Passion And Soulfulness

Written by Dr. Nathaniel Branden


When I think of nourishingrepparttar soul, I think of nurturingrepparttar 129633 ability to respond positively to life that is,repparttar 129634 ability to sustain passion for our interests, values, and projects. I believe thatrepparttar 129635 worst of all spiritual defeats is to lose enthusiasm for life's possibilities.

Every life has its share of setbacks and disappointments of tragedy and loss. Sorepparttar 129636 question we all confront, inrepparttar 129637 face of negatives that may assail us, is: How do we keep our inner fire alive?

Two things, at minimum, are needed: an ability to appreciaterepparttar 129638 positives in our life  and a commitment to action.

Every day, it's important to ask and answer these questions: "What's good in my life?" and "What needs to be done?"

The first question keeps us focused on positives;repparttar 129639 second keeps us proactive and reminds us that we are responsible for our own happiness and well-being.

Another aspect of focusing onrepparttar 129640 positive, and thereby nourishingrepparttar 129641 soul, is to stay focused onrepparttar 129642 inquiry "What in my life do I most enjoy? What most stimulates me?" Someone once said that you can know who a man is if you know what wakes him up.

The pleasures that nurture me personally may be as simple as enjoyingrepparttar 129643 view ofrepparttar 129644 city andrepparttar 129645 ocean fromrepparttar 129646 window of my living room, or spending time inrepparttar 129647 garden, or appreciating good health. Of course, one ofrepparttar 129648 greatest joys that nurtures me is that I have a loving relationship with my wife. In addition, when I think of nurturingrepparttar 129649 soul, I think of listening to music and rereading books that have meant a lot to me. I also think ofrepparttar 129650 act of writing. When I spend time at my computer, writing, I almost invariably experience a tremendous sense of appreciation of how wonderful it is to be alive. If I am away from writing too long, I feel discouraged, or at least dispirited. Writing takes energy, and it also creates energy.

For all of us,repparttar 129651 key is to pay close attention to which activities make us feel most alive and in love with life  and then try to spend as much time as possible engaged in those activities.

Even when our life is most difficult, it is important to remember that something within us is keeping us alive repparttar 129652 life force  that lifts us, energizes us, pulls us back sometimes fromrepparttar 129653 abyss of despair. True spirituality does not exist without love of life.

If we feel unhappy or unfulfilled,repparttar 129654 most urgent question is, "What needs to be done?" Or one might say, "What's missing in my life  and what can I do about it?" The sin is to suffer passively. We must never forget that we haverepparttar 129655 capacity to act. So we must always be concerned to know "What avenues of action are possible to me? What can I do to make my life better?"

If we stay oriented torepparttar 129656 two basic questions  "What's good in my life?" and "What needs to be done?"  and strive to respond to those questions appropriately,repparttar 129657 predictable result is that we will be happier human beings and get far more of whatever it is that we want in life.

Some writers  Erich Fromm, for one  contrast a so-called "being" orientation with a "doing" orientation. The implication is that being and doing are in some sense antithetical. Of course, they are not. Doing and being, action and stillness, are dependent on one another. Without action, we would cease to exist, and without stillness, we would neither be able to appreciate our existence nor have a foundation from which to act. We need stillness, we needrepparttar 129658 pure experience of being, in order to fully realize ourselves. Out of that stillness can comerepparttar 129659 motivation to act and alsorepparttar 129660 awareness we need to act wisely, not to lose perspective. When being and doing are in harmony, when stillness and action are friends to each other, we create an integrated, satisfied soul. We are then inrepparttar 129661 best position to truly enjoy and appreciate life and not be destroyed by adversity.

How to Save Yourself from Negative Influences

Written by Michael Lee


Watchingrepparttar news can be hazardous to your health.

It's a fact, especially when you're watching events related to terrorism, kidnapping, murder, accidents, or calamities. These incidents make you worry and will leave you feeling weak and insecure. Imaginerepparttar 129631 uncomfortable feeling of becoming a victim someday. This will have a negative effect on your outlook in life.

Your surroundings have a big impact on you. How can you think and grow rich if you're bombarded with messages that relates "how difficult life has become" or "how poor most of us has turned out to be?"

You can't change your environment, but you certainly can control your mind. This is where visualization comes into play. Use your imagination, just as you would when you're still a little child. Imagine your home as a palace, your simple meal as fine dining gourmet, and your nearby park as your favorite vacation spot. Just imagine. Unconsciously, your thoughts will transformrepparttar 129632 images into their physical components.

Ifrepparttar 129633 media can indirectly influence you just by reporting what's happening around, imagine what impact everyday people have on you. These arerepparttar 129634 people that you see and meet everyday. These are alsorepparttar 129635 same people who are expressing their own views of what is right and what is wrong.

When we grow up in a negative environment, we tend to acquire repparttar 129636 traits and characteristics of people around us.

Many gangsters have been brought up by folks who have either misguided them or have taught themrepparttar 129637 wrong things in life. Throughrepparttar 129638 years, they have instilled within themselvesrepparttar 129639 vices of people around them.

Here's another case.

Pick a nice person, throw him in a group of bad-mouthed individuals who incorporates swear words in their everyday language. Sooner or later, you'll notice that nice person speaking inrepparttar 129640 same manner asrepparttar 129641 group.

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