A Small Great Word

There is a little word that is so easy to pronounce but which so many find it impossible to utter: "Sorry". Why are some people unable to apologize? Either they believe they did not do anything wrong (although they did) or they believe that, by acknowledging the fact that they made a mistake, they put themselves down. In the first case they behave as conceited jerks, in the second as self-conscious jerks who are totally lacking in self-confidence.

On the other hand, saying sorry shows that you are smart enough to recognize that you are not infallible (no-one is!), great enough to admit it and apologize for it.

What Could Have Been

Do you ever wonder about how different your life could have been, had you made another choice at a specific point in time? If, at a certain "crossroad", you had taken the other direction? You would now be in another place, in a different environment, with other people, doing something else. Would you be happier? More fulfilled? More serene?

You cannot tell, and you are not allowed to ever know it.

Nevertheless, you can't help wondering...

Steps to Serenity

Are you undergoing a stressful situation in your life? You might need to follow a few steps in order to make things easier for you. First, examine such situation in depth and become aware of how things actually are. Once you realize there is nothing you can do about it, the next step is to teach yourself how to eliminate the emotional stress. Difficult? Yes, but it can be done. How? Through self-talk (= self-brainwashing? self-reprogramming? Yes! And it is totally worth the effort.) Once you obtain a good amount of detachment, you will see that also the pain has decreased. But you are still thinking about it. Therefore...final step: stop thinking about it. How? Devise a way to divert your worrisome thoughts towards something different. Difficult, again? Yes, but - again - it can be done. 

A Shattered World

Prince Siddhartha lived in a golden palace where everything was beautiful and everyone was good, healthy and happy. When he decided to go outside and see the other world (= the "real" world), he had his life shattered. He found that most things were ugly, that most people were bad, sick, unhappy. His idealistic realm had only been a temporary dream and the impact with reality turned him into a different (= enlightened) person. As almost no-one has the heroic spirituality of Prince Siddhartha, when a normal human being is compelled to see that the people he believed to be in a certain way are actually the opposite, he may also change. However, it is a totally different kind of change. If he (or she), for example, had believed everybody to be trustworthy (or  a holder of any other "virtue"), facing a world of dishonesty and carelessness may turn him into a cynical, suspicious individual. What to do? Is it preferable to keep on living in a idealistic world that is only an illusion, or is it indispensable to wake up from the dream and face the ugly truth?

1- 0 -100,000

Look in the mirror and you see yourself. Do you think that people see you in the same way? Still standing in front of the mirror, do this: talk, move your hands, observe your facial expressions and body language. Do you think people see you exactly in the same way?

I have often wondered about how others actually "see" each of us, how we appear to them and how they interpret our way of presenting ourselves. "No big deal", you may say. "There is only one way to be", you may add. Well, according to Italian dramatist and philosopher Luigi Pirandello (Nobel Prize in Literature, 1934) the "truth" is that each of us is seen in a different way by whoever is dealing with us. Therefore, according to him, there is no one-single-truth about who we actually are. "One, no-one, one hundred thousand" is the intriguing title of a famous novel of his. Puzzling idea, isn't it?

Hope

One of the greatest gifts (if not "the" greatest) that mankind has been granted is certainly hope. The interesting thing is that even if you know that something will not happen, you still hold a feeling in your heart that a miracle might take place. So you keep on hoping. Is it a virtue or is it an illusion? Hard to say. What you can be sure of is that hope improves the quality of your life because it makes you able to face challenges with a positive attitude. If you believe that you can win the battle, you find more strength inside yourself, while when you are certain that you will lose, you most certainly will. Therefore... bravely face life's problems till the end and... hope for the best!!!

Impossible Change

Some people, when they are not happy with their lives, have the tendency to keep thinking about what could have been but hasn't come to pass. Therefore their existence is divided between living a life they are not satisfied with and wishing they could change it into something else. This is a very human, understandable feeling but it can also be dangerous because it makes the individual experience a sort of splitting between reality and wishful thinking. What to do when this happens? Although unfulfillment is a very difficult sentiment to deal with, becoming aware of it can somehow help a little. Realizing how useless and depressing mulling over an unchangeable past is may bring the individual to accept reality as it is and try to focus on any speck of good that can be found in it.

Young People, Old people

The difference between young people and old people is simple. Young people - in spite of the possibly unpleasant situation they might find themselves in at the moment - can hope for a different, better future because they have time, and the possibility of making changes, of moving in a different direction. On the other hand, old people - whatever situation they are in at the moment - will probably stay where they are (and remain as they are) because they have neither enough time nor practical capacity to change anything in their lives. There might be exceptions, but not many.

Black and White

Think for a moment about the way you take what happens to you. Things happen and often there is nothing you can do to alter the situation. Either you like it or you do not, that's the way it is. But what you can always decide upon is the way you receive, interpret, accept (or refuse) them. When you immediately judge what happens as negative, you choose to focus on what you do not like and ignore a hidden gift that might be there. Nothing is "totally" good or bad. Remember yin and yang? Even on the whitest pattern it is possible to detect a speck of black, as well as on the darkest color a lighter hue can usually be found. It's up to you to decide how you want see it, and consequently feel about it. Life is not smooth but you can learn how to make its corners less sharp.

Urgent Communication

Modern technology fascinates me. And its extended use amazes me. When I look around, I see people who - wherever they are and whatever they are doing - are also talking on their mobile phones. Walking in the street, sitting at a cafe', shopping at the mall, even driving their car, they are always speaking to someone. I can't help wondering, "What do they have to communicate - so important that it cannot wait for a little while, till they go back home? What is so urgent that it must be shared instantly?"

To me, this is a mystery. I can't understand it because I, personally, when I am out on a chore or for a walk, I focus on what I am doing, on what I have gone out for. I believe that everything else (including phone conversations - unless it's a matter of life or death) can wait till I am finished. But, of course, I belong to another species!

The Dark Room

Imagine Life as a dark room. It needs some light to allow people to move around. Some individuals turn themselves into a "candle" so that everybody else can see. Others are not able to become candles themselves but are willing to reflect the light they receive. They, too, are useful to their companions. However, the greatest part of the people in the room limit themselves to sit still or grope aimlessly. They are unable to either create their own light or see the light created or reflected by others.

To which category do you believe you belong?

Learn Your Lesson

Sometimes learning is easy. You just open your book, study what is there and remember the lesson. When people give you a good piece of advice, you follow it and make it your own. At times Life teaches you in a simple way and you have no problem in learning. Other times, though, it's not a clear exposition or a caring person that teach you a lesson. It may be something much less pleasant. It may be pain and sorrow. When this happens, it is more difficult to really grasp what the teaching is. Nevertheless, you must make the effort to accept it willingly and endeavor to discover the message that is hidden there. Whatever experience you are undergoing, there is always something for you to learn (either you like it or not!).

Clear Target

Some people complain that they are not getting what they want from Life without even knowing what they actually "do" want. Their ideas are too vague, they are not well defined. If your vision is not clear, you cannot see well the object of your observation. But if you know what kind of life you want to lead, you can make your plans and endeavor to reach your goal. It is not always easy because often things (seemingly by their own will) take a different direction. Nevertheless, when you know where you are going, you usually reach an acceptable destination. It might not be "exactly" what you wanted, but life is also a matter of compromise. Do your best and accept what comes along. You will see that in most cases, if you have a target, sooner or later you will end up hitting it.

A Foreign Language

Have you ever studied a foreign language? Most probably you have. So, first of all you endeavored to learn its grammar and pronounce the new words properly. At times you succeeded, other  times you didn't. When you didn't, you were disappointed, you believed you were a failure, compared to more brilliant students. But when you finally became proficient, you were able to speak fluently and enjoyed your achievement. The same happens with living your life. If you understand its "rules", if you learn its different "pronunciation", you can create a good existence for yourself. If you are not capable (= willing) to learn properly, you will keep making mistakes, and the result will be disappointing.

A Complicated Life

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_inspirational.html#Ml7K02TIRQqVD184.99

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_inspirational.html#Ml7K02TIRQqVD184.99

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_inspirational.html#Ml7K02TIRQqVD184.99

You would love for your life to be "simple". You are convinced that things can be discussed peacefully, you judge yourself open- minded, you don't see any real cause for conflict. Yet, your life is rather complicated, arguments pop up more often than not, conflict is always lurking all around you. Why? Because this "is" Life. You could even convince yourself that this is the beauty of life because it makes it interesting and exciting.

The good news is that every day you have the opportunity to start it over again, to try something new, to make another experience, to discover a different path. And if you remember what you are learning day by day, things will get easier. You will understand how to make your steps lighter and corners smoother.