Could you learn something from Buddha? Check out some of his quotes and how to apply them; Using joy to focus on where to put my energy.

In SAVVY and SKILLS, Suzan Dalia shares Quotes by Buddha that will change the way you think….if you apply them. She suggests some ways to apply them.

In SOUL, anything or anyone who doesn’t bring joy to your life; and doesn’t think you are a joy in their life, doesn’t deserve your time or energy.

savvy & skills

It gets me everytime….. to at least glance at the article. When I see a headline like “The 5 Keys to Happiness” or “Seven Reasons to Quit Your Job” or “The Top 3 Causes of Relationship Breakups”, I have to check if I agree with the 5, 7 or 3. 

I’ve even done my own version of this when I wrote in SKILLS in the November 2008 edition about “Top Ten Ways You Know You’re a Program-Driven Service When……”

So when this popped up in my email, “7 Quotes By Buddha That (If Applied) Will Change The Way You Think”, I was ready to check if , “These quotes will open your mind”. Having been raised in the Judeo-Christian tradition, I was even more curious if I could learn from Buddha.

Suzan Dalia published this article December 21, 2021. So it is fitting that as we start a new year, that I take a peek at how I might change the way I think.

Suzan gave some background: “Siddartha Gautama, known as Buddha was one of the greatest ancient philosophers who lived in India around the sixth century B.C. He founded Buddhism more than 2,500 years ago and millions are still following his religion today because his message is profound to this day.”

Given the fragmentation and animosities in our country and in other nations, I certainly agree with her goals and would like to believe her statement: “If the whole world applied to Buddha’s teaching, we would live in peaceful harmony with each other and be full of compassion for one another.”

I chose to highlight 5 of the seven quotes that spoke to my head and heart. (You’ll have to read her article to see which two I left out.) Suzan deftly added a “How to Apply” section, which I agree can change the way you think. I have excerpted and formatted her content, which is all Suzan’s words. However, I did add a few editorial DML comments.

Tip 1

“Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”

• Feeling angry all the time is extremely damaging to your mental health. You’re only giving away your power to someone else who made you feel angry and being angry at someone will not affect them at all.
• Life is too short to be angry at someone forever. You can’t claim to advocate for happiness but have anger inside.
• If you stay angry, it will make you feel like you’re trapped in your own mental prison.
• It’s completely okay to feel every emotion, the positive and negative, but it’s never okay to feed into the things that make you more miserable and make it into a habit.
• The only one you will end up hurting is yourself. The only one who will suffer is you.

How to apply

• Be easy on yourself and forgive yourself for what happened in the past.
• Forgive yourself and those who have hurt you in the past. Have a love for them and wish them happiness.
• Ask yourself, “What can I do about my anger? Should I lose my power or let the hatred go?”
• Transform your anger into motivation and use the motivation for something productive in your life. Try to switch your focus to something you love instead.
• Promote more love in your life, not hate in your life.

Tip 2

“What you think you create, what you feel you attract, what you imagine you become.”

“This has become the main rule in the modern spiritual community” says Suzan Dalia.

• Whatever the mind thinks, it becomes real. Your mind is the most powerful tool you have. Be mindful of how you think and feel. (DML: This might be a foreign concept for you and hard to swallow. But In SKILLS in the May 2020 edition of Tips and Topics I wrote about Law of Attraction) 
• Your thoughts are the results of who you have become today and the world is always a reflection of how you think and feel inside.
• You’re manifesting all the time, but you’re unaware of it. You don’t have to consume more negativity and turn them into a fact.
• Every thought is an affirmation and your dominant thoughts become a reflection in your life. (DML: Have you ever been around someone who is constantly angry at the oher political party; finding and sharing more and more ‘facts’ that prove how bad those other people are? Do you feel good around them? Do you look forward to being with them joyfully? Do they become a bitter and angry companion?)

How to apply

• Start by affirming some simple affirmations for your specific goal that is easy and simple. Stick to a few affirmations for your desire, so it doesn’t feel overwhelming for you. (DML: Example: I want smart, emotionally intelligent people with whom to travel and see the world)
• You don’t have to force yourself to feel anything, it will naturally come when you imagine what it’s like to have your desires accomplished. (DML: As I imagine and see myself exploring different cultures, feelings of joy and adventure flow naturally.)
• If you love writing, write down all the things you love about yourself and your life.
• Feed more focus on the blessings and less on the darkness.

Tip 3

“The trouble is you think you have time.”

Suzan: “I wish we could live forever on this Earth but there comes a day when you have to say goodbye and leave this world.”

• The biggest mistake is to live your life hurting people all the time and never face yourself until the day you die… and making up for your mistakes is too late at the moment you’re about to die.
• We’ve been taught to live up to our family’s expectations, but one day we will regret the things we never did and ignore the voice inside us that knows our purpose in life.
• You have to ask yourself, “Did I live my life to the fullest?” Never fear death but fear a wasted life.

How to apply

• Do all the things you always wanted to do in life but were afraid of doing. Hug your loved ones and tell them you love them every day.
• Try out new skills or hobbies. Start to learn a new language and do some charity work if you want to make a little difference in the world. Try to help someone in your life.
• Spend more time in nature and laugh more because laughter is the medicine to your soul. Talk to the ones that you always wanted to talk to instead of being shy.
• Confront your fears and go out of your comfort zone if you want to grow and evolve. Make each of your days more meaningful by doing what you love the most.

Tip 4

“There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.”

Suzan: I can tell you, it’s better to try and think “At least I did it.” than to never try and think “I wish I did it.”

• The biggest mistake is never doing what you wanted to do because your family said so and friends think it’s an unrealistic goal. You should never care about what anyone thinks about your journey, it’s your journey, no one else.
• The second biggest mistake is giving up when you fail a few times on your desired goal. You’re only getting stronger when you keep going for your desires.
• The important thing is to stay consistent because you are always learning something valuable along the road to your dream. You should enjoy the journey.

How to apply

• Follow your heart and write down a list of things you’ve always wanted to do in your life.
• Maybe you have always wanted to learn to meditate or see a specific country, go for it.
• It doesn’t matter how many obstacles you will face, as long as you persist.
• We are never really ready for anything so you may as well just start now and learn through the process of it. This is how you start doing what you love.

Tip 5

“There isn’t enough darkness in all the world to snuff out the light of one little candle.”

Suzan: “It means no evil in this world can stop someone from being good by shining their light in this world.”

• The lies may run fast but the truth will slowly arrive and shine in a world of blinded people. The truth will never be oppressed by evil.
• You can try to hide away from the truth, but the truth will always find a way back to you. The more you deny the truth, the more resistance you will create.
• The easiest way is to surrender to the truth and listen, even if it’s hurting your ego. You have to ask yourself, “What can I learn from this? What is this teaching me?”

How to apply

• Speak your truth even if you become nervous and everyone thinks you’re the weird one. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks, it matters how you think and feel.
• Surrender to the harsh truth, no matter how much it hurts your ego, when you do it, you will set yourself free from the lie you have lived in.
• Write down a list of what makes you special and you will be reminded of how worthy you are in this world.
• Never let the ignorance of this world stop you from following your heart and what feels right for you. Listen to the inner voice inside you. Your intuition knows what’s best for you.

soul

Anything or anyone who doesn’t bring joy to your life and doesn’t think you are a joy in their life, doesn’t deserve your time or energy. That may sound selfish, but let me explain.

In the past year, especially in retirement mode, my mantra has been: If it doesn’t bring me joy, then it’s not for me. I have come to see that feeling good is not a selfish activity but a responsibility to myself and others I love, serve and want to be with. Because if I am not joyful, I can’t give much to anyone else.

Marie Kondo got me thinking about joy. If you don’t know about her, she helps people declutter. In her 6 Rules of Tidying, Rule 6 is Ask Yourself if it Sparks Joy: “Joy is personal, so everyone will experience it differently. Marie describes it as “…a little thrill, as if the cells in your body are slowly rising.” Through the process of selecting only those things that inspire joy, you can identify precisely what you love – and what you need.”

Point-Counterpoint: 

“Oh, so you are just going to go around with a smile on your face being a Polyanna and avoid the hard work of life” you say.

           No, I say. If hard work brings you joy and your blood, sweat and tears fulfills a mission and purpose that brings you even more joy, then go for it.

“But there is a lot in life that you have to just grit your teeth and tough it out. You can’t be floating on a cloud all joyful and happy”

           I didn’t say to float above the real world with my head in a joyful cloud. I said that if I am not feeling good and joyful in anything I do or in anyone I’m with, then I can’t give much to anyone else in work, love or play. It’s my responsibility to monitor my ‘joy’ meter and adjust my choices and energy accordingly.

So there you have it. That’s what I am doing in 2022 and beyond – monitoring my ‘joy’ meter.