Cultivate & Protect Your Happiness

“God did not intend my happiness to rest with someone else.”

— Aurelius

But here’s a quote relating to modern times:

“Psychic spies from China try to steal your mind’s elation.”

— Californication Song

It’s not just Chinese psychics who operate to manipulate & destroy your mind – it’s entire governments from multiple countries.

It trickles down too so now even “normal” people go around bothering others minds… to me, that’s not normal. That’s violent & sick. It’s dehumanizing. But people do it. Governments do it, and it trickles down…

what kind of world is this?

Anyway, even if there are masses of manipulated dead minds operating to turn others into zombies just like them, don’t be bitten.

Or if they try to bite you, tell them to fuck off, because the walking dead zombies of today truly are walking around & turning others into dead zombies.

Don’t take their bait, and don’t be bitten.

Stand up for your mind & heart.

Keep your mind, lose the zombies.

Discard Emphatic Trifles

“At times the whole world seems to be in conspiracy to importune you with emphatic trifles. Friend, client, child, sickness, fear, want, charity, all knock at once at thy closet door, and say,–‘Come out unto us.’ But keep thy state; come not into their confusion… 

…The power men possess to annoy me, I give them by a weak curiosity. No man can come near me but through my act. What we love that we have, but by desire we bereave ourselves of the love.”

—Emerson

Conspiracy.

Was Emerson right?

Do people actually go out of their way to bother others? – To try & bring emphatic trifles into another’s life?

I can’t imagine any decent person doing that to someone, but this world is filled with a whole range of people.

It’s filled with people seeking power, liars, manipulators, greed, ego .. all for what?

People don’t even know…

Some light would be nice. Some truth.

& some encouragement even maybe – rather than discouragement & bothering others… but if you want to be encouraged, begin by encouraging yourself.

Don’t enter the confusion of the masses & of the criminal “leaders” of today…beware of their greed & their shallow ways, and just go your own way.

Love yourself, & don’t ever expect love from a lying politician or any of the criminals in the “upper” class.

The Phantom Mind & The Active Present

“. . Action always happens in the present, because it is an expression of the body, which can only exist in the here and now. But the mind is like a phantom that lives only in the past or future. It’s only power over you is to draw your attention out of the present.”

— Dan Millman

If I were to tell you that there are people & organizations working to manipulate people out of the true present moment, you may or may not believe me.

There are also some who work in love to bring themselves & others into a loving present moment – which is more difficult than living in the past or future, but it’s where everything is truly happening, all the time.

Anyway, Millman talks about the phantom mind & the present moment here. Action happens in the present moment, but even in action many people are living in the past or future & not actually in the present.

The phantom mind is powerful, but the true present moment is more powerful, & usually more beautiful.

Meditation practice is one of the best ways to experience the direct present moment.

Begin here, now 🙂

Meaning of Life?

“I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.”

—Joseph Campbell 

I personally do not know the meaning of life. 

Maybe it’s different for everyone? I don’t know.

But I do think, sometimes like Joseph Campbell, that people aren’t looking so much for the meaning of life, as they are looking for the experience of being alive.

What do you enjoy?

What makes you experience the fullness of life?

Attention, Daydreaming, Focus

These three words have similarities & differences.

There are different ways & levels of attention, focus, concentration, and then there is daydreaming – which is a sort of focus within; a meditation.

There is not one right way of living for all people. There is a vast range of ways of living, just as there is a range of attention, focus, and also daydreaming. 

It is all okay.

Here’s a relative Henry David Thoreau quote:

“If a man does note keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”

Listen to YOUR own drummer. 

Listen to the music YOU like. 

Read the books YOU enjoy. 

Do the activities YOU like.

This is not selfish. This is self care. 

Take care of yourself first, and if you need to care for others, then you can do so, but make sure you put your life jacket on first.

Attention, Daydreaming, Focus…oh the places you’ll go…

Comparing, Thriving

We as humans often compare ourselves to each other – or to people of the past. But the thing we probably do most is compare ourselves to our immediate environments & those there.

Sometimes our environments become boxes and trap us in, and sometimes our environments provide freedom.

When we thrive & strive to improve ourselves, to live our best lives, helping others, we are living in more freedom.

When we are comparing ourselves with anger, hating, envious, offensive & defensive, we most likely stay in a box.

I have heard that winners focus on winning, and losers focus on winners.

You can be a winner & focus on other winners too, just don’t look into the sidelines or crowds too long or you may get lost in them, with them, and you don’t want that if you’re a leader, a person of influence; someone attaining their own freedom.

10 Quotes From Dan Millman’s The Peaceful Warrior To Bring You Happiness Today

1) “There is no need to search; achievement leads to nowhere. It makes no difference at all, so just be happy now! Love is the only reality of the world, because it is all One, you see. And the only laws are paradox, humor and change. There is no problem, never was, and never will be. Release your struggle, let go of your mind, throw away your concerns, and relax into the world. No need to resist life, just do your best. Open your eyes and see that you are far more than you imagine. You are the world, you are the universe; you are yourself and everyone else, too! It’s all the marvelous Play of God. Wake up, regain your humor. Don’t worry, just be happy. You are already free!” 

2) “Reality never matched their dreams; happiness was just around the corner — a corner they never turned. And the source of it all was the human mind.”

3) “Sometimes sorrow, sometimes joy. But beneath it all remember the innate perfection of your life unfolding. That is the secret of unreasonable happiness.” 

4) “And so I awoke to reality, free of any meaning or any search. What could there possibly be to search for? All of Socrate’s words had come alive with my death. This was the paradox of it all, the humor of it all, and the great change. All searches, all achievements, all goals, were equally enjoyable, and equally unnecessary.” 

5) “Act happy, be happy, without a reason in the world. Then you can love, and do what you will.”

6) “The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”

7) “‘What do I do then, now? Where do I go from here?’ Dan asked Socrates.

‘Who cares?’ He yelled gleefully.  ‘A fool is ‘happy’ when his cravings are satisfied. A warrior is happy without reason.  That’s what makes happiness the ultimate discipline—above all else I have taught you.’”

8) “Stay in the present. You can do nothing to change the past, and the future will never come exactly as you plan or hope for.  The warrior is here, now. Your sorrow, your fear & anger, regret & guilt, your envy and plans and cravings live only in the past, or in the future.”

9) “Like most people, you’ve been taught to gather information from outside yourself; from books, magazines, experts.  Like this car, you open up and let the facts pour in.  Sometimes the information is premium and sometimes it’s low octane.  You buy your knowledge at the current market rates, much like you buy gasoline.  Like this gas tank, you are overflowing with preconceptions; full of useless knowledge.  You hold many facts and opinions, yet know little of yourself.  Before you can learn, you’ll have to first empty your tank.

10) “Wake up! If you knew for certain that you had a terminal illness – if you had precious little time left to make use of your life and consider who you are, you’d not waste time on self-indulgence or fear, lethargy or ambition.  You do have a terminal illness – it is death. Be happy now, without reason – or you never will be at all.”

1 Empowering Message From The Alchemist

“…That’s what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.”
—Paulo Coelho

Life can be a mysterious experience, and yet, in one way that life is not mysterious is that when we become better versions of ourselves, everything around us improves. 

This is a Fact of Life.

Act With Purpose

“Do external things distract you? Then make time for yourself to learn something worthwhile; stop letting yourself be pulled in all directions. But make sure you guard against the other kind of confusion. People who labor all their lives but have no purpose to direct every thought and impulse toward are wasting their time—even when hard at work.”
—Marcus Aurelius

______________________________

What purpose are you living for?

Here is A 3-Step Process to Begin Creating YOUR Life

More helpful resources:

Set long-term goals & Focus

& Then Stop Looking Back & Live Life Like You’re Driving

17 Marcus Aurelius Quotes On Dealing with Other People

1) “Don’t pay attention to other people’s minds. Look straight ahead, where nature is leading you, through the things that happen to you through your own actions.”

2) “When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and unfriendly.  They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil.”

3) “Welcoming wholeheartedly whatever comes- whatever were assigned—not worrying too often, or with any selfish motive, about what other people say. Or do, or think.”

4) “Don’t waste the rest of your time here worrying about other people—unless it affects the common good.  It will keep you from doing anything useful.  You’ll be too preoccupied with what so-and-so is doing, and why, and what they’re saying, and what they’re thinking, and what they’re up to, and all the other things that throw you off and keep you from focusing on your own mind.”

5) “God did not intend my happiness to rest with someone else.”

6) “You want praise from people who kick themselves every 15 minutes, the approval of people who despise themselves…..why do you want approval from people who don’t know where or who they are on this planet?”

7) “The tranquility that comes when you stop caring what they say. Or think, or do.  Only what you do. Asking yourself: Is this fair?  Is this the right thing to do?”

8) “So other people hurt me? That’s their problem. Their character and actions are not mine.”

9) “So remember this principle when someone threatens to cause you pain: the thing itself was no misfortune at all; to endure it and prevail is great good fortune.”

10) “That to expect bad people not to injure others is crazy. It’s to ask the impossible. And to let them behave like that to other people but expect them to exempt you is arrogant—the act of a tyrant.”

11) “If they’ve injured you, then they’re the ones who suffer for it.”

12) “Other people’s mistakes? Leave them to their makers.”

13) “If anyone can refute me-show me I’m making a mistake or looking at things from the wrong perspective— I’ll gladly change. It’s the truth I’m after, and the truth never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance.”

14) “Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question: What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?”

15) “Don’t be put off by other people’s comments and criticism.”

16) “Not to be distracted by their darkness.  To run straight for the finish line, unswerving.”

17) A straightforward honest person should be like someone who stinks: when you’re in the same room with him, you know it.  But false straightforwardness is like a knife in the back. False friendship is the worst.  Avoid it at all costs. If you’re honest and straightforward and mean well, it should show in your eyes. It should be unmistakable.”