by Vishnu | Aug 18, 2014 | Inspiration, Motivation, Optimism, Overcoming Challenges, Personal Development
We all go through dark and scary times in our lives. Here are some of the most uplifting quotes to give you strength and inspiration during the dark and difficult times.
Please find 21 quotes that will inspire you to keep hope alive and your spirits high.
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“Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well.” Jack London
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“I’m not afraid of storms for I am learning to sail my ship.” Louisa May Alcott
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“Colors come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunlit sky.” Rabindranath Tagore
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“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” Nelson Mandela
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“Getting knocked down in life is a given, getting up and moving forward is a choice.” Zig Ziglar
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“Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.” Winston Churchill
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“It is often hard to distinguish the hard knocks in life and those of opportunity.” Frederick Phillips
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“The beautiful thing about setbacks is they introduce us to our strengths.” Robin Sharma
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“Breakdowns can create breakthroughs. Things fall apart so things can fall together.” Unknown
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“Seeds of faith are always within us; sometimes it takes a crisis to nourish and encourage their growth.” Susan Taylor
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“I am not what has happened to me, I am what I chose to become.” Carl Jung
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“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” Douglas Adams
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“Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.” Author Unknown
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“Sometimes the wrong train can take us to the right place.” Paulo Coelho
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“At any given moment, you have the power to say: This is not how the story is going to end.” Christine Mason Miller
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“Sometimes we fall down because there’s something down we’re supposed to find.” Unknown
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“Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go; it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow”. Alice Mackenzie Swaim
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“You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one.” Zig Ziglar
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“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” Desmond Tutu
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“Never be ashamed of a scar. It simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you.” Unknown
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“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
If you enjoyed these quotes, please share on Facebook, Twitter, Google + or your favorite social media sites. Thank you!
by Vishnu | Mar 9, 2014 | Faith, God, Spirituality
I've given up, people. Blogging now instead.
Imagine random strangers sauntering through your home at all times of the day and night to visit the temple-like prayer room.
If you’ve lived in such a home, you know you’re likely going to need a therapist later in life, join a monastic order or become a spirituality blogger.
And no, not for a second as a teenager did I think it was odd to have strangers and friends seek the blessings of our 3-foot granite elephant God statue, housed in a make-shift prayer room.
Those who visited the friendly Lord Ganesha usually came seeking blessings, peace of mind and stock market insights.
Survey says…“Don’t talk about God!”
While I didn’t ultimately join a cult or spend many years in therapy, I did start a blog which focuses on improving your life and even occasionally mentions God here and there.
So imagine my surprise when I did a reader survey recently and received an overwhelming response from you reminding me that the last thing you wanted to hear about was…God.
You don’t want to read about it and many of us don’t want to even think about it!
And you almost can’t say the word “God” out loud in public places ‘cause people will think you’ve lost your mind.
We are more interested in a game of Angry Birds, Harry Potter novels, Miley Cyrus twerks, Kim Kardashian selfies and what the new royal baby, Prince George, is wearing today than anything to do with the ruler of the universe.
What we’re going to do during half-time of a football game has become more interesting than the afterlife.
Sunday football now trumps a day of devotion.
Instant messaging now replaces the rosary and prayer. Karaoke has replaced choir practice.
No doubt, God’s on the run. And there are some legitimate reasons for God’s disappearance from our everyday lives.
After looking at some of the many reasons for God’s absence from our lives, I’ll propose 7 reasons to consider allowing God back into yours.
A laundry list of reasons why God is less popular Vladmir Putin and bachelor Juan Pablo.
♠ Why would you ever want to worship a God whose many followers seem to be judgmental and carry around a holier-than-thou attitude? If God-worshippers are arrogant and ego-fueled, what can God really have to offer?
♠ You can see your new Android phone. You can see and heart the photos you post on Instagram. You can observe the many floats streaming down 6th Avenue in New York during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
Unfortunately, you can’t SEE God. Not only can you not see God, the entity, but you don’t feel you have enough evidence of God’s existence.
♠ You’re frustrated, confused or just offended by the mumbo jumbo in religious texts. You’re weary of words like sin and salvation, atman and samsara, the Covenant and the Law, tawhid and wahid, flustered by the myriads of angels, prophets, and kings in the religious books.
♠ The ways of worship trouble you. You might disagree or be offended by various cultural and traditional practices for worshiping God around the world.
You find fire worship and chanting loony, prayer five times a day obsessive, or the practice of confession disconcerting, scary and giving you a feeling that you might do some jail time.
♠ The same reason you hated school and your parents while growing up: rules and commandments.
There doesn’t seem to be leeway.
The standards are just too high. Accepting God doesn’t seem to be enough.
If you make the wrong move, commit the wrong sin, or find yourself off course, you’ve bought a one-way ticket to hell, or you might be reincarnated as Charlie Sheen in your next life.
♠ Although God is accepting and open to all, you’re offended by the close-mindedness of it all.
If you drink, you’re not permitted to.
If you party, you’re told God doesn’t approve.
You’re condemned if you divorce, lie, steal, text and drive, or watch House of Cards.
You’re told what is tolerable and what will make you burn in hell for eternity.
♠ You’re terrified that religious folks are using God for their own social and political agendas, absolutely petrified that your life will be dictated by principles in holy books and dictates from one religion or the other. You see the religious fanatics in every country trying to dominate the political discourse and hijack civic life with religious legislation.
♠ God ruined your relationship, gifted you a mother-in-law from hell, forced you to become a lawyer, or made you live in Flint, Michigan!
God allows billions of people to go hungry, die in war and remain in abject poverty.
What kind of maniacal God would allow so much suffering?
You didn’t get the job you wanted, the man you desired, the home you had envisioned in your mind since you were six. Instead, your life has been filled with disappointments, failure and heartbreak.
♠ Scandal-ridden clergy members and controversial ministers who are hypocritical, abusive and showy.
Not cool.
The men and women who claim to serve God include cons, sex-hungry thieves and scandal-filled charlatans. They drive fast cars, pocket from the people they lead and flash bling like 50 Cent (the rapper, folks!).
Now, there may be a myriad of other reasons God is simply an afterthought in your life.
Why do YOU hate God?
Why do you treat God like a house guest who has overstayed her welcome? Hang up on God like a telemarketer calling at dinner time?
7 practical reasons to give God another go.
You might hate God and hate me now for writing about God.
As I said, many of you who answered my survey told me not to talk about God whatsoever, and yet here comes this post about God.
Don’t worry, friends, I promise you’ll only see posts about God as many times as you’ll see X-Factor judge, Simon Cowell, being kind to a contestant (never), but a little more than how many days it rains each year in Southern California (twice).
What God can do for you that cheap medication and the mafia can’t.
Forget about all the reasons you’re resisting and keeping God away from your life.
Develop a relationship with God and you’ll experience these 7 benefits in your life. (Hey, it’s cheaper than feel-good meds and less dangerous than asking for a favor from a mob boss)
1) Strength.
When life-crushing and soul-shaking experiences come into your life, how do you deal with it? Ok, after you put down the gin and rum, how do you deal with it?
Alcohol and medication can only help you cope for so long. When life is unusually cruel or throws you under the bus and runs over you a couple times, allow God to carry you through the difficulty.
You can share your sorrows, summon the strength to carry on and seek the counsel of God.
It’s like your own personal psychologist without the insurance companies, therapist couch or condescending personality, similar to a trusted, loyal, uplifting and supremely helpful best friend.
2) Meaning and fulfillment.
Have you pondered the meaning of life after a binge 50-episode Duck Dynasty marathon?
Or charged off on a holiday shopping spree to rival those of Victoria Beckham? All the while feeling like you’re caught up in a consumerist lifestyle which gives importance to material wealth and social status?
God allows you to find meaning and fulfillment in your life. You’ll realize that you yourself are enough. You’re divine! You don’t need to be anything or anyone else.
Your purpose now is to live a divinely-inspired life.
Cozying up to God can help you find fulfillment and purpose, including loving your neighbors, loving God more, serving others, or inspiring others to live more divinely-inspired lives.
3) Humility.
You may think you’re smarter than Einstein, hipper than Jay-Z, more beautiful than Heidi Klum and more talented than Jessica Chastain, but you’re probably more likely living in a place where cannabis is legal.
Many religious traditions talk about being meek and humble. You may find that tough to do as our monster-like egos consume our lives.
Putting God in perspective allows you to surrender your ego to this omniscient, omnipresent entity.
The greater presence of God in your life permits you to be open to others, to temper that gigantic ego and to be a person of service.
4) Peace of mind.
Isn’t it nice to know that you don’t have to travel life alone?
God’s available at a moment’s notice to listen and to be there for you.
You can conveniently unload life’s thorniest and weightiest problems on God.
All you have to say is, “God, I can’t handle this, give me the mental stability and emotional peace to deal with this challenge. Walk with, walk beside me, and help me through this one…”
5) A practice of love and compassion.
Having a greater divine presence in your life allows you to see the divine in other people.
You can become a more loving person by becoming a more God-inspired person.
God doesn’t want to hurt anyone or see anyone suffer. God’s NOT a mafia boss or an angry ex-lover.
God is love and compassion. Seek more God in your life and you’ll find that you’re more loving and compassionate to others.
Interestingly, today’s religious fanatics are usually the worst at showing love to others.
If you, on the other hand, understand that everyone shares the same divinity as you, you can’t help but feel a kindred spirit with your friends and neighbors (and even your family)
6) Hope in despair.
How will you wake up tomorrow?
How are you going to deal with your house being flooded, cancer, a divorce or a legal squabble?
With God, you have two kinds of hope. First, God promises that you’ll get through the rough patches and make it to a better day. You’ll have the strength and courage to face life’s most cruel trials.
God may not alleviate the situation as much as transform you to be more accepting and resilient in your life’s struggle.
God can inspire you to find solutions, seek resources and light that spark of creativity to change your circumstances.
The second way God can provide hope is by giving you comfort at the end of life.
Your trial run on earth can be rewarded with heaven, enlightenment, reincarnation or other eternal rewards.
7) Community and fellowship. Although there are many complications you’ll encounter with religion, each tradition offers you a unique way to congregate and respect God.
Find a suitable religion, and leave ones that don’t resonate with your soul.
To deal with life’s trials and tribulations, God can help us through the dark alleys, but you can also benefit from the help of a congregation, church or temple community on a similar life path.
Most traditions of God-worship are communal and bring together a community of people.
Your co-worshipers can provide the additional courage, understanding and direction to help you through the ups and downs of life.
They’ll be there in the good times and the soul-wrenching ones.
I hope you’ll consider giving God another chance.
I hope you’ll even consider purchasing this book I wrote about God, Is God Listening? I wrote it 2 years ago, but just put it up for sale for your reading pleasure. Yes, you’ll laugh, cry and think about God differently.
Are you willing to give God another go? Or are you going to jump out the third-story window if you ever hear the word “God” again 🙂 ? Let me hear you in the comments below.
by Vishnu | Aug 11, 2013 | Purpose
Purpose = Become the Buddha? Or just pose with the Buddha?
“All men (and women) should strive to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why.” James Thurber
There was a time when I was doing work that was out of line with my purpose. It wasn’t all that long ago when I was practicing law as a trial lawyer helping those charged with crimes.
It was exciting, challenging and required using a lot of my speaking, writing and persuasive skills. (A lot of my persuasion skills 🙂 )
My days were filled with preparing cases for trial and then presenting the evidence to a jury of 12 who were to make decisions on my clients’ lives.
Shortly after this work, I became actively engrossed in the world of politics. I worked with and helped elect some of the leading politicians in the cities I lived in. Again, exciting and challenging work that really made me feel like I was making a difference in the world.
Once again, I withdrew from doing this work.
Each time I left these careers, I felt a little bit of sadness.
At the same time, I knew I was transitioning from work which didn’t suit my soul completely towards my calling or life purpose.
I didn’t quite know what it would take, but I did know the immediate consequences of my journey included sacrificing promotions, pay and stimulating work.
Despite these personal setbacks, I chose to live more of my life’s purpose so I could be true to myself.
Here are 9 strategies you can use to find your life purpose today.
1) Find a way to serve. If you have no idea what your life purpose is, find a way to serve someone.
Serve at home, work, or a volunteer clinic. Help a friend, a neighbor, your former professor, your mentors, your clients, your cat, your obnoxious boss or even your lovely mother-in-law.
Find ways to give back to people: a way to make their lives easier. If they need help with babysitting, cooking, dog-walking, or dog-searching, lend a helping hand.
If you have skills or qualifications that you can use to benefit others, help them.
In giving, you’ll discover what brings you joy.
2) Find your joy. A decadent chocolate souffle or a hearty steak dinner might make you joyful, but it might also give you heart-burn and cause you to gain a few extra pounds.
Not temporary moments of bliss but what brings you lasting happiness and joy?
Out of all the jobs you’ve had, which brought you the most joy? Write those down. If you hated all your jobs, which skills at those various jobs brought you the most happiness? Note those on a piece of paper as well.
When work stops feeling like work, you’ve found your joy. When you’ve found your joy or satisfied your soul’s yearning in life, you’re most likely living your purpose.
You may like writing, teaching, preaching, singing or running long distances. If each of these bring you joy, see how these activities can contribute to your purpose. What lessons can they teach you about your purpose?
Write down the things that bring you joy, so you can see what common qualities exist between those activities.
Also, try to determine WHY each activity brings you joy. For example, let’s say you enjoy working with people, you most likely enjoy human contact and connections.
If you enjoy making complex subjects easier for others to understand, you most likely enjoy helping others learn and grow.
3) Find your strength. What are you good at? What makes you stand out like a Hollywood star?
If you answer, ‘nothing’, then your strength might be humility because, of course, you’re good at something.
You’re good at something, as much as you hate to admit it to yourself.
When your professor told you that you’re the best researcher he had in college, you ignored him.
When your students told you that you helped them take their practice even deeper in yoga class, you thought it was out of obligation.
When your in-laws praised you for the zea-licious chicken curry you whipped up, you thought it was expected of you.
Often, you don’t acknowledge or admit what you’re good at because all too often you discount your strengths or ignore them altogether.
If you’re painting Mona Lisa-like paintings but not showing them to anyone, you’re depriving the world of your art and depriving yourself of your purpose.
Your personality type can offer clues to your strengths in life. Find your personality type and Penelope Trunk says you’ll find fulfillment and even passion in doing that work.
4) Find yourself. You might want to spend some time getting to know yourself in your quest to find your life’s calling.
A discussion with a trusted pal for self-reflection or other opportunities to take a step back and analyze your life, are good ways to discover yourself first.
Once you unmask all the superficial characteristics and qualities in your life, you will be better suited to find your purpose.
You’ve been conditioned by your family and your community to do certain jobs, have certain beliefs and pursue certain career paths.
Most of these beliefs imposed on you are fear-based and might make you feel like you’re drowning.
A mindfulness practice, continuously listening to your inner-self and reflections on your intuition are needed to bust through all the layers of family, community and society.
Living your purpose unfolds miraculously in front of your eyes when you figure out who you are, what you stand for and what you value.
5) Find your clues. In many instances, you already know your life purpose is, but are in denial about it. Fear-based or scarcity-based thinking deprives you from fulfilling your purpose.
You might already know what you excel at and what your strengths are. You know what people repeatedly compliment you about and what you do well. But you may not be acknowledging the clues which will lead you to your purpose.
Your purpose may have been scattered in various experiences through different educational experiences, life experiences and jobs. It may not even be career-related.
It may have been when you pursued a hobby or tinkered around with some gadgets at home as a kid.
It may have been revealed in a soul-touching incident which brought you wander, awe or desire to re-experience the incident.
It could be something you’re already doing each week or during a part of your day. You just have to grab that captivating experience and pursue it more intensely.
Read more about this in Paulo Coelho’s book, the Alchemist, where he refers to this as omens.
6) Find your motivation. Sure, you have to feed the kids’ dog because you have to. Ok, fine, you want to, as well, to keep the local animal protection agency from coming after you.
You do have to cook for the kids, or child protective services and/or prison time might be involved.
Reports to your boss might be required in exchange for a pay-check.
But what do you do without being coaxed?
What part of your life at home or day at work do you start without feeling like it’s an obligation?
What are you naturally motivated to do? Your purpose isn’t very far from that activity.
7) Find your small and big breaks.
“And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
When you’re doing your purpose, the most interesting manifestations occur. You begin seeing favor in your life supporting the work you’re doing. It’s yet another clue that what you’re doing is in line with your purpose.
Let’s say you’re trying to practice your public speaking skills at the local Toastmaster club and get an overwhelming positive response by all club members. Small break.
Or you started a small personal development and spirituality blog called Vishnu’ Virtues and snagged a guest post on your favorite space in the blog-o-sphere, The Tiny Buddha community. Small break.
Or you’re trying to make it as a professional life sage and guru and you’re suddenly spotted by Deepak Chopra. Big break.
Positive reflection from others or the universe, honors and accolades from others, opportunities to partner, grow and nurture your talents should be seen as indications that you’re on the right path.
8) Find what isn’t your purpose. As my friend Razwana would say, you can’t just sit back downing a glass of wine to discover what your purpose might be.
She’d say you have to get out there and try new things. If you believe something is your purpose, do it. Get your hands dirty, invest in the tools you need, provide that service for a friend or gift that product you made to a potential customer.
Purpose isn’t found in theories and daydreams. Purpose is found in taking action to match life’s work with your being.
Want to be a chef? Take a class? Start a food movement? Start a blog?
Want to direct a movie? Volunteer your directing abilities to local actors at the community college making independent movies.
Believe your purpose is creating a multi-million dollar business empire? Create a product to sell. Start a notebook. Provide a service. Freelance. Start a podcast to help others. Unleash your creative works.
And the caveat is that you may not find your purpose once you do some of this but you will know if it makes you happy and brings you joy. You’ll know if it’s something you want to do the rest of your life.
If it isn’t, eliminate it and keep moving forward.
Test what you believe is your purpose. Continue to do what resonates with you and give up what doesn’t.
9) Find the intuitive voice.
You likely have a small voice within yourself that has been guiding you and directing you your entire life.
Most of the time, you hardly pay attention to this voice.
Most of the time when you didn’t listen to this voice, things have gone haywire.
In the depth of silence, if you listened real intently, you can hear what this voice is saying to you.
It likely has been speaking to you your entire life and pointing you in a particular direction that you have completely ignored, not taken seriously or never really explored.
Is it the time to get quiet and tap into this intuition so you can be guided to pursuing your life’s purpose?
Have you found your life purpose? How did you find it?
I wanted to share with you 3 resources that you may find helpful on your own journey to your life purpose.
- Pick up Paulo Coelho’s book, the Alchemist, here on the journey to your life purpose.
- Pick up my book, One Way Ticket: 11 Ways to Discover Your Highest Purpose and Transition Out of Your Profession, here.
- Pick up my book, 7 Sacred Promises, on finding a life of purpose and meaning here.
by Vishnu | Mar 24, 2013 | God, Religion, Spirituality
What's God's cell number again?
“Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays“ Soren Kierkesgaard
What do you pray for in your life?
If you were anything like me as a kid, you prayed for your favorite toys and electronic gadgets to show up on Christmas, acing your exams, winning the soccer match and longing for your favorite pizza to manifest for dinner.
Later in life, you might have prayed for admission into the college of your dreams, professional success, marital harmony, healthy children, and lots of moolah $$
What you pray for.
Often in life, we pray to God for material possessions (a new Iphone, pay raises or your own tropical island), personal favors (like the Giants winning the World Series or the cop letting you go without ticketing your) and for a stroke or luck (winning the lottery or your stock broker actually being right for once 🙂
Nothing wrong with praying for favors.
In fact, God is there for your favors. If you live by God’s laws and obey His command, you’re going to reap the rewards of His favor.
But sometimes, life puts us through trials and tribulations. We don’t always get what we want. The house, the man of our dreams, the job or the financial security we desired may not materialize.
We then blame God. And wonder why he has forsaken us.
You can pray for favor but consider praying for the prayers that can transform you.
The prayers than can transform your life.
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100
Pray for thanksgiving.
You have more in your life than you can imagine. And more to be thankful for than what you desire in your life. Instead of wanting, why not be appreciative for the blessings you do have?
Why pray for the promotion when you can be thankful for the job? Why pray for a bigger house when you can be grateful for the one you’re already living in?
Instead of asking in prayer, be grateful in prayer.
Pray for strength.
We tend to ask God to help us solve situations, fix circumstances and change the calamities in our lives. When you’re down and scuffling with life, you ask God why He’s testing you? You wish God can abracadabra the situation and change it.
What if instead of asking for a change of circumstance, you pray for strength to deal with whatever tribulations come your way? It doesn’t matter how horrific, heart-breaking or soul-crushing, why don’t we ask God to give us the mental and emotional power to tackle the pains and hurts we confront?
Give us the ability to reach out to the get the help we need, to find the scriptures that soothe us, to have the power to bear life’s challenges.
Pray for humility.
Ever asked God for fame and recognition in the eyes of friends and family? Ever asked for attention and recognition?
Why not ask for humility instead. Humble with the gifts that God has given us. Humble for the special qualities we have. Humble for the many blessings we have in our lives.
When we’re walking around with our head held high and our egos on the loose, ask God to put our lives in perspective for us. Help us tame our ego. Help us think about others and not ourselves.
Pray for others.
We tend to focus on ourselves in prayer. ‘Oh, God help me win this game. Help me write this book. Help me find peace. Help me land the job.’
We are us-focused. Why not pray for the problems and challenges our family, friends, colleagues and neighbors face?
Ask God to help them, guide them, lead them and lead them. Let’s turn our focus from us to others. Let’s ask God to give strength to those who need it. Those grieving, those hurting, those who have lost everything.
Pray for hope.
Your situation may be unimaginable and dark. Ask God to fill with you hope. To remind you and take you towards the flicker of light at top of the summit. Similar to praying for strength, finding the inner abilty to always be more positive. To seek a better tomorrow. To be able to deal with what comes our way knowing it will get better.
Pray for self-awareness and understanding.
We often think we’re in the right and everyone else is in the wrong. We think we are the ones who have it figured out. What’s wrong with everyone else? Why does it seem like everyone else has lost their mind? Why is the problem so challenging?
Why don’t your parents, husband, clients or children understand you?
Seek understanding. That you may not know everything about yourself but seek the inner knowledge to know more about yourself. That your thoughts become clearer. Your intuition becomes stronger. Your awareness of your behavior, perspective and actions makes more sense to you.
You can step back and be more mindful of yourself. This may take prayer to achieve. It may take meditation.
Pray for compassion.
Pray that you’re able to empathize for yourself and others. Be able to take it easy on yourself. Pray that you don’t view yourself as a failure and you can accept yourself for the person you are. And that you can extend that same compassion for others. You can feel, understand and put yourself in the shoes of others.
That you’ll be able to share in their grief and problems.
Pray for patience.
Why do you demand everything happen immediately in your life? When it comes to the plane taking off on time or in God responding your prayers?
Why can’t you wait for five minutes or 5 years. Pray that you’ll have the patience to not know when, how long, how far or how often and that you’ll be ok with that.
Pray for forgiveness.
Forgiving those that have wronged you is hard. Although the wrongs may be petty, the monstrous ego gets in the way and tells us that we are right, we’ve done no wrong and that we deserve the apology.
Pray that you can forgive. Pray that others may not know what they’re doing sometimes. That others may be lost, confused, mistaken, unaware, and hurt your unintentionally.
Pray for wisdom.
Pray that you will be wiser with every passing day. That you’ll understand the world better today. Understand yourself better. Understand God better. Understand the truths of the world better. You will learn the lessons that God has been trying to teach you your entire life.
Friends, if you’re going to pray, don’t put God in a tough spot. Don’t demand your stock portfolio double or your damaged car won’t cost you an arm and a leg.
Don’t pray for quick-fixes and Godfather-like-favors.
Pray for what really matters. Pray for the qualities that can transform your life.
Photo credit: Modenadude
To pick up my book, Is God Listening, about surviving life’s difficult times, click here.