personal-growth

How many ills, how many infirmities, does man owe to his excesses, his ambition _ in a word, to the indulgence of his various passions! He who should live soberly in all respects, who should never run into excesses of any kind, who should be always simple in his tastes, modest in his desires, would escape a large proportion of the tribulations of human life. It is the same with regard to spirit-life, the sufferings of which are always the consequence of the manner in which a spirit has lived upon the earth. In that life undoubtedly he will no longer suffer from gout or rheumatism; but his wrong-doing down here will cause him to experience other sufferings no less painful. We have seen that those sufferings are the result of the links which exist between a spirit and matter; that the more completely he is freed from the influence of matter _ in other words, the more dematerialized he is _ the fewer are the painful sensations experienced by him. It depends, therefore, on each of us to free ourselves from the influence of matter by our action in this present life. Man possesses free-will, and, consequently, the power of electing to do or not to do. Let him conquer his animal passions; let him rid himself of hatred, envy, jealousy, pride; let him throw off the yoke of selfishness; let him purify his soul by cultivating noble sentiments; let him do good; let him attach to the things of this world only the degree of importance which they deserve _ and he will, even under his present corporeal envelope, have effected his purification, and achieved his deliverance from the influence of matter, which will cease for him on his quitting that envelope. For such a one the remembrance of physical sufferings endured by him in the life he has quitted has nothing painful, and produces no disagreeable impression, because they affected his body only, and left no trace in his soul. He is happy to be relieved from them; and the calmness of a good conscience exempts him from all moral suffering.

The benefit of personal growth and self-discovery is that we become better human beings with the strength to endure and carry on, and then we may experience something magical when we begin to reach out to others. We discover a feeling that is so rewarding and fulfilling: that fact that we can make a difference. Here is to your willingness to begin with making a difference with yourself!Michael James

The Swimmer's Advantage:1)Your goal is measured first by seeing; The distance is accomplished by the strategy of believing that the same set of repetitious acts will get you there.2)Even when the elements around you are overwhelming, have the confidence to keep your head above the water. 3) Though at times you may not even see it, faith is knowing that the shore is always straight ahead. 4) By consistently reaching out over and over, you are bound to be rewarded by touching something worth more than when you started.

I think this is the essence of life: to be willing circle back, to fall in deeper, to relearn what I thought I already knew.

The biggest lie women tell themselves about men: When I get what I want, I will be happy.

Balance: a dance with how and when.

Poetry is a connection to a change within you.

Every difficulty is an opportunity for personal growth.

We can't get the power of will with a pill." -Serena Jade

The result of mindful awareness is the development of our virtues, which are the basic positive building blocks of our life.

Law firms can create environments for abusive relationships. This is especially true if an attorney has no self-direction, has no independent means of financial support, and has massive student loan indebtedness. You've basically made yourself an indentured servant.

To attain true inner freedom, you must be able to objectively watch your problems instead of being lost in them... Once you've made the commitment to free yourself of the scared person inside, you will notice that there is a clear decision point at which your growth takes place.

You have not been given the task of creating something brand new from the vast world around you. All you are called to do is discover what is inside of you right now, the life you have been given. Once you find that, you can begin creating something external that aligns with and affirms your spark.

A sure way to go broke is to spend your outer riches before you have saved enough of your inner ones.

Love sticks around even when it has a lot to put up with.

I'd always vaguely expected to outgrown my limitations.

I found that we must build our consciousness or faith step by step. When we make certain impressions on our subconscious mind and live for years by those impressions we cannot expect to destroy them in a few days. We must patiently substitute constructive, loving, harmonious thoughts for destructive, critical ones. The more you realize your freedom, the happier you become. Faith, joy, health, contentment, you just bubble over with these wonderful attributes and they attract the best people and environment.

Hopeless situations are never hopeless to God.