Your Focus Creates Your Emotional State

When you feel happy or joyful, ask yourself, “What am I focusing on right now that is giving me these good feelings?” The more time you spend focusing on similar patterns, the more time you will spend feeling happy and joyful.

When you feel unhappy, ask yourself, “What am I focusing on right now that is causing me these distressful feelings?” The less time you spend on similar patterns of focus, the more time you will feel happy.

Fully understanding that your focus creates your emotional state, for better or for worse, is one of the most important lessons we can learn.

(from Rabbi Pliskin's new book, Life is Now: Creating moments of joy, courage, kindness, and serenity, p. 84)

704   Release Stress and Tension

As you keep building up a greater appreciation for being alive, you realize that tension can be a reminder that you are alive. Every moment of life is precious and is a reason to celebrate the fact that you are alive.

Thinking is a reminder that your brain is working. Since your brain is working you can choose to say to yourself, “Right now, I am alive and I choose to release all stress and tension.”

Let any form of needless stress remind you to create mental scenes that are conducive to being calm and relaxed. You might have a favorite serene scene, or you might enjoy creating new ones.

Tell your entire muscular system, “Muscles, relax.” Hear your muscles responding, “Thank you for reminding me to loosen up and let go.”

(from Rabbi Pliskin's new book, Life is Now: Creating moments of joy, courage, kindness, and serenity, p. 78)

Daily Dose of Dov
(Dov is sober in SA for 11 years)

• The Zohar asks, who is the winner in the battle with the Yetzer Hara? The one who has the ammunition in his hand. Asks Reb Nosson of Breslov, this seems strange. How do we know who has won in a real-life war? The side that comes home from battle and puts away their ammo! So why does the Zohar say that in the war with Yetzer Hara, the one holding the ammo in his hand in the winner? Explains Reb Nosson that in this war with the Yetzer Hara, you want to know who has won the war? The one who is still ready to fight again and go into the battlefield even when all seems lost. The one who says, "I don't care, I'm ready to fight again and again". HE'S the one who will win. And not only will he win, but the Zohar says he has ALREADY WON!

By charity, goodness, restraint, and self-control men and woman alike can store up a well-hidden treasure -- a treasure which cannot be given to others and which robbers cannot steal. A wise person should do good -- that is the treasure which will not leave one.

- "Khuddhaka Patha"

Irrigators guide the water. Fletchers shape the arrow shaft. Carpenters shape the wood. The wise control themselves.

- Dhammapada, 6, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

Anger deprives a sage of his wisdom, a prophet of his vision.

- Rabbi Simeon b. Lakish, Talmud: Pesahim, 66b

#698   All Events and Situations are Neutral Until You Have Self-Talk About it

Realizing that your self-talk is a key factor of the way you view any event or situation allows you to understand the power of your self-talk.

Your self-talk is the key factor that decides whether you will live a happy life or an unhappy life; whether you frequently experience positive things or negative things. Your self-talk is the key factor that changes encounters with kind, friendly, helpful people into encounters with cold, selfish, and uncaring people, or vice versa.

When someone really comprehends the power of self-talk, he understands on a deep level that his life experiences depend on how he views them. Your outlook is the key to the quality of your life. The difficulty involved with dealing with potentially challenging situations and people depends on your viewpoint and perspective. Your viewpoint, based on your self-talk, makes the situation harder to deal with, or easier.

When you have a "good eye" and see events and people in a positive light, you will have a totally different experience than someone who has a "bad eye." With a "bad eye," you see problems and hardships and difficulties everywhere. With a "good eye," people treat you better and life events will work in your favor. You see opportunities, where those with a "bad eye" see misfortune.

(from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin's book: "Conversations With Yourself", pp.35-6) [Artscroll.com])

If only truth and justice were the rule, there would be no need for mercy.

- Mendele, "Di Kliatshe"

De Didache (tussen 60- 120) judeo-christelijke catechese
§ 1-6

"Kies voor de weg ten leven"

Bring Out the Best in Others

You can’t control anyone else’s way of speaking and acting. But by upgrading your own way of speaking and acting, you are more likely to bring out a better way of being in the other person.

(from Rabbi Pliskin's new book, Life is Now: Creating moments of joy, courage, kindness, and serenity, p. 65)

Zalige Teresa van Caldutta (1910-1997), stichteres van de missiezusters van Liefde
Something Beautiful for God

"Geeft liever de inhoud als aalmoes; en zie, dan is alles u rein"

High-Priority Goals

Making and reaching high-priority goals creates a meaningful life. This is one of the most important concepts for anyone who truly wants to live a happy life. Certainly, gratitude is an important element in happiness.

Kindness is another important element. But together with gratitude and kindness, a life devoted to high-priority goals is a vital element for happiness.

H. Ambrosius (ca 340-397), bisschop van Milaan en Kerkleraar
Commentaar op het Evangelie van Lucas 7, 44.59

"Als lammeren onder de wolven"

#678   Living Life One Moment at a Time

Your mind and soul can choose to think, speak, and act wisely and meaningfully wherever you are at any given time. You live your entire life one moment at a time. You only need to choose to think one wise thought at a time. You only need to choose to say one positive sentence (or word) at a time. You only need to choose one meaningful action at a time. These all add up.

(from Rabbi Pliskin's new book, Life is Now: Creating moments of joy, courage, kindness, and serenity, p. 22)

#673   Act Joyously

Act joyously. These two words are powerful. They work. Test it out congruently and see for yourself how effective this formula is.

If it's so easy, how come everyone isn't radiating joy? I didn't claim it was easy. It's simple to say, but the very fact that not everyone consistently applies it shows that it doesn't come naturally to many people. It takes effort. And it also takes belief in the process. You can counteract the effects of acting joyously by holding back or by repeating to yourself, "This won't really work."

"Act with enthusiastic joy and you will actually experience it," was expressed by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto in his classic work "Path of The Just" written in 1740. Since then many professionals in the field of human emotions have repeated this formula. It worked then and it still works now. The more flexible someone is with their emotions, the easier it is for them to apply this. Experiments with biofeedback technology and the testing of hormones in the blood after acting joyously have proven its effectiveness.

(From Rabbi Pliskin's "Happiness", p.34)

#670   Forgive Fully

A person who sincerely fears the Almighty should forgive someone who wronged him when that person asks for forgiveness. He should do his best to return to the previous state of loving-friendship that existed before the other person erred.

We find in the Torah (Genesis 50:21) that Yosef forgave his brothers for selling him into slavery as soon as they asked his forgiveness. He told them that because he fears G-d they need not worry.

Is there anyone you have not yet forgiven? If yes, imagine that the person has the wisdom and courage to ask you for forgiveness. Visualize yourself forgiving that person. The next time you encounter that person act with the friendliness of someone you have forgiven.

(see Ralbag - Shaar hashalom, no.7)

A student asked: "For all the different people who have come to listen to your words, please tell us about the way you have found and known." The Buddha answered: "When you take things it is because of a thirst, a clinging, and a grasping. You should lose that and lose it altogether, above, below, around, and within. It makes no difference what it is you are grasping. When you grasp, you are losing your freedom. Realize this and grasp at nothing. Then you will cease being a creature of attachment, tied to the powers of death."

- Sutta Nipata