Discover the wisdom behind judgment

You may have heard that anyone who is judgmental or critical to other people is also unconsciously judgmental to themselves. If we want to move beyond the habit of judging people's presumed thoughts and beahvior, we need to first work on our own self-judging. 

To learn to stop judging ourselves and instead, to start accepting all that we are, means we will start accepting other people for all that they are.  Giving up the impulse to reject brings you to a level of new freedom.  How you see yourself reflects who you seek to be.

You always sense what is best for you, but you do not always listen.  You do not always choose to find the answers within yourself because you create fear and permit it to control you.  When will you be ready to redefine what is best for you where you are ?

If you choose not to have experiences you think you want, you choose to believe you will not realize dreams.  If you decide a vision or goal is beyond reach, then you choose to forget you have the answer to create the life you want.  That is all just self-defeating.

Remind yourself nothing is wrong with your choices.  Some will serve to promote your growth and others will not.  Yet, each one offers a clue to your inner wisdom.  Greater self-awareness is the underlying motive for choices.  Decide to rediscover yourself.

Learning to love yourself unconditionally and to resist fear will disolve any conditioned desire to judge. If you choose not to love yourself, then you choose not to love others.  Choose instead to nurture relationships that you have been blocking for too long already.

Savor what it means to be useful and useless

Many of us go about our days assuming we need to be useful.  What does this mean to you?  By the end of a given day, after you have accomplished whatever has been done, you go to sleep and move from a sense of being useful to a sense of being useless. Could this help to explain why you awaken to  feel refreshed, relaxed and unburdened? If you don't feel renewed after a night's sleep, then this is an invitation to ask yourself why.

In life, many people are goal-setters.  They set out to accomplish particular tasks and their emotions evolve based on whether or not they achieve desired results.  Imagine the positive impact on your life from the moment you evolve to believe that every action, mood and state is useful and useless, depending on your attitude and state of mind.

You may have reflected on self-worth.  You may have thought about what being "useful" does and doesn't mean to your own goals. Why should being useful be limited to a narrow list of criteria? Why might you benefit from seeing the flip side.  Life is what it is.  Nothing more, nothing less.  You can determine that everything you do has meaning and value to yourself, based on lessons that you choose to learn.  You are also always helpful to someone.

The biggest risk ever follow-up #2

So much interest is generated by my "biggest risk ever" series that I am adding a new chapter.  Its a continuing saga.  Sometimes its hard to believe that within 3 years, this adventure has already evolved though over 300,000 miles and 19 countries.  This certainly sets the stage for quite a future, but not perhaps for reasons you will assume.

I have known rustic ships, ferries, paddle steamers, trains, planes, cars, trucks and memorable forms of animal transportation. Rick shaws, tuk tuks, elephants, kyaks and vehicles with no-names. Hang-gliding is even on the horizon.  What's the point of it all?

For me, its not a question of accumulating miles or simply withstanding altitude changes.  Its about learning that as much as we change, we may sense we know more, but ultimately, we remain the same.  We actually begin to discover what we've always known, but have somehow managed to miss.  Tapping into our hearts enables us to connect with others in new ways.

A sense of knowledge begins inside each of us.  It can grow from or touch on others.  It can also be shared. Realizing who we are dissolves any sense of risks.   Interacting with people enables us to come to this realisation at soul-level.  Unless your awareness changes, unless  knowing stems from growth inside yourself, you are unlikely to alter your perceived quality of life. 

Real knowing comes in growing to trust yourself.  Faith is reinforced in what you learn about yourself.  What if you conclude you can't hoard knowledge? Would it matter? Who are you helping along your journey? Having things doesn't enable you to grow, but certain kinds of behavior, like opening your heart, teach you benefits in overcoming fear.

I've learned that if you worry about losing something, you really don't have a grasp on what it is.  A sense of inner poverty or emptiness doesn't change until your're ready.   Each door you come across brings you face-to-face with new doors.  Which ones will you open? The truth that seems the most comfortable option isn't something you can really express.  Truth is never known in its entirety.  You may feel it, sense a kind of growing inner completeness and have visions.   

A forthcoming mysterious trip in April will likely surprise you as much as it does me. Could an unspecified life change really be involved? In the meantime, we'll keep each other in suspense! The best is 'in the now' and it is also yet to come...

Confucius & the power of morality

Once when Confucius and his students were in the State of Chen, they ran out of food and the students fell ill. One of the students, Zi-lu, also a famous scholar, complained, "So, it is possible for a righteous person to become destitute!"

Confucius replied, "A righteous person can guard his morality and virtue even when he is destitute; whereas a wicked person will resort to all sorts of vices when he is destitute."  

What kinds of rationalisations do you make based on changing conditions? How does your view of right and wrong change, based on your health, financial situation, relationships and self-view? 

According to Confucious, our moral standard shouldn't change just because our life situation changes. He believes we are regularly tested to see whether we retain our principles in tough situations.  Many people will compromise their core selves based on their changing situation.  Ask yourself whether you gradually move away from original values and how you justify that to yourself and others.

Confucius sermised that the standard of being human is grounded in one's view of morality. Modern people tend to adapt their opinions to suit their behavior. Some people would say that present-day moral standards have changed tremendously from the past.  It is up to each person to decide whether this is good or acceptable. Confucious might say people selectively forget the basic standard of being human.

Confucius says….

To be able to practice five things everywhere under heaven constitutes perfect virtue … gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice.

Find a Holy man where you least expect

Word spread across the countryside about the wise Holy Man who lived in a small house atop the mountain. A man from the village decided to make the long and difficult journey to visit him.  He had questions and sought the teachings of a greeat scholar.

When he arrived at the house, he saw an old servant inside who greeting him at the door.

"I would like to see the wise Holy Man," he said to the servant.

The servant smiled and led him in. As they walked through the house, the man from the village looked eagerly around the house, anticipating his encounter with the Holy Man.  Before he knew it, he had been led to the back door and escorted outside. He stopped and turned to the servant,

"But I want to see the Holy Man!"

"You already have," said the old man. "Everyone you may meet in life, even if they appear plain and insignificant... see each of them as a wise Holy Man. If you do this, then whatever problem you brought here today will be solved."

Truly wise people don't seek prominance, but rather, choose to remain simple, ordinary and subtle.  Wisdom is hidden and nameless.  Its not characterized by your ego-inspired assumptions.  What would it take to separate yourself from superior-inferior labels?  As you examine your attachments to beliefs, realize you gain by letting these go. 

Begin to look beyond what your limited views tell you is the truth.  As you examine your own thoughts, you will realize you overlook sources of true wisdom around you. He may be your neighbour, a friend or a stranger on the street.  You will gain all that you need by recognizing wisdom presents itself in ways that make the ordinary extraordinary.

Without the mockery of those who believe themselve wise, the truly wise wouldn't be found. You're only one thought removed from sensing real wisdom.   Learn to see the world differently, step back from illusions you have created.  You can learn, retain and practice  insights.  Set aside your conditioned inclinations.   Reclaim your authentic self.