Youth Group

How incredibly young we all look. 

The loving ways in which we connect

Perhaps God is in the space between people as they try to connect. Before Sunrise

What are the loving ways in which we connect?

• Love, friendship, family, intimacy, humility, patience, kindness
• To love, share, create, play, laugh, cuddle, listen, smile, share fun, laugh with
• To enable, heal, support, teach, inspire, move, mentor, affirm, enlighten, lighten, share, trust, forgive
• An old couple holding hands, the wisdom of grandparents, silence between friends, fascination and innocence of children, the love of parents, generosity of a stranger, patience of a teacher

Our Highest Thoughts, Clearest Words and Grandest Feelings

• Mine is always your Highest Thought, your Clearest Word, your Grandest Feeling. Anything less is from another source. The Highest Thought is always that thought which contains joy. The Clearest Words are those which contain truth. The Grandest Feeling is love. Joy, truth, love.  N. D. Walsch
• Our essential nature is pure potentiality, infinite creativity, pure joy, pure knowledge, infinite silence, perfect balance, simplicity and bliss.  Deepak Chopra
• Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God.   Steve Dow

What are some of our highest thoughts, words and feelings?

• joy (exhilaration, bliss, gratitude, fun, laughter, aliveness)
• wonder (mystery, awe, curiosity)
• stillness (calm, peace, acceptance, contentment)
• inspiration (creativity, wisdom, truth, discovery, understanding)
• courage (realness, integrity)
• love (beauty, devotion, intimacy, openness, loyalty, oneness, trust, respect, connecting, generosity)

Music

The effects of music

• Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. Red Auerbach
• Music melts all the separate parts of our bodies together. Anais Nin
• Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness. Maya Angelou
• Music is well said to be the speech of angels; in fact, nothing among the utterances allowed to man is felt to be so divine. It brings us near to the infinite. Thomas Carlyle

Music and nature

• Look at the stars sometimes. They are only notes They are music. Pat Conroy
• Without music, life is a journey through a desert. Pat Conroy
• All the sounds of the earth are like music. Oscar Hammerstein
• There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature more. George Gordon Byron
• Mozart has the classic purity of light and the blue ocean; Beethoven the romantic grandeur which belongs to the storms of air and sea, and while the soul of Mozart seems to dwell on the ethereal peaks of Olympus, that of Beethoven climbs shuddering the storm-beaten sides of a Sinai. Blessed be they both! Each represents a moment of the ideal life, each does us good. Our love is due to both. Henri Frederic Amiel
• Mozart is sweet sunshine. Antonin Dvorak

Expression through music

• Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent. Victor Hugo
• Where words fail, music speaks. Hans Christian Andersen
• The truest expression of a people is in its dance and music. Agnes de Mile
• Music is the vernacular of the human soul. Geoffrey Latham
• Music isn't just learning notes and playing them, You learn notes to play to the music of your soul. Katie Greenwood
• I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music. Billy Joel
• In music one must think with the heart and feel with the brain. George Szell
• Remember, information is not knowledge; knowledge is not wisdom; wisdom is not truth; truth is not beauty; beauty is not love; love is not music; music is the best. Frank Zappa

Balance

• I live a balanced life of growth and renewal
• I fill my life with exciting variety
• I let go in the midst of excitement
• I live up and out in this moment

Balance

• Active / Still
• Grow / Renew
• Create / Analyse
• Break-through / Consolidate
• Assert / Affirm
• Plan / Do

Let go of the mind

• When you allow your mind to take a break, it comes back stronger, sharper, more focused and creative. Richard Carlson
• Think and concentrate in short, relaxed, blocks of time. Don't allow the mind to over steam. It is harmful and painful. The mind is a muscle. Renew your mind.
• A key to balance is to let go in the throes of excitement. Then it grows and creates joy. Grasping exhausts and stifles. Learn to let go and pause.

Replenish

• Fill the well. Nurture yourself. Consciously replenish your resources. As the Zen saying goes, "The bow kept forever tight will break. Learn to stimulate the "muse within." Fun and diversity are great stimulators.
• I found I could add nearly two hours to my working day by going to bed for an hour after luncheon. Winston Churchill
• Sharpen your Saw (Stephen Covey)
• The most important balance comes from (developing / renewing) and doing. The production / production capability balance. (P/PC) Stephen Covey
• When your schedule is out of hand, it's a signal that it's time to slow down and re- evaluate what's important rather than power through everything on the list. When you're feeling out of control, rather than roll up your sleeves and "get to it," a better strategy is to relax, take a few deep breaths and go for a short walk. Richard Carlson

Quotes

• You're like a great, big hairy moth bashing yourself to pieces over a silly flame while all the while out there in the cool night there's food and love... Maggie, Thornbirds
• The more time we spend on work to attain more, more, more, the less time we have to enjoy, enjoy, enjoy…. Schedule time for pleasure, then use your will to keep this important schedule. No cancelling allowed. Susan Jeffers
• Learn to pause or nothing worthwhile will catch up with you. Doug King
• Balance is a True North Principal. Nature is living proof. Stephen Covey
• Get your priorities straight. No one on their deathbed ever said, "If only I'd spent more time at the office." Life's Little Instruction Book
• Variety invigorates while routine saps strength. Do different things. Meet different people. Go to different places. Learn different things. Read different books.

The beauty and wonder of Music

The effects of music

• Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.  Red Auerbach
• Music melts all the separate parts of our bodies together. Anais Nin
• Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.  Maya Angelou
• Music is well said to be the speech of angels; in fact, nothing among the utterances allowed to man is felt to be so divine. It brings us near to the infinite.  Thomas Carlyle

Music and nature

• Look at the stars sometimes. They are only notes They are music. Pat Conroy
• Without music, life is a journey through a desert. Pat Conroy
• All the sounds of the earth are like music. Oscar Hammerstein
• There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature more. George Gordon Byron
• Mozart has the classic purity of light and the blue ocean; Beethoven the romantic grandeur which belongs to the storms of air and sea, and while the soul of Mozart seems to dwell on the ethereal peaks of Olympus, that of Beethoven climbs shuddering the storm-beaten sides of a Sinai. Blessed be they both! Each represents a moment of the ideal life, each does us good. Our love is due to both.  Henri Frederic Amiel

Expression through music

• Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent. Victor Hugo
• Where words fail, music speaks. Hans Christian Andersen
• The truest expression of a people is in its dance and music.  Agnes de Mile
• Music is the vernacular of the human soul. Geoffrey Latham
• Music isn't just learning notes and playing them, You learn notes to play to the music of your soul. Katie Greenwood
• I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music.  Billy Joel

Other

• Great art is as irrational as great music. It is mad with its own loveliness. George Jean Nathan
• In music one must think with the heart and feel with the brain.  George Szell
• Mozart is sweet sunshine.  Antonin Dvorak
• Remember, information is not knowledge; knowledge is not wisdom; wisdom is not truth; truth is not beauty; beauty is not love; love is not music; music is the best.  Frank Zappa

The beauty and wonder of Art

• The aim off art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. Aristotle
• Art flourishes where there is a sense of adventure. Alfred North Whitehead
• Art is not the bread, but the wine of life. John Paul Richter
• Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. Pablo Ruiz y Picasso
• There are three forms of visual art: Painting is art to look at, sculpture is art you can walk around, and architecture is art you can walk through. Dan Rice
• He who works with his hands is a labourer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist. St Fancis of Assisi

Nature as an inspiration for Art

• Art is like a border of flowers along the course of civilisation. Lincoln Steffens
• Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye -- it also includes the inner pictures of the soul. Edvard Munch
• Art takes nature as its model. Aristotle
• All art is but imitation of nature. Seneca

Expression through art

• I found I could say things with colour and shapes that I couldn't say any other way -- things I had no words for. Georgia O'Keeffe
• When the subject is strong, simplicity is the only way to treat it. Jacob Lawrence
• The aim off art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. Aristotle

Poetry

• Poetry is not the assertion of truth, but the making of that truth more fully real to us. T.S. Eliot

Painting

• I want to touch people with my art. I want them to say 'he feels deeply, he feels tenderly.' Vincent Van Gogh
• I often think the night is more alive and more richly coloured than the day. Vincent Van Gogh
• The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration. Claude Monet
• Colour in a picture is like enthusiasm in life. Vincent Van Gogh
• The emotions are sometimes so strong that I work without knowing it. The strokes come like speech. Vincent Van Gogh
• People call me the painter of dancers, but I really wish to capture movement itself. Edgar Degas
• I feel as though I haven't seem an object until I actually start painting it. Janet Fish

Photography

• Both the grand and the intimate aspects of nature can be revealed in the expressive photograph. Both can stir enduring affirmations and discoveries, and can surely help the spectator in his search for identification with the vast world of natural beauty and the wonder surrounding him. Ansel Adams
• A room hung with pictures is a room hung with thoughts. Sir Joshua Reynolds

Cinema

• The cinema has no boundary; it is a ribbon of dream. Orson Welles
• Cinema should make you forget you are sitting in a theater. Roman Polanski
• Drama is life with the dull bits cut out. Alfred Hitchcock
• Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures. Jessamyn West
• [M]ovie-making is the process of turning money into light. All they have at the end of the day is images flickering on a wall. John Boorman, Money into Light, 1985

Calmness

• Effortless in mind and body, I nurture an inmost calm in all I do
  I flow with the journey, letting it unfold with time
  I act where I choose, then allow all to flow
  I am relaxed and centred, letting nothing phase me
  Rush not, I take my time. Strive not, I let it happen. Grasp not, I let go.
  I live a relaxed stroll drinking in all the beauty and fun around me.
  Supported below, each movement is a chance to release.
• Wherever I go in the midst of movement and activity, I carry my stillness with me. Deepak Chopra
• Practice being the eye of the storm. Commit to being the one person in the room who is an example of peace and calm. All it takes is intention and practice. Richard Carlson
• You have a choice how you respond to life. Turn your melodrama into a mellow drama. Richard Carlson
• Be happy where you are. There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. Richard Carlson
• During crisis or stress, remember that 100 years from now we will all be gone from this planet. Richard Carlson
• Life just is. You have to flow with it. Give yourself to the moment. Let it happen. Governor Gerry Brown
• No matter how dire the situation, keep your cool. Life's Little Instruction Book
• To have it all, Let it all go
• Time deals gently only with those who take it gently. Anatole France
• Count to ten. When you feel yourself getting angry or stressed, take a deep inhalation and relax your body. Count from one to ten, breathing and relaxing each time. Richard Carlson

Feel the fear and do it anyway

• You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do. Eleanor Roosevelt
• Do the things you fear and the death of fear is certain. Ralph Waldo Emerson
• It was high counsel that I once heard given to a young person,"Always do what you are afraid to do." Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Strengthen your risk muscle. Keep it in shape by doing new things. If you don't, it atrophies and you're no longer able to take chances. Make it a point to take at least one risk per week. Try a new recipe. Tackle a problem outside your field of expertise. Invest in a new idea. Roger von Oech
• Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear. Mark Twain

The rewards

• Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
• We cannot find peace if we are afraid of the windstorms of life. Elizabeth Kubler- Ross
• One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time. Andre Gide
• Watch the turtle. He only moves forward by sticking his head out. Jr Gerstner
• And only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live in every experience, painful or joyous; to live in gratitude for every moment, to live abundantly. Dorothy Thompson)
• Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin. Grace Hansen
• It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live. Marcus Aelius Aurelius
• In my view he who goes ahead is always the one who wins. Catherine The Great

Courage

• It's better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life. Elizabeth Henry
• An army of deer led by a lion is more to be feared than an army of lions led by a deer. Chabrais, Athenian general, 357 B.C.
• My centre is giving way, my right is retreating. Situation excellent. I shall attack. Ferdinand Foch
• For the first time in the history of this campaign we are surrounded on the East, West, North and South. We can now attack the enemy in all directions. General Abrams
• "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain

Letting Go

Letting go of worries

• When we stop fighting the inevitable, we release energy which allows us to create a richer life. Elsie MacCormick
• I act where I choose, then allow all to flow.
• There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will. Epictetus
• Two step formula for handling stress. 1. Don't sweat the small stuff. 2. Remember that it's all small stuff. Anthony Robbins
• I let go and trust that all is happening perfectly. Susan Jeffers
• I won't worry about anything today. I'll worry about it tomorrow. Susan Jeffers
• Worry, is in effect, saying to God I don't trust you. John Loftness
• Relax. This is the yesterday that will not matter tomorrow. Brilliant Ashleigh
• I have suffered many things in this life, most of which have never happened. G. W Gates
• Worry pulls tomorrow's cloud over today's sunshine.
• Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength. Corrie Ten Boom
• I close my eyes, then cut an imagery cord that is attaching me to whatever I am worrying about. I then say to myself "OK God, I am doing my best. I'll let you take over now. Take over God, I trust it is all happening perfectly." I take a deep breath and feel myself letting go." Susan Jeffers

Letting go of Thoughts

• The power of calm: In matters of the mind, the more mental effort you apply to any given situation, the less will be the result.
• When you allow your mind to take a break, it comes back stronger, sharper, more focused and creative. Richard Carlson
• Go slow. Stop thinking. Look around. You'll see something beautiful if you open yourself. Sermon of Van Gogh
• That which is left when there is no more grasping is the Self. Panchadasi
• The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience. Emily Elizabeth Dickinson
• The truth emerges when you get stuck

Letting go of the need for order and perfection

• Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit. Henry B. Adams
• For thought is a bird of space, that in a cage of words may indeed unfold its wings but cannot fly. Kahlil Gibran
• Have faith in the Great Mystery to guide me. Important ideas will return. Prove your faith by letting them slip away! This is the secret to an effortless mind.

Letting go of the need to solve it right now

• Use your back burner. Gently hold the problem in your mind without actively analysing it. This simple technique will help you solve many problems and will greatly reduce the stress and effort in your life. Richard Carlson
• The next time you are feeling bad, rather than fight it, try to relax. Richard Carlson
• Don’t allow yourself to be fooled by your low moods. People do not realise that their moods are always on the run. They think instead that their lives have suddenly become worse in the past day, or even the last hour. A low mood is not the time to analyse your life. In low moods we lose our perspective and everything seems urgent. Life is almost never as bad as it seems when you're in a low mood. The trick is to be grateful for our good moods and graceful in our low moods - not taking them to seriously. Richard Carlson
• Practice ignoring your negative thoughts. You can analyse your thoughts, ponder, think through, study, think some more - or you can learn to ignore them - dismiss, pay less attention to, not take too seriously. Richard Carlson
• Negative thoughts do not need to be studied and analysed. Simply recognise that the reason you are feeling sad, angry, stressed or whatever is that you are sweating the small stuff. Instead of rolling up your sleeves and fighting back, back off, take a few deep breaths and relax. Richard Carlson

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Letting go of expectations

• When you let go of your expectations, when you accept life as it is, you're free.  To hold on is to be serious and uptight.  To let go is to lighten up.  Richard Carlson
• When things don't seem to go my way, I let go of my attachment to how I think they should be, trusting that I am not seeing the big picture.  If I knew the big picture, I would understand that there is a reason for things unfolding the way they are, and that the cosmos has a plan for me much grander than anything I have conceived.   Deepak Chopra
• I let go of expectation.  I visualise cutting the cord to my expectations.  I imagine them drifting into the air until they are gone.   Susan Jeffers
• I relax my consciousness.  I unset my heart.  I wear the world as a loose garment.  I learn to dance with grace on the constantly shifting carpet.  I go with the flow.  Susan Jeffers
• Is it so small a thing to have enjoyed the sun, to have lived light in the spring, to have loved, to have thought, to have done? Matthew Arnold

Letting go of possessions

• Would that you could meet the sun and the wind with more of your skin and less of your raiment.  For the breath of life is in the sunlight and the hand of life is in the wind. Kahlil Gibran
• It is the preoccupation with possession, more than anything else, that prevents men from living freely and nobly.  Betrand Russell
• Let me not be tied down to property or praise and I shall be free. Free from the nagging ache of envy. Free from the hurts of resentment. Free to love all and forgive all. Free to do and say what is right, regardless of the unpopularity. Free to wander everywhere as inspiration guides me. Saint Francis of Assisi
• The things you own end up owning you.  It's only after you lose everything that you're free to do anything.   Chuck Palahniuk 1996, Fight Club
• Barn's burned down - now I can see the rising moon.  Zen Master Masahide
• Appreciate the abundance of what's good in your life, rather than measure and amass things that do not actually lead to happiness.  Cherie Carter-Scott

Letting go of the need for certainty

• The search for certainty and security is an attachment to the known.  The known is the past. There is no evolution in that.  Uncertainty on the other hand is the fertile ground of pure creativity and freedom.  I relinquish my attachment to the known and step into the field of all possibilities.   Deepak Chopra
• I am unattached to outcome.  I am comfortable in the realm of uncertainty.  I do not anticipate or resist, I allow.   Deepak Chopra

Letting go of striving

• Learn to pause or nothing worthwhile will catch up with you. Doug King
• Happiness is as a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond our grasp, but which, if you sit down quietly, may alight upon you. N. Hawthorne
• As long as there is drivenness, then we cannot experience our true nature. Our true nature is effortless. It is the nature of nature itself - an effortless spontaneous flow. Whether we realize it or not, all of us, from infancy on, start to acquire drivenness, compulsiveness, grabbiness, and that covers over our true nature. As long as that is covered over…life is going to be suffering. On the other hand, we could just as well say that Buddhism teaches that life is heaven on earth if we see what is really there. Shinzen Young
• He who bends to himself a joy doth the winged life destroy. But he who kisses a joy as it flies lives in Eternity's sunrise. William Blake
• The earth belongs to anyone who stops for a moment, gazes, and goes on his way. Colette
• Untroubling and untroubled where I lie, the grass below, above, the vaulted sky. John Clare
• Act without doing; work without effort. Tao Te Ching
• Let your skills evolve with time, without forcing or grasping, especially meditation. Bursts of progress, followed by consolidation and sometimes even apparent relapse. Read your dairy for confirmation. Ebbs and flows - this is the way of the world.
• Sometimes the most urgent and vital thing you can possibly do is to take a complete rest. Ashleigh Brilliant
• If you want to be happy, be. Leo Tolstoy
• What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stop and stare. William Henry Davies

Letting go of end goaling

• It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end. Ursula K. Le Guin
• Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of travelling. Margaret Lee Runbeck
• Nothing comes into being all at once; not even the grape or the fig. If you say to me now, I want a fig, I shall answer, that requires time. Let the tree blossom first, then put forth its fruit, and finally let the fruit ripen. Epictetus

Letting go of physical tension

• Every movement I make is a chance to release
• I let my neck release, to let my neck go forward and up, to let my back lengthen and widen. Each movement is a chance to release and lengthen with my head leading. Each part of me releases and lengthens out of the nearest joint. I am supported from below. I think upwards for downward movements. My head floats on a water fountain. Alexander Technique

Letting go of judging others

• Become an anthropologist. Be interested, without judgement, how others choose to live and behave. This is a way of replacing judgements with loving kindness. "I see, that must be the way she sees things in her world. Very interesting." Richard Carlson
• Resist the urge to criticize. Criticism, like swearing, is actually nothing more than a bad habit. When we criticise, it is a statement to the world and to ourselves "I have a need to be critical." Richard Carlson
• I will practice non- judgement. Today I shall judge nothing that occurs. Deepak Chopra
• Non judgement creates silence in your mind. Judgement is the constant evaluation of things as right or wrong, good or bad. When you are constantly evaluating, classifying, labelling, analyzing, you create a lot of turbulence in your internal dialogue. This turbulence constricts the flow of energy between you and the field of pure potentiality. Deepak Chopra
• Observing is witnessing. Judging is concluding. I do not draw conclusions about Who You Are because in your creation of yourself you are never concluded. N. D. Walsch
• When you learn not to judge, you are basically saying, "I am willing to let anything in without deciding first whether it is good or bad. In the practice of openness, you will be inviting your soul to be intimate with you. Deepak Chopra
• One of the cardinal rules of joyful loving is that judging others takes a great deal of energy and without exception, pulls you away from where you want to be. Richard Carlson
• Imagine this person as a tiny infant. See their tiny little features and their innocent eyes. See the same person as a very old person who is about to die. Look at their worn out eyes and their soft smile, which suggests a bit of wisdom and the admission of mistakes made. Richard Carlson
• See the innocence. Learn to be less bothered by the actions of people. Look beyond it so that we can see the innocence in where the behaviour is coming from. Underneath even the most annoying behaviour is a frustrated person who is crying out for compassion. Richard Carlson

Letting go of worrying what others think

• Praise and blame are all the same. You'll never be able to please all the people all the time. Even in a landslide victory in which a candidate secures 55% of the vote, he or she is left with 45% of the population that wishes someone else were the winner. Everyone has their own set of ideas with which to evaluate life and our ideas don't always match those of other people. The sooner we accept the inevitable dilemma of not being able to win the approval of everyone we meet, the easier our lives will become. Richard Carlson
• Practice humility. The less compelled you are to try to prove yourself to others, the easier it is to feel peaceful inside. The less you care about seeking approval, the more approval you seem to get. Richard Carlson
• As for worrying about what other people think, forget it. They aren't concerned about you. They're too busy worrying about what you and other people think of them. Michael le Boouf
• Be more concerned about your character than about your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think of you. Richard Carlson

Letting go of the need to be right

• The next time you find yourself in an argument, rather than defend yourself, see if you can see the other point of view first. Richard Carlson
• I let go of my need to convince others of my point of view. When I remain open to all points of view, my dreams and desires will flow with nature's desires. Deepak Chopra
• Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Stephen Covey, 5th Habit
• I am not controlled by any unfortunate need to be right. Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong. Only time and circumstances will show for sure… maybe. Susan Jeffers
• Most of our energy goes into maintaining our own importance. If we were capable of losing some of that importance, two extraordinary things would happen to us. One, we would free ourselves from trying to maintain the illusory idea of our grandeur; and two, we would provide ourselves with enough energy to catch a glimpse of the actual grandeur of the universe. Deepak Chopra
• Being right is highly overrated. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Richard Carlson
• A wonderful, heartfelt strategy for becoming more peaceful and loving is to practice allowing others the joy of being right - give them the glory. You don't have to sacrifice your deepest philosophical truths or most hearfelt opinions, but starting today, let others be "right" most of the time! Richard Carlson
• Choose being kind over being right. The reason we are tempted to put others down is that our ego mistakenly believes that if we point out how someone else is wrong, we must be right and therefore we feel better. Richard Carlson

Connecting to the Great Mystery though nature

• "How do you know," a Bedouin asked, "that there is a God?" "In the same way," his friend replied. "that I know, on looking at the sand, when a man or beast has crossed the desert-- by his footprints in the world around me." Henry Parry Liddon
• The closer we are to Nature, the closer we are to God. Johann Goethe
• I believe that a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars, and the Pismire ant is equally perfect, and a grain of sand, and the egg of the wren. Walt Whitman
• Twilight has always seemed like God's indrawn breath, a pause in the progression of time. Emilie Richards
• The first act of awe, when man was struck with the beauty or wonder of Nature, was the first spiritual experience. Henryk Skolimowski
• I, the fiery life of divine essence, am aflame beyond the beauty of the meadows, I gleam in the waters, and I burn in the sun, moon, and stars....I awaken everything to life. Ildergard of Bingen
• The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. Anne Frank
• To see a world in a grain of sand, And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, An eternity in an hour. William Blake
• What else is nature but God? Seneca the Younger
• Every natural object is a conductor of divinity. John Muir
• So nature is my god. To me, nature is sacred; trees are my temples and forests are my cathedrals. Mikhail Gorbachev
• Nature is full of genius, full of divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand. Henry David Thoreau
• The deeper we look into nature, the more we recognize that it is full of life, and the more profoundly we know that all life is a secret and that we are united with all life that is in nature. Man can no longer live his life for himself alone. We realize that all life is valuable and that we are united to all this life. From this knowledge comes our spiritual relationship with the universe. Albert Schweitzer
• Try and penetrate with our limited means the secrets of nature and you will find that, behind all the discernible concatenations, there remains something subtle, intangible and inexplicable. Veneration for this force beyond anything that we can comprehend is my religion. Albert Einstein
• We are learning finally that the forests and mountains and desert canyons are holier than our churches. Edward Abbey
• "How do you know," a Bedouin asked, "that there is a God?" "In the same way," his friend replied. "that I know, on looking at the sand, when a man or beast has crossed the desert - by his footprints in the world around me." Henry Parry Liddon
• In the mountain, stillness surges up to explore its own height; In the lake, movement stands still to contemplate its own depth. Sir Rabindranath Tagore
• We are surrounded by a rich and fertile mystery. Henry David Thoreau
• Untroubling and untroubled where I lie, the grass below, above, the vaulted sky. Clare John
• If you watched a rock your entire life it would never look different. But if you were God and could observe the rock over fifteen billion years as though only a second had passed, the rock would be frantic with activity. It would be shrinking and growing and trading matter with its environment. Its molecules would travel the universe and become a partner to amazing things that we could never imagine. Scott Adams, God's Debris
• At the deepest level of ecological awareness you are talking about spiritual awareness. Spiritual awareness is an understanding of being imbedded in a larger whole, a cosmic whole, of belonging to the universe. Fritjof Capra
• The forest is not merely an expression or representation of sacredness, nor a place to invoke the sacred; the forest is sacredness itself. Nature is not merely created by God, nature is God. Whoever moves within the forest can partake directly of sacredness, experience sacredness with his entire body, breath sacredness and contain it within himself, drink the sacred water as a living communion, bury his feet in sacredness, open his eyes and witness the burning beauty of sacredness. Richard Nelson
• I believe in God, only I spell it Nature. Frank Lloyd Wright
• Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God. Elizabeth Barrett Browning
• Nature is too thin a screen; the glory of the omnipresent God bursts through everywhere. Ralph Waldo Emerson
• The arch of sky and mightiness of storms, Have moved the spirit within me, Till I am carried away, Trembling with joy. Uvavnuk, Inuit shaman
• Even in a single leaf of a tree, or a tender blade of grass, the awe- inspiring Deity manifests Itself. Shinto. Urabe-no- Kanekuni
• Conceive of God in terms of universal Nature--a nature God in whom we really live and move and have our being, with who our relation is as intimate and constant as that of the babe in its mother’s womb, or the apple upon the bough. This is the God that science and reason reveal to us--the God we touch with our hands, see with our eyes, hear with our ears, and from whom there is no escape, who is, indeed, from everlasting to everlasting. John Burroughs

The effects of time in nature

• To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter ... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring—these are some of the rewards of the simple life. John Burroughs
• In the woods, we return to reason and faith. Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. John Muir
• Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you. Frank Lloyd Wright
• There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, There is a rapture on the lonely shore. Lord Byron
• Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you... while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. John Muir
• Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth will find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. Rachel Carson
• Standing alone on a mountain top, it is easy to realize that whatever special nests we make-- leaves and moss like the marmots and birds, or tents of piled stone-- we all dwell in a house of one room..." John Muir

Celebrating nature

• Nature shows us only surfaces, but she is a million fathoms deep. Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating, there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. John Ruskin
• The most precious things of life are near at hand, without money and without price. Each of you has the whole wealth of the universe at your very door. John Burroughs
• What is life? it is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset. Crowfoot Blackfoot (Native American)
• To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug. Helen Keller
• Through primrose tufts, in that sweet bower, The periwinkle trail'd its wreaths; And 'tis my faith that every flower Enjoys the air it breathes. William Wordsworth
• While with an eye made quiet by the power of harmony, and the deep power of joy, we see into the life of things. William Wordsworth
• In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. Aristotle
• Green is the prime colour of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises. Pedro Calderon De La Barca
• All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child. Marie Curie
• The birds and animals, trees and grasses, rocks, water and wind are our allies. They waken our senses, rouse our passions, renew our spirits and fill us with vision, courage, and joy... David Gaines
• The day I see a leaf is a marvel of a day. Kenneth Patton
• God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform; He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm. William Cowper

Deep thoughts

• If you will think of ourselves as coming out of the earth, rather than having been thrown in here from somewhere else, you see that we are the earth, we are the consciousness of the earth. These are the eyes of the Earth. And this is the voice of the earth. Joseph Campbell
• Nature is a unity in diversity...a harmony, blending together all created things...one great whole animated by the breath of life. Alexander von Humboldt
• Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life. John Muir

Returning to my path

I stick to my path with the tenacity of a warrior

• I rededicate and re devote myself again and again after the inevitable lapses and periods of dullness and inactivity. Before any real growth and stability appears I will lose faith, get discouraged, doubt, feel sorry for myself, and wonder if anything will happen. Does this mean I have lost my path? No, not at all - this IS the path. I learn to swim, not just with the current, but against the tide as well. This is not a journey for the timid or frail. I have an infinite amount of compassion for myself. I pick myself up again and again. Everything is as it should be. John Kehoe
• Our sacred song can only be brought to life when the awakened heart weds the warrior's spirit. The spirit of the warrior is one of resolve and determination. It drives through all obstacles. It is a commitment to follow our vision whatever the vision may be and wherever it may lead. To be genuine in each moment of our life. To be honest with ourselves. To respect the path we have chosen and follow it through to completion. This is how our sacred song is birthed and our destinies are fulfilled. John Kehoe

Tips for building commitment

• Be committed. Make personal promises and stick by them. Don't let exceptions occur. Add to your Personal Integrity Account. This is your reserve of character and confidence to power future commitments.
• Be committed. Never let an exception occur. Sense huge benefits for changing. Leverage pain for not changing. Playfully interrupt old limiting patterns. Repeat new behaviours for at least 3 weeks. Reward yourself. Remember, life is an ebb and a flow. Keep getting back on.
• We all love to win, but how many of us love to train. Mark Spitz

I live life on my own terms

• Be an original; not a copy
• Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn. Gore Vidal
• Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second- rate version of somebody else. Judy Garland
• There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way. Christopher Morley
• Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their life a mimicry, their passions a quotation. Oscar Wilde
• Dare to question old ways, rules and taken for granted beliefs. Dr Irene C. Kassorla
• Rules are for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools
• Sacred cows make the best hamburgers. Mark Twain
• Loyalty to a petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul. Mark Twain
• We think as we do, mainly because other people think so. Samuel Butler

I take responsibility

• Stop blaming others. Take accountability for your own happiness and for your reactions to other people. When you stop blaming others, you will regain your sense of personal power. Richard Carlson
• I never blame anyone or anything for my situation, including myself. Having accepted this circumstance, I am able to have a creative response to the situation as it is now. Deepak Chopra

Criticism won't stop me

• The first and great commandment is, "Don't let them scare you".
• It is impossible to go through life without incurring a good deal of disapproval. It is the way of humanity, the dues you pay for your aliveness. Dr Wayne Dyer
• Criticism has few terrors for a man with great purpose. Benjamin Disraeli
• To escape criticism - do nothing, say nothing, be nothing. Elbert Hubbard
• They will say you are on the wrong road if it is your own. Antonio Porchia
• If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much. Donald H. Rumsfeld
• I don't know the key to success but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. Bill Crosby
• Remember that no one ever kicks a dead dog. Hutchins
• Don't waste time responding to your critics. Life's Little Instruction Book
• Every man is the creature of the age in which he lives; very few are able to raise themselves above the ideas of the time. Voltaire
• It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives on valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat. Theodore Roosevelt
• Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. Albert Einstein
• One fifth of the people are against everything all of the time. Robert F. Kennedy
• A non-doer is very often a critic. It is easy to be a critic, but being a doer requires effort, risk and changes. Dr Wayne W. Dyer

Mistakes won't stop me

• To be successful, double your failure rate. Thomas Watson Founder of IBM
• Mistakes are my portals of discovery
• If you are not making many errors, you might ask yourself "How many opportunities am I missing by not being more aggressive?" Roger von Oech
• How far high failure overleaps the bounds of low success. Lewis Morris
• Mistakes are the dues you pay for leading a full life. Sophia Loren
• If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error. John Kenneth Galbraith
• If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner. Tallulah Bankhead

I am authentic and assertive

• Respect Yourself
• Respect heroes above men, gods above demi- gods, but above all, respect yourself. (Pythagoras)
• Many things are lost for want of asking. (George Herbert)
• If I had no-one else to think about, what would I do? Will it hurt others in their own walks? No? Then do it! This is my life. My choices.
• Never let someone force you to make a hasty decision. Think about it in your own time.
• When it comes to reciprocal commitments of any kind, I have a right to demand a serious response. I can be assertive.
• I am completely and authentically, all that I choose to be, in this moment. I am aware of what I am choosing to be, I am honest about it, and I accept responsibility for it. N. D. Walsch
• I feel free to ask. I am open about my feelings.
• Stick to facts, rather than opinions. Facts are neutral and do not imply criticism. Try to use I rather than you. i.e. I feel angry when you are late. Not "You make me angry when..."
• Be assertive. Go for what you want. The meek will inherit nothing.
• Be a Lion. Ask!! No is the worst they can say. Ask and you will receive.
• Disapproval is the price you pay for a full, healthy life.
• Remove guesswork from all your relationships - ask direct questions about feelings. Dr Irene C. Kassorla

Obstacles won't stop me

• The obstacle is the path. Zen Proverb
• You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him.
• When you come to a roadblock, take a detour. Mary Kay Ash
• We will either find a way or make one. Hannibal
• Obstacles are those fearsome things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.
• What if Columbus had been told, "Chris baby, don't go now. Wait until we've solved our No.1 priorities - war and famine; poverty and crime; pollution and disease; illiteracy and racial hatred - and Queen Isabella's own brand of internal security." W.I.E.Gates
• “If the road you travel has no obstacles - it leads nowhere”

Fun and Laugter

• Laughter is the sunshine of my soul
• I search out fun and share it with others
• I splash in puddles
• I do what I love. I discover joy

The Power of Laughter

• Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God. Karl Barth
• Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. Victor Borge
• He who laughs, lasts. (Mary Pettibone Poole)
• He dares to be a fool, and that is just the first step in the direction of wisdom. James Gibbons Huneker
• Progress is nothing but the victory of laughter over dogma. Benjamin De Cassere
• The Laughing Buddha represents the inner intelligence that lives within all of us. He represents the part of us that is in tune with the Grand Design. He doesn't try to control the chaos. Instead he listens and moves comfortably within the chaos as the world unfolds around him. He stays open to a constant flow of "joyous survival" versus "turbulent survival". He makes us realise that we can't get rid of the chaos, but we can get very creative with the turmoil. Susan Jeffers
• Laughter is the brush that sweeps away the cobwebs of the heart.

Advice

• As soon as you have made a thought, laugh at it. (Lao Tzu)
• Be spontaneous - do it on the spur of the moment, just because you enjoy it. Do it for the joy of doing it, not to win, excel or even do your best. Dr Wayne W. Dyer
• If you are too busy to laugh, you are too busy.
• It has been wisely said that we cannot really love anyone at whom we never laugh. (Agnes Repplier)
• Just below the surface of consciousness, there lurks...a subterranean giggle. Nurture it, give it its space, and it will be fruitful and multiply and cheer your days and warm your nights. Cynthia Heimel
• Let us start a new religion with one commandment, "Enjoy thyself." (Israel Zangwill)

Thoughtful

• Every normal function of life holds some delight. Will Durant
• The one serious conviction that a man should have is that nothing should be taken seriously. (Samuel Butler)
• The most wasted day of all is that on which we have not laughed. Sebastien Chamfort
• We don't stop having fun when we're old; we're old when we stop having fun.
• If you wish to glimpse inside a human soul and get to know a man, don't bother analyzing his ways of being silent, of talking, of weeping, of seeing how much he is moved by noble ideas; you will get better results if you just watch him laugh. If he laughs well, he's a good man. Feodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky

Fun sayings

• Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves, for they shall always be amused.
• Given a choice between two theories, take the one which is funnier. Blore's Razor
• God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh. Voltaire
• Good behaviour is the last refuge of mediocrity. (Henry S.Haskins)
• All the fun's in how you say a thing. Robert Frost
• Its not easy to stay sane in a world that offers such a wonderful choice of madness. Ashleigh Brilliant
• I've explored and rejected every other possibility. Life after all must be for having fun. Ashleigh Brilliant
• One loses many laughs by not laughing at oneself. Sarn Jeannette Duncan
• One should always aim at being interesting rather than exact. (Voltaire)
• The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I've found it!), but 'That's funny...' - Isaac Asimov.

Practicing The Power of Now (Eckhart Tolle)

• The beginning of freedom is the realisation that you are not the "thinker." The moment you start watching the thinker, a higher level of consciousness becomes activated. You then begin to realise that there is a vast realm of intelligence beyond thought, that thought is only a tiny aspect of that intelligence. You also begin to realise that all the things that truly matter - beauty, love, creativity, joy, inner peace - arise from beyond the mind. You begin to awaken.
• When you surrender to what is and so become fully present, the past ceases to have any power. The realm of Being, which has been obscured by the mind, then opens up. Suddenly a great stillness aries within you, an unfathomable sense of peace. And within that peace, there is great joy. And within that joy, there is love. And at the innermost core, there is the sacred and immeasurable, That which cannot be named.

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First principles

• I am not my mind (thoughts or emotions) or my body. I am the observing presence. I am the silent witness. I am the Being beneath.
• I am not my successes or failures. I enjoy creating new circumstances but I do not get my sense of worth from them. I do not identify with them. They are not who I am.

Being the Watcher

• I am present as the watcher of my mind - my thoughts, emotions and reactions - without judging or analysing. I feel the still, observing presence.
• I go beneath and "watch the thinker" without judgement. One day I will catch myself smiling at the voice in my head, as I would the antics of a small child.
• I sink into the gaps between thoughts to experience stillness and peace.
• I take routine activities and give them my full attention - being totally present. This is called Mindfulness.
• What is going on within me at this moment? I watch my emotions, feeling their energy, without analysing or judging them.
• I am not my mind so being right or wrong makes no difference. I let go of aggressiveness and defensiveness.
• I take my attention off the past and the present. I step into the Now.
• I sense my senses fully inside and out. I am where I am. I see, feel, hear. I feel the energy within me.
• I focus on the process, not the result. I give full attention to the action, the fruit will follow of its own accord.
• I regularly monitor my mental and emotional state. Am I at ease in this moment? If I feel unease, in what way am I avoiding, resisting or denying life by denying the now?
• I die to the future and past. I ask "What problem do I have right now?" Not next year, tomorrow or in 5 minutes time. What is wrong with this moment? If I can and choose to act, I do. If not, I surrender fully.
• I give up "waiting"`as a state of mind. I come into the present and enjoy being. I am grateful for the present and the fullness of life right now.
• I act now if I can and choose to. If not, I surrender to what is.
• I always keep some of my attention in the energy field of my body. I feel my body from within. This helps keep me present. I always feel the stillness inside. I keep the portal open in all I do. Always staying rooted within.
• When I need an answer, a solution or creative idea, I stop thinking for a moment and become focused on my inner energy field. I become aware of the stillness. In thought, I go back every few minutes between thinking and stillness. This keeps my mind fresh and creative.

Surrender

• I yield to the flow of life, I do not oppose it. I accept the present moment unconditionally for what it is. I do not resist it. Can I act? Do I choose to? Then I act calmly. If not, I surrender fully.
• In the state of surrender, I see clearly what needs to be done. I take action, focusing on one thing at a time. Calmly and in the now.
• I surrender to the ebbs of life. Ebbs are needed for new growth to happen. One cycle cannot exist without the other.
• I become transparent to the cause of negative reactions. I let irritations (e.g. noise) pass through me.
• If I am not feeling at peace, I accept my "non peace." Anything I accept fully will take me into peace. This is the miracle of surrender.

The Result

• Beauty arises in the stillness of one's presence.
• A higher level of consciousness is awakened. I get in touch with the vast realm of intelligence beyond thought.
• The litmus test for being in the Now: Is there joy, ease, peace and lightness in what I am doing?
• To offer no resistance to life is to be in a state of grace, ease and lightness. This state is no longer dependant upon things being in a certain way, good or bad.

Other

• Become more patient. Patience adds a dimension of ease and acceptance to your life. Being patient involves opening your heart to the present moment, even if you don't like it. Practice patience. Say "Ok, for the next five minutes I won't allow myself to be bothered by anything. I'll be patient. Richard Carlson
• Do one thing at a time. Block out periods of time where you commit to doing one thing at a time. Be present in what you are doing. Concentrate. Be in the moment. Even the mundane can become enjoyable. And you'll be amazed how quickly and efficiently you'll get things done. Richard Carlson
• Yesterday's the past and tomorrow's the future. Today is a gift - which is why they call it the present. Bill Keane
• I try to learn from the past, but I plan for the future by focusing exclusively on the present. That's where the fun is. Donald Trump
• The fool, with all his other faults, has this also, he is always getting ready to live. Epicurus

Coming home to myself and to life

• I am enough. I go easy on myself. I nurture myself.
• I am enough, there is enough and this moment is perfect
• I catch myself doing things right. I capture things I am proud of.
• I feel and acknowledge my feelings. I feel free to express them openly if I choose.
• I do not take life too seriously. It is a wondrous and fun adventure to be enjoyed.
• I love my imperfections and foibles as I love my strengths.
• I choose to grow, not to improve or better myself, but to increase my capacity for happiness.
• I make plenty of time for what I love.
• I nurture my body through healthy diet, fun exercise and plenty of rest.
• I am calmly assertive, knowing I am worthy of respect. I am not afraid to say "no."
• I am my own best friend. I give myself a hug.
• I am not afraid to ask.
• I free myself of "musts" and "shoulds" I do because I choose to.
• I do to enjoy, not because "I have to win" or "be the best"
• I surrender to the inevitable ebbs and flows of life.
• I act where I can and choose to, then allow all to flow.
• I welcome mistakes and failures as I welcome successes for they are portals of discovery and signs I am truly alive.
• I listen to my own truth far more than the praise, criticism and insistences of others.
• I feel free to be myself, make my own rules and develop my own original style.
• I allow things to develop with time knowing that great things can be achieved through consistent, small steps in the right direction.
• I let go of perfectionism for it clogs freedom and creative energy.

Coming home

• I pull up a chair and get acquainted with the me that exists right now. I am enough! I am beautiful as I am. This is a wonderful and courageous step. I can relax and enjoy myself. I become more tolerant of myself and others. I am able to delight in uniqueness. John Kehoe
• I come home to life as well. Things are what they are. I let go and allow life to just happen, instead of trying to orchestrate it. I appreciate everything just for what it is. I've tried to make believe life is something it is not - some utopia where every dream is fulfilled. Life is happy and sad. Life is joy and grief. Life is health and sickness. Life is excitement and boredom. Life is having friends and being lonely. Life is achieving your goals and failing at your goals. Life is being confused and being sure. Life is what it is and if I look at it beyond my illusion of what I think it should be, I find within its diversity, tremendous beauty and goodness. Friendship, a brilliant blue sky, making love, sunsets, acts of kindness, the beach, trees, a good movie, delicious food, a hot bath, beautiful music. Maybe there's no caviar but there's always a hot bowl of soup and it will nourish me. I let go of any bitterness, disappointment, anxiety or frustration and let the sun warm my bones. Wake up! Life is spilling out abundantly. Come home and enjoy it. John Kehoe

I nourish my centre

• Learn to pat yourself on the back for your past and present victories, not matter how small. Search for things to acknowledge. Write down every strong point you can come up with in your life, past and present. John Kehoe
• Redefine a "meaningful accomplishment." If being peaceful and loving are amongst your primary goals, then why not redefine your most meaningful accomplishments as being those that support and measure qualities such as kindness and happiness. Richard Carlson
• I catch myself doing things right
• I am my own best friend
• Give yourself a hug. Dr Irene C. Kassorla
• Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit. E.E. Cummings

I nourish my body

• I nourish my body through exercise, rest, good posture and healthy food
• Vibrant health is based on natural principles. It grows over time out of regular exercise, proper nutrition, adequate rest, a healthy mind-set, avoiding substances that are harmful to the body. Stephen Covey

The power of gratitude

• I search out treasure in this moment
• I thank the Great Mystery
• I draw positive people close
• I see opportunities

Thanking the Great Mystery

• A single grateful thought raised to heaven is the most perfect prayer. Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
• “If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice.” Meister Eckhart
• The more I thank and praise, the more beauty I perceive. As if praise washes and cleanses my eyes, so more is revealed. This prayer is a door into the path of beauty.
• You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, and swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing, and grace before I dip the pen in ink. G. K. Chesterton
• Waking up this morning, I see the blue sky. I join my hands in thanks for the many wonders of life; for having twenty-four brand- new hours before me. Thich Nhat Hanh
• Savor it. Say mmmmmmm! Say "WOW!" Susan Jeffers
• Wealth is not his who has it but his who enjoys it.
• Give Thanks. What excites me? What do I relish doing? What is going well for me right now? Who is special to me? What are my blessings? What am I unhappy about? What are the positives in this?

Focusing on Treasure

• It's not about having what you want. It's about wanting what you have and what you are, right at this moment. Zen saying
• Actively search out the beautiful and positive that life has to offer. Dr Irene Kassorla
• I am the prism by which all is perceived. I need not change, make myself better or more beautiful - I have merely to behold myself as beautiful and it will be so. Wondrous, it is so. All exists within. So it has been and will be forever more. And so I choose to behold myself and my life through the vision the Great Mystery has shown me. I will behold my life as glorious in sickness as well as health. In despair and in hope. In sadness and happiness. This will be my gift. This is my sacred song. To behold the wonder and glory - and to proclaim it loud and clear for all to hear. There is no greater honour than to honour myself. My life. All I can see and touch. Every person I meet. Each day becomes my miracle, simply because I live within the Great Mystery. The Great Mystery is there in all I do and experience. Each day becomes a tribute and a prayer and worship. Always together. Always one. Holy art thou, Mysterious One. John Kehoe
• Celebrate what you want to see more of. (Tom Peters)
• Try the "I have had this" exercise. When looking onto a magnificent view, say "I have had this." These experiences accumulate into a feeling of a life well led. Susan Jeffers
• We can only focus on a couple of things at a time. Ensure they are positive, constructive and uplifting. Anthony Robbins
• There are two ways you can be rich. One is to have all you want, the other is to be satisfied with what you have.
• We are building up or tearing down in everything we do. Do you belong to the construction gang or the wrecking crew?
• I know that life is short. I appreciate every moment I have. Susan Jeffers
• If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough. Oprah Winfrey
• My experience of life reflects what you pay attention to. If I'm paying attention mostly to the BAD, BLEAK AND BLAH, my experience of life reflects a life that doesn't seem worth living. If I'm paying attention to mostly the GOOD, GREAT AND GRAND, it reflects a wonderful life. And make no mistake, what I pay attention to is really up to me. Susan Jeffers
• Be an Alchemist. The real alchemist is one who learns the secret of turning everyday situations into gold. There are no such things as problems, only opportunities.
• Count your blessings instead of your crosses, Count you gains instead of your losses, Count your joys instead of your woes,Count your friends instead of your foes. Count your courage instead of your fears, Count your laughs instead of your tears. Count your full years instead of your lean,Count your kind deeds instead of your mean. Count your health instead of your wealth, Count on God instead of yourself. (Irish Blessing)
• Look for the extraordinary in the ordinary. We see in life what we look for. Richard Carlson
• For everything you have missed, you have gained something else. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mistakes

• I celebrate mistakes too.
• A man's errors are his portals of discovery. James Joyce
• Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavour. (Truman Captoe)
• You cannot experience that Which You Are in the absence of that which you are not. Therefore, know that when you experience that which you are not, it is not a failure to experience but a way to experience That Which You Are. N. D. Walsch

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When the going gets tough

• What treasure can I see in this? No matter how hard the loss, defeat might serve as well as victory to shape the soul and let the glory out. Susan Jeffers
• We are confronted with insurmountable opportunities. (Pogo)
• When it is dark enough you can see the stars. Ralph Waldo Emerson
• So much that is good can come from so much that is bad. Susan Jeffers
• Each circumstance is a gift, and in each experience is hidden a treasure. N. D. Walsch
• Barn's burned down - now I can see the moon. Zen Master Masahide
• Most people go through life stepping on flowers while pointing out the weeds.
• My house burned down. Now I can better see the rising moon Basho (12th century Japanese wanderer)
• Every exit is an entry somewhere else. (Tom Stoppard)
• Don't cry because it is over. Smile because it happened.
• Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities - always see them, for they're always there. (Norman Vicent Peale)
• Every style that is not boring is a good one. (Voltaire)
• Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. Confucius
• I had the blues because I had no shoes, until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet. Dale Carnegie
• Sometimes things don't go the way we feel they should. Maybe it's because something we never dreamed about is going to happen. (Flavia Weedn)

Awakening beauty

• It is my sacred duty to awaken beauty in my life. To let it fill my heart and mind. In this way, I help to purify the consciousness of my race. The first step is when I accept life totally and unconditionally. I allow life to be what it is. Life becomes my lover, spouse, companion. Everything in life is transitory. I feel the tenderness and fragility of it all. This makes it all the more precious. For every moment is unique. It can be appreciated only once and only now. Let us kiss our lover each moment. Let us accept it totally. Everything is perfect in being what it is. When I fully accept this, I walk the path of beauty. When I cease my judging, criticizing, comparing, I see that all things have their place. In the grand scheme of the universe unfolding, all things are as they should be. Not so much as a hair is out of place in the universe. All things are unfolding in their special way. I have much to celebrate. The present moment is always alive with infinite treasures. Life is spilling out at us in abundance. Children playing. Birds singing. Colours. Flowers blooming. Wind in the branches. Ants crawling. Night and day. Poetry. Music. Making love. Friendship. Travelling. Eating. The universe is celebrating. Let us celebrate with it. A child sees everything as wondrous. Walking the path of beauty means living moment to glorious moment, letting everything be new and exciting again. Let us also see the beauty in one another's hearts. As I see beauty, I praise it. Give thanks for it. Fill my mind with it. With practice, I too will see God in a blade of grass and eternity in a grain of sand. John Kehoe

Exploring

Going where you have never been

• Be an explorer. Actively seek out new ideas. There are new worlds, options, products, friends, methods and ideas waiting to be discovered. Venture off the beaten path. John Kehoe

• My favourite thing is to go where I've never been. Drane Arbus

• Explore the unknown. Be open to new experiences. Dr Wayne W. Dyer

• The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder. Ralph W.Sockman

• I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking up something and finding something else on the way. Franklin P. Adams

• Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Exploring through travel

• The traveller sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see. (G.K. Chesterton)

• A traveller without knowledge is like a bird without wings. (Gulistan)

• The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page. Saint Augustine

• He who would travel happily must travel light. Antoine de Saint Exupery

• Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost

Explore new ways

• If you only do What you've always done You'll only get What you already have.
  I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me.
  A good catchword can obscure analysis for fifty years. Wendell L. Wilke

• A moment's insight is sometimes worth a life's experience. Oliver Wendell Holmes

• Read articles and books and speak to people with entirely different points of view from our own. We form opinions, then spend our whole lives validating what we believe to be true. There so much we can learn and explore. Richard Carlson

Seeing With New Eyes

• The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. Marcel Proust

• I will see one thing today as if for the first time. Today I give myself permission to apply new feelings of appreciation to a flower, a curtain fluttering in the breeze, a child's game, a tree gracing the roadside - anything I have taken for granted which calls out to be seen anew. Deepak Chopra

• Discovery consists of looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking something different. Albert Schenz

• We must not cease from our exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive at the place where we began and to know the place for the first time. T.S.Elliot

• Contemplate. Break through the surface ideas, truths, laws, whatever it is that we are contemplating, to explore their deeper meaning and implications. John Kehoe

• The child lives in the neighbourhood of wonder where innocence keeps mystery playful. Each new event and encounter is all- absorbing. John O'Donohue

• The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common. Ralph Waldo Emerson

• Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first time or last time. Then your time on Earth will be filled with joy. Betty Smith

• If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change. Buddha
  Every normal function of life holds some delight. Will Durant

Exporing Within

• The longest journey of any person is the journey inward. Dag Hjalmar Agné Carl Hammarskjold

• I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within. Lillian Smith

• I think that I travelled not outwards but within… Imtiaz Dharker

• In the mountain, stillness surges up to explore its own height; In the lake, movement stands still to contemplate its own depth. Sir Rabindranath Tagore (1861- 1941)

• The earth belongs to anyone who stops for a moment, gazes, and goes on his way. Colette
  

Ask new questions

• Questions are portals of discovery

• All human progress is preceded by new questions. Anthony Robbins

• Questions are powerful tools to persuade and get people involved. Be insatiably curious. Ask “why?” a lot. Life's Little Instruction Book

• Questions are the creative acts of intelligence. Frank Kingdon

• Millions say the apple fell but Newton was the one to ask why. Bernard M. Baruch

• The important thing is not to stop questioning. Albert Einstei

• For any question you pose, your brain provides an answer. Always make questions positive, actionable and constructive. Questions are lasers of human consciousness. Their power can cut through any obstacle. Ask empowering questions that will increase the quality of my life and uplift my spirit. Questions create answers - even where they seemingly do not exist. Anthony Robbins

• A prudent question is one- half of wisdom. Francis Bacon

• Computers are useless. They can only give you answers. Pablo Picasso

• It is much harder to ask the right question than to find the right answer to the wrong question. E.H.Morison

• Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers. Voltaire

• My greatest strength as a consultant is to be ignorant and ask a few questions. Peter Drucker
  

Creating yourself as you choose to be

• Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. George Bernard Shore
• It is the purpose of your soul to announce and declare, to be and to express, to experience and to fulfil Who You Really Are. And who is that? Whoever you say you are! Your life lived is your declaration. Your choices define you. Every act is an act of self definition. N. D. Walsch
• The deepest secret is that life is not a process of discovery, but a process of creation. You are not discovering yourself but creating yourself anew. Seek therefore not to find out Who You Are but determine Who You Want to Be. N. D. Walsch
• Life is about choosing what I want to experience of my Self N. D. Walsch
• Life is a constant process of limitless creation. It is about recreating Who You are, by remembering all you have always known, and choosing what you want to experience of your Self. Go therefore into this magnificent world of your creation and make your lifetime an extraordinary statement of and a breathtaking experience of the greatest idea that you have ever had of yourself. N. D. Walsch
• Man's main task in life is to give birth to himself. (Erich Fromm)
• It is not God's function to create or uncreate the circumstances of my life. God created me in the likeness of God. I have created the rest, through the power God has given me. God has given me the free choice to create with life as I will. N. D. Walsch
• We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. (Anais Nin)
• What we see depends mainly on what we look for. John Lubbock
• We are the cutting edge of becoming. Terence McKenna
• You can't have a light without a dark to stick it in. Arlo Guthrie
• Your focus becomes your reality.
• Your purpose is to create and recreate yourself anew in each golden moment of Now in the next grandest version of the greatest vision you have ever held about Who You Really Are. To announce and become, express and fulfil, experience and know your true Self. N. D. Walsch
• I am not my past. I am not my yesterdays. I am not what I did yesterday, what I said yesterday, what I thought yesterday. I am the grandest version of the greatest vision I've ever had about who I am. Creating myself anew in the golden moment of now. N. D. Walsch
• I remember I am simply using illusions to create a localised contextual field within which I can experience, and not merely conceptualise, any one of the myriad aspects of Who I Am. I use this contextual field like an artist using a paint brush, producing wonderful pictures and creating powerful and extraordinary moments - moments of grace - in which I may know myself experientially. N. D. Walsch
• "Be the change you wish to see in the world" Gandhi

Creating powerful habits

• It is infinitely better to practice a few minutes every day than to do it for an hour once a week.
• I use personal leverages and create powerful habits.
• Remember that you become what you practice most. Repeated practice is the most basic principle of most spiritual and meditative paths. Where is your attention? How do you spend your time? Are you cultivating habits that are helpful to your goals? Richard Carlson
• Men's natures are alike; it is their habits that carry them far apart. Confucius
• Sow an act...reap a habit; Sow a habit...reap a character; Sow a character...reap a destiny. George Dana Boardman
• The essence of a belief is the establishment of a habit. Charles S. Pearce
• Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny. Frank Outlaw
• We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle
• We first make our habits, and then our habits make us. John Dryden
• Deep continuous investment over time brings real, sustaining change. Cramming or quick fix solutions do nothing. Stephen Covey

Creating powerful beliefs

Believing our Own Truth

• All we have to know is our own truth, not someone else's. When we understand this, we understand everything. We understand that what others are saying doesn't have to be The Truth; it only has to lead us to our own. All things lead us to our inner most truth. That is their purpose. When it comes to knowing the Truth, the highest authority lies within you. N. D. Walsch
• The highest authority lies within me. I believe only what resonates deep within. I let the truth reveal itself. I do not grasp. Does it ring true? Does it inspire me? Is this an expression of Who I Am? If it is, it will ring true - for I will have been reunited with my innermost wisdom. N. D. Walsch
• Seek always for the answer within. Be not influenced by those around you, by their thoughts or their words. Eileen Caddy
• Say not this is true. Say this is true for me. Say not mine is a better way. Say mine is merely another way. N. D. Walsch
• Say not I have found the truth, but rather I have found a truth. Kahlil Gibran
• Be a light unto yourself. Buddha
• All things based on illusion rather than principle have no sustaining power because they don't tap into that deep burning yes. Stephen Covey
• Find your truth. Stand in your truth. Speak from your truth.

The power of believing

• "What is real?” asks the voice of Truth to the spirits of all who have lived. Like the sound of a raging river, I hear the voices of millions, each proclaiming their truth - all different with many contradictions. Silence fills the air and there is great expectation. Then The Book of Law falls open. Its pages are empty. And the voice of Truth answers: "As thou hast believed, so it is true. Whatever you believe within, that you will see without. All power belongs to those who believe."
• Whatever I believe within, that will I see without. All power belongs to those who believe. I re-examine every belief I possess. Does it empower me? Awaken within me my sacred song? All the beliefs that fail are halved and quartered by the Warrior. I choose my beliefs from within. Daily, like eating and bathing, I focus and meditate upon the things I wish to believe. Imagine them to be true. Use simple affirmations. To imprint these onto my consciousness in much the same way as the times table. I know that any thought or concept, which is fed and nourished through repetition, will take hold within me. John Kehoe
• Man is what he believes. Anton Chekhov
• There are fundamental laws of life (Truths) that operate with unerring consistency - and I am better off to the degree to which I learn to live according to them. Stephen Covey
• I live my life by True North principles - the Laws of Life. I connect with the wisdom of the ages and the wisdom of the heart. My security does not come from the way people treat me or by comparing myself to others. It comes from my basic integrity. Stephen Covey
• Beliefs are the key. Affirming beliefs spur us to action towards our dreams. Associate pleasure with affirming beliefs. Look for legs to support them and build them up. Cast doubt on beliefs that hold you back. Anthony Robbins
• I recreate my beliefs. Thus, I have the power to recreate my reality. For what I believe, I experience. This is original power. I change beliefs that don't belong. Like beliefs of need, separateness, scarcity, failure, judgement, conditionality of love, condemnation and superiority. N. D. Walsch
• Whether you believe you can do a thing or believe you cannot, you are right. Henry Ford
• Once your subconscious has accepted a belief or idea, wether true or not, it will continually feed you thoughts to support that belief. John Kehoe

There are many ways home

• God's greatest truth is that there is not one way only but many ways Home. There are a thousand paths to God and every one will get you there. Indeed all paths lead to God. This is because there is no other place to go. N. D. Walsch
• The spiritual path is not about religions or dogma. It is not about finding the one true way. It is simply the wonder of our own beauty being revealed to ourselves. Of discovering inner sources of power and guidance, and following the path our hearts show us. It is about opening ourselves up to the amazing possibilities that life affords us. For there is more here than we can possibly imagine and all will be greatly rewarded who venture within. John Kehoe
• The Great way has no gate; there are a thousand paths to it. Wu-Men

Creating by Believing

• What I believe, I will see in reality. I have the free will to believe or not believe what I choose. A master's beliefs are not based on his experience, his experience is based on his beliefs. I use thoughts creatively to create beliefs - then I let go of thoughts and move to experience. N. D. Walsch
• The correct prayer is never a prayer of supplication but a prayer of gratitude. Thankfulness is a powerful statement to God; an affirmation that even before you ask, God has answered. Therefore never supplicate. Appreciate. Every prayer - every thought, every statement, every feeling - is creative. To the degree that it is fervently held as truth, to that degree will it be made manifest in your experience. N. D. Walsch
• The will to disbelieve is the strongest deterrent to wider horizons. (Hans Holzer)

Creating beliefs

• Create new, more supportive beliefs.  Remind yourself that you can voluntarily plant in your subconscious mind any thought or belief you desire, and your mind will accept it provided it is introduced with enough feeling and reinforced through repetition.  John Kehoe
• True imprinting requires one to three months before its effects are firmly fixed in the mind.  John Kehoe
• The essence of a belief is the establishment of a habit. Charles S. Pearce
• A complete restructuring of my belief system is required.  I am called to build a temple with new, more powerful spiritual beliefs.  My old, limiting beliefs must be changed.  Every belief I possess about myself and my world must be re-examined in this new light.  Will it strengthen the temple?  Empower me?  Awaken within me my sacred song?  Assist me on my path?  All the beliefs that fail must be halved and quartered by the Warrior.  I am prepared to deny my reality.  Turn heaven and earth upside down.  I need not accept what others have previously accepted.  My temple will be a strong vessel, able to withstand the most vigorous journeys, for I intend to explore vigorously through unknown waters both within and without.  John Kehoe
• In building my temple, I draw from many sources.  I drink deeply from the well of my ancestors.  I choose the finest beliefs I can find.  Beliefs that speak to my heart.  I feel no restraint in borrowing, adding or deleting from one system to the next. Do I believe it?  It doesn't matter!  Do I choose to believe it!  My beliefs are chosen from within, not imposed from without. Daily, like eating and bathing, I focus and meditate upon the things I wish to believe.  Imagine them to be true.  And use simple affirmations.  To imprint these onto my consciousness in much the same way as the times table.  I know that any thought or concept which is fed and nourished through repetition will take hold within me.  "Think not of results, just do."  Until my beliefs become a living, flaming reality.  Remember, this is not a path for the sluggard.  Much is required before anything is gained.  But I persist because there is no way for the temple to built but for one stone upon another.  John Kehoe