excerpts/quotes
Sep. 5th, 2007 02:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
salixbabylonfrom the book I just finished reading, which I thought were worth sharing:
There is nothing wrong with faith. There is nothing wrong with affirmations. But at some point you must take the next step. Make a commitment to have what you want in life and then make a plan to get it. It's there waiting for you but most likely it won't fall into your lap.
If you want to know whether you're serious about changing something in your life, ask yourself if you have a plan of action. If the answer is no, go back and see if you're really committed to achieving your goal. A plan of action ought to be written down on paper. If it's only in your mind it may be more of a dream than a plan. Plans in our minds tend to get lost or forgotten or pushed aside by everyday life. Tell yourself you'll have more of a chance of achieving your goal if you have it written down and keep it at hand.
[...]Ghandi once said, "I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she would make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith. WHat is faith worth if it is not translated into action?"
from The Dark Side of the Light Chasers, by Debbie Ford
I definitely recommend the book. I don't agree with all of it, but overall, it was really useful. I "did" one chapter at a time and usually did the exercises at the end. It was a lot of hard work, to be totally honest, and most of it was pretty painful, uncovering the parts of myself that are broken and awful and weak and case me to feel shame.
But by the end, I felt a lot more empowered, a lot more aware of my personal challenges, and a lot more internal peace. It's a relief to not spend quite so much energy wrestling with my demons all the time, and instead to be aware enough to stop and ask myself what's truly going on. I feel more at ease with the "dark" side of myself, rather than full of shame or guilt, and trying to hide it.
There is nothing wrong with faith. There is nothing wrong with affirmations. But at some point you must take the next step. Make a commitment to have what you want in life and then make a plan to get it. It's there waiting for you but most likely it won't fall into your lap.
If you want to know whether you're serious about changing something in your life, ask yourself if you have a plan of action. If the answer is no, go back and see if you're really committed to achieving your goal. A plan of action ought to be written down on paper. If it's only in your mind it may be more of a dream than a plan. Plans in our minds tend to get lost or forgotten or pushed aside by everyday life. Tell yourself you'll have more of a chance of achieving your goal if you have it written down and keep it at hand.
[...]Ghandi once said, "I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she would make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith. WHat is faith worth if it is not translated into action?"
from The Dark Side of the Light Chasers, by Debbie Ford
I definitely recommend the book. I don't agree with all of it, but overall, it was really useful. I "did" one chapter at a time and usually did the exercises at the end. It was a lot of hard work, to be totally honest, and most of it was pretty painful, uncovering the parts of myself that are broken and awful and weak and case me to feel shame.
But by the end, I felt a lot more empowered, a lot more aware of my personal challenges, and a lot more internal peace. It's a relief to not spend quite so much energy wrestling with my demons all the time, and instead to be aware enough to stop and ask myself what's truly going on. I feel more at ease with the "dark" side of myself, rather than full of shame or guilt, and trying to hide it.
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no subject
Date: 2007-09-05 10:29 pm (UTC)Empowerment is sexy.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-06 05:31 am (UTC)Man thinks, God directs.
Man thinks: God directs.
Isn't it great how with a change of punctuation he conveys all the irony and tragedy of passive belief? I do think life is easier if you stop playing games with yourself, ask yourself what it is that deep down you want and how you can act upon it. Or even voice it.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-06 10:41 pm (UTC)Funny how somehting as simple as writing it down makes a thing more real. :)
no subject
Date: 2007-09-06 10:43 pm (UTC)Just becoming clear about what you want is a good first step. :)