Like "Mona Lisa"

Think of “Mona Lisa”, Leonardo da Vinci’s universally known masterpiece. If you look at the painting, you are mesmerized not so much by the young woman’s beauty and  enigmatic smile (which oceans of ink have been used to write about) but mainly by the mysterious fascination that the whole picture exercises on the mind of onlookers. I would call this “perfection” because, as any true masterpiece – be it a painting, a statue, a symphony, a building, a poem, a piece of prose etc. – it has a universal meaning. The artist was able to express a deep feeling that any human being can experience. Are you willing to accept the idea that the “stuff” you are made of is just what - and all that - you need in order to express your potential, in order to  make you the best you can be?

There Is A Screen Around You

You might have wondered why, given a particular stimulus, the possible reactions to it are endless, as almost infinite are the programs that might have been activated in the brain. From the moment you are born, in fact, your mind undergoes a never ending absorption of information whose aim is to educate it, molding it in agreement with the accepted values of whatever society you live in. This information, that you get from different but equally powerful sources such as school, family, religion and social environment, build a sort of screen around your brain. Thus, you find yourself fully conditioned, programmed to give precise answers to particular stimuli. The principles your parents instilled in you, the notions your teachers taught you, the way others behave, even an image seen or a word heard by chance, have contributed to enrich your mental “computer”. Now it’s up to you to decide what is worth keeping and what is not.

Thinking versus Being

Your brain can't help thinking, as this is its nature. But you are not your brain. This means that your true nature transcends thought, it is beyond any expressions on either a physical or mental level. Therefore the world created by your emotional thoughts is not the real world. Emotional thought is unable to perceive the essence of any element of creation. This means that you don’t see what actually “is” but only what you “believe” it is, you perceive it through your personal interpretation. When you look at a tree, you don't simply acknowledge its shape and colors. Your brain starts immediately to reason about the characteristics of this tree. It “thinks” about it. Therefore the deep essence of such experience is almost totally lost. By judging what surrounds you - as this is just what thinking is - you label situations, things and people and thus create a kind of cocoon where you happily live without being able to see beyond your prejudices and pre-conceived ideas.

Carpets and Life

As nothing in life happens by chance, all actions, encounters, relationships, thoughts or deeds are like the threads of a carpet being woven. The threads proceed for some time in a straight line, then they cross other threads and then others, thus creating a perfectly shaped and balanced pattern, following the weaver's directives. Do you do the same? Hardly. The various “points” (happenings) in your life definitely “do” cross other people’s, but how much awareness do you have in actually carrying out the “crossings”? Is your behavior always balanced, suitable, sensible? Do you know what to think, say and do when you are interacting with your human fellows? As usual, "awareness", i.e. mindfulness, is the key to a better life.

Make the Trip

“Happiness is a way of travel, not a destination”, is a well known saying.  It means that you should start reviewing what happiness means for you. Detect if, deep inside, you still believe that – in order to be happy – you need to have more “stuff”. But your significance as a human being does not depend on how much you own, or even on how much you know. Owning material and/or non-material things is desirable but it’s certainly not enough. What is important is what makes you act in a certain way (mainly your values and motivations). What you actually “do” in life is what yields results, for yourself and for others. Be careful, therefore, because you are literally "re-creating" your life moment by moment. Life is a "trip" and you are the only one who chooses how to travel. And according to your choice, you will lead a more or a less serene existence.

Yes, You Can!

Wake up from your dream of mediocrity. You can attain excellence when you dare to go a little further, when you become aware of your own abilities and  listen to your intuition, the voice of your true self which tells you: “Try, go on, endeavor, you can do it!” There are many goals you can aspire to: material, moral or spiritual, according to your nature and to your present needs. Mental narrowness, i.e. the incapability to see beyond your own nose, or the outright rejection of any idea that appears to be new or different, that seems to defy traditional beliefs, is a characteristic of the ignorant person. “Ignorance" does not only mean "not knowing", it mainly means a voluntary negation of mankind's capability to overcome its limits.  If all athletes believed that, records would have never been broken. Only when you are fully aware that you are able to do “it” (whatever “it” is), shall you be able to soar – like a majestic eagle - above mediocrity. You only need to trust your skills a little more and keep repeating to yourself: “I can”!

Step Out!

You prefer to remain quietly resting in your comfortable lifestyle, rather than wondering about what can be found around the corner. Therefore, you continue to be the way you are, the way you have always been,without making any substantial progress. When this is your choice (and it's OK, it is "your choice and you have a right to it), you behave like the frog who is happy remaining at the bottom of the well. But you can also choose differently. While accepting your actual situation, you may also be willing to ask yourself questions and wonder what can be found “beyond”. Reflecting upon what you have always done, you may start feeling the desire to move further, to improve your achievements. You may wonder if it is possible to reach a higher goal. And... yes, it is!

Curiosity

I liked these words spoken by a scientist in an interesting documentary.

“We possess a natural curiosity  of the world around us. We want to know how and why things are the way they are. Our curiosity is beneficial, it is important to ask why an event happened and what caused it.

Our curiosity gives us the ability to look beyond the present moment. From that we have evolved an urge to look for causes. In fact, we can’t conceive something that doesn’t have a cause.”

Just sharing! And something to think about.

Missing Out

When you go for a walk in the country, are you able to enjoy what you are doing, “completely”? Do you look around drinking in the beauty of the nature that surrounds you, do you listen to the birds singing, do you enjoy the sun and the fresh air? Or do you rather move along thinking of something else? Your work, your relationship, your affairs? While you are doing so, the pleasure of the stroll is partially lost – although you are unaware of it. The experience is not being totally lived because you are not “present”. You are somewhere else, wherever your thoughts are taking you. This happens every time you do something while your mind is wandering elsewhere. Listening to music while reading a book? Talking on the phone while following a TV program? Thinking about the answer you are going to give while a friend is talking to you? All lost experiences. Is it so bad? It’s certainly not fatal, but you definitely miss out on living “fully”.

Dream and Believe

I saw the picture of two streets that were directly connected. One was called “Dream St.”, the other “Believe St.”.  They tell us all, and you, too, that – in order to accomplish what you want to achieve – you must first have a dream and then act upon it. Once you have your plan all properly arranged and start working toward your goal, another “tool” is necessary: belief in the goodness of your goal and trust in your capability of reaching it.  Belief and trust must always go together. They are a whole. Now look at what you have actually done with your life, examine what you have achieved so far. Then try to understand where you are going “right now”.

Turn the doorknob

You often try to find your way out in many different ways. You endeavor to unlock the door and don't see that it is already open. If you can convince yourself that all you need to do is to just turn the knob, you will have the proof that the door had never been locked. It is enough for you to confidently say either "yes" or "no", "I want", "I can", to acknowledge your potential to be free. When you do this, your creative spirit will soar above the cage of conventions and conditionings. It will pass through them  as if they were fog dissolving in the sun of knowledge, of awareness and of truth. Make the choice: decide to understand that you are not imprisoned. If you believe and “dare”, you shall see the portal of liberation and self-determination fling open in front of your very eyes.

Choose Peace!

If you reflect for a moment, you realize that the world lacks “peace” because it is in a constant state of “war”. Not only material wars which, unfortunately, DO exist nowadays, as they have always existed. Here I am mainly referring to the state of the spirit, of everybody’s spirit. What is needed? Forgiveness. Forgiving others (and yourself) for mistakes that sometimes are “real”, other times are just imaginary, is an indispensable step towards peace of mind. If you allow and keep nursing blame and resentment in your heart, your spirit will always be “at war”. You will constantly live with an inner storm that creates imbalance in every atom of your “self”. Such imbalance entails a double negative consequence: it endangers both your mind and your body. That’s why you experience unhappiness and disease.

Accept and... Move on

It may seem that, in some circumstances, certain reactions are the only possible answer, that is to accept negative feelings and, consequently, negative counter-actions. It is only natural and you should not ignore, reject them or feel guilty about them. But you must also  become aware of the fact that you can overcome them. When you truly believe this, you  make a leap towards a future of peace that you, yourself, can create. You only need to know how and where to “lead” your thoughts. No one can do it for you. No one can even just help you. Peace and serenity can only be obtained as your own, personal creation. Never forget that you are the "master" of your mind, no matter if the challenges you face might suggest otherwise. You are "in charge", always!