TIME.
We all have it, but we cannot sell it or get it back. The above video is a quick explanation of what it is and why it’s important.
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“The quality of your life is the quality of your relationships.”
– Tony Robbins
A lot of times people are brought up to believe things like:
Have you ever had one of these thoughts? Do you know someone else who may act in such a way as to embody these thoughts?
People need people. It’s as simple as that. Unless you become a self-sustaining hermit out in the middle of no where … You will have to encounter other people. You need them to barter/trade/sell/purchase things from. You need them to work in collaboration to achieve a common goal.
Throughout my life, I have met a countless number of people. Some have become the most wonderful of friends & chosen family … Some decided to forever leave my life. And with every encounter, I learned an important lesson.
When you’re feeling down, when you feel all alone … Your friends are the ones that will lift you up, make you smile, and want to see you happy. Sometimes we don’t want to reach out and “bother” our friends … But we forget that our friends are our bosom pals who would NEVER want us to feel lonely! We all get busy sometimes, and in those times we may forget to call, but when you reach out they’re there!
We all go through ups and downs in life … Sometimes we seem to have more of one than the other … And while I am a firm believer you can change your own future, sometimes it’s that friend by your side or on the phone who is needed in that moment. They may be a guiding hand to help you through murky waters, a clear head to help you see the light, and sometimes they may be the last leg for you to stand on. Regardless of what role they play on your “dark day” your real friends don’t abandon you when times get tough or emotional. They don’t give up on you – they help you through until you can pass back into the light!
When friends see you through the rough patches, they’ve also seen you when things are wonderful … so they know your true nature. And if you’ve been a friend to them, been open and honest, they know who you really are. So when someone tries to defame, slander, or drag you through the mud, you know that the people who love you will already know your heart and will not be swayed by lies.
I personally would rather someone NEVER lie to me (even to spare my feelings) … But sometimes they may say a little white lie now and then to do so. Sometimes they may never speak up at all on a situation you’re in if they think you’re happy (regardless of how they feel about it). Everyone has their own way of supporting their friends … I personally would rather someone be completely open, honest, and forward — as long as you’re coming to me out of love then whatever you have to say is coming from a good place.
They won’t lie to you. They won’t hide things from you. PERIOD. (Excluding above references … So I guess make your own judgement of the situations as they happen.)
They give because they love you. They give because they can. They give because you need it, and they give because you are friends. Whether it’s putting $100 in your mailbox anonymously, or whether they are giving of their time to help you move … whatever the case may be, friends give.
Bottom line is they care. They care about you. Your well being – in all aspects of your life.
So if you have “friends” in your life that never seem to find any time for you, never keep their word, never seem to be around when you need them, never seem willing to help … Are they truly a friend in the first place?
Previous Post: 5 Lessons I Learned From Being Cynical of Christmas
Several times over the last few weeks (in reality, the last several years) it has come to my attention that the holidays are not truly celebrated the way they were meant to be … Unfortunately, people get depressed and suicidal during the holiday seasons … People get violent and sale-crazy trying to shop for things they don’t need, can’t afford, or shop for the thrill of it …
I wanted to give something a little bit more meaningful to the holidays for this post. I wanted to give a little bit of background on some of the holidays this season and instead of getting lost in the hype of shopping, I hope I might rekindle the spirit of the seasons. Open up the minds and hearts a little bit …
The first lesson I’d like to share is: Christmas. In recent times, it’s the “celebration of BABY JESUS!” A celebration of the spirit of giving. More aptly put, it’s a shopper’s nightmare and a business’s payday.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to get gifts. But I think gifts should be given because the giver wants to … Not because “everyone else is doing it” or “that’s just what you do at Christmas” or even simply because it’s “that time of year”. I just feel like the “spirit of giving” should not be held to once a year.
Certain elements of Christmas even have origins in pre-Christian festivals that were celebrated around the winter solstice by pagan populations who were later converted to Christianity. Many modern Christmas customs have been directly influenced by such festivals, including gift-giving and merrymaking from the Roman Saturnalia, greenery, lights, and charity from the Roman New Year, and Yule logs and various foods from Germanic feasts.
As to Christ’s birthday … this is a fallacy that keeps getting propagated by people who spout off opinions as facts without doing their research. I’ve always been told that Christ was born in the spring … not the winter. And if you’re a Christian (or just someone who has read the New Testament) you would be more inclined to agree with this theory than what most “Christians” claim come this time of year.
This site pretty much explains it. The Bible states that Christ was born when the shepherds were in the fields watching their flocks (which they wouldn’t do in December) and His parents had gone to Bethlehem in order to register for a Roman census (which were not taken in winter). This same site stated, among several others I found (and through word of mouth I have also been told), that Christ was more likely to have been born late March. So this whole, “celebrate the birth of Christ” bit? Yeah – you’re probably a few months too early friends. 🙂
According to Wikipedia, the celebration of the birth of Jesus was celebrated in connection with Epiphany on January 6, and the December 25th celebration was adopted in the East in the 4th century in Antioch, then in Alexandria in the next century. Not only that, but many popular customs associated with Christmas developed independently of the commemoration of Christ’s birth.
The 3rd lesson I’d like to share is Yule. Also know as Yuletide (“Yule time”), it is a pagan religious festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples, later being absorbed into and equated with the Christian festival of Christmas. It was an indigenous midwinter festival celebrated by the Germanic peoples and Christmas was absorbed into the 12 day Yule celebrations in 336 AD when Pope Julius I declared the birth of Jesus to have been on December 25. (Sound familiar?)
Some celebrate in a way as close as possible to how they believe Ancient Germanic pagans observed the tradition, while others observe the holiday with rituals culled from numerous other unrelated sources.
We all have the right to worship in our own ways, and just like any other holiday or religious ritual, just because one person celebrates or worships differently than another doesn’t make them wrong.
The fourth lesson I’d like to share is on caroling. Let’s be honest — who doesn’t like to be serenaded by beautiful voices?
Did you know that the earliest “Christmas hymns” appeared in 4th century Rome (about the time that Christmas began to be celebrated around December 25th) and that a Perisian monk in the 12 century began to derive music from popular songs, introducing something closer to traditional caroling?
Me neither. But that began to be a strong tradition by the 13th century thanks to Francis of Assisi (who you should totally look up — he’s pretty interesting) and Christmas carols in English first began appearing in 1426.
Singing of carols initially suffered a decline in popularity after the Protestant Reformation in northern Europe, and largely survived in rural communities until the revival of interest in popular songs in the 19th century (1800s).
I personally love to go caroling! Being able to meld with the beautiful voices around me, seeing the pure pleasure on someone’s face when we go from house to house (or shop to shop) … I just love it!
The 5th lesson I’d like to share is about decorations! A lot of the decorations used during Christmas actually come from “pagan” rituals … For example …
The Christmas tree is considered by some as a Christianized version of pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use of evergreen boughs. The modern Christmas tree tradition is believed to have begun in Germany in the 18th century, though many argue that Martin Luther began the tradition in the 16th century. By the 1870s, people in the United States had adopted the custom of putting up a Christmas tree.
In some homes you may see displays of “Christmas villages”, holly (which at some point in history was believed to keep you safe from pagans), mistletoe (which is a parasitic plant people have used to steal kisses from people in “spirit of the season” … sounds about right for a parasite huh?), as well as an array of different plants traditionally used during the season.
You may even see bright lights or rolls of beautifully colored paper … All to bring about that magical feeling of Christmas.
Don’t get me wrong … I know a lot of what I have said may come off as cynical, negative, and the like. But I truly LOVE Christmastime. I love the occasional snow where children might have the chance to take a day off from school and build snowmen or make snow angels. I love that (for the most part) people are in a more giving and thankful mood.
I love the closeness and warm feelies you get with the season … the love that can be felt … I just don’t agree with the consumerism of the holidays, nor do I like that once the holidays are over, for the most part it seems people just go on with their lives … Like the rest of the year people don’t still need help outside of the “giving season”.
So my call to action to you today is EVEN AFTER the holiday season … Find some way to continue to give throughout the year. Even if it’s not a monetary donation, donate your time to a soup kitchen. Call up old friends you haven’t spoken to in years. Be part of Big Brother Big Sister (because Lord knows our future is in the hands of the young who need guidance)… Do something to keep the spirit of the season strong all year long!
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I am sharing this story today because everyone has a dream in life … No one wants to live a life where they scrape by paycheck to paycheck. No one really wants to be unhealthy, unhappy, and unfulfilled. And yet through all of the complaints, the two biggest reasons why people do this is:
Before I had gone to Tony Robbins’ “Unleash the Power Within” seminar, I had attended several events that were similar, but for whatever reason would motivate me for a day or two … But nothing ever sunk in. The only things that sunk in were that I needed to stay by the fire (be around like-minded people) and that I needed to be better and grow as a person in order to achieve the goals and ambitions I had for myself and my family.
So while I knew what I had to do, for whatever reason I allowed “life” to get in the way of my dreams.
I learned so much from that one weekend with Tony Robbins! I’ve made several posts about it in an older blog and on my Youtube channel …
But basically the biggest take-aways were that:
You must put yourself in a positive, excited mental and physical state. When you do this, you are preparing and opening up yourself to some of the greatest things the universe can provide to you … whether it be an idea, meeting someone who can help you (or you them), clarity on an issue you’ve been striving to resolve … Whatever the case may be, you MUST change your state!
Be exact. Add a time frame. Plant that seed in your mind and keep it constantly with you so that you are always thinking about it. We become what we think about. So be clear on what it is that you want.
If you do not focus on what it is that you want, what you DON’T want will surround you. You will be swayed by things that will not get you to the goals you have already set yourself for. Sometimes this means sacrificing something now in order to reap the benefits later. Sometimes it means the creation of a new & healthy habit. Whatever it is — be focused!
If you do not take care of all of the 6 human needs, you will become unbalanced. You’ll feel stressed, like there’s not enough time in the day, depressed, and a myriad of other things. So you need to ensure that you live a more harmonious life and not neglect some of those needs. While you need to remain focused on your goals, you cannot allow yourself to have other parts of your life wither. Stay nourished!
Because of the things I learned from Tony as well as the events, teachings, etc that I have already been doing, my life now is that of promise & clarity. I know what it is that I want. I’m focused on it and I do what I can to make it happen.
Sometimes I falter. Sometimes I allow other things to keep me from it. But I always have my end goal in mind and it keeps bringing me back to doing what I need to in order to achieve that goal that I have for myself, my loved ones, and the people I have yet to empower!
Now – do you have focus in your life?
Perhaps you’re too focused on certain areas and need to make a change to become balanced?
Leave a comment below on how focus has helped you!
Are you achieving the goals you have for yourself and family?
~ To Your Success ~
Kassandra
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Video starts about 59 seconds in!
As stated in the above video — allow yourself to see that actions speak louder than words. Regardless of how much you care for someone, if they are not following through with what they say, if they are constantly making you doubt their word — don’t allow yourself to be in a position where you will continue to be walked on!
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