Sometimes, not to say most of the time, life is so hard. How can we be anything but kind? All of us know our life isn't easy, we live it every day. But, if we look all around us, all of us face the same things. No matter if one has enough money, or friends, or a great job, all of us have felt that something is missing, that our life is lacking something. Everyone feels that way. Your rich neighbour has marital problems; your happy friends wish they had enough money to retire early.
«I received nothing I wanted ............... I received everything I needed!!!»Life is hard for everyone, and it is for that reason that we should live our lives with kindness and compassion for everyone we encounter. The key isn't how easy we can make our lives; it's how kind we can be while living our lives. Everyone has some kind of sorrow or wound in their soul. You do, I do, your friends do. Most people walk around with their hidden wounds, wondering if they can ever be healed. People spend countless hours and time in therapy seeking healing. But there really is a simple way to get that relief, and it comes from within. We must treat ourselves with compassion, the way we would respond to the sorrows of a friend. If we could only be a friend to ourself and learn to love and nurture ourself, we could heal any wounds we have.
Master Shi Yan Zhuo [Chin.: shìyánzhuó dàsh? ????? | 1965 - ?]
Joy comes not through possessions or ownership, but through a wise and loving heart. This is a tricky one for most people. Our society is based on commercialism and consumerism, and we are brought up to believe we must keep up with... some "x" ideal image in order to be happy. We spend, spend, and spend. What we end up with is a lot of stuff we don't need or want and an empty feeling that doesn't go away. Instead of focusing on gaining possessions, true happiness comes from focusing on our heart. Get to know our true dreams and desires, and learn what we need to make us happy. Usually simple things make us happy, a smiling face, a sweet polite word, a phone call from a dear friend.
Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most. We only have one chance to live the life we are given, but each new day is a new beginning. It's a gift to us, the chance to do today what we didn't do yesterday. It doesn't matter what we did yesterday, or what we didn't do. We are lucky to have another day filled with love, nurture, and reach out with kindness to the ones that surround us. If yesterday wasn't exactly what we would have liked, don't beat ourself up over it. We have to treat ourself with love and compassion and try to do it right today. And don't forget, we have tomorrow too. Tomorrow is a new day, a new start.
Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth. These are things we all tend to overlook or take for granted because they aren't necessarily how our society measures success. But just think about if we didn't have your health. It would be the only thing we would want. It truly is the greatest gift we could have because without health, we really have nothing else. And contentment, we continually search for that elusive key to happiness. Nothing can buy it, nothing can replace it. If we are contented with our life and ourself, we are wealthier than the richest man in the world for we have something that money cannot buy.
