The Daily Guru

[caressa]

YOUR LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT


The golden opportunity you are seeking lies within you.
It's not in your environment.
It's not in luck or chance,
or in the help of others.
It's all in you.

There are opportunities all around you.
If the door of opportunity appears closed,
you must knock on it,
and keep on knocking on it until it opens.

You must become an opener of doors.
You can develop your opportunities
by applying persistence to your possibilities.

Success doesn't come to you.
You must take action to be successful.

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"Commitments To Serve"

“Our deepest need is for the joy that comes with …knowing we are of
genuine use to others.”

-- Eknath Easwaran

Holding an intention to be in service shapes our overall attitude
towards life in many ways. For example, it brings a greater sensitivity and
awareness of others, a commitment to harmlessness, a willingness to put
others’ needs before our own and a desire to be in harmony with all.

An attitude of service also involves a willingness to be served when we
truly need support.

"… there is no such thing as just existing. Everything is in service to
everything else. Existence is giving and receiving. A stone gives and
receives no less than a saint."

-- Jacob Needleman

[caressa]

The face in the mirror

"Our inability to see beauty doesn’t suggest in the slightest that
beauty is not there. Rather, it suggests that we are not looking carefully
enough or with broad enough perspective to see the beauty."

-- Rabbi Harold Kushner

Who are you? You can gaze at your reflection in a mirror but you’re not
likely to see your true likeness. You are beautiful, unique, perfect.
Do you see that?

The world needs you to see how whole and complete you are -- now. Can
you begin to own your divinity? The world needs you to know who you
really are so you can be the mirror for others.

"The sun shines not on us but in us. The rivers flow not past, but
through us, thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the
substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing."

-- John Muir


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YOU GAIN STRENGTH OVERCOMING OBSTACLES


Sooner or later you'll encounter a crisis in your life,
and how you meet it will determine
your future happiness and success.
Since the beginning of time,
everyone has been called upon to meet such a crisis.

Close scrutiny will show you that most "crisis situations"
are opportunities to either advance or stay where you are.
Indeed, most changes in your life will be due
to either "inspiration" or "desperation."

Whatever comes your way, give it meaning
and transform it into something of value.
Personal growth is the process of responding positively to change.

A precious stone cannot be polished without friction,
nor humanity perfected without trials.

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"Struggling With A Decision?"

"You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to
do so. For remember, fear doesn't exist anywhere except in the mind."

-- Dale Carnegie

My anxiety level spiked the other day as I wrestled with whether to
choose option A or option B. I was so afraid of making the wrong choice!

And then I remembered, with deep gratitude, Susan Jeffers’ sage advice:
There are no wrong decisions! Whatever we might choose in life will
bring valuable experiences if we are open to receive them.

“Lighten up! Whatever happens as a result of your decision, you’ll
handle it!”

-- Susan Jeffers


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FEAR IS CONQUERED BY ACTION


Nothing in life is to be feared.
It is only to be understood.
When you dare to face the things that scare you,
you open the door to freedom and success.

Most of your obstacles would melt away if,
instead of cowering before them
or procrastinating about dealing with them,
you would make up your mind to walk boldly through them.

Don't be afraid to take the steps you need to take
to make those positive changes in your life.
To fight your fears, you must act.
Your fears increase when you wait, put off, or postpone.
If you understood your situation enough,
you would never be afraid.

The attainment of your dreams is but a determined action away.
Successful people take action.

[caressa]

You don't have to buy from anyone.
You don't have to work at any particular job.
You don't have to participate in any given relationship.
You can choose.

You steer the course you choose in the direction
of where you want to be today, tomorrow,
or in a distant time to come.
You hold the tiller.

You can decide to alter the course of your life at any time.
No one can ever take that away from you.
You can decide what you want and go after it.
It's always your next move.

[caressa]

Slow down

"The soul requires duration of time -- rich, thick, deep, velvety time
-- and it thrives on rhythm. Soul can’t be hurried or harried .... We
may go through many events in the day and experience nothing because the
soul has not had the opportunity to feel them from many different
points of view."

-- Robert Sardello

Soul cannot exist when our connections in life remain superficial. An
experience of soul requires that we take time to be fully present to the
details of our lives.

Explore what happens when you take the time to STOP and PAY ATTENTION.
When we choose to slow down and really experience the qualities of our
lives, we get a whole new perspective on what living’s all about.

"We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact
that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery."

-- H. G. Wells

"The well of Providence is deep. It’s the buckets we bring to it that
are small."

-- Mary Webb

[caressa]

What message did you most need to hear?

"One word frees us from the weight and pain of life; that word is
love." --Sophocles

In exploring the enneagram, Riso and Hudson have identified ‘lost
messages’ that we needed to hear as children but didn’t. The absence of
these words may be at the heart of our most basic fear. And unconsciously
we may still be seeking to hear these words from others.

Review the following messages and note if any one touches you more
strongly than the others:

1. "You are good."
2. "You are wanted."
3. "You are loved for yourself."
4. "You are seen for who you are."
5. "Your needs are not a problem."
6. "You are safe."
7. "You will be taken care of."
8. "You will not be betrayed."
9. "Your presence matters."

"Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a
person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them
all right out, just as they are -- chaff and grain together -- certain
that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth
keeping, and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away."

-- Dinah Mulock

[caressa]

Create consciously

"No man has a chance to enjoy permanent success until he begins to look
in a mirror for the real cause of all his mistakes."

-- Napoleon Hill

The law of karma is the law of cause and effect. It works unavoidably
when there is no consciousness -- when we are not present in the moment.
When there is no consciousness, the past creates the future.

The law of Love supersedes the law of karma. It intervenes in the
process by focusing in the present. In fact, one could say that Love is
being fully present. When anything is initiated in Love in the present, the
future of that reality will be purposeful, meaningful, loving and
powerful.

"He who is false to present duty breaks a thread in the loom, and will
find the flaw when he may have forgotten its cause."

--Henry Ward Beecher

"In my beginning is my end."

-- T.S. Eliot

Daily Guru

[caressa]

Honour yourself

"I’d gone through life believing in the strength and competence of
others; never in my own. Now, dazzled, I discovered that my capacities were
real. It was like finding a fortune in the lining of an old coat."

-- Joan Mills

Take a moment to stop and think about what you give to the people and
life around you. Don’t think about what you’re not doing right. Look
instead at all you do that is a blessing.

Many of us continually beat ourselves up for not doing or being enough.
But imagine for a moment that you are great just as you are. Feel the
relief this brings! Now open to the possibility that this is not a
daydream. It’s true! Believe it!

"People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that
they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first
secret of success."

-- Norman Vincent Peale

"We cannot rise higher than our thought of ourselves."

-- Orison Swett Marden

[caressa]

RICHES LIE INSIDE YOU, NOT IN MATERIAL POSSESSIONS


Wealth without enjoyment is little consolation.
Your real prosperity lies in being thankful.
Your real riches are riches of the head and heart.
Satisfaction comes from appreciating what you have.

Success is getting what you want.
Happiness is wanting what you get.

It's not how much you have,
it's how much you enjoy.

[caressa]

Shifting consciousness

"The world we are experiencing today is the result of our collective
consciousness, and if we want a new world, each of us must start taking
responsibility for helping create it."

-- Rosemary Fillmore Rhea

Below are 7 levels of consciousness that clearly outline a path for our
evolving consciousness:

- tribal and mass consciousness - one obeys the group and lives by
trial and error
- individual consciousness - one develops a stronger sense of self and
ego
- seeker’s consciousness - one asks questions and seeks independence
- intuitive consciousness - one develops the heart and is becoming
spiritually aware
- group consciousness - one serves a higher good filling the needs of
others
- soul consciousness - one experiences spiritual service.

On which level do you spend most of your time? What are you doing to
shift to the next level of being?

There are as many paths to understanding, awareness, peace, freedom,
love and meaningful service as there are people. Enjoy your journey!

"Consciousness is not just some by-product of the human brain mass.
Consciousness is all pervasive. It is in everything and is everywhere.
Your individual human consciousness exists within and is a part of a
universal consciousness."

-- Delfin Knowledge System

"God acts in history: that is, God provides ideas, methods, and
experiences intended to bring comprehension to man, an understanding heart, a
conscious life."

-- Jacob Needleman

[caressa]

Hope and disappointment

"It’s precisely the disappointing stories, which have no proper ending
and therefore no proper meaning, that sound true to life."

-- Max Frisch

"Don’t get your hopes up!"

Were you warned of this as a child? What does this say? It says that
life is bound to disappoint you. It says, don’t aim high because you’re
not likely to get what you want. It says that we can’t expect good
things to happen to us.

As our thinking creates our reality, this kind of thinking dooms us to
a mundane existence. It’s time to change our stories. Why not focus the
immense power of our hearts and minds on bringing to fruition the very
best life has to offer? Allow yourself to hope and believe in all
possibilities.

"Hope is the companion of power, and the mother of success; for who so
hopes has within him the gift of miracles."

-- Samuel Smiles

"The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope
for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it
from a distance but live right in it, under its roof."

-- Barbara Kingsolver

[caressa]

YOU HAVE TO GIVE BEFORE YOU GET


It's a universal law: You have to give before you get.
You must plant your seeds before you reap the harvest.
The law works to give you back more than you have sown.

When you give to others, you'll find yourself blessed.
The more you sow, the more you reap.

He who obtains has little.
He who scatters has much.

Nature does not give to those who will not spend.
You only get to keep what you give away.

[caressa]

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO LIVE YOUR DREAMS


The day you take complete responsibility for yourself,
the day you stop making any excuses,
that's the day you start moving down the road to success.

No one else can do it for you.
Only you can make it happen.
You're the only one that has to live your life.

Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility.
It's up to you to choose the thoughts and actions
that will lead you to success.

Your life will be what you make of it.
Nothing will ever happen by itself.
Success will come your way once you realize
that you have to make it come your way by your own actions.

The power to succeed is yours alone.

[caressa]

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE TO A WILLING HEART


You can do anything in this world you want to do,
but you must want to do it badly enough.
You really can have everything you want, if you go after it.
You have to want it.

The first ingredient of success is desire.
Do you know what you want?
Your desire is the planting of your seed.

Your desire for success must be so strong within you
that it's the very breath of your life.
It must be your first thought when you wake in the morning,
and your last thought when you go to bed at night.

You can be whatever you make up your mind to be.
What's in your mind is all that counts.

[caressa]

Loneliness

"When humans find themselves surrounded by nothing but objects, the
response is always one of loneliness."

-- Brian Swimme

Soul lives through relationship and it is in soul that we find meaning.
We can have meaningful relationships with people, animals and other
beings, projects, ideas and ideals.

How much time do you devote to building relationships with things?

"Loneliness is caused by an alienation from life. It is a loneliness
from your real self."

-- Maxwell Maltz

"No soul is desolate as long as there is a human being for whom it can
feel trust and reverence."

-- George Eliot

[caressa]

LOVE IS ETERNAL

Once you have learned to love;
who you are, what you do, and those around you,
you will have truly learned to live.

Search for love, for it is the most important ingredient of life.
Without it, you life will echo emptiness.
With it, your life will vibrate with warmth and meaning.
Even during any hardship, love will shine through.

To love abundantly is to live abundantly.
To love forever is to live forever.
Be thankful for what you have now,
and the opportunities for love and success that are before you.

[caressa]

Let go of blame

"My days of whining and complaining about others have come to an end.
Nothing is easier than fault finding."

-- Og Mandino

We often expect other people to meet our needs. When they don’t give us
what we want, we may feel anger, resentment and even revengeful. Rather
than blaming others, we could choose to get in touch with our needs and
then fill them ourselves.

"Take your life in your own hands and what happens? A terrible thing:
no one to blame."

-- Erica Jong

"Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or
registering wrong."

-- Charlotte Bronte

[caressa]

Tune into the inner critic

"A critic is a legless man who teaches running."

-- Channing Pollock

Are you aware of your inner critic? We all have this voice that tells
us we are bad, stupid, clumsy, cowardly.... Although its intent is to
help us succeed, the harsh self talk of our critic just serves to drain
our energy and lower our morale and immune system.

To defuse the inner critic, we need to recognize when the critic is
speaking. We need to know that this voice does not necessarily speak for
who we really are. This is an old pattern that may no longer be serving
us. We want to open to the possibility that the words are not likely
true. We can ask ourselves, "Are these words helpful?"

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

-- Eleanor Roosevelt

"Abilities wither under faultfinding, blossom with encouragement."

-- Donald A. Laird

"Never react emotionally to criticism. Analyze yourself to determine
whether it is justified. If it is, correct yourself. Otherwise, go on
about your business."

-- Norman Vincent Peale

[caressa]

You are worthy!

"A person's worth is contingent upon who he is, not upon what he does,
or how much he has. The worth of a person, or a thing, or an idea, is
in being, not in doing, not in having."

-- Alice Mary Hilton

As a human being, as spirit manifested in form, you are innately
worthy. Your worthiness does not have to be strengthened or improved.
However, you may not PERCEIVE yourself to be worthy.

If you doubt your self-worth, consciously or unconsciously, you will
limit the good things you will allow into your life.

Do you consider yourself worthy? It may help to answer these questions:

- Do you find it easier to give than to receive?
- Do you have as much money as you would like?
- Do you feel driven to improve yourself?
- Do you value other people's time more highly than your own?
- How would you feel if someone offered to pay you a salary of $1
million/year?

If you find you lack self-worth, don't despair. Just being aware of
your self-worth issues will help you let them go.

"Every achiever that I have ever met says, ‘My life turned around when
I began to believe in me.’"

-- Dr. Robert H. Schuller

"We cannot achieve more in life than what we believe in our heart of
hearts we deserve to have."

-- James R. Ball

[caressa]

Make time for yourself

"What is it that makes all of us end each day with the sense that we
have not lived our time, but have been lived, used by what we do?"

-- Jacob Needleman

How can you free up more time for yourself?

All of the great masters counsel that we need time daily for solitude.
And if we want our journey in life to be meaningful, then surely we
need some free time each day to explore our inner landscapes and uncover
our passions. What activities can you cut out of your life to give you
more growing room?

"Why has time disappeared in our culture? How is it that after decades
of inventions and new technologies devoted to saving time and labor,
the result is that there is no time left? We are a time-poor society; we
are temporally impoverished. And there is no issue, no aspect of human
life, that exceeds this in importance. The destruction of time is
literally the destruction of life."

-- Jacob Needleman

[caressa]

Trust yourself

"I never know what the next lesson is going to be, because we’re not
supposed to know; we’re supposed to trust ourselves to discover it."

-- Melody Beattie

How deeply do you trust your own guidance?

Always trust that you know what's best for you. To move forward in your
life, gather information from the 'experts,' consider how their advice
relates to your situation and then act only on what feels right for
you. What does your whole being (mind, body and soul) say ‘Yes!’ to?

You are the only expert for your own life.

"I trust so much in the power of the heart and the soul; I know that
the answer to what we need to do next is in our own hearts. All we have
to do is listen, then take that one step further and trust what we hear.
We will be taught what we need to learn."

-- Melody Beattie

"Ultimately, we must learn to trust ourselves. When we do this
intimately and intelligently, the world opens full of meaning before us. We
find that we ourselves are the doorway to a fathomless understanding of
the source of life itself. We need only to learn to walk through it."

-- James Thornton