How often have we heard someone around us saying the word, “Impossible.” And how often we spoke that word ourselves. I believe we have lost count already. Yet impossible is really “I m possible.” A gentle reminder for all of us that impossible is nothing but a word, so long as we believe. Sharing an inspirational video with you:
We have often seen ‘miracles’ happening throughout history which were at first thought to be impossible too and yet we are still so ready to believe in it. As mentioned in the video, next time someone says: “It’s Impossible!”, let us consider these quotes:
“… Everything that can be invented has been invented.” – Commissioner. U.S. Patent Office 1899
“The telephone has too many shortcomings to be a means of communication.” – Executive from World’s Leading Telegraph Company 1876
“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” – IBM Chairman 1943
“Guitar music is on the way out.” – Record executive who rejected the Beatles, 1962
“100 meters in under 10 seconds? Not in our lifetime.”
Inspired by a reading yesterday, I would like to share these ways to simplifying your life.
1. Focus on doing good things and all else will follow. This morning I read a comment someone made that being a good person is the world’s toughest task. Indeed, it could very well be the greatest challenge – especially when we put the focus on being a good person. Abraham Lincoln said it best when he said, “When I do good I feel good, when I do bad I feel bad.” Let us focus on doing good things and being a good person comes naturally in the process. It couldn’t have been more simpler than that. To do a rain check on ourselves, we can use the Integrity test: What we do when no one is watching us should be the same as when we know that someone is watching us. And follow our heart, not our ‘desire’, as it will always have the right answer for us.
2. Change should and must come from us – FIRST. I am a strong believer of Mahatma Gandhi‘s philosophy, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” Instead of trying to change people, we lead and inspire the change.
3. Spend time with positive, loving and happy people. We know that positiveness and happiness are highly contagious, and yet we are allowing ourselves to be ‘beaten’ continuously by negative people around us. Have a clear picture of the kind of person we want to be and associate ourselves with like-minded people who are supportive and are willing to help us to become the person we aspire to be. It is easy to let go of negative people who are not closely related to us. How about those closely related to us? I’m not telling you to cut the tie completely; let them know that you will keep the lifeline always open for them and yet understand clearly that you can lead the horse to the river, you can’t make it drink. Understand also that they may not be ready now and there will be a time when they are ready; be there for them when they are.
4. Start loving people, including ourselves, and let go of any hatred we may hold of others. As Buddha said (I changed a little in this context), “Holding on to hatred is like grasping hot coals with the intent of throwing them at someone else, we are the one who will get burned.” Harness the power of forgiveness and free ourselves. As Louise Hay said, “I forgive everyone in my life, and release them with love. They are free and I am free.” Forgiveness free the people we hate and most importantly – free us.
5. Live in the present. Learn the lessons from the past and leave the past where it should stay. Start living in the moments. The things we are doing today will create the tomorrow we dream and putting our attention to the current moments can make a huge difference in simplifying our lives. Take care of today and tomorrow will turn out to be what we want it to be.
6. Start to take up responsibility. Putting the blame on others accomplishes nothing and complicates things. Be the master of our fates and the captain of our souls. Choose to be in control of ourselves, then to let go of that control to someone else.
7. Put useful information in our minds and mind our own businesses. The mind is the garden of our well-beings. Would we dump rubbish into our gardens? Yet, we are putting useless information into our mind. Online social medias like Facebook, Twitter etc are splendid way to keep in touch, yet many spend hours everyday minding the businesses of their friends in these social medias. We should be the one making use of these social medias and not the other way round.
8. Take a step backward in making decisions. Moving backward could be the best way to forge ahead sometimes. Think things through before making decisions especially when we know our emotions are kicking in. The best decisions are usually made with a clear mind.
And as Confucius said it best, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” A simple life is a life without rules, just a set of guiding values. So forget about what you have just read here and start living.
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Photo by marcos_bh
The Paradoxical Commandments was an inspiring poem written by Kent M. Keith back in 1968 when he was still an undergraduate. Interestingly, a similar poem was found hanging on the wall of Mother Teresa‘s children’s home in Calcutta, India. Dr. Kent had brilliantly brought a reality in the real world that we live in and challenge us to still choose to love, to do good, to succeed, to be honest and frank, to help and to give the world the best anyway.
As the saying goes, “Do unto others what we want others to do unto us.” I am a strong believer in the simple words of Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” The change in the world must first come through the change in myself and it will go on to inspire others to change.
Some may remark that we would be in the losing ends as there are people who would take advantage of us when we are kind to them, which I totally agree. We cannot always control how others will treat us, yet we have control in how we choose to treat others and that is all that mattered; self mastery is a bigger challenge in most people and if we can master ourselves, we can be of better service to others and to the world. I hope that you will be inspired by the poem and can join me in this challenge to “live the Paradoxical Life and face the worst in the world with the best in yourself“, quoting the words from The Commandments Website.
The Paradoxical Commandments
by Dr. Kent M. Keith
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
Alice Herz Sommer, a Czech pianist and a music teacher, is an amazing lady with superb positive outlook in life. She was not only a survivor of the Theresienstadt concentration camp but also remains resolutely optimistic in her whole life. And now at 108 years old, Alice lives by herself in a tiny London flat with no assistance. She still practices piano three hours every day. Alice is truly an inspiration and the best thing I learned from her is, “Everything is a present.” Some may ask, “Even the bad experience?” I truly believe so … there is always something we can learn from our experiences regardless good or bad. As Alice put it best in the video, “I know about the bad, but I look at the good thing.”
If the above video is not working, you can take a look at the video interview of Alice Herz Sommer by Bernard Hiller:
To leave you with the last lesson from this incredible woman in the interview above, “Hatred eats the soul of the hater not the hated.”
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Inspired by a reading yesterday, I would like to share these ways to simplifying your life.
The Paradoxical Commandments was an inspiring poem written by Kent M. Keith back in 1968 when he was still an undergraduate. Interestingly, a similar poem was found hanging on the wall of 
Alice Herz Sommer, a Czech pianist and a music teacher, is an amazing lady with superb positive outlook in life. She was not only a survivor of the Theresienstadt concentration camp but also remains resolutely optimistic in her whole life. And now at 108 years old, Alice lives by herself in a tiny London flat with no assistance. She still practices piano three hours every day. Alice is truly an inspiration and the best thing I learned from her is, “Everything is a present.” Some may ask, “Even the bad experience?” I truly believe so … there is always something we can learn from our experiences regardless good or bad. As Alice put it best in the video, “I know about the bad, but I look at the good thing.”