes sound decisions.
I'm
not denying that stress exists or that we all don't go a little
batty at times with the pressures we put on ourselves. But if
you practice living peacefully, the harder life gets, the more
you can abandon panic and let the hands of peace carry you forward.
This
is particularly true in conflict situations. Have you noticed
in conflicts that they're mostly because one of you or both of
you have a need to be right. In the hands of peace, your need
to be right melts away. Pride is replaced by a desire for harmony.
It
is easy to be at peace when you practice meditation or when there
are no stresses ... what I call "when the sun is shining".
When the clouds begin to roll in and darken the day, you need
to have reserves of peace and inner calm to override your emotions.
When
anger brews in, you can just breathe deeply and allow tranquility
to overtake you ... keeping emotions balanced and in order. Challenging
situations don't overpower you because you call on the reserves
of peace that you've stored up.
Most
people ... including people who follow New Thought practices ...
wait until they are in the middle of a storm before they decide
to sit down and "meditate it away" ... desperately searching
for serenity. Understand that meditation is a practice, not a
release mechanism.
What
if you actively engaged in harmony on a daily basis?
Exercise
the muscles of peace by thinking before you act or respond. Pausing
to breathe and think to calm down and keep things in perspective.
Today,
choose to stay calm, especially in the middle of the storm and
observe the waves rather than get tossed around by them.
Self-Reflection
Questions:
1.
Do I practice peace on a regular basis?
2.
What happens to my emotions when I give myself time to calm down?
3.
Why is it important to remain calm instead of allowing myself
to become overwhelmed?
It's time to grow your spiritual home with active work and
financial support. New Thought
Centre is a non-profit organisation that depends on you.
Become involved - volunteer and/or practice the abundance
of circulation.
Financial donations (even a few dollars a week) help
us build more for you with a community of like-minded
people who make a difference in your world.
When
we give freely, we are telling the Universe that we have
no fear of lack and that we truly believe that abundance
will flow into the space created by our giving.
True or true?
__________________
AND
ANOTHER THING ...
How
Easily Do You Embrace New Ideas?
You might
find it tough to keep an open mind. After all, there's a certain
comfort in being set in your ways. However, opening your mind
to the possibilities of new opportunities, knowledge, adventure,
and even relationships could bring greater fulfillment and happiness
to your life.
Find
Your Motivation
In order to make it possible for you to embrace new ideas, it's
important to motivate yourself to try new things. Why do you want
to become more open? Are you committed to it? Are you willing
to take action to make it happen?
Choose
Areas To Develop
Which areas of your life do you want to open up to new ideas?
A simple example would be if you find that you're eating the same
things all the time, perhaps you'd like to try some variation
in your menu. To get your mind used to the idea, try at least
one new food or recipe each week. It's a simple and realistic
approach!
You could
start with one small area to open up to new ideas, and then gradually
include more areas of your life. Starting small can help you ease
into having an open mind, instead of making a sudden, drastic
change in your life.
These
tips will help you become more open to new ideas:
1. Fight the urge to react in anger when you hear differing opinions.
Instead, take a moment to yourself to find the wisdom to understand
that everyone will not hold the same opinions as you. Try to put
yourself in the other person's shoes and see things their way.
2. Avoid
closing yourself off. Welcome new situations that are different
from those you're familiar with. When you're exposed to differing
opinions, look at them as learning experiences.
3. Place
yourself out of your comfort zone. Make the effort to journey
out of your comfort zone often. If you have certain anxieties
about new situations, you should still take this step, but make
these changes slowly. Go to new places and try new things.
4. Stay
social and make new friends. You'll find that you're more likely
to discover new opportunities to try new things when you remain
social. Your friends might be trying new things that they can
introduce you to as well. Also, when you make a new friend, they'll
likely have a unique set of interests for you to learn about to
broaden your horizons.
5. Don't
be afraid to ask questions. Sometimes the only way to learn more
about a certain situation and keep an open mind is to ask a lot
of questions to gain a better understanding. While you don't want
to intrude on someone's personal life, if they're willing to share
information, you should be willing and eager to listen.
6. Avoid
speculation. Go out and live the experience before you form opinions
about something. Rather than blindly believing what someone else
says, or assuming that you won't like it, find out for yourself
if you like something or not. This could be as simple as trying
a new food, activity, or hobby.
When you
have a positive attitude about new experiences, you can open yourself
up to new discoveries every day. Remember, we are all on an evolutionary
journey. You think differently to your parents because you took
their ideas and evolved them into your ideas. Life is meant to
be fun and exciting! So continue to evolve and change by being
open to new ideas.
