We know em. We feel their stares. We can hear the words they say behind their hands to their friends thinking we don’t know. Some of you even have the balls to say it right to our faces, which I respect tremendously. Judging, always judging. and doubting.

That what… I can’t do what I set out to do? (yea we’ll see….)

For being so loud. Quiet with your intentions. Thinking they can just say whatever they want. Well that works both ways.

I have to admit, some of the stuff you say is pretty funny. some of the other stuff, not so much. I am not perfect and sometimes I need to be reminded of that fact. That I really am faster than this.

I try to ignore you, but who am I kidding?

In a way, you complete me.

Thank you =)

For helping me see the futility of everything. For always being there.  That showing me you care. Cause I hate being ignored. And that I have a fan. For showing me how to forgive. and laugh with and at you. That laughter is the one thing that bonds us all together.

That I can keep going no matter what happens.

This game I play wouldn’t be as much fun without you.

I love that Brother Ali quote from the song Life Sentence.

It’s so true!

If your doing something you love and not trying to be the very best, WHY EVEN DO IT AT ALL?

Seriously?? Why bother? I mean its cool to have side hobbies that enrich our lives, but there should always be that one thing. That one thing that we choose to do that we know we can do better than anyone else in the ENTIRE world.

And I mean JUST STRAIGHT UP CRUSH EVERYONE ELSE!!!!

The kind of thing that when we wake up, it’s all we want to do.
The kind of thing we go to work, we come back home, it’s all we want to do.
The kind of thing that we know if we do it enough, it will become our work!
The kind of thing we go to the bars and clubs, we come back, it’s all we want to do.
The kind of thing we want to share with everyone.

And by sharing, I really mean competing with other people to see how far we’ve come. But at the same time, we know doing it is simply the only thing that matters.

Competition brings out the very best in us. Respect. Dedication. Life. Achievement.

To me, it really is the best way to see how far we’ve come and to be able to share that one thing with others who are after the same goals as you.

You know you’ve found that one thing your suppose to do when it’s all you can think about.

You just know in your bones.

Studies show it takes 10,000 Hours to get AMAZING at anything. So instead of being jealous of other people, gossiping, or complaining about how bad you think you have it (you dont, trust me), you should go find that one thing.

And be the best at it.

For a minute there, I lost myself

-RadioHead “Karma Police”

Seeing the world clearly is what buddhism is all about.  Being able to describe what I see, learn and feel on a daily basis has always been the most enjoyable experience for me. Writing has allowed me to experience simple things and realize how special even just lying down on a bed or drinking orange juice can be. Or the relative impermanence of an activity like writing a blog post.

Words come and go.

And when you lose yourself in the sentences that have just been dying to be shared, you start to notice the color and feel of everything around you.

Anyone who loves to write will tell you that it always feels like what they were meant to do.

To describe and share what they’ve gone through. To vent. To laugh. Sometimes to just go crazy.

To connect.

To give.

When people talk about doing the one thing that matters, this is it for me. Writing is simultaneously when the world shuts down and invites me in. Nothing/Everything matters when I am seeking out these sentences. With writing, I can attempt to share the truth and even for a second, free myself from judgement.

I can be aware.

So even with the truth that life is suffering. And that holding on to anything is the cause of suffering. There is a reason to smile.

The third noble truth of Buddhism states that there is an end to suffering and that happiness is VERY possible.

That’s it. Simple as that!

WHAT GREAT NEWS!

This literally means we have nothing to worry about! We can say, ‘ENOUGH!” That the fact everything changes can work for us. Anything that’s been bothering us need not to define us in a permanent way.

There is  a way to be happy =)

Everyone deserves to be content and living the life they want to live. Starting with ourselves.  The Buddha was saying that with work and continually asking the right questions, we can all be free.

Until of course we realize the one answer that matters.

That we are all capable of answering.

We are here and now.

Having this kind of optimistic view allows us to change the quality of our life in so many ways.

What We Deserve

The simple truth is, this might be the only life we have and sometimes it doesn’t help to take too much time contemplating what happens after. THIS IS IT! (like the Michael Jackson movie) Everything that’s ever existed deserves to be happy. Simply because we exist.

There Is Always A Reason

Everywhere we look, there is always something going on and a reason to celebrate. The Buddha tells us if we take the time to REALLY pay attention to what is going on, no matter where we are, then we will find something to be thankful for.

Giving

Knowing there are infinite amount of reasons to be optimistic, it’s a lot easier to share it. It just feels good to help another person realize that they are deserving to be content and happy too. That sharing what we have is the best way to exist.

We realize that happiness is VERY possible, for others and ourselves !

Most people would rather be unhappy than to risk being happy.

I guess I just don’t get it.

They stay at their dead-end jobs, are too afraid to tell the person they like how they actually feel, and/or drown themselves in whatever helps them forget about their situation.

Change is scary.

We can come up with the most terrifying scenarios in our mind.  “I’m gonna lose all my money.” “She’s gonna say no.”  “All my friends are gonna think I’m an idiot for going for this.”

But ask yourself, “what’s the worse that could happen?”

seriously.

We’re scared of change because we don’t think we can handle the consequences. But the truth is, as long as we’re alive, we will always bounce back if we want to. No matter what it is.

The second noble truth of Buddhism states that holding on to anything IS the cause of suffering.

People sometimes hold on to this perfect idea of how everything should go in their heads. We should say this and our lives should be like that. And we get caught up in our heads and don’t take the risks we should be taking.

so how do we slowly de-attach ourselves from being so afraid of taking risks??

By taking little ones day by day.

A simple hello to a stranger. Telling someone how we really feel. Even trying out something different from the fastfood menu. And from there you keep going and going. we accept we’re scared as hell! keep going. fall. and then keep going.

How does this help?

Because we slowly learn to accept the simple truth.

That we really can handle ANYTHING that comes our way.

Buddhism can be summed up in four truths.

(1) Life is suffering
(2) Holding on to anything IS the cause of suffering
(3) There is a way out of suffering
(4) The eightfold path is the way

The first noble truth states that life is suffering.

Simply being born, we get sick and get old. We fall in debt. Other people go to war with other people. We’re hungry, lonely and frustrated with the way our life is not going. We’re insecure with the way we look and think the validation of another person is the only answer. We fall in and out of love. Over and over again.

Suffering is inevitable and a part of life.

But that’s the beauty of it.

The next time you’re out at a bar or a club, take a good look at the people around you. Guys bravely (and stupidly) attempting to make a connection. Girls putting up defenses to protect their reputation. Everyone playing games to protect their egos that can never be satisfied.

The simple truth is,

everyone feels just as insecure as you do.

That suffering is the one thing we all have in common.

Now we can either continue to suffer

or

smile and help people have a good time.

]]> http://www.rockonova.com/archives/243/feed 4 http://www.rockonova.com/archives/237 http://www.rockonova.com/archives/237#comments Tue, 19 Jan 2010 01:49:40 +0000 Rocky Guloy http://www.rockonova.com/?p=237

If I had to choose a 2nd favorite book, it would easily be this one. Written by Sharon Salzberg and coming at a time when my life was going through many changes and me doubting everything I  knew, her story comforted me like no other. It was pure awesomeness.

I remember reading this book on the METRA on my way to Columbia College, thinking to myself,

“What if everything I’ve done is wrong?”

Of course no one really knew about it because in the earlier stages of reading about self improvement, I became too good at putting up a positive face. Overwhelming anxiety can be a bitch. Don’t take diet pills. ever.

It was this book that reminded me, “It’s gonna be all good.”

Plus I REALLY liked the cover.

the first time I saw you

We all crave new things. New relationships. New tv shows. New “answers” to everything we’ve been asking. The brightness of it all can feel really great at the beginning.

This is it!!!

You’re what I’ve been looking for!

But eventually something happens that forces us to question everything. Always does…. and it’s for the best.

why are we together again?

After the initial drunken feelings start to wear off, comes the fun part. Doubting starts to take over and we question why we’re even here in the first place. Most people would not even bother to go on, but this is where everything really starts to take shape. This is where when people start to really live the ideas they’ve only been reading about.

If we’re not careful, we start to blindly follow everything offered to us. But with doubt and the right questions, we realized that everything great takes effort.

And then one day….

OH WOW!

And then you just know everything you needed to know.

Looking back, I think the best part of the experience was not knowing if it was going to be allright. It was scary shit ! If anything, this book came at a time when I really needed to hear it is gonna be ok. I don’t know a lot of things, even though I can sometimes pretend like I do. I do have faith that one day I will get a hug from Sharon Salzberg and it’s gonna be awesome!

She reminded me everything changes. Except for the fact I really liked this book.

I am trying to be one of the greatest of all time.
If you ain’t doing that, your just wasting your time

-BROTHER ALI  “LIFE SENTENCE”

A lot of my closest friends think I am delirious. And trust me, I’ve given them lots of reasons throughout the years to believe it.  Maybe years of being bombarded with success quotes, movies like The Matrix, and TOOL songs have completely warped my mind.

I kinda compare it to the same way girls got their ideas of Prince Charming through Disney movies.

People settle for so little. Whether its their jobs. their relationships. They get stuck in their own little cubicle and wonder where their life went.

Sometimes, I just don’t understand why you shouldn’t shoot for your own personal Super Bowl, your own Dark Tower, your own Prince Charming or Mary Jane Watson.

Your own personal slice of heaven. Fuck it!

Why stop at a slice when the universe is willing and abundant??

There Is Every Reason To Accept Our Own Greatness

The problem is, most people do stop. They’re scared. Failure “might” be too much to handle. But the truth is, unless whatever your afraid of actually kills you, then the situation has only made you stronger by experiencing it. So embrace every event, whether big or little.

Most people are actually afraid of their own potential.  It takes work.  Most people are actually worried that success will drive people away or yikes…. the fact that we’ve had the power to better ourselves 5 – 10 years ago. Or…. that we can actually set this change in motion….right now !

We’re made to be awesome !

Fortune Favors The Bold

Successful People = crazy people.
Successful People = knowing what we want
Successful People = surrounding yourself with people who push you to keep going
Successful People = SuccessFul People

Keep My Prize On The Eyeballs (slug from atmosphere)

One of the greatest traits about people who don’t settle is the fact that not a lot seems to bother them.  They wake up everyday with a purpose. When you don’t settle and go for what you want, you start to develop a lazer like focus that will shield you from negative emotions that plague normal people. When you go for what you want, you truly are spending time doing what you love and made to do.

A Life Worth Living

One great exercise that I got from Stephen Covey is looking back at your own funeral. When your examining the event with your third eye, what is that you see? What is it everyone that is saying? Is everyone there just to be there or is everyone talking about someone that really went for it and achieved things?

Are You Happy?

There is a certain satisfaction you get from going for what you really want to.

Whatever it is.

But of course, only people who go for it…. actually know the feeling.