WORTHY THOUGHTS

[MajestyJo]

ON FREEDOM

"Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us."
-- Stephen Covey

A Greek myth can help us understand the freedom that comes with power of choice.

In the Underworld, Sisyphus was condemned to roll a large stone up a hill from which it always rolled down again. Realistically, he was trapped in an endless cycle of rolling the stone. When he perceived himself to be imprisoned by the curse, he was a victim.

At one point, however, he turned the tables -- he changed his mind and decided to CHOOSE to roll the stone up the hill. In doing so, he empowered himself and defused the curse.

"Freedom is what you do with what's been done to you."
-- Jean-Paul Sartre

"One cannot make a slave of a free person, for a free person is free even in a prison."
-- Plato

Watch yourself shift from the self-centered, controlling behaviours of the ego to the power, love and wisdom of the soul.

[MajestyJo]

SPACE TO EXPLORE

"No one can find his work, what he really wants to put all of himself into, when everything he does he is made to do by others. This kind of searching must be done freely or not at all."
-- John Holt

We all need space -- free from demands, deadlines, expectations and judgments -- to explore who we are and what life is all about. Free time, with absolutely no agenda, is rich with potential. How can we grow if we have no space and freedom to dream?

"Deny children -- or anyone else -- the chance to do 'nothing,' and we may be denying them the chance to do 'something' -- to find and do any work that is truly important to themselves or to someone else."
-- John Holt

Create space in one area of your life and it affects other areas of your life.

[MajestyJo]

LIVE IT WELL



You know, time has a way of moving quickly
and catching you unaware of the passing years.

It seems just yesterday that I was a young man,
just married and embarking on my new life with my mate.
And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago,
and I wonder where all the years went.
I know that I lived them all...

And I have glimpses of how it was back then
and of all my hopes and dreams ...
But, here it is...the winter of my life
and it catches me by surprise...

How did I get here so fast?
Where did the years go and
where did my babies go?
And where did my youth go?

I remember well...
seeing older people through the years
and thinking that those older people
were years away from me and
that winter was so far off that
I could not fathom it or
imagine fully what it would be like...

But, here it is...
wife retired and she's really getting gray...
she moves slower and I see an older woman now.
She's in better shape than me...
but, I see the great change...
Not the one I married who was young and vibrant...
but, like me, her age is beginning to show
and we are now those older folks
that we used to see and never thought we'd be.

Each day now,
I find that just getting a shower
is a real target for the day!
And taking a nap is not a treat anymore...
it's mandatory!
Cause if I don't on my own free will...
I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so, now I enter into this
new season of my life unprepared
for all the aches and pains
and the loss of strength and
ability to go and do things.
But, at least I know, that though the winter has come,
and I'm not sure how long it will last...
This I know,
that when it's over...its over....
Yes , I have regrets .
There are things I wish I hadn't done ....
things I should have done .
But indeed , there are many things I'm happy to have done ....
Its all in a lifetime ...

So, if you're not in your winter yet...
let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think.
So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life
please do it quickly!

Life goes by quickly
So, do what you can today,
because you can never be sure
whether this is your winter or not!

You have no promise that
you will see all the seasons of your life ...
so, live for good today and
say all the things that you want
your loved ones to remember...

"Life is a gift to you.
The way you live your life is
your gift to those who came after.
Make it a fantastic one."

LIVE IT WELL!!

~author unknown~

Haven't been able to get into my Hotmail a/c to get to the Higher Awareness readings.

[MajestyJo]

"The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof."

-- Barbara Kingsolver

What an encouraging thought. Very empowering for me. My son called today and said, "I guess I have to go back to those da*n meetings. He knows where the help is. It would be a real answer to prayer.

I love the concept of putting all good things in your sacred space and surrounding yourself with them.

For many years, I wasted time sitting hoping for things to change, not realizing that I had to do the footwork to bring it about. I just couldn't sit around on my laurels and wish my life away.

Allan K. Chalmers:

The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

When the world says "give up." hope whispers, try it one more time.

Those who see continually see success in their lives, are those who are always willing to show cheer, and are also those who are always willing to remain full of hope.

[MajestyJo]

1 Corinthians 10:13-14
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry

.

Idolatry is one of the reasons I had trouble accepting religion. I felt that I had a direct line, and didn't need a mediator.

[MajestyJo]

Be aware of your motives

"Ordinarily, everything we do is in our self-interest. Everything."

-- Anthony de Mello

"Remember, most of the things you think you need are ego trips designed to bolster your image and your perception of security.... You'll waste a lot of energy satisfying your ego only to find that, as soon as it's got what it wants, it ignores all your efforts and promptly nails another list of demands to your forehead. The ego will always try to force you to slave for its vision. I wouldn't stand for that BS if I were you."

-- Stuart Wilde

"We have no need to teach pure motives to the mind. All that is necessary to make the mind pure is to undo the negative conditioning to which it has been subjected; then we will be left with pure, unconditioned awareness."

-- Eknath Easwaran

- Higher Awareness

My sponsor said to be aware of my motives and intent. Make things right by cleaning your side of the street and making things right with your God.

[MajestyJo]

Meditation for the Day

Keep as close as you can to the Higher Power. Try to think, act,and live as though you were always in God's presence. Keeping close to a Power greater than yourself is the solution to most of the earth's problems. Try to practice the presence of God in the things you think and do. That is the secret of personal power. It is the thing which influences the lives of others for good. Abide in the Lord and rejoice in His love. Keep close to the Divine Spirit in the universe. Keep God close behind your thoughts.

Prayer for today
I pray that I may keep close to the Mind of God. I pray that I may live with Him in my heart and mind.

This was posted on my site Star Choice in 2009.

It looks like it could be a Daily prayer to practice, rather than a prayer you say just one day.

[MajestyJo]

“Life at its best is a creative synthesis of opposites
in fruitful harmony.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“When we pay attention to nature’s music,
we find that everything on the earth
contributes to its harmony.”
Hazrat Inayat Khan

“But what is happiness except the simple harmony
between a man and the life he leads?”
Albert Camus

[MajestyJo]

Positive Thought Of The Day

"May today bring you the joy that escaped from your reach yesterday; the focus to strive for a better tomorrow; the motivation to live victoriously today."

Written in 2014 by Janice Harris --- Florida

Thought For The Day

"Just imagine for a day that you do not know anything, that what you believe could be completely false. Let go of your preconceptions and even your most cherished beliefs. Experiment. Force yourself to hold the opposite opinion or see the world through your enemy's eyes. Listen to the people around you with more attentiveness. See everything as a source for education; even the most banal encounters. Imagine that the world is still full of mystery."

Robert Green --- Submitted by Dan Smith --- California

Motivational Thoughts Of The Day

"It's by one's own actions that we clearly define our existence, our reality and ultimately the outcome. Seek truth, build character, find happiness and most of all share and be grateful to those that encouraged you to never give up!"

Written in 2013 by Trey Eastwood --- Texas
Living by it!

[MajestyJo]

Thoughts for the Day

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

“A river is victoriously persistent,
overcoming all barriers.
For a while it goes steadily on its course,
but then comes to an obstacle.
And for a while it is blocked,
yet it soon makes a pathway around the obstacle.
Or a river will drop out of sight for miles,
only later to emerge again
even broader and greater than ever…
Never focus your eyes
on the obstacle or the difficulty.”
Oswald Chambers

“Success is determined
not by whether or not you face obstacles,
but by your reaction to them.
And if you look at these obstacles as a containing fence,
they become your excuse for failure.
If you look at them as a hurdle,
each one strengthens you for the next.”
Ben Carson

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story
“Obstacles come to instruct, not obstruct.”
Brian Tracy

======

Thoughts for the Day

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

“If you hear a voice within you say
'you cannot paint,'
then by all means PAINT,
and that voice will be silenced."
Vincent Van Gogh
“Art is your personal diary
where you may color your thoughts
and emotions on a page.”
Sara, Los Cerros Middle School, 1999

“Art enables us to find ourselves
and lose ourselves at the same time.”


Thomas Merton

[MajestyJo]

New Inspirational Quote About Hope

"Don't worry. When life puts you down, hope will push you up."
Written in 2014 by Mohammed Sekouty --- Egypt
Push yourself up!


New Inspirational Quote AAbout Forgiveness

"Forgiving those who hurt us is key to our personal peace."
Author Unknown --- Submitted by Sher Muhammad ---Pakistan


New Inspirational Quote About Life

"It is not necessary that tears must fall when you are sad and lips must smile when you are happy. Sometimes life catches us in certain situations when we smile in pain and cry with happiness."
Written in 2014 by Uday Uprety --- Texas

[MajestyJo]

FORGIVENESS



Forgiveness is letting go of the pain and accepting what has happened, because it will not change....

Forgiveness is dismissing the blame.

Choices were made that caused the hurt; we each could have chosen differently, but we didn't.

Forgiveness is looking at the pain, learning the lessons it has
produced, and understanding what we have learned.

Forgiveness allows us to move on towards a better understanding of universal love and our true purpose.

Forgiveness is knowing that love is the answer to all questions, and that we all are in some way connected.

Forgiveness is starting over with the knowledge that we have gained.

I forgive you, and I forgive myself.

I hope you can do the same.

unknown

[MajestyJo]

BEST POEM IN THE WORLD



I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or it's decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp --
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
the alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must have made a mistake'.

'And why is everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.'
'Hush child', He said. they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'

JUDGE NOT!!

Remember....Just going to church doesn't make you a
Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.

Every saint has a PAST...
Every sinner has a FUTURE!

Now it's your turn to share this poem.

[MajestyJo]

Thoughts for the Day
Thursday, June 26, 2014

“Stop beating yourself up.
You are a work in progress;
which means you get there a little at a time,
not all at once.”
Author Unknown

“Sometimes you have to stop worrying,
wondering, and doubting.
Have faith that things will work out,
maybe not how you planned,
but just how it’s meant to be.”
Drake

“When the deepest part of you
becomes engaged in what you are doing,
when your activities and actions
become gratifying and purposeful,
when what you do serves both yourself and others,
when you do not tire within
but seek the sweet satisfaction of your life and your work,
you are doing what you were meant to be doing.”
Gary Zukav

June 25, 2014



Thoughts for the Day
Wednesday, June 25, 2014

“To live is the rarest thing in the world.
Most people exist, that’s all.”
Oscar Wilde

Live your life so that when it’s time to ask
where the time went, you can answer:
“It went to joyful moments with family and friends,
to my search for passion,
to doing work that felt like play,
to standing up for what I believe in,
and to exploring this beautiful world we live in
with an open heart.
My time went to LIVING my life!”
Author Unknown

When we focus on leading a passionate, meaningful life,
we are also inadvertently creating
a spectacular ripple effect of inspiration
in the lives around us.
When one person follows a dream,
tries something new, or takes a daring leap,
everyone nearby feels their passionate energy;
and before too long,
they are making their own daring leaps
while simultaneously inspiring others.
Author Unknown

[MajestyJo]

To me, people are helpless unless they want to help themselves. There is nothing we can do but pray for them.

Many times, I was close to hopeless, not only for me but for my son. But while their is breath there is hope. As long a God is on the throne, there is always hope. When I stop praying, I am the one who is hopeless.

As my sponsor use to say, "Pray for a spiritual awakening" and the person won't be able to continue doing what they are doing." That applies to myself, I need to do Step Ten to see where I am at in today.



There are different kinds of helplessness, and for whatever reason, be it mental, emotional or physical. If I reach out, the help is there. There was a barrier there which prevented me from doing that reaching out, mainly an old tape that told me I should be able to do it myself without asking for help. I expected me to do the job, no matter what and put up high expectations. In today, I know that through my God, all things are possible. The difference is knowing that I don't have to do it alone.

Hopeless to me is having tried and couldn't do and you feel you have no hope of ever being able to do it. I was pretty hopeless when I came into recovery. The Twelve Promises are what gave me hope. My first meeting, where I heard two very powerful women share their story, gave me a little hope, but wasn't too sure that the program would work for me. Yet when I looked at where I had been and where I was in the moment, I realized that I had inner resources that could be channelled into my recovery, and the program would work for me if I worked it.

Hope is a strange bedfellow, there will be let downs and disappointments, but all we have to do is try. As the saying goes, the failure isn't in doing and falling short of your expectations, the failure is in the not trying.