Tag: spirituality

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Look At The Source Not The Surface

Overcoming an addiction can be difficult if we focus merely on our will power creating the change, so why not focus on changing the underlying beliefs that created the addiction in the first place?

What is a drug addiction? Is it a craving that is beyond your control? Or is it a belief you don’t have control? Is anything beyond your control in reality?

If you say my behaviour is beyond my control, then you’re basically saying you can not control your thoughts, words or actions. What creates or feeds an addiction other than your thoughts, words and actions? You’re either thinking or speaking about this addiction being out of your control, thereby, causing you to behave inappropriately.

What would have happened if you lived your entire life saying I will never have an addiction problem, since I have discipline and will power. I don’t care to put harmful drugs in my body, since I care about my physiology.

If you say your thoughts and words hold power, would you be in the same place today? Talk yourself into a new way of thinking about the addiction, and about your beliefs about the addiction. You talked yourself into creating this addiction, so now the job is to talk yourself out of it. The problem is you don’t believe you have control over this dependency, so you create a reality out of your control.

This addiction may be caused by overwhelming emotions that you’ve been trying to avoid all these years through drugs. It’s your way of numbing the pain. You take this drug and you’re distracted from your emotions, which causes you to feel less for the moment. You suppress it over and over again through the same drugs and you never deal with the emotions to begin with. Then you say this addiction is beyond your control because you can not face this turmoil inside of you.

The drug impairs your mind and you revert to behaviour that gets you in trouble, and then you have all this trouble that you brought on yourself. You then say I brought this on myself through my own stupidity and I could have changed all of this by making better choices. You then blame yourself and you feel guilty for bringing this turmoil in your life.

If you created this addiction, then you can change it through the only means that created the addiction to begin with, your thoughts. Start declaring I can do it, and sooner or later you’ll be living your new beliefs and acting on it. Overcoming an addiction can be difficult, but you have two options, believe it’s within your control or believe it’s the forces of nature deciding for you.

Don’t give up if you have a few trials and errors. For every new beginning and anything worthwhile, there are detours and challenges along the path, but they all lead you back to wellness and happiness.

You may say I just like to get high, I love the feeling. I just like to get drunk, I love the feeling. One doesn’t negate the other, you can still be addicted to the feeling or craving. However, you adopted a belief that you have poor discipline and poor self-control. You’ve adopted a belief that you don’t care what you do to your body.

Ask yourself this question. If you cared deeply about your longevity, about your physical and mental wellbeing, and you knew street drugs were harmful for you, would you use them regardless?

Besides just going through the motions, why do you want that high so much? Do you believe you can’t be happy on your own terms, or have fun without the high? Another reason for using drugs may be that you’re mentally ill and you feel you need this drug to reduce the overwhelming fear or despair.

Why not visit your doctor and let him prescribe you an actual medicine that would alleviate your symptoms? Do you believe street drugs will help your condition? Which one do you think will be more effective, street drugs or the medicine?

Furthermore, If you want to overcome this addiction, don’t be too preoccupied with the surface. Surface would imply trying to overcome an addiction through sheer will power. Why does sheer will power work sometimes and other times, it’s not enough. We need to change the underlying beliefs which says, “I just have poor discipline, and I’ll always struggle with this. It’s just my reality, or disease.”

When you behave in a certain manner for a long period of time, you begin acting on autopilot, not paying any attention to why you’re doing something, and then you conclude it’s out of your control.

Have you ever had a day where you had many things to do and everything kept on piling up and you said I’m just not with it today? I can’t focus and I’m not feeling very well, but I can’t put my finger on it. How can you focus on the source of the problem when you’re focusing on everything but the source?

The only way to truly heal is to quiet your mind, change your thoughts and create a new belief. What happens when you quiet down and you’re still? Are you preoccupied with anything other than your thoughts? What is the primary reason of your addiction? Isn’t it your thoughts?

The answer isn’t medicating yourself through drugs and alcohol. The answer is to go to the source, which is your thoughts and God.

Acknowledge that you’re going to face this reality and not avoid it until your life spirals out of control, and dare to say I CAN DO THIS!

 

 

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Just A Matter Of Time

When you say I can’t, it’s always inferiority because in almost every challenge in life someone has surprised us and achieved the impossible, and whatever man didn’t achieve yet, it’s just a matter of time before humanity perseveres and discovers yet another breakthrough!

Danny G.

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Perfection

Why seek perfection rather than the joy of the journey? Every journey has obstacles allowing us to discover our inner self and grow. There can be many different opinions of perfection concerning topics of spirituality and religion. For some people, perfection could mean staying strong and steadfast during times of adversity and making the right choices despite all odds. Perfection can mean being your best every day, or as the biblical saying, by being a child of God, you already are perfect.

Achieving perfection has become the primary aim for many people. Once they realize the task is impossible, they give up, and lose any hope of a compassionate God who loves them as they are and accepts their current state of being.

Many religious folks believe they need to achieve perfection for approval and favour. Others believe perfection is never achieved, and that they’re on a trial to prove their worthiness or righteousness. They have an image of God, outside of them, who’s standing beside them judging or punishing them for their behaviour. Is that a compassionate father? Saying God is an outside force is basically leaving all the power to him rather than leaving the power to us through God.

I believe actions have consequences and we are to be good citizens and do good unto others, but to believe that we’re not worthy because we haven’t achieved a state of perfection, would be denying God’s own creation. If you believe there is a God, then the saying is, he created you as you are for a reason. He knows every other mistake you will ever make until you leave this time space reality. What do you have control over, other than being who God created you to be?

What difference can you make if you’re resentful and angry at yourself for every poor choice you have made throughout this lifetime? Can a resentful angry person have any advice to give? If he does have advice, can he be a positive influence?

Aren’t you more influential when you know God loves you as you are because he created you as you are? Aren’t you more influential when you know the universe is conspiring on your behalf, regardless of where you currently stand? Wouldn’t you rather take advice from someone who’s still treading along the pathway of imperfection, completely aware of it, and who knows the universe is on his side despite his weaknesses?

A few words which sums up the life of today: “We’re not perfect, life and the world isn’t perfect.” So many people fight against this very simple notion that is our reality.

Is there an individual on this planet who is perfect, or has a perfect life, and has nothing to work at improving in his or her life? Everywhere we go on this planet, there is some type of conflict and it doesn’t matter how beautiful something seems to be, there is imperfection and contrast everywhere we go.

Can life be perfect and can everyone be the same? Even when we think we acquired perfection, we experience changes and we have something else to strive towards and new challenges to undertake. How thrilling is it to know everything, to have everything figured out and to have nothing to work at improving or moving towards in our lives?

If everyone was the same in the world and all nations were the same and there wasn’t any contrast, what would be your reference point? How do you define yourself? If you were standing in a state of completion and you were perfect, would you feel a yearning to experience and become more than who you are?

Where you currently stand is the platform where you decide what you want to include into your life and what you want to exclude out of your life, and without contrast or challenges, you wouldn’t have the platform to begin your journey.

Next time you’re frustrated at yourself, or next time you’re frustrated at life for its imperfections, just know this is your platform to create the change you want in your life and the world.

You are an extension of God, creating through God, through the unique soul that you are. Know that your power starts with your thoughts, your words, and your every deed to change your life and the world one step at a time.

 

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Our True Identity

The body is only an exterior shell that holds the soul. The shell is irrelevant to who we truly are, as we are spiritual beings having a physical experience, not human beings having a spiritual experience occasionally.

Are we merely flesh and bone? If you say I am only this flesh and bone, then you say I am here merely because of evolution. What control do you have if you believe “only” in evolution? If you believe only in evolution you believe you’re here by coincidence.

If you get sick, you would have to rely solely on conventional medicine, which is effective for the majority, but how many times has conventional medicine been ineffective? Why cast your faith in humanity rather than God, the universe, and creator?

If God created everything including you, then he has the wherewithal to bring you back to wellness, and he has the solution and the wherewithal for anything you desire. When we remember our source and the universal laws that govern humanity, we have the insight we need to achieve what we want in life.

I believe conventional medicine is effective, however, I strongly believe doing the mental work along with the treatment, which ever treatment is best for you, is even more effective.

Doing the mental work is the only means that guarantees healing unlike putting all your faith in conventional medicine alone, and depending on a system to cure you. The system works for some people and doesn’t work for others but God, the one who created it all, has the answers to your healing and it starts with your thoughts and beliefs.

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a solution for everything through simple reasoning and science?

What happens when we’re stuck in a pit so deep we can’t possibly think of a way out, and there is no logical means to get out? Then we say God, I’ve tried everything, nothing’s worked, please help me. Why wait until you’re in the pit? If you wait until you’re already in the pit, it’s much harder to get out, and not panic. But if you practice your faith and you focus on the divinity that created you and the source which lives inside you, the source who knows every possible means to get out, then you don’t panic and you’re not overwhelmed. You know you have the tools to get out.

If you start investing time in your relationship with you and God, two possible outcomes will occur-either you’ll prevent the trouble from occurring in the first place or you’ll know how to handle the adversity when it strikes you. Essentially, if you rely on your human capabilities, or science alone, you’re casting your faith in a system that’s incomplete and will always be incomplete without the source who created it all.

Furthermore, the other problem lies if you say your identity is from material possessions or status. If this is the case, what happens if you lose all your material belongings or status tomorrow? Would you break down, and say my life is over? Would you still break down if you had stable footing and you had your priorities in order, and you knew the source who created the universe can get you out of any hole? If you knew your identity and happiness wasn’t based on your job or wealth or status, and you lost everything tomorrow, would you still declare my life is over?

I believe as humans it’s normal to be upset when we lose something, the problem lies when we become dependent on things or physicality as our source of happiness.

Would a marriage fall apart if love was based on their true identity and not superficial reasons or intentions? How long can a marriage sustain if a marriage is based on superficial reasons or intentions? What happens when you get old and wrinkly, sick or poor? It may be worthwhile to evaluate if your intentions or reasons for marriage are still going to be there when you’re 60, or if circumstances change, and you’re sick and broke.

Focusing on our identity means focusing on where we came from and why we’re here, and on the source that gives us life. Our True Identity is the expansion of our inner self and the mission we choose for ourself to improve humanity and species and the preservation of our planet?

Seeking material wealth before the evolution of our soul is saying I’d rather be rich then be who I truly am. Seeking primarily outer beauty when choosing a mate is saying I’d rather have a pretty face to look at, and for others to see, then to have a meaningful relationship and be happy. Seeking primarily external appearances in oneself is saying I’d rather appear attractive on the outside then focus on the essence of who I am.

Jobs come and go, wealth comes and goes, looks fade away, bodies get older, but the one thing that remains and never fades away is the spirit that gives us life. What sustains us when we lose our job, wealth, or lover?

Don’t get over consumed with everything that’s subject to change. Focus on what truly matters, what brings joy and peace, because a title or riches or a pretty face will not bring you happiness but the soul will.

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The Progress of Evolution

It’s amazing how people tend to look at everything that’s going wrong in the world, and how far we need to go rather than noticing the much improved world of today as opposed to only a little while ago.

We still complain about the economy but truth is poverty has declined significantly. According to a study by Bourguignon, Morrison and World Bank Estimates (2002), there has been a significant drop in poverty over the past two centuries. According to the research, there was just under 1.1 billion people in the world in 1820, of which over 1 billion people lived in extreme poverty. Today we have over 7 billion inhabitants, and as of 2015, the number of extreme poverty cases decreased to 705 million people. Consider the fact that we have over 7 billion inhabitants in the world today and we had under 1.1 billion people in 1820 and the number of extreme poverty cases still decreased from 1 billion to 705 million. The number of people living in extreme poverty dropped by 137,000 since 1990.

People tend to see the worst in every situation, and I do agree that we must take action to create a better tomorrow, but being pessimistic about the world and the future, isn’t an accurate description of where we are today as opposed to just a little while ago.

Many people say there’s much more cruelty in the world, but they don’t consider the vast media sources of today. We have the internet, cable television and hundreds of channels as opposed to the few we had when the television was first created. Not to mention how many news channels we have, and what is broadcast on those news channels. We have all sorts of devices we use to check recent updates on the latest news. Not too long ago we depended mostly on word of mouth. What are we basing our information on when we say the world is worse off than it was?

Why do we feel the need to impose fear in order to cause global change? Do we need fear in order to take action to cause global change? If this fear is causing you to create a better world and ecosystem, then great, but if this fear is causing you to say “the world is deteriorating, or ending, in just a matter of time,” then is this better? You say it’s just reality, but is it? Do we have an account of everything that ever happened in the history of mankind? Now ask yourself, how much information do we have today on global news as opposed to a few decades ago? How much information are we bombarded with on a daily basis?

Of course after watching what the media is showing on television, I can agree that things do not look so good. I wonder what would happen if there was a news channel dedicated only for success and break throughs. Success in careers, breakthrough healing and recovery, or people gathering to support global peace.

I do agree that the news has these uplifting stories, however, how much do they have of uplifting stories and how much do they have of sobbing stories? I do agree that death is a part of life, and so is mourning, but when the news “only” depicts stories on death and worldwide disasters, it creates fear and a belief that the world is much worse than it actually is. We negate the much more considerable number of uplifting stories that would help us see the world through different lenses.

Consider the fact that there are many people who would go out of their way to help others, and that the beautiful things of this world are much more substantial than the chaos that would make the front page.

Consider equality and justice today as opposed to the 19th and 20th century. Consider the prejudice among the visible minorities and women in general just a few decades ago. Consider the fact that black men were not allowed playing professional ball, despite them being among the greatest ball players. Consider the integration of the visible minorities in many parts of the world. Consider the fact that women are freely able to vote today as opposed to the 19th century. Consider the slavery abolishment in many countries, and the substantial decrease in global war. According to Goldstein and Pinker (2016) global war has decreased significantly. From 1945 to 2011 the global death rate has declined from 22 per 100,000 to 0.3 per 100,000 primarily due to less conflict.

Our rights, laws and overall lives are constantly improving and evolving, but then we focus only on the prejudice and mistreatment which are far fewer than a few decades ago. Then we conclude the world is deteriorating and everything is getting worse.

I agree that the world needs to change and that there is still much work to be done to have peace among nations, but is the world getting worse?

We’re so focused on our preconceptions of the world deteriorating that we forget about the improvements and evolution that we so take for granted.

We’re not perfect and this world isn’t perfect, and unfortunately we must learn through trial and error, but the most important concept to remember is how far we’ve come, and how much we’ve grown.

 

References

 

Rozer, M. and Ortiz-Ospina, E. (2017)-“Global Extreme Poverty”. Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: https://ourworldindata.org/extreme-poverty/

Goldstein, J. S. and Pinker, S. (2016, April 15)-“The Decline of War and Violence”. Published online at BostonGlobe.com Retrieved from: https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2016/04/15/the-decline-war-and-violence/lxhtEplvppt0Bz9kPphzkL/story.html

 

 

 

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The Misconception that Deprives Us

We’ve heard the saying “it’s too good to be true.” Many people say “it’s too good to be true, this can not possibly happen to me considering my luck and misfortune.” “It’s too good to be true, nothing ever comes so easy for me, I’ve always had to invest substantial time and effort to achieve a moderate amount of success.” “It’s too good to be true, this never worked out in the past, why would it happen now?”

This preconceived statement “too good to be true” has become a mantra for many individuals and it has become their way of looking at things. Many people come to conclusions too soon and they obliterate anything worthwhile pursuing because they don’t believe good things come to them, or because it’s never worked out in the past. Then they make choices based on this limited way of thinking.

When something good occurs or there’s an opportunity for something good to happen, already they’ve convinced themselves that they’re not fortunate enough to receive whatever they want. Doesn’t reality always change? Why do we base our beliefs on past situations and circumstances?

We convince ourselves on the validity of the saying “too good to be true” and we believe this is the reality of today, and the proper way to think. All that’s needed is a change of perspective, to know that we can have whatever we’re asking for, with an effort to stop thinking others are more fortunate than us or they deserve something more than us.

Is it too hard to believe that God simply wants us to be happy and he wants us to know that we are the creator of our lives, and we can choose to be, do, and have anything we want? Is it too hard to believe that we are an extension of God, and that the universal forces are always on our side?

Is it too hard to believe, that reincarnation can not possibly exist because that would mean we can come back as many times as we want, and we would have as many chances as we want? Are we tested in one lifetime? How many chances do we get?

Would a loving father deprive us of something, because we failed, considering he knew every mistake we would make in this lifetime? Would he deprive us of something because of our shortcomings considering he created us in our mothers womb?

Is it too optimistic to say there isn’t an outside force judging, testing and punishing us? Is it too optimistic to say an outside force is not deciding everything for us, and that we have complete control over our life and future? Is it an offence to God to think we have complete control? Would he be a loving father if this was an offence to him?

We are the masterpiece of our own lives and we are all creators in this universe and in the expansion of the universe. There’s nothing too good to be true other than our own misconception and our limited thinking. Whatever man has not accomplished through God, it’s just a matter of time before he does, because God said ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!

If God was standing beside you and he had one thing he wanted to tell you, he would say NOTHING IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!

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Enjoy the Journey

What is Sabbath day? Why was it created? The scripture says God created the earth in six days and then he rested on the seventh day, which we call the Sabbath day. The scripture says he wants that day kept as a holy day devoted to him to celebrate his creation and remember his truths.

Even if you’re not a biblical person, I’m sure you can still relate to the message that we need to reserve time for contemplation and rest. We should reserve time to quiet down and remember the truths that many of us have forgotten. Why are we here? Where do we come from? What are the universal truths that would enable us to have a godly life and the life we desire? Today, more than ever, we’re so destination oriented that we forget to slow down and reserve time to unwind and reflect.

We’re so focused on getting ahead in life and acquiring more things that we forget about what matters most in life, our spiritual evolution. Not understanding the universal laws that govern humanity can be described as going into an exam room completely oblivious on how to respond and not even knowing how to begin.

Consider someone who knows everything there is to know about a subject of expertise but he doesn’t know anything about his spiritual essence, God and why he’s here. Can the subject of expertise help him when he experiences loss and grief? Can the subject of expertise help him when he faces challenges and adversities? Can the subject of expertise help him when he is put under pressure, and when he is tested on his moral values? A subject of expertise can give you recognition, money, and status, but can a subject of expertise teach you wisdom, insight and intuition?

What good can there be in becoming the best stock broker, or the best musician if you don’t know how to handle life, and the challenges we all face at one point or another? What good can there be in becoming the best in a subject of expertise if we forgot why we began in the first place? Are we in competition or are we trying to be the best version of ourselves?

What is admiring God’s creation? It’s appreciating where we are today and everything we accomplished despite the odds being against us. It’s acknowledging our progress and everything we’ve done to get to where we are in this present moment. It’s living in the moment while still anticipating good things for the future but not thinking that we need to get somewhere else to be happy. Joy is our reason for being, and joy is always realized when looking inward.

Enjoying the journey and not being so destination oriented is living in the moment and when we take time to rest and acknowledge our creation, we experience true joy and gratitude.

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The Benefits of Meditation

Why is meditation beneficial? The biological benefits which have been studied suggest meditation:

-lowers blood pressure
-improves the immune system
-slows down aging
-allows you to think more clearly
-improves concentration and the list goes on.

From a spiritual perspective, the practice of meditation is beneficial because it allows us to connect with our higher self, and live in the moment. Think of an individual who has an overactive mind. Let’s say his mind is preoccupied with everything but the present moment. Let’s say he’s listening to everyone but himself. How can he be attentive if his mind is preoccupied with everything but the present moment? How can he get to the core issues of what’s troubling him if his mind is preoccupied with everyone but himself?

When you focus only on the external world, you get so immersed in this reality, that you forget what matters above all else, which is your spiritual evolution. The eternal, infinite universal spirit that transcends the universe, is the reason you’re here, and it’s who you are, and if you forget this, then you have forgotten the essence of who you are.

When you shut your eyes in meditation, you’re looking inward rather than outward. You quiet your mind, and you stop focusing merely on physicality and things, and you begin to focus on the evolution of your soul. You can not grow spiritually if you’re concerned only with matters of a physical nature. The only way to grow spiritually is to go inward and what better way then to quiet your mind and focus on your evolution and God.

If you’re focused too much on the external world, reasoning and analyzing, then how do you explain what has no scientific explanation? Do you have a scientific explanation as to why you have a soul?

How do you follow your intuition if you don’t quiet your mind and cut out distractions? Have you ever heard of someone who’s always busy and always needs to be around others, and the minute he’s alone with himself he feels uneasy? Is that because he thinks too much when he is alone? Maybe, or is it his way of avoiding the thoughts that have been troubling him all these years? Never acknowledging one’s spiritual evolution may be the reason we break down after a while, and then we don’t realize what happened.

Would we breakdown if we learned to quiet our mind, and face what we have been trying to avoid all these years? Maybe we would, but meditation and reflection allows us to quiet our mind enough to think clearly, and to access our intuition, and receive the answers we seek. When we’re in this space we know how to handle the breakdown.

Why is anyone stressed? Because we have too much on our mind, and we don’t know how to deal with a situation. What better way to clear the mind then to meditate and reflect? When we’re in this relaxed space, it’s much easier to find a solution, isn’t it? Maybe meditation won’t solve all of our problems, but it will release the resistance that’s been accumulating all these years.

So next time you feel uneasy or you’re searching for meaning, or maybe you’re just looking for an escape from physicality, why not try to meditate?

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Affirmations

What are affirmations and why do they work? Think about your thoughts and the words you speak for a minute. What are they? Your thoughts and words are a stream of affirmations and beliefs. Every thought you think and every word you speak, you’re affirming what you know about the subject, and how you feel about the subject.

When you’re feeling depressed, you’re affirming you’re depressed for a variety of reasons which are all affirmations. When you’re feeling fear, you’re affirming the very reasons that make you fearful.

If you never work at changing your thoughts or words they will remain or become your beliefs and expectations, which will become your reality in time. You must make an effort at changing your thoughts and words, or it’s the experiences and circumstances in your life that will decide for you. For without a change in thoughts, life remains.

How can your life change if you don’t change your thoughts, and your affirmations? If your life would change regardless of your persistent fear and depression, that would mean thoughts and words have no power, which defies logic and law.

What happens when you speak a positive affirmation is that you interrupt the negative thought and you focus on a new thought of what you want to experience rather than the opposite of what you want. What God has given us is a tool to take charge of a situation and our lives. The tool makes sense because if we continue to dwell only on thoughts of fear or depression, we will remain in this state and we will eventually attract what we fear and what we’re depressed about.

Even if you have that thing you want, would you be happy to have it if you were dwelling only on thoughts of fear or depression? Essentially, you have two options, allow the adversity to speak for itself and take you wherever it leads, or you can speak to the adversity and to yourself, which inevitably changes your reality.

In order to change a thought you must introduce a new thought. When you introduce a new thought, you may not believe it yet, but what happens is when you keep on repeating it you’re not thinking so much of the old thought and you’re focusing on a new train of thought.

We can not have a life without thought, nor can there be a universe without thought, since this would defy all logic and the laws of the universe. How can we create without thought? Isn’t every idea from thought? Doesn’t all action and words stem from thoughts?

Now ask yourself this, how much impact do my thoughts have over my life? If you say my thoughts have no power over the unfolding of my life, then you’re saying your life is predetermined, and that you have no control. What control do you have other than your thoughts? What moves you to action other than your thoughts? If you say your thoughts have partial control over the unfolding of your life, then you’re saying your life is partially under your control. If you say your thoughts have complete control over the unfolding of your life, then you can say I am in control.

As we speak affirmations, we move towards the new thought because we speak about it and act on it. As before you were thinking, speaking and acting on your old beliefs but now you’re thinking, speaking and acting on a new belief.

So next time you face a dilemma or you feel inadequate, change your affirmations and know that the very things you’re affirming will inevitably become your reality, and know that the process will unfold just as you spoke it into being.