We Can Choose NOT To Be Offended February 1, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Life Balance, Mindfulness.comments closed
Kirk’s post today (T4D) ties in with the theme of choice, and the underlying freedom we reclaim when we choose NOT to be offended:
In the post, Kirk shares an insight-filled comment from one of his regular readers, Tom:
When someone kicks me in the shin, unless I’m some kind of mind-bending swami, I have no choice but to feel pain. That’s a matter of physiology. However when someone insults me, I have control over how I decide to feel about that.
I could decide to laugh it off. I could decide that their opinion has absolutely no value to me, so I ignore them. I could decide to feel sorry for them. I could decide to nurture them and help them work through their anger. Or I could decide to feel hurt, which means basically I’m giving them permission to hurt my feelings, because my feelings are totally under my control.
Tom hit the nail on the head.
When we absorb perceived insults into our being, we are poisoning ourselves.
THEY are not doing anything to us. WE are choosing to add toxicity to our lives.
We betray ourselves by hanging on to every slight, real and imagined.
Instead of re-acting with our habitual thought patterns of getting angry, plotting revenge, responding in kind, or any other pattern of action that causes us to relinquish our peace of mind, we can choose a more “able” response.
We can become response-able. (TOM and Being Response~Able.)
When we refuse to let go of anger, hurt, or jealousy at the earliest opportunity, we are the ones impeding our progress.
As soon as we choose to let go of our negativity, the imaginary pebbles in our path evaporate.
We cannot control others.
We can control how we choose to view them . . . with anger or compassion, with amused detachment or frustration.
We can choose NOT to be offended.
Learning to manage our thoughts, feelings, and emotions can be difficult, but it’s worth it . . . after all, our freedom is at stake.
Quote: What you think of me is none of my business. ~ Dr. Wayne Dyer
What about you? How do you respond when someone says something that displeases you? Do you act, re-act, re-enact?
Or do you just kick the comment to the curb and continue on your way?
“For you to insult me, I must first value your opinion.”
Aah . . . that’s better!
Related posts: Rules of the House * A Change Would Do You Good * Be A Tigger . . . Tiggers Bounce * Silence the Mind * Maintaining Perspective * Accept Your Irrelevance * A Warm Hug for a Sad Child * Deal With It, Princess (Raptitude) * Do You Choose To Be Offended (Flying Gma’s Blog)
Commit To Sit February 1, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Life Balance, Meditation, Mindfulness.comments closed
In the silence between thoughts, we enter the eternal now.
As we breathe, stress recedes. We just are.
And we realize that just being is enough. We don’t need to get caught up in the daily dramas that surround us.
It is enough to just be.
Here. Now.
The benefits of meditation linger long after we arise from each session, awake, alert, and aware.
* ”What are you ~ a god, an angel, a saint?”
* “No,” replied The Buddha, “I am A-W-A-K-E.”
We are calmer with greater clarity, inner peace, and contentment. We re-enter the flow of life. We reclaim the power within.
To get started, just commit to sit. And breathe.
Join the 28-day meditation challenge starting . . . NOW! (Of course.)
Week One: The Breath * Week Two: The Body * Week Three: Emotions and Hindrances * Week Four: Thoughts
From Tricycle ~ Awake In The World:
Good luck, and remember: this is a challenge. It is a structured four-week program intended to give you a taste of the benefits of intensive meditation training.
Everyone will struggle to follow the program perfectly. Do not let missed meditation sessions or broken vows discourage you. Just return to the practice.
As Sharon Salzberg often tells her students, it’s the coming back that deepens our practice.
It is in the doing that we become.
Interested?
Intrigued?
C’mon . . .
Don’t just do something! Sit there.
Just Be * Be Here Now * Let it be * Be true to yourself * Be unique * Be Free * Dare to be different * Be Yourself * Don’t worry, be happy *Do less. Be more.
Related Posts: 28-day meditation challenge (Blue Lotus Cafe) * Meditation 101 * The Inner Path to Peace * Be Here Now * Mindfulness: A Miracle Drug * Your Brain On Bliss * Beginner’s Yoga 1~2~3 * Day 3 (Blue Lotus Cafe)
Spirit Lights The Way 