Mr. Einstein says we can live our life in two ways: 1) as though nothing is a miracle or 2) as though everything is a miracle. What does he mean? Well for example, you can look at a cloud thinking: “That’s not a miracle, that’s a cloud”. Yes practical, but also one dimensional, superficial and boring. So instead, you can look at a cloud wondering: “Where did it come from, what is it made of, how will it transform, where will it go, am I the only one seeing this cloud?” etc.. Now, I’m not saying you should look at clouds that way all the time, and sure, science can explain clouds perfectly. So why wonder? Well, because it let’s you experience the mystery and beauty of every day life: it let’s you live in the moment, turning your whole life and everything in it into an instant miracle like nothing else!
You are a lot more attractive than you think. In fact, many people think you are good looking. Hell, quite a lot of people think you’re beautiful! The only thing is: they don’t tell you that. That’s because you walk by too fast or it would make them feel uncomfortable if they did or it would be inappropriate. Still – that’s what they think. How I know? Well, how many times do you see an attractive or even beautiful person walking by and not telling him or her how you feel? Well, that’s how I know.
There’s a lot of talk about ‘Ego’, and often in a not so positive way. To give you an understanding of what I mean, I selected some quotes. Wayne Dyer: “Ego is simply an idea of who you are that you carry around with you.” Anonymous: “Ego: The fallacy whereby a goose thinks he’s a swan”. Friedrich Nietzsche: “Whenever I climb, I am followed by a dog called Ego.” Deepak Chopra: “If you want to reach a state of bliss, then go beyond your ego (…). Make a decision to relinquish the need to control, the need to be approved, and the need to judge. Those are the three things the ego is doing all the time. (…).” So, is the ego all bad then? Well, no. We need our ego as we need our name: for handy reference and general convenience. But then how much ego do we need precisely? Zen Buddhist Shunryu Suzuki answers: “Just enough so we don’t step in front of a bus”.
From an abstract point of view there’s no difference between one car or another. Despite their unique characteristics, in the end they’re both just a car. The same can be said about cities, cultures and countries. Take for instance life in Paris and life in New York City: it’s the same, but different.
Do you ever dream of being really, really, reeeeally good at what you do? Then by all means: make mistakes! And if you already make mistakes, make more! Do as golf legend Tom Watson said: “If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate”. Read more about that in this post.
Although I like to have things, I’m not really somebody who strives for having everything. Still, this quote from actor/comedian Steven Wright helped me. Because it made me realize that I can’t have everything in first place. Not because it’s too much to ask for, not because it’s impossible, but simply because I wouldn’t know where to put it all! Sometimes profound insights are also funny.
Nobody likes having a problem. Nobody likes spending time on a problem. So we prefer a quick fix and cover it with a plaster. But sooner or later that plaster goes off and we’re back where we started. In order to really solve a problem, we need to understand the problem. And to know the entire solution, we need to know the entire problem. And so we need stay with it longer then we might like.
