How to BE the Candle that Lights the World

Better To Light Candles ~ How to BE the Light“It is better to light candles than to curse the darkness.
It is better to plant seeds than to accuse the earth.
The world needs all of our power and love and energy,
and each of us has something that we can give.
The trick is to find it and use it, to find it and give it away.
So there will always be more.
We can be lights for each other, and through each other’s illumination we will see the way.
Each of us is a seed, a silent promise,
and it is always spring.” ~Merle Shain

We live in a world that is drunk on the need for gaining power against all odds. If that means, compromising on our own morals and losing all self-respect in doing so…so be it! Right?!?!

Not really……

If any of our decisions and actions are of personal gain, with the ‘no matter what’ attitude attached to it, its not just morally wrong, but psychological and emotional suicide.

We blame the world, we blame the government, we blame the officials….we literally blame everyone and everything for our problems. But, have we ever thought of looking within? Have we ever thought of how we can be a positive light in this world? Continue reading “How to BE the Candle that Lights the World”

5 Positive Ways to Contentment

“Man falls from the pursuit of the ideal of plan living and high thinking the moment he wants to multiply his daily wants. Man’s happiness really lies in contentment.” ~ Gandhi

What is contentment really? Is happiness more important or is contentment more important?

I believe that contentment and happiness are very intertwined. Infact one can’t BE without the other.

To me happiness is a state of being. We tend to come in and out of happiness depending on our situation…but contentment is not like that. Contentment once achieved becomes an ingrained part of you, which does not change or fluctuate…no matter what your state of mind or situation.

To achieve contentment takes practice and persistence. While I agree that I have not always been the content type, I also know that it was that time that was very very unhappy for me too. Which only proves, that contentment is as essential to our happiness as air is to our being alive. Continue reading “5 Positive Ways to Contentment”

A Birthday FULL of Gratitude

gratitude makes way for happiness. A Birthday full of gratitude.“Gratitude gladdens the heart. It is not sentimental, nor jealous, nor judgmental. As gratitude grows, it gives rise to joy. We experience the courage to rejoice in our own good fortune and in the good fortune of  others. Joy is natural to an open heart. In it, we are not afraid of pleasure. We do not mistakenly believe it is disloyal to the suffering of the world to honor the happiness we have been given. Like gratitude, joy gladdens the heart. We can be joyful for people we love, for moments of goodness, for sunlight and trees and for the breath within our breast. And as our joy grows, we finally discover a happiness without cause. Like an innocent child who does not have to do anything to be happy, we can rejoice in life itself, in being alive.”
~
Excerpt from A Meditation on Gratitude and Joy from The Art of Forgiveness, Loving kindness and Peace by Jack Kornfield~

As I celebrate my birthday today, I am immediately overwhelmed by feelings of gratitude to The Almighty. Over the last year there have been many major changes that have happened in my life. Some good, some not so good. But, they have brought me to a place where I yearn for simplicity. I have always been a simplistic soul in the making…I just didnt know how awesome it would feel when I actually simplified EVERYTHING!
Continue reading “A Birthday FULL of Gratitude”