Bloom Where You Are Planted
by Michelle Maynard-Koenig
This poem is dedicated to all of the “dandelions” in the world. Keep facing the sun of your truth and grace our universe with your beauty!
Not everyone appreciates dandelions,
like they do pristine roses,
mowed down as unwanted weeds
and simply disposed of.
But I see each of us as flowers
in the garden of life,
with diverse stems and petals
contrasted in width and height.
Roses, Poppies, Daisies,
Ivy, Lilies, and Orchids so blue,
Sunflowers, Carnations, Cattails
Peonies and Dandelions, too.
Each having unique existence of
personality, beauty and purpose,
with nectar of love and kindness
that radiates into the universe.
So wherever you are planted
among people, places, and things,
fear not being mowed down
as an unappreciated weed.
Bloom where you are planted
at home, work or school,
allow the light of your being
grace the universe with your truth.
Do You Carry A Moral Compass?
This day I breathèd first–time is come round,
And where I did begin, there shall I end.
My life is run his compass.
~Shakespeare
We all have a moral compass. A magnificent intangible tool to guide us through the journey of existence in this life. As a fan of self-inquiry, I came across a terrific website that contains a understandable description of moral compass. The site is called www.moralcompass.com:
‘A useful way to think about your “moral compass” is to think of it like an ordinary compass with true North representing Integrity, South – Forgiveness, East -Compassion, and West – Responsibility. These four universal principles are honored in some form by people of all races and religions, regardless of gender.’
Pretty cool, huh? Want to try something interesting? Fred Kiel, Ph. D. and Doug Lennick collaborated in creating an assessment that gives you an indication of what kind of of moral compass you currently possess. Click here to take the free assessment.
I am also a fan and subscriber of a website called Good Life Zen. A site maintained and contributed to by Mary Jaksch. An individual passionate about supporting people who want to lead a happier and more meaningful life. Mary recently shared on her a site a wonderful article written by Leah McClellan. An article congruent with the “Moral Compass” awareness. I share it forward with you below.
5 crucial reasons to carry a moral compass
This morning I took advantage of warmth and sunshine to do some early spring cleanup in my front lawn.A few dried-out clumps of tall ornamental grasses should have been cut back in the fall, and their long stalks have been blowing around the neighborhood all winter.It was time to take care of business.I raked and picked up in my neighbor’s yard first, all the while hoping they wouldn’t come home.
The relationship has been strained. I don’t know what’s going on, but their attitude toward me has gone into negative territory, and for my own peace of mind I’ve kept a polite distance.
I’ve felt a little hurt and annoyed, but that doesn’t mean it’s OK for my ornamental grasses to be scattered like hay all over their lawn.
A small part of me didn’t feel like doing them any favors. But that wasn’t a favor—it was a responsibility. The dried-out grass stalks were mine, and there’s no reason they should litter my neighbor’s lawn. Ergo, clean it up.
Very simple. Cut and dried.
I hope we’ll be friendly once again, but meanwhile I might as well keep things as peaceful as possible.
following my moral compass is a big help.
I often depend on it.
A few years ago, a different neighbor expressed surprise and gratitude that I didn’t respond angrily when he complained about my bamboo popping up in his yard.
Why should I be angry? I’d been meaning to install a barrier to keep the invasive roots of my little bamboo stand from spreading, but I was too late. It was my responsibility.
Again, cut and dried. I dug up the roots, smoothed out the soil, and replanted grass in the neighbor’s yard. I also installed the root barrier on my side. Easy-peasy.
i keep my compass close wherever i go, even while driving.
My compass says it’s not OK to yell at people or curse at them; instead, I want to be compassionate. This keeps me in line when someone lays on the horn and flips a finger at me for tardiness after the light turns green.
That doesn’t mean I don’t feel like giving someone an earful sometimes or that I haven’t ever. Far from it. But it’s not worth the aggravation.
knowing my ground rules keeps a lot of peace in my life even during stressful times.
I admit it’s hard to keep the compass pointing due north when a situation involves someone close to me, someone who can hurt me far deeper than any neighbor ever could.
But even though I don’t always follow it perfectly, my moral compass stops me from going down a path to nowhere—doing or saying something I’d truly regret.
And it also protects me from others who aren’t following the same kind of compass that I follow.
do you carry a moral compass?
I don’t mean a list of rules and regulations based on religion, traditional morality, or rules your parents instilled in you that you follow blindly, though many of those guidelines are great.
I mean a custom-designed, uniquely-your-own, tailored-to-fit moral compass that you lean on when the going gets tough.
some of the direction points on my compass look like this:
- Respect others no matter who they are and expect the same
- Be helpful to others and ask for help when I need it
- Honor promises and obligations and apologize when I can’t
- Stick with honesty and expect the same from others
- Acknowledge, validate, or say thanks whether in person or online
- Assume goodness in others and know they’re doing their best
- Remove myself when someone’s best isn’t in my best interest
I have many more like that in different categories—public life, friends, close relationships—but you get the idea. I don’t always live up to them as well as I might, but if I’m lost, I know how to find my way again.
Here are five crucial reasons to keep a moral compass in your pocket at all times.
1. A moral compass provides guidelines in tricky situations.
Let’s say you’re on a second or third date with someone you hardly know. He’s pushy in a way that’s uncomfortable. Or she’s getting a little too physical way too soon for you. You want to slow things down tactfully, but how? Your moral compass gives you the confidence to say “I really want to know you better first” before things get out of hand.
2. A moral compass can make up for shortcomings.
Maybe you’re traveling and get lost in a small town where you don’t speak the language—and nobody speaks yours. What do you do? Rely on courtesy, humility, and respect to ask for help and get you back on a well-traveled road. Gestures and drawing pictures help, too, but more people want to help someone who’s pleasant than someone who isn’t.
3. A moral compass can keep love alive.
In any close relationship, conflicts happen. Lovers get hurt, partners get frustrated, children get angry. Deciding on “the right thing” to do, no matter how difficult, can mean the difference between a screaming, cursing, blaming session or weeks of silence and a conflict resolved in a way that works for everyone. Of course, what that “right thing” is might have to get figured out first.
4. A moral compass can protect you.
My moral compass says it’s not OK to be rude to me, lie to me, speak disrespectfully to me, or in any way treat me poorly, especially not as a pattern or without explanation and discussion. This is often called boundaries, and it gives me confidence to move forward in a situation or step back—or even out.
5. A moral compass can help your business flourish.
Morality in business? Sure. Whether it’s called business ethics or a moral compass, what company survives with unfriendly, unhelpful customer service? How long do employees last, assuming they have a choice, if management belittles them, treats them unfairly, or makes unethical decisions that affect everyone? I’ve heard Steve Jobs was near impossible to work with, but surely the rewards offset the difficulties.
Back to the neighbors and my errant grass stalks turning their lawn into a hayfield.
Maybe they didn’t notice. Or didn’t care. It doesn’t matter. I know I’m doing my small part in being a good neighbor.
doing “the right thing” never hurts, and it might help.
But if I didn’t keep my moral compass in my pocket, I might say “Oh, to heck with it. They’ve been rude to me, so why be nice to them?”
But why feed the flames?
I like my neighborhood, and though it’s not always Pleasantville, my moral compass keeps it from becoming Nastyville. At least on my side of the street.
Leah McClellan is a writer and copyeditor dedicated to peaceful living and helping other writers develop their craft.
Self-Inquiry Homework: What about you? Do you carry a moral compass? How does it help you? Write what you discover in a personal journal.
Laughter – The Best Medicine
The next time you feel compelled to stress, worry, frown, or say something you may regret later, take a moment and consider that there is another alternative … like LAUGH YOUR BUTT OFF! Why?
Laughter Is Good For Your Health
- Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.
- Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.
- Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
- Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.
Laughter And Humor Help You Stay Emotionally Healthy
- Laughter dissolves distressing emotions. You can’t feel anxious, angry, or sad when you’re laughing.
- Laughter helps you relax and recharge. It reduces stress and increases energy, enabling you to stay focused and accomplish more.
- Humor shifts perspective, allowing you to see situations in a more realistic, less threatening light. A humorous perspective creates psychological distance, which can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.
See The Lighter Side Of Life:
- Laugh at yourself. Share your embarrassing moments. The best way to take yourself less seriously is to talk about times when you took yourself too seriously.
- Attempt to laugh at situations rather than bemoan them. Look for the humor in a bad situation, and uncover the irony and absurdity of life. This will help improve your mood and the mood of those around you.
- Surround yourself with reminders to lighten up. Keep a toy on your desk or in your car. Put up a funny poster in your office. Choose a computer screensaver that makes you laugh. Frame photos of you and your family or friends having fun.
- Keep things in perspective. Many things in life are beyond your control—particularly the behavior of other people. While you might think taking the weight of the world on your shoulders is admirable, in the long run it’s unrealistic, unproductive, unhealthy, and even egotistical.
- Deal with your stress. Stress is a major impediment to humor and laughter.
- Pay attention to children and emulate them. They are the experts on playing, taking life lightly, and laughing.
Checklist For Lightening Up
When you find yourself taken over by what seems to be a horrible problem, ask these questions:
- Is it really worth getting upset over?
- Is it worth upsetting others?
- Is it that important?
- Is it that bad?
- Is the situation irreparable?
- Is it really your problem?
Create Opportunities To Laugh
- Watch a funny movie or TV show.
- Go to a comedy club.
- Read the funny pages.
- Seek out funny people.
- Share a good joke or a funny story.
- Check out your bookstore’s humor section.
- Host game night with friends.
- Play with a pet.
- Go to a “laughter yoga” class.
- Goof around with children.
- Do something silly.
- Make time for fun activities (e.g. bowling, miniature golfing, karaoke).
Incorporating more humor and play into your daily interactions can improve the quality of your love relationships— as well as your connections with co-workers, family members, and friends. Using humor and laughter in relationships allows you to:
- Be more spontaneous. Humor gets you out of your head and away from your troubles.
- Let go of defensiveness. Laughter helps you forget judgments, criticisms, and doubts.
- Release inhibitions. Your fear of holding back and holding on are set aside.
- Express your true feelings. Deeply felt emotions are allowed to rise to the surface.
Simply Sum It Up – Don’t Worry, Be Happy!
One essential characteristic that helps us laugh is not taking ourselves too seriously. We’ve all known the classic tight-jawed sourpuss who takes everything with deathly seriousness and never laughs at anything. No fun there!
Some events are clearly sad and not occasions for laughter. But most events in life don’t carry an overwhelming sense of either sadness or delight. They fall into the gray zone of ordinary life–giving you the choice to laugh or not.
Laughter is your birthright, a natural part of life that is innate and inborn. Infants begin smiling during the first weeks of life and laugh out loud within months of being born. Even if you did not grow up in a household where laughter was a common sound, you can learn to laugh at any stage of life.
*********
Informational sources: Melinda Smith, M.A., Gina Kemp, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D.
Once Upon A Time …
by Michelle Maynard Koenig
Once upon a time there was a girl
who feared happiness
. . . now she laughs
who feared to speak
. . . now releases her voice
who feared imperfection
. . . now dances with truth
who feared death
. . . now trusts life
who feared love
. . . now introduces her soul to everyone
who feared tomorrow
. . . now welcomes today
who feared yesterday
. . . now recognizes its lessons
who feared the burden of doubt
. . . now soars on the wings of courage
Once upon a time there was a girl
who journeyed into her own;
nothing is ever as bad as it seems
nor is it as good as it can only be.
She finds the possible in the impossible
and life is like a dream.
Life’s Mystery … Solved In A Grain of Sand
A Grain Of Sand
If starry space no limit knows
And sun succeeds to sun,
There is no reason to suppose
Our earth the only one.
‘Mid countless constellations cast
A million worlds may be,
With each a God to bless or blast
And steer to destiny.
Just think! A million gods or so
To guide each vital stream,
With over all to boss the show
A Deity supreme.
Such magnitudes oppress my mind;
From cosmic space it swings;
So ultimately glad to find
Relief in little things.
For look! Within my hollow hand,
While round the earth careens,
I hold a single grain of sand
And wonder what it means.
Ah! If I had the eyes to see,
And brain to understand,
I think Life’s mystery might be
Solved in this grain of sand.
Just as there is nothing ordinary about life, there certainly is nothing ordinary about sand. In fact, as the images below reveal, there is more astonishing beauty going on in the world around us than meets our human sight. I challenge you to see beyond the limitations of human sight. I propose each grain of sand is a galaxy amid a galaxy of galaxies. The more you question, the more you know that you don’t know. That is what makes life exhilarating … for me.
“The total number of stars in the Universe is larger than all the grains of sand on all the beaches of the planet Earth.” ~ Carl Sagan’s, Cosmos Episode 8, “Journeys in Space and Time.”
Sand grains magnified 110-250 times reveal each grain is unique.
The tip of a spiral shell has broken off and become a grain of sand. After being repeatedly tumbled by action of the surf this spiral sand grain has become opalescent in character. It is surrounded by bits of coral, a pink shell fragment, a foram (a type of protozoa) and volcanic material.
A handful of sand grains selected from a beach in Maui and arranged on a black background.
Magnified 250 times. Every grain of sand in the world is unique when viewed through a microscope.
Sand Magnified 4 X.
The glacially deposited sands around Lake Winnibigoshish, Minnesota, contain abundant sediments from the igneous and metamorphic minerals of the Lake Superior basin. A sample includes pink garnets, green epidote, iron-rich red agates, black magnetite, and hematite.
Puffy Stars — Star-Shaped Sand Grains from Okinawa. These tiny foram, a type of protozoa, secrete beautiful star-shaped, calcium carbonate shells, or tests.
A small grain of copper impacted into a larger grain of copper. These grains precipitated downwind of a smoke-belching copper smelter. (Magnification 110x)
Many grains of sand are tiny crystals (shiny, flat sided solids). Sand from Zushi Beach, Japan, contains what looks like a sapphire crystal. The crystal is larger than the surrounding grains and has survived eroding because of its hardness and quality.
Fragments of baby sea urchin shells. Biogenic sand, which forms from the remains of marine life, is the major ingredient of many tropical beaches. (Magnification 100x)
A magnified view of the tropical beach sand from the Caribbean island of St. John (U.S. Virgin Islands). The grains include porous fragments of brightly-colored corals, minute foraminiferan shells, fragments of sea shells and shiny, star-shaped sponge spicules.
A Grain of Sand – Nature’s Secret Wonder
The Amazing Microphotography of Dr. Gary Greenberg
Every grain of sand is a jewel waiting to be discovered. That’s what Dr. Gary Greenberg found when he first turned his microscope on beach sand. Gemlike minerals, colorful coral fragments, and delicate microscopic shells reveal that sand comprises much more than tiny beige rocks.
Author and photographer Dr. Gary Greenberg is a visual artist who creatively combines art with science. He has a Ph.D. in biomedical research from University College London and holds 17 patents for high-definition 3-D light microscopes. Dr. Greenberg lives in Haiku, Hawaii.
Carl Sagan famously remarked “the total number of stars in the universe is greater than all the grains of sand on all the beaches on the planet Earth.” It is estimated that the total number of ‘all’ grains of sand on the whole planet could be approximately 2000 billion billion. Scientists still believe there are more stars in the Universe. (hassers.blogspot.com)
And as to planets:
If a grain of sand represented an entire galaxy; so each grain of sand, or galaxy, contains 100’s of billions of stars, you would need to fill six rooms full of sand to contain all the galaxies in the known universe. If you drilled a tiny whole in one of the grains of sand, ‘our Milky Way universe,’ that would be the area that we have been capable of searching for planets so far. 534 planets have been discovered so far. (directedplay.com)
Buy the Images: www.sandgrains.com
Buy the Book: A Grain of Sand: Nature’s Secret Wonder by Dr Gary Greenberg
www.amazon.com
The Art of Giving: Don’t Hold Your Breath
Many thousands of years ago a great sage in Babylon said “The reward of charity depends entirely upon the extent of the kindness in it.”
It is one of life’s wonderful paradoxes that you limit the power of your giving by having an expectation of getting something in return. When you give without any thought or desire for something back, your returns will be truly limitless.
Your life is like a river of energy, continually flowing. What happens when a river stops moving? It get very muddy, and stagnant. A fast flowing river is full of life and clear water. Where would you rather drink?
The acts of giving and receiving are a continuous process of circulation that continues the flow of your life’s energies. Giving and receiving, it’s a cycle of energy in perpetual motion.
Pause for a moment as you read this, and take a big, deep breath. Hold it for as long as you possibly can. As you hold it inside, notice how uncomfortable you begin to feel when you are holding on to something that is meant to be released.
Now exhale completely and hold your breath with your lungs fully emptied. Feel how uncomfortable you feel when you are resisting receiving something that you need: air!
The act of giving doesn’t have to be limited to an exchange of presents at holidays or birthdays. You can treat every person, place and thing you come in contact with as an opportunity to give. It could be a kind word, a simple smile, some appreciation, the sharing of some special knowledge, even a helping hand or a bit of support during a difficult emotional time.
Don’t hold your breath. True giving, without expectation of anything in return is as effortless as breathing. Let your true essence flow!
Who Do I Have To Hate To Be Your Friend?
Who do I have to hate to be your friend?
When are we gonna see us is them?
Unforgiveness is the prison we are living in.
Who do I have to hate to be your friend?
Hello Mother, alone, we regret to inform you
That someone you love is not coming home.
Charles and Maggie, Thomas and Stephen,
Body for body, we call it “getting even.”
Ahmed, Mohammed, David and Abdul,
Along with Jameela, won’t make it to school.
Boaz and Leah, Jonas and Chavez are carried away.
Tell me which ones to grieve and which ones to celebrate.
Who do I have to hate to be your friend?
When are we gonna see us is them?
Unforgiveness is the prison we are living in
Who do I have to hate to be your friend?
Rage, like poison, we swallow the pill,
Making us sicker each day,
When it’s them we are trying to kill
We build a wall that’s unbending with shame.
Lands and languages differ but our pain is the same.
Haasad is wailing and mourning Ameer,
Joseph’s son Joseph is supposed to be here,
The blast – it happened so fast, Johnny could not get clear,
And the cry of his newborn son he’ll never hear.
Who do I have to hate to be your friend?
When are we gonna see us is them?
Unforgiveness is the prison we are living in.
Who do I have to hate to be your friend?
Who do I have to hate to be your friend?
(These introspective words were written by Bret Martin, aka “The Cancer Crooner,” from Santa Rosa; Tommy Smothers performed “Who Do I Have To Hate To Be Your Friend?” during a 2007 Live Vegas Stage Show at the Orleans Hotel, the video can be viewed HERE.)
No Apologies
by Michelle Maynard Koenig
I make no apologies for smiling
where light of the heart contrasts the darkness of fear;
I make no apologies for honesty
in witnessing my soul embracing itself in another soul;
I make no apologies for inquiring
the divine greater-than-I-am-and-know that expands boundaries of awareness;
I make no apologies for gratitude
for all that sustains;
I make no apologies for harmony
the concerto of life;
I make no apologies for love
the source of everything;
I make no apologies for being
everything and nothing
an infinite masterpiece.
A Grateful Life – Ready For A Challenge?
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Chris Guillebeau of The Art of Nonconformity.
Three Truths to Help You Create a Life of Gratitude
On a recent trip to Ohrid, Macedonia, I arrived in the middle of the night after a six-hour bus ride through Albania. It was my first time in Macedonia, so I didn’t know my way around very well. I carried my bags through the small town, finally locating my guesthouse after a half-hour trek.
By that point, it was 3:30 a.m. and I hadn’t slept at all. Since my reservation was for the next day, the guesthouse let me store my bags, but I couldn’t check in until much later that morning. Exhausted and disoriented, I stumbled back outside and walked around some more.
That’s when I discovered the most curious thing. Just a few blocks from my guesthouse, a huge street party was underway. About 75 Macedonians were hanging out, dancing and chatting on the street as if it were 9:00 p.m. In the midst of my exhaustion, I smiled… and felt a deep sense of joy. I was still tired, but at the same time, I felt tremendously grateful for the chance to travel so far from my home.
“I’m in Macedonia,” I said out loud to no one in particular. “It’s four o’clock in the morning, and I’ve arrived at the coolest street party ever.”
As crazy as it was, I was enthralled with the experience of participating in the unexpected nightlife of Ohrid, Macedonia. And even if you haven’t had the experience to travel much, I suspect that you may recognize the feeling I had that night, because many Zen Habits readers share the same commitment to self-improvement and purposeful living.
I believe that a key part of that lifestyle is gratitude, the habit of practicing gratefulness.
Breaking the word down a bit further thanks to the ever-convenient Dictionary.com, gratitude means:
- an appreciative attitude for what one has received
- a warm or deep appreciation of personal kindness
- a disposition to express gratefulness by giving thanks
I like all three of these definitions for different reasons. I think gratitude also relates to a full life spent in awareness of all the good things that surround us.
You see, fellow Zen Habits readers, we are all incredibly rich. If you have access to a computer and are able to read this essay, you’re already doing pretty well compared to half of the world. And by making a commitment to improve our lives, us productivity freaks are also more focused on “getting the right things done” than most of our peers.
More than anything else, I want to avoid ambling through life without a sense of awareness and purpose. To make that happen, I’ve decided that I want gratefulness to be one of my core values. In other words, I want to create a life of gratitude… but what does that mean?
Characteristics of a Grateful Life
A life of gratitude is composed of three parts that combine to make a whole.
1. A sense of purpose in our lives
2. An appreciation for the lives of those around us
3. A willingness to take action to show the gratitude we feel
I don’t claim that this list is complete, but it’s a good starting point. Feel free to add your own ideas in the comments section at the end of this essay.
Gratitude is expressed through big and small things.
Living a balanced life of gratitude requires that our “big rocks” be well established. Most importantly, our family and other close relationships need to be in order. And if we don’t love all aspects of our work, we have to enjoy at least most of them and feel like we are contributing to something greater than ourselves.
Big rocks like these are indeed quite important, but I believe the small things also matter. The way we speak to family members, the habit of picking up after ourselves throughout the day, the choice to recycle instead of throwing everything in the trash can, the willingness to allow other drivers to “cut” into our lane–over time, these small decisions matter a great deal.
Some people say that if we get the big things taken care of, the small things will fall into place. I’m not entirely convinced of that, because I believe gratitude is deeply tied to both the big and the small.
Gratitude is not all about money, but it does include money.
The way we handle our money reflects how we feel about other people and our lives in general. Therefore, an important part of living gratefully usually includes a commitment to regularly help others with our financial resources. If you don’t have a strategy for giving to charity, I recommend you create one by reviewing your finances and a few organizations worthy of greater support. Then, set up automatic donations to those organizations so that you won’t forget about sending in the money.
The process of outwardly showing more gratitude (by investing your money in others’ lives) will create an inward feeling of gratefulness. It’s a win-win relationship.
Gratitude must be regularly cultivated, even when times are hard.
It was cool to hang out in Macedonia in the middle of the night, but the six-hour bus ride to get there wasn’t that great. Gratitude is a balanced response to a life filled with highs and lows. Without the long bus ride, there would be no Macedonia, and that would be sad.
If you spend time every day expressing gratitude in a way that is meaningful to you (more on that in a minute), it will quickly become an integral part of your life. Like any habit, the more we practice it, the more natural it becomes. We must purposefully create a life of gratitude if we want to be fully alive.
We can cultivate gratitude through prayer, meditation, writing, and other expressions of art. We can also cultivate gratitude in the way we interact with others, which is why I am happy to bring you…
The Zen Habits Gratefulness Challenge
Fellow readers of Zen Habits, I’d like to leave you with a challenge today. This is not a theoretical challenge–it’s designed to be quite practical.
Over the next 30 days, I would like to challenge you to create your own life of gratitude in a way that is meaningful to you, and to begin practicing acts of gratefulness more than you have ever done before.
I’ll be doing it along with you, and so will a lot of other readers. It’s always good to be specific, so here are some ideas… but don’t let these limit you.
- Spend three minutes every morning writing down a few things you are grateful for that day
- Devote a full morning or afternoon to composing a more detailed gratefulness list. (One tip: think both about what you are grateful for and also how you can show that gratitude)
- Make it a habit to encourage at least one person every day
- Review your finances to make sure they are in order and aligned with your values
- Plan something fun, like a trip to somewhere you’ve never been
- For one day (or more), say something positive to every person you meet
Lastly, every good challenge has a part two. Are you ready for the part two of this challenge? Here it is:
The second part of the Zen Habits Gratefulness Challenge is for you to pass on the challenge to others.
You don’t need to do this in an organized way–make it your way. Just make it real, because the world will be better for it. Bloggers, you have a loyal audience that pays attention to what you have to say. Tell them what you’re grateful for, and then challenge them as well.
In your work and school environments, you can be an influence for positive change, and one way to start is by spreading the habit of gratitude.
If you’ve enjoyed this guest essay, or even if you haven’t, I’d like to hear from you. Do you accept the gratefulness challenge? What are some other ways to create a life of gratitude? Please post your feedback in the comments below.
Chris Guillebeau is a social entrepreneur who writes at The Art of Nonconformity. From 2002-2006 he worked as an aid worker in West Africa, and over the next five years traveling the world.
You Deserve To Be Loved, Not Tolerated
by Michelle Maynard Koenig
Love the source within you. Then surround yourself with people who recognize that source. It matters not how many or how few. People seasoned with love will accept you for who you are or are not.
At this very moment …
there are people across the Earth similar to you.
People who are from all walks of life.
People who are feeling lonely or missing somebody.
People who are tolerated, but not loved.
At this very moment …
there are people across the Earth similar to you.
People who may find themselves in a situation or relationship that breeds chaos and angst.
People who have secrets haunting them day in and day out.
At this very moment …
there are people across the Earth similar to you.
People who wish.
People who dream.
People who hope.
At this very moment …
there are people across the Earth similar to you.
People gazing out the window of a car, bus, train, or even from the confines of their home,
and wondering if there are others in the world like them.
At this very moment …
there are people across the Earth similar to you.
People who, if you shared with them the self-doubt occupying your thoughts, the worries wrenching your gut in pain, or the faceless fears that continuously rob you of serenity, recognize the familiarity in their own life and understand you.
At this very moment …
there are people across the Earth similar to you.
People who could be reading these words, just as you are.
At this very moment …
I am writing this for you.
You are loved, not tolerated.
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