Thursday Thirteen #6

13 (plus 4 more) Laws That Change Lives
as suggested by Dan Millman in
THE LIFE YOU WERE BORN TO LIVE

1. The Law of Flexibility - "Flexibility avails us far more than either passivity or resistance; by actively using whatever arises, embracing even the most painful circumstances, we deal with our difficulties more effectively, as we begin to see them as a form of spiritual training." (pg. 324)
   
2. The Law of Choices - "The most basic choice we have in life is whether to expand or contract, whether to bring our creative and expressive energies out into the world in positive or negative ways. No matter what our circumstances, we have the power to choose our directions." (pg. 328)
   
3. The Law of Responsibility - "Once we establish the limits and boundaries of our responsibility, we can take full charge of that which is our duty and let go of that which is not; in doing so, we find more enjoyment supporting others, as we create more harmonious cooperative relationships." (pg. 336)
   
4. The Law of Balance - Balance applies to us on cosmic, biological, and personal levels -- to our body, mind, and emotions -- reminding us that anything we do, we can overdo or underdo, and that if our internal pendulum swings to one side, it will inevitably swing to the other." (pg. 341)
   
5. The Law of Process - "On the path to our goals if we want to get from point A to a point Z, the surest way to get there is to first go to point B, then C, then D, and so on. Skipping a single step, even though it appears to be a shortcut, often results in failure." (pg. 346)
   
6. The Law of Patterns - "Any habit or pattern, whether we call it 'good' or 'bad,' despite our best intentions tends to reassert itself over time unless we break that pattern by doing something different." (pg. 349)
   
7. The Law of Discipline -"Discipline is the surest means to greater freedom and independence; it provides the focus to achieve the skill level and depth of knowledge that translates into more options in life." (pg. 354)
   
8. The Law of Perfection -"From a transcendental perspective, everyone and everything is unconditionally perfect; from a conventional viewpoint, perfection doesn't exist -- excellence is the best we can achieve, and achieving it takes time and practice." (pg. 358)
   
9. The Law of the Present Moment - "Time doesn't exist; what we refer to as 'past' and 'future' have no reality except in our own mental constructs. The idea of time is a convention of thought and language, a social agreement; in truth, we only have this moment." (362)
   
10. The Law of No Judgments - "The Universal Spirit does not judge us; judgments are human inventions, a means to compare, contrast, and control as we judge ourselves against artificial, and often idealistic, standards of perfect, morality, or truth." (pg. 365)
    
11. The Law of Faith ... "is founded upon the recognition that we know more than we have read, heard, or studied; we know more because we are more; we have a direct link to universal wisdom; we have only to look, listen, and trust." (pg. 369)
    
12. The Law of Expectations - "Energy follows thought; we move toward but not beyond what we can imagine. What we assume, expect, or believe colors and creates our experiences; by changing our expectation, we change our experience of every aspect of life." (373)
    
13. The Law of Honesty - "Recognizing, accepting, and expressing our authentic interior reality lies at the heart of honesty; only when we are honest with ourselves can we speak or act honestly with anyone else. In the sense of integrity, honesty entails acting in line with higher laws in favor of negative impulses to the contrary." (pg. 377)
    
14. The Law of Higher Will - "From the viewpoint of our separate self and smaller will, it's normal to act on the basis of our own desires and preferences; when we surrender our smaller self and will to the guidance of a higher will and dedicate our actions for the highest good of all concerned, we feel an inspired glow at the center of our life." (pg. 381)
    
15. The Law of Intuition - "We can only get in touch with our own source of intuition and wisdom when we no longer depend upon others' opinions for our sense of identity or worth; we all tend to worship something; the question is, will we worship the god of opinion, or the god of our heart?" (pg. 385)
    
16. The Law of Action - "No matter what we feel or know, no matter what our potential gifts or talents, only action brings them to life. Those of us who only think we understand concepts, such as commitment, courage, and love, one day discover than we only know when we act; doing becomes understanding." (pg. 390)
    
17. The Law of Cycles - "The world of nature exists within a larger pattern of cycles, such as day and night and the passing of the seasons. The seasons do nor push one another; neither do clouds race the wind across the sky; all things happen in good time; everything has a time to rise, and a time to fall. Whatever rises, falls, and whatever falls shall rise again; that is the principle of cycles." (pg. 394)

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