ATTITUDE Before comparing yourself with others, win the battle with yourself. Strive to be better today than yesterday, and better tomorrow than today. There is no one as strong as a person whose heart is always filled with gratitude. Just as cherry, plum, peach and damson blossoms all possess their own unique qualities, each person is unique. We cannot become someone else. The important thing is that we live true to ourselves and cause the great flower of our lives to blossom. Envying another’s beauty will diminish your own. But when you praise beauty in others your own beauty deepens. Patience is, in and of itself, a great challenge and it often holds the key to breaking through a seeming impasse. Anyone who has ever made a resolution discovers that the strength of their determination fades with time. The important thing is not that your resolve never wavers, but that you don’t get down on yourself when it does and throw in the towel. Sometimes we complain without thinking much of it, but the frightening thing about complaining is that every time we do, a cloud descends over our heart, and our hope, appreciation and joy gradually wane. Learning to Hope Martin Seligman Once a self-professed pessimist, Martin Seligman, the framer of “positive psychology,” asserts that optimism—a deep confidence in the positive potential of human beings—can change our lives. Facing Challenges Whilst the stark truth is that hardship and difficulties are inevitable and inescapable, the definitive question may be whether we yield under their weight or use them as an opportunity to better ourselves. We have both a weak self and a strong self; the two are completely different. If we allow our weak side to dominate, we will surely be defeated. If you always have a shallow perspective and pay attention only to trivial things, you are sure to get bogged down in all kinds of petty worries and concerns, and not be able to move forward. Even relatively minor hurdles or problems will seem insurmountable. But if you look at life from a broad viewpoint, you naturally spot the way to solve any problem you may confront. “Dig beneath your feet, there you will find a spring.” The place where you are now is crucial. Never try to avoid that which you must do. Ultimately, our battle is with ourselves. Whether in our activities in society, or whether in historical, political or economic developments, everything essentially boils down to a struggle between positive and negative forces. Real optimism should not be confused with a carefree outlook on life, one in which we forfeit responsibility for our lives. The person undefeated by misfortune, poverty, insult and vilification; the person who can bounce back from every adversity and say, “What? That was nothing!” The person who marches on toward hope through sheer force of will; that person is a true optimist. Trust is difficult to earn and it is easily lost—the trust built over a decade can be shattered in an instant by one offhanded remark or deed. A person who is not swayed from their chosen path, even during the most trying times, will ultimately find that he or she is trusted by all. As long as we are human, we are bound to make mistakes. What distinguishes a forward-looking person from an intransigent one, a virtuous person from a dishonest one, however, is whether one can candidly admit to one’s mistakes and take bold steps to redress them. It’s foolish to be obsessed with past failures. And it’s just as foolish to be self-satisfied with one’s small achievements. The present and the future are what are important, not the past. Those who neglect this spirit of continual striving will start to veer off in a ruinous direction. It is human nature to desire recognition and to want to look better than what we are. When that desire seizes control of us, it is easy to lose sight of who we are and what our real purpose is. Spiritual corruption begins from there. The best thing is to be true to one’s heart. A poet wrote: “To the weak, difficulty is a closed door. To the strong, however, it is a door waiting to be opened.” Difficulties impede the progress of those who are weak. For the strong, however, they are an opportunity to open wide the doors to a bright future. Everything is determined by our attitude, by our resolve. Life is best lived by being bold and daring. People tend to grow fearful when they taste failure, face a daunting challenge or fall ill. Yet that is precisely the time to become even bolder. Those who are victors at heart are the greatest of all champions. It is senseless to blame others or your environment for your miseries. Change begins from the moment you muster the courage to act. When you change, the environment will change. The power to change the world is found nowhere but within our own life. If you failed yesterday, strive to win today. If you were defeated today, strive to win tomorrow. It is natural for human beings to look forward. Our eyes naturally look ahead. In this sense, we are made for moving toward a goal. Each time you fall down, just get back up. If you can pick yourself up, you can also move forward. The misfortune of others is our misfortune. Our happiness is the happiness of others. To see ourselves in others and feel an inner sense of unity with them represents a fundamental revolution in the way we view and live our lives. Therefore, discriminating against another person is the same as discriminating against ourselves. When we hurt another, we are hurting ourselves. More Everything begins with the resolve to take the first step. From that action, wisdom arises and change begins. Without action, nothing changes. So many of life’s conflicts find their origin and cause in envy. Envy ruins and destroys people’s hearts. Unless we view things with our heart, we can see nothing. If we look at the world with a love of life, the world will reveal its beauty to us. Not to advance is to regress. Those who face adversity with hope and the willingness to try their very best don’t consider the process painful. People who exert themselves to the fullest and tackle each problem as it arises don’t really experience hardships as such; they instead see everything as a joyful challenge. Make today blossom in the manner most appropriate to the person you uniquely are! Ultimately, it is not difficult circumstances that defeat one, but one’s own weakness. If you want to understand the causes made in the past, look at the results as they are manifest in the present. And if you want to know what results will be manifest in the future, look at the causes that exist in the present. The reality of your future self is forged by current action, in your behavior now. Lies are truly frightening, because they not only deceive others but also destroy one’s own humanity. The place where you are now is vital. Never avoid what you must face. Challenge your circumstances and steadily persevere. The path toward victory opens from where you stand. When your determination changes, everything will begin to move in the direction you desire. The moment you resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in your being will immediately orient itself toward your success. On the other hand, if you think, “This is never going to work out,” then at that instant every cell in your being will be deflated and give up the fight. While it is important to win, it’s even more important to remain undefeated no matter what happens.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 11:24:11 +0000
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