Category Archives for "Conscious Living"
Meaning of Conscious Living
Claim Your Right To Abundance
Many people go around in a state of want and lack. They feel like if they have the right hair, body, face, clothes, or the right amount of money, they’d be set for happiness and therefore, a life of abundance. Certainly, marketing media would love to bank on this belief.
(A leaf from my scrapbook album to remind me to “just go for it!”)
Product sellers and service providers make millions of dollars based on people’s insecurities. Constantly bombarded by pictures of grandeur, consumers are left to wonder if they would be complete after making an additional purchase. Myths are perpetuated as a result.
How To Start A Gratitude Journal
A gratitude journal is very similar to a diary. However, the difference is that you mainly have positive things to write in a gratitude journal.
(List your favorite things in your gratitude journal)
While you can rant and rave in your diary, a gratitude journal is meant to uplift you. It connects you with good feeling thoughts. The aim of keeping a gratitude journal is to write down the things that make you happy and that for which you are grateful for.
The 5Cs of Buddhism
The 5Cs is a well known acronym in Singapore. It typically refers to the Singapore Dream. It was coined in the 90s due to a local observation of the materialistic obsession of Singaporeans. The 5Cs are Cash, Condo, Car, Country Club Membership and Credit Card. When I started my banking career upon graduation years ago, I had the same dream.
(Photo taken in Singapore Botanic Gardens from where I practice Taichi also known as a form of meditation in motion.)
Even today, many young adult Singaporeans can attest to the chasing after the same dream of 5Cs. The problem is that the 5Cs is all about material goods. So social or community values have largely been ignored.
Keep Holding On To Faith
I had an amazing dream recently. I saw myself standing on the rooftop of a tall building with a male companion. He did not look like my husband or any friend I know. I strained for a clearer view. However, his face still appeared hazy. I just could not make out who he was. What I sensed instead was that he was some kind of a mentor, a guide probably.
(A page on “Holding on to Faith” that I made in my scrapbook album after having my dream. I enjoy making arty reminders!)
In a dramatic turn, I saw myself free falling in the air. I seemed to have fallen off from the top of the building.
Down, down, down I went.
Learn The Art of Drinking Tea
Drinking tea is a lost art if you are not paying attention to its joys. In Asia, where there is a long tradition to tea-drinking. To enjoy tea fully, you have to savor the fragrance, color and flavor of the tea as the brew becomes stronger. You learn about the world from your teapcup when you engage your senses as you drink.
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh has one of the best advice for us when drinking tea….
“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future. Live the actual moment. Only this moment is life.”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
20 Inspirational Abundance Quotes
To me, abundance quotes are worth gold. I enjoy reading abundance quotes because I feel expansive instantly. They serve as wonderful reminders for me about holding a paradigm of prosperity.
Reading abundance quotes tells me a lot about what true wealth really means. I am inspired to live the truth that the words convey. Knowing that they are espoused from some of my favorite people on this planet offers an extra kick!
Short Story: The Spiritual Warrior of the Labyrinth
The Spiritual Warrior hesitated. Even though she was standing still, her mind was racing a thousand miles. “Should she proceed or abandon the hunt?” She wondered. Beads of perspiration gathered on the side of her forehead. The Warrior started to reflected on her journey so far.
Since entering the labyrinth, the Warrior had found herself chasing a strange looking beast. The Warrior felt somewhat disappointed by the memory of the chase. She was dismayed that she had not been successful with a quick conquest.
Inspirational Story: Song of the Little Bird
There lived a little bird in the forest. It had been singing songs ever since it was born. It learned how to sing from papa bird, mama bird and all the other birds in the vicinity. It would sing everyday.
(A collage made out of printed transparent plastic with photoshopped details against a wooden background).
One day, while the little bird was singing on the branch of a tree, it got interrupted by the sound of a little boy. The little bird looked down. A boy was pointing at it with his finger and saying “what a sad haunting melody!”
Inception Movie Review: Your Mind Is the Scene of the Crime
I had a dream in the wee hours of Sunday morning. When I woke up from the dream, I decided that I needed to watch the move “Inception” as soon as possible. My dream had felt real. It was intriguing that I was able to understand its message for me while I was in the dream state. I wanted to find out if “Inception” had more to teach me about dreams.
“Dreams feel real while we’re in them. It’s only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange.” — Inception
Slow Down To Experience More in 7 Ways
Do we ever consider slowing down for a fuller experience of life? Do we ever stop to take in the beauty of the moment before us? Do we make it a priority to connect – and truly connect – with someone else? Today’s post is about slowing down to experience more. Oddly enough, we will realize that in our fanatic rush to save time, we miss out on a lot of important things in life.
(Don’t just look straight ahead, notice the pretty flowers along the path)
“Slow down and enjoy life. It is not only the scenery you miss by going too fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.” Eddie Cantor