Quote to Ponder # 7

Moving forward, not stalling, is the secret of a fulfilling life. It might take time to achieve your goal. Perseverance is your aide.

Quote to Ponder # 6

Easier said than done, isn't it?
But it's a must, if you want to live more peacefully.
Try to think that whatever 'they' say doesn't change who 'you' are.

Quote to Ponder # 5

You need courage to take a stand, to be firm and assertive. But think of the satisfaction you will feel, afterwards!

Quote to Ponder # 4

It's not always easy to understand this message. Most people usually get discouraged and quit. What about you?

Quote to Ponder # 3

Your attitude and outlook on Life create your reality.

Your experiences depend on how you choose to take your next step.

Quote to Ponder # 2

Don't just dream, hope, plan. 
After thinking, you must take action.
In a nutshell: Do something!

Quote to Ponder # 1

If you really did this, you wouldn't be so often disappointed.

Change or No-Change

Most of your negative beliefs are hidden, are not clearly detectable because your mind, your “ego” tries to shelter you from them. The mind tells you that it's ok to stay as you are, that you cannot change, that it's not even worth trying. “What for?”, the little voice tells you. Deep inside you know that negative thoughts are harmful, that they deprive you of a more serene existence, yet you are unable - or rather "unwilling" - to give them up. It's like fast food. Everybody knows that it's unhealthy but those who love it will keep on eating it, no matter what. So, paraphrasing Hamlet, "To change or not to change"? Would the effort be worth it?

Fate & Destiny

When a baby is born, its future life is a mystery. If you look at it, you feel tenderness, you wish you could protect it against all the sorrow it will inevitably have to face. But this is impossible because, by simply being born, each baby has a definite path to follow. You may wonder: Who decides which path is to be followed? And who decides how such path should be followed? There might be an answer: the path is defined by Fate. It is your 'mission' in life, the reason why you are here on Earth. On the other hand, how to proceed is totally up to you. Consequently, according to the choices you make, you create your Destiny. How do you feel, knowing that you have a task to fulfill and that you also have the power to choose how to do it?

Place Your Order

No-one can afford to walk with their eyes closed because - if they do - they will never reach their destination. But many do just this: they plunge into life without a clear goal. The world is open for everybody, it neither hides secrets nor has preferences. Knowledge, Nature, success, spirituality.... it's all at your disposal, according to your request. But, in order to obtain, you must ask. And in order to ask, you must have clear ideas. If you don't, you risk making irreparable mistakes such as asking for the wrong thing or, even worse, never to ask and then expect to receive. At the restaurant you know what you want to eat. At the supermarket you know what you want to buy. Do the same with your life: think it over carefully, then place your "order". As a consequence, you will know what to do. As a result, you will get "it".

     

Moldy Loaf

An interesting quote from Mohammed Ali says, "If we can get penicillin from moldy bread, something good can be obtained from you, too." Although it's not so flattering to be compared to moldy bread, it may be true in some instances: you (as we all) may become a sort of reject - someone dismissed as failing to meet satisfying standards - when you don't behave according to your true nature, to your deep "knowing". It happens when you say something that you later regret, when you act without thinking, when you try to avoid the consequences of your own actions, when you are aggressive, jealous, lazy... Many are the "ingredients" that make the good "bread" that is yourself go bad. But, as at the core of  your real "self" there is the seed of greatness, something truly good can always be obtained. Could you try to visualize a musty loaf every time you are about to behave in a way that you know to be "wrong"?

A special thanks to my Russian followers!

Courage

What does "courage" mean? Does it mean a lack of fear? Not at all. Having courage means that you are afraid and do it anyway. What makes you "do it anyway"? The awareness that the result of what you are getting by daring is more important than fear itself. Therefore, any time you feel you are not brave enough to face a challenge, think about what you will achieve or obtain if you succeed. It might be saving a dear one from danger, passing a difficult test, dealing with a health problem. Simply having the courage to face a threatening situation makes you a winner. Such victory mainly consists in replacing a negative sentiment with a strong desire. How? By thinking about the satisfaction you will feel once you can say, "I did it!".

Non-stop Chattering

It seems that nowadays most individuals feel an unstoppable compulsion towards expressing their ideas and opinions at all costs, all the time. They simply have to speak even if what they say is neither original nor interesting. They feel the necessity to rebut what someone else is saying. There is this irrepressible need to rant, to chatter, to try to convince another or prove one's point. A favorite trendy 'sport' is to discuss any subject, independently from its importance. It doesn't matter if it is a dramatic ecological disaster or a film star's latest romance. Comments, criticism, judgments on people, communities, nations, religions, social and political situations are uttered non-stop, even without a true knowledge of the actual facts. What about personal, inner introspection?

A Common Human Trait

Inconsistency is the characteristic of those who start one or more things and complete none. When they have an idea, they become enthusiastic, they tell family and friends, they already see the final result. So, they go on to organize the actual work: getting the material to build a shed or a bookcase, contacting the travel agency, borrowing that special book, enrolling in that class... If you know exactly what to do, the next step is quite easy. Or so it seems. You begin your project with determination, you inform the world about the interesting stuff you are doing. Then, mysteriously, you start finding excuses not to continue pursuing your enterprise. Your previous enthusiasm diminishes, procrastination increases until you stop the action you had so eagerly started. You have lost interest. Your plan dissolves. Your undertaking fails. Too bad!

Two-sided Coin

When we talk about "acceptance", you must not understand it as "resignation". While the former invites you to be smart enough to realize that you simply cannot fight certain life situations - but you can eventually overcome them and be a winner - the latter turns you into a victim - a hopeless loser. When you resign yourself, you accept what is happening "passively", with a feeling of defeat. You see yourself as badly treated by a cruel destiny and feel justified in your immobility, either physical or spiritual. Present-day society, while pushing you towards competitiveness and even aggression from one side, from the other it pulls you towards a dangerous lack of self-confidence - the foreseeable preparation for failure. The two sides of the same coin. Intelligent "acceptance" is neither.

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Useless Comparison

Our society seems to be based on competitiveness. Most individuals strive to prove themselves better than others, to show that they are smarter, wealthier, more beautiful, more popular. This certainly creates problems because it's not so easy to prove that one is "more" than another. Anyway, why is it so important to make comparisons? Why aren't people happy to just be the best they can be? Sadly, not many are capable of living a life that is totally inspired by their own wishes, ideals or principles. A great number of outside stimuli and solicitations try to make you accept the current fashion, the public opinion, the trendy goals, pushing you towards the acquisition of "more". Thus you, too, may be tempted to endeavor to not only "keep up with the Joneses", but to "be better" than the Joneses. Why? WHY?