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The Art of Living Deliciously

Where are we going now?

12/27/2019

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Where are we going now? --- 3 minutes read

"If you trying to figure out what to do . . . you got to first figure out how you got in the situation you in..."
Wise words by Fielding from August Wilson's "Jitney"

Well, we're only a few days away from ending this year. As they say, it's amazing how time flies. This is a time that many of us dedicate to reflection about our journey and envision new goals. Perhaps, we find that it's time to fine tune action plans for works in progress. At any rate, this is an opportunity for pausing.

As you glance--not stare--at the last twelve months of your life's path, is there one thing that stands out as a lesson?

It's possible that the year has included a wide range of emotional experiences in this process of learning. For many of us it means the sense of loss when loved and admired ones pass away. It may also be filled with challenges in moving forward purposefully to take our relationships (family and otherwise) and professional lives to the next level of excellence. A couple of fitting questions here can be: What do you hold on tightly to and what do you allow to flow freely? The more we give, without compromising our overall health, the more we receive...

On the other hand, we may be celebrating milestones in our "walk" towards goals. This can include the discovery of new goals. You know how it is...When we throw ourselves into what we love all doors open and we may experience things beyond the imagined! Pleasant surprises are always welcome. For this we benefit from cultivating open-heartedness, which also opens our eyes to see more opportunities to be of service. Might this be one of this year's lessons for you?

May this moment of reflection engage you in recognizing and bestowing value on every step of the way in your efforts to transform your life. The experiences are cumulative, therefore, no part of the journey is more important than the other. Yes, the painful experiences can be perceived as a gift , like the joyful ones, for they provide us with the substance of insight. We can't lose when we open our hearts to insight in all circumstances. So, there may be more than one lesson to add to our wisdom catalog in 2019---or more than one experience with the same lesson trying to get our attention!

Hopefully, given that mistakes must take place along the way, you have allowed compassion to be a centering and energizing force. If you feel that this happens to be an area that needs more attention in order to clear the mind and focus on your mission, so be it. Author Karen Armstrong says, "Compassion is a practically acquired knowledge, like dancing. You must do it and practice diligently day by day." So, get down with the compassion dance! It's not always easily felt, or danced, particularly when old hurts continue to cloud our vision and keep us finding fault out there in the world. What can we do, no matter what others do or have done to us? Here we shift from blame to taking responsibility. In taking responsibility we are better able to see the lessons all around us and  invest   our energy.

Speaking of finger-pointing, every time we find ourselves judging something or someone it can be helpful to remember that we're all doing the best that we can with what we "know". This idea can invite us to live compassionately, not only towards others, but also ourselves. Now, this is not to unhook anyone from responsibility from their choices. Instead, it's to keep the bigger picture in perspective. We're all candidates to expand our knowledge and deepen our sense of peace. There's always something to learn. May we be reminded that our ignorance and insight are ongoing. Let's cultivate patience with and curiosity about the process of growing---ours and that of others. Life's difficulties call us to learn how to become more compassionate. Admittedly, it's not as simple as it sounds, but it's a challenge that can elevate the quality of our lives.

Another question that might shed light on one lesson this year is focused on what inspires your gratitude. This is the single most important lesson for many: Gratitude.

It's possible that this year you may have experienced certain things in your life, immediate community and in relation to the global community that inspire gratitude for what you have and can share with others. You may be moved to do new things to improve your life and enrich the lives of people in it. What are your new visions or plans?

Maybe you're already harvesting what you planted at the beginning of this year...Perhaps, you're still feeding the seeds (e.g. relationships, work projects) such that they will germinate. In any event, remember that consistency, flexibility, patience, a good sense of humor, and mentors are the "fertilizers" that create the necessary conditions to produce excellence. Keep going!

Life is precious, savor its lessons. Let's compassionately reflect on how we got here to clear the path to where we're going. Onward and upward!

Reflection

"Our human compassion binds us the one to the other - not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future."
Nelson Mandela
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¿A dónde vamos?---3 minutos de lectura

12/27/2019

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sentro de poco terminamos el 2019. Como dicen, el tiempo vuela. En esta temporada muchos se dedican a reflexionar sobre su jornada y divisar nuevas metas. Puede ser que algunos afinen sus planes para lograr proyectos que ya progresan. Sea como sea, es un buen momento para pausar.
 
Al observar los 12 meses que acaban de pasar, ¿hay alguna cosa que sobresale de lo que has aprendido?
 
Es posible que hayas vivido una gama de emociones en el proceso de aprender. Para muchos de nosotros ello significa el haber sufrido el fallecimiento de personas amadas o admiradas. Para otros ha sido el reto de tratar de seguir adelante con aplomo para llevar relaciones (de familia u otras) y carreras al siguiente nivel de excelencia. Un par de preguntas que han de elucidar lo aprendido son:
¿Hay algo a lo que te aferras o permites que fluya libremente? Al dar de nosotros, sin comprometer nuestra salud, recibimos...
 
Por otro lado, al finalizar el 2019 podemos celebrar logros en nuestra "caminata" hacia las metas deseadas. Incluso celebramos el descubrimiento de nuevas metas...Ya saben cómo es...Cuando nos metemos de lleno en lo que nos apasiona las puertas se abren y experimentamos hasta lo que no imaginábamos. Las sorpresas agradables son bienvenidas...Para que esto suceda necesitamos cultivar una actitud abierta a posibilidades, de manera que nuestros ojos se abran a oportunidades de servir al mundo. Esa puede ser una de las lecciones del 2019.
 
Que el reflexionar de invite a reconocer y darle valor a cada etapa de tus esfuerzos. Las experiencias se acumulan y ninguna tiene mayor importancia que las otras. ciertamente, las dolorosas---tal como las placenteras--- son regalos cuando nos permitimos percibilas de esa forma. Ambas son la sustancia de la cual emergen revelaciones. No se pierde toda vez que abrimos nuestros corazones a las revelaciones de la vida. Nuestro "libro de lecciones del 2019" se llena mientras reflexionamos...Algunas experiencias se repitieron para que llegaramos a ver y escuchar el mensaje...A veces toma tiempo.
 
Espero que se dieron permiso de aceptar errores, pues son inevitables e invitan a nuestra habilidad de ser compasivos con nosotros mismos y con otros. Si te parece que es una habilidad que necesita mejorar para poder enfocarse en metas, trata de practicarla. La autora Karen Armstrong dice, "La habilidad de experimentar la compasión es algo que se adquiere practicando, como aprender a bailar. Hay que practicarlo diligentemente a diario." De modo que a practicar se ha dicho...No es tan simple, especialmente cuando los dolores del pasado nos ciegan y estancan en el proceso de culpar al mundo por nuestros sufrimientos. Hay que preguntarse, ¿ Si hago algo distinto a lo anterior o a lo que me han hecho, lograré nuevos resultados? Es el momento de reemplazar la tendencia a culpar con hacernos responsables de la calidad de nuestras vidas.
 
Otra pregunta que puede ayudarnos a identificar una sola cosa aprendida en el 2019 se enfoca en lo que nos inspira gratitud. Para muchos, ese puede ser el aprendizaje de mayor impacto.
 
Puede ser que este año hayan sucedido eventos en tu vida, comunidad o en el mundo que te inspiran a sentir gratitud por lo que tienes y lo que puedes compartir. Puede ser que sientas ganas de hacer nuevas cosas con tu vida por tu bien personal y el de las personas en tu entorno ¿Qué nuevas visiones o planes tienes?
Puede ser que ya cosechas lo sembrado al inicio del 2019...O sigues alimentando a las semillas (por ejemplo, relaciones, proyectos) para que germinen. Recuerda que la consistencia, flexibilidad, paciencia, sentido del humor y maestros son los "fertilizantes" que crean las condiciones necesarias para producir excelencia. sigue adelante.
 
La vida es preciosa...Saborea sus lecciones. Tengamos compasión al reflexionar sobre nuestra jornada hasta el presente para ver con mayor claridad el camino hacia nuevos destinos. ¡Adelante!
 
Para reflexionar...
 
 "La forma más alta de entendimiento que podemos alcanzar son la risa y la compasión."
Richard Feynman
 
 Sigamos conversando...
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