Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – It’s All in the Preparation

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Do Nothing Day, Hobby, iPad, Monday, motivation, Netflix, Saturday, Sunday

I’ve addressed this before in my Motivation Monday writings, but wanted to bring this up again. Sundays are labeled my “do nothing day”. On Sunday, I literally do what I want, without a schedule and where I purposely do not do anything listed on my to-do list. I wanted one day to truly be “lazy”, feel no pressure, and just enjoy the day, regardless of what I end up doing, guilt-free.

What does my “do nothing day” look like? Typically, it involves sleeping in. And when I say sleep in, I mean it. I normally do not get out of bed until 11 am or 12 pm. Sometimes I’ll get up briefly for my iPad, and get right back into that warm bed and watch some Netflix. It really depends on my mood, and what I feel like.

I don’t remember where I got this idea from, but it has worked miracles for me. When I get up Monday, I’m raring to go. I would also like to note that my preparation for Monday occurs on Friday and Saturday, where I take a look at my upcoming week and figure out what I am going to be doing. This alleviates any pressure on me to do anything on my “do nothing day.”

So get your calendar straight, look at the things you have on your schedules, and get your clothes prepped. Then when you hit Monday, you are hitting it running. I hope some of you take up a “do nothing day”. It may not be as “hard-core” as mine, because you have certain responsibilities you can’t avoid (pets, children, etc.), but it is a really worthwhile venture.

Your “do nothing day” doesn’t have to be on Sunday, either. You can set it for a day that is easier. Perhaps, Saturday?

Well, that’s all I got for Monday. Have a great week, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – The Law of Consciousness

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Awareness, Belief, consciousness, expansion, Growth, Saturday, spirituality

Have you ever created a picture, poetry, or a physical object like a table or bookshelf? When you began you stared at a blank canvas, piece of paper, or a pile of wood. What gave that life? You did.

The Law of Consciousness dictates that the thought or idea has to start from the inner, to be expressed later in the outer form. You have to have the story, poem, music, or design in your head before you can create it.

The same process occurs spiritually. You have to have an idea of what you are seeking before you can seek it. You have to realize the existence of something before you can explore it. You have to believe before you can experience something. Without the belief or awareness of something, you cannot conceive it.

To be conscious of something, you have to gain the realization or belief that what you are thinking is possible. Then it is easy to manifest.

Where do ideas come from? They come from the real self–Soul. Soul is not bound by matter, energy, space, or time. It is infinite. It is omnipresent. Subsequently, Soul sees the whole picture. When Soul tries to communicate to the mind, the mind censors it, particularly if the information that is transmitted is too much for the mind to handle. Subsequently, our spiritual progress is slow and measured. This is the way it has to be, but progress is made, regardless of your awareness of it or not.

This is the Law of Consciousness. Have a great Saturday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Reciprocity

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Altruism, Ego, Giving, Leo Buscaglia, Reciprocity, Saturday, Selflessness, Spiritual

The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another’s, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises.

Leo Buscaglia

Giving, teaching, empathizing, sharing. These all involve doing something for someone else. Giving another person your time, even if it is to just listen to them. Share what you’ve learned, share your happiness, share something that is special to you. The pay back for these actions is contentment, happiness, and a warmth you can’t get from doing things for yourself.

This warmth is something that is hard to explain. It is like your heart gets warm. It permeates your whole body.

Doesn’t it feel great when you can help someone and that frown on their face turns to a smile? Maybe you’re a good listener and one of your friends needs to vent. Isn’t it great to just listen to someone vent and work things out for themselves?

Spirituality doesn’t have to be a formal religion. It doesn’t require a holy book or going to a service or meeting. It literally is nothing more than tapping into that inner part of yourself that knows what good is. It doesn’t concern itself with the petty and small ego. It gives. It gives without concern for anything in return. It gives because others need it. Nothing more.

When you give of yourself without expecting anything in return, the ego shrinks. You can’t live without an ego, but you can live with a shrunken one. Whenever you think about others more than you do yourself, the ego is put aside. This “putting aside” demonstrates that the ego is not all you. It is only a creation of you so you can survive.

I’ll stop there.

Have a great Saturday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – Friends

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Buddies, family, Friend, Friends, Friendship, Saturday, Spiritual

As I write this post, one of my Mother’s friends is visiting. It’s great to see her hang out with other women, because frankly, hanging out with two guys all the time (Dad and I) is boring. Guys don’t talk like women do, at least Dad and I don’t.

Friends are those folks who know us. They know who we are, how we tick. Friendship lasts a lifetime, or they fade when we move, and forget to stay in touch. Today, that seems impossible, but I imagine it happens, particularly when a friendship really wasn’t to begin with.

I don’t have many friends, but the ones I have are lifers. My best friend is my wife, but I also have a significant group of folks in AZ that I stay in touch with. Our society is very mobile today. I moved back home to help my folks. One friend moved to Boston, another to Las Vegas. Still another moved to AZ as I was leaving. Things change, people change, but friendship remains.

Friendship is the best, isn’t it?

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday – The Love You Give Returns

Tags

Altruism, Charity, Giving, Goodwill, Love, Saturday, Selfless, spirituality

What is spirituality? Some folks believe it is attending church, a mosque, or a synagogue, and following the rituals associated with their religions. Others meditate and read and learn about mindfulness and themselves. Still others do the best they can for their families, contribute or take part in charities, and follow the golden rule. Based on what I’ve written here, it is what you make of it.

Spirituality, at its most simple level, is serving others. It is giving and receiving love. It is putting everything you have into something. Putting love into it. It is extending your goodwill to all. It is expressing your love for others without trying to control them or forcing them to be who you want them to be. This is a detached love. It is loving someone for who they are, nothing more. It is a love without strings attached.

When you do something selflessly for someone else, there’s a good feeling that comes with it. It’s like love leaves you and goes where you are putting your efforts. Then, that love returns to fill you right back up. The more love you give, the more you get. This universe is just that simple. It is we humans that make it hard. The human mind loves complicating things.

Have you ever decided to love someone and serve them, regardless of what they do or don’t do? It is a very selfless act. It is also hard. It’s hard to serve and love someone that does not return that love. Yet, it still comes back. The more love you give, the more you get.

Think about a dog. Dogs are selfless lovers. When you walk in the door, they are so excited to see you. When you are watching TV or reading a book or whatever, that dog is always there. Right there with you. Can you imagine how much love that dog feels? They love without regrets, without demanding something in return. This is a perfect example of selfless love. The more love you give, the more you get.

Are you in a difficult relationship? Remember how wonderful it was when you first met? Over time, little things build up. Little slights. Little trespasses. You wake up one day and things aren’t right anymore. How do you get it back? You guessed it. Love your partner. Love them. Serve them. Expect nothing. Don’t fix them. Let them be who they are. The more love you give, the more you get.

The more love you give, the more you get.

Have a great Saturday, folks.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday

Tags

Consistency, Exercise, Learning About Yourself, mini-habits, Saturday, spirituality, Weakening Neural Pathways, Wiring Your Brain

Happy Saturday!!

It is hot today in Michigan. The heat index is above 100 in most parts of southeastern Michigan. Today was an indoor day of reading, coding, writing, exercise, and spiritual study.

I was pondering consistency today. Why can we do certain things consistently and other things inconsistently? I have no problem reading, coding, writing, and my spiritual studies and exercises. I have always had trouble with consistent exercise. Why is it so hard?

I didn’t have any trouble with exercise in the Army. We exercised Monday – Friday without fail. Why do I have trouble now? I don’t have someone else telling me to do it every day. I have to tell myself to do it. That’s the part that is difficult.

Self-management is hard. It is hard because no one cares whether we do something, unless it is something we obligated ourselves to. Did you miss a workout? No problem. Did you miss a workout with your trainer or workout buddy? Big problem.

 

So how do you solve the problem? You solve it by making the self-management task so easy that your mind doesn’t fight it. You start with a mini-workout to get yourself into automatic mode. Once your mind expects to do something, the workout gets done because you trained your mind to expect the workout to occur. It has automated the workout task in its wiring. Once this rewiring occurs, the mind expects it to happen, and it solves the problem.

What I learned recently is we can undo this wiring. Fail to workout for a few days or weeks, and the wiring, which was strong initially, fades. You lost the habit, the neural pathway supporting this habit deteriorates, and BOOM—no more habit.

So now, I’m going back to the mini habit foundation phase. This requires doing something small every day so that your mind doesn’t resist it. One exercise for a few reps and that’s it.

If you are struggling with your exercise routine or need to establish one, here’s a great book for you to read, which tells the tale of Stephen Guise and how he started a healthy workout routine and diet by doing 1 pushup a day. The title of the book is Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results. Click on the link if you’re interested. I am not an affiliate. I enjoy recommending good books to my readers.

 

Well, that’s it for today, folks. I hope all of you have a terrific Saturday.

Until next time…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday

Tags

change, Saturday, simplicity, Snowstorm, Truth, Weekend

“Truth is so simple. So why doesn’t everybody know it? Because it’s too simple. Because we have our preconceived notions about what truth is or what it should be.”

—Harold Klemp The Language of Soul

It’s snowing in Michigan! Today, most of the North East is getting pounded by the snow and we have more coming next week. I love the snow. I think it is such a great weather pattern, particularly when it snows for a while. It is so peaceful to look at.

Today’s quote relates to the simplicity that lies beneath the complexity we create. I am always amazed when I read a research study or a really good book. As you are reading a book, typically a culmination of years of research and study, you say to yourself, “How simple. Of course, that’s the way it is.” We all know truth when we see it. Truth remains hidden, behind some curtain—a curtain that is built into us. We all think truth is more than it is. This causes us to disregard the truth that is staring us in the face because it is ordinary and mundane, compared to our expectations.

Why is truth so important? Because we want the security of standing on firm ground. Truth survives the tempestuousness of our reality, which is constantly changing. Today, we’re happy and everything is great. Tomorrow, your life falls apart. Sometimes the things that change are disruptive to our life. We get sick, a loved one passes, a friend betrays us, we lose our job. In other cases, we benefit from the changes and they are life-building. We come across a large sum of money, we meet the love of our life, we recover from a incurable disease. Both groups of situations could arise. This reality we live in is in a consistent flux. Truth defies the flux. Truth never changes. When we find truth, our lives are a little more stable—we have a foundation to stand on. This solidity is what makes us comfortable. This is why we pursue truth and consider it important.

How do we find truth? We need to keep our eyes open to the things that don’t change. Truth is always there. When you find it you’ll know that you have.

I hope all of you have a great weekend and enjoy the snow if you are in an area that is getting it today.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Saturday

Tags

Gratitude, Looking for the Good, Saturday, Self-acceptance, Self-love, spirituality, Weekend

“Begin with the love you have. Love gratefully. This love expands your heart into a greater vessel which can hold yet more love.”—Harold Klemp The Language of Soul

All of us are probably the worst self-critics. I know I am. Did you ever have a conversation with yourself that involve the statements “you should”, “you missed”, or you “screwed up”? The conversations about not being good enough, not looking right, or some other self-inflicted attack?

Give yourself a break. Embrace the failure. The more we realize how mistakes are a part of success and getting things done, the more we will be apt to tackle projects that are big, hairy, and scary. Get yourself out there, write down the things you want to do before you leave this Earth (Bucket List), and start doing them. I think you’ll be amazed by your results.

Love yourself.

The more you can accept and love yourself, the more you’ll be able to accept and love others. It all starts and ends with you.

Challenge:

When you wake up tomorrow, start your day by saying something nice to yourself. Start your day counting your blessings. Try this for the upcoming week. I think you, like me, will be surprised by the results, the change in your demeanor, the change in your mood.

Seriously, give this a shot.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Taking Saturday Off…

Tags

Day Off, nice weekend, Saturday, vacation

Hello, readers!

I’m heading to my sister’s tomorrow for a nice weekend. I won’t be posting my spiritual Saturday and normally don’t post on Sunday.

I just wanted to let everyone know.

Until next time…

Dave