Tag: think

Stop and Start

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Start where you are. You might be the most depressed person, the most addicted person in the world, the most jealous person in the world. You might think that there are no others on the planet who hate themselves as much as you do. All of that is a good place to start. Just where you are- that’s the place to start.

– Pema Chodron, The Pocket Pema Chodron

What stops you from starting? When we stop trying to be perfect we can start moving towards our ideal selves. There is no moment aside from the now so that is the best place to start because it could be the only place.

 

 

The Self

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If we take good care of ourselves, we help everyone.

– Thich Nhat Hanh

Do you neglect your own well-being? You are the starting point for how you interact with the world. You cannot be outwardly positive before you feel good about yourself.

Dig

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Dig within yourself. There lies the source of good; a source whose waters will forever well up, if you but forever dig.

-Marcus Aurelius

How do you look inward on a daily basis? Are you constantly consuming food, sights, and sounds without ever questioning if they’re good for you? To dig within is to practice the skill of inner dialogue. Talking to yourself, not out loud, or sometimes out loud, is the best way to practice introspection.

 

Friendship

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… if his companion be infected, he who converses with him will be infected likewise.

-Epictetus

Do you surround yourself with positive people? How do you impact those around you?  It is inevitable that we all begin to resemble the people we spend the most time with and they also begin to resemble us. You can choose to be infected with negativity or positivity.

 

Plans

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There always comes a time when one must choose between contemplation and action. This is called becoming.

– Albert Camus

Are you constantly planning? Talk is cheap, ideas are cheaper and there is no reality outside of what you do. Thinking and talking should be aimed at acting and creating. Take control of the present and stop planning for the future, just get busy.

Decide

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He who tries to travel two roads at once will arrive nowhere.

– Hsun Tzu

How are you decisive? Choosing one path inherently means that you are not taking many others.  This is a reason to celebrate because this focus can be your freedom from distraction. Choosing to fully commit to a person, an idea or an action is the path to the greatest growth and happiness. You cannot be two places at once, embrace the moment and travel the road on which you currently stand as the person you currently are.

 

Walls

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We think that by protecting ourselves from suffering we are being kind to ourselves. The truth is we only become more fearful, more hardened, and more alienated.

-Pema Chodron

How is your guard up? Suffering is a natural part of life. As such, walking alongside it while cultivating an understanding is more beneficial than simply ignoring it. You cannot learn from a teacher if you close your ears and eyes. Suffering can be meaningful if we do not protect ourselves from it, but instead, see it as a teacher.

 

Love

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At Oran, as elsewhere, for lack of time and thinking, people have to love one another without knowing much about it.

-Albert Camus, The Plague

Why do you love the people and things that you love? Make time to think about your reasons for loving. Know about your love.