Courage
By Janee Kuta-Iliano
Courage: “The quality of mind that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, etc., without fear; bravery.”
Our economy is in crisis and our shared panic is creating a global emergency. These days, I find myself caught in conversations discussing our economic situation and all the financial hardships we are sure to face. People advise to watch out and beware of the tough times ahead. Many are visibly scared about what appears to be going on. We hear stories and are seeing friends being laid off from work and the news forecasts gloom and doom. The paranoia feels like white noise aggravating the air.
It is clear that the quality of our minds can help us to recover from these difficult times. However, if we continue to believe in what is predicted, the collective thought will surely overcome us and our future will be exactly as we fear.
We can either choose to believe that the worst is ahead. That our future is bleak and that we better hang on to what we have or we can choose to believe that what is happening is exactly what we need as a nation, as a society, as a planet, in order to learn a way in which we can live more harmoniously with one another. Do we have the courage to overcome our fears and help bring peace among one another during such unsettling times?
Do we want to believe that we have lost control over our lives or do we want to believe that we will be okay and prosper better than before? Thoughts are things. What we spend most of our time thinking and talking about becomes our reality.
Living in fear is the opposite of living in love. If we have fear then we cannot love which makes us lose our infinite power. We roll over dead to life’s circumstances instead of feeling driven to do something about it. Everything is in its perfect and direct opposite.
Our lives are all about choice. We have a choice in everything we do and in how we feel. The Bible says that it is sinful (to have missed the mark) to fear and we are asked to not allow evil thoughts to sink in to create a false sense of self. A good friend said that we are on, “God’s economy,” and to not involve ourselves with earthly desires and fears. Let us be accountable to the light and not sow in dead works.
So let us not join and participate in conversations that fuel this combined fear of the unknown. That undoubtedly will attract more of the same. Do we have the courage to remain hopeful and positive? Can all of us keep doing what we do best while living in thanks despite the challenges? “All the days of the desponding and afflicted are made evil by anxious thoughts but he who has a glad heart has a continual feast regardless of circumstances.” (Prov 15:15) Constant gratitude can strengthen our days to remain steadfast to our work and purpose.
Lessons indeed need to be learned and everything does happen for a reason but we really have a choice in how we deal with it. When difficulties arise, when times are hard financially, let us have the courage to believe that we are not our cars, our fancy clothes, our retirement funds or our oversized and overstuffed homes. Let us remember where we came from. Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet they are constantly provided for. Are we not worth much more than birds? Let us remember why we are here and who we really are at our core.
If we let go of what we think should be happening and ride this wave with the right mindset, having constant faith and trust, we will overcome what is happening to us. Let us have the courage to persevere though our toughest times. The choice is ours to make.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Downsizing
Hey, here are some recent Journey magazine articles I wrote. More to come....
Downsizing
Making room for the moment….
By Janee Kuta-Iliano
Being in the moment is where life is most illuminated All anxieties, thoughts and judgment cease. Ordinary sights, sounds and smells come to the senses. Negative emotions disappear and a feeling of awe and wonder appear. Peace and appreciation pervade.
Being in the moment is such a beautiful experience, so why can’t it happen all the time? How can we go from complete awareness to utter chaos in an instant? Calm, cool and collected one moment and freaking out the next. Becoming more present to my life has made me realize how much I have been missing out on.
These past few years have been one of true transformation and healing. We all have our baggage and this just happens to be my time to unpack. Deciding to no longer carry around burdens and making a commitment to actively participate in my life has become my focus. I am devoted to purposefully creating the life of my dreams and being in the moment has become a vital part to my success.
There are reasons why I have not been able to be in the moment that I’d like to share. One major obstacle was my schedule!!! I have spent many years living on a very tight string. My life has been very scheduled with work, activities, commitments, etc. Who doesn’t have a busy schedule these days? Even our children’s days have become overscheduled leaving little room for any of us to get sidetracked.
My unrealistic schedule not only made me late to events, but continually created a sense of panic and had me rushing around all the time. I hated it because I felt like something was wrong with me. My family would tease me about how I was always late to functions. There were times when I wanted to talk to the salad bar guy at Heinens but couldn’t because I had to get somewhere. It almost felt like I was running around with my head down, going over what was next and missing out on all the beauty, wonder and lessons that surrounded me.
After having Jude, my schedule had to change. My daughter has become one of my best teachers because she is always, just always in the moment. I remember early on when she would peacefully sit and grab for bits of dust that floated by her face. I was in awe as she looked at the dust with pure wonder, laughing as she tried to reach for it. Being with Jude has been so refreshing because she truly is going with the flow of life.
Creating a realistic schedule, saying no to events and spending more time doing nothing versus scheduling all these activities has been a saving grace. It is now okay if Jude wants to take a minute to sit on those big red balls at Target whereas before, there would have been no time for it. Downsize, do less instead of more has been my goal and a nice way to help me stay present and in the moment.
Another issue that has personally kept me from being in the moment is holding on to grudges. I would like to consider myself a forgiving person, but when I took a good look in the mirror, was I really? Forgiving others for past issues and most importantly, forgiving myself for things have taken the weight of the world off my shoulders. Talk about lightening up! It has been like freeing up space on a computer. Forgiving has given me room to breathe. Forgiving has allowed me to start really liking myself as a person, which is a very positive thing. When we are peaceful, we are in the moment. This is how we are supposed to be: happy, humble, giving, loving. Not tortured, harassed, dejected and helpless. “The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few.” (Matt 9:37)
Living a life of gratitude bears a lot of fruit as well. Our gimmie, gimmie society appears be driven by the idea that the world owes us something. This collective thought pattern keeps us focused on what’s next and how much more. Society expects us to be at a certain place in life at a certain age, so we keep striving and reaching for the next level instead of appreciating what we have now. I realize I am here impress one person in my life, God. Focusing less on myself and living in gratitude for all my blessings has taken the edge off and has begun to reveal powerful insights to life as I go along.
Being in the moment allows us to look at everything with a fresh mind since the mind is like new with each second instead of replaying the same old thought patterns, judgments and assumptions over and over again. Our habits are well-paved paths and cease to exist when we focus on the here and now. So take a peak, explore what is keeping you from being in the moment. Are you overscheduled and running on empty? Do you feel forced to do everything for everyone else but not for yourself? Do you hold on to bitterness that is taking up space in your mind and body? There is an answer to our why. Start letting go of baggage and ask for help. As they say, Let go and Let God. I am overwhelmed at how much it can help.
Downsizing
Making room for the moment….
By Janee Kuta-Iliano
Being in the moment is where life is most illuminated All anxieties, thoughts and judgment cease. Ordinary sights, sounds and smells come to the senses. Negative emotions disappear and a feeling of awe and wonder appear. Peace and appreciation pervade.
Being in the moment is such a beautiful experience, so why can’t it happen all the time? How can we go from complete awareness to utter chaos in an instant? Calm, cool and collected one moment and freaking out the next. Becoming more present to my life has made me realize how much I have been missing out on.
These past few years have been one of true transformation and healing. We all have our baggage and this just happens to be my time to unpack. Deciding to no longer carry around burdens and making a commitment to actively participate in my life has become my focus. I am devoted to purposefully creating the life of my dreams and being in the moment has become a vital part to my success.
There are reasons why I have not been able to be in the moment that I’d like to share. One major obstacle was my schedule!!! I have spent many years living on a very tight string. My life has been very scheduled with work, activities, commitments, etc. Who doesn’t have a busy schedule these days? Even our children’s days have become overscheduled leaving little room for any of us to get sidetracked.
My unrealistic schedule not only made me late to events, but continually created a sense of panic and had me rushing around all the time. I hated it because I felt like something was wrong with me. My family would tease me about how I was always late to functions. There were times when I wanted to talk to the salad bar guy at Heinens but couldn’t because I had to get somewhere. It almost felt like I was running around with my head down, going over what was next and missing out on all the beauty, wonder and lessons that surrounded me.
After having Jude, my schedule had to change. My daughter has become one of my best teachers because she is always, just always in the moment. I remember early on when she would peacefully sit and grab for bits of dust that floated by her face. I was in awe as she looked at the dust with pure wonder, laughing as she tried to reach for it. Being with Jude has been so refreshing because she truly is going with the flow of life.
Creating a realistic schedule, saying no to events and spending more time doing nothing versus scheduling all these activities has been a saving grace. It is now okay if Jude wants to take a minute to sit on those big red balls at Target whereas before, there would have been no time for it. Downsize, do less instead of more has been my goal and a nice way to help me stay present and in the moment.
Another issue that has personally kept me from being in the moment is holding on to grudges. I would like to consider myself a forgiving person, but when I took a good look in the mirror, was I really? Forgiving others for past issues and most importantly, forgiving myself for things have taken the weight of the world off my shoulders. Talk about lightening up! It has been like freeing up space on a computer. Forgiving has given me room to breathe. Forgiving has allowed me to start really liking myself as a person, which is a very positive thing. When we are peaceful, we are in the moment. This is how we are supposed to be: happy, humble, giving, loving. Not tortured, harassed, dejected and helpless. “The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few.” (Matt 9:37)
Living a life of gratitude bears a lot of fruit as well. Our gimmie, gimmie society appears be driven by the idea that the world owes us something. This collective thought pattern keeps us focused on what’s next and how much more. Society expects us to be at a certain place in life at a certain age, so we keep striving and reaching for the next level instead of appreciating what we have now. I realize I am here impress one person in my life, God. Focusing less on myself and living in gratitude for all my blessings has taken the edge off and has begun to reveal powerful insights to life as I go along.
Being in the moment allows us to look at everything with a fresh mind since the mind is like new with each second instead of replaying the same old thought patterns, judgments and assumptions over and over again. Our habits are well-paved paths and cease to exist when we focus on the here and now. So take a peak, explore what is keeping you from being in the moment. Are you overscheduled and running on empty? Do you feel forced to do everything for everyone else but not for yourself? Do you hold on to bitterness that is taking up space in your mind and body? There is an answer to our why. Start letting go of baggage and ask for help. As they say, Let go and Let God. I am overwhelmed at how much it can help.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
