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March 20 - March 21, 2020
Safety is overrated; taking risks is much less likely to kill us than ever before, and that means that playing it safe is more likely just holding us back from the thrills of a life filled with meaning and discovery.
There’s nothing wrong with taking on ideas from the society we live in. But as our world is undergoing exponential change at a staggering pace, following the masses and doing what’s always been done isn’t a path that leads to being extraordinary.
Your spirituality should be discovered, not inherited. Questioning religion does not mean that you see the world devoid of spirit, soul, awe, or the connection between all life—true spirituality. Rather you are choosing to discern between true spirituality and the suffocating dogma of ancient cultural traditions that got embedded in the great religious texts.
It does not make any sense to spend the majority of our waking hours at work, to earn a living, so we can continue living a life where we spend the majority of our waking hours at work. It’s a human hamster wheel.
It’s time we stopped behaving like submissive prehistoric tribe members and started questioning some of the things our leaders say.
The modern advertising age has gotten incredibly slick at using social proof to create what I call manufactured demand. Nobody really needs that much high-fructose corn syrup packaged as Happiness in a Red Can (no thank you, Coca-Cola).
Is it based on trust and hope in humanity?
Is the rule based on the idea that human beings are primarily good or primarily bad? If a rule is based on negative assumptions about humanity, I tend to question it.
The Christian idea of original sin is another example of fundamental mistrust of humanity. It has caused so much guilt and shame for so many people who feel undeserving of success and good things in life. Original sin is an example of a relative truth.
There’s no scientific evidence that we are born sinners, so it isn’t absolute truth. Yet it negatively affects millions.
I like to remember Gandhi’s words: “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”
Rules that elevate some while devaluing others are suspect as Brules—such
You do not have to dress, eat, marry, or worship in a manner that you disagree with just because it’s part of the culture you’re born into.
Culture is like water. If it’s stagnant, as in the case of dogma or the rules of fundamentalist religion, it can be poisonous.
“The past is a foreign country: They do things differently there.”
The people making you feel guilty for going your own way and choosing your own life are simply saying, “Look at me. I’m better than you because my chains are bigger.” It takes courage to break those chains and define your own life.
If you want to teach people a new way of thinking, don’t bother trying to teach them. Instead, give them a tool, the use of which will lead to new ways of thinking. —BUCKMINSTER FULLER
Our beliefs about life, love, work, parenting, our bodies, our self-worth—are often a result of our innate tendency to imitate the people and practices around us.
What you think and believe about the world shapes who you are and your experience of the world around you. Change your accepted models of reality, and dramatic changes will happen in your world.
Our current models and systems have three limitations: 1. Our models of reality are programmed by the world we grew up in. 2. Our models of reality (good or bad) determine our systems for living. In short, bad beliefs create bad habits. 3. Our modern models and systems are lacking in conscious practices—we’re only just beginning to realize the power of our minds.
The morning tea is a ritual for mental and spiritual cleansing.
Humanity is flying way under its full potential simply because we do not educate for the whole or complete human being.
As you think of your personal growth, think of consciousness engineering as that trunk. The two big branches are models of reality and systems for living.
Our beliefs are like unquestioned commands, telling us how things are, what’s possible and impossible and what we can and cannot do. They shape every action, every thought, and every feeling that we experience.
You cannot take criticism. It’s all because of one thing: You have low self-esteem.”
What you know you believe is much smaller than what you don’t know you believe.
LESSON 1: Our models of reality lie below the surface. Often we do not realize we have them until some intervention or contemplative practice makes us aware.
LESSON 2: We often carry disempowering models of reality that we inherited as far back as childhood.
LESSON 3: When you replace disempowering models of reality with empowering ones, tremendous changes can occur in your life at a very rapid pace.
Bottom line: Your beliefs can influence both you and the people around you. What you expect, you get.
How much of the irritating or negative characteristics you see in others is really a belief you’re projecting onto them?
We can’t go back and fix the past. But we can take responsibility to heal ourselves now by giving ourselves the love and appreciation we once craved.
Your external models of reality are the beliefs you have about the world around you.
We all possess human intuition.
Human beings can function as logical beings and as intuitive beings. When we use both capabilities, we’re priming ourselves for extraordinary results.
There is power in mind-body healing.
Creative visualization is a practice of shifting beliefs by meditating and then visualizing your life as you want it to evolve.
Happiness at work is the new productivity.
It is possible to be spiritual but not religious.
Question 1: Is my model of reality absolute or relative truth?
The power to choose what we want to believe and what we want to disbelieve is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves.
Does this really mean what I think it means?
Let’s celebrate our extraordinary ability to evolve emotionally, mentally, spiritually throughout life, taking on new ideas, thoughts, philosophies, and ways of being and living.
True brilliance is understanding that your view of order, logic, and spirituality is what created your world and therefore being forever capable of changing everything.
You must make them see their work as a mission.
A system for living is a repeated, optimized pattern for getting things done.
Too many of us are so busy doing that we never step back and think about how we’re doing. Or why we’re doing it.
Awareness is the essence of discovery. Every now and then, stop doing and gather some research.
Whether related to work, health, fitness, personal growth, culture, or anything else, discovery is a life-affirming tool.
Things slip when we don’t have a detection method for knowing when it’s happening. Set points are that detection method.
