selflessness
Spiritual Growth In Being Wrongly Blamed
We all tend to be terribly upset when blamed for something we haven’t done, or said. I have also found myself in situations of being blamed unfairly. This made me wonder… if everything happens for a reason, as many spiritual teachings suggest, then what is the lesson here?
My conclusion is that, perhaps, we can help ourselves by acknowledging the lesson in the unpleasant situation, as well as forgiving those who knew no better, in order to let them off the hook. Seeing things in this perspective can shift us to a place where we feel we’ve learned from the experience, and that we don’t need to attract the same pattern again. Continue reading
Love Your Neighbor As Yourself
I read an article recently that brought my attention to the hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, tsunamis, and earthquakes happening on our earth, which said this was all prophecy and that it is God’s way of cleansing certain parts of our world. The article quoted scripture, from the book of Job, however it was used to the benefit of the author.
Why would one area be cleansed over another? I pondered this for quite a while, especially after seeing recent reports on extreme natural events in the Caribbean Islands, Florida, Texas, Mexico and Japan. Why just those areas? Why not the entire earth’s population? Surely, none of us are without fault? Every community has a dark side, every nation a history of wrong-doing. Continue reading
The ‘Can Do’ People
Some of us are ‘can do’ people, while others are always saying, “No can do.” Who would you rather be? This has given me food for thought. What do I really tell myself about my own abilities? Can I really do what I want to do, or am I going to do whatever it may be?
Some people tell themselves that they are not smart enough to do what they want to do for their life’s work. Their mind is already made up. No can do. They go through life accepting and settling for their second, or even third choice.
Others have the attitude, when told they can’t possibly do something, they will show the world they can accomplish anything they choose to do. They believe they can achieve anything they put their mind too. Continue reading
Do It Anyway
Recently, I posted on social media about my daughter’s graduation, when she was awarded a degree in Psychology with high honors from a well-known university. I was really proud of her, and wanted to share it with the world.
Many friends and family commented on the post, with congratulatory excitement and kind remarks. But later that day, I noticed there was also a hurtful comment on that same post from my mother.
In the post I had misspelled the words summa cum laude and my mother’s comment read, “Ask your daughter how to spell summa cum laude.” That was it. It seemed short and cold. My heart sank. Not only from the public embarrassment of her comment, but more so from the insinuation that I lack intelligence. Continue reading
The Real Rewards Of Paying It Forward
What does it mean to ‘pay it forward’ from a spiritual perspective? On a simple level, paying it forward means we take a gift of kindness and pass it along to the next recipient, almost like a karma chain. We’ve all probably experienced such a gift, whether it was a cup of coffee, or a new car. But why do it in the first place? We’re all told that humanity is selfish, not selfless.
If we look at paying it forward beyond the superficial ‘it feels good,’ we see that it really does make us feel better on a physical and psychological level. Stress and depression rates are much lower for those who regularly volunteer, or perform acts of charity and kindness. Our brain experiences a ‘happiness boost’ almost immediately. Life expectancy is also higher for those who volunteer, compared to people who don’t. Doing selfless things simply does make us feel good. Continue reading
Traits Of Your Aries Child
A child born March 21st to April 19th is an Aries. Aries children are smart and very physically strong and coordinated. They are usually very athletic. They may be very quick to walk and talk. Aries are also extremely enthusiastic about life and tend to be optimists.
They are known however to have a bit of a temper. It will help you to establish that you are the boss and not give into temper tantrums very early on in your Aries baby’s life. Keep your calm and exemplify a dignified way of expressing anger and frustration. They are also know to hold a grudge, so teaching forgiveness will also be of benefit.
They are extremely generous and tend to want to give their toys to other kids. However, they may also expect to get some of their friend’s toys in return! They are strong forces and can be demanding and bossy. If you teach them to use that power to accomplish rather than control, they can be anything they want. Continue reading
Do Unto Others
Do unto others as you have them do unto you. It is also known as the Golden Rule. A simple and wise rule to live by, but something humanity struggles to adhere to.
It is also very close to another age-old axiom, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Again, this sounds easy enough. And what if you are one of those people, as many of us are, who are not in the habit of treating yourself very well at all?
How do you typically treat yourself? Do you like yourself? Do you love yourself? Do you approve, care, and not judge yourself harshly? Are you kind and encouraging to yourself? Or is your internal mental chatter and expression riddled with thoughts like: Continue reading