Steps to Happiness.

[Loretta Ann]

Everybody Knows:
You can't be all things to all people.
You can't do all things at once.
You can't do all things equally well.
You can't do all things better than everyone else.
Your humanity is showing just like everyone else's.

So:

You have to find out who you are, and be that.
You have to decide what comes first, and do that.
You have to discover your strengths, and use them.
You have to learn not to compete with others,
Because no one else is in the contest of *being you*.

Then:

You will have learned to accept your own uniqueness.
You will have learned to set priorities and make decisions.
You will have learned to live with your limitations.
You will have learned to give yourself the respect that is due.
And you'll be a most vital mortal.

Dare To Believe:
That you are a wonderful, unique person.
That you are a once-in-all-history event.
That it's more than a right, it's your duty, to be who you are.......
That life is not a problem to solve, but a gift to cherish.

[CJ]

Hi Darlene,

Thanks for posting that. Rules to live by, absolutely!

Out of a desire to boost their self-esteem, I occasionally tell my clients that they are more than a "once-in-all-history" event, they're a "once-in-the-lifetime-of-the-universe" event.
One day, one client shot back at me, "well, so was Hitler." That silenced me for a second, until I realized that, like so many people I know or hear about, Hitler had never made use of the opportunity given him to not just be, but to become human, in the process abandoning his duty to honour the humanity of others.

Any old tree or mountain is also a once-in-all-history event. However, non-human life carries with it no moral charge; there's no obligation on a tree to self-actualize, for the betterment of both itself and treehood in general. Human beings, on the other hand, being endowed with a moral sense, do have this obligation; although our being human is, in speaking of individuals, a once-in-all-history event, we truly become human beings only once we accept that responsibility. Though Hitler may have painted roses, he failed in this regard, as must anyone divorced from their own humanity and bereft of any sense of connection to other human beings--an unfortunate occurence at best, a very dangerous one at worst.

This is what I love about this forum; the people here are actively seeking to both become the fully human person they know they can be as well as make that connection to others that will help both themselves and others ground themselves in their humanity.

Love,
CJ

[Lorna]

Darlene,

That was beautiful! So so true.

I printed this & placed it on my wall.

[Loretta Ann]

Hi. CJ.

The blessings of a forum such as this to be able to exchange ideas and thoughts for the enhancement of all.

Following are some thoughts your post caused me to come up with.

Hitler did not understand that he could not do all things better than everyone else. And I don't think he ever found out who he was? He certainly failed to learn not to compete with others. I don't think he ever learned to give him self the respect that was due, because he sought it from others. and because he never learned to live with his limitations it cost him his life. (not to mention the lives of many others). He never realized that life was a gift to cherish.

Yes I agree with you that; Hitler never made use of the opportunity given him to become human, or in other words to grow up. (mature).

Unfortuntionatly people like him are not a once-in-all-history event.

Love.
Darlene.

[Virginia]

Way to go CJ!!!! Beautiful as always!
Darlene: " Life is not a problem to be solved, but a gift to be cherished."
Yes and we have an additional gift - that of being able to express a feminity that eludes our brethren - a beautiful gift that I hope we all continue to nourish and cherish!!
Deborah