Quote of the day:
"To wish you were someone else is to waste the person you are." -- Sven Goran Eriksson Think about it: There once was a water bearer who had two large pots. Each hung on one end of a pole, which he carried across his shoulders. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishment, being perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.” “Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?” “I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the pot said. The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.” Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wildflowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure. The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them. “For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.” Each of us has our own unique “flaws.” We all can learn from that cracked pot. Let’s not be afraid of our flaws. Let’s acknowledge them, and take advantage of them, so that we, too, can bring beauty to the pathway along which we walk.
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Review by Dana Bosley
Personal Development Coach I’m a great fan of Julia Cameron and her writings. One of my favorite books that she wrote is called The Artist Way. A review on that book is coming soon. In The Prosperous Heart, Julia Cameron presents a 12-week program for using practical financial tools—in partnership with your creative heart and soul—to guide you to prosperity in all areas of your life. According to Cameron, true prosperity has very little to do with the amount of money we have in the bank. Rather, it is about possessing a generous heart and the ability that affords us to see clearly, and appreciate, the aspects of our lives that are truly valuable. With inspiring daily tools, exercises, and strategies, this book guides readers in developing a life that is full, satisfying, and secure—both fiscally and spiritually. The book is chock-full of other down-to-earth material such as myths about money, trusting that we live in a benevolent universe and that things will turn out okay, clearing clutter from our lives, finding community, and taking to heart the spiritual virtues and practices of forgiveness, kindness, generosity, and perseverance. However, most of all the book is about having a prosperous heart—having a meaningful life, having enough, being happy and content and rejoicing in your blessings. I very much enjoyed reading it as it goes right along with all the things I value. At times I even found myself thinking that I wish I had written the book as I have lived by faith for over 40 years and I have found the things she teaches to be true and trust worthy. Readers will find tools, such as Morning Pages (three hand-written stream-of-consciousness journal pages written first thing in the morning), and a 20-minute daily walk. New tools for financial recovery include Counting, keeping a small journal of every penny earned and spent over the course of the 12-week program, and Abstinence, a complete abstaining from any further incurrence of debt. I can assure you that if you follow her advice it will work. I found the quotes on the side bar to be wonderful, many of them I have used in my own writing. I did an exercise of my own and wrote down the things that a prosperous heart is which gave me a wonderful way to review the book. There are parts of the book you may or may not enjoy. She shares a lot of her personal life and day to day activities. I quite enjoyed it, but I can see how some may question, “What does this have to do with prosperity?” I think the point she is trying to make is that prosperity does not only consist of money, but much more. She is generously sharing her journey with you. If you are one of those who question in this way, don’t get bogged down by that distraction but try to discover the principles she is trying to illustrate and put them into practice in your own life. If you need help with your financial as well as your spiritual life, this book is for you. You can obtain the book by going to the book store under the drop down menu click self-improvement. Review by Dana Bosley
I found this book very helpful, relatable and healing. As you know if you have read my writings, I’m big on combating negative self-chatter and building up self-worth. Our so called “inadequacies” and the shame, guilt and fear that come along with it can be debilitating. Instead of living our lives in a meaningful, joyous and helpful way those obstacles can stunt our growth. I was pleased to find that Brown’s research as a leading expert on shame, authenticity, and belonging, confirms and validates my own research and my own theory of the seven principles of meaningful living. You can find that article that I base my life coaching practice and writings of the Motivational Minutes on, in the archives of my blog under meaningful living in the category list. Brown has made a career out of studying difficult emotions such as fear and shame. She is a brave woman to address these uncomfortable feelings that many people care not to address. She courageously tackles the dark emotions that get in our way of leading a fuller life. I highly recommend this book as I found in reading it that some of that courage rubbed off on me. In this book she shares ten guideposts on the power of what she calls “wholehearted living”. Each guidepost is the focus of a chapter that contains illustrative stories, primarily from her own life; definitions, including the difference between shame and guilt; great quotes; and brief suggestions of activities or exercises to help you take action on her commentary. She emphasizes that above all other ingredients of living an emotionally healthy life is the importance of loving ourselves. I find this is really true but is often hard to grasp especially for those who have sacrificial and giving natures. However, I have found that you cannot give out of an empty vessel and it makes helping and loving others more effective if you love and respect yourself. The thing I like about this book is how she explains shame and fear and explains ways of engaging with the world from a place of worthiness. She intersperses her own personal journey with research and clinical observations of others of the work of living a “wholehearted” life, or “engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness.” The point is to embrace life and oneself with all the imperfections, releasing the stress of overdoing and overworking. I found the exercises for readers useful to continue my own development of growth and to be able to stand up to unrealistic expectations of others and myself as well as overcoming shame and inadequacies. Each day we face a barrage of images and messages from society and the media telling us who, what, and how we should be. We are led to believe that if we could only look perfect and lead perfect lives, we'd no longer feel inadequate. So most of us perform, please, and perfect, all the while wanting in our deepest hearts to be accepted for what we are and to stop having to prove ourselves. In her ten guideposts, Brown engages our minds, hearts, and spirits as she explores how we can cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, "No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough," and to go to bed at night thinking, "Yes, I am sometimes afraid, but I am also brave. And, yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable, but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging." If you are interested in acquiring this book you can find it in the book store section of this site under the drop down menu self-improvement. Bathe in The Fountain of Meaningful Living
From Dana Bosley I want to take this opportunity to give you a brief over view of the seven principles to meaningful living and keys to thriving in hard times. These principles are what I base my coaching and writings on. The Motivation Minutes take these topics and subtopics covering each in more depth, however, the following might serve as an over view as you reflect on what you want your life to look like for you. No doubt many of you may already be living up to these goals, but for what it’s worth—some of you may need to think about how you can improve in some of these areas. One thing I know, every one of these points is important to living a meaningful life. 1. Attitude: Your attitude has so much to do with how you handle your situation, whether you make things harder on yourself, or easier. An important thing to remember is you are not a victim, you can make a choice to change things. Having a good attitude is acquired by developing the following: § Perspective: One of the most vital ingredients to a meaningful life and thriving in hard times is having a positive attitude, and remembering that it is all a matter of perspective and how you view your situations. § Limiting beliefs: On the opposite end of the spectrum, you need to recognize your limiting beliefs and fight to overcome them, in addition—fight your negative self chatter. § Positive thinking: Your thoughts can become your reality, so it’s a good thing to be thinking about the things you want and not about what you don’t want. § Vision & Motivation: Where there is no vision, the people perish. It is important to have a vision, a passion, a dream. This will keep you moving and progressing and give you meaning in life. § Goals & Habits: Once you know what your vision is, you need to develop a plan to obtain it. Then you need to plan your work and work your plan, as well as overcome your bad habits by making new ones. 2. Resilience: Studies have shown that people who have high resilience are those who have the most meaningful lives. Resilience is the ability to bounce back and is built by the following. § Adversity: Obstacles are part of life, but more than that, adversities deepen and enhance one’s life—if you let them. § Failure & Mistakes: Triumph is born out of failure and making mistakes. Learning to handle failure and mistakes gracefully is a hard lesson to learn, but well worth it if you want to be successful. § Risk taking: This goes along with your perspective toward failure. Once you have the right attitude toward failure, then some calculated risks won’t be that hard to take, and are in fact essential to take if you want to keep growing and making progress in your life. § Be prepared: Being prepared for the opportunities that come your way is also a part of resilience. Your golden opportunity will come and you need to be prepared and ready to step right into it. § Learning: Never stop learning. Learning expands your horizons and helps you to see what may seem invisible to others. 3. Moral Fiber: Your moral fiber really determines who you are and is decided by how you act when no one is around. It is the core of your being and is central to a meaningful life and consists of the following. § Character: Integrity, courage, honesty, dignity are all part of character. It is only as you develop a good character that you can hope to have a noble life. § Forgiveness: Forgiveness is imperative to cultivate. If you have past grudges, grievances, or bitterness, it is crucial to rid yourself of it. Lack of forgiveness can be the greatest hindrance to living a meaningful life and thriving in hard times. § Happiness & Success: Defining what success means to you is a key. True success does not lie in the abundance of the things you have, but in the happiness you have—it is a matter of perspective. § Manners: Courtesy, manners, and treating people with respect, increases your own self worth and dignity. This principle may seem unimportant but little things do matter and make a huge difference. § Priorities & Values: Knowing what things are important to you in life, and defining what your values are, are key. When you are not living in congruity with your values it can wreck havoc in your life, and this can be a source of stress, unhappiness and turmoil. 4. Relationships: Relationships are the cornerstone of life. You can either have good ones or bad ones. Making every effort to have good relationships in your life will make it all the deeper and richer. Conversely, not making the effort, can make your life miserable. § Support team: Surrounding yourself with supportive people—those who lift you up and encourage you—is imperative to becoming all that you are meant to be. It is said that you are the sum of the five closest people that you surround yourself with most often, so it is important to surround yourself with those you want to emulate. § Evaluate your friends: You could have negative influences around you that you are not even aware of. You need to pin point the negativity and minimize it. Do not let anyone, no matter how good their intentions, hijack your dreams. § Boundaries: Setting boundaries is an important quality to master—doing so can end a lot of unnecessary abuse you may be experiencing in your life. § Listening: So few really know how to listen, or are truly listened to. The art of listening is something well worth cultivating and using. § Building up others: Just as it is important for you to surround yourself with people who lift you up, it is equally as important that you lift up others. 5. Service: Studies show that serving the community is one of the seven human needs. With the following keys you can have that need fulfilled in a positive way. § Encouragement & Appreciation: There are too many people in the world who feel unappreciated and need encouragement in order to do their best. Be a force for good to fill that need. § Giving: The best way out of financial difficulty is by giving. You are never too poor to share what you have. When you see someone less fortunate than yourself, thank God for what you have, then reach out to help the other person. Give him or her what you can of yourself and your substance. § Love & Kindness: These two go hand in hand with giving. If you can’t give anything else, you can always give love and kindness. § Leaving a legacy: It’s never too soon to consider how you want to be remembered. What have you done to make your world a better place? § Doing your part to change the world for the better: You may think that the world’s problems are too big and there is nothing you can do about them. You may not be able to change the whole world, but you can change your part of the world--day by day, one change at a time. 6. Energy: One of our most fundamental needs as human beings is to spend and renew energy. However, in a world of relentlessly rising demand and chronic overdrive, most of us spend far more mental and emotional energy then we adequately renew, and far too little physical energy to stay fit. It is vital to recognize and plug up your energy drainers and to renew your energy. § Nutrition, Exercise & Sleep: With our bodies constantly being invaded with toxins, it is important we get the right nutrition. It’s during deep, sufficient sleep that our bodies not only renew and recharge, but also repair themselves. At the other end of the spectrum, exercise challenges our bodies physically, signals growth, and positively influences our cognitive functioning and mood. So eat right, exercise right, sleep right and live right. § Simplicity & Stress: There many things in our lives that add to our stress. One significant energy drainer is putting up with things that don’t work—or things that irritate us, such as clutter. Living simply takes some work to get the hang of, but will bring you great peace of mind. § Financial freedom: Use money but don’t let money use you. A huge energy drainer is the worry about money but you can be free from that. § Laughter: Laughter is a great mood elevator, de-stresser, and is over all good for your health--both mentally, physically and spiritually. § Pampering: It is important to celebrate both big and small wins in your life. Enjoy the moment. Take good care of yourself, even pamper yourself at times. A better you makes a better world. 7. Spirituality: We are all spiritual beings and thus are influenced by the spirit. No matter what your spiritual practice, it is important to connect with the spirit. § Quiet time & Journaling: It is extremely beneficial to take time out—time where there is nothing on your agenda, so you can think, read, write, dream or rest. Make time to relax and reflect, to pray, establish affirmations, meditate, to do the things that quiet your spirit. In addition, take time to write down or journal your thoughts, dreams and ideas—enjoy your journey, and record it. § Self-esteem & Personal Worth: Many people suffer because they don’t feel like they are worthy. This is so sad, but as you connect with the spirit, you will revitalize your human dignity and you’ll see just how special and unique you are. § Gratitude: Expressing thankfulness, gratitude, or praise on a regular basis can lead to an overflowing abundant life. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to cultivate this habit. When showing gratitude becomes part of you, the results in your life and spirit will be magical. § Inner Beauty: To find inner beauty one must go beyond the epidermis into the soul of the human being. Inner beauty is an intangible quality that radiates from within and can only be cultivated by growing in spirit. This is just an overview of the seven principles to Meaningful Living. Each of the subtopics are whole studies in themselves and can make a world of difference on their own, but when all these principles are combined together and put into action, you’ll be amazed at the change it can make in the quality, depth, meaning, purpose and richness of your life. I invite you to bathe in the fountain of meaningful living and revel in the inspiration you will find there. Looking forward to enjoying the wonder of a meaningful life with you. Wishing you all the best, Coach Dana Quote of the Day:
“Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this world.” — Helen Keller Reflection: I suffered from self-pity for years. In my case, I was listening to my negative self-chatter. I would not only leave the door open for doubts to come in, but I would mull them over and over in my mind for hours on end. Pretty soon I was agreeing with all the negative talk going on in my mind. “Yes, that's right! I'm not perfect, and I don't have much to be happy about. I might as well quit!” But one day I realized what I was doing and ever since I have been on a mission to eradicate the negative chatter from my mind. The minute you start listening to those negative voices, you're done for! It will never end until you are dragged to the very bottom and left utterly defeated. Don't let this happen to you. My advice is to slam the door on the negative talk—don't listen to it for one second. Remember, that nobody is perfect, and even though you may have faults, this does not have to override all the good—your talents and good qualities that can help you succeed in life. Defeat your doubts by thinking happy positive thoughts. Sing, shout, start saying something cheerful and encouraging. Gratitude is the best defense against negative self-chatter. |
AuthorThe goal of the blog is to provide interesting, motivational, soul feeding material. All to help remind us that God loves us all and wants a personal relationship with each of us and will take care of us in times of trouble. I aspire to be a force for good by providing you with positive input. I encourage you to share the blog with others. Archives
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