Toot Your Own Horn!!!!! (Page 2 of 3)

(I'm doing it now, in this forum.)

(1) I rarely complain, or trash others. 
(2) I've developed the ability to wait patiently in supermarket check-out lines, DMV lines, all kinds of lines without any anxiety.
(3) I do not react with frustration to mishaps like auto-accidents, or losing something, or getting lost--instead, I wonder what the lesson is.
(4) I can clear my mind if I need to.  I only suffer a busy mind if I'm lazy, or particularly lit up. 
(5) I can convert negative thought-loops into feelings of joy and enthusiasm into less than a half hour.
(6) I am forgiving.  Six years ago, a lady hit me in a crosswalk, giving me a skull fracture, and the first thing I said to her was: "I forgive you."  And I meant it.
(7) I've written three plays this year (one commissioned), one ten-minute play was produced (and I was paid), two spiritual articles that I really like and helped others.  I'm following my bliss--slowly but surely, like the turtle.

I met somebody two nights ago that I admire--a friend named Bess.  I admire her because she's alive and fearlessly open with people, knows who's kissing her ass and points it out and doesn't respect it.  She survived being homeless for two and half months in an Alaskan, seventy below zero winter by squatting in a trailer with holes in the wall and eating microwave popcorn and hitchhiking into town to fill her water bottle.  She isn't bitter.  She's in love with life and in love with a fisherman and seems only to want to have a good time in life.

I want to adopt her loudness!  Her un-apologeticness!

What's good about lyra is basically what I found good about Bess a couple of nights ago: a kind of upbeat mercilessness.  A refusal to compromise for anything below the feeling of being on fire...

That's awesome.    It was nice to read what you both had to say about yourselves.   Those are all great qualities.

I really like this quote, btw, particularly the part I bolded. 

I know what you mean by this reaction - it's the "Oh, well, that's great, thanks for showing off and rubbing it in how well you're doing versus how miserable the rest of us are doing.  Big show off!" 

I'm an "unusual" one too --- always asking people unusual and unexpected questions (as long as it's something that they mentioned first....I never prod first and act nosey....)  so I would have totally asked him how he did it too had I been there and he brought it up. 

Ain't it fun being unusual?     You can learn a lot in life! 

Your post wasn't off track.  No worries!

Now get back on that podium!

Well, I must say, this thread turned out better than I thought it would.  Seriously came thiiiiiiiis close to deleting it within hours after posting it, fearing the whole New Moon Window thing, wondering what I was thinking at the time that I wrote it, etc. etc. blah blah blah.   It was all well and good at the time I was typing it, but hours later I was tired and no longer feeling the passion for it, and felt that it was a bunch of insanity that should just be deleted.

Just goes to show, you never can tell.....

I too have been thinking about this in the past week or so, adding to the coincidence. 

My thoughts were: I don't want people to think I am arrogant, because it would make things harder for me.  Making enemies is rarely a good idea, and even when it seems like it would be a good idea, it still isn't.  But then I realized that I never come across as arrogant to the people I am compatible with.  Some others find me arrogant no matter what I do and how unbelievably humble I act.  Some people like me and some don't and it hasn't got much to do with little things that are under my conscious control, so I can just relax a bit more.  This doesn't mean that I can avoid the unpleasant folks.  I can't, especially at work.  Can't fix every problem; some will just sit there and cost me regardless of what I do so I can just accept that fact.

I don't think I will list strong points here because I am OK in this respect.  This isn't a problem for me, but I still can relax more about the whole issue as described in the last paragraph.

I think it's a great idea to adopt things that others are doing that you admire or covet.  At first I was amazed I could do it.  And thanks for the reminder, I should look around for new stuff to glom onto.  It doesn't have to be something you admire for "good" reasons, it could be some behavior that helps them make money or have more control in work or social situations.  I haven't done it in a while!  I keep thinking of a funny saying, even though it isn't quite the best mental attitude: fake it 'til you make it.

David

Yes.  Yes. 

I see the challenge with referring to myself as excrement.  But at least it's quality excrement.

Oh and Happy New Year!

Interesting!   

Not sure if covet would be the word for it...but admire, yes, definitely!    In thinking back on the people that I liked the best, those people who made an impact on me, the people I can't forget, no matter how many years go by, I naturally have to reflect on what it was about them that made their personalities so memorable, what it was about them that struck a positive chord within me.   Which naturally led to the idea of adapting those traits as my own.  Becoming what I admired in them.

A good example would be the boss I had back in 2001, in California.  She was from Australia, and was by far THE coolest boss I've ever had...but was also a neat person in general.   What I really liked and admired about her were her constant upbeat, smiling happy positive personality;  the way that she even admitted that she couldn't hold a grudge or hold onto any anger.   She would get mad, say how she felt (namely to her boyfriend...) then be over it and move on;  and most importantly.........the way that she didn't impose her own negative ideas onto other people.  !!!

If someone (like me for instance!) had an idea that sounded far fetched or totally nutty, she'd listen with interest, her face would light up, she'd grin, and have a "Wow!  Cool!" mindset.....then wish you the best and sincerely hope that everything worked out for you!  She'd get excited for you!  She wouldn't frown like most people, saying crap like, "Why do you want to do something like THAT?"  or scrunch up her face, making sour puss faces, expressing her personal doubt and displeasure and skepticism.

In short:

There was no judgement.  Only sincere excitement and encouragement.  Like, Cool!  Go for it! 

And I like that!   Especially being that I was that person with the crazy sounding ideas.  "Oh yeah, I'm thinking I'm just gonna like, drive across the country and go to Florida next!  I've never been there!  But the beaches look awesome!   This should be fun!"

When I told her that, she got so excited for me at the prospect.  She was the one in fact who put the idea in my head about "You could serve cocktails on the beach!"  While nearly EVERY other person who heard of my plan was making faces, getting all sourpuss on me, trying to trash Florida and discourage me from going. 

So, I've (tried) to adopt her mindset for myself.   It's a great way to be.   Let's hear it for Australians!!!  The best people on the planet!    (I actually do think that, btw....have yet to meet an Australian that wasn't the most awesome person I've ever come across....)

I think if we were all raised in Australia, we'd all be better people!    haha

I don't want to do this.  I recall I was in a session taught by a Qigong master, and one of the exercises was to imagine famous people of history and to do something that seemed like substituting their spirits for my own.  It felt wrong and I didn't do it.  My own view on this is that they are not God any more than anyone else is, so if I'm going to worship anyone it should be God not another flawed human.  The OT warns against worshipping graven images.

It would do the reverse for me.  Just my own view that I feel rather strongly about.

David