Empowering Minds, Enhancing Wellness

The Surrender experiment

Summary

• Extraordinary story of what happened when, after a deep spiritual awakening, he decided to let go of his personal preferences and simply let life call the shots.

• A great experiment and journey into life's perfection., the events that transpire will both challenge your deepest assumptions about life and inspire you to look at your own life in a radically different way.

 

Suggested reading

Three pillars of Zen by Philip kapleau – this book was about how to stop your voice in your head from talking - MEDITATION

 

Quotes

• Whenever I noticed thoughts being stitched together to create a new “me” I knocked the chair out from under them. It was very painful, but I was willing to let it all fail if it freed me to explore beyond.

• I had to let go of myself and something very special had followed. I was willing to face loneliness and fear and not grab for relief, was it possible that life had more to give us than we could ever take for ourselves?

• I wondered if there was a way to tap into the brilliance of that inspiration on a daily basis. YES!

• I now realized that the great saints and masters of all the religious traditions had gone beyond their personal self to find their spiritual self. SELF REALIZATION. I now wanted to realize the nature of the one who watches – my true, innermost self.

• I would let go of my preferences and let life be in charge.

• I didn’t want to be in charge of my life, I wanted to be free to soar far beyond myself.

• Surrender – what an amazing powerful word. It often engenders that thought of weakness and cowardice. In my case, it required all the strength I had to be brave enough to follow the invisible into the unknown. And that is exactly what I was doing. Its not that surrender gave me clarity about where I was going- I had no idea where it would lead me. But surrender did give me clarity in one essential area. My personal preferences of life and dislike were not going to guide my life.

• By surrendering the hold those powerful forces had on me, I was allowing my life to be guided by a much more powerful force, life itself.

• I could see that the practice of surrender was actually done in two, very distinct steps; first you let go of the personal reactions of life and dislike that form inside your mind and heart; and second, with the resultant sense of clarity, you simply look to see what is being asked of you by the situation unfolding in front of you.

• What would you be doing if you weren’t being influenced by the reactions of like or dislike. Following that deeper guidance will take your life in a very different direction from where your preferences would have led you.

• Inwardly, I began to offer everything I did up to the universal force. All I wanted was to return to that beautiful place deep inside me.

• How would I ever know what life was capable of doing if I was always in control.

• From solitude to service – I thought my path to self realization was about meditation. Fortunately, life know better, and she was starting to guide me away from myself through service to others.

• On my new path to awakening, life was no longer an obstacle to my growth. Life was not the battlefield on which I was to remain conscious enough to willingly permit my old self to be stripped away.

• So much is demanded of you when you're running an organization, the mind needs time to quiet down and keep everything in perspective.

• Challenging  situations create the force needed to bring about change.

• I had seen time and again that letting go not only in a profound state of inner peace. I was not in charge; life was in charge, and there was an underlying sense of enthusiasm and excitement about getting to see what was going to happen next.

• I had given everything, and it kept coming back tenfold.

• I had become thoroughly convinced that the constant act of letting go of ones self centered thoughts and emotions was all that was needed for profound personal, professional and spiritual growth.

• I reflected back to how many times life had presented me with changes I was uncomfortable with. In the beginning, it had been difficult to ignore the resistant mind. Over time, as I saw what had transpired by taking the risk of letting go of me, the process had become more natural.

• I was so humbled by the experience I never wanted to resist again.

• The surrendering to life was my path to self realization.

• I just kept letting go of whatever discomfort got stirred up within me, and inevitable, a stronger flow of spiritual energy took its place.

• Life was molding me each day to become who I needed to be in order  to handle tomorrows tasks. All I had to do was let go and not resist the process.

• This is reality – deal with it.

• At some point there's no more struggle, just the deep peace that comes from surrendering to a perfection that is beyond your comprehension. Eventually, even the mind stops resisting, and the heart loses the tendency to close. The joy, excitement and freedom are simply too beautiful to give up.

 

 

 

The Motivation Manifesto - 157

 

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• Lets us awaken now and realize there is greater vibrancy, joy, and freedom available to each of us. There is more feeling. There is more power. There is more love and abundance. But gaining access rests on our shoulders, for only two things can change our lives; either something new comes into our lives or something new comes from within.

• We have the full power to exert our true strength, live our dreams, find peace, create wealth, love openly those who have our hearts, contribute without fear or permission, strive for personal greatness, serve the common good, and do all other acts and things.

• Choosing our own aims and seeking to bring them to fruition creates a sense of vitality and motivation in life. The only things that derail our efforts are fear and oppression.

• When experiencing personal freedom, we have a heightened sense of genuineness and joy in our being. We feel unbounded , independent, and self-reliant. There is a palpable authenticity and aliveness in how we relate to others and contribute to the world.

• Personal freedom goals are:

  • Living freely by crafting our own life

  • Being free in the moment from oppressions fear and anxiety

  • Being lighthearted and spontaneous as free spirits

  • Courageously speaking our thoughts, feelings ,and ambition with those around us, without concern about acceptance.

  • Serving a mission we have chosen

• The ultimate narrative of the human species is its quest for more freedom and the related struggles to ascend to higher standards of living and relating.

• The more we are true to ourselves, the more we can connect with and contribute to the world. We find that the more free and spontaneous and authentic we become, the more our motivation and aliveness returns and the more others are attracted to us and want to be around us.

• It is in freeing ourselves to be present and genuine in life that we find trust and confidence in ourselves, that we grow and master and realize our highest selves, that we find authentic joy in our interactions and experiences in the world, that we feel motivated and liberated.

• Freedom requires responsibility to choose who we are above and beyond our immediate impulses, needs and social pressures, so that we can genuinely express the type of person we want to be, live the life we truly want to live, leave the legacy we desire.

• To achieve and sustain personal freedom, we must dedicate ourselves to self-mastery; we must determine and discipline our own motivation to stay true tour own sense of self, to our own path.

• A great maturity opens in the human psyche when we accept that we can control our impulses by conditioning our thoughts, and that we alone are responsible for our emotions and reactions in life.

• Fear wins or freedom wins. Let us ask ourselves “Will my life be about aversion or ascension”

• We must not worry what could go wrong but rather wonder what magnificence could enter our live3s when we are consistently expressing our genuine selves and pursuing our true passions. Let us obsess about freedom, not fear.

• Let us chose the strenuous life, taking pride and finding honor in our struggles and our contributions. We will not fear the exhaustion and anxieties that magnificent dreams and unceasing hard work can bring. We will keep a joyous heart even as we toil, for our toils bring us toward that which we find meaningful.

• We can learn from these examples and choose to face what we fear. We can choose the courage to put ourselves in the vicinity of the tings we fear over and over again until we grow more comfortable and then confident. This is called self mastery.

• Success and fulfillment in life rests on the unflagging ability to get up, to be ourselves, to chase our dreams with fire each day, to keep willing ourselves to the next level of presence and performance and potential

• Our minds clarity on and commitment to that choice dictates our level of motivation. If we are clear and committed, we will feel high levels of motivation. The mother of motivation is choice.

• Simply we can choose our aim, and our reasons for that aim, and a continued focus on the aim will arouse a desire for action, which we sense as energy – a motivation power within.

• A hallmark of those who achieve greatness is the discovery that they can control the level of motivation they feel by better directing their own minds.

• Enlightenment comes when we realize happiness is a choice.

• I think therefore I am and I do. Motivated people seize this truth. The great artists, leaders, and innovators use the entire force of their reasoning faculties to become their highest selves and do their highest good.  They strategically contemplate their direction and values; they weigh what will give them the greatest sense of vibrancy and fulfillment in every major decision.

• People, who are motivated, are conscientious. They choose to use their minds in a more purposeful way in order to energize and live their lives, and for that they tend to achieve more and gain more respect.

• So if we want more happiness and motivation we must make clearer choices and more deeply commit to them.

• We must go within and ask ourselves – what do I want for myself, what new goal would be meaningful to me. What am I excited about learning or giving. What great new adventure do I dream of? What grand pursuit or act of service will be satisfying to me and get me out of the bed each morning.

• By deeply contemplating higher aims, we energize ourselves to pursue them.

• When we find ourselves hopeful but not motivated, we need to add a little more faith to the mix, to tell ourselves, I expect that it will happen no matter what, because I have faith in myself to learn and grow and, day by day, make things happen. I will make my dreams a reality over time because I trust my ability to learn, to work, to ask for help, to persist.

• Let us journal about it and draw about it. Let us imagine ourselves doing great things with boldness and fire and commitment. This is visualization and internalization, a process of weaving expectancy deep into our psyche and the fabric of our being. This is the process of sparking our own motivation.

• Do not hope for motivation; choose an ambition to become motivated for. Fix on a dream and believe that it will see daylight and soon a great swell of enthusiasm will enliven you.

• We are becoming obsessed with a mighty aim, putting our full attention and zeal, perhaps for the first time, into something that truly matters to us. We should not fear an obsession for building a great and free life.

• It is the obvious equation and the ultimate secret; the deeper and longer I give attention to my ambitions and passions, the more motivation I feel.

• What is the ultimate secret to lifelong motivation – continuing on – no matter what?

• We want to fall for the fallacy that we were more motivated because of environmental factors.

• But the stark reality is that those times we were motivated happened simply because we were willing and working ourselves forward more often. There was attention. There was effort. These things were daily, relentless, and inextinguishable.

• Choice energized us; it was our savior, not the grace of changing circumstance or dire need or even divine calling.

• It is in choosing to respond to circumstances or need or God in our own way, as a free and driven person, and with real action, that we emerge from the darkness.

• Let it be clear to all. Greatness belongs to those who have mastered the ability to focus relentlessly on their ambitions and act decisively toward them.

• Two choices will amplify our motivation to another level: attitude and environment.

• We should love the spaces we spend time in, our workspaces should inspire us.

• Choose an ambition and, with full force, expect that it is possible and that you can make it happen. Give constant attention and committed effort to your dreams, and your motivation will perpetuate itself.  Demonstrate a positive attitude as you strive for great things and take care to create a supportive environment around you that amplifies your motivation.  

• With such practices, cultivating motivation moves from a lucky feeling to a willed choice, over time, these choices will lead us to feel in command of our lives, able to punch through distractions, and better at riding the ups and downs of existence, without such practices, we fall victim to others and to circumstances because we cannot rouse ourselves to be mindful or break free.

• Let us stoke energy with close attention, constant effort, and positive attitude. Let us act with full efficacy in shaping the social and physical environments of our lives. Should we be diligent and should we succeed, our vitality will amplify, our life will magnify as if a divine light is bursting through, signaling to the world and to destiny that we are here, that it is our time, and that we are ready.

• It is time to become more alert and engaged in the world.

• Spontaneity is the hallmark of a free person, and no person touch thinking about yesterday, positively or negatively, can be truly liberated in the moment.

• ASK “What can I focus on in my life at this exact moment to sense some peace, appreciation, or enthusiasm? What kind of person and what find of experience do I want to choose to manifest right now. 

• The masters of this life are always bringing their focus back to this very moment. They live serenely in the now, benefitting from yesterday without yearning for it, hopeful for tomorrow but not obsessing over it. They are vigilant in directing their attentions and affections to their immediate circumstances and people surrounding them. They frequently ask themselves, is my mind alert now. Am I noticing and fully sensing that is around me, and taking it all in. am I feeling this life, am I directing my full power to what is in front of me and what matters.

• Avoiding reality: Those who avoid reality remove themselves mentally, emotionally, and spiritually from the now, since engaging would involve hardship and unflinching self –examination. Example – The leader who avoids a meeting because he has to face the fact the business is failing.

• It’s easier to stop doing the hard task right in front of them, to disperse their attention onto multiple easier tasks. It is tempting to check out, to run and hide. But in doing so, we avoid life itself. The casualty is their own presence and power. When we lack the courage or discipline to address what we must, our presence is never wielded and honed, and so life becomes devoid of feeling and happiness.

• Free and motivated people do not avoid reality. They meet difficulty with attention, seeing these as opportunities to test their faith, strength, and love. Knowing that life is full of strife, but trusting in themselves and tier path, they seek to handle whatever life demands of them directly and swiftly. Through practice, they learn to find comfort in the comfortable and true mastery in life.

• Let us always remember that in addressing our pain and fear, we gain mastery over them. In meeting challenge rather than avoiding it, we find success.

• ASK – what should I finally face in my life, what truths or realities are preventing my growth and happiness. What could I do about it right now? How can I better connect with this moment so that I can master what the hour demands of me.

• MASTER THE HOUR

• Director: Playing the director of our own movie gives us the ability to choose our entire character and life’s arc. Will our character be strong or weak, noble or selfish, stressed or peaceful, flighty or grounded? Will each of our days say something about who we are, and if so, what. What will we demonstrate and become in the next scene of our lives.

• What shall our life’s story be and how can we direct our thoughts and actions to make that vision a reality.

• HEALTH: eat smaller portions. Make a plate of mostly whole foods and greens

• We must be bold, fierce, and unrelenting in chasing our dreams. We must push aside our fears, struggles with conviction, battle thought all obstacles. We must want to win, to bring back treasures and glory to our homes, to leave nothing on the battlefields of life but the legend of our courage and might.

• Let us be honest and brave in assessing our lives, asking” how hard am I really working toward my dream? Am I letting little obstacles stop my progress, or am I battling through them on a consistent basis. Am I doing what I must to prepare my mind, body, and soul for victory? Am I acting with real conviction and commitment in life, or simply trudging through.

• The essence of the warrior spirit is readiness and bias toward action. Warriors do not waste time in making decisions. There is little hesitation, hemming, hawing, or hedging. Warriors do not await perfect circumstance to begin the long march to victory; they do not stop when tired or frightened; they do not shy away from a needed fight; they do not apologize for boldness or strength.

• On their path they have gravity about them, seriousness, a commitment, a strong center. They are solid no matter how much turmoil and uncertainty lurks beneath.

• They give their lives to something that matters.

• Our greatest rock in becoming better lovers is in reconnecting with those who have already given us their hearts.

• We have to finally stop all the looking about and once more peer into the eyes of those we adore. Is there a way we can demonstrate even more affection and appreciation for them.

• There are men and women counting on us and looking to our example. They await our direction and action. We owe it to them to be outstanding in our role as a leader.

• We must begin again the great work of uplifting humankind.

• We shall reclaim our agenda! The day is always his who works with serenity and great aims.

• Freedom and greatness belong to those who master their day.

• Answer these questions: “did you use the time I gifted you each day to be a purposeful being. Did you follow your own path and make your time count. How faithfully did you tend to the dream I sowed in your soul”

• We can design our life agendas so that our daily planner is no longer the object of resentment but, rather, a thing of beauty: a stunning log of our enjoyment of life and progress toward freedom and transcendence.

• We can, through conscious design and vigilant protection of our time and agenda, take back our destiny and make each day artful and fulfilling.

• The lost and weary are busy accomplishing nothing but responding to everything. There is no vision, only reaction. A self-imposed terror that they are falling behind, their aim in life is to get through it.”

• “What if I were free and strong enough to go find something more engaging and fulfilling?”

• What am I really after in life, what do I truly want to create and contribute.

•  What kind of person do I want to show the world each day?

• Yes we must write these things down in what will be our own manifesto, our own written declaration of what our lives are to be about.

• Let us use the morning to mind ourselves what we are after and to write any specific goals for the day, dedicating time in that first golden hour in planning out our schedule.

• We must use virgin morning to shape a schedule that is ours before the world solves its corrupt needs in our direction.

• No one around us can tear us from progressing toward our dreams. Believing otherwise is accepting the role of victim in life. Our day is ultimately our choice.

• The more we say no to demanding people, the more life opens up to pursue our passions and happiness and to serve and spend time with those we love.  Our goal is not to become cold or unavailable. It’s to protect our sanity, progress, and freedom.

• If we can see a dream in the distance, let us move toward it with real force, will, and consistency.

• We develop character only through effort, struggle, and learning, none of which we ever choose to endure when doubt has our ear. Doubt produces only small men and small women, scared of their own shadows – a world of timid worriers who never leap or serve. So what are we to do? How does one slay doubt? The great sages have taught us that when doubt has a hold on us, only FAITH can tear us from its grasp.

• I believe in my ability to learn and figure things out. With enough focus, time, effort, and dedication, I believe i can learn to do what must be done and be3come who I must become to achieve my dreams.

• The poison of fear, apathy, and indolence can be wiped out by ACTION

• Destiny turns its favor toward those who act, awarding then with success and a heroic recognition in life.

• We must do the things that we have put off and most fear doing, and we must do them now. Let us sit this very night and compose a list of things we have been delaying in our lives.

• Having a plan and acting on it, regardless of the terror within, makes us legend.

• We must inject into our lives the strongest antivenin known to humankind and fuels all of humanity’s hope and strength and joy – LOVE, FAITH – ACTION – LOVE

• Love is always the final and most complete cure to our inner demons.

• The moments we are able to wield courage are the moments that become the most defining in our lives

• All great people of history, what gave birth to their legend, was their sheer will to overcome such impulses and to faithfully, actively, and lovingly fight for a better life for themselves and others.

• We must recalibrate our entire mindset toward advancement. Ours must become a life or courageous action and perpetual progress.

• To reclaim our power, we must seek an immediate shift in our belief about how influential we can be in shaping our reality

• We must believe that we can bend reality to our own preferences, crafting the lives we desire through disciplined learning and initiative.

• We must see struggle as positive and necessary for our growth and ability to innovate and serve.

• What great thing was ever accomplished without a little recklessness?

• Reality is bendable to our will

• Reality can be shaped and changed by my direct actions, and so I will act with constancy to forge my ideal life. You are responsible for your reality.

• Those who advance do so because they value action itself. The feel that positive forward momentum – progress – is a reflection of their character, and so they take price and satisfaction in actions toward that end.

• Only Action allows us to create, grow, connect, contribute, rise to our highest selves, and soar into the bright stratosphere of greatness.

• Let us remember that when we take action, an invisible force gathers all around us, pulling in opportunities that align with our purpose, propelling us with momentum to our freedom.

• Am I taking enough bold and significant actions in order to advance my life and reach my full potential?

• If I were unafraid and acting from my highest self, what would I be doing to move forward in life?

• What steps must I take today and this week to begin dramatically advancing my health, career, family, and purpose?

• We do not need to await more resources; we need to act and we will find abundance comes to us. We do not need to wait for perfect conditions; we will find perfection in progress.

• Do not be swayed by those that believe that success will make you rotten, that there are a 100 ways that success with leave only rotten fruit.

• We can choose to use our success to change the world – Act as if you were already successful and start changing the world now!!

• Let us stand on the right and generous side of might, sharing our riches and our influence with those who themselves strive for great lives and great contributions. Let us never feel we need to apologize for the power we came by through sweat and discipline. Instead let us wield it against wickedness and in service to those who believe, as we do, in the glories of the growth and generosity that success affords us.

• Let this be our mindset and we shall have our abundance and meaning.

• If we wish to feel joy and gratitude in our lives, then we must direct our beliefs and behaviors in order to accomplish that end. And we must do it constantly, with such force and repetition that those emotions become the hues of our daily attitude. This is not easy work, but let it be our mission.

• Perhaps the severest requirement of our good life is to have the constancy of mind to maintain our joy and gratitude even amid hardship, pain, and injustice.

• This is the requirement of self-mastery and happiness. So it rests on our shoulders to notice when we feel bored or depressed and to force ourselves outside to engage with the world with a smile.

• It’s up to us to appreciate our team even when a project is failing.

• There are those shoes faces are so alight with life that they serve as a blinding reminder, amid the darkness of our time, that joy and charisma and hope still exist. These are the energizers, the cheerful individuals who inspire and enliven those around them even though their own backgrounds, genetics and environments would give cause to be depressed and apathetic.  

• We are wired to sense and mirror the emotional energy around us.

• Life can lose its vibrant aura and charm if we do not bend the energy of our minds toward positive engagement and appreciation. And so let us take back our focus and remember the riches: joy is the jewel of life, gratitude the gold.

• The joyous are simply more conscious and consistent in their attempts to sense and generate joy and gratitude. They try harder, making joy a practice, a habit, a consistent condition of their character, and enduring social art amid glum and boring times.

• They have made it their aim to live a joyous life. That is all.

• Let us return then to the instruction of happy children again and again: be curious. Release expectation. Take pleasure in small things and expect good things. Cheerfully engage the moment. Let this become our practice, our mastery and our art.

• The joyous masters know that amid all the chaos and conflict, all the hurry and wickedness of the world, there is something solid within that is beautiful and steady and good. Like them, we can have the sense that our mind and soul are fresh and pure and clean, even as we slug it out in the thick mess of humanity.

• The joyous master knows that, in time, everyone will find their path, so the ultimate virtues are patience and love. Like them, we can know that there is no need to force or coerce others into our quest or joys.

• A vibrant and happy life begins at the path of gratitude.

• Let us define how we shall interact with the world. What kind of experiences do we want to have with the important people in our lives?

• Love was never absent from our lives, we simply allowed our awareness of it to diminish.

• We are not angels, we are humans but let us try to rise to a higher plane.

• We must have the courage to ask “am I seeking to be a role model on a daily basis for all of those I love and serve. Am I lifting up those around me? Am I in some way elevating humanity by leading others to see and activate their potential? Am I living a truly great life?”

• Seeking greatness – and doing the work to deserve it – must come back into our collective consciousness let us now awaken that powerful force within that seeks to life some of the weight of the world from the backs of those struggling,.

• Let us take our position as generals of generosity, as leaders of the highest caliber who give a damn about others and world let us declare with firm intent, to the world and ourselves. We shall inspire greatness

• The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.

• Life is meant to be a vibrant, deeply felt, growing mosaic of meaningful moments. It is to be a grand, fully engaged, and unconditionally committed love affair with our daily experience.

• To slow down the moment, we must heighten our senses. To feel something more, we must either take more in, or more deeply sense that which is already here.

• Slowing down time always begins with the breath. The deeper and linger we draw air in, the more oxygenated our bodies become and the more heightened our energy and presence.

• To be more present, let us check into our breath several times in the hour and especially in moments that we want to feel and remember.

• Awareness is humanity’s best weapon against time.

• Let us forget for now where we are supposed to be and what we should be doing. Instead let us hold this moment for just two breathes longer.

• Do not breathe so quickly. Take in air for two beats longer. Do not scan the room. Sense the room by gazing into each show for two beats longer.

• Life is lived in the extra beats we hold as time unfolds, soon, the two beats becomes four, the four become eight, and eventually we will have mastered the art of experiencing life, of feeling who we are and where we are on our path to greatness, of creating real moments, of living as joyous masters in the infinite and divine freedom of now.