Every once in a while a story circulates on e-mail that bears forwarding or repeating. This is one of them that struck a chord with me this morning, especially since an encounter a couple of days ago with a particularly unpleasant, angry, abrasive, hypcritical person who was determined to firmly establish his vastly superior intelligence and training both to me and to a colleague.
I did not and will not respond in kind, because I know that when you wrestle with pigs, you get dirty and smelly and the pigs love it. And it is a no-win situation.
But this e-mail reminded me of my core beliefs: what you put into life is what you get out of it. (Incidentally, this blog gets many referrals because of people searching on that phrase: it is a recurring theme in these many posts.)
May you find what you seek today!
The Seed
A successful businessman was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.
He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."
One man, named Jim, like the others received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.
Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.
Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - he so wanted the seed to grow.
A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot.
But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach: it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right.
He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!
When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.
Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"
When the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot, he ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"
When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed, so Jim told him the story.
The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!"
Jim couldn't believe it -- he couldn't even grow his seed.
"How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.
Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds;
they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.
All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"
* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends
* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness
* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective
* If you plant hard work, you will reap success
* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation
* If you plant faith in God, you will reap a harvest
So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later. Whatever you give to life, life gives you back.
Showing posts with label The Secret. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Secret. Show all posts
Friday, April 24, 2009
Thursday, January 08, 2009
New chances, new beginnings
The girls moved out barely an hour after I posted the last entry: R got keys and permission to move early, and they were GONE. I took it very personally, I might add -- that they couldn't WAIT to get out and away from me. I'm over that now. mostly
Antsy McClain was the perfect antidote: funny, fun, rocking, and a packed house. I felt better when we got home....mostly
And life has gone on for us all. We are enjoying very much having our home to ourselves; the kitties are enjoying being just two and without interlopers; I'm writing more and also sleeping much better.
That said, I think we've heard from or seen the girls every day since -- either to get something they left, to do laundry, whatever. It is easier, however, not to live with their drama.
So they have new opportunities, new chances. And so do we.
I'm thinking about what I want from this new year, how I want to grow this year, what I'd like to accomplish.
(Actually, I've spent way too much time in the last couple of days looking at athletic shoes for my poor achy feet. Tried some on, but few stores have sizes that I need, and my feet have changed so much over the past couple of years that I don't know what size to ask for. And every shoe fits differently. I'm probably going to end up ordering several pairs and returning what doesn't work.)
I still feel scattered, not quite settled into the year yet, nor completely back into a routine. Maybe another couple of days will do it. It's not for lack of things to do!
And I'm praying daily for rain: while sun and temps near 70 are nice, we badly need rain. We still have some leaves clinging to our trees, ferpetesake! I want gray skies, lots of steady rain for days on end. Poor Portland and Seattle have been deluged: it needs to come a little further south.
I'm also trying to focus on blessings, on gratitude every day, because I believe that is the cornerstone to joy and a fulfilling life. We're reading little snippets about The Secret every morning along with our vitamins and breakfast, and I've been a little surprised how often I've thought about the day's message over the course of the day.
It's a new year, new beginnings, new possibilities. May it be rewarding for us -- and for you.
Antsy McClain was the perfect antidote: funny, fun, rocking, and a packed house. I felt better when we got home....mostly
And life has gone on for us all. We are enjoying very much having our home to ourselves; the kitties are enjoying being just two and without interlopers; I'm writing more and also sleeping much better.
That said, I think we've heard from or seen the girls every day since -- either to get something they left, to do laundry, whatever. It is easier, however, not to live with their drama.
So they have new opportunities, new chances. And so do we.
I'm thinking about what I want from this new year, how I want to grow this year, what I'd like to accomplish.
(Actually, I've spent way too much time in the last couple of days looking at athletic shoes for my poor achy feet. Tried some on, but few stores have sizes that I need, and my feet have changed so much over the past couple of years that I don't know what size to ask for. And every shoe fits differently. I'm probably going to end up ordering several pairs and returning what doesn't work.)
I still feel scattered, not quite settled into the year yet, nor completely back into a routine. Maybe another couple of days will do it. It's not for lack of things to do!
And I'm praying daily for rain: while sun and temps near 70 are nice, we badly need rain. We still have some leaves clinging to our trees, ferpetesake! I want gray skies, lots of steady rain for days on end. Poor Portland and Seattle have been deluged: it needs to come a little further south.
I'm also trying to focus on blessings, on gratitude every day, because I believe that is the cornerstone to joy and a fulfilling life. We're reading little snippets about The Secret every morning along with our vitamins and breakfast, and I've been a little surprised how often I've thought about the day's message over the course of the day.
It's a new year, new beginnings, new possibilities. May it be rewarding for us -- and for you.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Examining the Secret -- and yourself
There's a comment from a "John Curtis" on the posting below that rants about self-help and how it is all an attempt for each of us to find someone to tell us how to think and feel, etc.
I wrote a response which you can read below his.
And then I did some poking around to find out who this guy is. If you click on his name, you'll be taken to a page that no longer exists. HOWEVER, in back of the address is a URL for a group that is against "fraudulent self help." You read it for yourself (if you want to take the time).
Clearly the group hates the current popularity of the secret -- but tucked in their list of opinions is one that basically says that if you want it to succeed, you first must focus your attention on what you want, and then take action to get it.
Duh.
That hardly qualifies as fraudulent self-help in my book -- in fact, it's the only thing that truly works, imho, no matter what program/church/practice you follow in your own life. It's what I've been saying in this blog for the past three years: you create your own destiny by the choices you make (or don't make).
There is no easy way. You can't read a book, hear a sermon, watch a video, and sit back and wait for things to happen. It takes work and patience and gratitude and more work. And the results you get may vary from what you thought you wanted -- but my experience is that it works better than what I'd planned.
Yes, people are making lots of money writing about the secret. So what? TV evangelists make lots of money talking about church. Does that make what they're doing fraudulent or wrong? No. The evangelistic entrepreneurs may believe what they're advocating, but they also know they can make a living from people who will abdicate responsibility for their own lives and choices. And there will always be those people.
As with any program/practice/church that I've EVER been involved with, I've taken some of the secret concepts and tried to apply them to my life -- always with an eye towards living a better, kinder, more productive life, but also being true to who I am. I don't swallow anything whole anymore, and that to me is just plain ol' common sense. Question. Examine. Discard some, save others. (can you hear strains of "I did it myyyyyyyyyy wayyyyyyyy" floating in the background?) That's me.
You do it your way.
I wrote a response which you can read below his.
And then I did some poking around to find out who this guy is. If you click on his name, you'll be taken to a page that no longer exists. HOWEVER, in back of the address is a URL for a group that is against "fraudulent self help." You read it for yourself (if you want to take the time).
Clearly the group hates the current popularity of the secret -- but tucked in their list of opinions is one that basically says that if you want it to succeed, you first must focus your attention on what you want, and then take action to get it.
Duh.
That hardly qualifies as fraudulent self-help in my book -- in fact, it's the only thing that truly works, imho, no matter what program/church/practice you follow in your own life. It's what I've been saying in this blog for the past three years: you create your own destiny by the choices you make (or don't make).
There is no easy way. You can't read a book, hear a sermon, watch a video, and sit back and wait for things to happen. It takes work and patience and gratitude and more work. And the results you get may vary from what you thought you wanted -- but my experience is that it works better than what I'd planned.
Yes, people are making lots of money writing about the secret. So what? TV evangelists make lots of money talking about church. Does that make what they're doing fraudulent or wrong? No. The evangelistic entrepreneurs may believe what they're advocating, but they also know they can make a living from people who will abdicate responsibility for their own lives and choices. And there will always be those people.
As with any program/practice/church that I've EVER been involved with, I've taken some of the secret concepts and tried to apply them to my life -- always with an eye towards living a better, kinder, more productive life, but also being true to who I am. I don't swallow anything whole anymore, and that to me is just plain ol' common sense. Question. Examine. Discard some, save others. (can you hear strains of "I did it myyyyyyyyyy wayyyyyyyy" floating in the background?) That's me.
You do it your way.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Contemplating the weather...and The Secret
It's hard to think of snow and ice elsewhere in the country when our temps are 70 degrees as they have been over the last few days. My friends and family who are braving temps in the teens and ice pellets as they drive slowly to work don't want to hear about things starting to bloom and early spring fever. Most of them truly do have the six more weeks of winter forecast on Groundhog Day.
If it's any consolation, our respite is nearly over (okay, for a few days) with wind and cooler temps in the forecast (okay, so it is supposed to climb back near 70 for the weekend...please don't shoot the harbinger of spring here). Truly, I do expect some cold and rain -- and even welcome it. We still need more rain, and I'm not ready for spring and constant sunshine just yet. The cool grey feeds my soul too, and I haven't had enough yet. There's a severe weather alert out that calls for fairly strong winds, and I'm not crazy about that, however...
I have so many good things to read, so many interesting TV programs to watch, but a whole lotta bunch of deadlines to meet this week are keeping me from doing much of either. I'm not complaining, mind you (okay, not much). It is good to be working and good to be writing.
One program I managed to squeeze in was the latest Oprah show on The Secret with several life coaches giving their perspectives. In this month's O magazine, Martha Beck talks about envisioning the perfect mate, for instance. Now I already have the perfect one for me (((glow))) but I actually visualized what I wanted in a partner years ago, long before I met him, without knowing anything about the law of attraction. No, I didn't know the color of his socks (read the article), but I knew the critical stuff. And I got all of that and more.
While there is a lot to ponder about the Secret, it boils down to choices we may make: to be positive or to be negative about our lives, to curse god and die when things happen that aren't fun and are hard to deal with (and I cannot believe that even the Secret devotees don't have a few bad days and bad stuff that happens to them), or to concentrate hard on the only thing you actually have the power to change: your own attitude; and figure out a way to live a good life even with problems.
I'm actively practicing gratitude, morning and night. I'm trying to figure out the happiest moment of every day and to give thanks for that every night. I'm sending love and energy to friends and family who I know are struggling with issues, and I'm sending it to myself. I'm asking the universe for what I want, and I'm trusting that it -- or something better -- will happen.
A couple of weeks ago I had an opportunity for a "regular" job and strongly considered it. My deepest heart, however, screamed "NO!" at me, although I tried to give it all proper consideration. And then the universe threw another option at me that fits much better with the way I work -- that message was waiting for me when I returned home from talking to the folks about the first. Coincidence? There are no coincidences.
I asked the universe for what I needed and wanted. And I got it.
Trust. Act. Be grateful, every day, for every thing. Ask... and trust again. Be patient.
It will be all right.
I believe that.
If it's any consolation, our respite is nearly over (okay, for a few days) with wind and cooler temps in the forecast (okay, so it is supposed to climb back near 70 for the weekend...please don't shoot the harbinger of spring here). Truly, I do expect some cold and rain -- and even welcome it. We still need more rain, and I'm not ready for spring and constant sunshine just yet. The cool grey feeds my soul too, and I haven't had enough yet. There's a severe weather alert out that calls for fairly strong winds, and I'm not crazy about that, however...
I have so many good things to read, so many interesting TV programs to watch, but a whole lotta bunch of deadlines to meet this week are keeping me from doing much of either. I'm not complaining, mind you (okay, not much). It is good to be working and good to be writing.
One program I managed to squeeze in was the latest Oprah show on The Secret with several life coaches giving their perspectives. In this month's O magazine, Martha Beck talks about envisioning the perfect mate, for instance. Now I already have the perfect one for me (((glow))) but I actually visualized what I wanted in a partner years ago, long before I met him, without knowing anything about the law of attraction. No, I didn't know the color of his socks (read the article), but I knew the critical stuff. And I got all of that and more.
While there is a lot to ponder about the Secret, it boils down to choices we may make: to be positive or to be negative about our lives, to curse god and die when things happen that aren't fun and are hard to deal with (and I cannot believe that even the Secret devotees don't have a few bad days and bad stuff that happens to them), or to concentrate hard on the only thing you actually have the power to change: your own attitude; and figure out a way to live a good life even with problems.
I'm actively practicing gratitude, morning and night. I'm trying to figure out the happiest moment of every day and to give thanks for that every night. I'm sending love and energy to friends and family who I know are struggling with issues, and I'm sending it to myself. I'm asking the universe for what I want, and I'm trusting that it -- or something better -- will happen.
A couple of weeks ago I had an opportunity for a "regular" job and strongly considered it. My deepest heart, however, screamed "NO!" at me, although I tried to give it all proper consideration. And then the universe threw another option at me that fits much better with the way I work -- that message was waiting for me when I returned home from talking to the folks about the first. Coincidence? There are no coincidences.
I asked the universe for what I needed and wanted. And I got it.
Trust. Act. Be grateful, every day, for every thing. Ask... and trust again. Be patient.
It will be all right.
I believe that.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Working on The Secret
I've been reading The Secret, lent to me by a friend who says she hasn't had a down day since she finished it.
It's a little different than our It Works that I've referenced in past posts, although the basic principle is the same. It's the Law of Attraction: what you think about is what you get, in a nutshell.
I've heard it for years and years: What goes around comes around. As a wo/man thinketh in his/her heart, so is s/he. Ask for what you want. Think positive.
What's really resonated with me in this first reading (and I haven't seen the movie yet) is the continual gratitude, beginning even before you open your eyes in the morning. Saying thank you to the universe for everything, saying it constantly, reminding yourself over and over how blessed you are to have what you do, to be where you are, to do what you can.
Some folks opt for gratitude diaries as part of their practice -- a good discipline. I say thank yous constantly -- for my husband, my life, my home, the kitties, for being able to see and hear and touch and smell and taste, for having two legs to walk on, and so on. Even the most crusty pessimist can find things for which to be grateful, if nothing more than a mind to think those thoughts!
And I'm practicing finding the gratitude in the people, places, and things that irritate me, too -- more of a challenge, I'll admit. The folks who tailgate me as I'm driving home -- perhaps they're anxious to get home to their families after being away all day, or to a much loved pet. People who stand in the 10 items and under aisle with a full cart -- so maybe they can't read, or didn't see the sign. Okay, so I'm stretching....
The point is that the irritation hurts ME, not them. If I turn my thoughts to gratitude for every moment, even the ones that aren't fun, it changes my attitude from a cranky, impatient one to one of patience and serenity, being able to be where I am in an attitude of gratitude.
Wow.
Life is easier to live that way. It's calmer, better, much less stressful. I'm practicing thankfulness all the time. That is HUGE.
I'm working on the part where you live as though you already had that big bank account or new car on order, but I'm beginning to see the value in being positive about such things. And I have to believe I'm nicer to be around when I'm positive, hm?
You tell me. Meanwhile, I'll work on being grateful for being able to hear or see what you say, and for the venue and ability to write!
It's a little different than our It Works that I've referenced in past posts, although the basic principle is the same. It's the Law of Attraction: what you think about is what you get, in a nutshell.
I've heard it for years and years: What goes around comes around. As a wo/man thinketh in his/her heart, so is s/he. Ask for what you want. Think positive.
What's really resonated with me in this first reading (and I haven't seen the movie yet) is the continual gratitude, beginning even before you open your eyes in the morning. Saying thank you to the universe for everything, saying it constantly, reminding yourself over and over how blessed you are to have what you do, to be where you are, to do what you can.
Some folks opt for gratitude diaries as part of their practice -- a good discipline. I say thank yous constantly -- for my husband, my life, my home, the kitties, for being able to see and hear and touch and smell and taste, for having two legs to walk on, and so on. Even the most crusty pessimist can find things for which to be grateful, if nothing more than a mind to think those thoughts!
And I'm practicing finding the gratitude in the people, places, and things that irritate me, too -- more of a challenge, I'll admit. The folks who tailgate me as I'm driving home -- perhaps they're anxious to get home to their families after being away all day, or to a much loved pet. People who stand in the 10 items and under aisle with a full cart -- so maybe they can't read, or didn't see the sign. Okay, so I'm stretching....
The point is that the irritation hurts ME, not them. If I turn my thoughts to gratitude for every moment, even the ones that aren't fun, it changes my attitude from a cranky, impatient one to one of patience and serenity, being able to be where I am in an attitude of gratitude.
Wow.
Life is easier to live that way. It's calmer, better, much less stressful. I'm practicing thankfulness all the time. That is HUGE.
I'm working on the part where you live as though you already had that big bank account or new car on order, but I'm beginning to see the value in being positive about such things. And I have to believe I'm nicer to be around when I'm positive, hm?
You tell me. Meanwhile, I'll work on being grateful for being able to hear or see what you say, and for the venue and ability to write!
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