Free Wisdom
In the beginning of every Spring, we have a chance to transform one of our natural behaviors that we would like to improve. This "new year resolution" declaration, is followed by 49 days of self awareness. Every day we focus on a different aspect of our soul, and on the 50th day we set ourselves free hopefully.
First week: Love and kindness.
We would like to show love and kindness to people around us. We are all connected in the tapestry of life. Our soul needs love as much as our body needs food and liquids. Love has the power of healing. Sick people who are surrounded by loving family members, heal faster. When we feel loved through our lives, we can push ourselves, follow our dreams, and reach our potential.
Sunday evening 4/13: How is our love? Are we comfortable of showing love, or are we embarrassed?
Monday evening 4/14: Are we loving appropriately? Are we being overbearing, or are we being limited? Can we help someone on their terms not on ours?
Tuesday evening 4/15: Are we compassionate when we love?
Wednesday evening 4/16: Is our love lasting even when we are tired, hungry, sad, or when we don’t feel being loved back?
Thursday evening 4/17: Are we thankful for being able to love others, or only when we are being loved by others? Can we swallow our pride and reconcile with a loved one we have quarreled with?
Friday evening 4/18: Do we feel that our bond with people is getting stronger when we love, or do we feel lonelier?
Saturday evening 4/19: Are we being loved sincerely, or do we feel hurt?
2nd week: self-judgment and self- discipline.
Good judgement and discipline is useful when we judge and discipline ourselves, and it’s always a good idea to lead by example. Ultimately, we’d like to behave appropriately, like not being too intense which can hurt or by being too easy which may be ineffective. It’s best to begin with ease, and increase intensity over time until we receive that positive feedback that we are seeking. If we judge and discipline our children, grandchildren, or others, we judge a reflection of ourselves, therefore we need to discipline ourselves.
Sunday evening 4/20: Do we discipline with love and kindness?
Monday evening 4/21: Are we disciplining appropriately? Are we being too harsh, or are we being too lenient?
Tuesday evening 4/22: Are we compassionate and merciful when we judge and discipline?
Wednesday evening 4/23: Are we more lenient with discipline when we’re tired, or hungry? Do we give up on self-discipline when there are setbacks, or when we are overcome with temptations?
Thursday evening 4/24: Are we thankful when we receive constructive criticism and reflect on it, or only thankful when we discipline others? Do we judge anyone unless we are doing so selflessly with no personal bias?
Friday evening 4/25: Do we feel that our bond with people is getting stronger when we get criticized, or when we criticize, or do we end the relationship
Saturday evening 4/26: Are we being disciplined sincerely, or do we feel hurt? When we discipline our child or student, do we foster their self-respect?
3rd week: Compassion and beauty.
Compassion is feeling empathy to the pain of others. We combine both love and judgment at the same time. We place ourselves in the other person shoes. We are all essentially connected like a tapestry of life. Our compassion should bring our relationships to the next level. When we feel compassion, it gives us power so that we can push ourselves, follow our dreams, and reach our potential.
Sunday evening 4/27: Are we warm compassionate without being judgmental?
Monday evening 4/28 Are we being compassionate appropriately? Are we being overbearing, or are we being limited? Are we addressing someone’s specific needs?
Tuesday evening 4/29: Are we compassionate about our compassion, or do we do it because it is the right thing to do?
Wednesday evening 4/30: Are we less compassionate when we’re tired, or hungry? Do we stop being compassionate when we don’t see improvement over time?
Thursday evening 5/1 Are we humble when we empathize with someone, or do we feel righteous? Are we compassionate in an anonymous fashion, not taking any personal credit?
Friday evening 5/2: Do we feel that our bond is getting stronger when we help others, or do we feel that once we are done, our relationship will be over?
Saturday evening 5/3: Are we being sincere when we help, or are we doing a favor?
4th week: Will-power and perseverance.
Will-power is our drive towards success. When the going gets tough, we get tougher. If we think that we are on the right course, we keep going with passion. We embrace the challenge ahead, knowing that it is in our power to overcome it, not due to our strength, but due to our invisible partner, the universe. While monitoring our situation, if we sense that the universe is pushing us on a different path, we are ready to yield, and change our course. The ability to be flexible is a sign for healthy will-power. We would like to respect any challenge. Perseverance propels us to towards our potential.
Sunday evening 5/4: Do we love challenges? When fighting for something we believe in, is it accomplished in a loving manner?
Monday evening 5/5 Do we know when to push forward, and when to yield and change course?
Tuesday evening 5/6: Are we compassionate about overcoming challenges, or do we just want to survive? Do we listen to someone who usually makes us impatient?
Wednesday evening 5/7: Do we give up when we have setbacks, or do we continue and maybe change course?
Thursday evening 5/8: Are we humble after overcoming a challenge, or do we tell everyone around us about our success? Do we think that we did it on our own, or do we acknowledge that we got some help on the way?
Friday evening 5/9: Do we feel that our bond is getting stronger when overcoming a challenge together, or do we break up our relationships?
Saturday evening 5/10: Do we overcome challenges with integrity, or do we cheat our way out in order to succeed?
5th week: Humility.
Humility lets us receive wisdom from anyone. Our power comes from our invisible partner. All we bring to the partnership is our desire, specifically our desire to keep this partnership indefinitely. This partnership, will get us to where we need to be. Being grateful and thankful daily helps increasing our humility. Humility is necessary to reach our potential.
Sunday evening 5/11: Are we grateful and thankful with love or with envy?
Monday evening 5/12: Are we always being grateful and thankful, or only when people are around us?
Tuesday evening 5/13: Are we grateful and thankful with compassion, or we are just used to it?
Wednesday evening 5/14: Do we stop being grateful and thankful when there are setbacks, or do we continue, no matter the situation we are in?
Thursday evening 5/15: Do we think that we are humble, or we are not humble enough?
Friday evening 5/16: Do we feel that our bond is getting stronger when we are grateful and thankful, or do we feel inferior and break up our relationships?
Saturday evening 5/17: Do we feel being taken care of with dignity, or do we feel low self-esteem?
6th week: Bonding.
We are social beings, and we need to bond with each other. Our early bonding, when we were babies, with our primary caregiver, usually a parent, affected our adult mental health. The power of a bond, is greater than just the sum of the individuals. We motivate and encourage each other to reach our potential.
Sunday evening 5/18: Do we bond with love or with envy?
Monday evening 5/19: Do we judge our relationships when we bond, and know when to break up our relationships, or do we find ourselves in relationships with people that hurt us, or take advantage of us? Do we review the discipline in our bonding experiences to see if it needs adjustment?
Tuesday evening 5/20: Do we bond with compassion in person, or we just “bond” on social media?
Wednesday evening 5/21: Do we stop bonding when there are setbacks, or do we continue, no matter the situation we are in?
Thursday evening 5/22: Are we humble when we bond, or are we arrogant?
Friday evening 5/23: Do we feel that our relationships are getting stronger, or do they fall apart?
Saturday evening 5/24: Do we feel dignity in our relationships, or do we feel low self-esteem?
7th week: Dignity and respect.
We are social beings, and this week we feel how other people respect us. In the previous six weeks, we were acting based on the theme of the week, with a different aspect each day. This week, we are gauging how we behave, based on how other people treat us. All we need is to be sensitive, and reflect. What we find out this week, will guide us how to improve in the future, and get us closer to our potential.
Sunday evening 5/25: How are we being loved by others?
Monday evening 5/26: How are we being disciplined and judged by others?
Tuesday evening 5/27: How compassionately are our issues being dealt with?
Wednesday evening 5/28: How much patience others have for us, when we make mistakes?
Thursday evening 5/29: How grateful are the people around us?
Friday evening 5/30 How strong are our relationships?
Saturday evening 5/31: Are we being respected?
Copyright © 2018 {Ofer Raveh} - All Rights Reserved.