We can be telescopes or microscopes

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We can be telescopes or microscopes. We sharpen the mind through focused attention.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Jeff Nissen

Compared to other creatures in the animal kingdom our natural abilities to perceive our world can appear less than remarkable.

  • Dogs have 300 million scent-seeking receptors compared to six million for humans.
  • Bats navigate in the absence of light by sending out ultrasounds and can analyze the signals that bounce back.
  • Spiders construct sensory nets where their webs can capture the slightest vibrations.
  • Snakes and other reptiles are sensitive to infrared.
  • Bees and many birds are sensitive to ultraviolet.

Fortunately, we humans have a solid mix of sensory abilities and the wonderful capacity to expand them through the development of amazing technological innovations.

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways can you use your mind and focused attention to expand your perceptional abilities and interact more successfully with the world around you?

“The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.”

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“The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.”

—William Blake, 19th Century English poet

Image from Unsplash by Kim Turk

How thankful have your felt lately? What are the things you appreciate the most? Try rattling off a list or 10 or even 20 items that come to mind.

Did you have clean water and clean air on your list? How about nutritious food in adequate amounts?  What about having shelter and people who care about you?

Dig a little deeper into your list-making effort to determine your essentials. Notice your level of gratitude for the things many people don’t have or live in fear of going without.

It is puzzling to note many of us focus on what’s missing and our wants for more instead of being truly thankful for what we already have in great abundance.

EXERCISE:

Where and how can you be a far more thankful receiver?

Where and with whom could you be a more generous giver to support others in having a more plentiful harvest?

“Language exerts hidden power, like the moon on the tides.”

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“Language exerts hidden power, like the moon on the tides.”

—Rita Mae Brown, American feminist writer

Image from Unsplash by Kelly Sikkema

I have just finished reading the book Fundamentals — Ten Keys to Reality by Frank Wilczek.  Frank is a former winner of the Nobel Prize for physics and more recently was awarded the Templeton Prize.

As a former science teacher, I was drawn to this book to better help me understand how our universe works and how we as human beings fit into the big picture.

Examining the universe within each of us and our relationships to one another is at least as intriguing as the world of particles and forces that shape our world.

In many ways, it is even more challenging because there is no mathematical wizardry to describe them.

EXERCISE:

Where is the force of language exerting a pull on your personal tides?  How can you use it as a renewable energy source to power your life?

“The first thing to do is quit the belief that our lives go straight.”

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“The first thing to do is quit the belief that our lives go straight.”

—Bruce Feiler, American writer and television personality

Image from Unsplash by Martin Sanchez

Over the past weekend, I took several hours to watch a variety of documentaries. Each film included fascinating people who vividly demonstrated their assent to various remarkable achievements. None of their paths were even close to a straight line.

For me, it was actually the ups and down, zigs and zags, twists and turns that made their stories so engaging.

Where are things in your life not going exactly according to plan? Where are you facing detours and road blocks to your intended goals?

EXERCISE:

Consider watching the Netflix 2020 film The Alpinist to examine the path taken by Marc-Andre Leclerc.

How can you embrace and take your own unique routes to the top of your own personal and professional summits?

Mindfulness and concentration are interdependent

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Mindfulness and concentration are interdependent. Concentration is the magnifying glass and mindfulness is the light.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Stephen Kraakmo

How fired up have you been feeling lately? Who are the people and what are the things that spark your interest and grab your attention? To what degree are you fully engaged and focused on aspects of your life that light up your heart and soul?

Think back to a time when you first used a magnifying glass. How long did it take you to learn that they could not only enlarge the objects you were viewing, but also focus the sun’s light to make fire?

How mindful are you as you go about your typical day?

What is the wattage of your awareness lighting your path?

How often do you take the time to truly concentrate on your relationships and daily activities to set your life ablaze?

EXERCISE:

Where and how could greater mindfulness and concentration fire up and brighten up your life?

Friday Review: Freedom

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FRIDAY REVIEW: FREEDOM

How do you define freedom in the various aspects of your life? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.

By letting things unfold and relinquishing control we discover freedom.

 

 

 

“Sometimes I think that the one thing I love most about being an adult is the right to buy candy whenever and wherever I want.”

 

 

 

“If you want to be free, learn to live simply.”

 

 

 

 

 

Daring to set boundaries is having the courage to love ourselves

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“Daring to set boundaries is having the courage to love ourselves even when we risk disappointing others.”

—Brene Brown

Image from Unsplash by Ralph Katieb

Over the past couple of years, I’ve become increasingly aware of various types of boundaries that people apply and often cross in our day-to-day activities.

Consider how Covid-19 has shaped our lives with social distancing, the use of masks, and a wide variety of other approaches to stay safe.

Before the pandemic and especially today, most of us have a sense of personal boundaries regarding our own bubble of comfort when at social gatherings. We can all feel the awkwardness and discomfort when someone entered our “no fly zone.”

EXERCISE:

Where in your life have others crossed the line and breached the walls of your well-being?

How can and will you find the courage to protect and love yourself when this may disappoint others in your various communities?

To improve your chances of finishing, cut your goal in half

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“To improve your chances of finishing, cut your goal in half or double your timeline for completion.”

—Jon Acuff, author of Finish — Give Yourself the Gift of Done

Image from Unsplash by Alice Yamamura

As we enter the halfway point of 2022, how are you progressing on the goals you established in January?

How many have been realized? Where are you on track?

Where have you fallen behind or perhaps given up completely?

To some, today’s quote looks like a cop out or a form of sandbagging. After all, we are supposed to swing for the fences and stretch for the stars if we listen to the most popular advice on achievement. This may be all well and good in theory but not if we never see things through and wallow in regret.

EXERCISE:

Where would cutting your goals down to size or giving yourself more time to complete things dramatically increase the likelihood of finishing?

Managing your own and others’ expectations will be an important consideration to reduce the chances of upsets along the way.

“See limits on your resources as opportunities to get creative.”

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“See limits on your resources as opportunities to get creative.”

—Joshua Becker, Founder of Becoming Minimalist

Image from Unsplash by Jr Korpa

Growing up my family lived in a very modest row house in Philadelphia. My dad was a physical education teacher and my mom worked as a receptionist at Temple University Hospital.

The majority of our summers were spent at Camp Indian Lake in the Pocono Mountains, where my dad happily worked as the camp’s director. On hot summer days when we were home and before school was back in session, we were always looking for things to do. One day when I must have been getting on my mom’s last nerve, she handed me a plastic bucket filled with water and an old paint brush and told me to go outside and paint the cement wall and driveway out back. Given the scorching heat it took less than a minute for the water to evaporate and offer me another blank canvas for my artistic pursuits.

EXERCISE:

Where and how can and do your see limits on your resources as opportunities to get creative? Please reply to this post to share some examples from your own life that bring a smile to your face.