Lighten Up!
I daresay that I hardly know anyone who could not stand to lose at least a few pounds, maybe more. Carrying extra weight is a burden to the soul. I'm not referring to physical weight loss. The kind of weight I'm referring to is the weight that is made up of feelings of self importance, overly serious attitudes and non communication.
Some of the most spiritual people you may know (Dali Lama, for one) approach life with a sense of humor born out of their ability to let go of the ego and embrace their soul urges. If you have ever seen photos of the Dali Lama you might notice that he is often seen smiling. His whole appearance is one of relaxation and openness. He looks approachable. He is ready to receive. He is embracing the whole package that is his life and living it openly and honestly, without pretentiousness.
You do not have to be a spiritual leader in order to live a gratifying, happy life. You simply need to be yourself. Once you can be true to yourself, you can then be truthful with others and share in life's experiences in a meaningful happier way.
Pretending that everything in your life is perfect, is an illusion that everyone can see through. Why? Because the reality is that relationships, kids, friends, and employment are never perfect. There are perfectly satisfying moments in all of these along with the many frustrating moments. The key is to embrace them all. The best way to embrace the difficult moments is to take responsibility for the choices you have made ( your job, your partner etc) and then learn how to let go of the difficulties by accepting that they are part of the experience. Sometimes, the easiest way to do this is through humor. Making light of a problem, puts it in it's place. Having patience with yourself will allow you to laugh at your mistakes. Realizing that it's not possible for you to have all the answers, will help you to open yourself up to find some of these answers. One of the best ways to do this is by sharing experiences with others. While it's for each of us to find our way down our chosen path, sometimes it's helpful to get some guidance from others when we feel we are stumbling. Below are some indications that you, or someone you know, needs to lose weight:
The Know it All: needs no advice from anyone on how to do anything. They are the experts in their given area and yet a closer look into their lives often reveals major problems.
The Non Communicative: the person who is never really open and honest about their feelings. They will often say something like "I don't want to talk about it". Don't take it personally, they don't want to deal with their feelings and be honest with themselves so don't expect them to share with you.
The Serious One: this person rarely laughs or even smiles. Everything is sooo serious. Their jobs are super important, life is serious, problems are huge and must be dealt with!
The Perfectionist: Everything in it's place, everywhere! It's essential
You may recognize some of these behaviors in people you know, but more importantly, can you see them in yourself? If you can, then ask yourself what will happen if you let go of these defenses. Could it be that you will feel lighter and happier when you don't have the burden of always being right, of being able to open up to someone else about your fears or misgivings about how your life is going? Imagine the relief you will feel once you can express yourself and realize that you are not alone in having these feelings. Sometimes it can help to voice your thoughts out loud. When you can hear your fearful thoughts, it might just make you chuckle. When you are laughing at yourself, it is a sure sign that you are allowing your soul show you how delightful the human experience can be, even with it's inevitable frustrations. Remembering that you are infinite being living the human life will help you embrace and enjoy your path and lighten up.
Some of the most spiritual people you may know (Dali Lama, for one) approach life with a sense of humor born out of their ability to let go of the ego and embrace their soul urges. If you have ever seen photos of the Dali Lama you might notice that he is often seen smiling. His whole appearance is one of relaxation and openness. He looks approachable. He is ready to receive. He is embracing the whole package that is his life and living it openly and honestly, without pretentiousness.
You do not have to be a spiritual leader in order to live a gratifying, happy life. You simply need to be yourself. Once you can be true to yourself, you can then be truthful with others and share in life's experiences in a meaningful happier way.
Pretending that everything in your life is perfect, is an illusion that everyone can see through. Why? Because the reality is that relationships, kids, friends, and employment are never perfect. There are perfectly satisfying moments in all of these along with the many frustrating moments. The key is to embrace them all. The best way to embrace the difficult moments is to take responsibility for the choices you have made ( your job, your partner etc) and then learn how to let go of the difficulties by accepting that they are part of the experience. Sometimes, the easiest way to do this is through humor. Making light of a problem, puts it in it's place. Having patience with yourself will allow you to laugh at your mistakes. Realizing that it's not possible for you to have all the answers, will help you to open yourself up to find some of these answers. One of the best ways to do this is by sharing experiences with others. While it's for each of us to find our way down our chosen path, sometimes it's helpful to get some guidance from others when we feel we are stumbling. Below are some indications that you, or someone you know, needs to lose weight:
The Know it All: needs no advice from anyone on how to do anything. They are the experts in their given area and yet a closer look into their lives often reveals major problems.
The Non Communicative: the person who is never really open and honest about their feelings. They will often say something like "I don't want to talk about it". Don't take it personally, they don't want to deal with their feelings and be honest with themselves so don't expect them to share with you.
The Serious One: this person rarely laughs or even smiles. Everything is sooo serious. Their jobs are super important, life is serious, problems are huge and must be dealt with!
The Perfectionist: Everything in it's place, everywhere! It's essential
You may recognize some of these behaviors in people you know, but more importantly, can you see them in yourself? If you can, then ask yourself what will happen if you let go of these defenses. Could it be that you will feel lighter and happier when you don't have the burden of always being right, of being able to open up to someone else about your fears or misgivings about how your life is going? Imagine the relief you will feel once you can express yourself and realize that you are not alone in having these feelings. Sometimes it can help to voice your thoughts out loud. When you can hear your fearful thoughts, it might just make you chuckle. When you are laughing at yourself, it is a sure sign that you are allowing your soul show you how delightful the human experience can be, even with it's inevitable frustrations. Remembering that you are infinite being living the human life will help you embrace and enjoy your path and lighten up.
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