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| the way of wise words> inspirational sayings and stories inner dialogues recommended reading ask cosmic-cherry a question |
Universal sayings
The
world’s greatest teachers have given us millions of wise
words between them – here are a just a few of cosmic-cherry’s
favourites
CHOOSING HOW TO BE
Think about what limits you - most of us do have a choice on how
‘to be’
I am making three fundamental choices
To be free
To be healthy
To be true to myself
NEVERENDING POSSIBILITIES!
Understand how to create the possible...
We are always in the process of creating
our life and our destiny – nothing is in fact already decided.
Possibility does not exist unless you are willing to consider
it.
MORE OF THE SAME?
This saying has been almost overused but try to see it afresh
because so many of us could learn from it!
If you keep on doing what you’ve
always done, you’ll keep on getting what you’ve always
got. Your life will be as it always has been, now and forever!
ATTITUDES TO LONELINESS
When you’re feeling lonely take heart from this wise saying
:
"Happiness lies in both
the sorrow of solitude
and the bliss of peace"
UNDERSTANDING LUCK
When nothing seems to be going right ask spirit for patience,
perseverance and gradual change:
"So good luck came and on my
roof did light
Like noiseless snow or as the dew of night
Not all at once, but gently as the tress
Are by the sunbeams tickled by degrees"
And in case you don’t believe in luck because you’re
anchored into so-called western logic – remember the old
saying
‘You make your own luck!’
MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR HOME
If your home is smaller than you would like and you’re feeling
hard done by – take heart from the spirited words of Etty
Hillesum, a young Jewish woman living in Amsterdam in 1942 when
the Nuremburg laws were applied to the Netherlands:
"Take what little space we are
left with, fathom its possibilities and use them to the full"
GIVING AND RECEIVING
"If you never expect anything
You will rarely depart empty handed"
Julius Spier
"Always be overjoyed at receiving.
Even the smallest of gifts will seem like treasure."
Etty Hillesum 1914 - 1943
LOVE
Just how important is love? Rumi tells us:
Love is the energising elixir of the
universe, the cause and effect of all harmonies
Oscar Wilde’s rendering on love is perhaps one of the most
beautiful sayings ever written:
"Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless
garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving
and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing
else can bring"
Cosmic-cherry’s take on the love bond emphasises the dual
nature of relationships:
OUR LOVE
It took two to start the relationship
Two to sustain our bond
Two to enjoy the pleasures
Two to work through the pain
Two to grasp possibilities...
Only two - me and you!
WHAT IS SUCCESS? ARE YOU SUCCESSFUL?
Check out the list below and you may be surprised – pleasantly
or otherwise!
Success is...
- bringing
out the best in others
- being
naturally compassionate
- being
true to myself
- laughing often and much
- learning from my mistakes
- rising above fear of failure and ideas of what others expect
- earning the respect of other people
- enjoying the affection of children
- taking time to appreciate beauty
- taking pleasure in the simple things of life
- giving unconditionally
- leaving the world a better place, whether by creating a wonderful child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition
- knowing that even one life has breathed easier because I have lived
- giving and receiving love
MAKE YOU WORK ‘BROAD AND
FREE’
Thich Nhat Hanh equates our work style with our potential for
freedom
"We each paint our own lives.
If your work is broad and free,
your life will be broad and free, also.
That is all."
A WORD TO THOSE WHO EMPLOY OTHERS
This is both a responsibility and an opportunity for you to succeed
in your chosen vocation.
Employ the vital energy of every employee.
Vital energy is the available life force energy which can be used
productively or unproductively in our working lives.
Encouragement, inspired leadership, trust, self-empowerment, honesty,
robust frameworks, level playing fields and information sharing
will all help to direct the focus of your employees’ vital
energy. The result - increased productivity and contentment.
USING NATURE TO INSPIRE
Take a walk in the countryside – stop – look –
listen. There’s so much to see and hear and touch –
so much to learn from. Write a few lines of your own when you
return home – it’s a great experience to create with
the written word what you’ve experienced in the wild. Here’s
a small example.
Precious snowdrops
Pristine white
In glorious groups
Oh that this peaceful carpet
Were the paradigm for man
ASK YOURSELF SOME POIGNANT QUESTIONS
Questioning yourself is often an excellent way at getting behind
the façade of your daily glamour and habits. Contemplate
your answers and determine to make changes where you know you
should!
In my affluence, am I starving the
spirit?
Am I free to be myself – if not, why not?
Am I living up to my potential?
How many people does it take to change my life bulb?
What do I really need, as opposed to what I may think I want?
How long can I afford to put off who I really want to be?
Do I want to be healed?
The space I live in is a reflection of myself - does it do me
justice?
THE POWER OF THOUGHT
Attributed to The Buddha
We are what we think
All that we are is started in our thoughts
With our thoughts we will make the world
BUDDHA WISDOM FOR THE TEACHER
IN YOU
The Buddha said to Ananda:
"Truly, Ananda, it's not easy
to teach the way of freedom to others. In teaching freedom to
others, the best way is to first establish five things and then
teach."
"What are the five?" inquired Ananda.
" When you teach others, you must think:
I will teach in a gradual and sensitive way.
I will speak with the goal in mind.
I will speak with gentleness.
I will not speak in order to gain anything.
I will not speak with a view to harming anyone.'
"If you establish these five
things, your teaching will be well received."
BEING ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE
FOR YOURSELF
Personal responsibility is a hard one to come to terms with, but
Jung expressed it brilliantly
"It is much more straightforward,
more dramatic, impressive and therefore more convincing, to see
all the things that happen to me than to observe how I make them
happen."
ATTITUDE
William James [1842 – 1910], the father of modern psychology,
expressed the obvious beautifully
"The greatest discovery of my
generation is that human beings can alter their lives simply by
altering their attitude of mind"
SELF DISCIPLINE - ROMAN STYLE
Attributed to Marcus Aurelius [Emperor of Rome AD 161 – 180]
Hour by hour resolve firmly to do
what comes to hand with correct and natural dignity. Allow your
mind freedom from all other considerations.
This you can do if you approach each action as though it were
your last.
You will need to dismiss
- the wayward thought
- the emotional recoil from reason
- the desire to make an impression
- the admiration of self
- the discontent with your lot
See how little a person needs to master!
IT’S A MATTER OF OPINION
Attributed to Epictetus [Stoic philosopher born circa AD55 –
AD135]
"Men are disturbed not by the
things which happen but by their opinions about those things"
ABSOLUTE TRUST
An affirmation from Ralph Blum in The Book of Runes emphasises
the ongoing nature of life’s work:
"Free of anxiety and unattached
to outcomes,
the spiritual warrior practices absolute trust
in the struggle for awareness, and is constantly
mindful that what matters is to have a true present"
LIVE NOW
A word on NOW. Sayings based on the theme of living mindfully
in the present have been around as long as people, but they are
all as true today as when they were first voiced. Naturally there
are many variations attributed to various wise people. The important
thing is not who said the lines but to understand them and live
the wisdom. Select the ones that inspire you the most and display
them on your wall or make a personal book mark.
Now is the time and moment of my existence
Yesterday is just a memory past
Tomorrow is my vision of what may or may not be
But today, well-lived, is the essence of my true fulfilment
Yesterday is history
Tomorrow is a mystery
Today is the gift
When shall we live, if not now?
Seneca – the Roman Philosopher, said when he sat down to
eat with friends.
Life itself must be our fountainhead
Draw your strength directly from life,
rather than from other people or from things.
Julius Spier
MISCELLANEOUS SAYINGS TO MAKE
YOU THINK!
Today is the first day of the rest
of my life... enjoy!
This moment is the perfect teacher - and it’s always with
me.
Worry pulls tomorrow’s clouds over today’s sunshine
Life is a mirror.
If you frown at it – it frowns back.
If you smile – it returns the greeting.
Every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.
We are but droplets in a sea of consciousness that is love.
You have to believe in a great tomorrow
Then you have to create it.
Don’t be dismayed at goodbyes.
A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.
And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes
Is certain for those who are friends.
What the caterpillar calls the end of the world
The master calls a butterfly
Richard Bach ‘Illusions’
Everything that ends is also the beginning
of something else.
Get rid of right and wrong, blame and praise
Throw away the agenda
Introduce the open space of endless possibility.
It’s so easy to laugh, it’s so easy to hate.
It takes strength to be gentle and kind.
Morrissey
When one door shuts, another opens.
FINALLY
SOME FUN SAYINGS
Take happiness more seriously
It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than
to open it and remove all doubt!
If everything is coming your way – you’re in the wrong
lane.
I one really learnt from one’s mistakes, I would be a genius
by now.
I cheated in the final of my metaphysics examination –
I looked into the soul of the boy sitting next to me.
Woody Allen
Be your own joy goddess
cosmic-cherry