The degree to which we judge others, and would make them pay for their shortcomings, is inseparable from the false belief that our nature is somehow different, superior to those seen through the eyes of our disdain.
It is our fear of being alone and in doubt, of wanting to feel certain that what we are doing is right, that compels us to seek the approval of others.
The rush to judge what we see as some character flaw in another human being is the speed at which the false self races to hide from itself a similar imperfection.
As we see more and more how each one of our own attempts to make ourselves feel complete leaves us feeling empty and searching again, we gain the power to refuse to be misled.
We put tremendous amounts of energy into developing and carrying out plans for protecting ourselves psychologically from a world we perceive as a hostile place. Thus, we justify our actions to ward off the possible criticism of others. We fawn before people we see as more powerful than we are. We tell ourselves that we are superior to those we see as less powerful than ourselves. So, instead o...
Any time we pretend to be something we're not, we do so out of fear that without that "persona" to protect us -- to make that impression we want -- we won't get what we want. This whole way of thinking is secret self-sabotage. It sinks us in our personal and business relationships as surely as a torpedo wrecks the ship it strikes. Learning how to stop this self-sinking is our focus here. The...
You must learn to stop thinking in terms of beginnings and endings, successes and failures, and begin to treat everything in your life as a learning experience instead of a proving one.
Within each of us, in our hearts and in our minds, there lives a special kind of light. In truth, it is everywhere. But, instead of seeing the beautiful stillness -- the source of that which reveals the movement of passing thoughts and feelings -- we grab onto each thought that passes through it. Why would we do this? We are close to the discovery of a great truth. It is not the real you, no...
Most of us spend a lot more time trying to deal with discontentment than is obvious at first glance. Depending on how the day breaks for us, we may find ourselves feeling discontent about our life whenever we: * Compare our present level of health and energy to those better days when we felt a stronger wind at our back * Take that almost daily inventory of our personal possessions or lack of...
There is one heartache we know all too well. And each time it makes its unscheduled, unwelcome appearance it becomes that much clearer we've never really lived without the presence of this grief. It's that familiar to us. But, as quickly as this disturbance in our being can appear, it vanishes again, which leads us to believe that either we've overcome this feeling, or that it's passed. But we...
Have you ever noticed just how unhappy you can get over the fact you are not happy? Unexamined, this behavior seems to make sense. But a closer look at it will reveal that being unhappy over being unhappy is like throwing gasoline on a fire to put it out. You get lots of fire and smoke -- even a strange excitement -- but in the end all you are left with is ashes. This is why you must understan...
We go through life looking for approval from others. This unending search for approval runs deep inside of us as we unknowingly nurture a relationship with the idea that if we could just be accepted, then little by little we would come to know who we are. We actually buy into the notion that if we could get enough people to approve of us, then this ache in our soul that is always trying to fig...