The Virtue of Love
30 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Love
What is Love?
In the Gospel it is said God is love. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 180)
In the hearts of men no real love is found, and the condition is such that, unless their susceptibilities are quickened by some power so that unity, love and accord may develop within them, there can be no healing. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 171)
In the world of existence there is indeed no greater power than the power of love. When the heart of man is aglow with the flame of love, he is ready to sacrifice all—even his life. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 179-180)
Love is light. Love is beauty. Love is grace. Love is the Divine Power of attraction that unites the hearts of all people on earth.
Love gives us hope when we feel hopeless. It creates a shelter in the midst of a storm. Love is the powerful force that flows from deep within us, that begs us to not give up, no matter how difficult the challenges ahead may be.
A friend shared an inspiring book with me this week on the power of love. In it, the author describes a story of a man who used a Hawaiian Healing method to clean and clear a lot of pain and trouble in his life. The story is that there was a man who worked as a warden in a prison with criminals who had committed very horrific crimes. The staff had become overwhelmed with the violence and challenges facing a specific ward. This particular warden, who believed in the power of Love, would sit in his room and go through each file of the inmates. As he did so he would repeat, “I love you. Please forgive me. I’m sorry. Thank you.” And as the story goes, amazingly there began to be great positive changes on the unit. Eventually, all but just a few inmates began to improve and leave or be transferred. Soon, with no one left to fill the cells of this unit, it was closed. Others would approach the warden and compliment him on his excellent program and ask him how did he ever rehabilitate these hardened criminals. His answer was this. That he loved them and told them and even from a distance it had a great effect on their personal transformation.
The Virtue of Trust
08 Jan 2011 Leave a Comment
in Patience, Trust Tags: Faith, patience, trust, virtues
Trust is having faith, hope and a positive outlook. Trust is believing in someone or something. We have confidence that the right thing will come about without trying to control it or make it happen. We trust others to do what they say they will do, and give them the space to be trustworthy. Sometimes it is difficult to trust when life brings painful experiences. Trust is being sure, in the depths of our being, that there is some gift or learning in everything that happens. We move confidently with the flow of life, gathering strength from adversity. We know we are never alone. (www.virtuesproject.com)
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When we have had experiences of people breaking our trust, we learn to be fearful instead of trusting. It takes a lot of effort, determination and patience to allow ourselves the space to develop trust again after a traumatic or hurtful experience but when we do it is worth it!
Consider a child that is hungry and asks its mother for some food. The mother says, “Sure” an proceeds to prepare a meal. The child feels the pains of hunger in its stomach and says to its mother, “Mommy! Why aren’t you giving me food? I am so hungry.” And to this the mother will reply, “Your food is coming soon, dear one. Trust me.” And eventually, the food comes and the child’s hunger is diminished.
Trust and Patience are like sisters. When things are painful in our life we need to Trust that there is a reason for it and have Patience to wait and find out why. Just like the child that is pleased with a nourishing meal the sustains his body and soul, so are we rewarded when we allow ourselves to trust.
The Virtue of Faithfulness
14 Dec 2010 Leave a Comment
in Confidence
Today my question during personal reflection was, “What virtue do I need to practice in order to help me find balance, inner confidence and trust in myself and in my current relationships?”
The card I picked was: Faithfulness.
And here’s what it says, “Faithfulness is being loyal to our beliefs, remaining firm and steadfast regardless of what happens. When our faith is tested, we stay strong, and learn from the experience. We do our work with meticulous care and excellence, faithful to its true intent. With the people we love, we are abiding and trustworthy. They know we will not abdondon them or violate the sacred trust between us. Faithfulness through the changes and tests of time is a sign of lasting love. Faithful friendship is one of life’s greatest treasures.”
So, I ask: What would faithfulness look like in a friendship? or in a relationship?
Interestingly, the passage on the back of the card kind of answers this for me, it is a quote from Gautama Buddha and it says, “Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.”
This makes me think of the slogan that has been helpful in teaching me to cherish my health, contentment and faithfulness and that is “Be True To Yourself.” To Thine Own Self Be True.
It has taken me 14 years to figure out what that meant, who I was, and how to be true to that self.
Today, I am embracing Faithfulness and using it to help me trust in the process of life, trust in the evolving nature of relationships, trust in the continuous love and support from God and the Universe, trust in my ability to learn from life’s difficulties. I am replacing fear with faithfulness and moving towards my goals with confidence.
The Virtue of Enlightenment
11 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in Enlightenment, Peacefulness Tags: anger, anxiety, depression, fear, help, solutions, worry
“Enlightenment” is not one of the 52 virtues of The Virtues Project…however, that being said, I do believe that Enlightenment is the state of being at peace with oneself AND Enlightenment is what is achieved when all the virtues have been firmly rooted within oneself.
What is Enlightenment? It is the condition of being at peace with oneself, at peace with the people around oneself, and at peace with the condition of the world around us.
The beauty of Enlightenment is that it is a personal discovery and not something that can be discovered for you by anyone else. AND to discover Enlightenment and then announce to the world that “I am an Enlightened Being” will only cause a person to slip back into the throws of tests, ones that will probably serve to remind a person about Humility.
The truth of it is that all of us have the potential to be enlightened. When we seek out to better ourselves, to improve our surroundings, to beautify the space around us, we are making steps on the path towards Enlightenement.
The Virtue of Diligence
24 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Diligence, Enthusiasm, Excellence
“Diligence is working hard and doing your absolute best. You take special care by doing things step by step. Diligence helps you to get things done with excellence and enthusiasm. Diligence leads to success. ” (www.52virtues.com)
Diligence leads to success!
What is success? On the path towards well-being we consider some of the parts of our lives that are not doing well and then we put effort towards improving them. Diligence helps us to achieve those goals.
When part of our aim for success includes financial well-being then diligence is the virtue that we need to have more of in our lives. Ask Oprah how she got to be one of the wealthiest women in America and I bet she will say that she 1) worked hard to 2) to her best 3) step by step 4) with enthusiasm and excellence. Oprah is a great model for diligence.
The Virtue of Determination
20 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Determination Tags: anger, anxiety, depression, fear, helplessness, suicide, virtues
Determination
You focus your energy and efforts on a task and stick with it until it is finished. Determination is using your will power to do something when it isn’t easy. You are determined to meet your goals even when it is hard or you are being tested. With determination we make our dreams come true. (www.52virtues.com)
At times, situations in life become so difficult that it seems like the easiest thing is to give up. We encounter challenges at work, at home, at school, with our friends or family members and sometimes the challenges seem so great that there appears to be no way out but to give up. Quit the job, leave the marriage, drop out of school, break up with a boyfriend, end a friendship, give up on a family member.
But when we give up, let go, or leave a situation without finding the gift in it for our character then the situation will come back to us again later, maybe under different circumstances, maybe involving different people, but the same lesson will be there and we will again be faced with the task of finding resolution and strength.
When we make the choice to confront the issue at hand in our lives we can summon the great strength found in DETERMINATION. With determination we become like an engine that generates energy. With determination we find renewed creativity, renewed hope, renewed confidence.
How do we find determination when the situation feels hopeless? There are many, many ways. One way that works nearly every time is to find some quiet time to pray, meditate, or reflect. Reading inspirational poetry, Holy Texts, or listening to inspirational music uplifts the soul and frees the mind from the pain involved in the circumstances and this allows the soul to connect with the potential within us to deal with any circumstance that we find ourselves in.
Determination. It is a quiet strength and it is a loud thunder. With determination anything can be accomplished.
What is challenging you in your life right now that requires some determination? What is one thing you can do today to build your determination to resolve this matter?
The Virtue of Detachment
05 Jun 2010 2 Comments
in Detachment, Self-Discipline, Thankfulness, Trust
Detachment is experiencing your feelings without allowing your feelings to control you. Instead of just reacting, with detachment you are free to choose how you will act. You use thinking and feeling together, so you can make smart choices.
(www.thevirtuesproject.com)
Detachment is a powerful and profound virtue. Unlike the virtues of Creativity and Joy, Detachment calls us to our True Self by requiring a more focused attention to our thoughts, feelings, actions, and consequences of those actions.
Without really knowing, Ekhart Tolle, auther of the wonderful books “The Power of Now” and “The New Earth” is calling us all to the virtue of Detachment by teaching us how to be more detached and he explains that when we are detached, we become free and we experience bliss.
At the beginning of trying to detach from something it doesn’t feel like bliss. It usually feels like hell. Whether we are attached to a certain outcome in a job interview, or attached to a certain material object, or even being attached to a certain part of ourselves that we thought was permenant. When we lose something — don’t get the job, have a house fire, or receive promptings from a doctor to change our diet — it is hard to let go.
Change is hard. Detachment reminds us that though the change is difficult, with detachment it becomes easier, and then with patience we will find that the change was for the better. It is easy to be grateful in hindsight. Detachment helps us to have gratitude before hindsight kicks in.
When we are striving towards personal empowerment and well-being, detachment will be both the sliver and the balm. Detachment hurts — but it also heals.
What is something you have been clinging to that has been causing you pain? Is it time to let go and try something new?
The Virtue of Creativity
28 May 2010 Leave a Comment
in Creativity
Creativity is the power of imagination. It is discovering your own special talents. Dare to see things in new ways and find different ways to solve problems. With your creativity, you can bring something new into the world. (www.virtuesproject.com)
The Virtue of Creativity invites us to delve deeper into ourselves to discover what makes us unique and what is our creative contribution to the world around us.
Although artists have certainly developed this virtue into a level of expertise, everyone has the potential to be creative at any time.
When we feel depressed, anxious, over-whelmed, or confused, the virtue of creativity can bring us new solutions to resolve the issues in our lives to replace the feelings that drain us with new feelings that empower us.
Creativity is a power — the power of imagination. And it has been said that anything we can imagine is possible. When we channel our creative powers towards any positive outcome that our heart desires we can set a new course for ourselves in life.
What is a challenge in your life right now that could use a creative solution?
The Virtue of Courtesy
21 May 2010 Leave a Comment
in Courtesy Tags: mental health, overcoming anxiety, overcoming depression, overcoming fears
Prince William
Courtesy has been called “The Prince of Virtues.” This gives an image of nobility, honour, grace, and purity.When we acknowledge these qualities within ourselves, we begin to find strength that we didn’t know we had.
“Courtesy is being polite and having good manners. When you speak and act courteously, you give others a feeling of being valued and respected. Greet people pleasantly. Bring courtesy home. Your family needs it most of all. Courtesy helps life to go smoothly.” (www.52virtues.com)
When we are trying to change our lives or improve our circumstances, courtesy can go a long way. When we act in a courteous way we are showing respect for ourselves as well as those to whom we are being courteous towards.
Whether we are aiming to overcome depression, anxiety, fears, or insecurities, showing courtesy to others will help us to feel positive towards ourselves and those we are coming into contact with.
When we feel positive, we attract more positivity into our lives.
Copyright Rachel Perry 2010
The Virtue of Courage
20 May 2010 Leave a Comment
in Courage
Courage doesn't always look like a lion
One of my personal favourites!
Courage is bravery in the face of fear. You do the right thing even when it is hard or scary. When you are courageous, you don’t give up. You try new things. You admit mistakes. Courage is the strength in your heart. (www.52virtues.com)
In the context of having virtues for well-being, courage really is one of those biggies that can’t be ignored.
Having courage to be yourself is truly the greatest reward in life, I believe. But I mean “truly” being yourself, deeply and honestly, and not just pretending to be yourself.
How do you know the difference? When you are truly being yourself life is full, absolutely full of challenges, but you feel so happy and satisfied. When you are listening to the song of your own heart and dancing to the beat of your own drum you will be different than everyone else and this may sometimes cause friction. But that friction is necessary in order for you to bring out your highest self into the world.
If your life is full of challenges and you feel drained and hopeless than this is a clue to you that there is something about yourself that you are not fully experiencing. Have courage and listen to yourself. What is missing in your life that needs to be added? Or what is in your life that needs to go? It is one of these two things.
There never was anyone like you before and there never will be someone like you again. It takes courage to embrace your Unique Self and live it fully.
That’s what I’m talking about. Courage To Be. In whatever way that looks for you.
Go forward bravely and happily and you will find all that your heart desires.
Or be like this little playdough guy, and just go forward, even if you are nervous and timid — the courage is in your heart, just waiting for you to call on it to use for whatever challenge you need to overcome to feel more happy and more peaceful.
