The creation of a more peaceful and happier society has to begin from the level of the individual. – Dalai Lama
What are your New Years Resolutions? What are you going to do to improve yourself?
What does that mean?
This is a fairly pragmatic statement. There are only a handful of individuals in the world who can influence more than themselves and a few others (close friends and family). For the vast majority of humans on the planet, all we can do is start the change within ourselves, and hope to lead by example.
To become more peaceful, we must eschew conflict and seek better solutions to the problems and difficulties in our lives. To become happier, we must look for the good in everything, and not seek out the difficulties, problems or inequities that might be present. When we do this, we help elevate humanity, even if only in the slightest bit.
Why is working to improve ourselves important?
The obvious place to start with this question is to ask another question. “If you will not improve yourself, then whom will improve you?” We are the only ones who can make a lasting change in our lives. Even if we change at the behest of someone else, we are the ones making the change, however lasting it might (or might not) be.
Change, they say, is inevitable. My life has followed that pattern, and I imagine yours has as well. When change happens, we can either improve ourselves by it, or become less well off because of it. I enjoy challenges (my word for what others call problems) and seek to make myself better, more skilled or more knowledgable in dealing with the challenge. I might not beat the challenge, but I am always better for the attempt.
Where can I apply this in my life?
I have been improving myself in different ways my entire life, although only in the last 15 years or so have I been doing so with purpose. Lately, I have been working on finding a better method of managing my time, which has been hit-or-miss for most of my life. I’m still trying to find a more comprehensive method. I have lots of patchwork methods, which rarely works as well as I would like.
What have you been working on to improve yourself? With the new year just started, do you have plans for improving your health? Cutting down on things that are bad for you? Increasing things that are good for you? Starting an exercise plan, or even walking around the block a few times?
I have found that it is far easier to start these activities than it is to finish them. What about you, why do you give up on them? No, really, that’s a serious question. If you’d followed through the first time, this wouldn’t be the 10th annual fitness promise, would it?
For me, the priority of the ‘fitness promise’ slowly drops. Eventually, everything else has a higher priority. While I still realize that I need to do those things to help my body, they just don’t get done, I run out of time. How about you? What happens to the resolve in your resolutions?
By knowing what happens, and seeing if it happens over again, you can try to stop it from happening. I’m going to write ‘keep fit’ on the first day of each month (my monthly calendar is 2’x3′ and hangs on the pantry door). I hope this will remind me to keep my priorities straight.
Do you see any patterns in how you lose your resolve? What can you do to help you keep at it? I’m trying monthly reminders. What will you do to try to keep with the plan? Take a moment and write down at least three ways that you might be able to keep yourself on the path. Pick the one you think will be most effective, and hold the others in reserve, in case your first pick doesn’t work as well as you hoped.
Back to the focus of today’s quote, what can you do to be happier or more at peace (both with yourself and with others)? Is there a feud you can end? Is there a gift you can make and give (the object isn’t money)? What can you do for yourself that will help you relax and feel more at peace?
For feeling relaxed and at peace, I find a warm bath in the evening, after the kids are tucked in, works wonders. Add some chocolate, a glass of your favorite beverage, some of your favorite music or a good book, and you’re set. At least it works for me.
Take a moment and write down a few things you can do to help you feel at peace and happy. Keep the list handy, so you can remind yourself if you are feeling a little frantic or down in the dumps. A better you starts with you. And so does a better world. One person at a time.
From: Twitter, @DalaiLama
confirmed at : it’s his own feed…
Photo by alancleaver_2000
