Tag Archives: work together

22

Harmony In Life

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Harmony- a pleasing combination or arrangement of different things.

To have a combination or arrangement of different things, you must allow various elements into your life. Harmony occurs in everyone’s life at some point. Some days ideas flow smoothly, and others, it is like you are stuck in the mud. The reason for this seems to be based solely on your attitude and decisions. How you choose to look at situations and people in your “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” -Thomas Jeffersonday will determine the harmony you experience. Being aware of your power to create or destroy harmony in your life should allow for a higher level of consciousness. This level begins with a focus on the balance you are creating for yourself and others who have the joy or misery to deal with you daily. It all starts with a hard look at your thoughts, words, and actions today. Do you create harmony or discourse in life? 

Acceptance for Harmony

To create harmony, a person needs to focus on accepting yourself and the situation you are experiencing. Many people see this statement as an indictment of improvement, and it isn’t recognizing and accepting who you are and where you are in the reality of life. Harmony comes from moving from this point and taking action toward your goals. Arriving at a place with absolute acceptance frees you up to create balance with others because you are looking out at the world and seeing where you best fit. This harmony can exist in relationships, work, play, or any other activity in life. Peace will elude you if time is spent seeking the approval of others. You don’t need anyone else’s permission to be great at being you. Just be that!

Equal acceptance of others is the other half of the equation. You can’t spend your time judging others and what they are doing either. The analysis is done to place yourself on a false pedestal above someone else. Hard to be harmonious with others or life in general if you don’t look at the good in people. You can never achieve harmony if you mentally deny others your approval. This choice always leads to conflict and disharmony. Just as you have permission to be great, so does everyone else. Let them be that!

Harmony  of Life

Harmony allows you to move quickly through life, achieving goals and experiencing things without difficulty or struggle. It is easy, and it focuses on the present moment. The two things that distract from doing this are focusing on regrets for the past or anxiety about future events that might happen. These two things stop you from accepting things as they are today and working with them.

The past stops harmony because we look at circumstances long gone, and either we revel in glorified stories, or we carry the burden of regret about what we should have done. Acceptance is putting the past behind you, no matter how good or bad, and understanding where you are. This time is the only moment that you are guaranteed. Learn from the past, but don’t let it take away from your acceptance of where you are in reality. Accept it. It doesn’t mean you like it, but it is a reality you can create harmony with and enjoy.

Anxiety about what might happen is going to destroy harmony as well. Too much effort and thought are wasted worrying about how things might never work out or the danger of suffering. No amount of fear will change the future. Challenges are going to come and go. Creating harmony with these future events starts with accepting yourself and where you are. Seeing a world of abundance and potential rather than lack and limitation will help. You can only create this harmony through your attitude, choices, and vision. Choose to create balance. 

Harmony of Diversity

People are different for a reason. Other talents, tastes, and preferences create a colorful palette to create almost everything. When true harmony exists, there is a field for the best of everyone to meld together with the best of others. Our strengths are being highlighted, and our weaknesses being limited. Seek harmony in all that you do and find your flow in daily life. The most magnificent harmonies are achieved in music when simultaneously sounded musical notes produce chords and chord progressions, having a pleasing effect. This relationship is also genuine; the messages are actions, and the chords are accomplishments. Let the harmony of different sounds in the symphony of your life. Accept the differences between others and see the potential. Raising your consciousness starts with your thoughts, words, and actions to create harmony each day.

“The more in harmony with yourself you are, the more joyful you are, and the more faithful you are. Faith is not to disconnect you from reality – it connects you to reality.” ~ Paulo Coelho

“No person, no place, and no thing have any power over us, for ‘we’ are the only thinkers in our mind. When we create peace and harmony and balance in our minds, we will find it in our lives.” ~Louise L. Hay

 

 

21

Kindergarten Lessons

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As I move through any day, I am bound to encounter all sorts of behavior, some of it positive and hopeful and some selfish, mean, or hurtful. It always makes me remember that the world would be a much better place if people remember what they learned in Kindergarten and live by them.  For me, Kindergarten happened a very long time ago. Still, I remember the basic lessons I learned and how practicing them today allows my work and personal life to be a much more positive experience. I challenge you to put your own 5-year-old vision on your behavior and experiences and see how you are doing your own behavior and decisions.  The world seems full of people who have forgotten; I am writing this to remind you.

Be Kind

One of the first lessons I learned was that you should be kind to other people. Even though we are all individuals sitting on a mat on the floor, we are all a part of the same society, and we can either make that society better or worse by

kindergarten kindness
In a world where you can be anything, be kind.

practicing kindness or not.  That is a choice, and I learned how good it felt to be kind and to have kindness practiced toward me.

I think that all of those little people I was in class with all felt the same.  The world could use a little of this focus as most people have decided to split the world into an “us” vs. “them” situation.  Even though what constitutes each side differs from the individual, there are too many examples of how poorly we treat each other because of the perception of a difference.  What stops people from seeing the opportunity to practice kindness and understanding rather than anger, fear, and contempt?

Share and Cooperate

Most people seem to be on a mission to collect all the “stuff” they can in life as if the things we possess define who we are.  I don’t remember specifically what the toys were in the kindergarten room I attended, but I do know I learned to share them with my classmates and found that playing with others was far more fun

Sharing is cool!

and enjoyable than having a toy all to yourself.

In fact, when the whole group played a game together, it was the most fun of all.  You didn’t have to be the most athletic or smartest, you just had to try, and the group accepted that effort. If you didn’t, our teacher’s kind and gentle guidance would guide us back to a positive place.  I go to a gym most days and see many people there, most practice cooperation and understand that you need to share equipment and wait your turn for some things.  Some obviously have never understood the concept of being considerate of others.  I find myself wanting to explain to them in clear terms about the concepts of sharing, taking turns, and empathetic to others.  Though if they have come this far in life being self-centered and insensitive, their life experience made them forget kindergarten lessons. I feel sorry for them. Life must have been very difficult for them indeed.

Take Turns and Work Together

When you are five years old, your problems are far less complex than as an adult; however, dealing with a challenge is a skill that will determine the success or failure of many ventures.  Everything in the kindergarten classroom was designed to build this concept in each of us. We took turns being first in line to maneuver around the school. We took turns doing daily chores.  We shared cleaning

One of my favorite toys when I was 5. I would share it with you for sure.

responsibilities and we did them together.

I encounter many people today in all areas of life who seem to have concern only for themselves, their experiences, and that everyone does things their way or wrong.  At the highest levels of government, this seems to be the norm in the United States today.  Rather than cooperate for the good of all people, politicians are more concerned with being “right” rather than doing what is clearly right. What is right are the things that help people live a healthy, happy, and safe life. Kindergarten teaches this; unfortunately, as life has given us challenges, we have been hurt and turned away from these positive lessons and moved toward the perceived safety of isolation.

What You Can Control

One of my favorite activities during the day in kindergarten that I remember is the weatherboard. We would sit in front of a felt

Weather time!!

board with two images on it, and our wonderful teacher would call on us and allow us to put a piece of clothing that would be appropriate for the weather on that day.  Growing up in Greenville, Maine, there were many winter jackets, hats, and mittens.  It taught you to dress for the weather and that some things in the world are out of your control.

Even though there are things that are out of our control, we have the ability to react to these things any way we choose. We can be angry about it, or sad, or happy, but no matter how we choose to feel, the weather was still cold, or rainy or snowy, or not snowy enough.  What we can do is dress appropriately and do the best we can.  It is a lesson that I have needed to remember throughout my life.  Things happen which I can’t control, and all I can do is react in a way that will be true to who I am.  If you can master this skill, then you will enjoy your life a lot more.  Too often, we spend too much time complaining about the weather rather than reacting positively to the weather and all things that are happening out of our control.

In the End

Kindergarten is a year in your life usually happening when you are five years old, and if you paid attention, the lessons there could guide you through life.  The developmentally appropriate

I am not sure who’s kindergarten class this was but I hope they paid attention.

learning is designed to allow a child to build social and academic skills which will allow them to fit into the school system.  My challenge to you is when you move through your day, encounter the people you do, and experience things of all kinds. Regardless of your current age, you remember what you learned all those years ago in kindergarten and practice it with everyone you come in contact with.  Be kind when you can, share and work together,  enjoy the people in your life and understand letting things you can not control determine your mood is unhealthy.  Most of all, if you remember your kindergarten lessons, you will have a much happier life and be a better person.

“The Universe is one great kindergarten for man. Everything that exists has brought with it its own peculiar lesson.”- Orison Swett Marden

“The kindergarten children are confident in spirit, infinite in resources, and eager to learn. Everything is still possible.” Robert Fulghum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osVbhDfUiy4