Glen Of Scotland

New

There are a few new things out or coming out that I thought you might enjoy.

The first is the latest televised nature series called Great Migrations which started this past Sunday on the National Geographic Channel. These are just stunning productions and are great to watch and feel good, you can see some preview clips here.

The second is the latest Abraham Book titled, Getting In the Vortex - A Guided Meditation and User Guide. What sounds great about this is the book includes a CD with 4 guided meditations, musically scored no less. Many people have trouble quieting their minds and meditating and I know from guided meditations that I have done with people that this will be very helpful. The book is out next Tuesday in your local bookstore or on Amazon.

The third is a documentary called the Inside Job, narrated by Matt Damon which takes a look back over the recent financial meltdown. No one comes out of this looking good, democrat, republican, wall street or academia. I feel it's important to understand what happened here as it will happen again and it is possible to step back and see what is going on and avoid a lot of suffering. I don't believe there has ever been a recession or depression that wasn't caused by anything other than war or financial greed/shenanigans and the time period between those events is getting shorter. You can see the trailer and more here.

Quote

This is from a book I highly recommend "Happiness at Work" by Srikumar S. Rao. Ph.D, don't be fooled by the title though it applies to life not just work.

"What do you have to get to be happy? That is a good question. Say, as with Aladdin, a genie granted you three wishes. What would you ask for, and would it make you happy? Most people have a wish list featuring vast wealth, a trophy spouse, good health, close friends, a stimulating job, lots of leisure, and bright children, along with stuff like fame, power and a body like Adonis or Aphrodite.

If you have such a list, throw it out. What I have to say my startle you.

There is nothing that you have to get, do or be in order to be happy.

I repeat, nothing. In fact, happiness is your innate nature. It is hardwired into your being. It is part of your DNA. It is always with you.

The question that has probably popped into your mind is"If happiness is my innate nature, how come I'm not experiencing it? How come I'm experiencing 'my life sucks'?"

My answer will startle you even more. You do not experience the happiness that is your innate nature because you have spent your entire life learning to be unhappy.

It is absolutely true, and you have done it unconsciously and unknowingly by accepting that you have to "get" something so you can "do" something so you can "be" something. Thus you feel that you have to get a lot of money so you can travel to exotic places so you can be happy. Or you have to have a relationship with a beautiful partner so you can have great sex so you can be happy.

These are all modifications of the if then model which says that if this happens, then you will be happy.

The pernicious effect of the if then model is that it is supremely effective in preventing you from experiencing the happiness that is an inextricable part of you. The more you believe in that model and try to manipulate it to become happy, the more happiness eludes you. That is how you learn to be unhappy, and most people never catch on to it."

"Happiness at Work" by Srikumar S. Rao. Ph.D

How to be an optimist

There is a new book coming out later this month, you can read about it here. I found this quote rather meaningful from the article:

"Optimism is not about the future and it’s not about the news: it’s in my power. It’s about how I react to events, the moment they occur. It’s in the mind. The real optimists, the people I admire the most, have a set of beliefs and routines for reacting that keeps them happy and alive".

The Optimist: One Man’s Search for the Brighter Side of Life by Laurence Shorter

Remember the wait

I was reading the latest fiction from Dick Francis, called "Dead Heat" here is a quote which is not based on fiction.

 "Ideally, main courses should be ready 10 minutes after the starters have been cleared from the table, or, if no starters are ordered, within 28 minutes of the order having arrived in the kitchen. I knew all too well that is a customer was kept waiting for longer than what she or he thought reasonable, it didn't matter how good the food tasted when it arrived , only the wait would be remembered, not the flavors."

It's interesting how true this is, how people will talk about the problems rather than about the food, how the stories build up in the mind, how to share stories that result in you finding someone else who had an even worse experience. That has a tendency to keep the story alive a lot longer than the increased wait time at the restaurant, I wonder what we hope to accomplish with that?

The other thing we humans do a very good job of in these situations is keep score, you know when you are sitting there  waiting and "those" people who arrived later already have their food, in fact 3 other tables have had theirs but not us, it's not fair, it's not right! What did your dining companion just say?

Sometimes we have to take responsibility for what we are putting out there, how we are feeling etc, instead of blaming others, a few minutes delay in getting food served is not make or break in life. It does distract however from looking within and that's okay too, just remember we take ourselves where ever we go.

Quote

A little late with a fathers day mention. Last week Tim Russert passed away, as well as his broadcasting and other work, he wrote a couple of books which had a positive impact on others and their relationship with their father. Here is a link to the first chapter of his book, the "Wisdom of our Fathers"

It was amazing to hear of the change in the relationship and the expressing of love with his father after his first book came out. I see examples of this every day, so keep the hope alive, everyone has the love within and can open it up to others. No force though.