Cherie Carter-Scott & 10 Rules for Being Human

Cherie Carter-Scott wrote a book called, If Life is a Game, These Are the Rules: Ten Rules for Being Human.  It grew out of  her desire for answers and messages about her own winding journey.  She moved for a sense of a single purpose to a deeper understanding of her own purpose-driven life.

These ideas became published in Chicken Soup for the Soul and also in Ann Landers' column.  Cherie inspires people to rethink how they think and feel about everything that happens. In which ways can you relate to these concepts? How do you interpret them? When will they assist you differently?

1) You will receive a body.

2) You will be presented with lessons.

3) There are no mistakes, only lessons.

4) A lesson will be repeated until learned.

5) Learnings do not end.

6) "There" is no better than "here."

7) Others are only mirrors of you.

8) What you make of your life is up to you.

9) All the answers lie inside you.

10) You will forget all this at birth.

Regain control over internal dialogue

Analysis of the week on dream submitted by Anonymous in New Brunswick, Canada.

Dream- I was in hospital speaking with an internist in his office. Everything was made of wood. My mind was aware of three levels of perception simultaneously; this man and what he was saying about the insides of the physical body, thoughts of my husband and then, a blur of an unfamiliar male spirit who beckoned me to follow him as he walked through the wall.

Predomiant Emotions- surprise, wonder, desire, acceptance.

Interpretation- The body, mind and spirit require balance to function most effectively. You recognize imbalance in your life and strive to change this. Accepting who you are requires you learn to feel whatever you are feeling now without judgment.

The presence of a physician reminds you of your desire for healing. You may also sense reason to consult a specialist for a health condition.  Review more specifically possible situations you are meant to face. It is impossible to argue with what is without consequences.  As you allow, your true nature arises.

Natural surroundings remind you of the importance of relaxing and learning what it means to just be. You may ask yourself what it would require to release distractions in your life. The very fact you raise awareness to recognize them is enough to disrupt their control over you. It is part of a process.

Engaging in deeper reflection prevents previous experience and emotions from controlling your inner dialogue. You choose not to perpetuate misplaced assumptions. You no longer identify the same way with past interactions with others. You realize when old emotions no longer serve you as you view yourself.

To choose to identify with the source of your discomfort causes suffering in yourself and others. This prevents you from staying non-reactive and absolutely alert and rediscovering true abilities of your spirit. The more limited, ego view you maintain, the more you will fall into the traps of the physical world and prevent yourself from moving beyond them.

5 Tips to manage awkward moments

Everyone you interact with will not always agree with your views. In fact, some people may seem like they only know how to disagree, criticize or misunderstand your point. This can lead to awkward moments.  You may not know what to say.

You may be in a car accident and be blamed for what you feel was not your fault. You may waiting for the bus and find another person blames you for missing it when that person did not choose to check the schedule.  You may attempt to convey an experience that someone else chooses not to accept or understand.  The negative vibes or silence speak volumes.

You can be well-meaning in your gestures and still be treated in ways you do not feel you deserve. How do you deal with situations that you almost wish were dreams?

1) Be grateful. Step back to realize how this situation offers you priceless wisdom.  This is an opportunity to realize the world does not revolve around you. This is a situation meant to show you everyone will not think and act like you. The reactions of others teach you more about what you are not. In turn, you are invited to learn more about what you are.

2) Learn tolerance. You are not expected to agree with everyone or be understood by everyone all the time or even some of the time. Each person views the world though their own experience, expectations and assumptions. This can lead to your view of disagreement or misunderstanding. You are given the gift of options.  You have choices to live and let live.

3) Expand your perspective. However you believe you are being treated, you are missing something. You are not seeing how the other person does. Your judgement is based on a limited view. Relish a chance to expand your perspective. Imagine yourself in their shoes and imagine why they might feel as they do. Learn power in opening to possibilities.

4) Love people as they are.  You embrace life as you learn to love and appreciate people for who they are. Insodoing, you discover new reasons to love and accept yourself more fully. Part of this process offers insight into forgiveness. As you forgive a person for what he is not, for things he did not do or say, for all that he is, you evolve to value your mistakes and imperfections.  You expand and grow in love.

5) Decide to be the bigger person.  You always have choices about how to expend your energy.  Where it makes sense, you may determine a battle is warranted. You can exert effort to convince the other person of your position or point of view. Yet, stepping back may help you realize it makes more sense to let it go. Even silence has timeless, intrinsic value.

5 Ways to evaluate your current state

 People desire to gain insight into what creates a more meaningful life.  They are becoming more concerned with things that did not capture their attention before.  Its part of the lesson of opening your mind to stages of awakening.

Sensing the world as you do, it is easy to get excited about what could happen, about what you could make happen.  All of that is fine and good, but until you realize what it means to be right where you are, then going beyod that is hard to fathom.

Since you exist and are chomping at the bit, so to speak, then you may as well take advantage.  You may not grasp how you got here, but do not fret.  Thinking without awareness may well be the key dilemma of human existence.  As you shift to gain bearings, consider eight ways to evaluate your current state;

1) Learn to sense the possibility of illusions.  To become aware something is not real is a way to dissolve its hold over your attention.  Energy becomes available for other purposes.

2) Realize your reality reflects your illusions.  You come to derive a sense of identity based partly on opinions and labels of yourself.   Its possible to move to see through it.

3) Accept a voice within you. Some people decide to ignore their inner voice. They may think hearing voices is pure madness. They may hardly notice or, defray it to background as a distraction. This denies value in the unobserved mind.

4) Observe how you form thoughts.  Notice how your views are conditioned by a sense of the past.  If you hurt yourself in certain ways before, then your mind may assume history will repeat.  Your expectations are based on what you think you know and how you have trained your mind to believe.

5) Humble yourself.  This may come as a surprise, but you do not know everything on a conscious level. Part of you is working hard to convince you of certain lies.  Lower yourself.  Rediscover the feeling of insignificance.  Character builds by tapping into your inner wisdom and power.  Sense it in silence.

Give as much guidance as you can

Healing is not a short-term experience, though it does involve short-lived revelations.  It is something each being spends a lifetime exploring in ways often unacknowledged, disregarded or unforseen.  When was the last time you asked yourself why that is?  How do your views on the matter change?

Early on, everyone imagines what is best for them. You decide what you will listen to within yourself and what just seems like hocus pocus. You encounter many crossroads and at each one, you must choose; be authentic to yourself or something else. 

During dreams or while awake, you recall speaking freely to "invisible friends." Adults persuaded you these friends do not exist.  Little-by-little you revised your notion of what is okay to say and to whom, and forgot who you are in the process. 

The moment may arise when you become aware something about how you live, think or do, no longer makes sense.  If this happens, then be willing to give as much guidance as you can.  You may be shifting a notch to think again on your own.  As you begin reflecting differently, be sure to consider this;

1) suffering may pass in a wink, but the lead-up never does.

2) to spare yourself mistakes would prevent deeper growth.

3) the desire to avoid suffering may just be the root of all suffering.