Tag Archives: Barry Demp

I think you should always bear in mind that entropy is not on your side

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“I think you should always bear in mind that entropy is not on your side.”

—Elon Musk, entrepreneur, investor, and business magnate

Image from Unsplash by Ravi Patel

I’ve recently noticed more and more people in my communities simplifying their lives as they age. Entropy causes both people and things to fall apart, and it takes considerable energy and effort to keep things in working order. With this in mind and with the hands of time always turning, we get to choose where to focus our energies to keep our most essential life elements going and slow entropy’s inevitable victory.

EXERCISE:

What essential infrastructure projects in your life are getting the most attention and energy? Where do the issues of health and quality relationship stand on your list of priorities? What other areas are most important to maintain in good working order for as long as possible?

Divine seeds are scattered throughout our mortal bodies

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“Divine seeds are scattered throughout our mortal bodies.”

—Seneca, ancient Roman Stoic philosopher

Image from Unsplash by Annie Spratt

I’m sad to say that over the past few years, I’ve attended more funerals than at any other time in my life. Beyond the sadness and grief I’ve felt, I’ve come to more fully appreciate the celebratory stories often told by friends and family. Learning about these individual’s lives and discovering their gifts, talents, and contributions to the world is heartwarming and inspiring.

How often do we truly see and appreciate the divine seeds in one another? Why does it often take someone’s passing for us to discover their best qualities and gifts?

EXERCISE:

How can you seek out, more fully appreciate, and acknowledge the divine seeds in others today? How can you look beyond all the mortal and imperfect aspects of one another to see and celebrate their soulful virtues and wisdom?

Being grateful doesn’t have to be some grandiose thing

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Being grateful doesn’t have to be some grandiose thing. Examine little pleasures and let them land in your awareness.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Timo Volz

Take a deeper plunge into your senses today. Note what you are seeing, feeling, hearing, tasting, and smelling.

In just the past few hours I…

  • Saw sunlight reflecting off a lake
  • Felt my soft pillow and cool sheets against my skin
  • Heard the sound of falling rain
  • Tasted my favorite oatmeal on-the-run breakfast
  • Smelled fresh coffee brewing

EXERCISE:

What are some of the little pleasures you experience throughout your day? How can you be even more present and grateful for the blessings we often overlook?

Joy is the most enduring cosmetic

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“Joy is the most enduring cosmetic.”

—Chip Conley, American hospitality entrepreneur, author, and speaker

Image from Unsplash by Ian E.

I am a people watcher. How about you? Although I usually look at the whole person, recently I’ve paid far more attention to people’s faces. Beyond features of good bone structure and symmetry, I pay particular attention to their eyes. Perhaps it’s the two years of mask wearing that has us pay closer attention to these windows on how people are feeling to check in with each other.

EXERCISE:

Who are the most joyful people in your life? How can you increase your engagement with them to get a bit more of this enduring cosmetic on yourself? A good place to start is with young children.

I do my best because I’m counting on you counting on me.

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“I do my best because I’m counting on you counting on me.”

—Maya Angelou, late American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist

Image from Unsplash by Matheus Ferrero

Who are the people in your life that you can always count on? Those special folks who are there in both good and bad times with just the right amount of support to aid you in your efforts? What qualities do you look for in them, and how do you stack up, given these criteria?

It is fairly rare to have a large list of such individuals in our lives. One way to attract more of these special people is to be one yourself.

EXERCISE:

Who are the people in your life that are counting on you to always do your best? What specific actions are required of you today to not let them down?

The overtrained intellect becomes a buffer from experience

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“The over-trained intellect becomes a buffer from experience.”

— Mark Nepo, Author of The Book of Awakening

Image from Unsplash by Alex Block

Who do you know named Sheldon? If you are like me, this list is either small or without any members. I do, however, have a Sheldon that I’ve grown fond of over the years from the TV shows The Big Bang Theory, and more recently the spin off Young Sheldon.

What I find so endearing is how both young and older Sheldon wrestle with their over-trained intellects to dip their inexperienced toes into the waters of everyday life. Their awkward efforts and reluctant “lessons learned” ring amusingly true as we, too, look at our own uncomfortable and often clumsy missteps in life.

EXERCISE:

Where have you withdrawn a bit from the world of experience into the relative safety of intellectual pursuits? What other activities are you using to buffer yourself from living a larger and perhaps louder life?

Reflect on the ways you offer support to others

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Reflect on the ways you offer support to others.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Duy Pham

Wendy and I recently spent about a month in Pembroke Pines, Florida, within a community called Century Village. My mom and dad retired there over 25 years ago and loved their active lifestyle with many wonderful people. It’s now our turn to begin our own snow-birding lifestyle, to ease back on our work and enjoy the fruits of our labors.

This slower and more mindful pace has given me the time to observe the people in this community more closely and carefully. Noticing the many ways these welcoming and wonderful people support and celebrate their lives together is very satisfying, like a warm homecoming.

EXERCISE:

What are some of the ways you see people supporting one another in your various communities? What are the ways you can acknowledge this support and offer your own generous deposits to enrich the life of others?

Friday Review: Family

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Friday Review: Family

What does “Family” mean to you? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.

“The family is one of nature’s masterpieces.”

 

 

 

 

“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.”

 

 

 

“Children are the living message we send to a time we will not see.”

 

 

 

The story you tell about yourself is your greatest work of art

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“The story you tell about yourself is your greatest work of art.”

—Tara Conklin, NYT Best-selling Author

Image from Unsplash by Natalia Yakovleva

Most of us have at least a handful of stories we repeatedly tell ourselves and others.

They may be tales of wit, humor, insights, adventures, and accomplishment, but they are all reruns, and rarely have much to add to our todays.

Although many are comforting and familiar, they rarely move us forward in any significant way and can often limit us from evolving and becoming an even better version of ourselves.

EXERCISE:

What new and improved stories can and will you write with this day to make it a more beautiful masterpiece?