The following wise philosophy came to me from a pleasantly unexpected source...
THE MAYONNAISE JAR AND TWO CUPS OF COFFEE
When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.
The sand is everything else---the small stuff.
"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.
"One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked.It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."
...who usually fills his jar with coffee first and then wonders why he has no room for everything else! But there is hope. After all, he took the time to ask a client for a copy who had it posted on their bulletin board.
The beautiful part about life is that every moment of every day is a new opportunity to fill your jar in the most expansive way. It may even take emptying out completely what is not serving your highest good. Then you can fill it with awareness and consideration to what is truly important in your life.
Mags
MagsJOY
AttitudeLIFT
Showing posts with label balance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label balance. Show all posts
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Living The Laws of Spirit
Living an authentic life is very possible. However, how many can truly say they are? If you want to successfully achieve a state of being that is centered, joy-filled, focused, deliberate, honest, natural and wise, you first have to understand that there is more to you then just flesh and blood. The truth is just like the human body is made up of many parts, so is the unseen part of you. Each playing a significant role in your well-being. Each are powerful, however, all must work together for you to have an enlightened life experience. Just like an athlete can focus on each muscle group to create the body they desire, so can we build on each area of our Spirit to illuminate our true selves. The same principles apply for strengthening your Spirit as they do for keeping physically fit--it takes willingness, dedication and practice. The following offers a guideline to understanding the nature and power of our Spirit. You may want to keep a copy handy as a reminder of what you need to focus on for the day or the week. (I know I need to work on all of them!)
The Laws of Spirit
From the book by Dan Millman
THE LAW OF BALANCE: Finding the Middle Way
If gravity is the glue that holds the universe together, balance is the key that unlocks its secrets. Balance applies to our body, mind, and emotions, tall levels of our being. It reminds us that anything we do, we can overdo and underdo, and that if the pendulum of our lives or habits swings too far to one side, it will inevitably swing to the other.
THE LAW OF CHOICES: Reclaiming Our Power
We are both burdened and blessed by the great responsibility of free will---the power of choice. Our future is determined, in large part, by the choices we make now. We cannot always control our circumstances, but we can and do choose our response to whatever arises. Reclaiming the power of choice, we find the courage to live fully in the world.
THE LAW OF PROCESS: Taking Life Step-by-Step
Process transforms any journey into a serious of small steps, taken one by one, to reach any goal. Process transcends time, teaches patience, rests on a solid foundation of careful preparation, and embodies trust in our unfolding potential
THE LAW OF PRESENCE: Living in the Moment
Time is a paradox, stretching between a “past” and “future” that have no reality except in our own minds. The idea of time is a convention of thought and language, a social agreement. Here is the deeper truth: We have only this moment.
THE LAW OF COMPASSION: Awakening Our Humanity
The universe does not judge us; it only provides consequences and lessons and opportunities to balance and learn through the law of cause and effect. Compassion is the recognition that we are doing the best we can within the limits of our current beliefs and capabilities.
THE LAW OF FAITH: Trusting in Spirit
Faith is our direct link to universal wisdom, reminding us that we know more than we have heard or read or studied—that we have only to look, listen, and trust the love and wisdom of the Universal Spirit working through us all.
THE LAW OF EXPECTATION: Expanding Our Reality
Energy follows thought; we move toward, but not beyond, what we can imagine. What we assume, expect, or believe creates and colors our experience. By expanding our deepest beliefs about what is possible, we change our experience of life.
THE LAW OF INTEGRITY: Living Our Truth
Integrity means living and acting in alignment with spiritual law and with our highest vision, despite impulses to the contrary. From the heart of integrity, we recognize, accept, and express our authentic interior reality, inspiring others not with words, but by our example.
THE LAW OF ACTION: Moving Into Life
No matter what we feel or know, no matter what our potential gifts or talents, only action brings them to life. Many of us understand concepts such as commitment, courage, and love, but we truly know only when we can do. Doing leads to understanding, and action turns knowledge to wisdom.
THE LAW OF CYCLES: Dancing to Nature’s Song
The world of nature moves to rhythms, patterns, and cycles—the passing of the seasons, the movement of the stars, the ebb and flow of the tides. The seasons do not push one another; neither do clouds race the wind across the sky. All things happen in their own good time—rising and falling and rising and falling and rising like ocean waves, in the circles of time.
THE LAW OF SURRENDER: Embracing a Higher Will
Surrender means accepting this moment, this body, and this life with open arms. Surrender involves getting out of our own way and living in accord with a higher will, expressed as the wisdom of the heart. Far more than passive acceptance, surrender uses every challenge as a means of spiritual growth and expanded awareness.
THE LAW OF UNITY: Remembering Our Connection
We appear on Earth as separate beings with diverse destinies; but as each separate raindrop is a part of the sea, so are we each part of the Ocean of Awareness, the Body of God. Find love and inner peace deep within the highest truth that we are one Family. Leave behind the baggage of fear, envy, and resentment; fly aloft on wings of understanding, to enter the boundless Land of Compassion.
From the book by Dan Millman
THE LAW OF BALANCE: Finding the Middle Way
If gravity is the glue that holds the universe together, balance is the key that unlocks its secrets. Balance applies to our body, mind, and emotions, tall levels of our being. It reminds us that anything we do, we can overdo and underdo, and that if the pendulum of our lives or habits swings too far to one side, it will inevitably swing to the other.
THE LAW OF CHOICES: Reclaiming Our Power
We are both burdened and blessed by the great responsibility of free will---the power of choice. Our future is determined, in large part, by the choices we make now. We cannot always control our circumstances, but we can and do choose our response to whatever arises. Reclaiming the power of choice, we find the courage to live fully in the world.
THE LAW OF PROCESS: Taking Life Step-by-Step
Process transforms any journey into a serious of small steps, taken one by one, to reach any goal. Process transcends time, teaches patience, rests on a solid foundation of careful preparation, and embodies trust in our unfolding potential
THE LAW OF PRESENCE: Living in the Moment
Time is a paradox, stretching between a “past” and “future” that have no reality except in our own minds. The idea of time is a convention of thought and language, a social agreement. Here is the deeper truth: We have only this moment.
THE LAW OF COMPASSION: Awakening Our Humanity
The universe does not judge us; it only provides consequences and lessons and opportunities to balance and learn through the law of cause and effect. Compassion is the recognition that we are doing the best we can within the limits of our current beliefs and capabilities.
THE LAW OF FAITH: Trusting in Spirit
Faith is our direct link to universal wisdom, reminding us that we know more than we have heard or read or studied—that we have only to look, listen, and trust the love and wisdom of the Universal Spirit working through us all.
THE LAW OF EXPECTATION: Expanding Our Reality
Energy follows thought; we move toward, but not beyond, what we can imagine. What we assume, expect, or believe creates and colors our experience. By expanding our deepest beliefs about what is possible, we change our experience of life.
THE LAW OF INTEGRITY: Living Our Truth
Integrity means living and acting in alignment with spiritual law and with our highest vision, despite impulses to the contrary. From the heart of integrity, we recognize, accept, and express our authentic interior reality, inspiring others not with words, but by our example.
THE LAW OF ACTION: Moving Into Life
No matter what we feel or know, no matter what our potential gifts or talents, only action brings them to life. Many of us understand concepts such as commitment, courage, and love, but we truly know only when we can do. Doing leads to understanding, and action turns knowledge to wisdom.
THE LAW OF CYCLES: Dancing to Nature’s Song
The world of nature moves to rhythms, patterns, and cycles—the passing of the seasons, the movement of the stars, the ebb and flow of the tides. The seasons do not push one another; neither do clouds race the wind across the sky. All things happen in their own good time—rising and falling and rising and falling and rising like ocean waves, in the circles of time.
THE LAW OF SURRENDER: Embracing a Higher Will
Surrender means accepting this moment, this body, and this life with open arms. Surrender involves getting out of our own way and living in accord with a higher will, expressed as the wisdom of the heart. Far more than passive acceptance, surrender uses every challenge as a means of spiritual growth and expanded awareness.
THE LAW OF UNITY: Remembering Our Connection
We appear on Earth as separate beings with diverse destinies; but as each separate raindrop is a part of the sea, so are we each part of the Ocean of Awareness, the Body of God. Find love and inner peace deep within the highest truth that we are one Family. Leave behind the baggage of fear, envy, and resentment; fly aloft on wings of understanding, to enter the boundless Land of Compassion.
Maggie Kalas
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
THE LAW OF BALANCE
Finding balance - at work, home and play
"If gravity is the glue that holds the universe together, balance is the key that unlocks its secrets. Balance applies to our body, mind, and emotions, to all levels of our being. It reminds us that anything we do, we can overdo or underdo, and that if the pendulum of our lives or habits swings too far to one side, it will inevitably swing to the other"
-- from The Laws of Spirit by Dan Milman
I just returned from a girl's road trip to The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. A wonderful getaway from the daily stresses of life to an unknown territory with new faces and new places to explore. We did just that and it was fun. But I am the first to admit that vacations are usually more taxing than relaxing. Our desire to take a break from our overload of responsibilities at home and work, quickly takes the shape of over-eating, drinking and partying and under resting. It is like we are trying to make up for all the days we did not get to do the things we wanted to do during our everyday lives. Then vacation comes and we cram it all in, leaving us even more drained than before we left.
As a meditator, I can appreciate the concept of balance. You do recognize the difference in your stress level when you deliberately stop to just "be" for a while. Even taking 10-20 minutes every morning in the hotel room to just sit and mediate, helped me counter the previous nights heightened euphoria. Actually, incorporating meditation everyday into your routine can significantly reduce stress and fatigue. A great meditation rule of thumb to try is: 10-10-10. Ten minutes in the morning, ten minutes in the afternoon and 10 minutes before bed.
Try it for a week. I guarantee you will begin to notice a change. You will feel more rested, more alert, more calm. In other words, balanced.
And if you keep it up, the next time you take a vacation, you might even feel refreshed when you get home!
P.S. That's me in the picture seeking tranquility at the Cleveland Botanical Garden.
P.S.S. I hightly recommend visiting Cleveland, known as the New American City!
Maggie Kalas, MagsJOY Blog
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