“We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.” –George Bernard Shaw

“As long as we are human, we are destined to make mistakes. We all fall prey to flawed beliefs and views. What separates a forward-looking person from an intransigent one, a virtuous person from a malevolent one, however, is whether one can candidly admit to ones mistakes and take bold steps to redress them.” –Buddha

“The judgment of others does not change who I am. Quite the opposite is true. It reveals who I am.” —Terry McPhearson

“The right way is not always the popular and easy way. Standing for right when it is unpopular is a true test of moral character.” —Margaret Chase Smith

“The wise stand out because they see themselves as part of the Whole. They shine because they don’t want to impress. They achieve great things because they don’t look for recognition. Their wisdom is contained in what they are, not their opinions. They refuse to argue, so no-one argues with them.” –Lao Tzu

“Experience is stronger than belief. What you were taught when you were a young child might be true or not. When you experience, then you know.” –Unknown

“You don’t get to choose how you’re going to die. Or when. But you can decide how you’re going to live now.” –Joan Baez

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage.” –Lao Tzu

“Love is touching souls.” –Joni Mitchell

I don’t know about you, but I’m quite a sensitive person.

Sometimes even a little overly-sensitive.

Yesterday, I took a sensitivity test and scored 7/10. That’s practically paranoia!

But we’re all sensitive at times.

Think about it.

How many times have you taken offence - just because somebody turns their back on you in a bar?

How many times have you thought a person didn’t embrace you as much as you’d expect?

How many times have you walked back to a table, to hear the laughter suddenly die down - and wondered if they were talking about you?

It’s happened to us all. Probably.

And sometimes it’s important to pay attention to such matters. After all, being sensitive is a wonderful trait.

But here’s the thing to remember.

“Reality” is entirely relative.

The snub in the bar may have been accidental. The non-embrace may have been because the person’s dog just died. The laughter may have been about something else altogether.

Being overly-sensitive often makes life way too stressful.

So, the next time you get that oh-so-familiar feeling of over-sensitivity, just think to yourself…

“Forget it. I’m being overly sensitive - and it’s just possible I don’t know all the facts.”

Then slap yourself around the face and get on with it.

Because life is too short to be worrying about detail.

Tenzin Gyatso wrote: “We also often add to our pain and suffering by being overly sensitive, over-reacting to minor things, and sometimes taking things too personally.”

Wolfgang added: “Do not give in too much to feelings. A overly sensitive heart is an unhappy possession on this shaky earth.”

If this sounds like you, take a check on your feelings - and stop taking things so personally.

Maybe - just maybe - it’s all working out perfectly.

Cheers!

If there’s one mindset I particularly dislike, it’s the APATHY mindset.

That’s when someone believes that it’s useless taking action, and they’re unable to do anything. They’re a victim of circumstance. They believe they don’t have any control - and are being forced down the negative route life has planned for them.

Aye curumba!

I disagree with apathy (Sigh. What else can I do about it?

I think that we always have the ability to help ourselves.

And so today, I’d like to share a rather relevant joke…

A flood takes over the valley and a man is forced to climb up his house, onto the roof. As the waters rise, a neighbour in a rowing boat appears and tells him to get in.

“No,” replies the man on the roof. “God will save me!”

Then a firefighter stops by in a speedboat. “Climb in!” shouts the firefighter.

“No,” replies the man on the roof. “God will save me!”

A helicopter flies by next, and the pilot shouts that he’s about to lower a rope for the man to be rescued.

“No,” replied the man on the roof. “God will save me!”

Eventually the man drowns and goes to Heaven, where he asks God why He hadn’t helped him.

“I sent a neighbour, a firefighter, and helicopter,” replies God. “What more do you want?”

It was Benjamin Franklin in 1736 that said “God helps those that help themselves.”

I’m sure you’re not stuck in a place of apathy.

So let me ask…

What dreams are YOU helping yourself achieve today?

Cheers!

“I fear that you will believe as we all believe that we can keep breaking into our store of time without counting. Our lives seem infinite until we reach in one day to find how little of them is left.” –Marlena De Blasi

“Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.” –Sydney J Harris

“If we live our lives as a gift it is possible to reach a blissful state of eternal happiness. It is those who live their life with a sense of entitlement that undermine peace , freedom and liberty. Know that every breath is a miracle and every moment a blessing and you will achieve your dreams.” –Micheal Teal

“If you take responsibility for yourself you will develop a hunger to accomplish your dreams.” –Les Brown

“Not all who suffer profoundly change, but all who change have suffered profoundly.” –Unknown

“If you don’t change, you will become extinct.” –Spencer Johnson

Huna is a Hawaiian word meaning “secret,” but it also refers to the esoteric wisdom of Polynesia. Kupua is another Hawaiian word and it refers to a specialized healer who works with the powers of the mind and the forces of nature. In that respect it is very similar to the Siberian Tungusic word “shaman.”

The understanding of Huna described here comes from the kupua tradition of the Kahili family from the island of Kauai, through Serge Kahili King, who was adopted as the grandson of Joseph Kahili and trained in his tradition.

The Seven Principles
The basic assumptions of Huna are these:

IKE - The world is what you think it is
KALA - There are no limits, everything is possible
MAKIA - Energy flows where attention goes
MANAWA - Now is the moment of power
ALOHA - To love is to be happy with
MANA - All power comes from within
PONO - Effectiveness is the measure of truth

“The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy, we can all sense a mysterious connection to each other.” –Meryl Streep

“Life is half spent before we know what it is.” –Unknown

“When we draw strength from within, our outlook undergoes a dramatic transformation; everything around us looks completely different. To be strong–that is the key to happiness.” –Buddha

When a truck slammed into Joe Damon’s car in 2006, the 48-year old husband, father, businessman and athlete suffered a devastating brain injury that left him in a coma for five weeks. “Joe’s Journey” tells the story of everything that was lost that day, but more importantly, of all that survived. Through powerful and deeply personal encounters with Joe, his wife, children and close friends, this film reveals the strength in their struggles, the sweetness alongside the shadows, and the quiet heroism of one family living a difficult reality with an extraordinary measure of grace.

John Bramblitt lost his sight to epilepsy, but not his inner vision. The University of North Texas undergraduate shows how he managed to transform the anger he felt about his disability into art–developing a system of painting by touch, using his fingers in the place of eyes to create paintings of astonishing vibrancy. “If I hadn’t lost my sight, I don’t think I would have become a painter,” Bramblitt says. “The whole point of beginning was symbolic–to prove that I could still see.”

“Goodness is the only investment that never fails.” –Henry David Thoreau,

“The heart is what is important. There is nothing more vulnerable, nothing more corruptible than the human mind; nor is there anything as powerful, steadfast and ennobling.” –Buddha

“The essence of life is to honour all paths and all people. For to embrace diversity is to celebrate the beauty of truth and the mystic power of humanity.” –Michael Teal