Thursday, April 15, 2010

Anyone can start today and make a new tomorrow

I love reading recent posts and realizing how quickly things change...how we adapt, morph, grow, right before our very own eyes sometimes. I'm not sure if it's truly the book, but I have really been thinking so much lately about Frankl's belief in choice. You know, it really does work sometimes. Get all the facts, have all the info you can and then decide...decide how YOU want to react. We have that freedom, at all times, to choose how to react to any and everything around us. Yes, sometimes it feels hard or wrong or confusing, but it's a voluntary opportunity...we truly do control our destiny. Would I rather be upset about something that I truly can't control or choose to find what's good about it, what positivity can come from it, what it can morph into and appreciate it for that? I'm going with option B. I've been doing that a lot lately and it's pretty damn refreshing.

We truly can start today and make a new tomorrow. I love that quote. Decide for ourselves how we want to feel tomorrow. Nothing and no one can truly make you feel anything you don't want to. Taking onus of things is the start, looking at all the facts, asking yourself the right questions, and then deciding. What do I want tomorrow to feel like and how can I start making that happen today?

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

White Noise

A wise friend recently told me about this theory of White Noise. White Noise is a constant throughout the universe and is leftover energy from long ago. He said that in my mind (or people like me), that "white noise" is that thing that I am trying to not deal with when I stand still, that I keep quiet by having a crazy schedule and life, and that says something about me.

Buddhists and Zen teach mindfulness...to recognize your thoughts and how you interact with them, and they with you, no matter how large or small. Mindfulness can be a way to deal with the white noise.

Having a friend studying Cognitive Science is pretty solid for the things that filter through my mind on a daily.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Strength

I recently read this great book, "Man's Search for Meaning" by Victor Frankl and he uses Nietzsche's famous quote, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger" multiple times. It's funny how much that book, that quote, the things I got from it and where that book now lies plays into my present day thoughts and issues. Strength. Sometimes I don't know if I have what it takes to overcome certain things, to find an answer, to figure out how to respond and keep breathing the same as I did the day before.

We get to make choices. Everyone does. Sometimes our choices don't match that of someone's else, and that can lead to pain. The greatest strength, I think, comes from overcoming the pain of a decision you did not get to make. We like to be active players in the world, in our lives. When a choice is made with an answer we don't like and we have no say in the matter, it is a feeling like no other. Helplessness, sadness, weakness, confusion, frustration. It can feel lonely, being separated from a choice.

And then I think about that word - choice. And I think about Frankl's theories. We have the ability to choose how we react to a situation. We should stop trying to figure out why something happened and instead decide how we are going to react.

I think I know how I'm going to react. I'm not sure how sold I am on it currently but I weigh the options and the other choice would leave a bigger hole, a wider chasm, a greater tear. This is when I call on strength...strength to make the decision that I know, deep down, is the only option.