How do we define success?

In our society success seems to be measured by what we have done, created, or collected rather than what we have given or shared with our fellow sentient beings.

I had always seen success as money, cars, big houses and fame. I lived most of my life in pursuit of all of these material things and it wasn’t until I had many life changing experiences that my opinions on what success was dramatically altered. One of these life changing experiences happened while living on the Big Island of Hawaii and I relate that story in this podcast. So do we need a life altering experience to change the way we see things? Yes I believe sometimes we do. How can we have a life altering experience? Stay open and don’t be afraid to look deeply into your heart. Assess your life daily and see where you can change current beliefs and opinions to bring about more compassion and empathy. Open yourself to new ways of thinking and seeing. Sit quietly on a daily  basis. It is in solitude that we can begin to open to a new way of looking at our ourselves and our intention.

How do we re-define success?

• Who gives the most.

• Being happy in each moment regardless of the circumstance.

• Putting others before ourselves.

• One who follows their heart to serve others without expectation of the outcome.

 

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We have created a meditation app for the iPad and it will be in the iTunes store soon. If you are interested in the app please send me an email ( robert at aquietmind dot com )and I will keep you posted on it’s release. If you are at the Wisdom 2.0 conference DM me or tweet me at (@aquietmind ) and I’ll be happy to demo the app for you.

Are you using social networking to avoid being social.

Have you noticed yourself Tweet-ing and Facebook-ing in social situations to avoid talking and interacting with people?  I’m constantly observing people in line at the store, at the airport, on a plane and in the elevator engaged with their device.  We are immersing ourselves in a medium that is helping to create social barriers with our fellow beings.  A new distraction that keeps us from meeting our true self in the form of those around us that manifests as our peers.  Our peers can represent aspects of ourselves we may be having trouble accepting and we don’t want to confront that because it’s uncomfortable.

• put your phone down at lunch
• in the elevator put the phone down and smile at someone
• make a time at night to turn off all devices and sit quietly for five minutes
• leave your phone at home one weekend day or part of that day

Take it slow, take your time and be easy on yourself.

 

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How can we obtain that which we already have?  Should we drop the goal of obtaining peace as a result of our meditation practice?  Can we just sit without wanting something to happen and just be with what is?  Having a gaining idea can lead us into a circle of suffering, pain and confusion.  Nothing is permanent, so trying to reach a state of permanent peace is an unreachable goal.  Can we accept that we will never have a continuous, blissful state of oneness?  Can we call off the search and see that the thing we are looking for is right here, right now, in this moment?  It can be nowhere else but here because only this moment exists.  Everything else is only thought.

• The one who seeks peace doesn’t exist.

• The one who is looking for enlightenment doesn’t exist.

• The one who wants to keep peace blocks the peaceful state that already exists.

• It’s not possible to attain a perfect, constant state of peace.

• That which thinks it’s not at peace will never attain it.

We must ask who or what is seeking peace.  Who or what is not at peace or is agitated with present circumstances.

 

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