Practice What You Preach

I found a link to a very enlightening article on my girl Kris's page and felt obligated to share it with the rest of u guys. Especially since I'm running on E today and am too tired to write up anything original, what more be creative or witty lol.

I, myself plan on making a thousand copies of it and using it as wallpaper in my bedroom. I've been reading up a lot on Buddhism lately, and although I grew up Catholic I definitely find solace in the Buddhist beliefs. Without sounding like a complete granola eating Hippie - their ideals are based on peace and love. I can definitely dig it and I can definitely use it in my life right now.

The following are a few of my favorite excerpts. Although I definitely suggest reading the entire post here. It's definitely worth it.

#2 Give people the benefit of the doubt.

It's tempting to doubt people ... Sometimes they may be hurtful and mean it ... It will likely be when they are hurting and don't know what to do with it ... If u want to get good will, share it by seeing the best in the people u love. When u assume the best u often inspire it.

#6 Confront compassionately and clearly.

When u attack someone, their natural instinct is to defend themselves - which gets u nowhere. U end up having a loud conversation where 2 people do their best to prove they're right and the other one is wrong. If u approach someone with compassion, u will open their hearts and minds ... And when u let people know what u need at the right time in the right way, they're more likely to give that to u.

#7 Don't be afraid to be vulnerable.

There are all kinds of ways u can feel vulnerable in relationships ... People don't always do these things because they want to maintain a sense of power. Power allows u a superficial sense of control ... vulnerable being allows u a sense of authenticity. That's love: being ur true self and allowing someone else to do the same without letting fear and judgement tear it down.

#8 Think before acting on emotion.

This one is the hardest for me. As soon as I feel hurt, frustrated, or angry, I want to do something with it - which is always a bad idea. I've realized my initial emotional reaction doesn't always reflect how I really feel about something. Initially, I might feel scared or angry - but once I calm down and think things through, I often realize I overreacted.

When u feel strong emotion, try to sit it for a while. When u learn to observe ur feelings before acting on them, u minimize the negativity u create in 2 ways: u process, analyze, and deal with feelings before putting them on someone else; and u communicate in a way that inspires them to stay open instead of shutting down.