Inner Peace 4 - The Phantom Menace
The Phantom Menace - the phantom is a menace.
Commitment/Charity/Caring/Giving/Service
It is a fact that most of us have tried and failed before we achieve any success. We may even have given the extra miles often only to no avail. But if you quit trying, you will surely miss out on the riches that awaits you at the end of the rainbow. Without commitment one cannot sustain in the long run. Great achievements are as a result of a commitment to do the right things regardless of the consequences.
When you get to the end of a rainbow you will know there's no real glittering gold at the end of a rainbow, not even the pot. That pot of gold will be the arduous journey and struggles along the way that builds and strengthens you and that is the pot of gold. Do you know how important it is to offer service freely to your community or anyone without expecting anything in return?
There are always so much intangible benefits of personal self-respect, inspiration and feel good factors that are derived from such actions. By rendering a public service you have an effect on your community, you inspire others to similar actions in various areas and help to create ripple effects that has a multiplier effect beyond th works of a single person. As your family, friends, community or organisation become a better place, you will derive joy and happiness being a part of it.
I am sure you can find something you do not need or some money that can be contributed for a good cause or even your time, give it to someone who needs it. It will come back to you in another way.
When you get to the end of a rainbow you will know there's no real glittering gold at the end of a rainbow, not even the pot. That pot of gold will be the arduous journey and struggles along the way that builds and strengthens you and that is the pot of gold. Do you know how important it is to offer service freely to your community or anyone without expecting anything in return?
There are always so much intangible benefits of personal self-respect, inspiration and feel good factors that are derived from such actions. By rendering a public service you have an effect on your community, you inspire others to similar actions in various areas and help to create ripple effects that has a multiplier effect beyond th works of a single person. As your family, friends, community or organisation become a better place, you will derive joy and happiness being a part of it.
I am sure you can find something you do not need or some money that can be contributed for a good cause or even your time, give it to someone who needs it. It will come back to you in another way.
A chicken and a pig escaped from a farm one day and they reached a highway and when they looked across the other side of the road, they saw a restaurant selling breakfast with a huge sign showing scrambled eggs at $2 and ham at $4. The chicken proudly said to the pig - look at our contribution giving eggs to feed humans daily. If this is not commitment, what is? The pig said referring to the ham: "You are just giving eggs, we are giving ham. Now that is really what is called commitment".
If we are providing a service, any kind of service even professionally, we must remember that service to others is different from servitude. Servitude is owner/slave realtionship while service to others is an attitude to provide a service like playing host when someone comes to your home.
In Singapore today, many people has forgotten how to serve. Serving others is not lowly, it places gratitude in the hearts of those being served and those being served must learn to respond in kind.
Hobbies/Enthusiasm
Everyone loves to be up and about and want to be doing things, working, achieving something and so on unless we are down with the flu. Being down with an illness gives us the opportunity to get the ample rest needed, to reflect and slow down. We are not born lazy or are inherently lazy beings and the moment you are feeling better, you want to be up and about, get back to work or just do something or anything, to feel alive again.
When a person has nothing to do, boredom sets in and can lead us to being lazy. When you are busy, active and have varied interests, they lead to enthusiasm and discoveries. A quote from Clement Stone says: "The emotions are not always subject to reason but they are always subject to action!" What is it that you like and are best at? Identify it and develop a burning desire to be the best you can at it.
Golf, gardening, fishing, soccer, cooking, etc. It will help take your mind away so that you can feel refreshed and even exhausted from it. It helps you to make new friends, study the subject of interest more intimately and open up new frontiers. Get into action! Bang!
When a person has nothing to do, boredom sets in and can lead us to being lazy. When you are busy, active and have varied interests, they lead to enthusiasm and discoveries. A quote from Clement Stone says: "The emotions are not always subject to reason but they are always subject to action!" What is it that you like and are best at? Identify it and develop a burning desire to be the best you can at it.
Golf, gardening, fishing, soccer, cooking, etc. It will help take your mind away so that you can feel refreshed and even exhausted from it. It helps you to make new friends, study the subject of interest more intimately and open up new frontiers. Get into action! Bang!
Anger/Thoughtfulness/Arguments
Do not be quick to anger as anger brings only wrath. Any word said in anger or action done in anger can never be of any good. It is very easy to arouse others and if you don't care about the cause and effect or what you might inspire, then things can be damaging. If your wish is to create a happy environment you can only do so by example and through the art of persuasion not by putting out a dare or a challenge.
Working with others become especially difficult when you focus on things that others fear or dislike rather than concentrate on other positive aspects and attributes. Isn't it better to learn about other people's fears and dislikes, aspirations, troubles, dreams and hope? You can lead and show them how it is done, how to make things better and motivate them. When these things happen, everybody wins.
People who are good at negotiation handle it so smoothly that the discussions do not even seem like negotiations. Or do we have to have to make adversaries, pound tables or throw chairs to emphasize the your demands? Results can only be achieved when parties involved can see each others position and arrive at agreement that is beneficial to all parties with a clear objective in mind. To understand the other side's position and an in-depth knowledge of the subject helps.
Having an open mind is an equally important quality instead of bullying your way through ot bullying others in submission in accepting your proposal or point of view. Thoughts become words and words your action. Every action there will be a reaction. What you release will affect the recipients and you. "I think, therefore, I am". So you are what you think and thoink about most often. Think success and you feel movitated, think failure and you despair.
Many people get involved in arguments even among friends. So it is best not to start one. If one is ever started, you can argue your points but you must know when to let go, when to give face and how to control it. Know how to end it.
Working with others become especially difficult when you focus on things that others fear or dislike rather than concentrate on other positive aspects and attributes. Isn't it better to learn about other people's fears and dislikes, aspirations, troubles, dreams and hope? You can lead and show them how it is done, how to make things better and motivate them. When these things happen, everybody wins.
People who are good at negotiation handle it so smoothly that the discussions do not even seem like negotiations. Or do we have to have to make adversaries, pound tables or throw chairs to emphasize the your demands? Results can only be achieved when parties involved can see each others position and arrive at agreement that is beneficial to all parties with a clear objective in mind. To understand the other side's position and an in-depth knowledge of the subject helps.
Having an open mind is an equally important quality instead of bullying your way through ot bullying others in submission in accepting your proposal or point of view. Thoughts become words and words your action. Every action there will be a reaction. What you release will affect the recipients and you. "I think, therefore, I am". So you are what you think and thoink about most often. Think success and you feel movitated, think failure and you despair.
Many people get involved in arguments even among friends. So it is best not to start one. If one is ever started, you can argue your points but you must know when to let go, when to give face and how to control it. Know how to end it.
Happiness/Being Positive
What we picture in our mind has a knack of coming true. Isn't it of cursiosity that our minds somehow find a way to transform our imagination into reality for matters we think about most. If you think failure before commencing, you will fail. If you find negative things in people at every chance then you will and nothing positive will work out at all. When someone you have never met speaks to you on the phone, you will immediately form a picture in your head based on his/her voice alone, what is their age, their height, size, background, personality - a zillion data is being transmitted.
Then when you meet these persons one day, you find that they are totally different persons than you imagined. The reverse is also true that when you are a positive, happy and jovial person, you must attract similar people. It is not that bad things don't happen to happy people but that happy people have long decided to be happy regardless of the circumstances and situation and they are always eliminating negative thoughts from their minds before they creep into them. If you allow negative thoughts to dwell, you will sink and nothing worthy would ever be accomplished.
Then when you meet these persons one day, you find that they are totally different persons than you imagined. The reverse is also true that when you are a positive, happy and jovial person, you must attract similar people. It is not that bad things don't happen to happy people but that happy people have long decided to be happy regardless of the circumstances and situation and they are always eliminating negative thoughts from their minds before they creep into them. If you allow negative thoughts to dwell, you will sink and nothing worthy would ever be accomplished.
You see, everything is within us, so we can do something about it.
Our very own phantom is the real menace!
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