Beauty, magic, grace, energy and ease … make them the foundation for your life. Take time to stop and smell the roses. Your missions in life will be so much better for it.
If you’re in, be ALL in
The Secret Sauce
Today is a good day to die.
Apathy versus Aliveness
Avoid the Grey Life and Have a One that's Worth Living
What gets you out of bed in the morning? What floats your boat, lifts your skirt, puts lead in your pencil?
One of the greatest things you can do for your life is nurture your sense of caring about something, anything.
It gives you a defence from apathy and sleep walking grey-ness, and it means your days have meaning, bringing everything Alive.
The Silver Lining.
What is a good result?
Is it getting what you want in the short term? Or having a deeper understanding, a better perspective, “growing as a person” because you didn’t get what you wanted?
Have you ever lived through something that wasn’t pleasant at the time but now when you look back, you’re actually glad it did happen, simply because a lot of good came from it?
When my mum died, fairly young, of cancer - that wasn’t a good time. But it was the most amazing of times too, simply because I got to know her on such a deeper level. It was quality time, indeed. The same with my brother. I am so much closer to him now than ever before.
The silver lining, and one that may not have happened if mum hadn't gotten sick, is that I no longer have the mediocre relationships I used to have with my family.
The other thing that became so clear was that any future thoughts, with all the doctors’ prognoses (of which there were plenty) and lots of worry about mum, only led to suffering. I had to be very present otherwise I would instantly dissolve into a ball of worry and anxiety.
I got to see my mind clearly, and didn't go there. It was too painful.
So I was super present, and was able to be with mum as she was, not as I thought she would be in the future. We actually had a lot of fun.
The fact is you can frame any experience any way you want. It can be good, it can be bad. That label changes you.
I say always choose to see the good. If it’s a challenging situation you especially need to find a silver lining. Find a benefit to you and focus on that.
There is a story that my meditation teacher tells. He doesn’t tell it so often anymore, probably because he knows that his students steal all his best ideas quickly, so he has to constantly come up with new material.
But it’s about a villager who, to cut a long story short, has an amazing thing happen to him. He shrugs his shoulders and says “Good news? Bad news? Who knows?”. The next day the amazing thing has lead to something terrible. Again, he shrugs his shoulders and says “Good news? Bad news? Who knows?”. The next day the terrible thing turns out to be a blessing in disguise, and again, he simply shrugs, and says “Good news? Bad news? Who knows?”.
Who knows why things happen? Who knows what will happen next? I don’t.
Just assume all is good. In this moment focus on the silver lining. Make the most of what you have. Be wide open and see what happens next. You may be surprised.
Have a great weekend - enjoy each and every moment of it.
___________________________
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Stay inspired.
"All the effort in the world won’t matter if you’re not inspired"- Chuck Palahniuk
One of my daily rituals is making sure I stay inspired. I think in this game of life it is one of the greatest things you can do to make sure you play well.
It’s easy to let the humdrum and the routine mean that another day fades into the background. A week passes, a month, a year. You postpone, you do the same things, it’s easy to forget what you are living for.
Inspiration is your life-blood, it is the thing that ensures you live the life that you want. Without it, it is a grey life indeed. Without inspiration you have nothing.
Inspiration is reminding myself of my most important thing so I keep it as a priority in the day.
Many things clammer for attention, but what is truly important to you?
What is the bottom line of your life?
For me, above all other things, it is living a life of connection. Of choosing to be filled with presence and contentment. Of appreciation and gratitude for the simple fact that I am alive. For being of service in some way to other people. For being as clear and honest as I can be. For that sense of aliveness and connection to this moment that means I am all of these things and more.
What helps remind you? What inspires you?
Surround yourself with the greatest people you can find. Whether that is in person or via phone, email, text, it doesn’t matter. Tap into that goodness.
Read and watch what inspires and educates and motivates. With the internet, TV, and books there is so much out there to use.
Go places and do things that inspire and excite you. Every now and then see if you can take time out to retreat and re-prioritise. Whether that’s half a day or a week, find the time.
In little and large ways, create a bath of inspiration that you can soak in, so you stay committed to what is important.
You gotta stay inspired, and only you know how that best works for you. Let inspiration be the basis of all your actions.
Make the most of your time here.
I’ve always wanted to live the best life possible.
The whole reason for learning and practicing Ascension meditation, to consciously and actively have a better attitude, to clearly see what limiting thoughts and attitudes I have, all of it is to make the most of my time here.
I realised early on that life is short. All because I had so many friends and acquaintances die in their late teens and early twenties.
One guy I worked with went to the doctor with a sore stomach and was dead 2 weeks later. One friend died on a kayaking trip. A friend was on a cycling trip and got hit by a car. Another, a brother of a friend, crashed a plane. So many more stories.
It’s not pleasant at all, but I’m glad it happened. Like all things, death has a silver lining.
Death has been the greatest lesson - simply because the presence of death is an awesome reminder that we don’t have a whole lot of time.
See when you think you have a lot of time, you tend to waste it, you tend to postpone. You tend not to worry about squeezing the most out of life because you can do it, well... later.
But those who realise how precious this life is, that time indeed is running out, they really do get the most out of each and every moment. They don't wait until later.
Each person, each conversation has greater significance because you don’t take things for granted.
Each dream, each great ambition, you don’t let a doubt or a limiting thought get in the way of you making it happen.
You don’t have the time for a life that is not yours, living and doing the things you can’t stand and can’t accept.
Come to terms with the fact that life is short. Develop the ability to make the most of each and every moment, to make sure you live your dreams, to live the best possible life.
Don’t delay!
The zone of awesomeness.
There are times in life, no matter what you are doing, where you are captivated, absorbed, transfixed by what you are doing.
It is a very enjoyable experience, and it is a universal experience, one that many have had a taste of and long for more of.
Everything you do has this potential zone of awesomeness within it. It’s probably called something else by those who study such things, but as amateur researchers in the good life I’m sure you can grasp what I’m referring to.
Classic names given to it are the “runner’s high”, being in “the zone”, or a state of “flow”. It doesn’t matter what it is called, the fact is that it exists, and within it performance and enjoyment are maximised.
The people at the top of their fields - whether it be sports, art, music, business, parenting, whatever - they all know how to access this zone with relative ease.
Here’s what you need to know about it:
It need not be something you touch upon. It is possible to live life continuously in the zone. That is the whole point of meditation. Meditation is training to be Alive.
Second, the zone exists within you. It is not about the activity. You have favourite activities that you love, and you love them at least partially because they bring you closer to absorption in the zone. But it’s not about the thing, it's always about where your attention is.
The ability to control your attention is everything. It is the ability to be focussed and relaxed at the same time. Too much arousal and you become stressed. Not enough and you are bored. There is a sweet spot in any activity, and that sweet spot is the zone.
The easiest way to be in the sweet spot is to be completely absorbed in this moment.
How do you do that?
Notice what is going on in your mind. Bring it back to to now, bring it back to what you are doing. Ignore everything else. Constantly and gently do this and your mind will learn to stay here, in the same place as your body.
Absorption and flow, the zone - it's all right here, right now. Where are you?
I can’t encourage you enough to learn to meditate. A simple tool like the Bright Path Ishayas’ Ascension is worth its weight in gold because it makes the return to presence of mind and relaxation of the body so effortless. It makes living a life in the zone inevitable. It makes everything awesome.
Good luck! Enjoy, always enjoy. After all, that is the purpose of life, is it not?
- Arjuna
___________________________ How to be mentally fit, fluid and free www.arjunaishaya.com
Your life is your attitude.
"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms -- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." -Viktor Frankl
Sometimes I get accused of being unrealistic, harping on about the need for living life with the glass half full. People say that having a constant positive mental attitude is a nice idea, but sometimes life isn’t like that, that positivity is sometimes ignoring reality.
But what is real? What is reality?
Here’s what I see: You shape reality by *how* you see *what* you experience. It is all about your perception. Nothing is real, beyond your thinking about it.
Do you realise this?
Here is your life, and here are your mental processes about your life. They are the same thing. Your life isn’t different from the filters that you maintain – the judgements, the beliefs, the attitudes.
You, and you alone, define your own life. That’s what you get to choose, and no one can take that away from you. It is your internal attitude that shapes and makes everything. This choice is total – the experience of hell or heaven depends on you.
Your life isn’t about the circumstances, your life is always about your response to these circumstances.
You decide how you will respond to everything. Engage this choice, it is one of the most precious things you possess. Choose to see the good, to appreciate. Choose to be thankful. Choose to love.
Choose and choose again until it becomes a habit. And then choose once more. You will come to a place where nothing can make you suffer, unless you consciously allow it.
Heaven or hell? It all starts with your attitude.
The Zen of doing and not doing.
“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” - Serenity Prayer of Alcoholics Anonymous
The mastery of life lies in the mastery of the above three things: The ability to do nothing, the ability to make change, and the presence and wisdom to realise when to do what.
Doing nothing is just as important as doing. Yet while many are excellent do-ers, not many can truly do nothing. That is why it comes first.
If, for example, within a situation you dislike wherein you cannot change or leave, you must accept. You must. There are no other options. Instead, many people complain and resist and blame, all stressful, pointless responses.
Life is change. Attempting to follow a set plan despite the reality of what is actually happening will always be as fruitful and enjoyable as banging your head against a wall.
In acceptance you are surrendering to what is.
You give up your insistence of what “should” be happening in exchange for peace and perspective: an excellent trade off.
You stop fighting and are able to see clearly and work with what you have, within the situation you find yourself in. There lies fluidity and freedom, and great serenity too.
Secondly, life is also about action. If you don’t do something, nothing will happen.
What do you want to do? It is your choice. After you decide, you need to follow through.
All of this may require courage. Now - needing courage to do something is an excellent sign that it is important to you. Keep walking that direction. Everything that has been important to you has required a jump into the unknown. A gulp and a leap. As tempting as it may be, don’t avoid it, do it.
Thirdly, the wisdom to know what to do comes from being very alive to what is being presented to you in this moment. Then and only then will you be able to meet the need of this exact moment.
Be alive to now, see what this moment requires, and let the next course of action be revealed to you. Wisdom lies in the ability to wait and see what is needed, what can be done.
When you know, do, or do not, but be whole hearted in your doing, or not doing. Don’t sit on the fence.
OK? Nothing worse than living a life half arsed.
Why meditate?
"The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware." - Henry Miller
The result of meditation is the ability to not attach to the stuff in your head. It is the ability to be mentally fit, fluid and free.
You develop the ability to purely witness, to allow thoughts and emotions to come and go.
You develop the ability to choose what to focus on.
You gain the ability to enjoy every - every - aspect of your life.
Perhaps there is a negative thought or a worry or a doubt. Meditation isn’t about banishing it, it is about simply letting it be there but not getting wrapped up in it.
It is there, but it isn’t you. You don’t get lost in it anymore. Or if you do, you can choose to let go, simply, effortlessly, immediately.
Meditation in action is when you take this ability to not react to things in life.
So something doesn’t go the way you want it to. You are able to not be affected, to remain calm and clear and see what you can do about the situation - if anything.
You don’t get wrapped up in drama any more. You develop the awareness that being calm and at peace is much more enjoyable, and you know how to choose for it.
You give up your ticket to the rollercoaster - life becomes one steady, super enjoyable, very effective moment. Joy and contentment is the overwhelming response to life.
This is good, that is good, all is good.
From that calmness and clarity comes the ability to live the very best version of yourself.
All through a little practice. A little commitment to being that version of you.
You can do this, it is who you have been all along.
Stop, take a moment from trying to work stuff out or trying to control. Be present and alive to this moment. See the beauty that is here, see the good that is already in your life.
Why would you want to set aside time to meditate?
So you become aware, and in doing so, totally and completely alive.
It's worth it.
Fear is more closely related to love than you know
A wise man once said that the opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference.
If that is the case, and I believe it is, fear isn’t the opposite of love either.
Fear is actually more closely related to love than you know.
It is an emotional response to the unknown and the uncontrollable.
Some shut down in the face of fear. They try to grab and hold tight until the storm passes.
Others open up.
They know that fear only comes when something is important to you. If it’s not important you would be indifferent, you see?
Fear means it is important to you and therefore can be a reliable indicator to head in that direction, to investigate, to be aware.
When something requires courage to do, don’t delay, don’t dilly dally - therein lies your passion and your purpose. Therein lies what is important and where your love dwells.
Go that way. Don't let fear stop you.
_______________________________
ps. the top quote and the subject for this blog came from a cool book by Steven Pressfield which I just read:
The hidden danger of indifference
“The opposite of love isn't hate; it's indifference” - Steven Pressfield
Indifference is a very subtle beast, yet once fallen into leads a long way down a grey and winding path indeed.
Like a sleepwalker wandering deeper and deeper into the forest, life becomes lost not through deliberate choice but through not paying attention.
Its a truism that you don’t know how good you have it until its gone.
What you have to do today becomes more important than what is here, already. The lack takes our attention instead - what is missing.
This focus, continued for long enough, means life becomes one constant question: “Why?”
“Why is this happening to me?”, “why doesn’t life go the way I want it to?”, “why isn’t this working?”, “why does she have all the good luck?”.
Indifference directly leads to living life with the perspective of a victim, one long grey, whiney, blame and stress filled existence.
The solution lies not in the past or in some future time, but here, is this exact moment.
Pay attention, for what you focus on grows. Be not indifferent, or take things for granted. Base your life in the appreciation and gratitude for what you do have, right now.
Through continued nurturing and choice, the automatic - the natural - response and reaction to life becomes not one of “why?” but one of “wow”.
Richness and blessings lie solely in perspective. And now you know.
You may not be able to control the circumstances of your life, but you can control how you react to it. It’s not about the what, its all about the how.
Don’t allow life to unconsciously slip away.
A guide to living the best life possible, part 2
How do you live your life? Here's part two of Arjuna's guide to a rich and fulfilled life:
Find ways to be of service
Give more, in all ways. This life isn’t about getting. Your peace and happiness stems from the ability to openly give.
Stop complaining
Don’t complain, whine, whinge, bitch or moan. Don’t blame anyone either. It is the fastest path to misery ever.
Appreciate and be grateful
Go out of your way to speak about your appreciation and gratitude for everything. Through this your experience of life will be that the glass is not only half-full, but continuously over-flowing.
Seek for contentment, always
Your path in this life will be different from every body else’s. Rest assured, all will turn out fine. Don’t compare, live your life as it comes to you. Set lofty goals, but live now content in what you have.
Your purpose is intertwined with your passions
Do as much of what you love as possible. It is closely related to your purpose for being here.
Be full-on
Don’t be half arsed. Don’t wait for life to be given to you. Take 100% responsibility and make this how you want it. Someone once said: “When you were born you cried and the world rejoiced. Live a life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.” Sounds like good advice to me.
Your natural state is freedom
You are a limitless being. Your awareness is unbounded by time or space. You are more than just your body or your beliefs. You are perfect, exactly as you are. Rest in the heart of your infinite being, be well, live, be free.
Eat your greens
Sleep well, exercise and drink lots of water too…
Excellent. Don't take these seriously now. Enjoy!
A guide to living the best life possible
Life doesn’t come with an instruction book. You have to work out for yourself what works. For what its worth, and for your entertainment and edification, here’s how I think life’s guide book should go:
The past is completely gone and the future is beyond your control
Base your life in the here and now. Become alive to this. You cannot live in any other moment. Stop regretting the past and trying to predict the future. Its futile. Be right here. The only moment that matters is now. It matters not a jot what just happened or where your attention was. Where are you now?
It’s not so much what you do, it’s how you do it
Your impact on the world is less about what you say and do and more about where you are when you say or do. Your presence speaks louder than words. Being in the same place as your body, absorbed in this moment, means you can meet the need of this moment. Everything will be so much more than if you are in your head.
Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy?
Prioritise your peace and happiness. Humanity is crazy. There are so many people who would rather be right than happy. The end of all conflict lies in valuing happiness over everything else. You like happiness? Stop caring if you’re right or not. As my meditation teacher instructs, also take things a little less seriously every day.
You reap what you sow
You want a different fruit? You need to plant a different tree. Doing the same thing and expecting different results will never work. What you give, you get. What you focus on, grows.
Love people just as they are
Don’t insist that people change. You may be clear and honest in what you want, but after that step back and whole heartedly accept and allow every single person you meet.
Change what you can change, accept what you must accept
See the difference. Give yourself the wisdom to see what you can change or leave and what you must accept. Don’t push or force anything. Its a complete waste of time.
Call your mother
It's important.
Part two coming soon...
Where are you?
The greatest way to live the best of lives is to spend as much time in the same place as your body as you can. That may sound funny, but humans are the best time travellers. We are anywhere but here in this moment, we are always in the past or future. We live everywhere but in our bodies, we spend an awesome amount of time in our heads.
That is the reason why you enjoy what you enjoy so much, whether it is golf or knitting, climbing rocks or making music, exercising or just sitting, watching.
When you do these things you become very present. You get out of your head, your senses broaden, you become aware.
You become absorbed in the task, and in this moment. It captivates you, invigorates you, you become alive.
But this experience isn’t task or situation specific. I always thought that kayaking brought me so much joy because it was being in nature, it was exciting and it was physically challenging.
It is all these things, but critically I enjoyed it was because it was an escape, and being an escape I let go of my life. My life was somewhere else, but now was now. This was ‘me’ time!
It wasn’t because I was up a river, it was because I let go and focussed on the here and now.
It is the same with everything - It isn’t about what you do, it is always about how you do it.
I realise now that I am better at being present I can have the same buzz from washing the dishes. Being in the outdoors may give me an extra sparkle, but the sense of being alive and absorbed, completely and utterly present to this moment is available no matter what I do.
Letting go of what has been and what will be is the key.
Just now - be awake. Be here. Notice. Be involved in now.
You may live the busiest of lives but you can only do one thing at a time - do that one thing. Be totally absorbed in it. Don’t half-arse do it whilst thinking about what you have to do next.
You will find you become much more efficient, and perhaps more importantly, enjoy yourself much more.
Be alive!
Your life is your choice.
I am halfway through spending three months in a retreat centre in Spain, teaching yoga and The Bright Path Ishayas’ Ascension meditation. Life is pretty darn good, as you might expect. The weather is sensational and we are surrounded by mountains and forests in which I get to run and explore on my days off.
Best of all, I get to live with all kinds of amazing people. There are some seriously cool human beings here.
One is a young fella from Norway called Thomas. Thomas is blind from birth but has the greatest attitude to life. He doesn’t let anything stop him from doing what he wants.
Try walking around your house with your eyes closed. Try doing yoga - or simply stand on one foot - with your eyes closed. Try just eating with your eyes closed.
Now imagine what it would be like to get yourself downtown and find the shop you want. Or get yourself to an airport and fly to another country where you don’t speak the language.
And everything he does, he does it all laughing, all day long.
The effect on everyone else is huge.
First of all, no one can complain about their small problems any more. Thomas and his attitude puts everything in perspective. They drop their “stuff” and just get on with life, enjoying it, squeezing this moment for what it has.
Second of all, everyone wants to help him out. He’s such a joy to be around, everyone wants to be around him.
You see, life follows a series of fairly simple rules. One of these is that what you put your attention on, grows.
If you focus on what you don’t have, on what is missing, on things that you regret then you end up complaining and in misery.
If, on the other hand, if you focus on the good, on what is great about your life, about what you do have - no matter how small - you will have an amazing time.
Since you have choice, how do you want to live?
Thomas walks into plenty of walls, but he never stops exploring, and he never stops smiling.
You, and you alone, define your life.
When you take responsibility for defining your life, you shake the world. When you refuse to be a victim to circumstance and just play your cards as you have them, you not only live a great life, you inspire everyone.
All your heroes have done nothing but the same: “I’m not waiting for someone to give me life, I'm going to take it.”
Choose to be a hero.
Give yourself an "A"
What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail? How would you be if you knew the future was going to turn out perfectly?
Keep the door of possibility wide open. Go beyond the voice that says you might fail, that something might go wrong, that you are not good enough.
The inner critic can only see limitation, it cannot see potential and possibility. Infinity is far too much for the mind to grasp, and that is why is focusses on the small: on Lack, what you don't have and what might go wrong.
Believe in this and the world gets squashed and grey, and you along with it.
What if you flipped this Lack thought? Do you ever focus on what might go right? That you are more than good enough?
Why not?
Why not embrace an attitude of vision and of possibility? Instead of listening to the "you should" or the "you need to", why not go with the "what if?" and the "how about?"…?
Drop the limitations. They are only imagined, they only have power because you believe them. Instead, give yourself an “A”, in advance - focus on the possibility of the greatness of what could happen.
Assume an attitude that lights up your life, and in doing so lights up the life of all those around you.
Assume an attitude that everything will turn out just fine. Be supremely present in this knowing. How do you live in this knowing?
And why not? Wouldn't this one shift make your life amazing?
Attitude informs everything.
check out Benjamin Zander here in this video for more.