Category Archives: Life Lessons

Life Lessons

Scouts: Chief Sequasa’s Mountain

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I’ve enjoyed hearing Jax’s scout master share ancient wisdom from the illustrious Chief Sequasa during their pack meetings. Here’s one you might enjoy as well…

Legend of the Mountain

“There was once an Indian village on a wide open desert in the Southwest. A few miles across the desert is a high mountain, towering up out of the desert. One day, Chief Sequasa gathered all the young boys that were not yet braves to him, “It is time for you to all climb the great mountain. Tomorrow morning, start right after breakfast, and go each of you as far as you can. Then when you are tired, come back; but let each one bring me a twig off a tree from the place where he turned back.”

The next morning, away they went full of hope each feeling that he surely could reach the top. But soon the first returned slowly back, and in his hand he held out to the Chief a leaf of cactus. Chief Sequasa smiled, “My boy, you did not reach the foot of the mountain, you did not even get across the desert.”

Later, a second boy returned. He carried a twig of sagebrush. “Well,” said the Chief, “You reached the mountain’s foot but you did not climb upward.”

The next had a cottonwood spray. “Good”, said Sequasa, “You got up as far as the clear springs.”

Another came later with some buckthorn. The Chief smiled when he saw it and said: “You were climbing; you were up to the first slide rock.”

Late in the afternoon, one arrived with a cedar spray, and the old man said, “Well done. You went half way up and reached the forest.”

Before sunset, one came with a switch of pine. To him the Sequasa said, “Good, you went to the high forest; you made three quarters of the climb.”

The sun was down when the last finally returned. His hand was empty as he approached the Chief, and the other Indian boys began to laugh and tease that he had not even tried the climb.  But his face was radiant, and he said: “Great Chief Sequasa, there were no trees where I climbed; there were no twigs, but I saw the shining sea far away.”

Now the old man’s face glowed, too, as he said aloud and almost sang: “You have been to the top. It is written in your eyes, and rings in your voice. My boy, you have seen the glory of the mountain. You need no twigs for proof.””

My question for you is — what mountain is it time for YOU to climb and what great sights await you on the other side?

Life Lessons

On Change – Rumi

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“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world.
Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
Rumi

Wisdom can come from many sources — if you’re not yet familiar with the Persian poet Rumi who lived in the 1200’s, perhaps now is the time to look further into his work. This quote is just a small sample of the wisdom he shared with the world, but as you can see, if you ponder these words, they can change your life.

Life Lessons

Honoring Wives and Mothers – Solomon’s Message

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You may know The Book of Proverb’s for the pithy sayings and wisdom tips, but did you know that there’s a wonderful passage that honors wives and mothers? Consider the following from Proverbs: 31: 10-31

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.
She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
Life Lessons, Solomons Wisdom

What do a Rooster, Lion, Goat, and King have in common?

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Here’s a bit of humor from Proverbs…

“There are three things that are stately in their stride, four that move with stately bearing: a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing; a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and a king with his army around him.” (Prov 30:29-31)

 

Did you know?
Although this saying is from Proverbs it’s not attributed to King Solomon, but instead it’s from Chapter 30 which is filled with “The Sayings of Agur.” There’s quite a bit of humor in this chapter as well as some very zen-like questions as well so be sure to check it out.

Life Lessons, Solomons Wisdom

FOCUS on the right path in life and GOOD things will follow

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Today’s lesson is another piece of wisdom from Solomon, who said in Proverbs 4: 23-27…

Above all else, GUARD YOUR HEART for it is the wellspring of your life. Put away perversity from your mouth, keep corrupt talk from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, FIX YOUR GAZE directly before you. Make LEVEL PATHS for your feet and take only ways that are fir. DO NOT SWERVE to the right or the left, KEEP YOUR FOOT from evil.

I added the emphasis in order to draw your attention to King Solomon’s commands — these words of wisdom are powerful instructions if we only listen. Solomon begins by telling us to guard our hearts from perversity and corruption (which I think most people will agree is common sense). But for me the real pearls are what follows – look straight ahead, fix your gaze, take level paths, do not swerve, keep our foot from evil – these are the secret to living the righteous life, the one that will put us on the path to freedom. It’s so simple — if we just DO IT.

Most of all I love the phrase “take only ways that are firm” – this applies to so much in life: from making wise investments, to prudent prepping against natural disasters, to finding the right job and friends in life so we don’t go off track. This wisdom has so much to offer it’s worth its wait in gold!

Life Lessons

Can’t Sleep? Ask your FUTURE Self for help

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Do you have trouble sleeping at night because your mind keeps thinking of all the things you have to do tomorrow and beyond?

I’ve had this problem for years, but recently I learned a little trick I that’s been really helpful – one that is allowing my mind (and me!) to get some rest:

It starts with the assumption that you’re not willing to get out of bed right now (aka in the present) and go do whatever tasks your mind is keeping you awake thinking about. If that is the case, then this means that only your FUTURE self is able to do the tasks — so rather than stay awake thinking about all the todo’s you can’t do now anyway, simply delegate them to your Future Self to accomplish. Doing so means you no longer need to worry about them right now and can therefore relax and go to sleep – knowing they will get done in their due course. The key is to have the courage to trust your Future Self to get the job done. 

This tip actually works really well for me. I hope you it helps you too.

But don’t take my word for it, instead check out this quote from Marcus Aurelius…

“Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.”

Life Lessons

Do you make Life harder than it has to be?

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“A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet he rages against the Lord.” (Solomon Prov 19:3)

“Nature’s way is simple and easy, but men prefer what is intricate & artificial” (Lao Tzu)

Can you see the wisdom of these words? If we are truly honest with ourselves, I bet you’ll admit that more often than not we are the ones responsible for our troubles – whether that be due to lack of discipline, walking down paths we know we shouldn’t go, poor planning, or any number of other reasons.

Consider the following examples from nature and notice the difference:

  1. Fish swim with the current.
  2. Palm trees sway with the winds – even during the raging of a hurricane.
  3. Birds ride the air currents as they fly.

Ask yourself – are you swimming against the current, walking into the wind, or resisting the inevitableness of change? If so, you are making life harder than it has to be. Why not instead find a way to go with the flow and use that natural flow to your advantage? Remember the mantra of a judo master, “If pushed, pull; if pulled, push.” Instead of fighting against forces stronger than yourself, find a way to use them to your advantage.

butterflyPerhaps the best example of this comes from author Richard Bach who said, “What a caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.”

Become that butterfly!

 

References: Proverbs, Lao Tzu, Dan Millman’s “Body Mind Mastery”

 

 

Life Lessons

How Little Failures Can Lead to Big Results

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We know from our prior discussions that failure is not something to be feared and that failures themselves are not the end of the road. Today I want to share some additional insights with you that relate to Failure and Self-Development.

It’s been said that “Development follows Demand.” Think of any goal you want to accomplish and you’re in essence thinking of a scenario involving development. Obviously we all know that development doesn’t happen overnight. Yet all too often we get frustrated when development doesn’t happen as quickly as we would like [My hand is raised here] and we get discouraged when failure seems to be our only accomplishment.

If this sounds like you too, take hope. A slight change in mindset could be the solution you need to open new pathways to success. Recognize the following truths:

  1. Allow your development to occur as a result of ‘progressive’ demand. Instead of trying to climb to the top of the mountain in one day, ask yourself to do it in stages – push yourself to the upper limits of our comfort zone each day and over time your comfort zone (and your ability to achieve) will gradually expand.
  2. Don’t ignore your comfort zone but recognize that it can change over time. It’s important to be aware of your comfort zone and to challenge yourself here, but if you put undue expectations on yourself and push yourself too far, too fast with unrealistic expectations then you’re setting yourself up for discouragement. Remember the classic goal-setting acronym “SMART” – goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. Use SMART goals that will help you expand your comfort zone over time – it may take a little longer, but you’ll increase your chances of success in the long run.
  3. Development is a river of little failures – as you challenge yourself to expand your comfort zone, undoubtedly you will fail along the way. But rather than be discouraged, use all these little failures as stepping stones along the way to reaching your goals.

climb-mountainTry It
Put this wisdom to the test: pick a goal you want to achieve and see if it works. For example, let’s say you want to be able to do XX number of pushups. Start today by just doing 1 or 2, then tomorrow try for 3-4, and so on gradually until you reach your goal. You may find you can’t immediately achieve the next step(s) every day and that some days your progress is better than others — that’s ok and is to be expected. Don’t focus so much on the end goal; instead focus on the process. Remember the old adage “Life is about the journey, not just the destination” – use this mindset as you expand your comfort zone over time and by accepting failure just a natural part of the developmental process you’ll turn what you thought were barriers on the path to reaching your goal into road signs that signify important progress markers on the journey to your dreams.

Life Lessons

Can Joy Come from Pain?

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Today’s listen is a bit harder to grasp than most of the ones we’ve discussed together in the past, however if you take the time to really ponder this one it will surely change your outlook on life. With that in mind, let’s tackle the concept of PAIN.

tear

I submit to you the following bit of wisdom from Kahlil Gibran who said, “Your pain is the breaking of a shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the pit of a fruit must break so that the seeds of its heart may find the sun, so you must know pain. And could you but keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, then your pain would not seem less wondrous than you joy — and you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields. Then you would watch with serenity during the winters of your grief…”

I find this quote beautiful in so many ways and I hope you can appreciate it as well. We’ve talked in the past about the Seasons of Your Life and how to learn from each of them – particularly periods of struggle (aka Fall and Winter). Gibran has taken that previous lesson and elevated it to another level by adding in the possibility of sensing the wonders of pain as well as joy. I can’t say it will be an easy task to accomplish, but my hope is that you can open your mind to this possibility and thus gain new insights about the true potential that is inside you.