Why are we so nonchalant that we need a proclamation to inspire us? #EarthDay

April 22 is Earth Day, but Earth Day should be observed every day. Why are we so nonchalant that we need a proclamation to inspire us? It's time we researched the pros and con's regarding the way we live and take our natural resources for granted. The health of our environment dictates how healthy we all will be. There are many ways we can help Mother Nature survive, starting right where we live and with how we conduct our lives. Here's an interesting article published some years ago but  still relevant. I learned a lot, thought you would too. So I'm re-posting it via this link.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2007/10/03/GR2007100301385.html?referrer=emaillink&noredirect=on

What if you arrived one day and found the pastor, priest or spiritual leader gone and the church or place of worship closed down?

I've been absent for a while despite knowing life goes on with or without me, but it was for a good reason. I've been experiencing a setback, which has led to a greater appreciation for how life works. There is a karmic bond between what we do to others and what returns to us. Remembering this karmic Law of Cause and Effect allows us to forget about the negative energy coming from others, to monitor the energy coming from ourselves, and to minimize stress in our lives.

Currently, most of us attend some kind of weekly service to fulfill our spiritual needs. What if you arrived one day and found the pastor, priest or spiritual leader gone and the church or place of worship closed down? Would you stop praying and give up on achieving spiritual greatness? A spiritual shutdown would never happen because the spiritual message does not begin or end with the spiritual leader in charge. There is nothing strong enough to stop the need to worship and pray. It is karmic, and it stems from our psychological or emotional need to achieve the greatest good. Karma is a natural source of inspiration that forces us to do better, to seek forgiveness, and to achieve spiritual greatness.

Karma is part of a universal cycle of ebb and flow, which allows us to live, learn and achieve our best. Our causes lead to natural effects based on positive or negative energy that we create and pass on to others. Without karmic effects, we would not learn and would not make positive changes in our lives. We would stagnate and spiritually die with nothing to strive for, pray for, or hope for. Karma is the universal Law of Cause and Effect, which forces us to spiritually grow and improve our lives. Karmic energy is always working and never shuts down, so the concept of "forgiveness" and forgetting is an illusion.

Our pathways in life are based on our karmic footprint, which determine our fortitude or obstacles, despite all else. Karma is always in motion, returning our energy to us, so the next time you think the world stops turning just for you and that your crimes will be forgiven, just remember what you have already heard: "Energy can neither be created nor destroyed," only transformed. The Holy Bible also acknowledges the concept of karma in this statement: "You reap what you sow." (Poem forthcoming).

Learn rules to the game of life one day at a time.

You'd think we would know how to live a happy life by now, with all the years we've been listening to people share about how to create a happy, prosperous life. But we still don't get it. Life is one crazy game of rules that we must follow whether we like it or not, but far too many people are overwhelmed.  As a result, they opt-out of the day to day struggle for self-improvement and happiness, relying instead on "quick-fix" solutions that don't solve problems at all.

The way to live a happy, prosperous life is to follow good examples that reflect who you are, who you want to be, and what you are able to do. It is very important to tackle only a few rules at a time. Once you're comfortable, add another and then another rule. It takes six to eight weeks to learn something new, so learn rules for the game of life one day at a time.You can create or google your own, but I'm offering a few rules that I totally copied from a website simply because they make a lot of sense::

The 12 Rules To Live By

by Craig Ballantyne | Articles, Motivation, Perfect Day Formula, Self-Improvement, Spirituality

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The 12 rules to live by should act as a guiding structure for you to make your own…

The one thing I admire about people who have strong nutrition rules is their dogmatic behavior.

For example, a vegetarian, under no circumstances, will ever eat meat. There is no, “well, everyone else is having a burger, so just this once, I will too.” That’s not how it works. Not when a vegetarian has a strong personal philosophy that they never, ever, ever eat meat.

That strong personal philosophy guides them to guilt-free behavior that is congruent with their goals.

I’ve taught both my fitness clients and CEO coaching members to develop their own personal philosophy – essentially a set of rules that dictate decisions. I’ve also created my own rules that determine how I live my life so that I reduce guilt, stress, and wasted emotional energy.

I’ve also created my own rules that determine how I live my life so that I reduce guilt, stress, and wasted emotional energy.

My personal philosophies are not wrong or right, but they work for my unique ambitions and health. And I’m offering them to you as encouragement you to adopt your own rules for the sake of living a better, more productive, stress-free life.

You may have rules in your head that you’ve always followed, but I encourage you to put them in writing. You can adopt a set of rules for every aspect of your life, from health to financial to family and business.

My 12 Rules

1. I go to bed and get up at the same time 7 days per week (8 p.m. and 4 a.m.) I stick to my diet, avoid caffeine after 1 p.m., and avoid alcohol within three hours of bedtime.
   

   SUGGESTED: The Ultimate Guide to Morning Routines

2. I write for at least 60 minutes first thing every morning.
3. I do not check email before 11 a.m. and I do not talk on the phone unless it is a scheduled interview or conference call.
4. I act polite and courteous, and I do not swear.
5. I create a to-do list at the start & end of every workday and update my daily gratitude & achievement journal.
6. I do not engage in confrontations with anyone, in-person or online. This is a waste of time and energy. If I have caused harm, I apologize and fix the situation. And then I take a deep breath, relax, breathe out, and re-focus my efforts back on my work and goals.
7. I am guided by these two phrases:a) “Nothing matters.” – I can only work towards the major, massive goals and my vision of helping others, while the opinions of others do not matter to my goals.b) “It will all be over soon.”
8.  Everything that happens to me – good and bad – is my personal responsibility. I blame no one but myself. These are the choices I’ve made – this is the life I’m living. I will accept the consequences of my actions.
9. I will help 10 Million men and women transform their lives.
10. I will not be the person I don’t want to be. I will not be petty, jealous, or envious, or give in to any other of those lazy emotions. I will not gossip or speak badly of others, no matter who I am with or what environment that I am in. I will not be negative when it is easier to be positive. I will not hurt others when it is possible to help. I will know the temptations and environments in life that I must avoid, and I will, in fact, avoid them, even if it means loosening relationships with others who “live” in those environments. It’s my life and that matters more than what other people think of me.
11. “I will always keep the child within me alive.” – Ted Nicholas.
12. “I will write with honesty and feeling.” – Ted Nicholas. The opinion of others does not matter. What matters is the number of people that I can help by sharing advice and encouragement in my writing.

Retrived on December 9, 2017 from https://www.earlytorise.com/12-rules/

You have a right to change your mind (even if you're the only one who really knows why you quit).

We lost Della Reese on November 19, 2017, an actor who defied stereotypes and set new examples of what's possible for black female singers and actors. "Don't You Know?" is an example of success in changing perceptions about what's possible. This is something you do because you feel you must and nothing can get in your way.

Who said it can't be done, just because it hasn't been done? Where there is a will, there is a way. Sometimes, you think you want to achieve something but after struggling against the odds or against negative attitudes, you realize you're glad somebody stopped you from doing something you didn't really want to do. However, in actuality, you allowed your plan to be destroyed before the hard work ever began.

You can fool others, but you can't fool yourself. You know it's impossible to stop someone who lets nothing get in the way of success. So be true to yourself; you have a right to change your mind (even if you're the only one who really knows why you quit). Now, what do you think Della Reese faced and overcame?
"Don't You Know?"("Puccini") https://youtu.be/N86nxxZW6UY  via @YouTube

Losing one's temper due to anger is only a cover-up.

Losing one's temper due to anger is only a cover-up. Because we don't like to feel vulnerable, we default to what seems a more aggressive emotional response, like anger. Are you hiding your true emotions behind anger? 


If you want to know what you're hiding when you become angry,  stop yourself as soon as you start to feel flushed and flustered, before you've had time to strike back. If you ever wonder why you get so mad at certain times or around certain people, check your feelings and see what shows up—intimidation, fear, rejection, belittlement? It's good if you can notice the feeling but it's much better if you can also name and target the emotion.


When I was in elementary school, I fought a lot because I was bullied. I felt sadness, but my first outward response was anger. Internally, I was feeling something I was too embarrassed to admit. It was only in high school that I learned to hide the anger, at least for a minute or two so as to discover what was really making me respond. It took years for me to stop responding to insults and injury with anger, but I finally grasped the concept. It's not the outward emotion of anger that we need to control. The control must start with recognizing and addressing the inward feelings, those we hide so no one is the wiser about our vulnerabilities. These feelings are attached to emotions that must be named before they can be conquered.


So the next time you feel anger, ask yourself if the incident or situation is worthy of anger, upsetting you for longer than necessary, or is there another emotion you need to address?

Difficulties I face and overcome are signals that I am adapting to change.

When you travel outside of your country of origin, you understand people, places, and things a lot better.  You see how we are connected in the universal scheme of things, and you understand the needs of humanity--compassion, forgiveness, and love. My perspective has changed over the years, from trying to change the world to allowing the world to change me. As a result, I feel less alienated, less differentiated, and less on my own. I feel that no matter what I am experiencing, I am not alone, and the difficulties I face and overcome are signals that I am adapting to change and one day, I will truly overcome and be the person I was meant to be.

"No pain, no gain" is not a cliche'. Hardships can be a gift.

"No pain, no gain" is not a cliche'. It's a commentary on life and attempts to explain why suffering exists. When we face negative circumstances, we must overcome or endure. In the process of suffering and learning to overcome, we build emotional, physical or spiritual strength. But the concept of suffering as something positive is not easy to accept. No one wants to suffer, especially when the suffering never seems to end. When pain and suffering never stop, these words seem lame and useless. But ancient writings and scriptures reinforce the importance of suffering.

First, there is the example of winter, how it seems so dead and barren, but in order to prepare the natural world for the new season known as spring, the harsh weather is needed to protect the flowers and trees. The colder the winter, the more bountiful the fruit on trees and the more colorful the flowers when they bloom in the spring. Henry David Thoreau explains this very well in his book, Walden.

Everyone has heard the words, "diamond in the rough," meaning that something has potential, and with the proper fine-tuning and shaping, it can become a precious gem. To make a diamond requires the right environment, great pressure, extremely high temperatures and a little bit of luck.

Extreme pressure transforms elements into things which are not only useful but also, quite beautiful. Without unbearable conditions, extreme pressures and painful circumstances, life would be ordinary, substances would be ordinary, and people would be ordinary.Through trials and tribulations, we learn deep meaning in life. Not only that, we learn to find joy in the little things and appreciate life as it comes each day.

It's natural to complain sometimes, but the next time you find yourself complaining about your level of suffering, think again. Your suffering means you are meant for greater things. You only need to find meaning in your experiences and determine what lesson you need to learn. Eventually, you will find joy inside of pain and you will truly appreciate the words, "No pain, no gain" because hardships can be a gift.