First light streaks across the sky, chasing away the stars over Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. The orange dawn quickly reveals the mountains, forests, rivers and lakes scattered across this epic landscape. With beauty like this, it’s an experience you’ll never forget. Photo by Kim Dessoliers (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).
Donald Trump’s election last year exposed an insidious politics of celebrity, one in which a redemptive personality is projected high above the slow toil of political parties and movements. As his latest tweets about Muslims confirm, this post-political figure seeks, above all, to commune with his entranced white nationalist supporters. Periodically offering them emotional catharsis, a powerful medium of self-expression at the White House, Trump makes sure that his fan base survives his multiple political and economic failures. This may be hard to admit but the path to such a presidency of spectacle and vicarious participation was paved by the previous occupant of the White House.
Gratitude is the key to happiness in life, at work, and in relationships.
Studies show that depressed people who engaged in gratitude practice were 25% less depressed after a 12-week period. Interesting, right?
When we are down, we tend to ruminate and go over the same things over and over. Most of the time, it’s about our past and ourselves. We can’t stop being self-critical.
According to a study performed by Dr. James Pennebaker, depressed people used the “I” word at a 6.5% rate, that’s 4% higher than the average person. And those who suffer from a mental illness use “I” 11 times more than other people.
When we focus on the present and we’re grateful for what we have and who we are, we generate positive memories. These are the memories we can reflect on in the future that can help us feel better. Also, focusing on others and what we can do for other people can help us, too. We won’t be using so many “I” words.
So, do yourself a favor and focus on the present, what you have and what you’re doing. Once you are able to do that, you’ll be a happier person.
Make sure to appreciate the people around you as well. They’ll know it and they’ll reward you in kind.
In one study, twice as many people helped a second time after receiving a thank you email than when no thank you email was sent. The study showed people did it because they felt more socially valued when they’d been thanked.
Dr. Sara Algoe, a US psychologist, emphasized that “Feelings of gratitude and generosity are helpful in solidifying our relationships with people we care about and benefit to the one giving as well as the one on the receiving end.”
On the other hand, a Glassdoor study showed that more than 80 percent of employees say they’re motivated to work harder when their boss shows appreciation for their work.
A feedback loop develops when you appreciate others. They begin to think about how they appreciate you.
It is easy to focus on what people are not and how they are different, but when you focus on people’s good qualities, you will be happier around them. They will be happier around you, too.
And what happens when you do the opposite?
Many will get defensive, angry, and lash out, causing you to do the same thing. Best to start off and focus on the right things. This is especially true in marriage.
So, appreciate people for what they are, what they bring to the table and for who they are and not who they are not. This way, you’ll be better off individually and together.
What can you tell about people who don’t say thank you?
Well, the inability to say thank you could be a sign of narcissism. When people feel entitled or full of themselves, they fail to appreciate the complement or the contribution of others. They think they deserve the special treatment or special praise because they are special.
No one wants to be with someone like that. So, make sure to show how thankful you are to those around you.
See Also: A Little Bit of Gratitude, Everyday!
How to get started?
Make it easy.
Try thinking or writing down three simple things you’re grateful for each day. Tony Robbins makes this a daily practice and he starts with something easy, like the wind on the face or the peacefulness of no wind.
You can show gratitude for anything or anyone in your life. It can be as simple as being alive and the opportunity to do things better the next time.
Make it a habit and do it every single day. Over time, your view of the world and life will dramatically change.
Thank you for reading this!
The post The Magic of Appreciation: How to Practice Gratitude appeared first on Dumb Little Man.
You’re reading The Power of Forgiveness: How to Forgive (and Ask for Forgiveness) to Regain Inner Peace, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Accumulating research supports what spiritual teachers from nearly all traditions have long taught: forgiveness heals. It improves our mood and optimism, brings inner peace, and helps us recover from challenges of all kinds. Even medical doctors are endorsing that forgiveness helps patients recover from injuries and ailments. Forgiveness improves the quality of our lives, helping us to be healthier and happier.
What do we mean by forgiveness? Simply put, we mean to consciously, lovingly pardon someone; to forgive a debt or release a mistake. It’s not about who’s right or wrong. It’s about freedom and acceptance. It’s about letting go of expectations, resentment, and blame. Forgiveness frees us of negativity we might otherwise hold, which is like swallowing poison.
But true forgiveness goes farther than offering forgiveness when we are hurt or harmed. To truly regain our inner peace, we must also seek forgiveness. Most people believe that “what goes around comes around.” This is the essence of the law of karma. When we offer loving and helpful service to others, good karma is accumulated, which blesses us. When we offer unpleasant service to others, bad karma is accumulated, which can block us.
The good news is that we can transform our karma and our lives through forgiveness practice. It helps to consider that our current life experiences are somehow a reflection of our past and present karma. Thus, when we are upset or believe others should ask for our forgiveness, this is also the time that we should go into our hearts and ask for their forgiveness, for any time we or our ancestors may have hurt them similarly before. This is not always easy, but it is quite a beautiful and transformative practice.
While forgiveness can be hard to accomplish, we can succeed with some well-designed practices. We will share a practice with you, but first, here are some tips that may help you open your heart to practice forgiveness more easily:
Keep in mind that we all make mistakes. People who hurt others are also hurting inside. This will help you find compassion, which will help you forgive.
Even if you are not a Christian, you can benefit from the story of what Jesus said during his final hours: “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.” This helps us understand that people often hurt others in ignorance. With this wisdom, we may again find compassion for our offenders.
Remember how it feels to receive forgiveness. This will also help you offer it. Recall a time you made a big mistake and were forgiven. Remember how it felt to be forgiven. This will help you understand how important it can be to forgive.
Finally, according to karma wisdom, a very good practice is to turn your situation around. In other words, consider that you have harmed the one(s) who have harmed you, in the past. Sincerely apologize (at the soul level) and ask for forgiveness in addition to offering it. You may be totally surprised by the impact.
Here is a simple forgiveness practice you can do, adapted from the book, Greatest Love – How to Unblock Your Life in 30 Minutes a Day with Unconditional Love by Dr. & Master Zhi Gang Sha, Master Maya Mackie and Master Francisco Quintero:
Dear ____ (name your higher power, such as “God, Divine, the Creator, the Universe),
I love you.
Could you please bless my forgiveness practice?
I am very grateful.
Thank you.
Dear _____ (name any soul(s) you are practicing with, or you can practice with “all souls”),
I love you.
I deeply apologize for ________ (anything specific, or “all the mistakes my ancestors and I have made that have hurt or harmed you in any way”)
I sincerely ask for forgiveness
Please forgive us.
I forgive you unconditionally.
I would be grateful for your forgiveness.
Thank you.
Dear the “Greatest Love”
I love and honor you.
You have the power to help us love and forgive
Please bless our practice.
Thank you.
Repeatedly chant silently or aloud the mantra, “Greatest Love”. Close your eyes and visualize the beautiful light of Greatest Love coming into your hearts to help you forgive. Feel the Greatest Love helping you to love and forgive unconditionally while you chant. When you are finished, simply close the practice by thanking all the souls.
Love and forgiveness are the golden keys to life. This is a practice you can do daily. You can practice for any challenge by calling the souls that are involved. There is no downside. Everybody wins. Practice love and forgiveness for a happy, healthy and successful life.
Master Francisco Quintero is the co-author of Greatest Love (BenBella Books). He is a Certified Master Teacher trained by renowned spiritual teacher and humanitarian Master Zhi Gang Sha, and the author of Divine Joy: How to Find Joy in Daily Life. A leading teacher at the Tao Academy™, Master Francisco has developed training programs worldwide. With his expertise, wisdom, and knowledge, he has assisted in training over 6,000 soul practitioners and teachers around the world. For more information, please visit http://ift.tt/2nkoIQv and follow the author on Twitter.
You’ve read The Power of Forgiveness: How to Forgive (and Ask for Forgiveness) to Regain Inner Peace, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
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Photographer, engineer, and entrepreneur Dan Piech has long been fascinated by the possibilities of ultra-high resolution photos, spending over a decade refining his techniques. His recent work A New York City Dream is an impressive 602-megapixel composite made from 189 individual photographs of the Manhattan skyline. Taking 160 hours to create, the stunning photograph is an incredible vision of New York City, unlike any other.
“I wanted to create an extremely high-resolution photographic artwork that captured the vibrant energy our city continually bursts forth with—a seemingly chaotic energy that nevertheless has structure, order, and rhythm,” Piech shares. From a rooftop in Queens, Piech and an assistant spent New Year’s Eve capturing the images that would make up this ultra-high resolution photograph of New York City.
It took a year of careful color-grading and detailed stitching to put together an image that would have the look and feel of the actual skyline while achieving an aesthetically pleasing harmony. The result is an astonishing fine art image where the whole is as impressive as the individual details. From the iconic Empire State Building to the revelers celebrating New Year’s, there’s no shortage of treasures to behold within the image.
Using 9,563 megapixels of data for the final 602-megapixel photograph, A New York City Dream can be enlarged to dozens of square feet and still retain its sharpness. It’s just one example of what Piech has achieved after the launch of his platform VAST Photos, which specializes in ultra high-resolution fine art photography.
Piech launched VAST with an aim to bring fine art photographers with stunning aesthetics together with technical experts specialized in producing high resolution (1,000+ megapixel) images. VAST currently works with a roster of 11 artists who create these specialized images. Using high dynamic range imaging, focus stacking, image blending, and other techniques, these special photographs can be printed on a large scale with razor-sharp quality.
Prints of A New York City Dream are currently available via VAST Photos.
The post It Took 160 Hours to Create This Stunning 600-Megapixel View of the Manhattan Skyline appeared first on My Modern Met.
Based in Quezon City, Philippines, illustrator Katrina Taule creates colorful portrayals of mythical goddesses in surreal settings. Using a combination of hand-drawn and digital illustration, Taule’s flowing lines and expressive colors showcase her impressive skillset in fantasy illustration. Some appear to take inspiration from the Art Nouveau movement, while others have a more contemporary feel. Focused around femininity and nature, her work is often divided into series, which explore multiple aspects of a central theme.
The Tea Project, for example, features beautiful women in surreal, fantasy worlds, who seem to personify different flavors of tea. In one particular piece titled INFUSE, the subject appears to brew tea from a magical guitar-like instrument. In another series—titled Enchantment—Taule explores “female enchantment in myth and folklore,” which is expressed in images like VOYAGE, where a princess-like heroine rides upon a majestic swan.
You can see more of Taule’s mythical illustrations on Instagram.
Katrina Taule: Instagram | Ello | Behance
h/t: [Illusion]
Beautiful Splendor of Nature Comes to Life in Surreal Illustrations
Fluorescent Fairytale Illustrations of Women and Owls Interacting in Neon Forests
Colorful Storybook Illustrations of Whimsical Birds and Fantastic Beasts
Enchanting Wood-Based Illustrations Vividly Portray Brilliant Mythological Scene
Korean Artist’s Illustrations Capture the Intimate Moments of a Couple in Love
The post Mythical Goddesses Inspired by Folklore Illustrated in Surreal Settings appeared first on My Modern Met.
The Ramadan Affair has reopened the historical split over laïcité within the French left, but the dispute has found new grounds—about whether national identity is something fixed or evolving, about what place Muslims and immigrants have in the country’s future. These cleavages, which divide not only the French left but society in general, are something Emmanuel Macron had hoped to elude. But today, in the wake of the Ramadan Affair, Macron finds himself caught up in the return of this controversy over Islam and French identity. This time, it is neither the far right of Marine Le Pen’s National Front, nor those of the Gaullist right who emulate Sarkozy, who are winning, but an ex-Socialist who still claims to be on the left (he quit the party after the election). Valls may lack a political home for now, but he has signaled that he means to make identity—Islam vs. France—his main theme. If President Macron fails to pull the country out of its socio-economic doldrums, he will have to face a dangerously sharpened identity politics.
Donald Trump has threatened “Little Rocket Man” with “fire and fury like the world has never seen”—not even seen, presumably, at Hiroshima or Nagasaki. We possess, after all, many more and much better (that is, much worse) explosives than were used by President Truman in 1945, when he incinerated those cities without Congress or the American people knowing we even had them. The fact that President Trump (“old lunatic”) has a legally absolute power to destroy Kim Jong-un (“short and fat”) over dueling insults is so scary that Senator Edward Markey and Representative Ted Lieu are trying to restrict that absolute power, so that only Congress would have the authority to declare nuclear war. This seems not only reasonable but constitutionally necessary. The Constitution in fact denies the president the power to declare war and reserves it solely to Congress. More than that, the framers clearly opposed the massing of power in the executive—lest it become the monarchy they had opposed with a revolution.
To the Editors: Tim Page in his review of Harvey Sachs’s biography of Toscanini speaks of the preference of some of us for a particular style of interpretation of classical German composers, imbued with what the Germans call Innigkeit, or “inwardness,” as he translates the word. He surely means Innerlichkeit, the real German counterpart to “inwardness.” Innigkeit has nuances of warmth and intimacy.
To the Editors: A small correction to “Back from the Cold” by Christian Caryl. John Bingham was not Sir John Bingham, but John Bingham 7th Baron Clanmorris of Newbrook, Mayo, whose ancestors included the winner of a VC at the Battle of Jutland.
Sig Nordal 