Believe you can and you’re halfway there. Theodore Roosevelt

Your question for today is this : What can you do to be even more inspired ?

Can you inspire somebody else ?

Can you re-read your favorite book ?

Can you pray ?

Can you play your favorite game ?

Can you write in details your ideal life ?

Really, can you ? If yes, do it now.

Can you talk with your partner about your ideal life ?

Can you run as fast as you can ?

Can you take a walk in the woods ?

Can you listen to your best album ?

Can you dance ?

Or

Can you….just stop and listen to the sounds around.

Can you slow down ?

Can you dream, right now ?

Hope is a waking dream. Aristotle

image by Sukanto Debnath

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OENLA9bd5Ls

images by Paulo Brandao, paul (dex) (2)(3), notsogoodphotography (2), Scarlet White, Hamed Saber, Nina Mathews Photography, riza, Kyle Kruchok, nattu, kelsey_lovefusionphoto

I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better. -Abraham Lincoln

Think of a person you don’t like.

Now ask yourself if you really know this person.

Do you know her parents, her sister, her brother ?

Do you know where she lives ?  What sports she plays ?

Do you know her story ?

It’s true that understanding can be difficult.

We are all too occupied with our little world, our little problems.

And sometimes, we don’t want to understand, we don’t have time…

But understanding is accepting that humans are sometimes strange, good and bad.

It’s also showing patience, and patience is love.

So next time you surprise yourself “hating” somebody.

Stop and ask yourself : what can I do to love this person more ?

The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding. -Leonardo da Vinci

image by mc hammer

Suffering is inevitable.
Yet, we want to have eternal joy.
We want to be happy, and remain in that state.

But life is change.
And change is the only eternal thing.
We are not eternal.
Must of us are scared to accept this fact.

In the long term, we must be able to say “thank you” to suffering.
Without suffering, there would be no joy.
Without joy, there would be no suffering.

Joy lies in the fight, in the attempt, in the suffering involved, not in the victory itself. -Mohandas Gandhi

image by jonrawlinson

Why do you have a religion ?

Is it because you try to be a good citizen to avoid hell ?

Are you scared of hell ?

Does religion secures you ?

Do you see that choosing a religion is like building a wall around you ?

Do you see that this wall prevents you from seeing your life as it is ?

Sorry for being so harsh, but if you don’t see this, you’ll be scared all your life.

Scared of losing your religion.

Maxime

image by Bert K

Only the insecure strive for security. -Wayne Dyer

Mental comfort is a synonym of peace, satisfaction, happiness.

You’ll see those words more than often here at smilingmind.net.

Why ?  Because we all seek that.

But the good question to ask is : can we create a mental comfort ?

Is this possible to be satisfied, now, for the rest of lives ?

Problem is, our mind has a good memory and he like the way he felt yesterday.

And because he remembers that, he wants those good feelings to come back now.

So he tries to change the actual situation.

He fights.  He loses energy.  He fights again.

He never really sees things as they are.

He never accepts things as they are.

Sometimes the situation changes.  The mind is happy.

But it’s only temporarily.

Dissatisfaction comes back the next moment.

And THIS is the point here.

Life is change, and everything is temporary.

Yet, the mind don’t see that.

He doesn’t see that he’s seeking lifelong mental comfort, always.

Yes, he tries to enter a state and stay in it!

Why? Because he knows this state, so it’s comforting!

There is nothing wrong with the seek of mental comfort.

As long as we are aware of it and accepting it.

Otherwise, you’ll be stressed, depressed, aimless.

Bottom line :

If you have a behavior you don’t like, notice how it often relates to mental comfort, feeling safe, mental security.

For example, how many times have you check/update your Facebook/Twitter last week ?

What about the news, your emails, your RSS, your new followers, etc.

Yes, I know, it feels safe to know all those things.  Home sweet home!

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.  -Helen Keller

image by andrewb47

The pace of society is fast.
We adopted it, and our brain like it.
But we don’t realize it.

When we arrive at a point, our brain asks the question, “what’s next?”.
We never really stop to appreciate what’s here, now.
We don’t see the point, the benefit of slowing down.
Our brains always wants to know more, see more, do more and go fast!
He does not want to miss a thing!

But lasting satisfaction, if it exists, do not come from more “accumulation”.
It does not come from more Facebook friends, Twitter followers.
It does not come from knowing, right now, all breaking news from Hollywood.
It does not come from the illusion of control we feel using the last technology.

To know where it comes from.
Imitate nature.
Go slowly, wisely and steady.
Do what you got to do and be patient.

The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit. -Moliere

image by pesis

In life, you have choices.
It’s either you are satisfied, or not.
It’s either you want to grow, or not.
It’s either you are ready to grow, or not.
It’s either you accept suffering, or not.

But the real questions are :

Is your ego too big to let you suffer ?
Is your ego too big to fail ?
Is your ego too big to serve others ?
Is your ego too big to give a piece yourself to others ?

Don’t let your ego be the boss.
Instead, become a friend with your ego.

I own and operate a ferocious ego. -Bill Moyers

The purpose of suffering is to burn the ego. -Eckhart Tolle

image by sziszo

Our brain wants things right now.
He wants gratification, satisfaction, now.
He wants to feel good.
Always now.

When you did not eat for the last 24 hours, it’s normal.
When you check your Facebook or email every hour, it’s not normal.
It’s not an essential need.
It’s a brain need.
A need that is never satisfied.
But the brain will justify those needs…always

Learn to delay gratification.
When you are about to do useless stuff.
Simply ask yourself the question : “really?”.

Do it for yourself.
If you fail (because we all do), just try again, and again.

One day, you will understand that a life well lived.
Is not a life lived for gratification.

I let your discover your own answer.

Genius is eternal patience. -Michelangelo

image by themacinator

We have a lot to learn from our kids.
Kids are not stressed.
OK, they don’t have the pressure that we have.
Still, they smile, they play, they enjoy, they LIVE.
They don’t create stress in their mind.

Living, for them, is not what happened yesterday.
It’s not memory.
It’s not anticipating what’s coming tomorrow.
Kids don’t do that.

If you feel bad one day.
Just try to imitate a kid of a couple of minutes.
Run outside, in the rain, in the snow, build a snowman, laugh, smile.
You’ll see how you feel after.

The components of anxiety, stress, fear, and anger do not exist independently of you in the world. They simply do not exist in the physical world, even though we talk about them as if they do. -Wayne Dyer

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