Thursday, July 28, 2011

Friday, July 22, 2011

Changes

Would that life were like the shadow cast by a wall or a tree, but it is like the shadow cast by a bird in flight.  The Talmud.

Change is a constant even in the life of our dreams, so learning to change easily can make the life of our dreams flow.  Change is easier if I don't have a bunch of rules about how things are supposed to be and a lot of extra "stuff" hanging out in my house and on my to-do list.  Clearing clutter with my rules, "todos," and closets makes room for the effort needed for change.

I think us humans are hardwired to focus on short rather than long term gain which makes change difficult even when it's a positive change.  So to make change easier, I remind myself of the results I want.  Recently I changed how and what I eat in order to be healthier.  It has required time and energy to think through what and how I wanted to make the change as well as time and energy to actually make the change.  Constantly reminding myself of the benefits I would receive in the long run made the expenditure of time and energy easier.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Simplicity

Right up there at almost the top of my list for creating the life of my dreams is the concept of simplicity.  I always thought I had a complicated mind, which caused me to be a complicated person, which in turn made my life complicated.  At last, after years of the stress of a complicated life, I finally saw that all that complication was just my ego trying to convince me I was more important than other people.  I usually ran myself ragged trying to keep up with all the complications I had created for myself.

"When it is over, what will my life have been about?"  Harold Kushner

When I stopped letting my ego drive me, what I was left with was the answer to the question above.  Talk about a radical change in the way I ordered my time and priorities!  Everything got so much simpler.  I was able to eliminate all the things on my "to-do" list that had to do with ambition and stick with the ones that had meaning. 

What kind of car I drove and how fancy my house was ceased to matter.  For some folks those things really matter, and if they do, they should spend time and energy on creating cars and houses that make the life of their dreams.  For me the people and living things in my life became so much more important.  For example, now the first thing I do in the morning is water plants, feed my cat and brush him.  Living things come first.  Then I feed myself good, healthy food that I love because I am a living thing too!

Making time for contemplation of what we want our lives to be about and using our thoughts to order our lives will pay off!