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The 12 Commandments for Seniors (by Anonymous)

 

{Right] It might have...

“Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, "It might have been.” ― Kurt Vonnegut Practice good actions with sincerity today, then why will it matter if you regret it tomorrow?

Make Your Regret Positive!

by Michael Corthell Regret hurts, right? It's a feeling like homesickness, a feeling of what might have been. If only I had_________.  But understand this; regret is a good thing. Why? It is a pointed and profound learning experience. Handled correctly we grow and become better, more well-rounded human beings. It has everything to do with acceptance. ''Make the most of your regrets; never smother your sorrow, but tend and cherish it till it comes to have a separate and integral interest. To regret deeply is to live afresh.'' — Henry David Thoreau In the short term folks are more likely to regret negative actions and mistakes they've made, but in the long term they are more likely to regret missed opportunities and actions not taken such as not spending enough time with family etc. However, there is much value to be had by being regretful. We make sense of the world. ''I tried this and it didn't work.'' C

[Equality] 'I was born as I am...what's your story?'

“Love him and let him love you. Do you think anything else under heaven really matters?”   – James Baldwin In his iconic novel Giovanni’s Room, gay author James Baldwin makes a powerful statement about love. He proclaims that sex and gender don’t matter; all that matters is that two people love each other. Nothing should stand in their way if they have love in their hearts. These words resonated with millions of people who felt like their emotions were invalid because of the gender of the object of their love. With this quote, Baldwin assured them that it didn’t matter because love is love. Equality means more than passing legislation. Equality is won in the hearts and minds of the the people. That's where it really counts.

In Heaven: Neither Male, Nor Female

by Michael Corthell While the gift of sex and procreation is a very important part of this earthly life, many religious teachings including those of Jesus say that neither of these will play a role in the afterlife (or the 'beforelife') because our souls and our spirits, which are the essence of who we really are as created beings have no gender. Our biological packaging is for procreation and gives most of us either a male or female gender assignment at birth, but it is increasingly recognized in the society today that not all of us fit neatly into gender assigned categories, either physiologically or psychologically. The truth is, that human beings are a combination of masculine and feminine energies (yin-yang balance). The physiological representatives of these energies is manifested in the hormone testosterone, and estrogen, we all have some of each in inverse proportions(normally). Generally speaking those who are male at birth would have more testosterone t

[Boredom] Creates action...

“I abhor the idea of a perfect world. It would bore me to tears.” ― Shelby Foote Boredom is the beginning of creative action. The state of being bored opens up room for new activities. Without boredom, no creativity. (See: #PositiveMindset)

Finding Inspiration in Boredom

by Michael Corthell We have all been bored and some of us are really boring. Boredom is being stuck between wanting to do something and not being able to. It's not that you don't want to do anything. It's just that every thing to do has no appeal—everything seems dull and boring. We are going to change that right now. ''Since boredom advances and boredom is the root of all evil, no wonder, then, that the world goes backwards, that evil spreads. This can be traced back to the very beginning of the world. The gods were bored; therefore they created human beings.'' —Soren Kierkegaard There is really no need to feel disturbed by a little boredom. There's a big world not only out there, and a really big one in here (author points to his head), just waiting to be explored. Here's how to  vanquish boredom . Boredom can be fought four ways:  1. By understanding what boredom is and what it causes. 2. By having some ex

[Minimal] Wants vs Needs

  “Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it.” ― Joshua Becker, Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life When you shop and you see something you want remember this: 'Cost to keep'.  Some things cost way more when we keep them. You might even say that they possess us, we don't possess them. 

[High Interest] ...intense! and eager enjoyment!

“I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. He taught me that if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good. Hot is no good either. White hot and passionate is the only thing to be.” ― Roald Dahl, My Uncle Oswald Never do nothing just because you can only do a little. Do what you can and do it with enthusiasm! (and expect good results!)  

[Confidence] With faith...

“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust, First Part My words about Veganism may or may not inspire others, but they have me inspired and it's what keeps me keep going.

[Persistence] Patiently...steps...success

“You never know what's around the corner. It could be everything. Or it could be nothing. You keep putting one foot in front of the other, and then one day you look back and you've climbed a mountain.” ― Tom Hiddleston Change is hard at the beginning, can be confusing in the middle and best at the end.

[Mindset] Walk in the sunlight...

Positive energy attracts positive energy. Look for something positive in each day – even if some days you have to look with a microscope!

The Practice of Turning Negatives Into Positives

by Michael Corthell  In mathematics, if we multiply the negative numbers, -6 x -2 it equals a positive 12. In the human mind and its behavioral world it is a bit different of course. To turn negative experiences into positive ones requires faith, wisdom and understanding. It is very important to understand that everything in life happens for a reason and there are no accidents or coincidences, and everything in God’s infinite universe is governed by immutable laws. It is also good to understand that everything that is happening around you, good or bad, is in some way organizing and conspiring to help you. If something happens in life, either positive or negative, it has happened to teach a lesson—a spiritual lesson. Who is the teacher? Why, God, of course. In reality, everything that happens is 'good' because it leads to the ultimate good. There is an old saying, ''Everything comes out in the wash.'' To even look at something as nega