Day 34 - Day of Reflection Five

It's time to consider the big picture and our place in it. Join me as we think about this.

As humans, we share a great deal and have more in common than we often think. We have a common human history, full of ups and downs, wins and losses, dreams and dreams shattered, love and fear. We all have families and ancestors. We admire great art and music, great philosophers and scientists. We know of heroes and villains. We play some or all of these parts.

We share a planet, and we depend on it. Our bodies are made of stardust, carbon compounds that will return to earth when we die. The vast cosmos is circulating around us, and in some ways in us, as the ancient atoms move through our bodies and on, always in motion. In so many ways, we are one.

We have/are eternal souls. Something in us calls us to be more. All of the religions and myths speak of this. If we are paying attention at all, we know it to be so.And there is a High Power, transcendent and immanent, we call by various names, let's say "God" here. We are accountable for our lives to God. We have freewill, and we are to use it wisely and well.

In order to step up and do and be all we can, we need to have a high focus. Being clear on what values are in alignment with all of this helps us stay on course for our part in the big picture. Our little picture is part of the whole. Each of us are needed to play our parts to make this world a better place.

All 40 of the values that came to me when I originally wrote "Values Remembered" can seem daunting. How I teach this is for you to select your 7 key values, the ones tugging on your soul. These are essential for your fulfillment. Work with these 7 for awhile. Then, sort the remaining ones under the 7 as supporting teams. I originally had cards, one for each, so it was easy to sort.

A small example: One of my 7 is spirituality. Compassion for me goes on that team. It is said that without compassion one cannot said to be spiritually awake. Another is joy- as Teilhard de Chardin said, "Joy is an infallible sign of the Presence of God."

Your teams might be different. There is no right or wrong, only what helps each of us fulfill our missions here on this planet at this time, and to awaken spiritually.

When we find our way and are true to our way, our lives become different, made new, whole, exciting, part of something bigger.

If we can get a preponderance of people to find their values and be true to them, I see a world of peace and plenty for all. I was led to share all of this with you. Take it and share it, and join in lifting the people of earth. 

Daay 33 - Power - Impotence

 Power  (Goal Number:         )                                     Impotence

effectiveness, potency, vigor, competency, able, virility                          helpless incompetent, victim, powerless, ineffectual

AWAKE TO THE GENUINE VALUE

Your power emanates from within you, from a deep place. You don’t have to display grand gestures of power to be a person of power, you are simply confident. You are effective in what you do, often quietly getting things done. You have a potency about you that people feel. You have energy and vigor and are full of vitality. You are extremely competent, able to accomplish tasks and live life to the fullest. You move forward over and past obstacles, often amazing onlookers. Your power is about being the best you that you can be, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with power over others. It is power over your own life. As a result of your effectiveness, you may find yourself as someone who has others working under them, but you treat them not as less than, but as unique individuals who deserve respect.

 PARTIALLY ASLEEP TO THE GENUINE VALUE: 

You stumble here and there over yourself. Your power from within is still developing and not fully potent. You are variously effective, but do doubt yourself sometimes and so pull back. You have a need to call attention to your accomplishments, rather than let them speak for themselves. Your energy level is not constant. Some obstacles seem too much, and you feel you don’t have the strength and energy to get past them. You are moderately effective most of the time, sometimes very effective, and sometimes you sort of fade away.

LIVING IN THE IMPOSTOR VALUE: 

You live a mostly impotent life, having lost touch with your inner power. Often, you feel helpless, and you see yourself as a victim of so many circumstances and people. You do not feel competent to do most things, although you may have an area where you are skilled. But you play the victim even there and sour it, You believe you are powerless. Taken to the extreme, you either give up or do some dreadful thing to prove you are powerful after all.

Look at your life. Which is the most true for you?   ____ 1   _____ 2  _____ 3

What to do:

DECISION

Choose. Which do you want for yourself and your world? Which way would you like life to be?

FOCUSING YOUR MIND

Going for the target you have chosen

To shift in the direction of power, select some or all of the following and copy them in order to have them with you. Live with them. Think about them. Absorb them.

·  My power comes from within naturally and gently.

·  I am confident in myself.

·  I am effective in the way I approach life. I am effective in all I choose to do.

·  I am filled with vitality.

·  I am able to do helpful, kind, and even great things with my life.

·  I am a powerful person.

REINFORCING BEHAVIORS

Action steps to take to get off the log

·  Remember a time when you felt effective and powerful and then lost it. What was going on? What led you to moderate your power? What do you need to do to allow yourself to be confident and powerful again?

·  Take something you want to be able to do skillfully and develop it. Practice it, take lessons, watch YouTube videos on it, read up on it, join a group that does that thing. For example go to Toast Masters, join a guild, find a friend to share your practice. Keep going until you feel competent, then continue as a competent person.

·  Practice good posture, Stand up and walk in a confident manner. Say to yourself as you walk, “I am a confident and powerful person.”

·  Take Aikido lessons.

· Realize real power is not about subduing others, but it is about knowing yourself and being fully you with no fear.

Remember Power

Day 32 - Pleasure - Pain

 Pleasure           (Goal Number:         )                         Pain

hhumor, enjoyment, fun, comfort, ease, happiness, joyfulness                 weariness, complaint, sorrow, discomfort, annoyance

AWAKE TO THE GENUINE VALUES

You see, life is a journey, a teacher, an honor, and also a pleasure. You enjoy life most of the time. You are able to see the humor in many situations. You find joy in all things, not needing elaborate entertainments, but also enjoying them occasionally. Most elaborate entertainments are manufactured and made to bring in money, so you prefer more natural things. It is fun to be alive to see the sunrise, to smell a flower, to hug a loved one. You find a way to make most any space comfortable, and you are comfortable in your own skin. You are at ease with yourself and others. You are a happy person.

 PARTIALLY ASLEEP TO THE GENUINE VALUE: 

Most of the time you are happy or at least content. Sometimes you cannot see anything funny about what’s going on and may make yourself unhappy about it. You sometimes notice the beauty around you and enjoy it. You are not always at ease. You are a moderately happy person most of the time, but rarely are you outright joyful.

LIVING IN THE IMPOSTOR VALUE:,

You experience life as more painful than pleasurable. You have a weariness about you with little, if any joy. You have many complaints which you tell anyone who will listen, or alternatively, you keep quiet and play the martyr. There is as if a cloud of sorrow around youm as you carry the burdens of a lifetime, almost as a badge of identity. You feel stuck.

Look at your life. Which is the most true for you?   ____ 1   _____ 2  _____ 3

What to do:

DECISION

Choose. Which do you want for yourself and your world? Which way would you like life to be?

FOCUSING YOUR MIND

Going for the target you have chosen

To shift in the direction of pleasure, select some or all of the following and copy them in order to have them with you. Live with them. Think about them. Absorb them.

·     Joy is an infallible sign of God.

·     I see so many things for which to be joyful and celebrate.

·     I look for the humor in life’s experiences.

·     I find pleasure in simple things.

·     I feel more and more at ease with myself and others.

·     I have fun every day. It is good to be alive.

REINFORCING BEHAVIORS

Action steps to take to get off the log

•    Develop a hobby that brings you pleasure. It might be gardening, or taking cooking lessons, or learning to ski, or whatever is fun for you, Try several. Find the one or two that actually bring you joy.

·     Make play dates with friends where you do things together that are enjoyable – maybe a picnic, a movie, a hike, or….

·     Look at your life. What makes you unhappy in it? What can you do about it besides complaining? How can you make it better?

·     Give yourself permission to be happy. Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful.

·     Listen to upbeat, positive music. Dance around the house while you do chores.

Remember Pleasure

Day 31 - Peace - Combat

 Peace            (Goal Number:         )                   Combat

serenity, calmness, nonviolence, nonaggression, tolerance                    offensive, attack, assault, quarrelsome, violent

AWAKE TO THE GENUINE VALUE: 

The peace of yourself, extended to world peace, is of utmost importance to you. You realize you cannot ask others to be at peace if you are not. As the song says, “Let peace begin with me,..” In most moments, you are serene and exude calmness. Being peaceful at your core, there is no violence in you. You do not assault others in any way, neither with words nor actions. You find quarreling as unproductive and a waste of time. You have a high tolerance for a wide range of points of view. You speak peacefully, even in the midst of others’ upsets, striving to bring peace to them and the situation. You know in your heart that violence only begets more violence. You are an example of peace.

 PARTIALLY ASLEEP TO THE GENUINE VALUE: 

You try to be peaceful, but you give yourself excuses for times when you are not. You like the idea of world peace, but mostly think it is not possible. You don’t engage in violence yourself, but understand at least some of it in others. Sometimes you are calm about things, but not always. You occasionally enjoy a good quarrel, maybe over current events, politics, or religion. You are not opposed to peace, but you do not work to achieve it.

LIVING IN THE IMPOSTOR VALUE:

You think battling for your way of thinking and being is all right, no matter if it is hurtful to others. You find yourself on the offensive as your usual stance. You think it is better to attack, verbally or even physically, first and ask questions later. When you become violent, you have rationalizations ready to explain it away, at least to yourself. You laugh at peace seekers and think them weak and afraid to fight. You think being combative is the natural way to be, survival of the fittest and all that. You have a tumultuous life.

Look at your life. Which is the most true for you?   ____ 1   _____ 2  _____ 3

What to do:

DECISION

Choose. Which do you want for yourself and your world? Which way would you like life to be?

 

FOCUSING YOUR MIND

Going for the target you have chosen

To shift in the direction of peace select some or all of the following and copy them in order to have them with you. Live with them. Think about them. Absorb them.

·        Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.

·        I feel a calm, serene center within me.

·        I am rooted in a larger peace, in a Divine Peace.

·        I see through the storms of life, and I know they are my teachers.

·        I am alert to peaceful solutions.

·        Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

REINFORCING BEHAVIORS

Action steps to take to get off the log

·     Whenever feeling distraught, out of sorts, stop and ask yourself some questions. What does this remind you of? What about this is upsetting you?  What could be the lesson in this situation? How can you bring peace to this moment?

·     Read about Gandhi and nonviolent ways to respond to situations. How can you resolve things nonviolently?

·     Read St. Francis’s full prayer.

·     Practice calmness with a loving heart.

·     Stop watching violent movies and television shows, and stop playing violent games. Feed your mind positive and nurturing ideas and images.

·     Think about spreading peace, peaceful solutions, and peaceful reactions. Remember, blessed are the peacemakers.  Be one.

Remember Peace

Day 30 - Order - Disarray

 Order    (Goal Number:         )             Disarray         

organization, stability, current                                  inconsistency, restlessness, behind

  AWAKE TO THE GENUINE VALUE:                                            

You are a person who likes things to be in order. You do not like hunting for an item, so you have a place for everything, and you are consistent about putting things where they belong. You are an organized person, not only in regard to things, but also in regard to the rest of your life.  You keep your calendar in order. Your thoughts are orderly and logical. Therefore, you have stability in your life. You do not procrastinate, so you are current with everything from paying bills to keeping up with what is going on in the world as well as your personal world. Others can count on you to be on time, to think through things, and to be reliable.

 PARTIALLY ASLEEP TO THE GENUINE VALUE: 

You may be a bit haphazard in your organization, but you can generally find things and keep everything sort of tidy. You may miss an appointment here and there, and even some family events. You are not totally logical, not able to follow some lines of reasoning. You procrastinate some, especially on things you do not care about or things that bore you. You get a few late notices on bills. You rarely keep current on the news, or just look at surface or one sided information. You also are frequently late to appointments, meetings, or events. Your reliability is inconsistent.

LIVING IN THE IMPOSTOR VALUE:

Your things are in disarray. You regularly have difficulty finding a particular item. You are not consistent about most things in your life. You are likely to be late with bills. You have trouble getting everything together so you can be on time to appointments and meetings. You procrastinate on many things, so that things pile up physically and mentally. Therefore, you are always behind on schedules for everything. You are not often logical, for you do not have an orderly mindset. In the midst of chaos, you feel restless, but not able or willing to get it in order. 

Look at your life. Which is the most true for you?   ____ 1   _____ 2  _____ 3

What to do:

DECISION

Choose. Which do you want for yourself and your world? Which way would you like life to be?

FOCUSING YOUR MIND

Going for the target you have chosen

To shift in the direction of order, select some or all of the following and copy them in order to have them with you. Live with them. Think about them. Absorb them.

·     I release all disarray from my life.

·     I choose to be an orderly person.

·     I am inspired to create systems that work for me.

·     I do things in a timely manner.

·     I am an organized person.

·     I am reliable.

REINFORCING BEHAVIORS

Action steps to take to get off the log

·  Clean up clutter in your home and work. Organize drawers. Throw away or give away unnecessary items. Create order.

·  Maintain, keep up to date, a personal calendar, either a paper one or one on your phone. Check it daily. Practice following your schedule.

·  Learn about modern logic. Train your mind to think logically.

·  Make to do lists, and cross off items as you complete them.

·  Check in with friends and family to keep current with them.

·  Pick a current issue, read about all sides of it. Make pro and con lists, and think about how many ways there are to look at something. Logically think about what you determine about this issue now you at least have some beginning information. Keep open to learn more about it. Practice critical thinking skills. Help your mind get orderly.

Remember Order

Day 29 - Loyalty - Betrayal

Loyalty             (Goal Number:         )                         Betrayal

allegiance, trust, fidelity, faithfulness                                                         treason, corruption, infidelity, unfaithfulness      

 AWAKE TO THE GENUINE VALUE: 

Loyalty makes o perfect sense to you. It is difficult to imagine how anything would work well without loyalty. You have allegiance to your values, to your family and friends, country and faith. You are faithful to the highest and best. You are true to yourself. You are faithful, even in difficult times. People can count on you being there and standing strong. Therefore people place a great deal of trust in you.

 PARTIALLY ASLEEP TO THE GENUINE VALUE: 

You can be considered wishy washy, that is, sometimes strong and sometimes not standing strong. This is true in all areas of your life. You cannot dtotally be trusted, because people do not know which side of you is present. You may be less reliable in certain situations than others.

LIVING IN THE IMPOSTOR VALUE:

Loyalty is rarely a consideration for you. It’s more, every person for him/herself. You may have treasonous thoughts and even actions. You can be easily corrupted by a wide range of temptations or so-called opportunites, no matter how shady. You are mostly faithful only to your ego desires. Whatever goes to get you what you want is fine with you.

Look at your life. Which is the most true for you?   ____ 1   _____ 2  _____ 3

What to do:

DECISION

Choose. Which do you want for yourself and your world? Which way would you like life to be?

FOCUSING YOUR MIND

Going for the target you have chosen

To shift in the direction of loyalty, select some or all of the following and copy them in order to have them with you. Live with them. Think about them. Absorb them.

·       There are people and ideas important to me, and I am faithful to them.

·       It is important to me to be trustworthy.

·       I pledge allegiance to my highest values.

·       Even in difficult situatiohns, I can be counted on to be faithful and steady.

·       I understand my duty to myself and others, and I do my duty to the best of my ability.

·       I refuse to be a betrayer. I choose loyalty.

REINFORCING BEHAVIORS

Action steps to take to get off the log

•    Dread about the history of loyal people and disloyal people, say George Washington and Benedict Arnold, or Jesus Christ and Judas. Think about which you want to be like. Think about how outcomes would be different if the betrayer had won.

·     If you have ever been betrayed, remember how it felt. If you have betrayed, imagine how the other felt. Choose which you want to be from now on.

·     Make a short list of say 5 people and 5 ideals important to you. Ask yourself in what ways  can you be strong and steady, standing with them, even in difficult times?

Remember Loyalty

Day 28 - Love - Hate

 Love                 (Goal Number:         )                                            Hate   

:  tender, caring, accepting, regard/respect, knowledge devotion                            abhor, spite, contempt, detest, loathe, enmity

 AWAKE TO THE GENUINE VALUE: 

You exude love in all directions, without discrimination. You are tender and caring toward every person, animal, and plant, recognizing that they are all part of one life. You accept variety, not trying to homogenize life. So, you love and accept people where they are on their journey of awakening, and at the same time, support everyone, including yourself, to grow, expand, and be more fully loving. You come to life with respect for life. You realize that part of being loving is to learn about others and have compassion for everyone. You are a devoted person.

PARTIALLY ASLEEP TO THE GENUINE VALUE: 

You love some, but hold back from others, as you have exclusions based often on biases. You can love deeply, mostly in your in-group. You only tolerate some variety, wanting more to be like whatever your ideal is. You give grace and compassion to some, but not all. You learn some about others, but you only care enough to gain inner knowledge of a select few. Your respect can be surface, for you value good manners, but are not that interested in knowing others beyond a cursory level.

LIVING IN THE IMPOSTOR VALUE

Your love is not genuine. Under the surface, you may even abhor people you are pretending to love. You do spiteful things, endeavoring to hurt others. There are so many people for whom you have contempt. Your negative attitude, of course, is not confined to people, but extends to just about everything, every being. You tend to detest happy, loving people. You are at odds with life itself. You feel deeply that you are unlovable and have been given the short stick in life

Look at your life. Which is the most true for you?   ____ 1   _____ 2  _____ 3

What to do:

DECISION

Choose. Which do you want for yourself and your world? Which way would you like life to be?

FOCUSING YOUR MIND

Going for the target you have chosen

To shift in the direction of love select some or all of the following and copy them in order to have them with you. Live with them. Think about them. Absorb them.

·  I forgive myself and begin to love myself.

·  I know how vital love is for a full life.

·  I practice being as kind and loving as I can be.

·  I respect myself and others.

·  My love is for all life, for people, animals, plants, the planet itself.

·  It is interesting to learn about others, including other life forms.

·  I have decided to love.

REINFORCING BEHAVIORS

Action steps to take to get off the log

·  Look in the mirror every day. Look deeply into your own eyes. Talk to yourself as a life coach. Tell yourself the truth. Encourage yourself to become more and more loving each and every day.

·  Select a person that irritates you. Get to know their story. Listen with an open heart. Silently tell yourself you care and respect this person and all they have gone through. Feel the inner shift you experience. Know that you usually only dislike someone because you don’t have enough understanding of them and their struggles.

·  All the great religions focus on the absolute importance of love. Find some quotes that speak to you and memorize them.

·  Write a kind and caring letter to someone that has been estranged from you. Mail it.

·  Find others who are struggling, and do something kind for them, anonymously.

·  Volunteer at an animal shelter, a hospice, a homeless shelter, a church. Be a beacon of light and love there.

·  Think about someone you know who you consider to be a loving person. Ask them about how they got to that point. Listen, listen, listen.

Remember Love