Welcome to my Daily Inspiration - Daily Quote. See today's daily inspirational quotes below.
May the world be kind to you, and may your own thoughts be gentle upon yourself. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Monday, August 31, 2009

The most powerful form of love is unconditional love. - jlh

The most powerful form of love is unconditional love.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

The most powerful form of love is unconditional love, but what does it mean for love to be unconditional? I believe that the key factor that marks a love as truly unconditional is wanting the best for someone, whether or not their happiness includes you. Few loves can stand this rigorous test. Visualize responding to your spouse's request for a divorce by saying, "I love you unconditionally. I want the greatest happiness for you, whether we live together or not." Sometimes I wonder whether unconditional love is within the human grasp, or is only an ideal to be reached toward.

Love does not claim possession, but gives freedom.
- Rabindranath Tagore


Further reading: The #1 Secret of Great Relationships

Your love is more powerful than your words or your actions. - jlh

Love Quotes - Relationship Quotes - True love has no limits

Loving is the most unmitigated and courageous act I perform in a day. - Mary Anne Radmacher

Resilience is about believing in yourself, and trusting your own wisdom rather than being swayed by the opinions of others. - jlh

Resilience

Resilience is about believing in yourself, and trusting your own wisdom rather than being swayed by the opinions of others.

Choose the World You See, and See the World You Choose.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

There is nothing I ever need to have.

There is nothing I ever need to do.
Say NO to the demands of the world.
Say YES to the longings of your own heart.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I do not need anyone's permission to be my true self.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I have no need to conform to the stereotypes others have defined for me.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Life is unlimited - it expands with the generosity, compassion, inventiveness, and service that you contribute.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Value your own opinion more, and others' opinions less.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further Reading: "I set my own course through the ocean of life." - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

The Wisdom of Gandhi

The Serenity Prayer - God grant me the serenity...

We never see Life as it really is

Sunday, August 30, 2009

What if we just pretended that life was easy? - Jonathan Lockwood Huie


Life is as easy or as hard as you think it is.
What if we just pretended that life was easy?
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Whenever you say or even think, "This is hard," that task or challenge becomes difficult. Dread it, and it becomes terrifying.

When you choose to move past fear - fear of failure, fear of embarrassment, fear of "looking bad," fear of losing respect - life becomes much lighter, and most any task becomes possible - perhaps even enjoyable. Most any challenge can become an adventure of discovery.

Further reading: Vince Lombardi quote: Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is

Affirmations of an Inspired Life - Young-Adult Version

C. S. Lewis You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream

Discovery and adventure, rather than fear

Friday, August 28, 2009

What is Honor? Is there a place for Honor today?

What is Honor? Is there a place for Honor today?

When I Honor myself, I am confident of my being, and I am gentle with myself. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

What images come to mind when you visualize Honor? Medieval knights jousting for the hand of a fair maiden? Sir Walter Raleigh laying his magnificent cape in the muddy street so his lady's feet don't get soiled? Soldiers riding off to war to defend the "honor" of their country?

A working definition of Honor is, "respect or esteem that has been earned." Contemplate that for a moment. It would be very special to earn the respect and esteem of our family, our friends, our co-workers, our community, wouldn't it? If anything, it is of even more moment to honor yourself. Those who are successful and happy earn their own self-respect and self-esteem.

As most of you know, Honor is the first Point of Simply An Inspired Life. Occasionally, I doubt whether Honor was the best word to choose to summarize the first Point because the concept of Honor is so uncommon today, and I often refer to "self-respect" or "self-esteem" when I am briefly describing the quality that gives meaning to our lives. However, there is much more to Honoring yourself than simply having self-respect and self-esteem.

Honor also connotes a sense of nobility. If I Honor myself, certainly I respect myself and value my life, but there is more. When I Honor myself, I am confident of my being, and I am gentle with myself. I have nothing to prove to anyone else or to myself. My value is unquestioned.

In the Honor chapter of Simply An Inspired Life, I discuss the risk of confusing Honor with self-importance - "pride" in it's biblical sense. Ego is the "shadow" - the dark side - of Self-Honor. There is probably no human virtue that does not have a shadow side. The shadow of generosity is meddling. The shadow of serenity is complacency. I address the subject of shadow emotions in Simply An Inspired Life, but let me emphasize the importance of never diminishing the value of a quality or emotion based on the negative effects of carrying that virtue to excess.

If you doubt the virtue in self-honor, remember what the flight attendant says, "Put your own oxygen mask on first." You are of no use to anyone else if you have not taken care of your own needs first - this includes your own emotional, as well as physical, well-being. In addition, your greatest value to your children, your family, your friends, and your community is the example you set, leading a great life that inspires those around you to emulate your being.

The quality of Honoring yourself, respecting yourself, valuing your purpose, your life-work, your very being, is a prerequisite to the other Points of Simply An Inspired Life. Before you can forgive others, you must be a person whose forgiveness matters. Before you can have gratitude for your life, you must believe that your life has value. Before your choices have value, you must feel that you yourself have value. Before you can dream a great dream for your future, you have to believe that your future matters. Before you can build positive habits of resolve and commitment, before you can begin to live the Japanese proverb, "Fall seven times, stand up eight," you must believe that your life matters. Before you can celebrate your life, you must Honor it. And, before you can feel unity with, and Honor toward, Spirit and all creation, you must Honor yourself to feel worthy of that unity.

It is wonderful to feel one's purpose, one's value, one's confidence and self-respect - that is, one's Self-Honor. But, how to achieve Self-Honor?

To summarize the Honor chapter of Simply An Inspired Life, there are two paths, belief and action...

Begin a daily practice of affirming the Honor of being yourself:

I Honor My True Self - I grant myself the Honor of being ME. I am unique in all time and space. I am beyond perceived scarcity, obligation, and the need for approval. I am Honored that Spirit has chosen to create ME.
Whether or not you are already able to fully feel the emotions and motivations as genuine, LIVE the other seven Points of an Inspired Life. It is somewhat like what Thich Nhat Hanh says about a smile, "Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy." LIVING the Eight Points of an Inspired Life brings them into being. In particular, living the other seven Points, creates the Self-Honor that is essential to becoming fully engaged in living an Inspired Life.

Read The Eight Points of Simply An Inspired Life

Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the willingness to deal with them joyfully. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the willingness to deal with them joyfully. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I Act with Bold Courage - Taking inspiration from the powerful vision of my future, I boldly set sail with courage and intent. I hold my course with focused attention and relentless commitment, as I weather the storms of life.
- the Sixth point of Simply An Inspired Life

I create Today as a celebration of my life. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie


Further reading: When you keep getting the wrong answers, try asking better questions - jlh

Thursday, August 27, 2009

The Wisdom of Mary Anne Radmacher - Quotes for an Inspired Life

As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Choose with no regret.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Sometimes the things you really want sneak in the back door. Notice.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Life is defined more by its risks than by its samenesses.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

The jump is so frightening between where I am and where I want to be. Because of all I may become, I will close my eyes and leap.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Courage doesn't always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice
at the end of the day, saying,
"I will try again tomorrow."
- Mary Anne Radmacher

We tell the real truth of our life by the stories we repeatedly tell.
Dare to dream of your great success.
Become intimate with those things which
deeply motivate you and regularly work
toward the realization of that mission.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

What power there is in our service when our actions line up with our mission, skills and joy.
– Mary Anne Radmacher

Loving is the most unmitigated and courageous act I perform in a day.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Sharpen your pencil as you create the story of your life.
Ask today as you consider the many choices in your view – what is the highest and best use of your talents, skills and abilities? When you answer that, seize the opportunity to sharpen those qualities even more sharply by applying your focused effort.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Consistent physical structures can allow unbounded intuitive clarity.
I recognize this in my writing process. A consistent writing structure opens the door to amazing insights. I recognize the truth of this in my daily habits. When I set my keys in the place I, with practice, always set my keys... I do not lose them. In many instances an ordered external structure can be an invitation for an extraordinarily unfettered, creative and unbounded inner structure.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

The path of the adventurer is a path of joy - jlh


Adventurer

Fly Life on Free Wings, and Sing to its Glory.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
– Helen Keller

The most painful and debilitating fear is fear of the unknown.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

We fear the unknown, perhaps more than we fear anything else, and yet we are, at heart, adventurers. We seek to expand our realm of knowledge and dominion. Perhaps we are attempting to overcome and crush the unknown, but our duel with the unknown is such a one-sided clash that we must know in our hearts that our adventure is no more than a child's game. Perhaps we hope that the unknown is like the darkness of a cave and that the brief light of our adventurer's candle can illuminate the entire cave. Nonetheless, the path of the adventurer is a path of joy, while the way of fear is one of suffering.

As Helen Keller says, Let life be an adventure. Live your life to the fullest, unfettered by fear of the ghosts and goblins of what might occur. Calamity and death happen as well to those who hide from life as to those who squeeze every drop of zest from it.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

A great gift requires two people, the giver and the receiver. - jlh

A great gift requires two people, the giver and the receiver. Think of a football pass - skillfully catching the pass, the gift, is fully as important, and difficult, as throwing it.

In many ways, it is easier to be a good giver than a good receiver. The giver chooses the gift and the timing. More important, societal and religious traditions tend to elevate the status of giver and lower the status of receiver. When the Bible (Acts 20:32-35) speaks of it being more blessed to give than to receive, I believe that a better translation might be "take" rather than "receive," as the context of that passage is "coveting." Certainly there is nothing blessed about coveting, stealing, begging, or demanding, however the skill of graciously receiving a freely offered gift is another matter entirely.

Whether the gift is a polka-dot bow-tie or something the receiver appreciates deeply, there is great honor in both the giving and the receiving of gifts.

Further reading: A wonderful gift may not be wrapped as you expect - jlh

GRATITUDE - the third Point of Simply An Inspired Life

Lao Tzu: The wise man does not lay up his own treasures. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own.

Five Questions to Ask Yourself When You Feel Sad for No Apparent Reason

Monday, August 24, 2009

Offering Comforting Words and Support ... Lord, grant that I might not so much seek to be loved as to love. - St. Francis of Assisi

Offering Comforting Words and Support

Lord, grant that I might not so much seek to be loved as to love.
- St. Francis of Assisi

Is someone you know going through a difficult time? You want to be helpful, but how? It is possible that you can help with money or material things. It is possible that you can use your time to perform services for them. It is also possible, although unlikely, that your well-intentioned advice will serve them well.

Generally, your greatest service to someone in their time of trouble, sorrow, or confusion, is your comfort. Take the time to listen to their troubles and concerns with patience, kindness, and empathy, but without offering unsolicited advice or suggestions. Your kindly hand on their shoulder, supportive hug, and patient listening are often the greatest gifts you can offer.

Further reading: Gifts freely given are never obligations - jlh

Loving is the most unmitigated and courageous act I perform in a day. - Mary Anne Radmacher

Your love is more powerful than your words or your actions. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Meddling - 5 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Offering Helpful Advice

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Caring - Kindness - Compassion - Appreciation ... It is my choice to care deeply about others. - jlh

Caring - Kindness - Compassion - Appreciation

Whatever you do, do with kindness.
Whatever you say, say with kindness.
Wherever you go, radiate kindness.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

It is my choice to care deeply about others. No kindness is too small to be important - the smile to the bank teller, the sincere "thank you" for all kindnesses received, the reassuring hand on the shoulder of a loved one or friend. There is compassion in selfless generosity, but there is also compassion in heartfelt empathy.

Further reading: Let me bring peace into moments of chaos - jlh

Look to be treated by others as you have treated others. - Publilius Syrus

Henry David Thoreau: Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eyes for an instant?

Mary Anne Radmacher: As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.

Aesop: Gentleness and kind persuasion win where force and bluster fail

Saturday, August 22, 2009

I constantly seek excellence in all domains that truly matter to me - jlh

Excellence

While I choose never to be dissatisfied or unhappy with my current level of knowledge or accomplishment, I constantly seek excellence in all domains that truly matter to me. Excellence is not a destination to be arrived at, but a path of continual attention and improvement.

Further reading: Aristotle: We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

ACTION - the sixth Point of Simply An Inspired Life

Rabindranath Tagore: You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water

Mary Anne Radmacher: Persevere in the midst of turmoil

Friday, August 21, 2009

I choose to adapt to the circumstances in which I find myself.

Flexible - Adaptable

I choose to adapt to the circumstances in which I find myself. I choose to be flexible in my dealings with those around me. I understand that my way is not the only way - that inner peace comes from respecting the ways of others, and that, if I am open, I may gain great insights and happiness from the ideas and traditions of others.

Further reading: Habits - Like Water to a Fish

Choose Your Habits, Choose Your Life

Stay adaptable, stay Joyful

Honor tradition AND question tradition. - jlh

Thursday, August 20, 2009

I feel unity with Spirit and all that is.


Today's word is Cooperative.

I feel unity with Spirit and all that is. My life is richer for sharing my being with all those I meet. Each experience, however it appears at the time, highlights and strengthens the fabric of my life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie


Further reading: 6 Support Ideas To Stop Anxiety and Give You Back Your Life

Mother Teresa: If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.

UNITY - the eighth Point of Simply An Inspired Life

You are my family because I CHOOSE you. - jlh

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Forgiveness and Acceptance, Another Look at the Challenges

Forgiveness is the cleansing fire that burns away old regrets and resentments.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Forgiving is not a gift to someone else - Forgiving is your gift to yourself - a great gift - the gift of happiness.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Today, I say yes to forgiving. I commit to being for-giving love and for-giving compassion in all areas of my life.
– Sheri Rosenthal


Regrets, resentments, forgiveness, and acceptance again? Yes, again. Of all the topics we address in Daily Inspiration - Daily Quote, forgiveness is the one that generates the most response and controversy.

Again and again, in blog comments and by email, I get the response, "Something REALLY terrible was done to me, I can't forgive that." Often the really terrible thing is a childhood sexual molestation. The irony is that the more terrible the event, the more peace you can gain by forgiving it.

Forgiving and accepting does not mean that what was done was okay. An injustice was done, and someone likely should be punished. But your anger and resentment don't punish the other person. Your anger and resentment only punish you. So stop it. Stop it now. Stop hurting yourself and issue your own proclamation of forgiveness and acceptance so YOU can finally stop suffering.

Further reading: Forgive and Forget? Can You Really Lift Your Burden of Resentments?

Practical Forgiveness by Sheri Rosenthal

Sunday, August 16, 2009

The Eight Points of Simply An Inspired Life

The Eight Points of Simply An Inspired Life are the core values that form the basis of our book Simply An Inspired Life - Consciously Choosing Unbounded Happiness in Good Times and Bad by Jonathan Lockwood Huie and Mary Anne Radmacher.

Eight Points of An Inspired Life - Keys to Happiness

HONOR for true self. • FORGIVENESS for self and all. • GRATITUDE in everything. • CHOICE with open mind and heart. • VISION with powerful intention. • ACTION with bold courage; • CELEBRATION with joy; • UNITY with all creation.

The Eight Points of An Inspired Life work together to enable us to take charge of our life and make intentional choices for joyful living.

Consider making these Affirmations of an Inspired Life a part of your daily expression of intent:

• HONOR - I Honor My True Self
• FORGIVENESS - I Forgive Myself and All Others with Compassion
• GRATITUDE - I Receive ALL of Life with Thanksgiving
• CHOICE - I CHOOSE with Open Mind and Open Heart
• VISION - I Dream with Powerful Intention
• ACTION - I Act with Bold Courage
• CELEBRATION - I Dance with a Light Heart
• UNITY - I Am One With Spirit and All Creation

Here are extended versions of these affirmations.

HONOR: I Honor My True Self - I grant myself the Honor of being ME. I am unique in all time and space. I am beyond perceived scarcity, obligation, and the need for approval. I am Honored that Spirit has chosen to create ME.

FORGIVENESS: I Forgive Myself and All Others with Compassion - I forgive everyone, especially myself, for all actions and all inactions throughout my entire life. I accept that no one else has ever been to blame for either my joy or my suffering. The entire cause of all my joys and all my sufferings is my own emotional response to the events of my life, and I am committed to consistently distinguishing between my feelings about events and the physical occurrence of those events. I declare that everyone who has ever played any role in any of the events of my life is entirely without fault.

GRATITUDE:
I Receive ALL of Life with Thanksgiving - I have gratitude for EVERYTHING that has ever occurred to bring me to this moment. I give thanks for the joys and the sufferings, the moments of peace and the flashes of anger, the compassion and the indifference, the roar of my courage and the cold sweat of my fear. I accept gratefully the entirety of my past and my present life.

CHOICE:
I CHOOSE with Open Mind and Open Heart - I renounce all assumptions and expectations, and I declare that I will thoughtfully consider all possibilities. I will CHOOSE with courage, awareness, consciousness, and compassion toward all.

VISON: I Dream with Powerful Intention - Opening my mind to Spirit, I trust my intuition to deliver powerful visions of my inspired future, and I empower my intent to transform those visions into reality.

ACTION: I Act with Bold Courage - Taking inspiration from the powerful vision of my future, I boldly set sail with courage and intent. I hold my course with focused attention and relentless commitment, as I weather the storms of life.

CELEBRATION: I Dance with a Light Heart - I play with life, laugh with life, dance lightly with life, and smile at the riddles of life, knowing that life’s only true lessons are writ small in the margin.

UNITY:
I Am One With Spirit and All Creation - I give thanks for the unity of all creation and for EVERYTHING that has brought me to this moment. I release my entire being to the gentle nurture of Spirit.

John Wooden quote: Talent is God-given; be humble. Fame is man-given; be thankful. Conceit is self-given; be careful.


Talent is God-given; be humble.
Fame is man-given; be thankful.

Conceit is self-given; be careful.

- John Wooden


Life's burdens are lighter when I laugh at myself.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie


Further reading: A Story of Money

Joy blooms where minds and hearts are open. - jonathan lockwood huie

Real excellence and humility are not incompatible one with the other, on the contrary they are twin sisters. - Jean Baptiste Lacordaire

Practical Forgiveness by Sheri Rosenthal

Practical Forgiveness
by Sheri Rosenthal

You can forgive that guy you dated a while back until you run into him someplace and then you want to wreak revenge on him. You can forgive your parents for your horrible childhood but as soon as you get on the phone with your Dad you are arguing just like you always have. So, what good is forgiveness anyway?

The key to forgiveness is to forgive from the heart not from the mind. Knowing in your rational mind that your parents did the best they could to raise you is not enough to constitute forgiveness. That is why every time you are with your Dad you still argue. If you really forgave him you would not be reacting that way. You would have compassion for his dream and understand that he is just expressing his point of view. If you truly let go of the pain of your childhood, your self-importance, and your need to be right about your point of view, you would not be taking him personally any more. If you were not taking him personally you would not be angry and it would not be necessary to punish him by behaving like an angry child. It behooves us to look at ourselves with honesty and objectivity. You can say you have forgiven someone in your life, but the proof is in the pudding.

If you have an emotional reaction in the presence of someone, your heart is telling you that you have not resolved your issues with them. In other words, you have not truly forgiven that person. All of this begs the question, how do we forgive? First, cease lying to yourself and stop telling yourself stories about why you behave the way you do. Stop blaming your behavior on other people and take responsibility for your emotional reactions. If you could forgive all the people in your life who have hurt or wounded you it would be possible to be in control of your behavior instead of being in reaction to other people all of the time. Imagine living life without experiencing a constant emotional roller-coaster of pain, anger, and jealousy! That would be bliss!

The important thing is to have awareness of what has transpired and be able to tell yourself the truth about it. Have you truly forgiven or has your rational mind been telling you a story that you have? Once you have determined what is truth and what is a justification, you are ready for the next step. Second, look at your life with clarity. Try to see what happened in your past, not only from your point of view, but also from the other person’s point of view. We need to be able to walk in the other persons shoes to understand why things happened the way they did. That doesn’t mean you have to agree with what they did or how they did it. Not at all. Your values and beliefs may be very different from theirs. All this means is that you can see the whole truth of what happened and the whole truth encompasses all points of view, not just your own.

Take some time to listen to how you tell the story of your life. Perhaps it would be helpful to journal the story of a particular time in your life that you have been challenged by. Listen to what you have written. Does it sound like you were victimized by your circumstances? Be objective, if someone heard your story would they say someone did you wrong, that you are resentful, vengeful and angry? If so, this is your first clue that you are seeing things from only one point of view. Why? Well, if you felt like someone hurt you then obviously you took the other persons actions personally. You assumed you knew why they did what they did according to your point of view and your beliefs about their words or actions. Chances are that your interpretation of what the other person did or said was not what the other person had in mind when they interacted with you. The key is to imagine what happened from their point of view.

Once you have seen the truth you must make the decision to let go of the pain, anger, and resentment you have been holding on to. This requires you to take action. If you are attached to your pain, resentment, and self-righteousness, and addicted to your emotional reactions, this will be a difficult step for you. Taking action requires letting go of the very thing you have been holding on to for so many years. There is comfort in what we find familiar, even if we are experiencing pain and suffering. The pain and suffering itself becomes the familiarity we seek. It takes absolute faith in yourself plus courage, will, and discipline to let go. But once you let go, it will be as if the weight of the world has been taken off your shoulders. In this process it is important to forgive not just the others in our lives, but also ourselves. For most people, giving ourselves the gift of forgiveness is very challenging.

• Forgive yourself for using people in your life to hurt yourself.
• Forgive yourself for not having clarity, for blaming others, and for not taking responsibility for your actions.
• Forgive yourself for wounding others and for the anger, jealousy, and hate you directed toward others.
• Forgive yourself for participating in situations that went against your integrity.
• Forgive yourself for not respecting yourself.
• Forgive yourself for not trusting yourself and having faith in your abilities.
• Forgive yourself for trying to control the people you love.
• And, of course, forgive yourself for not loving yourself 100% just the way you are!

Sheri Rosenthal DPM is the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Toltec Wisdom and Banish Mind Spam

Forgive and Forget? Can You Really Lift Your Burden of Resentments?

The questions keep coming... "How can I forget all the wrong things that have been done to me throughout my life. How can the thoughts that are in my brain be erased so that they do not keep popping up over and over again. It is not easy to forgive what my brain cannot erase. Who knows the secret? Please tell me!!!"

Complete forgiveness of everyone, including yourself, for all actions and inactions is the key to happiness, but... How to do it? It is one thing to pass the hurdle of agreeing in concept that forgiving would relieve your own tremendous burden of resentments, regrets, anger, and hatred, but it is quite another thing to accomplish that forgiving.

"I can forgive, but I cannot forget," is only another way of saying, I will not forgive. Forgiveness ought to be like a canceled note - torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one.
- Henry Ward Beecher


Wise words from Henry Ward Beecher, 19th century Congregationalist clergyman and social reformer, but still... How to cancel, tear up, and burn the burden of resentment that darkens our hearts and burdens our spirit?

Let me work from an example out of my own life. I was looking for a good investment and decided real estate was the way to go. I knew a real estate developer who appeared to be very successful and who was looking for capital to expand his business. After we had a handshake deal for me to invest in his company, but before we had signed any legal papers, I got a call from him that some land had become available at a very low price because of foreclosure, but the deal required immediate action. I loaned him what was to me a very large amount of money without proper legal paperwork. To cut short a very long and very painful story of mounting legal fees and disappointments, I never saw my money again.

From my point of view, what this man did was, and always will be, reprehensible. This episode will never leave my brain. So how could I gain peace and no longer be haunted by anger and hate?

1. I recognize that this was a very troubled person, financially, legally, and personally, and that he did not intend to do me personal harm. I just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

2. I consciously remind myself whenever resentments reoccur that my anger burns me rather than him.

3. I remind myself that the events are now in the past with, in some sense, no more reality than last night's bad dream.

4. I am grateful for the lessons I have learned. Yes, I have learned to be more suspicious of people, but much more important, I have learned that the true cause of my financial loss was my own greed. I invested without proper legal precautions because I hoped to make a lot of money quickly. Shame on me. While that lesson was expensive financially and emotionally, it was a crucial life lesson.

5. I have so much else for which to be grateful. While that financial loss has reduced my life style substantially, I am very grateful for my family, my home, good food, my health, and so much more. I am one of the most fortunate humans on this planet, and simply being granted humanity at all is the most amazing gift.

The key to achieving the freedom of forgiveness is reinterpreting your resentments so they no longer haunt you.

1. See the event from the other person's point of view. By this, I do not mean how you believe they should have perceived the event, or how you believe that you would have perceived the event standing in their shoes, but how you believe that they actually perceived the event at the time it occurred.

2. Although we know logically that the event happened in the past, we tend to feel as if we are being injured in the present moment. Concentrate on viewing the event as history, rather than as something that is occurring now.

3. See the event as a great, if expensive, lesson. Make a list of all the lessons you have learned from the event. Focus on the positive lessons rather than the lesson of not trusting people. Let the lessons include having more gratitude for everything you are blessed with each day.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Our book Simply An Inspired Life is NOW in stock at Amazon


It's early. We didn't expect Simply An Inspired Life to arrive until September 1, but it's here NOW. If you pre-ordered your copy, you have probably already received an email from Amazon that your book is shipping to you today. If you have not yet ordered your copy, do it today  Jonathan Lockwood Huie Mary Anne Radmacher Simply An Inspired Life: Consciously Choosing Unbounded Happiness in Good Times & Bad 

True learning is not about facts, but about conscious appreciation of the experience of living. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

True learning is not about facts, but about conscious appreciation of the experience of living.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Where there is shouting, there is no true knowledge.
- Leonardo da Vinci


Let each day be a time to learn new appreciation for life. To learn more about ourselves and the nature of life. To learn what brings happiness to ourselves and to those around us. True learning is not about facts, but about conscious appreciation of the experience of living.

Further reading: More quotes on learning, knowledge, and life lessons

Ideas To Stop Anxiety and Give You Back Your Life

"Life is not supposed to be fair." - jlh

The burden of expectations

Friday, August 14, 2009

Zero-Based Gratitude

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
- Albert Einstein

Zero-Based Gratitude

Perhaps you have heard of zero-based budgeting as a technique for governments, businesses, and occasionally individuals. Zero-based budgeting is in contrast to traditional incremental budgeting. In incremental budgeting, one starts with the budget for the last year, or other period, and prepares a budget for the next period based on the budget for the last period - incorporating whatever increases, or very occasionally decreases, are deemed appropriate.

Zero-based budgeting begins with a base-line of no expenditures, rather than the base-line of last year's expenditures. Each and every proposed expense must be justified on its own merits rather that falling back on the argument that it was in the last year's budget, and that everybody expects and demands it.

Most people's gratitude is incremental gratitude. If they receive a raise, a bigger house, a third car, a new love interest, or a healthy new baby, they are grateful. If they lose their job, are forced to downsize, have a tiff with their spouse, or have an illness in the family, they are disappointed and angry. Why disappointed and angry? Because they have not been blessed with as much today as they were yesterday.

Suppose our gratitude could be zero-based gratitude. With zero-based gratitude, we would be grateful for everything we had each day - regardless of whether it was more or less than yesterday. With zero-based gratitude, I can be grateful for a warm comfortable one-bedroom apartment, even if I had a four bedroom house yesterday. I can be grateful for being able to walk, even if I could run yesterday. I can be grateful for all the people, the love, the food, the shelter, the services, the health, that I am blessed with today, regardless of what I had yesterday. With zero-based gratitude, I can be grateful each day for the gift of life itself.

Consider adopting the ongoing practice of zero-based gratitude.

Further reading: Make a Gratitude List

Pay It Forward - as an Expression of Universal Gratitude

Celebrating Rainbows and Butterflies - the Small Miracles of Our Life

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Friend Quotes, Love Quotes, Relationship Quotes

A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.
- Elbert Hubbard

It's the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter.
- Marlene Dietrich

Love does not claim possession, but gives freedom.
- Rabindranath Tagore

Hate is never conquered by hate,
Hate is only conquered by love.
- The Buddha

Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

The magic words for a great relationship are, "I love you just the way you are."
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Forgiveness is Essential to a Great Relationship

Jonathan's articles on Relationships - Marriage, Dating, Divorce

Happy Friends - Happy You

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Elbert Hubbard quote: Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.

Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.
- Elbert Hubbard

Life is as easy or as hard as you think it is.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Life is NOT "Supposed to be Fair." Know that there is no single way that life is "supposed" to be. Demanding that life meet our expectations is a sure fire recipe for a miserable existence. Life is a game with no rules. Life just happens to us regardless of our best intentions. Our only path to happiness lies in being open to receiving whatever life throws at us - with Gratitude. Have NO Expectations of life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

The secret to a great life is recognizing that life was never intended to be fair. Life simply isn't "fair," and that's okay. The joy of life comes from playing the game of life as best we can, focusing far more on the love and good example we can contribute to other lives than on demanding money, stuff, love, or appreciation. Service becomes a source of joy when it is not viewed as a duty.

Further reading: Never Let Anyone Get Your Goat, Push Your Buttons, Get You Riled Up, or Annoy You - 6 Ways to Cope - jlh

Lao Tzu: He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened.

Recommended books and products

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Byron Katie - The Work - No one can give you freedom but you

No one can give you freedom but you.
- Byron Katie


I have been asked what events or revelations played crucial roles in my life. Today, I would like to share one of them. In August 2003, I spent a week in Brussels Belgium at Byron Katie's School for The Work. Katie's methods and the events of that week were one of the major turning points in my attitude toward life and toward myself.

I gained a new appreciation for how self-important I was and the extent to which that self-importance caused me to suffer. I had thought that I knew how things should be, relationships, religion, politics, world affairs, and much more. I discovered that I had my own opinions, and that was all. I had thought that I was open minded and acceptive of all people. I discovered how prejudiced I was.

In one amazing week I came to know myself far better than ever before, and to gain a far greater ability to choose happiness regardless of circumstances.

Katie calls what she does "The Work," and central to The Work is Inquiry. Inquiry is the process of analyzing a resentment until it no longer creates suffering. Here is a quick peek at Byron Katie's Inquiry: The Four Questions and Turnaround...

Focus on a specific resentment in which you are angry with another person for something, especially something they continue to do. As an example, "Paul doesn't listen to me."

Now, ask four questions about the resentment...

1. Is it true? In the example, "Is it true that Paul doesn't listen to me?"

2. Can you absolutely know that it's true? (Or is it only true from my personal point-of-view?)

3. How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought? In the example, do you become upset and suffer when you believe that Paul doesn't support you?

4. Who would you be without the thought? Imagine simply not having the thought "Paul doesn't listen to me," would you have less stress and suffering?

Now "turn around" the resentment in several ways. Possible "turnarounds" are, “I don’t listen to Paul,” “I don’t listen to myself,” and “Paul DOES listen to me.” For each turnaround, ask yourself whether is is as true or truer than the original statement (resentment).

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Your love is more powerful than your words or your actions. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Your love is more powerful than your words or your actions.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie


We all tend to measure our worth by what we DO - the actions we take. We also highly value what we SAY. However, the greatest impact we have on our family, our friends, and our world is our kindness and love. A bowl of soup served with love is a greater gift than a steak dinner served brusquely.

Further reading: Love Quotes My Love Quotes

Maya Angelou:I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Where There is Love, Nothing is Missing - a Parable - jonathan lockwood huie

St. Francis of Assisi: Lord, grant that I might not so much seek to be loved as to love.

Love even those who hate you

Loving is the most unmitigated and courageous act I perform in a day. - Mary Anne Radmacher

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Alexander Hamilton quote: Those who stand for nothing fall for anything


Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.
- Alexander Hamilton


The most gullible are those who are blown about by the latest popular fad. Those who think for themselves are protected from deception.

Further reading: Aesop's Fables: The Miller, His Son, and the Ass

Stand Tall, Stand Proud

Mary Anne Radmacher:Find your balance and stand with it

Courage Quotes and Sayings

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Urgency is a grim taskmaster. Escape time, and life becomes irie. - jlh


Urgency is a grim taskmaster.
Escape time, and life becomes irie.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie


"Irie" (I respect I eternally) is a Rastafarian (Jamaican) expression for a state of peacefulness and harmony. When life is good, one would say, "Everything is irie."

Further reading: Let me bring peace into moments of chaos

Affirmation: Time is my friend

Ralph Waldo Emerson: Nothing can bring you peace but yourself

Choose Inner Peace

Aesops Fables: The Miller, His Son, and the Ass


THE MILLER, HIS SON, AND THE ASS
- Aesop

One day, a long time ago, an old Miller and his Son were on their
way to market with an Ass which they hoped to sell. They drove
him very slowly, for they thought they would have a better chance
to sell him if they kept him in good condition. As they walked
along the highway some travelers laughed loudly at them.

"What foolishness," cried one, "to walk when they might as well
ride. The most stupid of the three is not the one you would
expect it to be."

The Miller did not like to be laughed at, so he told his son to
climb up and ride.

They had gone a little farther along the road, when three
merchants passed by.

"Oho, what have we here?" they cried. "Respect old age, young
man! Get down, and let the old man ride."

Though the Miller was not tired, he made the boy get down and
climbed up himself to ride, just to please the Merchants.

At the next turnstile they overtook some women carrying market
baskets loaded with vegetables and other things to sell.

"Look at the old fool," exclaimed one of them. "Perched on the
Ass, while that poor boy has to walk."

The Miller felt a bit vexed, but to be agreeable he told the Boy
to climb up behind him.

They had no sooner started out again than a loud shout went up
from another company of people on the road.

"What a crime," cried one, "to load up a poor dumb beast like
that! They look more able to carry the poor creature, than he to
carry them."

"They must be on their way to sell the poor thing's hide," said
another.

The Miller and his Son quickly scrambled down, and a short time
later, the market place was thrown into an uproar as the two came
along carrying the Donkey slung from a pole. A great crowd of
people ran out to get a closer look at the strange sight.

The Ass did not dislike being carried, but so many people came up
to point at him and laugh and shout, that he began to kick and
bray, and then, just as they were crossing a bridge, the ropes
that held him gave way, and down he tumbled into the river.

The poor Miller now set out sadly for home. By trying to please
everybody, he had pleased nobody, and lost his Ass besides.

If you try to please all, you please none.

George Bernard Shaw quote: Life is no brief candle to me


Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.
- George Bernard Shaw


The length of our lives is not a measure of their value. What "splendid torch" do you carry through your life? What actions do you take to ensure that your torch burns brightly?

Affirmation: I dream magnificent dreams, and take action to embody those visions into reality.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Robert F. Kennedy quote: Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.
- Robert
F. Kennedy

A life lived in fear is a life half lived.
- Anonymous


Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
- Ralph Waldo
Emerson

Fall seven times, stand up eight.
- Japanese Proverb


Can you achieve your goals? You can't reach your goal if you haven't defined your goals. And you can't succeed if you don't try - and then pick yourself up and try again each time you fail.

Put your best into your life, and you will be rewarded with happiness regardless of the final score.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

To err is human, to forgive divine. - Alexander Pope


To err is human, to forgive divine.
- Alexander Pope


Forgiveness of everybody, especially yourself, for every action, is your path to happiness. Resentments and regrets cause suffering. Forgiveness and gratitude make life joyful. It is that basic.

It is not always easy to forgive, but make the effort again and again. Nothing else you can ever do in life will repay you as richly as forgiving and loving those you have called enemy.

Affirmation: I forgive everyone, especially myself, for all actions and all inactions throughout my entire life.

Further reading: Forgiveness Quotes

I forgive everyone, especially myself

Forgiveness is Essential to a Great Relationship

Stop Anger Before It Stops You

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Babe Ruth quote: Never let the fear of striking out get in your way

Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.
- Babe Ruth


The Babe, as well as being the Home Run King, led the American League in Strike Outs in 1918, 1923, 1924, 1927 and 1928.

You are certain never to be a winner if you don't take your time at bat. Do your best, and accept with gratitude whatever result you get.

Further reading: don Miguel Ruiz: Always do your best

This Above All, To Thine Own Self Be True

Honor your being

Joy blooms where minds and hearts are open. - jonathan lockwood huie
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