I think that we can all agree that when it comes to 'Integrity" - if it were easy, everybody would do it - all the time. In Walk the Talk by Eric Harvey and Steve Ventura, the authors discuss the fact that while we all likely have values and a sense of right and wrong - "acting according to these beliefs, values, and good intentions...doing what's right..."walking the talk" is one of the biggest challenges each of us faces every day" (p. 8). In other words, if we were to compare our behaviors with our values - they might not align very well. The authors write that "discussing good citizenship is a lot easier than going out in an election-day rainstorm to vote. Stating the importance of honesty is just plain easier than overcoming the temptation to keep the change the clerk overpays us. Touting good service is one thing, staying late to make sure a customer is taken care of is quite another. And waxing eloquent about how parents should be actively involved in their children's education is a piece of cake compared to turning off our most favorite TV program so we can check our children's homework" (p. 9).
There is no doubt "that we all have moments when our behaviors are out of sync with the beliefs we hold deep down inside and that the majority of those out-of-sync behaviors are UNintentional" (p. 10). This is what makes us human. But understanding that no one is perfect is should be proof enough that we all have room for improvement.
So - are you "behaving your beliefs"? ..."The challenge starts all over again with each new tomorrow" (p. 13). This provides us all with opportunities to evaluate our values (do we practice what we preach?), evaluate our behaviors (do we model what we teach?), and see if they are in alignment. If we keep doing what is convenient and easy, most likely we are not aligned much at all.
So once again - are you 'behaving your beliefs'?
BOOK: Walk the Talk by Eric Harvey and Steve Ventura. (c) 2007 Simple Truths publishing.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Internal Flame - constant peace and warmth
Yoga Sutra I.36: There is always a light within us that is free from all sorrow and grief, no matter how much we may be experiencing suffering....
In the first chapter of the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali offers several practical solutions for reducing the symptoms that inevitably arise from the various obstacles and challenges in life. Of these, one personal favorite of of Kate Holcombe (Yoga Journal Magazine) is in I.36, with visoka va jyotismati. Here, Patanjali reminds us that whatever is happening in the world around us or to us on the outside, on the inside is a quiet, deep place free from sorrow or suffering. Patanjali describes this sanctuary within as simply a light or shining brightness. It is both universal and nonthreatening, so that even in the darkest moments of our lives, we may be comforted by this image of illumination within that is free from all pain, even if it is just a tiny spark so deep inside us that we sometimes forget it is there.
This light that removes darkness and brings clarity can be a beacon to us, however faint, in the darkest of nights or winters. Through the breath, through meditation, through simple movement, or even just through quiet reflection, we can remind ourselves of this quiet, subtle, yet powerful resource within."
... your light can be whatever you need it to be. It can be like Patanjali visualizes it, a light or shining brightness... or it can be a warm glowing light, or the flickering of the flame of a candle.... But whatever your light looks like, locate it so you know where to go when things are looking dark.
Kami
In the first chapter of the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali offers several practical solutions for reducing the symptoms that inevitably arise from the various obstacles and challenges in life. Of these, one personal favorite of of Kate Holcombe (Yoga Journal Magazine) is in I.36, with visoka va jyotismati. Here, Patanjali reminds us that whatever is happening in the world around us or to us on the outside, on the inside is a quiet, deep place free from sorrow or suffering. Patanjali describes this sanctuary within as simply a light or shining brightness. It is both universal and nonthreatening, so that even in the darkest moments of our lives, we may be comforted by this image of illumination within that is free from all pain, even if it is just a tiny spark so deep inside us that we sometimes forget it is there.
This light that removes darkness and brings clarity can be a beacon to us, however faint, in the darkest of nights or winters. Through the breath, through meditation, through simple movement, or even just through quiet reflection, we can remind ourselves of this quiet, subtle, yet powerful resource within."
... your light can be whatever you need it to be. It can be like Patanjali visualizes it, a light or shining brightness... or it can be a warm glowing light, or the flickering of the flame of a candle.... But whatever your light looks like, locate it so you know where to go when things are looking dark.
Kami
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Do What Is Right - Not What Is Easy
"In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing" (Theodore Roosevelt).
"When you do the things you have to do when you have to do them, the day will come when you can do the things you want to do when you want to do them" (Zig Ziglar).
"Very often change of self is needed more than a change of scene" (Christopher Benson, author).
"When you do the things you have to do when you have to do them, the day will come when you can do the things you want to do when you want to do them" (Zig Ziglar).
"Very often change of self is needed more than a change of scene" (Christopher Benson, author).
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Stress does make you fat - and it's not all about food
The Neurologic Link between Stress, Diabetes and Obesity
Many of us know of people who under pressure resort to “stress eating.”
Chocolate, French fries, and potato chips have all been implicated in stress overeating and while I’m sure that most junk foods have also been used for such purposes, I doubt the same could be said for foods like broccoli or blueberries.
The result – chronic stress can lead to habitual stress eating of unhealthy foods, which in turn leads to weight gain and possibly to obesity, diabetes, and a host of other health problems. Many of us have witnessed this unfortunate progression of events, but up until recently, the biomedical research field has been unable to provide the corroborating scientific evidence. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences recently published a paper out of the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel documenting the effects caused by changes to the gene Urocortin-3 (Ucn3). Ucn3 is produced in certain brain cells during times of stress and is known to play a role in regulating the body’s stress response.
Dr. Alon Chen led a team of Weizmann researchers who were able to increase amounts of Ucn3 in certain areas of the brains of mice. The results of these Ucn3 increases were two-fold: anxiety-related behavior increased while at the same time, their metabolism changed. Specifically, the mice burned more sugars and less fatty acids and their metabolic rates increased.
An increase in metabolism is usually considered a good thing for weight loss, but not in this case.
This change in metabolism didn’t necessarily change the amount of food that the mice were ingesting, just their food preferences. Rather than eating a healthy balanced diet, the stress-induced metabolic changes caused them to choose sugary food. Sugars are good if needing quick bursts of energy in order to escape a physical danger, but become a health issue if abused over the long term.
These mice (back to the Weizmann study) also started to show the first stage signs of type 2 diabetes with decreased sensitivity to insulin, increased sugar levels in the blood, and more insulin being produced by their pancreas. The findings link stress to metabolic syndromes, especially diabetes and obesity.
(Research provided by the Weizmann study)
Many of us know of people who under pressure resort to “stress eating.”
Chocolate, French fries, and potato chips have all been implicated in stress overeating and while I’m sure that most junk foods have also been used for such purposes, I doubt the same could be said for foods like broccoli or blueberries.
The result – chronic stress can lead to habitual stress eating of unhealthy foods, which in turn leads to weight gain and possibly to obesity, diabetes, and a host of other health problems. Many of us have witnessed this unfortunate progression of events, but up until recently, the biomedical research field has been unable to provide the corroborating scientific evidence. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences recently published a paper out of the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel documenting the effects caused by changes to the gene Urocortin-3 (Ucn3). Ucn3 is produced in certain brain cells during times of stress and is known to play a role in regulating the body’s stress response.
Dr. Alon Chen led a team of Weizmann researchers who were able to increase amounts of Ucn3 in certain areas of the brains of mice. The results of these Ucn3 increases were two-fold: anxiety-related behavior increased while at the same time, their metabolism changed. Specifically, the mice burned more sugars and less fatty acids and their metabolic rates increased.
An increase in metabolism is usually considered a good thing for weight loss, but not in this case.
This change in metabolism didn’t necessarily change the amount of food that the mice were ingesting, just their food preferences. Rather than eating a healthy balanced diet, the stress-induced metabolic changes caused them to choose sugary food. Sugars are good if needing quick bursts of energy in order to escape a physical danger, but become a health issue if abused over the long term.
These mice (back to the Weizmann study) also started to show the first stage signs of type 2 diabetes with decreased sensitivity to insulin, increased sugar levels in the blood, and more insulin being produced by their pancreas. The findings link stress to metabolic syndromes, especially diabetes and obesity.
(Research provided by the Weizmann study)
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Hope...
Hope works in these ways: it looks for the good in people instead of harping on the worst; it discovers what can be done instead of grumbling about what cannot; it regards problems, large or small, as opportunities; it pushes ahead when it would be easy to quit; it "lights the candle" instead of "cursing the darkness"... (Anonymous).
Things that make you think...
Many of life's failures are people who do not realize how close hey were to success when they gave up. (Thomas Edison).
Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.. .(Henry Ford)
When we have done our best, we should wait the results in peach. (J. Lubbock)
Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.. .(Henry Ford)
When we have done our best, we should wait the results in peach. (J. Lubbock)
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Question EVERY fear thought...
Question any self-doubt you have. Ask yourself...
How do I know this?
Is it true?
Who says so?
Is that my experience, or is it a belief?
If it's fear based on past experiences, ask yourself...
Is that happening NOW?
Is that true NOW?
Who says so?
(taken from The Fear Book, by Cheri Huber)...
How do I know this?
Is it true?
Who says so?
Is that my experience, or is it a belief?
If it's fear based on past experiences, ask yourself...
Is that happening NOW?
Is that true NOW?
Who says so?
(taken from The Fear Book, by Cheri Huber)...
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