Behavior causes emotion

People that act from their emotions don’t get very far overall.

People that discipline themselves to take just action, and action that takes them toward their worthy goals, feel emotion from the action. 

They go far.

Do it, and you’ll feel like doing it.

The Bhagavad Gita and the bees

As a contractor that works in attics a lot, we encounter bees.  The knee jerk reaction is to spray (kill) them before they sting you.  Last week I noticed bees had made a nest in the ground very near to the front entrance of my house.  Not wanting anyone to get stung, I instinctively went for the bee spray.  It’s just a hole in the ground, and I managed to kill a half dozen, but a few hours later they were busy going in and out as normal.

I decided to try a natural way to make them go elsewhere and I turned the hose on and flooded the area, thinking maybe they’d decide it was a bad spot to make a nest.  No dice.  Miraculously, they were unphased.

In the morning I read and journal.  I was reading a summary of the Bhagavad Gita, which was written between the 5th and 2nd centuries BC.  The Gita consists of a conversation between Krishna, the supreme manifestation of the Lord himself, and the warrior-prince Arjuna, before the start of the Kurukshetra War.  Krishna is advising Arjuna as he hesitates in moral confusion over the challenges of going to war.  

Viewed allegorically, the war represents the perennial struggle between good and evil within each of us and Krishna’s wisdom points the way to following the yogic path of living in harmony with universal laws as we strive to live our highest truths.

Anyway, in my reading I came across these words “He alone who truly sees the Lord the same in every creature, seeing the same Lord everywhere, he does not harm himself or others.”

Reading and learning the right stuff is one thing.  Applying it is quite another.

I thought about the quotation.  I pondered it.  Then I thought about all the beautiful flowers I had planted in front of my house and how I enjoyed seeing different ones bloom each month.  I thought about my friend Roy Spencer who keeps bees in a hive and the honey he gave me.

I decided to let the bees alone.  Now each day I’d walk by and say hello and make sure they were ok by seeing them busily go in and out of the little hole in the ground.

I feel better, they feel better, I have less to worry about and feel more in harmony with the universe and its perfection.

Let me leave you with this from Albert Einstein – 

“A human being is part of the whole, called by us “universe”; a part limited in time and space.  He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest – a kind of spiritual delusion of his consciousness.  This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to affection for a few persons nearest us.  Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison.”

You are being watched

People watch what you do and how you do it.  They notice how you behave in various situations.  Even when you are alone, they can see the results of what you have done or not done on your alone time.

Based on what they see, they will give you opportunity or not. 

Work with you or not. 

Go along with your ideas or not.

Speak to you with respect/kindness or not.

You are the cause; your experience is the effect. The world is responding to you.  Be your best, always.

Living to your potential takes courage

Living to your potential takes courage.

You must get out of your comfort zone.  Take on challenges.  Risk. Do things you have never done before on a regular basis.  Face adversity.  Overcome problems.  Endure ridicule and criticism.  And get hurt.

If you are timid, play it safe, or let fear run your show, you will not live to your potential.

Be courageous (which is different than not being afraid), and go out there and see what you can really do.

It's ok to not be perfect

When we try to get better at something, whether it be a specific skill, a score, juggling schedules and getting everything done, or just being a good person, we strive for perfection and use it as our model.

As we do so, we must understand that we will never likely achieve perfection, and not let that get in the way of striving to be our best.

When smart phones become all you do

So many people are glued to their phones.  Phones are useful tools – and lots of entertainment and chewing gum for the mind. 

When something TO DO, becomes WHAT YOU DO, you fill spaces that would and could be used for something else.  

There is 100,000 times more information online than you can ever pay attention to anyway.

Leave space.

How to have a breakthrough

In order to have a breakthrough, you have to break something.

-the bonds of a bad relationship

-bad habits

-old beliefs and ideas

-a part of your identity

A Phoenix doesn’t just rise from the ashes.  First, something needs to burn.

What is it for you?

"10% of all you earn is yours to keep"

Yesterday I talked about “The Richest Man in Babylon,” a book by George S. Clayson. It’s a great fable about personal finance.  

The first idea is this – “Ten percent of all you earn is yours to keep”. You might be thinking, “What do you mean, all the money I earn is mine”. But is it? You have to pay for rent or your mortgage, food, for your car, etc. That money is not yours to keep. The idea is you should save at least 10% of your income in a permanent savings/investment account.

10% – not too much to ask? Try it.

Oh, and read the book – the audio version is great.

"Start thy purse to fattening"

Many years ago, I read one of the greatest books about money and personal finance ever written. It’s a short book, a fable called “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George S. Clayson.

One of the simple ideas in the book is “Start thy Purse to Fattening.” The idea is if you start saving, you’ll feel like you are making some progress, and you will feel like adding to your savings. Each time you add, you’ll get a feeling that you are becoming prosperous – a feeling you like and want more of.  

If you are broke, you have a feeling of despair and hopelessness around money and that it will never end.

So start thy purse to fattening. It’s a very small amount at first – but see what it does to your emotions.

Produce more than you consume

To save money, invest it and have it grow for you, you must spend less than you make.

If you keep spending as much as you make, or more than you make, you will continue to be broke.

If you produce more value than you consume, your wealth will grow.  As it grows, it will compound.  As it compounds, it works for you, and you will have to work less.

Yes, it takes a long time, but if you never get started, it will never happen.  The best time to get started was years ago.  The second best time is now.

The first part is spending less than you make.  You can spend less than you are spending now, make more, or both.

Produce more than you consume.