Everyday Wisdom #95

Self-worth is achieved by only one thing: thinking that you are worthy. 

So be confident.  Believe in yourself.

We waste our days if we spend them comparing ourselves to others, and wishing that we were different to what we are.

Everyone has their own strengths, talents, and gifts.  

It’s only when you accept yourself, ALL of yourself, that you will find true happiness.

 

Check your reflection

Cultivating a habit of self reflection is vital for self improvement.

Through self-reflection we can learn from our mistakes, release attachments, increase our enlightenment and allow our true nature to shine through.

Reflection also gives us a sense of perspective.  As well as taking note of what didn’t work, we also are able to celebrate in our successes. And to spend time acknowledging and praising ourselves for the things that we have done in our lives that have made us happy, and made others around us happy.

 

Start a daily habit of reflection today

Spend a few minutes at the end of each day, and if it helps, write your thoughts in a journal.

Reflection Tip:

Think about your day, your work, your life. In that order.  Reflect on what went right, what went wrong, and anything that you would do differently.

 

Pssst

Has anyone told you yet today how 

absolutely,

positively,

incredibly,

amazing 

you are?

Everyday Wisdom #94

We are comfortable in the cocoon we’ve built up around ourselves — the routines and possessions and people we know and places that are familiar and safe.

Losing this comforting environment, and going into a place where we’re vulnerable and might fail is painful and scary.  

We cling to the idea of how things should be, and when they change, we feel the pain of that change.  

The change itself isn’t the problem — it’s fighting the change, fearing the change, and not wanting things to be different.

Everyday Wisdom #93

Let others take you as you are, or not at all.

Speak your truth even if your voice shakes.

By being yourself, you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before. So walk your path confidently and don’t expect anyone else to understand your journey, especially if they have not been exactly where you are going.

www.marcandangel.com

Permaculture and Buddhism

I was doing some research today on permaculture, and was amazed to see the similarity in the beliefs and ideals behind permaculture and Buddhism.

They are such a natural fit.

Permaculture is largely based on systems thinking – systems thinking being the process of understanding how things influence one another within a whole.

In permaculture, systems thinking examples include ecosystems in which various elements such as air, water, movement, plants, and animals work together to survive.

The focus of permaculture is not on each separate element, but rather on the relationships created among elements by the way they are placed together; the whole becoming greater than the sum of its parts.

It’s very much in line with the Buddhist belief in interconnectedness.

Buddhism teaches that all life is interrelated. All beings and phenomena exist or occur only because of their relationship with other beings or phenomena.

Buddhism holds that nothing exists in isolation, independent of other life.

Or more specifically, our lives are constantly developing in a dynamic way, in a synergy of the internal causes within our own life (our personality, experiences, outlook on life etc) and the external conditions around us.

Each individual existence contributes to creating the environment which sustains all other existences.  All things, mutually supportive and related, form a living cosmos, a single living whole.

There is an intimate mutual interconnection in the web of nature, in the relationship between mankind and its environment.

In permaculture, the three interwoven principles are: Care for the earth, care for the people, and fair Share.   In linking back to Buddhism, the Buddhist concept of “right action” is achieved when all three ethics are realised by an action or design system.

Ultimately – and perhaps most importantly – permaculture systems lead to an ability to live without harming ourselves or others. 

Which of course is a key Buddhist belief, and a crucial part of the eightfold path.

 

“ We’re all human beings who, through some mystic bond, were born to share the same limited life span on this planet, a small green oasis in the vast universe.” 

~ Daisaku Ikeda

Everyday Wisdom #92

If you’re looking for a happy ending and can’t seem to find one, maybe it’s time you start looking for a new beginning instead.

Brush yourself off and accept that you have to get hurt from time to time. That’s how you learn.

The strongest people out there – the ones who laugh the hardest with a genuine smile – are the same people who have fought the toughest battles.

They’re smiling because they’ve decided that they’re not going to let anything hold them down, they’re moving on to a new beginning.

www.marcandangel.com

Beautiful and profound advice ♥

A Leaf in Springtime

“To learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to act is really not to know.” ~ Stephen R. Covey

Three years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I can tell you there is nothing quite like the sheer terror of tottering on the edge of a deep yawning abyss and peering down with wide stricken eyes.

I remembered clawing helplessly at the remnants of my life’s best laid plans. I remembered for the first time in my life, growing old seemed such a blissful prospect. I remembered being jolted wide awake.

In such moments of rare clarity, one of the first things that flashed across my mind was the shocking awareness and dismay of my own failings. I have tried to own up and learn from those mistakes. These are some of those lessons learnt from the school of hard knocks, long dark tunnels and other unlikely places of wisdom.

1. Our greatest failures are not…

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Everyday Wisdom #91

The pain is worth it. You can’t really begin to appreciate life until it has knocked you down a few times. You can’t really begin to appreciate love until your heart has been broken. You can’t really begin to appreciate happiness until you’ve known sadness. You have to struggle up the mountainside to appreciate the breathtaking view at the mountaintop.

via www.marcandangel.com

 

Everyday Wisdom #90

We can try to control our future – by looking for security, and predictability, and routine.

We can strive to always be comfortable, and safe, and avoid change.

However the basic truth is that we can never avoid uncertainty.  We can never avoid pain and suffering.

What we can do is ‘train’ for it.

Through meditation, and practising metta (loving kindness), and by developing compassion and equanimity.

Through these practices we will find that elusive stability within ourselves.

We can make that choice.

To find that stability within ourselves.  Or to do as we have always done, and live in fear.

“Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible in us be found.” 
― Pema Chödrön

The Sunday Wrap-Up

This blog post is dedicated to all the things I have enjoyed, and been grateful for this past week ♥

 

My favourite blog post

A Primer on Full-Screen Living, by Leo Babauta.

I adore all of Leo’s posts.  Each one he writes from experience, and each one always seems so relevant to my life.

This post offers us an alternative to the way we normally live our lives – by multitasking – and instead gives a different perspective – by living a “full screen life”.

 

Favourite YouTube clip

It’s an oldie, but this week I thoroughly enjoyed watching it again…

It’s a Hard Knock Life, from Annie the Musical

 

Favourite book

The Secret to Happiness (Hugo the Happy Star Fish).

A wonderful (currently FREE) e-book for kids.

 

Favourite Facebook page

A Sprinkle of Kindness

My lovely friend Rosemary created this page to spread kindness through our community.  Each day she posts beautiful and touching messages and photos.

 

Favourite Podcast

Meditation as a Mirror to Ourselves

 

And my favourite personal moments from this week:

Riding my bike to and from school, with my son riding his scooter along side me.

Baking choc chip cookies.

Sitting meditating in the sunshine.

Spending a few moments each evening detailing what I am most grateful for that day.

Laughing with friends.

 

I would love to hear what your favourite moments of the week have been.

Comment below, or join me on Facebook

Love & blessings,

Meg

 

Friday night haiku

Clock ticking loudly

Sleep is a long time coming

Thoughts taking over

People that inspire me ~ Martin Smith

The people I find inspiring are those who embody the traits that I value – kindness, generosity, compassion and positivity.  And I feel incredibly grateful to have very inspirational people around me – both in real life, and on the world wide web.

In this blog post I would like to pay recognition to Martin Smith.

Martin Smith is an Ambulance Officer, single dad, and the creator and illustrator of the “Wuff and Ready” Adventure stories.

 

Wuff and Ready are a range of colour children’s books designed to represent the real heroes in our community.

Martin is dedicated to spreading the message of kindness and compassion to the next generation of young children.

And as such, Martin started on a mission to change the world.  To give kids real heroes, no violence, happy endings, and to show compassion is a strength that all real heroes have.

The books feature a host of inspiring characters.  Ed and Elle are fire fighters on big truck 2, Bruce the turtle and Courtney the mouse are the paramedics from the Wagapaw ambulance service.

Martin’s aim is to provide kids with heroes with a heart that they can look up to.

And as Martin says: “Real hero’s open their hand to help another, not use a clenched a fist….. that’s ‘Wuff and Ready’ ”

For more information on Martin, please visit:

www.tmasbooks.com.au

Wuff and Ready Adventure Stories

 

Everyday Wisdom #89

The following was my horoscope forecast for today.

Although it’s a horoscope, I felt it was really true of life in general.

 

All you really need is to be gentle, mindful, compassionate, caring and kind.
You can be patient, too. That will help.
Don’t underestimate the amount of power that you can manifest, just by being yourself

 

Happiness is….

Happiness is a feeling a sense of gladness, of pleasure or comfort.

However it is also a lot more than that.

Happiness is living a meaningful life.

It’s taking action on the things that truly matter in our hearts.  Living by our intentions.  Living a life that we consider valuable and worthy.

When we decide what we stand for in life, and when we act according to that – and our deepest intentions – our lives become full and meaningful.

This leads do a deep and profound sense of happiness.  One that is not fleeting.

It’s a happiness found from living a life well lived.

 

Everyday Wisdom #88

Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.

Theodore Isaac Rubin