"Ayurveda believes when a person does not know or live the life they were meant to live, they feel a lack of purpose or emptiness. Life-purpose is also called God-given talent, or simply, doing what you love to do. In short, if one does not do what they love to do, emptiness develops which can lead to longing and suffering, eventually developing into (physical) cancer."
- The Ayurveda Encyclopedia: Natural Secrets to Healing, Prevention, & Longevity (Swami Sadashiva Tirtha)
Whether you believe the effect doesn't matter; what's important is that the root of it is true.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
An Interlude for Failure
Throughout our lives we will grow, we will become diseased, we will die, and perhaps the hardest part of it all: we will see all this happen to those we love.
Your life will continue to put obstacles and rewards in front of you. Often times, we get hung up on the hurdles. Sometimes these hurdles are extremely painful events that not only consciously affect us, but they root themselves in our deepest being.
We begin to wake up everyday and let the anxiety of the hurdle/event grip us. It becomes so strong that we don't even know it's there; but we're aware that something's wrong (a la instincts).
Sometimes, we are caged for so long that we take on and become the anxious personality. This personality is one that is so afraid of making the same mistake again, this personality is so worried of looking like a failure, this personality is out to prove itself to no ends by all means possible.
If this is you, please stop and take a deep yogic breath. Clear your mind, be as free and naive as you were as a child. Let the weight of the world off your shoulders, greatness will come as long as you keep working for it.
As I've said in the past, you've already made many changes and accomplishments in your life. What you must understand is that failure is an accomplishment. Failure is an opportunity to put the brakes on your train on progress and reassess your situation. You are given the chance to have a different perspective and learn an even better way to go about things.
Stop worrying about failure. Stop worrying about reward. Each of these things will teach you in their own ways and make you grow accordingly. So don't get hung up on having too much or too little of either. Just relax and let it all come; as a close friend of mine always says, "Que Sera, Sera".
Your life will continue to put obstacles and rewards in front of you. Often times, we get hung up on the hurdles. Sometimes these hurdles are extremely painful events that not only consciously affect us, but they root themselves in our deepest being.
We begin to wake up everyday and let the anxiety of the hurdle/event grip us. It becomes so strong that we don't even know it's there; but we're aware that something's wrong (a la instincts).
Sometimes, we are caged for so long that we take on and become the anxious personality. This personality is one that is so afraid of making the same mistake again, this personality is so worried of looking like a failure, this personality is out to prove itself to no ends by all means possible.
If this is you, please stop and take a deep yogic breath. Clear your mind, be as free and naive as you were as a child. Let the weight of the world off your shoulders, greatness will come as long as you keep working for it.
As I've said in the past, you've already made many changes and accomplishments in your life. What you must understand is that failure is an accomplishment. Failure is an opportunity to put the brakes on your train on progress and reassess your situation. You are given the chance to have a different perspective and learn an even better way to go about things.
Stop worrying about failure. Stop worrying about reward. Each of these things will teach you in their own ways and make you grow accordingly. So don't get hung up on having too much or too little of either. Just relax and let it all come; as a close friend of mine always says, "Que Sera, Sera".
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Part 2: Relapse
The word relapse has really grown in its popularized definitions hasn't it? Twenty years ago when you heard the term it'd be synonymous with drug addicts. What I'm talking about is relapsing into bad habits.
Change is always a wonderful thing, don't let the comfort of stability fool you now. The intrinsic need to change reflects the fact that you want something different in your life because you feel unfulfilled in that aspect of living. It could be with regards to your job, your drug habits (alcohol, cigarettes, benzos, MJ, etc...), the people in your life, or in some situations, your whole life. Whatever it is, accept the fact that you should begin to pursue this feeling you have (there's a reason you feel it) and enact it.
Now lets say you know what you want to change and you've begun to do it, maybe a moth or two in. You're pretty much, in my eyes, the hardest part of the whole process. Personally, coming up with why, what, and how I wanted to make a change was the easy part; relapsing is the tough bit.
Relapsing into your old ways means going back on your change. It means not being honest with yourself, for the fact that you're not being true to the plan. It's not always your fault mind you, there could be physical factors that simply limit you from being able to do what you want to do. For these problems, put them in the long-term bank, always keeping in mind the way you'll address it eventually (it will help you stay motivated). But a lot of the times it's on you. Yes I know its difficult to keep with the plan, climbing up the mountain of success seems insurmountable but it's not --- you've done it all your life (e.g. simply growing up and getting through high school is an accomplishment in itself).
During times of most growth, you'll feel the greatest amount of instability. You'll feel like this new path you're pursuing may not be the right one because it's just so different from the usual. What's important to know is that the path you're taking may not be exact one you planned or the one that "seems right" but that's ok; you're still moving on the way to your goal. So enjoy the ride, because if you can't do that then what was the point of ending up where you want to be? Let the stimulation of the whole entire world in and introduce a new reality for yourself; if you keep at it in this way, someday your dream will be your reality (and your reality won't just be a simulated one).
Next time I'll discuss the Pursuit of Happiness and it's effects on your mental and physical health.
All the best until then.
Change is always a wonderful thing, don't let the comfort of stability fool you now. The intrinsic need to change reflects the fact that you want something different in your life because you feel unfulfilled in that aspect of living. It could be with regards to your job, your drug habits (alcohol, cigarettes, benzos, MJ, etc...), the people in your life, or in some situations, your whole life. Whatever it is, accept the fact that you should begin to pursue this feeling you have (there's a reason you feel it) and enact it.
Now lets say you know what you want to change and you've begun to do it, maybe a moth or two in. You're pretty much, in my eyes, the hardest part of the whole process. Personally, coming up with why, what, and how I wanted to make a change was the easy part; relapsing is the tough bit.
Relapsing into your old ways means going back on your change. It means not being honest with yourself, for the fact that you're not being true to the plan. It's not always your fault mind you, there could be physical factors that simply limit you from being able to do what you want to do. For these problems, put them in the long-term bank, always keeping in mind the way you'll address it eventually (it will help you stay motivated). But a lot of the times it's on you. Yes I know its difficult to keep with the plan, climbing up the mountain of success seems insurmountable but it's not --- you've done it all your life (e.g. simply growing up and getting through high school is an accomplishment in itself).
During times of most growth, you'll feel the greatest amount of instability. You'll feel like this new path you're pursuing may not be the right one because it's just so different from the usual. What's important to know is that the path you're taking may not be exact one you planned or the one that "seems right" but that's ok; you're still moving on the way to your goal. So enjoy the ride, because if you can't do that then what was the point of ending up where you want to be? Let the stimulation of the whole entire world in and introduce a new reality for yourself; if you keep at it in this way, someday your dream will be your reality (and your reality won't just be a simulated one).
Next time I'll discuss the Pursuit of Happiness and it's effects on your mental and physical health.
All the best until then.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Part 1: Trust Your Instincts
When taking a test, how many of you change some of your answers upon review of the test? When you come out of the test and think about those questions how do you feel? Typically, doubt is the emotion that comes to mind. You doubt if the newly circled answer was right; and with that you doubt if your initial choice was even correct. Imagine a life of making decisions only to doubt them thereafter by second-guessing them.
"Second-guessing" choices isn't necessarily a bad thing. It is essentially a form of reflection and review, which is important in honing your skills in any avenue of life. Where the issue with this is that we often second-guess our choices with the "Other" as our lens.
When walking you trust that your instincts will put each foot in front of the other in the correct manner. When your autonomic mind controls your movement, very rarely do you make a mistake.
When driving you aren't typically thinking about how to specifically operate your hands, rather they just operate themselves. When making turns, lane changes, and the like, your mind quickly makes the calculation of whether your directive is a safe one. Very rarely do you make a decision and then do the complete opposite; anecdotally I believe that it is when people hesitate to follow their instincts do they get into accidents (obviously not fact, but I'm sure many of you agree).
And for those of you that play instruments: don't you typically find that you make mistakes when you're consciously thinking about what you're doing. Personally when I play the drums, I keep the best flow when just letting my body take me where it wants to go next.
My life became easier when I began to trust my instincts. When presented with a problem, the first thought that comes to my head is deemed my solution. When in conversation, the first thing that comes to my mind is my response. When taking a test, the first answer I circle is the one I stick with (and when I deviate from this, I typically regret it).
I've seen two benefits from this lifestyle.
The first is that I have less anxiety. When I trust and follow my instincts, I feel as if I am remaining transparent to myself. I never feel like I engage in activities beyond my means, I never feel like I am being false to others, and perhaps the best benefit: I no longer remain awake at night wondering "was that really the right thing to say/do/feel?".
The second benefit, which is a bit anecdotal, is that I've seen better outcomes in my life. I've seen better success in school, the workplace, and personal relationships. Perhaps this could be confounded by the fact that when you trust your instincts you're a more confident being but hey the benefit is there regardless.
I've been purposefully vague with how it has changed my life because this is up to you to see. It's your life, effects will vary.
So it's up to you. If you're finding yourself imprisoned by anxiety and are unsure about a major decision you have to make, just trust your instincts. Close your eyes, block everything out, and query yourself. And in that moment you're done asking yourself that question, write down the first thought/answer/idea that comes to your head. I have an inkling that if you pursue that avenue, things will work out fine.
Next time I'll be looking into the concept of Relapse.
Best of luck.
"Second-guessing" choices isn't necessarily a bad thing. It is essentially a form of reflection and review, which is important in honing your skills in any avenue of life. Where the issue with this is that we often second-guess our choices with the "Other" as our lens.
When walking you trust that your instincts will put each foot in front of the other in the correct manner. When your autonomic mind controls your movement, very rarely do you make a mistake.
When driving you aren't typically thinking about how to specifically operate your hands, rather they just operate themselves. When making turns, lane changes, and the like, your mind quickly makes the calculation of whether your directive is a safe one. Very rarely do you make a decision and then do the complete opposite; anecdotally I believe that it is when people hesitate to follow their instincts do they get into accidents (obviously not fact, but I'm sure many of you agree).
And for those of you that play instruments: don't you typically find that you make mistakes when you're consciously thinking about what you're doing. Personally when I play the drums, I keep the best flow when just letting my body take me where it wants to go next.
My life became easier when I began to trust my instincts. When presented with a problem, the first thought that comes to my head is deemed my solution. When in conversation, the first thing that comes to my mind is my response. When taking a test, the first answer I circle is the one I stick with (and when I deviate from this, I typically regret it).
I've seen two benefits from this lifestyle.
The first is that I have less anxiety. When I trust and follow my instincts, I feel as if I am remaining transparent to myself. I never feel like I engage in activities beyond my means, I never feel like I am being false to others, and perhaps the best benefit: I no longer remain awake at night wondering "was that really the right thing to say/do/feel?".
The second benefit, which is a bit anecdotal, is that I've seen better outcomes in my life. I've seen better success in school, the workplace, and personal relationships. Perhaps this could be confounded by the fact that when you trust your instincts you're a more confident being but hey the benefit is there regardless.
I've been purposefully vague with how it has changed my life because this is up to you to see. It's your life, effects will vary.
So it's up to you. If you're finding yourself imprisoned by anxiety and are unsure about a major decision you have to make, just trust your instincts. Close your eyes, block everything out, and query yourself. And in that moment you're done asking yourself that question, write down the first thought/answer/idea that comes to your head. I have an inkling that if you pursue that avenue, things will work out fine.
Next time I'll be looking into the concept of Relapse.
Best of luck.
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