Seva :Revisited:
Posted: June 23, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: compassion, Depression, Generosity, love, Omaha, passion, purpose, Seva, Value, Volunteering, World Cup 8 CommentsThough a smile is little work, its effects are long lasting-
Generosity is no longer the selfless act I’ve long thought it to be … Generosity is a natural confidence builder and a natural repellent of self-hatred. Not only does generosity make us feel better about ourselves, but it actively combats feelings of competitiveness, isolation and despair. I have a hunch that many of you reading this morning are equally as competitive as I used to be, and when this “competitiveness” gets the better of you? Depression and self-doubt slowly creeps in.
“Why do I keep racing? My split times suck and there is no way I can shave six seconds of my PR!”
Do you honestly want to hear my solution to a problem that has gripped so many of us? Brace yourselves then … Volunteer.
Volunteering is simply amazing! Needless to say I do receive quite a few blank stares when I share with someone: Volunteering your time will drastically improve your performance. Here’s how: Volunteering empowers you with a sense of value and purpose, while being in a social environment. Hmm, lets read that again … Volunteering empowers you with a sense of Value and Purpose, while being in a social environment – This sounds like a fun event to participate in!
…
There is not much value lamenting a poor performance, nor is there purpose to be found pushing through to the finish, of “whatever.”
Daily Meditation:
By Cultivating generosity through volunteering, we allow ourselves the space and time needed to be more sensitive to ourselves, and to give ourselves more Value and Purpose. In addition, when we are in a giving state? We are naturally more relaxed, tuned into the beautiful world around us, and living in the present moment.
This state of being is contagious – Pay it forward.
The TL/DR version of this post: Improve your performance by volunteering.
A Vote For the Gentle Light
Posted: November 7, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout, Yoga | Tags: art, blogging, Charles Bukowski, compassion, Depression, family, freshly pressed, happiness, health, hope, kindness, life, Light, love, lululemon, meditation, mental health, Mood, motivation, musings, nature, Omaha, paleo, passion, Photography, Poem, Poetry, Prose, relationships, strength, whole foods, writing, yoga 8 Comments…
a vote for the gentle light
burned senseless by other people’s constant
depression,
I pull the curtains apart,
aching for the gentle light.
it’s there, it’s there
somewhere,
I’m sure.
oh, the faces of depression, expressions
pulled down into the gluey dark.
the bitter small sour mouths,
the self-pity, the self-justification is
too much, all too much.
the faces in shadow,
deep creases of gloom.
there’s no courage there, just the desire to
possess something––admiration, fame, lovers,
money, any damn thing
so long as it comes easy.
so long as they don’t have to do
what’s necessary.
and when they don’t succeed they
become embittered,
ugly,
they imagine that they have
been slighted, cheated,
demeaned.
then they concentrate upon their
unhappiness, their last
refuge.
and they’re good at that,
they are very good at that.
they have so much unhappiness
they insist upon your sharing it
too.
they bathe and splash in their
unhappiness,
they splash it upon you.
it’s all they have.
it’s all they want.
it’s all they can be.
you must refuse to join them.
you must remain yourself.
you must open the curtains
or the blinds
or the windows
to the gentle light.
to joy.
it’s there in life
and even in death
it can be
there.
CultFit 