Keeping the important things truly important.

I got an email from Brasil (spelt with an ’s’ of course) the other day.

I’m impressed about that, and I’m probably showing off by mentioning that the writer is from Brasil. It might appear that I'm attempting to impress upon you that I’m very international, but I am telling you of this, fundamentally, because the writer asked a very cool question.

On the back of the blog of the other day about non-seriousness, what do you do when you are in a serious situation, like when you are fighting an injustice or saving lives (not from death, but from less than optimal conditions)? Which she is - she’s not just posing a hypothetical “what if?”

How do you take action but not be affected by these very serious, very real things?

Well, it depends what the bottom line is for you.

The core of any solution will be the thing that is most important to you.

Do you know what that is for you?

At the end of your life, when you look back, what do you wish your life to be filled with?

Chances are that most important thing is something like peace and happiness and love.

If that is the case, then no matter what you do - in everything you do - have your priority as peace and happiness and love.

It doesn't mean don't take action, but don't lose sight of what is the most important thing. Otherwise you lose everything.

Don’t lose yourself in the circumstances of life, even when the circumstances of life appear important, crucial even.

The true test of a lady or a gentleman of the highest standing is their ability to hold the important things truly important, and not let seemingly urgent things take precedence instead.

To do so, it can help to treat life like a game.

Play to win, but know it is a game. Seriousness only comes in when you could win or lose. Play well and play fully, but the fact is that in the great game of life the only time you lose is when you forget your connection with what is truly of the highest importance to you.

And so keep peace and happiness and love as a priority in all things, have a smile and a light heart, and see what happens from there.

The right course of action always reveals itself from this foundation.

It's mastery in action so don't worry if you forget. You will get better at remembering. The only thing that is truly important is that you remember in this moment.

________________

By now you probably heard that I’m having a meditation weekend here in Richmond, North Yorkshire.

I’m excited about it, I love sharing this stuff. To be able to teach the Bright Path Ishayas’ Ascension over a whole weekend is even better. A privilege.

You see the techniques are so simple, yet so powerful. The truth always is. If it’s not simple, it simply isn’t the truth. I would like to claim that quote but a much wiser colleague of mine got there first.

But these techniques have given me so much, and continue to do so, that to be able to teach them to others is a supreme joy.

If you want to live the best possible life, I recommend booking on the weekend. You won’t look back.

20-22 November 2015 - Friday 7-10pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am - 5pm.

It’s closer than you think too - by fast train 2.5 hours from London and 2 hours from Edinburgh, and then a little drive out to the venue.

And you can come stay if you want (necessary I would have thought if you live down south or up further north) meaning your bed is 30 seconds from the course. Awesome. Roll out of bed, coffee/tea and then the day begins.

For more details click here, or email me, I’d love to chat.

Resistance is futile - there is an easier way.

"You are the only problem you will ever have and you are the only solution." - Bob Proctor

Resistance is the thing that kills all enjoyment and effectiveness.

The cause of all your problems is resisting what is happening.

I get to talk to a lot of people so I get to have a good overall view on what causes people pain and suffering.

Every time any one ever has a problem - and I mean 100% of the time: not even most of the time but all of the time - the problem is caused by resisting what is happening.

I will talk to them and they will use words like “should” or “could”, some kind of idea that involves their ideal present moment.

I will nod, and politely agree, that actually this ideal would be nice, but what is happening right now is different.

Do you see the difference between what is happening and your idea of what should be happening?

The only time you have a problem is when you can’t give up the should.

When you come to terms with what is, when you fully accept it, all your pain goes away.

Then, and only then, you can work with what you have, rather than wishing for something else, or insisting that something else should be happening.

Non-resistance isn’t giving up your dreams or living a passive life, it simply is seeing the clearest way through. It’s full acceptance of the current situation yes, but it doesn't mean stop walking towards what you want. That's giving up.

You really are the source of all problems and all solutions. When you see how you create all peace or pain in your life you will learn true happiness.

It's all within you - which is cause for rejoicing. You are the one person in the whole world you can actually change.

Taking nothing seriously - the most important thing you can do.

The one single biggest thing you can do to have a better life?

Take nothing seriously.

It's such an old Ishaya principle, it's almost a motto.

But it is such an uncommon skill amongst humanity it's worth repeating, frequently.

Taking nothing seriously is crucial to the full enjoyment of life. Obviously. As the joke goes, none of us are getting out of here alive, so why not fully enjoy it?

But it’s also not just being a goof.

When you have a sense of lightness it automatically means you have things in perspective. Perspective means you have clarity, it means you aren’t getting sucked into the thing.

You can then be fluid, adjust easily, be wide open to different ideas. You can make the most of what actually is happening rather than trying to stick with some plan of what “should be” happening.

When you take things seriously it’s the spark that invites a fight.

Instead of laughing and letting it slide, the resistance builds and the fight blows up - unless you back down.

But when you don’t play the game, you are removed from the game. Job done. There is no struggle, ever.

So don’t even invite a fight, just take nothing seriously. Stop playing the game.

Keep what is most important to you as a priority. And that isn’t being right, it’s being happy.

I imagine. Unless being right is more important to you than your mental, emotional and physical health and wellbeing, in which case go ahead and try and be right.

Take nothing seriously. Be aware - learn to laugh at everything, most crucially yourself. If you are able to do that you'll have a source of entertainment forever.

The wisdom of choosing to be happy.

"Oh, I don't really think about that, because it's wasted energy, isn't it? What's done is done, we can't change that, but we can change the way we cope with it."

- Diane Piper, mother of Katie whose face was burnt in an acid attack, when asked how she felt about the attackers

Everyone has challenges. Everyone has troubles in their life.

But what amazes and inspires me is seeing people who have lived or are living through horrific things and yet who shine, full of gratitude and love for their life, as it is.

You might call them “glass half full” people.

Then there are those with comparatively event free lives who grumble and complain through every little inconvenience: “Glass half empty” people.

Why is that?

You constantly choose your response to life.

This choice defines how you live, regardless of the circumstances you find yourself in. This choice is total: You decide whether you live in peace or in suffering. No one and nothing can cause you to suffer; you decide to suffer.

I know it doesn’t feel like this. No one wants to suffer, everyone is looking for a way to avoid it. The trouble is we don’t know how.

Furthermore, suffering has become normal, it’s almost expected as “part of life”.

Being constantly happy is viewed with suspicion by some. If you decide not to suffer it’s almost like you’re not being “real”, whatever that is.

Once, a friend of mine who realised it was her choice to be totally at peace with the world was taken aside by a acquaintance in the street and asked if she was on drugs.

Bizarre isn't it? Happy lady, walking down the street = must be on drugs.

But definitely those, like Buddha and Jesus, who have transcended suffering are elevated to a mythical status, beyond humanity.

Actually, it’s your human birthright not to suffer.

Your birthright is to have absolute sovereignty over your responses to life. Complete freedom from suffering is simple.

It all begins with you deciding to take responsibility for how you feel, how you react to life.

Don’t take this decision lightly - it means you can never blame anyone else for anything. It’s all on you.

Then, decide that nothing will make you happy - you won’t delay your happiness for a future moment, you’ll find happiness right now, however your circumstances.

No longer will you wait for your partner or a new TV to make you happy. Now you’re going to choose to have happiness that is uncaused.

That is it. Take responsibility for your own happiness, and then choose it.

You will come to a point where you'll realise that to choose anything else is madness. And therein lies true wisdom.

How do you stay calm and present in stressful situations? Part two.

When you've gone through a stressful situation the most important thing is to let it go as soon as you can. The sooner the better. Let go of all the mental reviewing of what just happened. Just don't even get started on that track.

Tough times mean you have to stay present otherwise the critic in your head is going to give you a good kicking. What happens is we stumble through an argument, for example, and then we look back and replay the whole thing with what we "should" have done or said.

Hindsight is a valuable thing, but you did what you did and that is that.

If you need to go apologise you go and say sorry, but again, the most important thing is to let it go. Know that you did your best, give it another shot next time. You can't do anything about it, so give yourself a break and start fresh.

There is no value in endless recycling of the past - but that is what will happen unless you are super present, alive to this moment.

Also...

Don’t be afraid of emotion. The inner critic can judge us harshly for being emotional. But anger, for example, can tell us a lot about ourselves, about what is important.

Don’t assume calmness and happiness means never getting excited or passionate.

The only problem with something like anger is when we don’t say what we need to say. Then it builds and builds and really explodes. When you feel it coming be very aware and see what it is all about. Be as clear as possible with your communications, don’t hold back what you need to say, and then… let it go.

You’re not going to master this straight away, but keep doing it and you will. Treat everything in life as one big journey of self-discovery, of what works best for you. Throw the critic and perfection out the window and embrace the idea of constant improvement.

You’re always going to discover more about yourself, and sometimes the tough times show you the most. The best attitude when you see one coming? Say to yourself: “Excellent! Bring it on.”

Have fun with this, ok?

How do you stay calm and present in stressful situations? Part one.

The crucial thing is that the more present you can be ordinarily, the easier it’s going to be when things gets tough. You'll notice yourself losing your cool and be able to step back and gain some objectivity sooner and sooner.

The more you prioritise your peace, the more you can see it slipping - the more you can tell when you aren’t prioritising it.

Gather to yourself an eyes closed practice - some time and tools to really get familiar with presence and inner stillness. Let that be the foundation upon which you structure your day, so you remember to be present and aware when you are out and about with your eyes open.

The regular practice develops a baseline of happiness and calm within you so it becomes super obvious when you stray from it. It just gets easier and easier to return. It actually gets to a point where peace comes and gets you when you leave it. Which, needless to say, is pretty cool.

From here life becomes more and more enjoyable. The saying “do you want to right or do you want to be happy?” becomes crystal clear to you in terms of your choices, and so you lose it less and less, just because it's not worth it any more.

"Hmmmm... do I want to be right or be happy?"... Happy please!

So don't let up on your practice when the going is good. Don't assume you don't need it. Just do it and get so familiar with inner stillness so that you never leave, even when the house is burning down around you.

Being calm and clear starts with a choice, now. If you're consistent with that choice, being consistently calm and clear comes quickly, and easily, and simply.

More on this though, so stay tuned for part two...

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.

Stop pushing.

We think we are in control. We strive and force and try and for what? A life of struggle? Is that how you want to live?

No, of course not. It's just often we don't realise how much we push.

Life is meant to be one of ease. Don't get me wrong - life still involves action - but action that is inspired, fluid and simple.

All the great things that have come to you have come with this straight forward, flowing effortlessness. A moment of inspiration and then an outpouring. An absorption in presence and then simple, obvious action.

Instinct, flow, grace.

Every time - and it doesn't matter if you are an athlete, an artist, a writer, a mechanic, a father, a teacher or a business woman, every good thing has come this way.

You act and you choose and you do, but the best comes when you let go of the future - of any idea of what should result.

The greatest moments have always been when you were totally present. Not overly concerned with the result or the plan, simply doing the right thing to do as it felt in that moment.

Control is the opposite. It kills inspiration and grace. It kills effortlessness and fluidity.

When you control you struggle and you try and you strain.

Struggle happens when you think you know what you need to do, and its not happening to your plan.

Instead of being fluid, you push a little more, and a little more. The resistance gets bigger and bigger. You get more and more tired, more and more stressed. There's less and less enjoyment.

You need to be aware of when struggle comes in and, in the knowing it is counter-productive, simply let go.

Letting go of control is that simple. Stop struggling. Stop fighting. Stop resisting what is.

The bottom line is protect your own peace. Protect the baseline.

You think you can do that? Of course you can. Just now, notice the trying and let it go. That is all. Little by little. Be present, be peace.

The key to staying cool, calm and collected

The key to staying cool, calm and collected is to have little islands in your day, regular little points of detachment from the world where you completely come away from what you are involved in. Spreading these times throughout your day when you stop and reconnect is the key to not losing your peace and fully enjoying what you are doing - whatever that may be.

How you do this is up to you. When I first started The Bright Path Ascension meditation, what was recommended was time in the morning before work, some time in the afternoon - perhaps at lunch and/or on coming home, and last thing at night.

(This is eyes closed time - "power nap" or meditation/breathing time. Anything else is fine, but time closing your eyes is much more beneficial, just so you know.)

This way I had a little "oases" (plural for oasis) so I could start the day right, plug back in so the afternoon was easier, and/or in the evening so I could let go of the day and sleep well.

It quickly made such a difference to my attitude and energy levels.

Doing this means peace is a priority to you. If you commit to these times - not let them be flexible on a if and when basis, but a definite appointment, then you are saying to yourself that remaining clear, calm and content is the most important thing.

It sets a bench mark of calm so its easier to know when you're getting wound up and you need to back down.

Without this benchmark stress just creeps up on you. Sometimes you're not aware of how uptight you're getting simply because most stress comes in little by little, a death by a thousand cuts.

When a weight gets cranked up little by little it goes un-noticed until the straw comes that breaks your back, and you yell at the person who (usually) least deserves it.

With this benchmark you are more prone to take action to stay there. You are more conscious of your physical wellbeing, your internal attitude and mood, everything.

If you're regular with a practice of stopping it means this benchmark of calm is easier to come back to. If you fly off the handle, you can let go and reset quickly. You fly off less, need to apologise less, everyone is happy.

The bottom line is the ability to act - to have clarity of choice - as opposed to reacting, habitually.

There is nothing better than the ability to consciously steer your life in the direction you wish it to go. There is no need to be captive to the ups and downs of life. You want to be captain of your own ship, and you can be, it simply requires a little practice.

Freaking out about life

I just came back from three months at the Bright Path Ishaya retreat in Spain. Waking up this morning in my little cottage in the UK is different, but wonderful. There was a real sense of peace and serenity and aliveness on the mountain there in Spain.

But you know what? There is here in North Yorkshire too.

While waiting for our lift to the airport I read the last chapter of an autobiography of a guy who went to live besides a river in India to find his peace.

He returns back to the west after years and years of spiritual study and practice and instantly freaks out. The noise, the yelling, the traffic,the consumerism, the drunkenness, the sex.

He completely loses it, becomes a gibbering wreck until he manages to stumble upon a meditation centre - to him, an oasis of sacredness in the midst of a city of the profane.

How sad.

He's completely missed the point of all of his practice. He's created a mood, an idea that peace and clarity is only available when the world looks a certain way. When I'm by my river, then there is peace. When I'm on my mountain retreat, then there is peace.

Life is out there, continually knocking at your door. You cannot avoid it forever. You cannot make it look the way you want it to all the time.

But peace is everywhere, no matter what, if you know how to tap into it.

In reality there is nothing that is not worthy of love.

All this time you've been looking for peace, it has been within you - and it will be, forever more.

Life transforms when you realise this. The circumstances of life don't give you peace, you bring peace to life - regardless of the circumstances.

Permanent peace, freedom and happiness is an inside job.

It may take practice to realise this, but it is the only reality in town.

Doing something for nothing

“When someone seeks, then it easily happens that his eyes see only the thing that he seeks, and he is able to find nothing, to take in nothing because he always thinks only about the thing he is seeking, because he has one goal, because he is obsessed with his goal. Seeking means: having a goal. But finding means: being free, being open, having no goal.” - Hermann Hesse

Meditation gives you what you need, not necessarily what you want, and definitely not what you expect. The same might be said about life.

The trouble comes when we’re not innocent, when we have a demand or an expectation of an outcome. If you become present and let go of your expectations, then the trouble goes.

You have a goal, you have an intention or whatever, but it’s almost like you allow it to fulfil itself. You dream, do, act, say, all of that, just let go of what happens next. Attachment to an outcome shrinks your perspective, creates resistance and then hurts.

So when you meditate, don't do it to get - anything. Don't do it to get rid of your thoughts, don't even meditate to have peace or to rest. Don't do it for any reason or for any result, just do it and see what happens.

In life, don't anticipate any result from anything that you do or say. Notice especially when you do or say something in order to get something for yourself. Instead, choose and let go. Act and let go.

Try it. If you do so, you will find it – ironically to the mind – very rewarding.

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.

How to meditate simply and effortlessly

The overwhelming difficulty so many have with meditation is that they believe they need to empty their minds.

Meditation becomes confused with having an empty head, no thoughts, complete silence in the skull.

Rejoice! For I am to tell you this is not necessary. You can have the busiest mind in the world and still experience peace, calm and clarity. 

This alone will make all things in your practice super simple and easy. Maybe it will help you try again if you find meditation hard work. Draw in closer...

Meditation involves no force, no strain, no controlling, no trying whatsoever. So don't start.

Meditation is effortlessly allowing each and every thing. Being aware of all, and sitting in the middle of this awareness.

You don’t have to change a thing, simply change your relationship with everything.

Be totally okay with each thought, emotion, sound, and sensation as it passes through your awareness.

Watch it come, watch it go.

A child can sit and watch. So can you. And so you will, especially with practice.

Make yourself comfortable, close the eyes, take some deep breaths if you like that, and just sit.

Open your senses, be presence itself. Just notice.

Distraction is normal. No deal, come back. It is never a problem unless you make it a problem.

If you have a technique like the Bright Path Ishayas’ Ascension, use that simply and gently.

Allow, allow, allow.

This moment is the only moment you can do anything. The past is gone, the future not yet here. Just be here, right in the middle of the moment.

All is well here. Enjoy.

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:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/War-Art-Through-Creative-Battles/dp/1936891026/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1439380612&sr=1-5&keywords=steven+pressfield

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.

Regrets? Why not make a life so you don’t have any?

I saw an article the other day - it’s from a few years back, but it’s still really fresh.

The author interviewed elderly people on their death beds as to their regrets. Although its about people who are dying, it is really advice for people who are living.

Read it here:

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/01/top-five-regrets-of-the-dying

It’s a quick read, but something you might want to come back to again.

What did you think?

What I see is that the basis of all those regrets is not having balance, of not seeing what is important or making time for it until it is too late.

Not surprisingly, at least to me, the list contains many of the things that the people who come to the Ishayas’ Ascension meditation classes say they want from life.

You see, the people that I meet already know what is important to them, its just that they don’t prioritise it, or they don’t know how to prioritise it.

Actually I think everyone already knows these things, we just don’t do them.

Don’t wait until its too late.

You have to live a life so that when you look back on your deathbed you are filled with joy. That you don’t have a single “I really wish…”

You deserve the fullest of lives, in every sense.

Part of that comes from an attitude of finding the good in everything, of being present and not looking back.

The other part comes from making choices that are fulfilling, of finding a way to prioritise what is really important to you.

Meditation - to me the Bright Path Ishayas' Ascension is the simplest and most powerful of all meditations (I could be biased) - is the thing that enables both. It really does. It changes your approach to life, it helps you be the very best version of yourself.

Take the time every day to stop and go within. Close your eyes, rest. Discover what is there and how when you nourish it, it nourishes you.

It is the secret to living life versus Life.

Just practice - five, ten, fifteen minutes every day. Set a time, sit and don’t come up until the time is done.

You won’t regret it.

Any questions, send them to me, I would love to help.

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...