Minimalism has been a fashionable trend lately. Many blogs, youtube channels, and websites capitalize on the wave of interest in simplifying our extremely complex lives. I like it. I hope more and more people realize the value of restraint. Especially in the material sphere. For me, personally, minimalism is about efficiency, optimization, and contentment. We own too much, eat too much, stress out too much, worry too much etc. How do we eat just enough? Own no more than we need? Work or exercise in an optimal way? Of course, there is no one, simple answer to these questions but the very fact that we start asking them can potentially lead us in the right direction. We all have the responsibility of looking into ourselves and learning about our real needs, about how we can function in the best possible way, about our natural inclinations. When we begin to get rid of clutter in our lives and by clutter I don’t mean only the stuff that we own but also negative people we spend too much time with, old habits that lower our quality of life, thinking patterns that cater to experiences from the past that are no longer applicable etc etc, – only then we have a chance to see clearly what holds real importance to us. What gives us a long lasting satisfaction and contentment. What it means to be happy. ...
A simple thing to remember.
How many times a day do we expect something from our children, spouse, family, friends, coworkers, bosses, or the world in general?! How many times we are deeply disappointed when our expectations are not fulfilled right away?! I want my partner to be like this. I want my children to behave like this. I want people to be like this. The question is: what do I give? What is My behavior? How can I expect something from others when not doing it myself?! It is not a difficult concept. The consequences of its applications are remarkable though. It doesn’t mean that the world will automatically follow your lead. However your understanding of others can vastly improve. Try it. Before you look for purity in someone else – first find it in yourself! Before you look for kindness in someone else – first find it in yourself! Before you look for understanding from someone else – first find it in yourself! Before you look for generosity in someone else – first find it in yourself! Before you look for selflessness in someone else – first find it in yourself! Etc etc. to be used daily ...
Relativity of perception. Challenges and opportunities.
It is often difficult to call something “positive” or “negative”. What we call bad is frequently the result of misunderstanding and not following the natural order of things which results in what we generally refer to as ” negative” occurrences. For example: “bad weather”, rain, being tired, cold etc. Complaining about it is like complaining about the fact that we have to breathe. Without these things we simply wouldn’t be able to survive. Imagine that it is sunny and warm all the time. Without rain, the area could quickly turn into a dry, hot desert. What if we don’t do any physical work? We would end up with a weak and underdeveloped body. If we always insulate ourselves from the environment, trying to maintain a comfortable temperature all the time, any sudden change becomes too much for our immune system and we get ill very easily. How come we do not appreciate the gifts of life given to us everyday!? The”bad” or “negative” is nothing but our perception of a lack of harmony, being out of sync with God, Tao, our Inner Voice, our True Nature etc. What do you see around you? Good or bad? Positive or negative? Do you understand why difficulties happen in your life? Do you take advantage of these challenges to work on your own strengths and weaknesses? ...
Get yourself unstuck
This morning I was sitting and drinking my hot lemon water. It was still a bit dark outside as I was looking out of the window, enjoying the moment of quiet contentment. I looked at the window sill that had something on it that I could not recognize. A shape of an object I could not identify. Intrigued I was staring at it and straining my mind to no avail. I just couldn’t figure out what it was. It was too dark in the room and my brain couldn’t make out anything out of it. I decided to shift my body to the left and right, providing my vision with a slightly different angle and an enhanced depth perception. It took seconds for me to realize I was looking at a half opened, glossy book reflecting the window light outside. It seemed so obvious and simple that I couldn’t understand how I had not seen it a minute ago. Sometimes when we are stuck, we need to change the angle a little bit, change the perspective on the situation we are having difficulty with. It is like looking at something from the distance. I look and I don’t know what I am looking at. What is it? No recognition. The brain is trying to process it, to remember but it can’t. It is stuck. In order to move on, I need to adjust, to change my way of looking at it, interpreting it. Sometimes all it takes is taking a couple of steps to the side, climbing a little higher or stooping down. Suddenly we realize what it is we are looking at and we marvel at our inability to see it just a moment ago. When stuck – change something. It doesn’t have to be a big change. You are not trying to completely change the situation. Just your way of looking at it and understanding it. Practice it on small things in your life first. Small challenges are your great chance to train and develop the ability to find solutions. ...
