Monday 29 October 2012

Real Life Zombies

Another amazing Tiny Buddha exerpt - just in time for Halloween!

“When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another—and ourselves.” ~Jack Kornfield

Connection

 When did we substitute busyness for real living? A majority of people out there go through their lives numb, not connecting with the people around them, not enjoying their lives. They simply exist, floating through life. I call them “the living dead” because they’ve allowed so many parts of themselves to die: passion, energy, connection, joy.
They settle for a life of greasy food, distracting entertainment, and the accumulation of possessions.
It’s not enough.
If you suspect that you might be one of the living dead, start examining your life. Do you connect with people, or do you just gloss over everyday interactions? Do you notice interesting and beautiful things about life, or do you go through your day like you are a machine, operating on force of habit and routine?
When was the last time you truly forgot your busy day in the pleasure of a conversation with someone you didn’t know?
Reach out to people. Ask them their names. Make a connection. Forget about your busy day, if only for a second, and try to validate someone else.
Thank someone who has served you well.
If you don’t—if you fail to give attention to waiters, baristas, gas station attendants, and maybe even your coworkers—you’ll start to lose touch with your humanity as well.

Reach out to the living dead

Maybe you make the leap. You try to connect with people and treat them the way they should be treated, but you’re frustrated with the living dead. They seem to stubbornly resist any attempts at communication.
My advice (from years of being a member of the living dead): keep trying. There’s a human down there somewhere, and if you keep working away at their hardened exterior, you’ll get there eventually, and the work will be worth it.

Remember, you have worth

If you’re a member of the living dead, today or often, I’m not saying that you’re worthless, or you somehow resemble a zombie. You’re a human being, you’re unique, and you have incredible worth.
We all have living dead days. Just do your best to start moving out of the pattern of disconnection. Go out of your way to reach out. People are occasionally going to ignore you, be grumpy toward you, insult you. Remember when dealing with them that, just as you have unique worth, they do too.
Treat them with respect, even when they’re not very respectful to you. Why should you do this? Shouldn’t you just be nasty back to them and cut them out of your life? Definitely not. The fastest way to become a member of the living dead is to treat them as sub-human. Keep this in your mind as you live your life: You are unique and have worth.
So does that server that you have the chance to tip.
So does your boss.
So does that Wal-Mart greeter.
So does that surly mechanic.
We all have worth. And we all have a choice to recognize and honor it in each other.


How to Stop Dwelling on the Life You Could Be LivingOn a personal note, I've been feeling a little frustration in the "blog world" lately. I have definitely been busy with studying for my upcoming exam and haven't had the time to post as much as I like.  I started this blog to inspire and motivate myself. Then I kind of got obsessed with my "stats" ; How many people clicked on my blog today? Did they just "accidentally " land on my blog during an image search?", etc.etc.  I began losing sight of what my blog was all about! I wanted to be excited about my next post not "feeling the pressure " where's the fun in that? Staying true to myself and not trying to impress others.  I visit successfull blogs and have realized that blogging is a full time job and a main source of income for most of these women. They promote products (their own or others), encourage me to follow other blogs, or shop here and there... They rely on selling ad spaces.  And while most of the ads stay within the theme of their blog, I sometimes feel resistance.  Like what are the motives behind these posts?

Where is the line between genuine posting and advertising?   Making money and sponsers and ads was never something I knew of when I started my blog. Verve Evolving is about creating a lifestyle of thoughtfullness, presence, Love.  I do have  links to blogs running along the side because I support them and they are worth sharing.  They are not paying me for this "space".  They are my friends in my community. I guess I'm feeling frustrated as to where I "fit in".  I know I want my focus to be of Quality as opposed to keeping up with the pressure of Quantity ... this can be a challenge because I've noticed the more I post, the more hits I get, but with that comes the risk of losing quality due to the pressure of keeping my "stats" up.
HOWEVER, while I do my best to limit the amount of time I spend "plugged in" , I have really been trying to (again) focus on following quality blogs that resonate with ME and my lifestyle. Lately I've discovered some lovely blogs like Roots and Feathers//Violet Bella and Bohemian Kate.   

WHAT I DO LOVE: Bloggers who DIY DIY DIY, create their own sellable pieces, who share their true feelings,  And don't get me wrong, I love my style (eyecandy) blogs too! Doesn't mean I'm about to purchase their latest look. It will however inspire me to get creative with what's already in my closet, or go on a Value Village spree (aka Savers in the US)
 I feel overwhelmed in this world sometimes like everyone is  trying to sell you something. I just want to stay true to myself and not lose myself. I do have something amaing though it's called Free Will.  We are ALL exposed to all kinds of ads all the time but we can choose what we want to "let in", what to click on, what to "follow" or "like", etc.  There's room for all of us and we can choose what we want to expose ourselves to, but I encourage myself (and you too) to always question the "why".
There are 24 blissful hours in a day. And many of those hours are filled with basics like sleeping, eating, going to work.....what we do with the rest of those hours is up to us. It's nice to check in with myself once in a while and truly question my motives and why we do the things we do.
I'm ready for bed now! xo
(And if you're reading this, I would love and encourage you to share your thoughts!)



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6 comments:

  1. My love,

    Reading this has been eye-opening. I too have felt this frustration. A lot of the problem of letting statistics guide our posting stems from the fact that we both feel really strong connections to our message and living, that we just want to share. I see other blogs that are so amazingly put together, beautiful with the cameras they use and it at times makes me feel that my little life isn't as meaningful......

    But it is!!! Affirmation is key. We both have meaning and I do not want to let the lives of others dictate my posting. I too seek truth, thoughtfulness and love and have thus decided to get rid of the Sponsor Page on my blog.

    As you will see in my future posts, I am working towards transforming aspects of my life and BALANCE through SIMPLICITY.

    xoxox

    Crystal

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  2. I agree wholeheartedly with your post for it resonates with me as well. Bravo Christine and Crystal for recognizing the traps of society and doing something about it to return to your authentic self. I believe that the nature of our motivation can ruin our creativity with the pressures we place on ourselves and not so much the pressures that society places on us. Like you said we have free will.

    However I wanted to point out that even in the "mundane" daily routines and yes, work, we need to put purpose back into those as well. They cannot be tossed aside as useless tasks. For it is a form of meditation, of living in the NOW when we focus all our energies in those moments too. I'm sure you've noticed that when you do, wonderful serendipity happens and joy returns as you fulfill your purpose, put love in everything you do, even the tedious and boring things. That energy returns to you tenfold and life takes off into wondrous directions you never dreamed of. Because love begets love in return.

    Now about the ads and the abundance that flows from them I still have mixed feelings. My thoughts are this (and I welcome debate on it)...By denying yourself this gift from the universe are we not sending a negative vibration? Are we not in essence saying "No" I am not worthy? Are we labeling success and fortune as being a "bad" thing? Let's face it we have been conditioned from the time we could breathe to view someone else's good fortune as being corrupt or merely greed and that a life of struggle and hard work is the only way to abundance. This totally conflicts with the laws of the universe. For if we ask and it is given, these gifts are to be welcome as part of our journey. Check out this video blog from Phil McClusky
    http://www.philipmccluskey.com/overcoming-the-poverty-mentality/
    It sure opened my eyes.

    That said..... I theorize that the conflict you are feeling can be redirected to exactly HOW you view material gain and this fits in perfectly with what you are talking about regarding 'zombieism'. Let's look at for example Esther Hicks and her late partner who have amassed a fortune sharing their beliefs and helping millions of people find truth and joy in their lives. Do they live in poverty? Do they provide this service for free? No and people still flock and pay WILLINGLY for the wisdom they gain. The Hick's enjoy the fruits of their labours and repay this gift from the universe by giving to charities and helping those less fortunate though their message has more power than money. For it is the message that ends our suffering and teaches us "how to fish", and becoming independent. Hopefully their purpose is indeed genuine for I believe if it were not, the abundance would end. I believe it is a deeper question about how one would react if it were to suddenly disappear and hence the true test is our ATTACHMENT to material things. In Buddhism it is taught that we accept our good fortune but to not become dependent upon it and to use this good fortune to generate comfort, beauty and create value while doing greater good for humanity. I invite you to read this little bit of wisdom.
    http://www.sgi.org/buddhism/buddhist-concepts/creating-value.html

    Thanks for a truly thought provoking blog.

    Love and Light
    An avid follower

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for taking the time to write, I've go some thinking to do along the lines of self worth and willingness to RECEIVE. I will definitely check out thoses links. xo

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    2. Well put and thank you for setting forth another perspective to consider. I am on a journey of wellness, transformation and rediscovery of myself and your words are inspiring. I do so wish you were not anonymous as it would be great to connect. You seem to have such wisdom.

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  3. As for the sponsorship on my blog, it was an aspect of the blog that was initially created to draw viewership from those with commonalities and then for monetary gain. It began to misguide my posting for I wanted to "attract" certain sponsors. I was no longer exploring myself and my truth. Material gain has also been a struggle for me as I am a stay at home mother and I live in a society where the monetary is often associated with worth. At times, I have questioned my contribution to the family because of my lack of monetary contribution, although my partner has reinforced my role and importance. Again, I am a work in progress and working through my thoughts.

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  4. Another thought on sponsorship. I don't think we should rule it out entirely. I've been thinking about self worth and how there is more than enough abundance to go around. The time we spend writing and sharing our hearts and thoughts is VALUED TIME. It is worth something. Should I ever choose to sponsor (I plan on creating a massage therapy blog :) it would be thoughtful and definitely a blog or service I can feel proud displaying. Also Crystal I love your little shop don't ever stop crafting and making your work available to all you deserve it!

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