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Self-Confidence.
Faith in oneself and in one’s powers and abilities.
People usually build Self-Confidence through experience. The more you practice the piano, the more confident you become in playing it. But some things in life can’t be practiced before undertaken. So confidence becomes faith. Faith in yourself, that you can do what you know, and learn to do, what you don’t know.
Every day you are confronted with opportunities to do new and different things. Don’t be afraid you will fail, because you probably will the first time. Failure is learning to succeed. Keep trying. Keep embracing change in your life and your confidence will grow and grow.
First a leap of faith, then work, learn, and understand your way to the mastery of self-confidence.
“Self-confidence is two-thirds of success.”
Anonymous (Proverb)
© 2009, Lekatt. All rights reserved.
We are all engaged in service to others in some way. Most don’t appreciate the products made, or the services given by companies, organizations, and institutions as benefitting others. These are the workplaces of our country. If they weren’t helpful to others how could they exist? Commerce is people helping each other in a multitude of ways. Exchanging values for other values needed in life.
Spiritual service is entirely different, it is giving from the heart with no expectation of anything in return. Spiritual giving is the most fullfilling thing you can do in life. It is a healing for both the giver and the one who receives the gift. It is not a burden, but a blessing.
Giving money may or may not be spiritual service. Depends on the attitude of the giver. Mother Teresa was known to turn down large gifts of money, asking the potential giver to come work beside her. She wanted them to see and feel the good their money would do. She wanted them to be helped along with the poor receiving the donation.
You could volunteer for some worthy organization needing help. Many near death experiencers have volunteered to work in Hospice with patients in the last stages of their life.
Help someone learn to read at the library.
Visit someone in a nursing home. I know from experience many of these people have family that almost never come to visit.
Offer to run errands or drive an elderly or sick neighbor to doctor appointments. Visit them often.
Keep packed snacks in your car for those who are asking for money or food at street corners.
Find the spiritual service you like best and do it. There is no end to the opportunities for service. Helping others is helping yourself. Just being a good listener for a troubled teen is spiritual service to others. The world needs a lot of good listeners right now. Don’t judge, just listen and love.
© 2009, Lekatt. All rights reserved.
“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
Albert Einstein
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“However many holy words you read,
However many you speak,
What good will they do you
If you do not act upon them?”
Buddha
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“Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely,
whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there
is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things.”
Paul the Apostle
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The subject tonight is Love
And for tomorrow night as well.
As a matter of fact,
I know of no better topic
For us to discuss
Until we all
Die!
Hafiz
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“The essence of all religions is love, compassion, and tolerance.
Kindness is my true religion. The clear proof of a person’s love of
God is if that person genuinely shows love to fellow human beings.”
Love, compassion, and tolerance are necessities, not luxuries.
Without them, humanity cannot survive.
If you have a particular faith or religion, that is good.
But you can survive without it if you have
love, compassion, and tolerance.
The Dalai Lama, For the Love of God
© 2009, Lekatt. All rights reserved.
When I was in the Navy we had to check the integrity of the ship on a regular schedule. If the integrity of the ship was compromised all on board were in danger. The same is true with integrity anywhere. We are experiencing a recession right now because of a lack of integrity. Some of our business leaders decided to take unsafe chances for larger profits.
The lack of ethics, honesty, truthfulness, and integrity is everywhere in our society. It’s lacking in government, business, advertising, and most other institutions. Yet it is paramount to our survival as a country. Large powerful countries are first defeated from within before they lose on the battlefields. Defeated by the greed, avarice, and excessive desires of those in powerful positions to possess material wealth far beyond their needs, while ignoring the needs of others. In a democracy we must elect those leaders that will work for the betterment of all, rather than the betterment of themselves. The same applies to the leaders of all our businesses, and institutions. Without integrity the ship is lost.
Intregity begins with the individual. Each of us know right from wrong, we know what the rules are, we know how to be honest with others, and ourselves. Give full measure to others, pressed down. Practice living in truth. If you are misleading others, cheating them in any way stop it, because what you do to others you do to yourself also. We are spiritual beings, no one gets away with anything. The good we do others will be rewarded, and the harm we cause others will be repayed. What is at stake is your joy, and peace, don’t throw it away. Live in honesty, and make integity checks of your life on a regular schedule.
© 2009, Lekatt. All rights reserved.
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