Certainty of Uncertainty*
Once again and continually, we are reminded of the certainty of the uncertainties of life. There are the global uncertainties such as the economy and markets, wars and terrorism, extreme weather, etc. Then there are the more personal uncertainties such as personal finances, illnesses of yourself or loved ones, relationship issues, etc.
While all of us may have a similar top ten list of concerns, the order for each is different. For each of us the order of the list also rotates. Whatever may be at the top of your list today, Sing Along “When you walk through a storm hold your head up high and don’t be afraid of the dark at the end of the storm Is a golden sky and the sweet silver song of a lark.”** Whatever may be at the top of your list today remember this…..
“Just when the caterpillar thought its life was over, it became a butterfly”. – Proverb
Through that storm keep walking, or running, or better yet jump. Why jump, because when you jump, both feet leave the ground and then both land in the next spot. That means you are leaving the past behind and landing in your new beginning.
*An Oldie But Goodie updated from the original of 11/16/11
**From “Carousel” by Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Pharaoh Or Moses
This week the Jewish people are celebrating Passover, their Exodus from 210 years of slavery in Egypt. Jews are commanded to constantly remember their slavery, to remember it as though they were there.
There are several very valuable lessons in doing this. One of the universal messages of this remembering, is the lesson that while we are no longer physical slaves, and this lesson applies to all people who live in freedom today, we are still slaves. This time we are our own Pharaoh and the slavery is of the self-imposed spiritual and emotional variety.
That means the only one who can free you is you. We hold ourselves back from climbing our mountain and we keep ourselves from becoming the person we were created and destined to become.
We each have a Pharaoh inside us that holds us back with the “I can’ts” (see the inner-speak series). We also have a Moses inside of us that can lead us to freedom. A freedom that we can use to continually grow and improve. Who would you rather listen to?
“We suffer under the constraints of our habits simply because we had them yesterday. We are slaves to ingrained pathways of our lives and our world; because we are too busy dusting the covers of our Book of Life to read its pages.” – The Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson
“I See Beauty Everywhere”
On our journey, our mountain climb, we must often climb through the darkness in order to get to the light. No one else has the same journey and while others may help, no one else can get through the darkness for you.
Sometimes we can draw inspiration to prepare and help us by knowing the stories of others.
Alice Herz-Sommer’s story is one of those. She is the oldest living Holocaust survivor (in the video below she is 109 yrs. old). Her optimism, like that of so many Holocaust survivors, who lived through such unimaginable darkness and evil is a valuable lesson for us all. Who better to teach us
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” – Dr. Viktor Frankl*
*from his book “Man’s Search for Meaning” about his personal experiences and his observation of others interned with him at Auschwitz. If you haven’t read this book, do, it is a valuable reminder
“I know about the bad things, but I look to the good things.” – Alice Herz-Sommer
Jump Out Of Bed
The road to Happy begins with being grateful and that’s how to begin each day.
Begin today and each day by being thankful and grateful. First and foremost be grateful that you woke up. For that means that you have been given more of the most precious non-renewable resource of all—Time!
You have been given more time because you are needed, your life has purpose and meaning, and you matter. You are given this time to perform a good for one or for many. You are given this time because no one else can perform this specific good except you. It all depends on you. You are not just matter, it is you that matters. Now that is something to be Happy about!
“One today, is worth two tomorrows.” – Ben Franklin
“You are the only person on earth who can use your ability.” – Zig Ziglar
updated from an oldie but goodie, originally posted 1/21/11 and updated again on 10/30/2011
Rain? Or Shine?
If it rains for a few days in a row, do you extrapolate and forecast that it will always rain? If your personal sky, at some moment is filled with gray clouds, do you forecast that it will always be this way?
With the weather, there is nothing you can do, except perhaps dress appropriately. As for the clouds in your sky, there is always something you can do about it. Those gray clouds can pass like the weather, depending on whether you have the right attitude. The forecast for you is the one you say and believe it will be. Sing along, “Grey clouds are gonna clear up, put on a happy face…” From Bye, Bye, Birdie.
This question, though often asked, is the wrong question, it’s not “How is life treating you?”, it should be “How are you treating life?” (read more here). When you see those gray clouds, do you see yourself as put upon or what is necessary for you at that moment to help make you stronger, healthier, better…Heart and Soul…
“The only disability in life… is a bad attitude” – Mathew Jeffers
Watch this moving video*
*Warning – This video may be upsetting to San Francisco 49er fans
“Do Unto Others?”
We all know the “Golden Rule” – ” Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It possibly was derived from the earlier statement by Hillel (110bce-10ce) “‘What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow.” They are similar and indeed are “Golden Rules”, yet there are subtle differences.
Homework Assignment
essay question (do not turn in)
Is there a difference in these two maxims, and if so, how are they different?
Here is a perhaps not so subtle difference in looking at Hillel’s statement. If everything happens for a reason (and it does) then maybe your experiences with “what is hateful to you”, are reminders for you of “do not do to your fellow”. Even more so, perhaps it’s a reminder to do the opposite.
Homework Assignment 2
Make a list of “what is hateful to you”.
Then for each one ask yourself
1.why do you find that hateful or hurtful?
2.do you do that to others?
3.What would be the opposite?
4.When could you employ the opposite?
When you do the opposite, chances are you will experience less of “what is hateful to you”. Even if that doesn’t happen, you will still be happier. Remember “Nice Guys Finish Happy” See the Kind Or In-Kind series
Nice Guys Finish Happy
We have all heard the expression “Nice guys finish last” and maybe you say it, too. How you internalize that thought has an impact on how you act or view the world, or both.
One response is to believe it’s true, and so you might as well play that game and be a not nice guy. If you choose to play that game, you might get some positive results initially, but will you be happy?
Another response, is to feel that you are put upon by the not nice guys and you are a victim . If you believe that you are a victim, then you certainly won’t or can’t be happy and possibly will become angry and bitter.
Of course, another response is to just ignore that mindset and happily go on your way being a nice guy.
We all are meant and have it within us to be nice guys. When we don’t perform that way, we can never be happy. How can you be happy when you are not being true to your true self?
The next time you hear or think that “Nice guys finish last”, say or think this…..”That may be true in a forty yard dash, but life is a marathon!”
“Try not to become a man of success, but rather a man of value.” – Albert Einstein
“When one meets someone who conducts himself properly, the smart one should learn from him how to behave. And when one encounters someone who is the opposite of righteous, he or she must learn from that person how not to behave”. – The Baal Shem Tov
The Happiest, are those are those that are nice/good guys without any forethought. They do what just comes naturally. Sing along, “And all I have to do is act naturally” (Buck Owens or The Beatles)
“Nothing leads to good that is not natural.’ – Friedrich Shiller
“True happiness is the highest form of self sacrifice. There, in that state, there is no sense of self—not even awareness that you are happy”. – Tzvi Freeman
The Spinning Rabbi - Heart & Soul 