This is my response to @reewritesthings' post, 4 Years Later, Reading a Letter From Myself to Myself.
In any attempt to impart what we have learned to our younger selves, the bottom line is that we humans are hard-wired to judge everything around us, but we need to take care not to judge ourselves or other people, or at least to leave some slack in those judgments, because we humans deep down are contrary beasts.
I try not to judge, but I still find myself doing it all the time, so I go back to Byron Katie's questions regarding any specific judgment:
Is that true?
Can I absolutely know that to be true?
And, (since all judgments are beliefs), who would I be without that belief?
It is simply amazing how much space those simple questions allow us, and how much our perspectives can shift by simply asking them, with the willingness to really allow the answers to come of their own accord, rather than trying to force them.
As for trust, there is a quote from Woodrow Wilson that I absolutely love, but as I can't find the actual quote, I'll have to paraphrase it.
His take was that, by approaching someone (or something) from the position of trust, you are approaching from the position of strength.
But to approach the same person or thing from the position of distrust and fear, you are approaching from the position of weakness, and you are effectively giving away your strength, and keeping none for yourself. Not the best perspective to adopt.
Which explains a LOT about why our government's decisions to rule by fear keep backfiring spectacularly, and will continue to do so, because ruling by fear and lack is an inherently weak position. Always.
I was very fortunate, in that my parents from the start taught us that the way to approach others was to trust first, and if they proved unworthy of that trust, to adjust at that point.
And what I found over the years was that, if I gave someone my trust, they felt that, and far more often than not, they rose to the occasion. It was the exception when someone abused my trust and violated it, and when that happened, it was usually true that I had actually withheld my trust in them on some level.
Last year, I took a course through Mindvalley.com called "The Quest for Personal Mastery," led by Dr. Srikumar Rao, who has been leading business leaders to greater effectiveness in their lives through increased attention and mindfulness.
The course is forty-five days of simple yet profound lessons, beginning with videos that are anywhere from three to maybe fifteen or twenty minutes long, followed by a writing exercise that takes maybe another half hour or less to complete.
Each lesson builds upon the last, and as I was taking the course concurrently with reading Vishen Lakhiani's book "The Code of the Extraordinary Mind," one chapter of which is based on Dr. Srikumar Rao's teachings, I was blown away by the depth of the insights I was gaining in the course of the work.
On Day 29 of the Quest, the exercise given was one I found to be quite profound, which was to imagine what wisdom my 90-year-old self, older, wiser, and nearing the end of my life, would impart to my younger self today?
This is what I came up with:
"Exorcise anything in your life that doesn't add to your life.
If it makes you feel good: keep it.
If it makes you feel bad: get rid of it.
If it leaves you neutral: let it go, you don't really need it.
Only keep what is necessary to feed your soul."
This is particularly meaningful to me, as I inherited a great deal of "stuff" from both parents when they died, and from my sister as well; some of which I have yet to go through thoroughly, even though it has been years.
And this doesn't even take into account all the stuff I have accumulated myself.
All three were hoarders in training, and it is long past time that I should pass along those things I neither want nor need, in order to make space for that which will serve me and my goals far better. And, in passing along these things I no longer need to someone who actually wants them, how much the better?
The real bottom line, which is true no matter what issue you are facing, is to be true to yourself, and being so, everything else will work out of its own accord.
Life is wonderful. ;-)
And I would love to hear your take in the comments.
Gate of Dreams - Claus Ogerman – Outstanding Jazz Album
Feeling So Grateful – Day 85 – Daily Haiku
Our Spice Bush Abounds – Day 84 – Daily Haiku
Spring is Moving On – Day 83 – Daily Haiku
I Dance Toward My Blessed Death – Original Poetry
Our Black and White Hope – Day 82 – Daily Haiku
Marek, My Best Friend – Day 81 – Daily Haiku
Sorting Through Receipts – Day 80 – Daily Haiku
Forms of Life – Jean-Luc Ponty – Jazz That Changed Me, part 2
Once a Blue Planet – Jean-Luc Ponty – Jazz That Changed Me
If you feel my posts are undervalued, and/or you want to
donate to tip me, I would appreciate it very much.
In the process, you will be helping our small organic farm to operate,
to help others, and to feed and house all our animals better. Thank you!
Bitcoin (BTC) – 37Z9UabFyygFYXMoChifdCkyFgPJtKwXRj
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) – qq5p7dkr9239u6fer98lyc3cjvhcwcggzuxyde9mjp
Ethereum (ETH) - 0x731e363a4e6C680D47aFA63e4620342964a9d0Fb
LiteCoin (LTC) – MprMcJSAXKvtBouDQRSSk85qbms8ak3xDY
The following are a few affiliate links, to companies we really
believe in, that will further help us to operate, to help others,
and to care for and feed our animals.
If you have any interest in becoming affiliated with these companies,
which may bring you additional income, please contact me,
and perhaps we can work together!
Dr. Al Sears, well known anti-aging doctor, with his first-class
line of supplements that actually work:
https://primalforce.net/?aff=1893
Melaleuca, a company that has been making natural, eco-friendly
products since the 1980s, that not only work as well as
chemically laden versions from the supermarket,
but are safer, and typically save money overall in addition.
I was introduced to them by a co-worker in 1990, lost track
of them, and was thrilled to find them again about a year
and a half ago. I strongly recommend their products.
http://www.melaleuca.com/corimacnaughton
Prime My Body offers a nanoenhanced hemp-based CBD oil
that is legal in all 50 United States, and clinically proven to be
absorbed 3X better than the leading pharmaceutical brand.
I have used it on myself and my animals with excellent results.
https://Crescendo.primemybody.com
If you are interested in becoming an affiliate yourself,
check out this link:
https://enrollpmb.com/Crescendo
All words and images are my own.
The first image is of a sunset taken from my front yard, in Tennessee, taken with my Samsung Note 8 smart phone.
The photo of our dog, Lolo, and our late cat, Miod, I took as they were cooperatively begging at the dinner table, despite our longstanding rule of not feeding them from the table.
You can see how much that deterred them both.
Resteeming is welcome, you may link to my post from your own website or blog, and you may use excerpts and/or images as long as you credit me, and link back to this post.
Please ask for permission, before using my work otherwise, as all rights are reserved.