Even when we can't control our thoughrts, we can still control the quality of our thoughts. And since we are more deeply affected by our thoughts than by experiences, it's important to learn how our fascinating minds work.
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5:00
David and Goliath
Feeling overwhelmed is not a reason to overreact or act in a way that isn't in line with your core values. If you don't know what to do, it's okay to say "I don't know what to do," and perhaps all the reason to postpone doing anything until you have more clarity. With enough time, your core principles and moral compass help you find true north, the middle path, and peace with whatever decision you make.
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7:12
Change The World
If you don't define what "enough" means to you, you will never HAVE enough, and you will never feel like you ARE enough. You can't change the world in its entirety, but you CAN change someone's entire world, and that, my friends, is enough!
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5:40
Prevention Is The Best Cure
Just like all the water in the ocean can’t sink a ship unless the water gets inside the boat, all the negativity and toxicity in the world won’t bring you down unless you let it in. Mindfulness doesn't make other people less irritating, it makes us less irritable. So, if you are still irritable, then you still have work to do. Part of that work involves no longer waiting for the world to accommodate your preferences or reacting when things don't go your way.
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4:33
No Praise, No Blame
It's in your best interest to increase your tolerance. Avoid wishing for things to be different than they are because comparison, attachment, desire, and resistance, are the causes of our anguish and suffering. All of life's challenges, difficulties, and hardships are part of the process. Don't be so quick to dismiss or resist them. In my experience, the obstacles I wish to avoid contain the valuable lessons I desperately need to learn.
The intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich, and inspire. Timber Hawkeye is the bestselling author of Buddhist Boot Camp, Faithfully Religionless, and the Opposite of Namaste. He offers a secular approach to being at peace with the world, both within and around us. As the Dalai Lama says, "Don't try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist, use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are."
New Zealand