:: Aham Prema ::

Look at each day as a blank page. Before making any marks on your canvas, consciously choose what you write, draw, paint, or cut. Have a great palette near with all of your favorite colors. With each stroke, make sure you are enjoying the experience and having fun. At the end of the day, look back at it and make sure you are happy with what you created. Can you do better? Repeat daily. ~Danielle Marie Crume

As spring is the ultimate time of year for planting seeds, I have recently redone my goals. I dug up all of my old notes and made it priority to create a renewed vision of what I’m doing with my life. What a beautiful and empowering process. It felt great to make me such a priority in my life! :) Looking Back During the winter I had come to a few realizations about my self and my life. I saw how much I have developed and removed limits I previously imprisoned myself in. I had truly gone through a metamorphosis and felt empowered within like I could have never before imagined. My creation had taken on a greater level and I had become much more focused on what was most meaningful for me. It was great to reflect before moving forward to know what was most motivating for me now. Looking Forward Over time I had started collecting so many goals that they were overwhelming. I no longer felt motivated for them; they had become outdated. The best part of this goals session was envisio...

Written on 4/08/2008 by Alex Shalman. Great motivating ideas :) And I think we all could use a little enthusiasm at times. Way before the sun peeks over the horizon, a few chosen people awaken from their slumber and dive head first into their day. These chosen few accomplish a ton before the rest of us would ever consider rising from our nice warm beds. Who are these juggernauts that have command over the morning hours? In theory, your productivity level shouldn't differ if you rise at 4am or 11am. What matters is the quality of sleep that's giving your mind and body sufficient time to recover. These early rising juggernauts, these unstoppable agents of productivity, they see things differently. They see these early hours as their chance to lay claim to their share of the day. They rise with purpose, act with determination, and achieve ruthlessly. The sun has not caught me in bed in fifty years. - Thomas Jefferson The world is in awe of these special people, so let's take ...

An interesting article by Joe Kissell. Gets into a lot of detail, but a fun read :) Love the author’s way of communicating his experience and his philosophy about philosopy…haha About halfway through college, I decided I was going to major in philosophy. I was one of only four or five philosophy majors in my class, and most of my friends simply couldn’t comprehend why I chose such a field. For one thing, philosophy was obviously the most boring subject in the world, and for another, there didn’t seem to be anything you could do with a degree in philosophy. My classmates would say things like, “I’m majoring in psychology, which means I can become a psychologist. I can have an office and an ad in the yellow pages and people will pay to come talk to me. But there aren’t any philosophers in the yellow pages—look it up. How do you expect to earn a living as a philosopher?” I had no good answer to that question. I didn’t think I wanted to teach philosophy, which is the usual way philosophe...

Cute email I was forwarded :) Love the essence that these capture. What Love means to a 4-8 year old . . .. Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it. Touching words from the mouth of babes. A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?' The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined See what you think: ________________________________ 'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.' Rebecca- age 8 ________________________________ 'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.' Billy - age 4 ___________________...

Written by Shanel Yang. Nice to check with what I've come to my self.... Seven years ago I came across this list. I don't recall where it came from but I do know that I couldn’t agree with even one of these statements. In fact, I found the very idea of anyone being able to agree with most of them absurd. I thought, “You gotta be kidding me! Who really goes through life THAT friggin’ happy?” For some reason, I kept the list. Over the years, I made it a goal to change myself or my life to eventually be able to say all of these statements with complete sincerity and heartfelt gratitude. I am surprised and pleased to realize I have finally succeeded with most of them. I still struggle with #19 sometimes. And, I’m not exactly sure if it’s such a bad thing to need to compete with others (#10) since competition is a great motivator. But, other than that, I’ve pretty much achieved the rest thanks to my new career as a writer. I’m lovin’ it! And, so, I present this list to you...

My notes from an article by Bill Plotkin I found this went well with the idea of "Seeing the jewel inside every one". Through radical conversation, one can discover more and ever more about oneself and the other, drawing nearer to the mystery of life. Key Points of Radical Conversation: *Assume responsibility for your own well being *Share experience without reproaching partner for past wounds or future expectations *Endeavor to hear, without feeling/being defensive, the other's experience. Full sharing - feeling what it is like to be me while hearing what it is like to be you. Requires: *Responsibility for self *Self-awareness *Strength to withstand genuine encounters. Relationship becomes bigger than each alone. *Innocence and wonder...always changing. *Ability to see own dark side as projected on partner. Find your blocks. Use the sight of them as an opportunity to learn and heal. ~Danielle Marie Crume

Written by David B. Bohl, the author of Slow Down Fast. Basic info, but nice read. In life, there are two paths available to each of us. Which path we travel is determined entirely by our own actions, our decisions, and our priorities. It is decided by our character – the ability to make the right choice, even if it is not the easy choice. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” - Matthew 7:13-14 In life, we are faced with decisions each day, some that are easy, and some that may be very difficult. The decisions we make and how we choose to deal with individual circumstances determines which road we are traveling. Remaining on the narrow road takes a great deal of thought, concentration, and dedication. An important step in the ongoing process of personal development is to be able to discern between the broad...