This is worth watching.

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feel well

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I had to look at the count for stars and quasars…

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Leaves and Flowers

Leaves and Flowers

Leaves and flowers are never rated the same:
Flowers put into pots of gold; leaves turn to dust.
Still there are the green foliage and the red blooms.
Folded, stretched out, open or closed: all naturally beautiful.
These flowers, these leaves, long mirror each other’s glory:
When their greens pale, their reds fade —
it’s more than one can bear.

–Li Shang-yin, Chinese poet.

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15 Powerful Things Happy People Do Differently

I came across this article, and thought it really has some interesting points. (Original link is at the bottom.) I’m re-posting here, so I can reread the article in the future. The points seem simple, but require a little thought. 

To summarize:

1. LOVE vs. FEAR. FEAR less and LOVE a lot more.

2. ACCEPTANCE vs. RESISTANCE.   you can’t really change a situation by resisting it,

3. FORGIVENESS vs. UNFORGIVENESS.  it’s not healthy to hold on to anger.

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” —Buddha

4. TRUST vs. DOUBT. They trust themselves and they trust the people around them.

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”  —Mark Twain

5. MEANING vs. AMBITION.  “Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life”

6. PRAISING vs. CRITICIZING. “What you resist not only persists, but will grow in size”.

7. CHALLENGES vs. PROBLEMS. understanding that underneath challenges lie many opportunities that will allow them to expand and to grow.

8. SELFLESSNESS vs. SELFISHNESS.  they do not for themselves, but for the good of others.

”Before giving, the mind of the giver is happy; while giving, the mind of the giver is made peaceful; and having given, the mind of the giver is uplifted.” –Buddha

9. ABUNDANCE vs. LACK/POVERTY. They have an abundant mindset living a balanced life.

10. DREAMING BIG vs. BEING REALISTIC. These people don’t really care about being realistic. They love and dare to dream big.

11. KINDNESS vs. CRUELTY. They are kind to themselves and others and they understand the power of self love, self forgiveness and self acceptance.

12. GRATITUDE vs. INGRATITUDE. they have this capacity of seeing beauty where most of us would only see ugliness, opportunities, where most of us would only see struggles, abundance where most of us would only see lack and they express their gratitude for them all.

13. PRESENCE/ ENGAGEMENT vs. DISENGAGEMENT. They know how to live in the present moment

“When you are present, you can allow the mind to be as it is without getting entangled in it. The mind in itself is a wonderful tool. Dysfunction sets in when you seek your self in it and mistake it for who you are.”  —Eckhart Tolle

14. POSITIVITY vs. NEGATIVITY. No matter what happens to them, they always seem to keep a positive perspective on everything and by doing so, they tend irritate a lot of negative and “realistic” people.

15. TAKING RESPONSIBILITY vs. BLAMING. They take full ownership over their lives and they rarely use excuses. taking responsibility for everything that happens to them.

I thought these were words of wisdom worth a further look. Found here:

http://www.purposefairy.com/4899/15-powerful-things-happy-people-do-differently/

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Sticks and Stones..

“There is a sleeping tiger within each of us; gently awakened, it is eager to seize the day.”
~Laurie “Tiger” Desjardins

Zen sticks are short rods of wood, about one foot long. (Attached to each other with chains, they might resemble num-chucks.) They are carved out of beautiful tropical woods, each of them designated for a certain portion of the chakras. And what do you do with them? When stressed, you pick your favorite, and flip it in your hand (like num-chucks) in a continuous motion, observing, watching, focusing, until the object of your stress has relief.

Perhaps more pertinent from a psychological point of view, are the charts listed here, which identify 300 emotions and a color wheel of feelings. Here, with words, you can pinpoint what is bothering you. And then, according to the author, choose a positive emotion on the opposite side of the wheel to counter the negative one.

Once you’ve found the pleasant emotion to counter the difficult one, you can begin thinking of things to do that will create that pleasant emotion within yourself. For example, the opposite of Inferior is Amused. You might ask yourself, “What would amuse me right now? What would make me laugh?” All there is left to do is to make a list of those things that would make you laugh. Chances are by making a list, you’ll start to feel better, but it’s important to go and do something on that list.

All the while, you are flipping the wood samples meditatively. I think they’d also be interesting, rolled up and down the back, for a massage. At least you aren’t using the rods, like num-chucks to beat on your opponent…lol.

Although the grain in the tropical woods, such as rosewood, purpleheart, and zebrawood, is beautiful, you have to wonder if good old oak or pine might serve the same purpose. But we shouldn’t let guilt over the depletion of the rainforest disturb one’s meditative practices which use pieces of it, should we?

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