Aphorisms from Aa to Zz: Aa

Acceptance

Accept the things you cannot change. ~ Serenity Prayer

Accept the “What Is.” ~  Rain falls. The sun sets.  The “What Is” Is.

Embrace ALL with Joy . . . Anything can be a Gift of Gold in Disguise.

Whether viewed as “good” or “bad” at the time it happened, with enough perspective, “It’s all good.”

Life is good, except for the bad bits (which, in hindsight, often become good bits, too).

Souls don’t break . . . they bounce!

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. ~ Teddy Roosevelt

Action

Freedom lies in being bold. Do one thing every day that scares you.

The greatest mistake we can make is to be continually fearing that we will make one. ~ Elbert Hubbard

If you aren’t making some mistakes, you aren’t taking enough chances ~ John Sculley

Mistakes left in a work of art record the artist’s magnificent struggle.  Except for typos . . . those just show sloppy editing!

If you don’t have the life you want, start making changes . . . because it’s not going to fall in your lap.

Between the wish and the thing, life lies waiting.

It’s amazing the things we find to do . . . to avoid doing amazing things.

Create the life you want to live.  Unleash your imagination & let it run wild!

Without freedom, one’s creativity cannot bloom.

Start where you are.

You will recognize your path when you come upon it, because you will suddenly have all the energy and imagination you will ever need ~ Jerry Gillies

Passion . . . makes it happen!

If you are lacking in attention ~ just make a mistake, and others are sure to notice!

Just start, and the way will appear.

Follow your instincts, intuition, inner wisdom, and see where you end up.

Actions speak louder than words. ~ Adage

Talk is cheap . . . until you hire a lawyer. ~ Contemporary slogan

I will not steep my speech in lies; the test of any man lies in action. ~  Pindar (522 – 433 B.C.)

Apathy is inertia in action ~ nothing goes anywhere.

Anger

How people behave in anger often reveals the truth at their core.

Sometimes words hurled in anger knock people’s “socially acceptable” and “politically correct” masks askew . . . revealing their true faces.

On the Spiritual Path, people who annoy us are our “teachers.”  In time, people who can upset us become harder and harder to find.

Attitude

Attitude, not aptitude, determines altitude. Fly high!

Attitudes are contagious.  Is yours worth catching? ~ Author Unknown

Laughter prevents hardening of the attitudes. ~ Adage

I think I can.  I think I can. ~ The Little Red Engine

Absolute certainty is a privilege of uneducated minds and fanatics. ~ C.J. Keyser

Some people wonder why . . . I wonder, Why Not? ~ JFK

Don’t worry, be happy. ~ Contemporary Lexicon

Authenticity

To thine own self be true. ~ Shakespeare

Know thyself ~ Oracle of Apollo at Delphi, Greece

Don’t worry about what the world wants from you.  Focus on what makes you feel more fully alive. What the world really needs are people who are fully alive. ~ Joseph Campbell

Turn the spotlight inward. ~ Gandhi

Seek clarity.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.  ~ Dr. Seuss

When we are enjoying the journey, we stop worrying about finding our intended audience ~ we trust that our intended audience will find us.

You don’t need a permission slip to live your life.

Always remember that you don’t have to be what they want you to be. ~ Mohammad Ali

If you’re already walking on thin ice ~ why not dance?

Our infinite worth lies beyond all labels.

When you stop trying to impress others, you will discover your infinite worth.

If you don’t do what you love, you’re just wasting your time. ~ Billy Joel

Be authentic.  Discard your masks.

You have as many reputations as acquaintances.  None is accurate.   Be who you want to be.

The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. ~Ayn Rand

Don’t be afraid to let go of your “roles.”  You won’t evaporate.

I always wanted to be somebody . . . now I realize I should have been more specific. ~ Lily Tomlin

Awaken to Spirit

Awaken to Spirit, and you will know.

God is the breath inside the breath.  ~ Kabir

‎”What are you ~ a god, an angel, a saint?” “No,” replied The Buddha, “I am A-W-A-K-E.”

There’s no reality except the one contained within us. That’s why so many people live an unreal life. They take images outside them for reality and never allow the world within them to assert itself. ~ Hermann Hesse

Inner calm and peace are always there for the asking.

Inner peace, calm, and clarity are seldom achieved when we look to the Ego for guidance.

In meditation, when the world fades away, we become one with the world.

After enlightenment, the laundry.

In the silence of not doing . . . we begin to know what we feel.

When we meditate . . . the world recedes and we hold infinity in our grasp.

Awareness

Eat when hungry.  Sleep when tired.  Respect your hunger.  Obey your thirst.

Where are you?  Here.  What time is it?  Now.  ~ Peaceful Warrior

The easiest way to transform the world is to change your perspective.

The quieter your mind becomes . . . the more you hear.

Allow Spirit to clear out the underbrush of weeds in your mind.

When you have conquered the enemy within, there are no enemies left to conquer.

Barn’s burnt down ~ now I can see the moon. Masahide (1657-1723)