Trying to do good. Born and raised and living in NYC.
You have to keep doing it, and trust that it is working inside of you. Like a seed, you cant sitr up the ground the day after you planted it, you have to let it surface without disturbance, without doubt. Take care of it, continue to feed it and provide the correct environment, and it will show itself..
You are not going to make anybody else happy. Why? Only they can make themselves happy.You have to act on your own desires, your own wants. You could be doing great by everyone else’s standards and comments, but if you are not personally happy with what you’re doing, then what is the point?
Let’s say you’ve always wanted to be a star quarterback for the NFL, thati is your dream. Instead, you’ve ended up as the starting pitcher for the New York Yankees. Everyone is so proud, so admiring, and in awe, of your achievement. You make millions, and you are starting pitcher for the Yankees.
Yet, that is not what you want. That is what others may want; some may want it for themselves, some may want it for you. But that is not what you want for you. People congratulate you and say that you have succeeded in life, yet you are at a place where you do not want to be.
Therefore, if you are not aiming for what you want for yourself, for what you desire, then at least ask yourself why. Why are you aiming for something you do not want?
Maybe your reason(s) will satisfy you, maybe they wont. Maybe you cant think of any.
The decision is yours. Because this life is yours, you have the choice to do what you like with your life. And so you have a choice, do what you want, or do what you dont want.
Aim for what you want, or aim for what you dont want.
“If anyone has hurt me or harmed me knowingly or unknowingly in thought, word or deed, I freely forgive them.
And I too ask forgiveness if I have hurt anyone or harmed anyone knowingly or unknowingly in thought, word, or deed.”
-Theravada Buddhism
“What we call ‘I’ is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and exhale.“
-Shunryu Suzuki
What do I mean by Life Is Yours?
You are given Life, you are the caretaker and commander of your life. you decide what you want, based on your feelings. You could do things, live you r life for others, but that is your decision.
When you live the way you choose, you are taking control.
What do I mean, Your Own Path?
You are here to go your own way. not that you can’t or shouldn’t follow a path thats been taken before, but you have been given the gift of choice and decision.
Essentially, you are always going to have yourself to keep you company. You are the only person that is guaranteed to always follow you around.
Everyone makes decisions all the time, every moment of the day.
You have decided to sit down and drink a coffee. Every moment you are exercising choice. When you pick up the cup, when you sip, when the cup is sitting on the table and you stare blankly out the window, these are all choices that you make.
Choice is fundamental. You always have choice.
If you are in a class, and you need to pass, you have a choice to do the work or not
An excerpt from Extreme Survival:
“Over the years much research has been conducted into why it should be that some people can survive a life-threatening situation when other in the same situation are overwhelmed. Often it is not the strongest or those with the best equipment who make it, although these things undoubtedly make a big difference. Unequivocally, the same conclusion is always reached: the difference between living or dying lies in the mind. The power of mind, the resilience of the human spirit, an unshakable optimism and a mental readiness to handle the unexpected are vital in the ultimate survival situations.
“Naturally some people have these qualities in abundance, but not all. Happily there are skills that can be learned to help us achieve the necessary mental strength. Just as we can repeate movement, like the running action or biceps curl, to make our bodies physically fitter, so the same principle can also be applied to the mind. But as with getting our bodies fitter, we have to work at it and repeat the action to increase our performance.
“…The conclusion I have drawn from my experience…is that training the mind allows us to cope with situations that take us way beyond any mental or physical pain threshold we may have set ourselves, and that these mental skills, once learned, can be applied to all survival situations.
“…The two most important mental strength-building skills that can be developed can be summed up in two words – visualization and attitude.”
-Debra Searle