The Navigator

Archive for August, 2008

Does the thought you are now thinking take you where you want to go? If not, what thought would?

Gregg Levoy
American Journalist, Author and Professor

Learning to forgive yourself for the ways you put yourself last will help you put the past behind you. If you can’t forgive yourself, the likelihood of you achieving clarity is reduced. Forgiveness provides clarity and clarity encourages insights and that supports change in behavior. When you forgive yourself or another, it does not mean you agree with their behavior, but rather it is about letting go of your need to be right so you can move forward.

~Rhonda Britten, Change Your Life in 30 Days

Believing in yourself means to be living in yourself. ~Magdala

I attended a workshop this weekend and one of the first things she said was the quote listed above. It hit me like a ton of bricks! When we believe in ourselves, we are 100% living, living in who we truly are. We embrace each and every part of ourselves and are not afraid to show it to the world.

This was a timely message and I struggle to embrace every part of myself and share it comfortably with those around me. I so desperately want to be authentic in every way and yet there is this constant fear that “people won’t like that part of me” or “people won’t like me because of what I believe”. The truth is, its happened and it hurt. The truth is, it continues to happen and it still hurts. Often times, this keeps us from sharing who we really are inside. This doesn’t do anyone any good. We cannot truly find the happiness we are all here experience by hiding.

We all want to be liked, loved, appreciated, valued…this is something we all have in common. My hope for everyone is that we will be able to come together one day in our oneness…that common ground we all share. That desire to be loved and valued. I look forward to the day we can all look at each other and connect through the divinity we all share rather than focusing on our differences. I am committed to continuing to embrace more and more of myself and share it with you as I hope you will with me. I look forward to seeing who you are in all your beauty.

Believing in yourself means to be living in yourself. ~Magdala

I attended a workshop this weekend and one of the first things she said was the quote listed above. It hit me like a ton of bricks! When we believe in ourselves, we are 100% living, living in who we truly are. We embrace each and every part of ourselves and are not afraid to show it to the world.

This was a timely message and I struggle to embrace every part of myself and share it comfortably with those around me. I so desperately want to be authentic in every way and yet there is this constant fear that “people won’t like that part of me” or “people won’t like me because of what I believe”. The truth is, its happened and it hurt. The truth is, it continues to happen and it still hurts. Often times, this keeps us from sharing who we really are inside. This doesn’t do anyone any good. We cannot truly find the happiness we are all here experience by hiding.

We all want to be liked, loved, appreciated, valued…this is something we all have in common. My hope for everyone is that we will be able to come together one day in our oneness…that common ground we all share. That desire to be loved and valued. I look forward to the day we can all look at each other and connect through the divinity we all share rather than focusing on our differences. I am committed to continuing to embrace more and more of myself and share it with you as I hope you will with me. I look forward to seeing who you are in all your beauty.

Do everything with a mind that lets go. Don’t accept praise or gain or anything else. If you let go a little you will have a little peace; if you let go a lot you will have a lot of peace; if you let go completely you will have complete peace.

Ajahn Chah, 1918-1992
Thai Meditation Master

When we surrender the false idea of who we are, possibilities never imagined come into focus. Our heart has room to grow, to change and to explore. Our mind is opened to concepts, ideas and thoughts never before considered. When life is filled with new possibilities, we become energized, motivated and inspired. When we train ourselves to see through the eyes of possibilities, “no” doesn’t stop us it invigorates us. Judgments cease to block our growth. All our excuses no longer have power over us. When possibility is our default position, optimism is our calling card.

~Rhonda Britten

There was a young man who desired humility. He went to an old wise man and said to him, “Sir, I wish to be humble, but I don’t know how to obtain it. What must I do to acquire humility?”

The old wise man thought for a minute and replied, “Here is what you should do… go out and find someone who is beneath you and do something nice for him. Give him something that you have or do something for him that needs to be done.”

The young man replied, “I can do that!” He immediately left and came upon a homeless man on the street who looked like he had not eaten in days. He took the man to a restaurant and bought him a nice hot meal. After he dropped off the homeless man, the young man, who was feeling pretty good, returned to the wise man and told him what he had done. He then asked him, “Do I now have humility?”

The wise old man replied, “Not yet!” The young man’s face fell and after a while, he asked the wise man, “What else must I do to acquire humility?” The wise man said, “Go out and find someone else who is beneath you and do something nice for him.”

This upset the young man who replied, “But I did that already! If I go help someone else, will I then have humility?” The wise man replied, “No you will not!”

This upset the young man even more and he asked, “How many people do I have to help… 10 people?”

“No!”

“100 people?”

“No!”

“I don’t understand… please tell me how many people I have to help? How will I know when I have obtained humility?” asked the young man.

The wise old man replied, “You will have obtained humility when you can no longer find anyone that you think is beneath you!”

I thought I could change the world. It took me a hundred years to figure out I can’t change the world. I can only change Bessie. And honey, that ain’t easy either.

Annie Elizabeth (Bessie) Delany, 1891-1995
African-American Author and Civil Rights Pioneer

Isn’t that the truth. Dreams of changing the world are not uncommon and yet we can only truly change ourselves. However, when we take the time to live with integrity and speak our truth, we do impact the world. Don’t ever downplay the difference one person can make. Live life to it’s fullest. Enjoy every minute. Speak up for what you believe in. Be who you are in all your glory. Imagine if everyone did this….