Awakened Heart.

When life knocks you down, it can be hard to get back up.
We can also learn to approach life in a way that allows us to accept any obstacles that confront us
This strategy allows us to stay strong in times of adversity and keep calm in times of danger.

In these blinks, you’ll also learn

Why loneliness can be cool;
Why fear is nothing to be scared of; and
How we experience death every day.

Fear is our first reaction as we get closer to the truth behind a problem we’re facing.
You need to understand your fear on a deeper level by taking time to reflect on it.
First thing we need to do to change this is to realize that our lives are in constant flux; things fall into place, fall apart and come together again in unexpected ways.
Create space in your life to let things happen.
the shifting nature of life had brought them an entirely new solution

Loneliness is the perfect opportunity for self-observation and self-love.
Every day, we juggle our work lives and social engagements, doing our best to improve ourselves and constantly aiming to achieve bigger and better things. Once you start using the middle way to face your moments of loneliness, you’ll begin to embrace them as opportunities for self-observation; in fact, you could even turn time alone into meditation sessions.

Hope has a surprisingly detrimental impact on our lives.
The Tibetan language captures the relationship between hope and fear especially accurately. In Tibetan, the word for hope is rewa, while fear translates as dopka. The word re-dok refers to the combination of hope and fear, a feeling whose duality captures our perpetual dissatisfaction with ourselves.

Celebrating impermanence, suffering and egolessness brings us closer to the meaning of life.

Why do we exist?
It’s in our best interests to celebrate impermanence,
we can do so by recognizing it during times of new beginnings. When someone is born, when you fall in love with someone new or even when you start the day full of energy, by embracing the idea that these beginnings come with their own unique endings, you’ll become more mindful of impermanence and the way it shapes our lives.

Suffering is another inevitable part of our lives. As the saying goes, there’s no pleasure without pain.
It reminds us that we can’t always get what we want, and helps us feel happier about our current state of affairs.

By embracing egolessness, we can learn to feel at ease with our past and future, and thus learn to live in the moment.

Being compassionate toward others allows us to love ourselves more deeply.
Practicing compassion toward others can make you more accepting of yourself at the same time.
Building relationships with those that society has rejected is much the same as getting in touch with the parts of himself that he’d rejected for so long.
By practicing tonglen, where we turn pain into joy through meditations on our own breathing. Start by thinking of someone who suffers. Hold them in your thoughts as you breathe in his or her pain. Then, as you exhale, breathe out the joy you’d like them to feel

Here are three ancient strategies you can use.
First no more struggle-Embrace
Second using poison as medicine – in other words, using times of suffering as a wake-up call.
The final strategy is the manifestation of awakened energy, or the practice of recognizing that everything is alive and perfect the way it is.

By incorporating self-acceptance, calm reflection and a deeper appreciation for the present moment into your day-to-day life, you’ll be better equipped to confront challenging times. Taking the time to learn about your fears, flaws and difficulties, while embracing even the most unpleasant parts of life, can also bring you closer to friends and family – and strangers too.

Actionable advice:

Accept the place where you are right now.

Hey, I'm reading When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödrön on Blinkist. Blinkist offers the best knowledge from nonfiction in powerful, memorable packs.

http://blinki.st/fea8a39b1243?chapter=58b4111b8566cb0004c1f409

Change your mind & Change your life

At any given time, what we feel is the result of the brain and mind interacting with each other.
Our minds are our mental processes – our thoughts, wishes and feelings.the brain is a highly complex bundle of synapses. Our consciousness is based on the interaction of the mind and the brain.

The purpose of this blog is:
-Be happier
-Stop exacerbating misfortunes
-Become a more compassionate and loving person.

By engaging in self-reflection we can lead happier, more fulfilling lives.
A good example of self-reflection is thinking about what makes us happy?Focus always on the positive.
By actively reflecting on our lives, we enable ourselves to become better people.

Suffering describes all the feelings in life we don’t like and would rather not experience.
Suffering is what we should avoid. Positive feelings is what we should seek out.
The decision is whether to approach something or avoid it.
The approach/avoidance behaviors aid our survival, they can also make us unhappy.
When we can’t attain the things we approach, desire or pursue, or when our desires cause us long-term suffering.
Sometimes,attaining goals can ultimately lead to suffering!

Reactions!Beware of your reactions. When someone strikes you with a dart that causes discomfort, don't through another "Dart of Rage" that causes you more harm.
"Do no harm" to yourself.
For example, if you’re anxious about the speech you have to give tomorrow, that feeling of anxiety can remain for hours – or even days – after you’ve delivered your speech and the source of the first dart has vanished!

The key to happiness lies in certain ways of thinking.
-Mindfulness is the state of complete awareness ;being mindful helps us to feel happy and more relaxed.
-Wholesome intentions, thinking about yourself as strong and powerful. Indeed, by actively thinking “I am strong, it’s good to be strong,
-Practicing composure helps us to control our emotions and reduces any unhealthy desires we may have. Composure is a circuit-breaker. Composure entails understanding how things make you feel, and realizing that your emotional feelings can be separated from your desires. A good example is success. Success makes us feel good, but an endless craving for it can cause us to feel dissatisfied, and even depressed

We suffer, for example, whenever we take things personally, or crave approval or affirmation from others.
Let go of this strong sense of self and immerse ourselves in the world without ego, we feel a sense of peace and fulfillment
However, a strong sense of self often comes in useful, and – through meditation – we can learn when to take things personally and when to step back from ourselves.
With a greater sense of empathy, one can become a more compassionate and loving person.

Action:
-Throughout your everyday life, try to be mindful
-Use mental imagery during interpersonal conflicts.

Adapted from "Buddha's Brain"  by Rick Hanson on Blinkis

http://blinki.st/fea8a39b1243?chapter=53eb4a6d36343300077e0000