I Love Words

[Michele Selinger]

I love words. Words keep me sane, yet I see how I have placed limitations upon myself depending on my perception around the meaning of a word. My perception of peace may be different than yours, and if I remain stuck in my perception I may miss an opportunity to expand my vision of peace within myself. It has been a bit of a challenge at times to let go of my limiting perceptions – but worth it….

[Steve H]

You're right Michele, it can be a challenge to let go of limiting perceptions, but..it can be done. One thing is to catch yourself when you do have some preconceived assumption or anything of the sort BUT instead of just shoving it away or getting mad or frustrated because something like that crept in again...instead of reacting those ways look at what the assumption (or whatever it was) and try to see why it crept in, and then tell it that it isn't needed and that you are aware the root of it was in some way connected with the idea of protection or something else (so many assumptions are based on a root thing like fear or some other ego thing) and that was fine but you don't need that help, you can deal with it and thank you but be gone.

So you try to see why and where the thought came from, and "rewire" your brain to understand to 1) not send those unwelcome thoughts or in any way limit you, and 2) even if it in some convoluted way thinks it is necessary (which is the way our brains often work) and if it wants to "over-ride" your saying you don't want those thoughts or limits because it could think you don't understand the need for what it is doing, but you are stating you understand and are capable and qualified to deal with it without the "help" that was given to you by an assumption or limit to your perceptions.   

The way I said all that hopefully makes some sense.

On the idea of a word meaning different things, I just try to look at things neutrally and/or in context. If I know the person that is speaking, I may want to clarify what they mean, but I may already know they have a different use of a word than I if what they said conflicts with what they have always seemed to be.

Maybe none of that applies to what you said, but well...I wrote a bunch of words and words are good!

:-)

I think the important thing is that we all make sure we are aware and strive to always be more open.

Something that is always good for everyone...Find a tree and spend some quite time with it.

Peace to All,
Steve

[chad steele]

Peace is easy, just love and be loved. Why is that so hard?
Peace exists. You don't need to create it or fight for it. It is already here, there, and everywhere. It is the natural state of things. Life is at peace. It is outside and inside of you and everybody already. You only need to be quiet and listen.
Also, just stop competing. Stop trying not to lose or cause others to lose. They're not all wrong… and by now, you must realize you're not all right either. You will win when you empower others to win. That is the key to relationships, leadership, success, prosperity, etc. and guess what, it is the key to peace too! Pretty cool, eh? You can have it all.
For all you "survival of the fittest" types… what if evolution is really just the dance of life, love, and creation. What if life doesn't die, it just nourishes something else? I bet God doesn't play to win or lose. It's all just a cycle of giving and receiving. So stop competing, resisting, etc. and start thriving and empowering others to thrive. Life is a generous cycle, not a competition.
I want to practice being free, whole, and complete… but how?
What's in the way of love, peace, and serenity? For me, it's my incompletions. It's the pain and suffering from my past. But not all pain and suffering, just the stories of pain and suffering that persist in my heart, mind and body. So, how do we remove those painful memories that seem to persist? Do we need to talk about them with a friend or a therapist? Do we need to ignore them and deny they ever existed? Do we need to rage about them and scream into a pillow? Maybe we just need to take up a new hobby, a sport or an addiction? Maybe we just need to grieve, cry, and suffer just long enough? Time heals all wounds, right? Wrong.
The key is to transform the painful memories from stories of suffering into your source of power and inspiration. The reason we suffer is because our past occurs as a predictable loss in the future, if not for us, then a loss for someone else. The key is to acknowledge the past and your part in it and then invent a new future and share that future with the people in your life. We call this being complete. To be complete is to be whole again. It's a lot like strength, power, responsibility, and integrity. You weren't born to suffer. You learned to suffer. You were born to love and be loved… and to know peace.
Exercise:
1. What is the loss from your past or in your future that is causing you to suffer?
2. What is your part?
3. What will you do differently?
4. Who do you need to share this with?

[chad steele]

I love words too... I hope you enjoy my perception of peace.