Awaken the Genie Within

Perspective and Reaction

A friend of mine emailed me an article from the New York Times knowing it was in perfect alignment with the work I do. I have included in this blog a portion of that article from December 24, 2007

A Rabbi of His Time, With a Charisma That Transcends It

In 1965, after walking in the Selma-to-Montgomery civil-rights march with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel was at the Montgomery, Ala., airport, trying to find something to eat. A surly woman behind the snack-bar counter glared at Heschel - his yarmulke and white beard making him look like an ancient Hebrew prophet - and mockingly proclaimed: "Well, I'll be damned. My mother always told me there was a Santa Claus, and I didn't believe her, until now." She told Heschel that there was no food to be had.

In response, according to a new biography, "Spiritual Radical: Abraham Joshua Heschel in America, 1940-1972" by Edward K. Kaplan (Yale) Heschel simply smiled. He gently asked, "Is it possible that in the kitchen there might be some water?" "Yes," she acknowledged. "Is it possible that in the refrigerator you might find a couple of eggs?" "Perhaps," she admitted. "Well, then," Heschel said, "if you boiled the eggs in the water, that would be just fine."

She shot back, "And why should I?"

"Why should you?" Heschel said. "Well, after all, I did you a favor."

"What favor did you ever do me?"

"I proved," he said, "there was a Santa Claus."

And after the woman's burst of laughter, food was quickly served.

The article went on to say:
....Her mockery is defused, the interaction shifted to the mundane. It is as Heschel were saying: "I understand I'm not what you're used to. But I'm prepared to meet you casually accepting your comparison to a make-believe figure. But surely you can see that your anger is not justified?"

What a magnificent example of emotional energy management and not allowing the Gremlin to take over. As we maintain our peace within and come from a place of love and compassion, the outer circumstances have no power over us.

I love receiving articles I can share on my blog. So if there's anything you come across that you think is in alignment with my blog, please feel free to email me with the information.

Holidays and Relatives

While speaking to a relative about our Christmas Eve family get together at my house, I told her I hadn't heard back from another relative as to whether he would be coming. This didn't surprise me since he has shown, over the years, that he has little interest in participating in our joyful time together.

My relative expressed her disappointment and was holding onto hope that he would finally come around and be a part of the family again. Believing, the older he becomes, he'll choose to spend time with a family that loves him and each other.

Perhaps you, too, have someone in your family who disappoints you during the holidays. And, perhaps you have high hopes that each year this person will surprise you and behave differently than years past. Well, the fact is, people are going to do what they do no matter what your hopes are. They're doing the best they can, I promise you!

No one can disappoint you unless you decide to be disappointed. Someone else's actions don't have to have anything to do with whether you're going to be happy or disappointed during your holiday celebrations.

There will be 22 other people in my home on Christmas Eve that I love and enjoy spending time with. We laugh, eat and are merry! To spend one second of my energy and emotion on the one person who chose not to be there, but is always welcome, would be doing myself and everyone else a grave disservice.

Place your attention on those who bring joy into your life and shower them with love and gratitude for doing so.

It's Not About the Money!

My girlfriend, Lora, just got 4 horses - for FREE! Yep. Not one penny was spent. She simply came to the realization that she was ready to bring horses into her life without any thought as to how she would pay for them or how it would happen.

So how did it happen? While speaking to a relative of hers she shared that it was a perfect time to start looking for some horses because she was now set up to care for them and give them a wonderful place to live. The minute her relative heard this she became very excited, telling Lora that she needed to let go of the 4 horses she had and was looking for a good home for them. Before Lora could ask how much, her relative said, "I want to give you my horses. No charge. Just knowing they'll be in a good home and well loved is more important to me than anything. They're yours!"

The next time you want something in your life, please remember this story. I, too, have had the experience on numerous occasions of receiving something I desired with little or no money involved.

The key is to find your balance in having your desire and not continuously think, "When is it going to happen?" It's about staying in a fun and relaxed state one you've released the desire out into the Universe and then doing whatever inspires you toward that desire. Lora simply felt guided to mention the horses to her relative and the rest is history.

Remember, you absolutely have to take some kind of action along the way. Just don't force it hoping every action is going to bring you results. And it's always helpful to ask yourself, why - "Why do I want this?" Because when your why is powerful enough, your how will materialize. Reasons first, answers second.

 

Letting Go of Expectations

I volunteered with an organization for the first time that is always in need of extra hands around the holiday season. When I arrived, I was a bit surprised because the place where they collect and sort the holiday donations for kids was cold and dingy.

Rebecca, the woman in charge who was waiting for me, said there wasn't anything to do because the shipment they expected for that day hadn't arrived yet. She asked if I would stay the two hours I was scheduled for, just in case it did arrive. I agreed to do so. When she left I sat down with nothing to do and within seconds, Gertrude, my gremlin, showed up in a huge way.

"This is ridiculous. You didn't sign up for this. This isn't the kind of holiday volunteering you like to do. Don't do this again for this organization. You've got two hours with nothing to do in a cold, dingy room. Your time could be spent in better ways."

Just as Gertrude was really ready to let lose, I managed to gain control and have a different conversation with myself.

"You're doing exactly what this wonderful organization needs you to do. It's not their fault the new donations haven't shown up yet. They're shorthanded and the fact that you're here allows Rebecca to go back to her office and get some necessary work done."

I felt much better and decided to take advantage of the quiet time by meditating. I ended up meditating for an hour! It was wonderful. Rebecca returned15 minutes after I finished my meditation and decided to call it a day - 45-minutes before my shift ended.

Do you ever find yourself frustrated and annoyed because you had different expectations than what's actually happening - whether it's volunteering, being paid for a certain job or even attending a social event? It's so easy to get caught up in how we want it to be and forget to look for what is working or what good we are doing.

What stories do you tell yourself or others when you feel you've been disappointed? Do they serve you in anyway? If not, what can you tell yourself so your perspective is shifted to a higher thinking?

I ask these questions for a simple reason - to have you continue going within and seeing where you can make personal improvements so you feel good about your life as often as possible.

The Coffee

This is a wonderful story with a great lesson and reminder for all of us - especially during the holiday season. Enjoy!

The Coffee by Sanjiv Sharma

A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers, got together for a visit with their old university professor. The conversation soon turned to complaints about the endless stress of work and life in general.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and soon returned with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal - some plain, some expensive, some quite exquisite.

Quietly he told them to help themselves to some fresh coffee.

When each of his former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the old professor quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address the small gathering.

"You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking cups were taken up first, leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones. While it is only natural for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is actually the source of much of your stress-related problems."

He continued..."Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In fact, the cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink. What each of you really wanted was coffee, not a cup, but you instinctively went for the best cups. Then you began eyeing each other's cups."

"Now consider this: Life is coffee. Jobs, money, and position in society are merely cups. They are just tools to shape and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not truly define nor change the quality of the life we live. Often, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee that is provided us. God brews the coffee, but he does not supply the cups. Enjoy your coffee!"

The happiest people don't have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

So please remember:
Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

And remember -
The richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.

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The holidays are here! Give simply and generously with a gift full of love, inspiration and encouragement - Stories To Awaken The Genie Within. www.awakenthegeniewithin.com/wisdombook

Holiday Gift Suggestions

This came in my email and I wanted to share it with you.
It's really wonderful!

Holiday gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.

Rudeness or Emotional Protection?

I rented the movie Sicko and although the overall movie brought up all sorts of emotions for me, there was one segment in particular that brought me to tears of compassion for a particular person.

Michael Moore interviewed a woman who is a health insurance salesperson. She takes people's applications and goes through it with them over the phone. She has come to know very quickly who will and won't be accepted for insurance by certain things on their application even though she can't reveal the ultimate outcome.

One couple she used as an example brought her to tears because she knew they would be rejected. She went on to say that they were so happy because they believed they would finally get insurance and she couldn't say a word. What she said next, through her tears, is when I felt her pain and frustration.

"This is why I'm such a bitch on the phone with people. I don't want to get to know them. I just want to get in and out because I can't take the stress of it."

She feels deeply for the people she knows are going to be rejected. She protects herself by distancing herself from them. I started thinking about all the people she has probably dealt with over the years and how many of them might have thought that she was a "bitch" or incredibly rude with them. I wonder, if they knew the truth of her actions, how differently they would feel. I suppose, very.

I remember two times in my life when customer service people were treating me rudely. Both times I learned during our conversations that they were going through a rough time in their life. That reframed my entire experience with them.

So often we don't have a clue why people are rude or curt with us and we end up jumping to the wrong conclusions. We label them. We judge. We become rude back. It's not always easy separating personal feelings with the job at hand so the service delivered is what people deserve. The fact is, we are human beings who all experience emotional pain - some people just handle it better than others.

I invite you to keep this story in mind the next time you're being treated poorly and do your best to manage your emotions and not take what's happening so personally. Remember, no matter what's happening outside of you, you have the choice to remain in an emotional state that you feel good about.

 

Intuition - Tap Into and Trust

I drove to Palm Desert by myself today and whenever I've gone with my husband, he stops at Hadley's market to pick up a few of his favorite items. Since he wasn't with me this time, I thought it would be nice to make the stop and pick up some of those favorite items for him.

As I thought this, another thought immediately followed, "Don't bother, it's closed." Now this was a ridiculous thought because they're never closed on a Saturday. I continued driving along and before I knew it, I had already passed the Hadley's exit. This was surprising since I was looking for the sign and it's a BIG sign - hard to miss. No problem, I'll stop on my way home.

Fast forward to on my way home. Determined to make my stop, I made sure I didn't miss the sign. There it was. As I'm getting off the freeway, a little voice says, "You're wasting your time. It's closed." I turned the corner to enter into Hadley's parking lot and sure enough, it was closed - looking like a ghost town! In all the years we've been stopping there, it has never been closed on a Saturday.

Now I realize this was hardly a monumental, life-altering piece of information I intuitively received, but that's not the point. What is the point, is wanting to remind you to tap in and trust your intuitive hits. They happen for a reason.

And in my humble opinion, there is nothing more powerful than your intuition when needing to support yourself emotionally and spiritually. When you learn to tap into and trust it, life can flow so effortlessly that you just may wonder how you ever made a decision without it.

Spend time throughout your days nurturing your intuition. Play with it. When a little decision needs to be made ask a yes/no question or one with specific choices about something. Check in with yourself. Notice what comes up first and be willing to act on that hit. The more you do this, the better you'll get at it and the more you'll be able to trust your intuition with the bigger stuff in life.

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The holidays are here! Give a gift full of love, inspiration and encouragement - Stories To Awaken The Genie Within. www.awakenthegeniewithin.com/wisdombook

Linda's book is such an easy and enjoyable read full of deep inspiration and wisdom that holds the keys to guide you toward profound changes in your life. Her writing moves you beyond fear and into courage to take you to the next level of your life. - Cindy Cashman, million selling author www.cindycashman.com