Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Self-discipline

Tags

Balance, Harold Klemp, Holy Spirit, Key Areas, Love, passion, Self-discipline, spirituality

Self-discipline is an absolute necessity if one is to have a productive spiritual life. Replace old tastes and preferences with new, better ones. But do it in the name of the Holy Spirit, with love and a sincere heart, or nothing will come of this experiment.

—Harold Klemp The Language of Soul

Self-discipline is nothing more than doing what you agree to do. These agreements can be about your exercise routine, your diet, planning your day, and any other topic you can think of that requires effort. A person who can evaluate themselves and come up with a game plan to improve weaknesses or bolster their strengths are powerful people. They can do anything because they are willing to commit and stick with it.

Change is difficult. Evaluating yourself is difficult. Holding yourself to a new standard is also difficult. Self-discipline enables these and more.

So many people just ramble through life. They occupy their time with meaningless activities with no forethought. Think about all the people who literally live on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or Pinterest. What are they accomplishing?

Are you happy with your life? If so, change nothing. Keep doing what you are doing. It’s your life. If you’re happy and fulfilled, why change anything. This article is for the rest of us that are not happy with our current circumstances. We want to lose weight, get in better shape, eat better, and build skills that will garner us the ability to make an income throughout our lives.

Where do you start? This is probably the hardest thing to do—decide. We only have so many hours in the day. What will you spend your time on? Do you want to write a book, start a blog, or create poetry? Do you want to learn a new language? Do you want to start an exercise program? Do you want to start a business? What other things can you do each day that will contribute and build?

I started my search online. I wanted to know what I could do to improve my life, make lasting change, and build skills that would provide me with an income as I pursue a third career. I chose specific areas of my life to look at. These areas are Physical (eating right, getting enough sleep, and exercise), Mental (reading and learning every day), Social (staying connected with friends and family and make new friends and connections), and Spiritual (daily meditation, religious readings, attending spiritual events and retreats).

The areas I want to learn are two-fold. Write books (nonfiction and fiction) and learn how to write computer programs. Once I began my investigation into these areas, I found all kinds of resources to help me on my quest. These are now daily habits that I dedicate my time to. I write every day for this blog and work on my books. I also code every day. I have made great strides in both areas because I do a little each day to add to my abilities.

I need a little discipline in these areas because I love both. I love writing and I love coding. They are closely related because a programming language has rules and a whole new language to learn to enable my code to work. Book writing is a combination of actual writing every day and learning the craft. I try to read a writing book daily and find courses online that can teach me the various aspects of writing whether these classes are on grammar, style, or the specifics of writing a book. There are books on plot development, world building, and character development. The learning never ceases.

What are your passions? What would you like to do with the rest of your life when you retire? Do you want to keep working? Do you want multiple streams of income? Take time on a weekend and think about some of these things. Once you have discovered what you’d like to do, add that to your day. Do a little on these areas each day. How long does exercise need to be to be a benefit? How much writing do you want to do each day? What can you fit into your schedule after your workday is done and you’ve attended to your home responsibilities?

When you start out, put in a half-hour or so to each thing you’d like to try. I would recommend grabbing one item you’d like to add to your day. Then, once you’ve solidified your newfound habit, add another and another, until you are hitting all the things you want to pursue. You’ll be amazed how many things you can do by chipping away a little at a time.

Well, folks. I hope you are having a great Saturday! Enjoy your weekend. If anyone is interested, comment on this thread. I am more than happy to give you some ideas to help you move forward.

Until next time…

Dave

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Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Doing Your Best

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Doing your Best, Effort, Harold Klemp, Love, Meaning, Purpose, wisdom

If you make a meal, put love into it instead of the frustrations of your day. Because whatever is put into the food is a reflection of what you have inside yourself, and it goes out to your family, it goes out to your friends. And it makes a very real difference.—Harold Klemp The Language of Soul

This quote advises us to put love into everything we do. Love builds. Love gives meaning.

I remember my first few years in the Army. I thought I had made a mistake, shortly after I arrived at my first duty station. I was going through the motions. I did what I had to do to avoid getting into trouble. I realized one night that this was not working for me. I put more of myself into the job. I read field manuals and regulations. I put extra effort into my uniform and appearance. I put in more time into exercise. My Army career changed for the better. Instead of biding my time, I embraced my career. This made all the difference.

Love what you do even if your current job is not a perfect one. You will find, like I did, that the more you put into the job, the more rewarding the job becomes. Your job will have more meaning. Love is active. Love is doing. Love requires you to give your best. What you give to the world returns to you.

Do the best you can in every situation. Take the time to do things right. Give everything your best effort. You will find what I have found—the more you give, the more you get.

I hope all of you have a wonderful Saturday.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thinking Thursday

Tags

Bible, Goals, God, Gratitude, Life, Love, Thanks, Travis Barker

“Thank you for life, and all the little ups and downs that make it worth living.” – Travis Barker

Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/travis_barker_468582?src=t_thankful

Life is a grand adventure! We learn, love, and laugh. We travel, we try new things, and we meet new people. When our cycle ends, others take up the mantle. Life continues.

I enjoy thinking about my life. The ups and downs, loves and heartbreaks. The scary and the serene. All these experiences weave themselves into a quilt with little facsimiles scattered about.

I look at all the technological changes that provide us access to so much information, music, and other forms of entertainment. I look at the technologies that provides us the ability to create a document, create a movie, create music, or even create a program of our own making.

Here’s what I’m up to:

Physical

I came down with a flu or cold a few days ago so the workout routine is out until I beat this bug.

Mental

I’m reading 4 books. I’m reading The One Thing, 2136, Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad, and Beyond Good and Evil. All these books are engaging. I’m goaled to read 12 books by the end of March.

I’m running through a JavaScript Project currently, employing the use of Objects, which is exciting. I had no idea that JavaScript was an Object-Oriented Language, but sure enough, it is.

I am still working on a section a day for my book and it is coming along nicely. By the end of next week, I’ll have my initial rough draft. I’m a little over schedule because I wanted to be finished by the end of 2018, but with my vacation visit to Phoenix, I over estimated how much I would get done while I was there (I had too much fun!).

Spiritual

I’m working through my bible and am on the 12^th discourse of my spiritual study for the year. I’ll be starting a new course in the next month or so.

I’m looking for ways to interact with more people. Last year I got a lot done but was a hermit for most of the year focusing on the important work of book writing and the rest. I am going to look at some different venues this year to work on my book writing, so I can continue to get my work done but interact socially with other people.

My book discussion is set for the 14^th of this month. I look forward to that.

Social

I’m still scanning my area for something fun to do this quarter.

Well, that’s it for today folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Post Christmas

Tags

Christmas, Contentment, Enjoyment, family, Friends, Joy, Love, Planning, reflection

Well, the family has gone home! It was a great two days, hanging out with my sister and her boyfriend. It was nice opening presents. It was awesome watching some movie favorites, like Raiders of the Lost Ark.

I enjoyed the holiday season this year because it was so great to revisit Phoenix and reconnect with friends and family there. It was also nice to come home and enjoy family, my Mom’s roast duck and all of the goodies I enjoy eating during the holidays.

Now it’s time to continue the celebration as we approach the New Year. This week, like the previous week will result in altered postings because I want to focus on the holidays and worry about the schedule again at the commencement of 2019.

I hope all of you had a great time with your families and friends and are looking to create the best year yet in 2019. I hope all of you have a safe and joyous New Year’s celebration.

All the best to you and your families during this precious time of the year.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Bonus Posting – Veteran’s Day

Tags

California Wildfires, Gratitude, Loss, Love, memories, Thousand Oaks, Veteran's Day, War, Worry

As I write today’s bonus posting I was thinking about all the suffering in California. The wildfires are ripping through the countryside, people are having to evacuate their homes, while first-responders are doing their best to contain the fire and save those souls who cannot help themselves. All, as I sit in my comfortable home office and clack away at this keyboard.

As I write today’s bonus posting I was thinking about the shooting in Thousand Oaks. I wondered about what went through the Marine’s head as he squeezed off round after round into the bodies of the patrons of that establishment who were just there to enjoy some music, finger food, and their friends. All, as I sit in my comfortable home office and clack away at this keyboard.

As I write today’s bonus posting I try to understand the victims of these tragedies and how their lives have been overturned by events they had no control over. I think about the Mothers, Fathers, sons, and daughters. I think about the Aunts and Uncles. I think about the pet owner who has lost their best friend to the tragedy of a fire. All, as I sit in my comfortable home office and clack away at this keyboard.

As I write today’s bonus posting I was thinking about all the men and women of our Armed Forces and the sacrifices they make every day. I think about the first responders who are here to keep us safe and protect our loved ones in times of natural disaster. I think about the sacrifices that are made, the losses of life and limb, and what it means to be a volunteer. All, as I sit in my comfortable home office and clack away at this keyboard.

As I write today’s bonus posting I was thinking about all the wars this nation has fought. I thought about all the young men and women who volunteered to help keep this country safe. I thought about the tears that streak down a soldier’s face when he bids his loved ones goodbye. I thought about the tears held back by the fathers who watched their baby boy or girl left, to stay strong for his wife and the rest of their family. All, as I sit in my comfortable home office and clack away at this keyboard.

As I write today’s bonus posting I was thinking about all the wives and mothers waiting by the phone to hear from their loved one in harm’s way. I thought about the constant worry that goes through their minds as they scour the Internet, the television, and the radio for any news. I thought about the day a man in uniform arrives at home to deliver the worst news ever. I thought about the caskets arriving at Dover. I thought about the funerals and parades. All, as I sit in my comfortable home office and clack away at this keyboard.

As I write today’s bonus posting I was thinking about the time I was told by my unit first sergeant that the Red Cross called. I thought about how angry my Mother was that I hadn’t called. I was thinking about my wife calling me in Turkey after having a car accident and not knowing what to do. I was thinking about how cold it was one rainy night in Austria on a field exercise. I was thinking about how cold I was pulling guard duty at Spandau on a Christmas Eve, wondering what the hell I volunteered for. I was thinking about waking up to the smell of hot bread in Berlin. I was thinking about a New Year’s Eve party at the Brandenburg Gate. All, as I sit in my comfortable home office and clack away at this keyboard.

As I write today’s bonus posting I was thinking about the time I got a letter from a Judge in my hometown and how good it felt to have someone say thanks for my service. I was thinking about getting a care package from an elementary class in South Dakota whom I’d never met. I was thinking about the looks on my soldier’s faces when they got mail from home. I was thinking about how great the food tasted when I hadn’t eaten in four days. I was thinking about how good a hot shower felt. I was thinking about how warm and soft my wife was when I returned home. All, as I sit in my comfortable home office and clack away at my keyboard.

I thank everyone that has served our country. I will never forget you. You are what America is all about.

Until next time…

Dave

Sergeant First Class

United States Army, Retired

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday

Tags

God, Happiness, Love, Soul, Spiritual Enlightenment

“The reason for spiritual enlightenment is not to escape life, but to learn how to live it richly, to enjoy it.”—Harold Klemp The Language of Soul

When many of us think of a spiritually enlightened individual we tend to think about a monk in a cathedral laboring over a manuscript or in a cave contemplating the greater things of life. Spiritual enlightenment is something that should be shared with the world. This is what this quote is about.

Spiritual enlightenment, regardless of each of our personal definitions, is about connecting with God. In Eckankar, we call this connecting with the light and sound. The light and sound are metaphors for what we hear internally and what we see. We are taught that when you gain spiritually, these gains are gifts. These gifts, in turn, should be shared with others. It’s almost like a fountain. The fountain works because it sprays its waters upward, the drops return to the pond surrounding it and the fountain uses the same water over and over.

Just like the fountain, we can look at love like water. If we get love, we share it. In turn, that love comes back around to us and the cycle continues over and over. This is simple right?

Think about this for a moment. When do you really feel good? When you serve others.

Serving others isn’t about working for them or giving them gifts. It can be as simple as saying hello or passing along a smile. It can even be the act of wishing others well in a non-personal way. It is this passing along that gives us the greatest joy.

Yeah, when you get a brand-new car or a new techno-toy it’s terrific, but the joy is fleeting. I’ve found that the giving of self to others delivers a longer-term happiness, a happiness that goes deep down to your core. It is hard to explain.

When you give your son or daughter a birthday party, the feeling you get when they are smiling and excited and happy is priceless. When I was a young boy, maybe around the age of 6 or 7, I remember being so happy on my birthday that I cried and hugged my Mom. At that moment, we were all in the family’s only car late at night to pick up my father from work. Even at a young age, I knew we didn’t make much and the gifts and the little cake my Mom made were what they could afford. I didn’t care. It was the passing of love from Mother to son that made the whole day.

It’s interesting when you think about these little moments that stick with you. They stick with you because the love that came through was true and pure and selfless. This is the same way you can feel when you realize that you are here because God loves you. You—Soul.

“Soul exists because God loves it.” – Sri Harold Klemp. This is one of our core beliefs in Eckankar. When you think about others, when you do things for others, when you serve others, you’ll discover that the feeling of love inside grows and grows. This love stays around. We call this divine love. Divine love is composed of all types of love, even romantic love. The key to understanding what divine love is is to simply understand that it is charitable. Divine love is giving, serving, sharing, selflessly without regard for reward, it simply is.

Until next time…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday

Tags

Acts of Kindness, Altruism, Happiness, Love, Random Acts of Kindness, Selflessness

Before you can improve your life and find a measure of happiness, you must learn to do one thing every day out of pure love. That means, don’t expect anything in return—neither thanks nor happiness. Pick that occasion carefully. Then, whatever that one act of giving of yourself to someone else is, do it with all your heart. —Harold Klemp The Language of Soul

This is harder than it looks, particularly when we are mired in the busyness of life. If you purposefully try to plan something to do it becomes much easier.

The thing you choose can be as simple as cleaning up around the house for your loved one or making them a meal. Perhaps it is helping someone when they need help.

These little acts of kindness are beneficial because they focus your attention on something other than yourself. When you are acting in this way, something occurs. I always feel a sense of contentment. It isn’t an egotistical feeling, but one of satisfaction, so to speak.

One website that can give you some great ideas for these little acts of kindness is https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/

This website has collections of little things you can do for your neighborhood, your loved ones, anybody. I try to select at least one thing I can do daily that is simple but interesting to me. Something like telling a server at your favorite restaurant how well they did. You can pay it forward, by paying more for your coffee and telling the person taking your order to apply the difference to the next customer’s bill.

Visit this site to get a whole collection of ideas and stories of what others have done to make their world a better place.

There’s another quote by the late Paul Twitchell. It is: “To get love, you have to give it.” (paraphrased) This relates to what I am offering in this week’s wisdom posting. The more love you give out the more you get.

I hope all of you have a safe, happy, and relaxing weekend.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wednesday Wisdom – Ridding Yourself of Fear

Tags

Fear, Love, Soul, Wisdom Wednesday

“The secret to getting rid of fear is opening the heart.”—Harold Klemp
The Language of Soul

Love and fear cannot exist within the same space. It is really this simple. What is fear? Fear is “an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fear

There are times when fear can be your best ally. When you are in true danger of injury or being hurt, fear can help you become your most creative self. At other times fear can be your worst enemy. The fear of approaching someone about something they did that hurt your feelings or made you feel uncomfortable, the fear of standing up for yourself, the fear of making a public speech or presentation, are all examples of fear at its worst.

There are some of us that believe that our physical bodies are not really us. Soul is us. You are Soul. Soul is infinite. If you can truly believe this truism, fear falls to the wayside. How can anyone be fearful of death if it is no longer an issue? I know for some of you, this is a hard concept to grasp. The ego or “little self” is a hard thing to contend with.

Now does that make fear really go away? No. The concept of Soul is truth, but the human mind, the ego, will get in the way. One must slowly focus their efforts to realize that Soul is who they are and not the ego. Soul, being a spark of God, is nothing more than love personified. Love is everything and all-powerful. Love builds, love binds, love gives life. God loves. That is God’s nature.

If one can rise above the emotional states (like fear, anger, greed, lust, and undo attachment), the only thing remaining is love. There is nothing else. This is why love and fear cannot exist in the same space. Love is above fear and anger. Love is.

I hope you enjoyed today’s Wisdom Wednesday. Have a terrific week.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote – Forgiveness

Tags

Contentment, Forgiveness, Inner Peace, Love

“Forgiveness is the final form of love.” – Reinhold Niebuhr

Have you ever held a grudge? Have you ever felt uncomfortable around a loved one you wronged and haven’t made up with? Have you ever thought about something you did in the past and not forgiven yourself for your actions? These are all deep and heartfelt questions.

When we hold a grudge, we hold onto a past transgression as if it happened yesterday. The grudge mindset is self-destructive. This mindset continually relives a wrong, repeatedly. In most cases, it blows the action out of proportion and sustains the grudge feeling even more.

If we’ve wronged someone else and fail to apologize, the situation festers and gets worse with time. When we see that person again, we either tuck that wrong away or avoid any type of talk about it. We feel guilty, we feel ashamed, but we don’t know how to progress. Instead, we avoid, we ignore, we may even cut off contact with the person we wronged because of the shame that arises inside when we think about them or see them in person.

When we do something wrong, something we know is wrong, a part of us dies. Like the situation above, we avoid thinking about it, we ignore it, we put it aside. We lie to ourselves to keep some semblance of internal peace. But, the thing we did is still there, poking and prodding us whenever and wherever it can.

How do we avoid all this trouble? We can simply forgive. We can forgive ourselves for something we did, realizing we are learning. We can apologize to the person we wronged as soon as we recognize we harmed them in some way. We can forgive ourselves.

Forgiveness repairs. Forgiveness reduces tension. Forgiveness expresses respect for those we have wronged and to ourselves for being human.

If you have someone in your life you need to forgive, do so. If you have that “thing” in your past that you know was wrong but did anyway, forgive yourself. If there is someone you know that you wronged, apologize. They may forgive you or they may not. Regardless, apologize and move on. Close the loop.

In the future, move more quickly to forgive yourself and others. Apologize immediately if you’ve hurt someone’s feelings or screwed something up. Forgiveness is about love. Forgiveness is about loving others despite their shortcomings, and more importantly, loving yourself for your own shortcomings.

Forgiveness is the final form of love.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote – Happiness is an Attitude

Tags

Attitude, Happiness, Infinity, Love, Reincarnation

“The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.” – Henry Ward Beecher

Happiness is an attitude, folks. It isn’t about who is in your life, what you own, the places you visit, or the money in your bank account. It is about being in a state of happiness. I talk to a lot of people about this topic, including some of my family members, and it is surprising how many people “chase” happiness. In my humble opinion, you are either happy or you are not. There is no in between.

If it takes outside circumstances, things, or people to make you happy, I’m afraid you’ll be chasing happiness the rest of your life.

Happiness is developed with a sense of gratitude. Happiness is derived from simple things. For me, this life is a treasure–something to be grateful for. I am happy to be alive. I am happy to have had the experiences I have had. I am just happy. Happiness is derived from being thankful for whatever your present circumstances are and is unshakeable, even in the darkest hours.

Sure, we all experience loss. We lose friends. We lose loved ones. We break up and get divorced. These things are unhappy events in our lives, but should not gauge the happiness you feel inside. This reality involves loss. We will all die. Our friends will all die. Our husbands, wives, sons, and daughters will die. There is no escaping this inevitability.

When you think about the finite existence we experience in this life, why be anything but happy. If you believe in reincarnation like I do, what is there to worry about. The real “YOU” never ends–ever. You will be coming back for a do-over, again and again. You will meet friends and family over and over again as each of us returns to this place for more lessons and experience.

Soul is who you are. Soul is infinite. Soul never forgets. Soul is always learning and improving. Experience this life without regret, knowing you are gaining experience and moving forward one step at a time. You have all of the time in the world to experience everything there is. Some of these experiences will be chalked up as bad, while others are good. It takes this opposite nature of our experiences to truly relish what we learn, feel, experience, and gain wisdom from. Without the good or bad, there would be zero difference in our experiences. Be grateful for the bad, the good, and indifferent. They all contribute to you as Soul.

Happiness is an attitude. Actively look for things to be grateful for daily. Actively look for things to experience. Enjoy yourself, regardless of your current situation. Things will get better or worse, but these can’t affect your happiness. Over the long-term, you will get better, the bad and good will fade away into the tapestry of this lifetime.

So, love. Love others. Love yourself. Love the things you do. Love actively. Love. The only thing you will leave this place with is the love in your heart, nothing else. You won’t keep your money, you won’t keep your cars, your home, or even your loved ones. You will pass away and prepare for the next life, forgetting all that happened in this life when you returned, but…

Soul remembers. Love is all there is folks. Love others, contribute, love what you do, and love the life you are living, regardless of how hard or easy it is. There’s always something to be thankful for.

That’s it for today folks.

Until next time…

Dave