Love

 

"Let there be spaces in your togetherness." Kahlil Gibran As an alcoholic, I demanded love and was possessive of others. I selfishly treated people as possessions and made them responsible for my own satisfaction and survival. My fear of being alone caused me to blackmail people with my needs and emotions. Today I love people while allowing them to breathe. My program entails healthy detachment. I take responsibility for me and allow others to take responsibility for themselves. I give those I...

3 Japanese Concepts that will Calm your Anxious Mind.

 

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When life knocks us down, it becomes difficult to get back up.

Anxiety, worry, fear, grief, sadness, and anger all have a way of slowly binding us and keeping us stuck where we shouldn’t be.

Losing our sense of direction is normal and common; experiencing frequent worry or confusion is okay; not being able to tame the monkey mind might be challenging at times. At the end of the day, we’re imperfect human beings who make mistakes all the time.

But this doesn’t make us any less spiritual. Spirituality is our essence. We can never lose it, but with the presence of destructive thoughts and emotions, it may go silent for a short while.

When I lose touch with my own essence, I revert to things that refresh my memory and help me remember that there is more to life than my temporary anxious mind.

Japanese concepts, in particular, have always helped me to reach beyond my sensory experiences and remember my highest goal in life.

Some of them never fail to directly put me in my present moment. They’re like massive waves that instantly take me to the shore of well-being and happiness. They calm my anxious thoughts and make them less intense and pervasive.

There are many Japanese concepts that are beautiful and profound, but there are only three that have personally changed my life for the better:

1. Ikigai: A reason for being.

I just finished reading Ikigai: The Japanese secret to a long and happy life. Ikigai means “raison d’être” or “life purpose.” Even though we may not know it, Japanese people believe we all have something that makes our life worthwhile. Finding this thing can help us lead a satisfactory life that may even be healthier and longer. In other words, it’s the secret to a happy existence on Earth.

If you’re ever worried or anxious, remember that you have a powerful ikigai that may motivate you to live a calmer life. Find something you love or that you’re deeply passionate about. Don’t go looking over here and there or chase the big things. Ikigai is about the small things. Your ikigai could be as simple as planting, writing, helping someone in need, playing with your dog, going back to a memory in time, or baking a pie. 

2. Wabi-sabi: Finding beauty in simplicity and imperfection.

The first time I heard about this concept was when I was traveling across Malaysia. Wabi-sabi is a leading concept in Japan that refers to finding beauty in what’s imperfect or incomplete. When something is in its natural, unchanged, raw form, it is truly stunning and pure.

Sadness, anger, jealousy, and fear all occur when we don’t accept a certain outcome. We don’t accept the flaws in our life. What we seek, however, is perfection and things going according to plan. We even struggle with loving ourselves because we think we could be better, more beautiful, thinner, kinder, and so on. Wabi-sabi can help us appreciate things as they are. Nothing is ever finished, and that is okay. We need to make peace with that.

3. Kintsugi: Repairing broken pottery.

I think it was back in college when I first learned about the concept of kintsugi; I was in awe. In Japan, kintsugi is a common art technique that goes back hundreds of years. If a bowl or plate is broken, for example, they don’t throw out the pieces. Instead, they repair what’s broken with gold—which makes it beautiful and worthy.

How often do we find beauty in what’s damaged? How well do we navigate failure? Knowing that I’m fully capable of accepting what’s broken or imperfect in my life soothes me and calms my inner control freak. I don’t have to hide the flaws or act as if they don’t exist. All I have to do is put the broken pieces back together and appreciate the new version.

~

X

Elyane Youssef  |  Contribution: 608,380

Elyane S. Youssef is an extraterrestrial who was given birth by Earthlings. While living on planet Earth, she fell in love with art, books, nature, writing, photography, trave… Read full bio

AUTHOR: ELYANE YOUSSEF

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NUGGETS OF WISDOM - 926

 

• ·       “Happiness and joy take origin in the inner life.”

  ·       You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice. - Bob Marley

  ·       "For here we are not afraid to follow wherever it may lead, or to tolerate error so long as reason is free to combat it." - Thomas Jefferson 

  ·       “Religious living is devoted living, and devoted living is creative living, original and spontaneous.”

  ·       Never to suffer would never to have been blessed. - Edgar Allan Poe

  ·       “Spiritual growth is mutually stimulated by intimate association with other religionists.”

  ·       "An idea is salvation by imagination." - Frank Lloyd Wright 

  ·       Misery comes the moment you become clinging, attached. The moment you put conditions on life. - Osho

  ·       “Men who prefer optimistic illusions to reality can never become wise. Only those who face facts and adjust them to ideals can achieve wisdom.”

  ·       “It is only to the extent to which I am willing to feel the pain of the earth, that I am able to be empowered and effective in the healing of the earth.” –  John Seed

  ·       "In the country of the blind a one-eyed king can still goof up." - Anonymous

  ·       Unselfishness is the badge of human greatness.”

  ·       Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul. - Marcus Aurelius

  ·       "May you live all the days of your life." - Jonathan Swift

  ·       “More of the character and merciful nature of the Eternal Son of mercy you should comprehend as you meditate on the revelation of these divine attributes which was made in loving service by your own Creator Son, onetime Son of Man on earth, now the exalted sovereign of your local universe—the Son of Man and the Son of God.”

  
  

Wisdom Quote

 

Freedom

 

Freedom is the right of every human being. -Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Spirituality is a choice. Recovery is a choice. Living the life that says Say Yes to Your Spirit is a choice. All the above happens because we make it happen-the power of being human-and it brings freedom. This freedom is also a choice. The poets, who write during times of persecution, tell us that you can throw people in prison, torture them, chain them, separate them from loved ones, but you cannot take away the freedom...

On this day of your life

 

I believe God wants you to know ...   ... that you are on the right path; you are marching straight to your own joy, and to happiness for others.   Did you need a "signal" from the Universe about this? Consider that signal as having been sent...   Now it is just a matter of trust. Do you trust that God knows what She is doing?   You will not have to think but a second to know exactly why you received this message today.

The Importance of Sleep (OM)

 

 

Regular periods of sleep are key to a healthy body and a clear mind, as it is during sleep that your body renews itself.

 

When life gets busy, sleep is often the first activity that we sacrifice. Considered a luxury by many busy people, sleep is actually as vital to sustaining a balanced life as are breathing, eating, and drinking. Getting sufficient sleep can be a potent energizer, just as not getting enough sleep can leave you feeling drained and sluggish. While eight hours is the average amount of sleep most adults should generally aim for, the right amount of sleep varies for each person. Some people may thrive on just four hours, while others don’t feel well rested unless they’ve slept for ten hours. How much we sleep also varies, depending upon where we are in life. Young people often need more sleep, while older people may need less. The benefits of sleep always stay the same. Regular and consistent periods of wakefulness and sleep are key ingredients to fostering a healthy body and a clear mind. It is during sleep that your body renews itself. The ability to forgo sleep is considered by some to be an asset. But while it may seem that the nighttime hours can be better used for more productive activities, sleep in itself is extremely productive. During sleep, your body and psyche are both regaining their strength for the coming day. You may even have the unique opportunity to explore the hidden recesses of your personality while you dream. Meanwhile, your long-term memories are reinforced. Many cultures engage in an afternoon siesta. Taking a nap is refreshing and can increase both productivity and creativity. Author Lewis Carroll is said to have conceived his idea for Alice in Wonderland while dreaming. A good night’s sleep also has been known to bring with it the gifts of clarity, wisdom, and a fresh perspective. Even the ancient Greeks thought of sleep as a gift from the gods. Give yourself the gift of peaceful slumber and you will likely find yourself feeling alert, refreshed, and ready for life’s challenges. You may also find yourself feeling more centered, thoughtful, and aware throughout the day so you can live your full potential.

Weekly Guidance (EC)

 

From Memoirs of an Ordinary Mystic "Realize anew that I am everywhere. In a perfectly peaceful morning, there I am in the depths of the peace. In a tempestuous morning, there am I also. According to your temperament, you find Me more readily in different things. Find Me in them and build. I am everywhere, therefore you need never lack Me. Of course, I am within you, but do not limit Me. If I am within you, then all is within you. This is something to experience, to know, against the dictates of the mind. This is truth, and oneness is.  All right, you say, you do accept it. Then bring it to life; let it live within you. I am not just a fact, but a living, growing, glorious movement within which vibrates every cell of your body and every atom of your intelligence. Do not hide in the old pattern of deadness, of doing things without life. Bring My life to whatever you do. I am here always; connect up with Me within and then without. I am rendered null and void in you if you cling to what has been. My dynamism is then quiescent in you. What use is a life dedicated to old molds, however good, when I, the living God, the omnipresent God, am not allowed to live in you? That is indeed putting other images, deeply graven images, before Me. I am everywhere, but what is that to you unless you live it, and how can you live it any time but Now? Rejoice, and live with Me now."

Wisdom Quote

 

Thought

 

If you want to truly understand something, try to change it. -Kurt Lewin This saying makes you ponder. It is a thought that challenges us to think outside of the box. It forces us into explanation. You cannot really change something without first understanding what it is you want to change. You probably want to change something because you don't agree with it or you think that you have a better solution. And so you really need to understand what it is you want to change. I am an alcoholic.Only...

On this day of your life

 

I believe God wants you to know ...   ... that money is just as holy as meditation, just as sacred as prayer. It is a wonderful part of God.   If you hold an idea that money is the root of all evil, you may unconsciously keep it from you. You are invited to drop that thought now.   All the money you need is coming to you now. Do you believe that? You must, you know...

Be Happy Every Single Day (OM)

 

Discover something daily that makes you happy and become witness to your life transforming.

 

Our lives are rich with potential sources of happiness, but sometimes we become victims of negative thinking because we believe that focusing on all that has gone wrong will provide us with the motivation we need to face the challenges of survival. When we choose to focus on what makes us happy, however, a shift occurs in the fabric of our existence. Finding something to be happy about every single day can help this shift take place. The vantage points from which we view the world are brought into balance, and we can see that being alive truly is a gift to be savored. There is always something we can be happy about—it is simply up to us to identify it. On one day, we may find happiness in a momentous, life-changing event such as a marriage or the birth of a child. On another day, the happiness we experience may be a product of our appreciation of a particularly well-brewed cup of a tea or the way the sun shines on a leaf. If we discover that we literally cannot call to mind a single joyful element of existence, we should examine the cause of the blockage standing between us and experiencing happiness. Keeping a happiness journal is a wonderful way to catalog the happiness unfolding all around us so that joy has myriad opportunities to manifest itself in our lives. Writing about the emotions we experience while contemplating joy may give us insight into the factors compelling us to resist it. Happiness may not always come easily into your life. You have likely been conditioned to believe that the proper response to unmet expectations is one of sadness, anger, guilt, or fear. To make joy a fixture in your existence, you must first accept that it is within your power to choose happiness over unhappiness every single day. Then, each time you discover some new source of happiness, the notion that the world is a happy place will find its way more deeply into your heart. On this day, find one thing to be happy about and let it fill your heart.

CoDA Weekly Reading

 

Finding Home

I came into CoDA to try to end the crazy cycle of damaging and destructive relationships I was in. Growing up in a dysfunctional home I was always looking for a safe place to call home. I was displaced at age16 when my parents split, and I moved 10 times in two years trying to find somewhere I felt “at home”. I thought a relationship was the key to my lost feelings and emptiness. Unfortunately, the relationships I was involved in were more damaging and I felt even more alone and “homeless”.

I finally ended up at CoDA after my last-ditch relationship and heard the readings in the rooms and felt peace. The words in the program were soothing to my soul and I started to feel less alone. I now know what I was searching for all those years, it is the love I needed to give myself not someone else.

I feel more whole now than ever as I get to know myself and start to feel close to myself. I now know what “home” is and that is within myself.

Jessica - 2023/02/20

Wisdom Quote

 

Greatness

 

"The ability to accept responsibility is the measure of the individual." - Roy L. Smith My greatest insight into life is that I am responsible. My responsibility is an imporant and dignified gift from God. My responsibility reveals my involvement in God's creation, in my life, and in my recovery from alcoholism. Greatness is in the choices I make, and my choices come with God's gift of freedom. Human beings are more than puppets on a string or automated machiens. We are creative creatures who...