Do you still believe in coincidence? Let me tell you this - there is no such thing as coincidence. Everything happens for a reason and you are the cause of everything that happens or will ever happen to you.
I know, some of you would say I'm talking nonsense. A few years back I would have agreed with you. But I learnt that if you look at the bigger picture and you become aware of the big picture and you stand outside of you observing yourself and your life, you will soon realize that every event, everything that happened to you had happened in the most perfect way imaginable.
As such, I have stopped blaming others for my misfortunes. Firstly, blaming others means you are not taking responsibility for what happened. Not taking responsibility means you are giving control to that person you blame. In other words, you are the poor, helpless victim.
Secondly, do be aware that you are the cause of your own misfortune. It's difficult to comprehend this at first. I mean, how can you say that I cause my own sickness? It would be madness to tell a victim of a robbery that he or she was robbed because he or she wanted it! Ridiculous right?
Well, not really. In actual fact, everything that happens to us must first come to us by the way of attraction. We are like magnets that attract things and events into our lives.
Take for example, you and your neighbour work nights and both of you walk back home every night. You get robbed twice but your neighbour is unharmed. Why? Are you more unlucky than your neighbour?
The answer lies in your beliefs. Probably you believe that people are basically bad and dishonest. Or you are always fearful of being robbed because you heard a lot of such robbery cases. Your negative beliefs attract the negative energies creating a physical manifestation that resulted in you being robbed!
Your neighbour on the other hand, probably believes that people are basically good. Her positive beliefs in turn attract positive energies and therefore she gets home safe and well.
Now you may not believe that people are bad, but probably you did something dishonest at work and this guilty feeling will also attract the negative energies because you subconsciously believe that you should be punished for your dishonesty.
Some of you may lash out at me and say this is complete rubbish! You may ask, do you mean that those people who perished in the recent earthquake in Haiti deserve it because they attracted the misfortune to themselves?
To answer this, I will not say yes or no. That's because I'm not fully enlightened to provide an answer to such a question!
But personally, I would say there is no coincidence in life. Things happen for a reason, and if you happen to be a victim of an earthquake or a tornado or a tsunami, you are probably there at the right time and the right moment for some reason.
Everything is happening perfectly. There are no chaos or random events although they may not seem to be so.
That is why do not fight life. Do not fight events and circumstances in your life. Instead accept them and go with the flow. Start thinking positively and create positive energies. Even though it may seem that your life is fated, I believe that we are in this world to create and re-create.
You can change your fate. You can change your beliefs. And as such, you can change your life for the better.
For more information on this topic, read books by the following authors - Deepak Chopra, Wayne W Dyer, Neale Donald Walsch, Christopher Stone, Shakti Gawain, Esther Hicks, Masaru Emoto, Eckhart Tolle.
Note: I am taking a break from my usual Bali travel posts. They will be back in my next upcoming post, so stay tuned : )
I was particularly attracted to one of the topics in the book, which is What Other People Think.
So do you live your life always worrying about what other people think of you?
But what other people think is ONLY what other people think. Is it more important than what YOU think of yourself?
Other people are probably just as confused as you are, just as insecure, just as frightened, just as likely to make mistakes, to be envious, jealous or self deceiving, and therefore just as likely to distort what they hear and see.
In fact, I would say what other people think of you is really none of your business!
But if you must know what other people think, it has more to do with how they feel about themselves than how they feel about you.
Other people are probably wondering what you think of them. Now isn't that interesting!
So would you let other people control your life? Take back control by focusing on what you think of yourself. Because ultimately, that's all that really matters.
Are you happy? Or are you still searching for happiness?
What makes you happy really?
A lot of people tell me that they will be happy when they earn their first million.
Some tell me they will be happy once they they lose weight and achieve that perfect figure!
Others tell me they will be happy once they are married and have children.
Yet others tell me they will only be happy when they are successful and famous!
I guess most people will only be happy when they reach their goals in life. So in other words, we are all always striving to reach that state of being happy.
Have you ever wondered why we work so hard? Well, for the majority of us, we work hard for the money.
But why do we need to have money? Besides being able to buy food, pay our house loans and other necessities in life, we can buy things we like. And why would we want those things so much? Probably because they help us accomplish certain things in life or we want to look cool.
But why do we want to accomplish those things? Why do we want to look cool? Keep questioning yourself and you'll find that the real reason is because that would make you happy. You see, it all boils down to this craving for that state of happiness.
Now don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong in pursuing our dreams and our goals.
But if it is really happiness that you are after, why go through all the troubles? Since happiness is just a state of your conscious mind, don't you think you can simply 'choose' to be happy?
As ridiculous as this may sound to you, don't you think that you can just sit back, do nothing and be happy?
Why go through all the hard work to reach your destination when you can actually arrive at your destination now?
Believe me, there are people who have already achieved this - they are the reclusive yogis, who choose to do nothing and be happy.
I guess it's not easy for us to do that because all our lives, we have been conditioned to work hard in order to achieve our dreams. And then and only then, would we be satisfied and be happy.
But here's the problem. That happiness will not last very long. For very soon, we will be craving for more, for that next step because as humans, we always want to progress.
And so, people will continue to strive for that elusive happiness all their lives, wondering why do they feel so empty after having achieved so many things in life. You see, searching for happiness outside of you is an illusion. Because happiness is found within.
You already have happiness inside you. Be happy NOW. No matter what circumstances in your life right now, you can choose to be happy. IT'S YOUR CHOICE.
Why not be happy even as you continue to strive for your goals and dreams? You don't need to be happy only AFTER you have achieved them. As they say, success is a journey not a destination.
If there is a really good time to be happy, the time is NOW.
Today is Christmas eve. As Christmas Day approaches, we are reminded that Christmas is in fact a time for gifts. Giving and receiving gifts.
But do you know what is the best gift of all?
To me, it is the gift of love.
Have you ever thought of giving this gift of love to anyone you meet?
Well, maybe you can start doing that today. You can give love by simply committing a random act of kindness.
Like, paying the toll for the person behind you.
Or let the person lining up in a queue behind you get in front of you.
Offer your hand to carry groceries for someone at the supermarket.
Offer your seat to someone in the bus.
Offer the parking space you just found to the car behind you.
Or, perhaps you have been treated with a random act of kindness by a total stranger. How did you feel then? Were you grateful for his or her kindness? What did you do to repay him or her?
The best thing you could do is not to repay him, but to pay it forward.
If you have seen the movie "Pay It Forward", you will know what I mean. So you have been helped by a stranger. Now what you do is to help another fellow human being and if that person shows his gratitude by asking how he or she can repay you, tell him to pay it forward instead.
Imagine everyone doing this! Love will spread round the globe! It will be totally infectious!
And when enough people spread the message of love on earth, things will change. A new consciousness will arrive and we will have peace on earth.
Isn't that what we want? Heaven on earth?
Well, in the spirit of Christmas, let us all commit a random act of kindness and if we are at the receiving end, help to pay it forward.
Now I thought this is a nice song for this post. It's aptly called "The Gift" composed by Jim Brickman and sung by Susan Ashton and Collin Raye.
Enjoy the song and have a Merry Christmas everyone!!
What if I tell you what you think God wants from you is not what God wants from you?
Will you reject it outright? Will you say I'm blasphemous?
Well, since reading Conversations With God Book 1 by Neale Donald Walsch, I've continued reading many of his subsequent books. One of his many books which stand out is this book published in 2005 called WHAT GOD WANTS.
When was the last time you read a dangerous book?
Well, be careful because this book is dangerous. It explores with startling freshness the most important question you could ever ask, and offers with breathtaking courage the most extraordinary answer you could ever imagine.
That answer is so theologically revolutionary and so spiritually empowering that it could change the course of human history. If embraced, it most certainly will change your life.
There are people and institutions in the world, long in place and long in power, that want neither of these outcomes to occur. They would rather that you put this book down right now.
It's up to you.
Here are three chapters from the book itself. Just a taste of what is to come in the rest of the book. Don't worry - they are very short chapters. (I've taken out Chapter 3 as it's a bit long)
1.
Very few people will be able to believe what's in this book.
At least, at first.
That may make it one of the most unbelievable books of all time.
2.
This book answers the most important question in human history.
What does God want?
For many people that answer will be startling.
Even for those who aren't completely surprised, the answer will be dramatically different. It will not even come close to the ideas that people usually hear about God.
Humanity's ideas about God produce humanity's ideas about life and about people. Dramatically different ideas about God will produce dramatically different ideas about life and about people. If the world could use anything right now, that's it.
We stand today on the brink of a global cultural war. The opening volleys have already been exchanged. The really major clashes, the unthinkable Future World battles, may be yet to come.
Given the direction in which humanity appears to be moving, it may seem as though this larger conflict is inevitable. It isn't. There's something very powerful that can stop it: dramatically different ideas about God and dramatically different ideas about life and about people.
Such ideas, if accepted and adopted, will produce dramatically different ways of living and being. Values will change. Priorities will change. Power structures and power holders will change.
Some of those power holders do not want any of this to happen.
That may make this not only one of the most unbelievable books of all time, but also one of the most dangerous.
4.
Many people will simply be afraid to believe what's in this book.
A dramatically different idea is going to be presented here just 12,108 words from now. So opposed to this idea is the established order that, in some countries, if you said aloud the things that are in this book, you could be killed.
Not by an angry mob.
By the government.
You could be accused of committing a crime against the laws of the land, and sentenced to death. In other countries, while you might not be killed, you could be criticized, vilified, and ostracized. You could also be removed from any place of influence you might hold, and your views would almost certainly be marginalized.
Yes, that's how dangerous what is written here is.
Clearly, What God Wants is not unimportant information. It's so important, in fact, that the words are presented in initial caps and italic type wherever the term is used throughout this book. I wanted those words to stand out, so that they make a point in and of themselves.
You see, millions of people all over the world have been living their lives based on the information they have been given about What God Wants, and if the world's prior information on this topic is inaccurate, the world could be in big trouble.
And here's 2 reviews I found from the Internet.
REVIEW 1 "Fasten your seat belts... this truly IS a dangerous book!!!! Or exciting... it all depends on how you look at it. This book really is the BEST book Neale has written. It's short, fast, and clear. It provides stunning answers to the biggest question humanity can formulate. What is it, that God, our maker and creator, wants from us? Do we really know? Does any one of our conflicting religions know? Yes and no. Our knowledge is simply incomplete.
To understand the answer, we must zoom out from a piece of the puzzle (a religion, for example), to the broader picture. Wanna take a ride?!? Detach yourself from your belief systems (however inclusive you think they are), open yourself up, fasten your seat belts, and get your insurance papers out before reading this book... and then read it, listen to what it says.... at the very least CONSIDER the possibility that it is true.
I guarantee you, that no matter who you are, how many similar books you have read, or how much you think you know about the answer, you will be shocked (or enlightened) by the answer. The answer to the title, in Chapter 13, may make you feel empty... or full of new life and understanding and energized to change the world for the better... "
REVIEW 2 "....mind-opening, life-altering insights in a book so vital, so urgent in its timing, and so on the nose with its provocative assertions, that I was blown away by its ferociousness... Here is a message of love not bound by any one religion, but transcendent of them all. A message that will unite us, not divide us. Never have we needed this book more." - Book of the Month Club
So do you want to know what God wants? If yes, go get this book and read it, then let me know what you think!
Today I will keep my post short and simple. I just want to share with you something that is strange, wonderful and at the same time, inspiring.
I came across this website a few years ago. From there, I learned the meaning of "NOW".
We are so preoccupied with our past, and worry about our future, we never really appreciate the present moment. The Book of Now was a good experiential learning for me.
Click on this website now and experience it yourself. Do let me know what you think.
I stumbled upon this song called "Affirmation" sung by Darren Hayes of the now defunct Australian pop duo "Savage Garden"
This song is taken from their second album of the same title released in 1999.
Some people find this song inspirational. Many find that the song strikes a chord in them. However, there are others who don't quite agree with the ideals promoted in the song.
What about you? Do you agree with these affirmations and find them inspiring?
I believe the sun should never set upon an argument I believe we place our happiness in other people's hands I believe that junk food tastes so good because it's bad for you I believe your parents did the best job they knew how to do I believe that beauty magazines promote low self esteem I believe I'm loved when I'm completely by myself alone
I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye
I believe you can't control or choose your sexuality I believe that trust is more important than monogamy I believe that your most attractive features are your heart and soul I believe that family is worth more than money or gold I believe the struggle for financial freedom is unfair I believe the only ones who disagree are millionaires
I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye
I believe forgiveness is the key to your unhappiness I believe that wedded bliss negates the need to be undressed I believe that God does not endorse TV evangelists I believe in love surviving death into eternity
I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye
Name me one of the most successful female singer in the world today, and Mariah Carey’s name would come to mind.
Oh, there is Whitney, Celine, Beyonce, Rihanna, Aguilera and what not, but surely Mariah is way above them all. OK, I may be a little bit biased here, but if you’ve been reading my blog, you would know that I’m a huge fan of Mariah. I have all her CDs (well, almost all) and even own a biography book about her life.
My favourite album "Daydream"which first introduced me to Mariah
Still, I don’t consider myself to be a very huge fan. I know of someone who is an even bigger fan. He collects all her CDs including every one of her singles. And he even took leave from work and flew to Singapore to watch her show when she performed there a few years back.
Unfortunately, this world is divided into Mariah lovers and Mariah haters. You either love or hate her. I don’t think there’s any in-betweens.
The "Butterfly" album where Mariah started to get all sexy
The reason I’m blogging about Mariah today is because I just got a little irritated when a friend recently said she hated Mariah. She hated everything about Mariah – the way she dressed, the way she pretended to be nice when she’s really a bitch, even the way she speak.To add insult to injury, she said Mariah could not sing.
I was like, excuse me, you can criticize anything about her, except her singing ability. Why, she’s known for her five octave range, for goodness sake! And if she could not sing, you think she can last this long?
If you really want to know which female artiste who can’t sing but still sell loads of albums, I’ll tell you. She’s Madonna, that’s who. She can’t sing to save her life! I am sorry, I am not supposed to be putting down other singers, but I just hate it when people compare Madonna to Mariah. What were these people thinking? There’s simply no comparison! Madonna loses hands down!
Yes, I can't deny the fact that Madonna is very good at reinventing herself, and that’s probably why she could last so long. But her singing? I tell you. If you were to place both Mariah and Madonna together and ask them to sing, Madonna would look like a total amateur. But to be fair, Madonna will surely beat Mariah performance-wise. On this, I’m not going to argue.
The album that was a commercial flop and led to Mariah's nervous breakdown
Coming back to my friend, the Mariah hater. She said that the only reason Mariah is so successful is because she dresses so little and flirts her way around. Well actually I can’t blame my friend. Mariah did come out with the song “Touch My Body” which to some people, is absolutely in poor taste. But if they really watch the video, they would know it’s meant to be funny, in other words, it’s a joke. Mariah herself said, why take things so seriously?
In fact, I myself did not like it when she was so scantily clad, especially during those days when she was not exactly slim! Her fashion sense was disastrous and it was certainly not flattering! But her singing ability was good and that’s all that really matters. Nowadays, she has slimmed down a lot and even cut a really nice figure, so I no longer have any qualms about her dressing sexily.
To be fair to Mariah, she DID NOT become successful after she started dressing sexily. She was already a major success when she debuted in 1990 with her song “Vision Of Love”. At that time, she was dressing up like, in her own words, Mary Poppins. That by itself prove that she has real talent.
Of course I am not saying her voice is better than Whitney Houston or Celine Dion. These two have powerful vocals and they are great too. In fact, I’m a fan of both Whitney and Celine. What the heck, I even like Beyonce, Aguilera and the latest star, Rihanna.
But what really sets Mariah apart from say, Whitney or Celine, is that Mariah actually writes her own songs, and co-produces her own tracks. She is even quite business savvy in promoting her albums. And not forgetting, she has a No.1 hit on the Billboard singles chart with every one of her albums (except Glitter and Charmbracelets) and almost all of those No. 1 songs were written by her. That got to make her one of the most successful singer-songwriter in the world today!
Mariah's #1's compilation album stayed at No.1 on Malaysian RIM Chart for over 22 weeks!
As for her character, I don’t think you can judge a person by simply relying on newspapers and gossip magazines. I won’t know the true Mariah, would I? What is she like in private? Nobody will know except those close to her.
In fact, what Mariah does in her private life is none of our business! We can listen to the gossips and rumours, but let us not judge the person based purely on those.
There are some people who said they prefer the old Mariah who dressed nicely and sang power inspirational ballads. I love the old Mariah too, but hey, she needed to keep up with the times! The trend in music now is not power ballads, but more on R&B and hip hop.
Just take a look at the top 10 hits on the Billboard Chart nowadays and you can see most songs on the top 10 are hip hop and R&B songs. Mariah is just fitting into the trend. That’s what you must do to continue to survive in this challenging industry. I will even go so far as to say she is one smart girl!
Mariah's comeback album the biggest selling USA album in 2005
How then can you explain that after her melt down in 2001, she literally shot back up with her album The Emancipation Of Mimi in the year 2005 with strong hip hop songs all over the album? She made a major comeback as she was the artiste who sold the most number of albums in USA that year! Wow!
To me, Mariah deserves all the success she is getting. When she hit her 17th No.1 recently with "Touch My Body" which made her the artiste who surpassed Elvis Presley for the most No.1 US singles and second only to The Beatles, she humbly put her accomplishment in perspective by saying "I can never really put myself in the category of people who have not only revolutionised music but also change the world... I'm just feeling really happy and grateful."
That, to me, is the reason why Mariah is so successful. She is always grateful to her fans and to everyone she has worked with. And we all know the great benefit of being grateful. Read my previous post on gratefulness.
Now if you are still not convinced about Mariah’s talent and how she is actually one of the most hardworking and respected artistes in USA, I will let you in on what other major stars (singers, songwriters and producers) said about her in my next post.
Meantime, listen to Mariah belting out her self-penned inspirational song which she aptly called "Mariah's Theme". Mariah did not achieve success easily, and it was even harder to maintain her position as a top singer in the USA. She had once said that her whole life has been about obstacles. There were people and critics who wanted to see her downfall, yet she carried on fighting. This song is her heart-felt rendition of how she looked inside herself for the strength to strive towards her dreams.
Basically, it's a song that tells us to believe in ourselves, have faith in ourselves, and not let other people take away our dreams.
So turn up the volume one notch, sit back and listen to this song with the lyrics provided below. Hopefully you will, like Mariah, learn how to overcome all your life's challenges despite what others say or do to you.
They can say Anything they want to say Try to bring me down But I will not allow anyone to succeed hanging clouds over me And they can try Hard to make me feel that I Don't matter at all But I refuse to falter in what I believe or lose faith in my dreams
'Cause there's There's a light in me That shines brightly They can try But they can't take that away from me
Oh they... They can do Anything they want to you If you let them in But they won't ever win If you cling to you pride and just push them aside See I... I have learned There's an inner peace I own Something in my soul that they can not possess So I won't be afraid and the darkness will fade
'Cause there's There's light in me That shines brightly, yes They can try But they can't take that away from me
No They can't take this Precious love I'll always have inside me Certainly the Lord will guide me where I need to go
They can say Anything they want to say Try to bring me down But I won't face the ground I will rise steadily sailing out of their reach Oh Lord They do try Hard to make me feel that I Don't matter at all But I refuse to falter in what I believe or lose faith in my dreams
'Cause there's a light in me That shines brightly, yes They can try But they can't take that away from me
There’s romantic love between husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend.
There’s love for your parents, brothers and sisters.
There’s love for your cousins, your uncles and aunties.
There is love for your good friends and friends whom you care deeply about.
And then there is love for humanity and human beings of all races.
And not forgetting the love for animals and all living things!
But do you know what is the greatest love of all?
Most people either forget this or they are not aware of it, but the greatest love of all is loving yourself!
Yes, before you can love others, you have to really and truly love yourself.
Only when you are full of love can you give love to others.
You may have imperfections and weaknesses. Who doesn’t? You may have committed bad deeds. You may have many bad habits. You may be a total failure. But all these are not excuses not to love yourself!
Because love is the essence of who you are.
There’s a saying that God made us in his image. If you don’t love yourself, it is as good as insulting God. So you see, you are worthy of love no matter what you did, no matterhow you look, or behave.
So love yourself more and more everyday.
If you are someone with low self esteem, it is basically a lack of love in yourself.
Read this affirmations to yourself everyday and feel that love that is within you soar to greater heights!
I love myself more and more everyday.
I love myself no matter what anyone say or do to me.
I love myself unconditionally.
I love myself in spite of my many imperfections and weaknesses.
I am worthy of love.
I am love.
There’s a song which inspired me to write this post about love. Most of you probably heard of this song already, but did you really take the trouble to understand its message?
The song is called “The Greatest Love Of All” sung by Whitney Houston.
Take a few minutes now and drop everything you are doing, listen to the song, and sing along with the lyrics provided below. Let the meaning of the lyrics sink in and feel that great wonderful love that is already inside you!
I believe that children are our future Teach them well and let them lead the way Show them all the beauty they possess inside Give them a sense of pride to make it easier Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be
Everybody's searching for a hero People need someone to look up to I never found anyone who fulfilled my needs A lonely place to be And so I learned to depend on me
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows If I fail, if I succeed At least I'll live as I believe No matter what they take from me They can't take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all Is happening to me I found the greatest love of all Inside of me
The greatest love of all Is easy to achieve Learning to love yourself It is the greatest love of all
I believe that children are our future Teach them well and let them lead the way Show them all the beauty they possess inside Give them a sense of pride to make it easier Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows If I fail, if I succeed At least I'll live as I believe No matter what they take from me They can't take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all Is happening to me I found the greatest love of all Inside of me
The greatest love of all Is easy to achieve Learning to love yourself It is the greatest love of all
And if by chance, that special place That you've been dreaming of Leads you to a lonely place Find your strength in love
Did the song touch a raw nerve in you? Did it make you break down and cry? Yes, do you love yourself so much that you actually cry? That is love!
Loving yourself is indeed, the greatest love of all.
How many times do you pray to God to ask for something? If you are a religious person, you may be doing this often. If you are not, you probably did it once or twice during those desperate times when you wanted something so badly.
I don’t claim to be a very religious person, or an expert in religion.
But I was reading through this excellent and deeply spiritual (but non-religious) book called “Conversations With God” by Neale Donald Walsch for the second time recently. And it simply inspired me to write this post today.
In the book, Neale was questioning God whether prayer works. Whether God will grant him what he asks for. Here’s God’s reply to him.
“You will not have what you ask, nor can you have anything you want. This is because your very request is a statement of lack, and your saying you want a thing only works to produce the precise experience – wanting – in your reality.
The correct prayer is therefore never a prayer of supplication but a prayer of gratitude. When you thank God in advance for which you choose to experience in your reality, you in effect, acknowledge that it is there …. in effect. Thankfulness is thus the most powerful statement to God; an affirmation that even before you asked, I have answered.
Therefore, never supplicate. Appreciate.”
Let’s reflect on this for a moment. Every time you want to create something or want to have something, are you always hoping or wishing for it? Do you pray and hope it’ll come to you? Or do you feel grateful that it’s already on its way to you?
When you pray for something badly, you will very likely experience the wanting, and not what you want. But if you are grateful because you trust that you will receive what you want, then you will very likely get it.
So here’s how you can shift the energy from wanting to the feeling of already having it and feeling grateful.
Step 1 – Write down what you want eg. increase income, better health, better relationships etc.
Step 2 – Write down how you feel about what you want. Impatient? Frustrated? Disappointed? Or grateful?
Step 3 – If you feel anything other than grateful, choose this very moment to feel completely grateful and trust that what you want is on its way to you. Say “Thank you” at least 3 times to emphasize your feelings of gratefulness and know that what you want is already being materialized.
Step 4 – Erase all doubts and forget about this exercise. Just let go and allow the Universe to bring it to you.
Some people may ask, how can we practise gratefulness in times of trouble when we don’t feel like feeling grateful? Read this Trusting Life article for the inspiration.
Do you know that feeling grateful about what you have can actually attract more good things to you? It's the Law Of Attraction that can never fail you. When you are focused on being grateful for the good things in your life, the Universe will somehow bring more of those good things to you!
So let’s be grateful and thankful everyday, shall we?
Are you one of those people who always worry? Are you always asking yourself “What if…” questions?
What if I say something stupid?
What if people laugh at me?
What if my boss fires me?
What if I fail in my exams?
What if my husband leaves me for another woman?
What if the stock market crashes?
What if the petrol price continues to rise?
What if I can’t make ends meet?
What if the doctor finds out there is something wrong with me?
What if I run out of topics to post on my blog?
What if…..
Sounds familiar?
Let’s face it. Most of us worry. We are worried about so many things that if we were to list out all the things we worry about, we can fill up a whole book!
But have you ever ask yourself – is it necessary to worry? Why worry at all?
When we worry, we are not happy. Happiness and worry cannot exist side by side.
If you watched Kungfu Panda recently, you would most probably remember the character Grand Master Oogway mentioned this enlightening quote.
Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift.
That’s why it’s called the present.
What does that tell you? Don’t worry about the past because it’s over and there’s nothing you can do about it. Don’t worry about the future because it has yet to happen and you don’t know what is in store. However, you can do something about the future. You have the power to change the future by focusing on doing the right things now. At this very moment. The present.
Instead of worrying about the future, the "What ifs", focus on the present. Live by the moment.
Have you ever ask yourself “What am I worried right this second?” You’ll be surprised. The answer is nothing. You are at peace now. You are only worried about things that might or might not happen in the future. Why waste your energy worrying about things that may not happen?
Live moment by moment. If you notice, most of us are always thinking about the past or the future. What happened yesterday or last week and what will happen tomorrow or next week. That is why we are always worried. We rarely think about the present.
If you practise being aware of the “Now” you will find yourself at peace and happy. Try it today. Spend some quiet time with yourself being completely aware of the present. Don’t you feel the calmness? It’s almost enlightening!
Now forget about the past and don't think of the future. Just sit back, enjoy this very moment with this song popularised by Bobby Mc Ferrin.
It's so hard to forgive, isn't it? When someone do you wrong, don't you just hate that person and vow never to forgive him or her ever?
But wait a minute, when you vow not to forgive that person, who exactly is suffering here?
Think about it.
Here's an example to make it clearer for you. Let's say, you discover that your girlfriend is leaving you because she is running off with your best friend.
So in anger, you say, "I'll never forgive you for that!"
Now there are hundred and one reasons why your girlfriend left you. It may be because you did not appreciate her, or she did not find you compatible, or she is money minded and your best friend is more loaded than you, etc. etc. Whatever the reasons, it does not matter, at least that is not what I'm trying to talk about today.
What matters is when you vow not to forgive her, and perhaps even extend that to your best friend, who suffers?
I can assure you it's not them. You are losing sleep, have no appetite, cannot concentrate on your work, and feeling all stressed up. Them? They are probably enjoying themselves and partying all night!
So you see, when you don't forgive them, it's YOU who suffer.
But then, you say "How can I possibly forgive them after what they did? And why should I since I'm the victim here?"
Well, when you forgive someone, you don't have to agree with what that person did. When you forgive her, it does not mean you lost, she won. When you forgive him, it does not mean he's right, you're wrong. When you forgive them, IT IS NOT ABOUT THEM.
It's about YOU. PERIOD.
You want your own life to work. You want to have inner peace of mind. When you forgive someone, you let go the burden and you feel free. You are once again in control of your life. Why let the person who wronged you control your life? Hasn't he or she done enough damage to you? It makes no sense to let them prolong your suffering!
Revenge should be furthest from your mind. There is no need to feel spiteful because the nature of things will take care of itself. Haven't you heard about the Law Of Attraction? Or the Law Of Karma ie. what you sow, you reap? Do bad things and bad things come to you? Do good things and expect to receive good things?
So when we forgive others, it does not mean they did no wrong. It simply means we accept that they wronged us, and we move on. We wish them well, and carry on with our lives.
Now that you know this, let me end this with a surprising twist. OK, here goes...
In actual fact, THERE IS NO ONE TO FORGIVE.
Huh? Scratching your head?
You must be thinking I'm contradicting myself!
Well, not really. Let me invite you to read this wonderful, inspiring story called "The Little Soul and The Sun" by Neale Donald Walsch. I hope you will be further enlightened by the story and perhaps understand why there is no one for us to forgive.
Before signing off, I would like to say thank you to Andrew Matthews for his wonderful book Happiness Now. It's from this book, I learnt about forgiving others. Go get this book - you won't regret it!
If today, there is someone you are still angry with, or someone you have never thought of forgiving, I hope my article here will change your mind. Forgive that someone, because you'll be much better off. I promise.
Yes, do you know the 5 Secrets you must discover before you die?
I know the secrets. And I discovered it today at the Borders Bookstore in The Curve.
It was after lunch with a friend at Dragon-I restaurant and my friend had to leave so I decided to do some strolling around the Curve. Walked past Borders, and the welcoming sight of rows and rows of books were too big a temptation to resist.
And so I found myself casually flipping through some books here and there, not really reading anything at all. Then this book caught my attention. The title reads "The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die". I zoomed in on the author's name - Dr. John Izzo. Hmm, heard his name from somewhere, but could not recall.
Found myself a nice chair to sit and I proceeded to read the book. I did not know about 1 hour had passed when I finally put the book down! It was a such a good read! Touching and inspiring, warm and full of wisdom.
It is the secret to Happiness. To live well and die happy. It seemed that Dr John Izzo, a best selling author and corporate speaker, had interviewed over 200 people aged 60-106 asking them to reflect back on their lives. What did they learn? What brought them happiness and what did they regret?
From all the interviews, Dr Izzo were able to conclude the 5 secrets to living happily and meaningfully. They are: 1. Be true to yourself 2. Leave no regrets 3. Become love 4. Live in the moment 5. Give more than take
On reflection, these 5 secrets are really no secrets at all. I mean we know them deep inside us, only thing is we are too busy with our lives to really ponder or put into practice.
Be True To Yourself. This simply means be yourself. Be honest with yourself. Live life that is true to you and not lie to yourself. Live your life and not other people's lives.
Leave No Regrets. Any action we take, we must be fully responsible. There should be no regrets over what we had done. It also means take more risks in life, instead of being afraid and regretting later.
Become Love. Love is the most powerful emotion in the universe. Be more loving to oneself, and to others.
Live In The Moment. Focus on the present. There's not much you can do about the past, it's over. There's no point in worrying about the future because the present determines the future. In other words, why worry about the past or future when what really matters in the present. The Now. (Refer to "The Power Of Now" by Eckhart Tolle)
Give More Than Take. Give and you shall receive. The happiest people on earth are those who give more than they receive. Giving also signifies you have abundance, and that's a great mentality to have. Because when you believe you have abundance, somehow you do. That's how it works. (Refer to "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne)
I am thankful I went to Borders today and left with a higher awareness of what I must do in my life!
