Health, Happiness, & Peace

"To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him." - Buddha I stumbled across this quote and am loving it more & more each time I read it. I feel like there's a lot of profound truth in the quote. I'm constantly trying out ways to do this but it can be really tough. How successful are you at disciplining & controlling your mind? Has it helped you increase your health, happiness, & peace?

Guest Post: Blue

B asked me to do a guest post today which is timely because I've had this "thing" on my mind.  Earlier today, I listened to a podcast for the excellent program Radiolab.  Their latest episode, "Colors," is a fascinating look at the visible spectrum we call light.  This is even more impressive considering the that medium for Radiolab is entirely sound.

Without spilling all the beans, there was a section that was particular interesting to me and semi-relavent to this blog.  The color blue, which happens to be my favorite color, is actually a relatively recent concept in human history.  While we have always had the ability to see the spectrum of light called blue, we haven't always had a name for it.  We know this because ancient texts including Homer's Odyssey contains some really strange color references for things that we would normally call blue...without actually calling them blue.

Scientists theorize that having a label for blue back then just wasn't that useful.  There were no blue eyes in ancient Greece, no blue fruits or vegetables.  There definitely weren't any dangerous animals that are blue.  Blue pigment and dyes wouldn't come along for a long time.  In short, blue wasn't on the radar for an ancient Greek.

That got me thinking.

Are there things out there that we can perceive just fine that we don't notice? How many colors/ smells/ sounds/ tastes are there that don't have a label?  Are there emotions or feelings I can't relate because they don't have a name?

Assigning a name (blue) to things (the sky) does open up a whole new world by allowing us to communicate.  However, it sets limits as well.  For example, the sky is never just blue, in fact of 24 hours during the day, it is often not blue.  Yet, for most people, the sky is blue and we leave it at that.  It makes one think.  Are we missing the colors of the sky that are not blue?

It goes deeper than that.  Can we know what we don't know we're missing?

It happened with blue so it could definitely happen again.  The challenge for today:  Try to notice what you normally ignore.  Be "present" enough to experience all your senses working in the background.  Listen to the noise and see if there is, indeed, something there.  You might be surprised and discover something new for all of us.

Be Grateful

I'm grateful for a new job that started today! It feels great to work with people who work hard, yet know how to make the workplace fun & enjoyable. It's a very refreshing environment where I feel like I can thrive! It's also really great to have daily lunch dates with my best friend, the love of my life :) What are you grateful for today?

Who We will Become

“What we love determines what we seek. What we seek determines what we think and do. What we think and do determines who we are — and who we will become.”
― Dieter F. Uchtdorf

What do you love? Is it who you want to become?

Smile at Strangers

What a weird thing for me to post about today, right? Give it a chance and read on... :)

"There is virtually always a parallel between our attitude toward strangers and our overall level of happiness... if you think of strangers as being a little more like you and treat them not only with kindness and respect but with smiles and eye contact as well, you'll probably notice some pretty nice changes in yourself." -Richard Carlson

I remember the first time I walked down the sidewalk on my way to class at BYU-Idaho and just about every person I passed smiled as they walked by and said hello. I was a little surprised! I immediately caught on and started doing the same thing. It was really good for me; especially on my grouchier days because I'd muster up a smile and say hello because there was a mild "expectation" there. I know I smiled much more often during my college days because of it.

It was a little bit sad to watch the eye contact and hellos become less frequent throughout my years at college as iPods & other technology began to take over the attention and human interaction of so many people. It's easy to avoid interaction with others with the sunglasses on and the ear buds in, but take the challenge to smile at someone you don't know and say hello, each day this coming week. Maybe you'll notice a little positive change in yourself because of it :)

Ignoring Negative Thoughts

Lake Blanche - July 2011

"It has been estimated that the average human being has around 50,000 thoughts per day. That's a lot of thoughts. Some of these thoughts are going to be positive and productive. Unfortunately, however, many of them are also going to be negative--angry, fearful, pessimistic, worrisome. Indeed, the important question in terms of becoming more peaceful isn't whether or not you're going to have negative thoughts--you are--it's what you choose to do with the ones that you have."
- Richard Carlson

We only have two options when it comes to dealing with negative thoughts. We can either analyze, think through and ponder them or we can choose to ignore them, pay less attention to, and not take too seriously. In trying to have a more peaceful life, learning to take them less seriously is the most effective.

" When you have a thought--any thought--that's all it is, a thought! It can't hurt you without your consent... If you ignore or dismiss a negative thought that fills your mind, a more peaceful feeling is only a moment away. And, in a more peaceful state of mind, your wisdom and common sense will tell you what to do." - Richard Carlson

What peace have you experienced by ignoring negative thoughts?

Have a great weekend!

Resist the Urge to Criticize

Puerta Vallarta - Oct 2011

In following my own advice from yesterday's post to keep things simple, I've decided to share some quotes from Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, by Richard Carlson and a very brief thought. There were some comments shared in Relief Society a few weeks ago that triggered my thinking on this topic a bit.

"When we judge or criticize another person, it says nothing about that person; it merely says something about our own need to be critical... Criticism, like swearing, is actually nothing more than a bad habit... It's something we get used to doing; we're familiar with how it feels. It keeps us busy and gives us something to talk about."

So, we agree that it's a problem, but how do we fix it? "The solution is to catch yourself in the act of being critical. Notice how often you do it and how bad it makes you feel."

These quotes are excellent reminders for me. It can be pretty disappointing to recognize just how many criticizing and judgmental thoughts go through my head sometimes. Ideally, if we are able to catch ourselves in the act of being critical enough times, we can then get to a point where we "turn our criticism into tolerance and respect."

Do you had any recent thoughts or behaviors that are sending out the message: "I have a need to be critical?" How does it feel when you are successful at turning criticizing thoughts and actions into tolerance and respect?