Charter of Compassion – what I stand for….

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions,
calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels
us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves
from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity
of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice,
equity and respect.

It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically
from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest,
to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating
others – even our enemies – is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge
that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum
of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of
morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture
that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given
accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~
to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an
informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings, even those regarded as enemies.
We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our
polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion
can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep
interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity.
It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and
a peaceful global community.

How to Change the Life You’re Giving Yourself

By Guy Finley

We meet life, with all of its complex relationships, through what we know. Each daily event, with its dozens of unsuspected twists and turns, challenges us to come up with our best answers. Once our most suitable answer is at hand, we launch it and ourselves into action and watch to see what happens. With each situation this challenge and response process is repeated over and over again, until the condition resolves itself for us, either favorably or not.

The point being made here is that at any given moment we always do what we know. This may seem very obvious, but with closer examination, especially in light of the fact we wish to elevate ourselves and what we are getting from this life, we will discover something very astounding.

Read the next three sentences very carefully. I have separated this trio of important ideas for ease of reading, but they are very much connected to each other. Each higher idea leads to the next one, and when they are absorbed all together, they will tell you a great secret.

Before you can get anything different from this life, you must first do something different.

Before you can do anything different with your life, you must first know something different.

Before you can know anything different, you must first suspect and then confirm that it is your present
level of understanding that has brought you what you now wish you could change.

Now let’s reverse the order of these right ideas so that we can see how they work from the other way around.

Until you know something different you cannot do anything different.

Until you do something different you will not get anything different.

And until you really get something different from your life you cannot know what you have missed and how much more there is to understand.

Here’s the point. Trying to change what you get from life without first changing what you know about life is like putting on dry clothes over wet ones and then wondering why you keep shivering. You must stop trying to change what you are getting for yourself and go to work on changing what you are giving to yourself.

It is vital for you to realize that life has not held back its riches from you. The truth be known,
which it will be, you have been held back from real life by a false nature which thinks life is meant to be suffered through and that all there is to insulate it from a harsh world is what it can win and
possess for itself.

While there is no denying our world is becoming more and more cruel, there is also no denying that we are the world. Neither our individual world nor the global one can change until the connection between
what we experience and who we are is no longer denied.

This is why we must have a new knowledge. Spiritual knowledge isn’t something mysterious or out of this world. In fact, spiritual understanding is the most important and practical knowledge a person can possess. It is ultimately what we know about ourselves, about who we really are, that determines the quality of our life.

The truth is we cannot separate our answers from our actions and our actions from their results. They may appear to be individual in their operation because they often occur at different times, but they are really one thing. Intellectually we already know this important concept, but its deep significance hasn’t yet become clear.

Let’s look at the old adage, “As ye sow, so shall ye reap.” Here we can see a new significance in this New Testament teaching. What you sow is seed or, in this metaphor, your knowledge. What you reap is the crop, or your results. This spiritual knowledge shows us the great importance of reconsidering what we
think we know. Life is trying to reach us and teach us, through our experience of it, that we need new
and true answers. These higher answers serve as a special kind of personal shelter that effortlessly
keeps out what is harmful and keeps in what is healthy and life-giving. That is its nature.

Here are five examples of how these higher answers can work for you. You’ll see how each one also
suggests a new action and promises a new result. Remember that each complete section, one through five,
represents a whole action. In reality, you cannot separate your answers from your actions and your
actions from their results. Just as warmth must follow sunlight, so must a higher, happier life follow
when inner-light is allowed to flourish.

1. Your New Answer: Real strength is the refusal to act from weakness.

Your New Action: See where you have been calling inner-weakness an inner strength; such as calling
anxiety concern, or anger righteousness. Dare to live without these false strengths.

Your New Result: The end of your confusion and pain over why your strength so often fails you. At the
same time you will realize the birth of a new and true strength that never turns into its weak opposite.

2. Your New Answer: Have the courage to proceed even while knowing that you are afraid.

Your New Action: Dare to take one shaky step after another.

Your New Result: Freedom from a life of fear because fear cannot exist whenever insight is valued above
feeling frightened.

3. Your New Answer: Forgiveness is the personal understanding that except for circumstance there is no
real difference between you and your offender.

Your New Action: In spite of all the inner-screams to the contrary, dare to treat your trespasser as you
would want to be treated.

Your New Result: When you stop punishing others for their weakness, you will stop punishing yourself for
yours.

4. Your New Answer: Compassion is the conscious refusal to add to another person’s suffering, even
though it may seem to increase yours.

Your New Action: Dare to shoulder one hundred times the mental and emotional weight you think you can
carry.

Your New Result: Contained right within the suffering is the glimpse that there is no sufferer.

5. Your New Answer: Real hope is the fact that there is always a Higher Solution.

Your New Action: See that any time you feel pained or defeated, it is only because you insist on
clinging to what doesn’t work. Dare to let go and you won’t lose a thing except for a punishing idea.

Your New Result: A new life that fears no inner or outer challenge since defeat can only exist in the
absence of a willingness to learn.

Now that you have reviewed these five new and true answers, you may wish to write down some of your own.
This is highly profitable for accelerating your inner growth. Don’t be discouraged if at first you can’t
come up with any new ideas. There is great gain in your efforts because even the smallest attempt to
find new answers is a new answer! The more you work with truthful principles, the more they will work
for you.

Always remember when you work with powerful higher ideas such as these that there are many temporarily
unknown parts of yourself that may try to mislead you. They know that your growing true spiritual
insight will lead you away from their harmful influence and deliver you to true safety. No matter what
the harmful voices within may say, whosoever puts the Truth first will never lose anything except for
that which was never real in the first place.

—–
Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over! For the daring person who wishes
to turn this possibility into reality, the keys to less stress and brighter days are found in Guy
Finley’s newly revised and expanded best-selling book, “The Secret of Letting Go.” Just as gentle spring
rains stir the seeds that become beautiful wildflowers, so will the higher lessons in this book help you
let go and grow free. Finley is the acclaimed author of more than 35 books and audio programs on the
subject of self-realization, and is the founder and director of Life of Learning Foundation, a nonprofit
center for self-study located in Southern Oregon. Visit http://www.guyfinley.com for more info
and to request your FREE Unstoppable Starter Kit. And don’t forget to check out Guy’s new program
The Secrets of Being Unstoppable

Busting Loose From the Business Game – great new book

I’m writing today with some important news and to let you
know about a window of opportunity that’s opening this
week.

Are you struggling in your business or career right now —
as an owner or employee (or maybe temporarily unemployed)?

Are you doing well or “OK” but you want to do better?

Are you doing well or OK, but you’re not having as much
fun, satisfaction, or ease as you’d like in your business
or career?

If you answered “Yes” to any (or all) of the questions
above, it’s not your fault!

The problem is, you’ve been playing The “Old” Business
Game. You were taught the rules and you’ve been following
them faithfully. You were taught if you play The Old
Business Game “the right way,” you’ll win, and be happy,
wealthy, successful, etc.

However, what you were taught about playing and winning The
Old Business Game wasn’t The Truth, most of which was
cleverly hidden from you.

You can’t win The Old Business Game — if you play the way
you were taught. That particular Game was designed to be
un-winnable, for reasons you can soon discover.

The only way to truly win in business (as an owner or
employee) is to bust loose from The Old Business Game
entirely, and start playing “The New Business Game,” a
radically different game that will surprise and delight
you.

I just released a new book that reveals The Truth about
business, shows you how to bust loose from The Old
Business Game, and start playing The New Business Game. The
book is called “Busting Loose From The Business Game.”

If this resonates with you and you choose to order one or
more copies — this week — as part of my initial book
launch promotion, I’ll provide my personal support to
help you get maximum benefit from what you discover in the
book. To get the details, click on the following link:

Do you know anyone else who’s struggling in business right
now? Please pass this email along to them too!

Be well …

– Robert

The One Problem That Holds You Back

This is one of the BEST books I’ve ever read — I’m on the third time through!!
Dr. Toni

*** Book Excerpt: The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level – By Gay Hendricks ***

—————————————————
I call it the Upper Limit Problem, and I haven’t met a person yet who didn’t suffer at least a little bit from it. Even if you’re already extravagantly successful, I can promise you that your own version of the Upper Limit Problem is still holding you back from achieving your true potential. In fact, the more successful you get, the more urgent it becomes to identify and overcome your Upper Limit Problem. If you don’t clear the Upper Limit Problem out of your way, it will be a drag on you until the day you die. I know those words may sound blunt, but if our positions were reversed, I’d want you to be just that blunt with me.

I’ve taken the risk of speaking that bluntly to many people who were already quite successful. I did so not because they were paying me a consulting fee, but because it is part of my life’s mission to help people go the last distance to claim their full potential. Michael Dell, founder of Dell Computer and one of the youngest self-made billionaires in history, is among the most brilliant people I’ve ever met. I had the pleasure of doing executive coaching with him and other members of his team during the nineties, at a time when the company was beginning to grow by leaps and bounds. The quality I most appreciate about Michael is his openness to learning. Many high-level executives I’ve known are saddled with an equally high degree of defensiveness and a deep need to be right all the time. Not Michael. He doesn’t put on the brakes when new learning is coming at him. He doesn’t have the tendency, shared by many CEOs, to resist change and do more of what obviously isn’t working. Michael embraces every opportunity to grow, and his remarkable success is testimony to the power of that point of view. That’s the kind of openness to learning I’d like you to bring to our explorations together in this book. Michael Dell wasn’t born with his gift. None of us is. To get to that level of undefended openness to learning, we have to practice as diligently as a master skier or a master cellist. To make the kind of leaps Michael Dell makes, we must practice a specific skill. That skill is to identify and transcend our Upper Limit, wherever and whenever we encounter it.

We will hone this skill ceaselessly throughout the book. As Michael and others now know, the Upper Limit Problem is the only problem we need to solve. They dedicated themselves to solving it and made the Big Leap. The results speak for themselves. Along the path to the Zone of Genius, all of them learned the same life-changing secret you will learn in this book: the glass ceiling they were operating under is held in place by a single problem — a barrier they didn’t know they had. Once they saw the one problem — and how to solve it — they were free to go beyond ordinary success to a new and extraordinary level of abundance, love, and creativity in their lives. Once you understand the one problem and how to solve it, you can do far more than increase your net financial worth; you can make quantum shifts in the amount of love you feel and the amount of creativity you express. I mention this point because I’ve learned that it is essential to keep the heart-and-soul elements of life — such as love and creativity — growing in balance as you go to higher levels of material success. It makes no sense to take your Big Leap into greater financial success in such a way that it destroys your relationships, your inner sense of yourself, and your connection to your inner wellspring of creativity. Many people have made that error, and the result is never pleasant to behold. Life is at its best when love, money, and creativity are growing in harmony.

In this book I want to talk to you directly, just as if you were sitting across from me, one-on-one. I may not know you personally, but based on my years of consulting, I believe I know a great deal about you. I imagine that you sense a huge unrealized potential in yourself, an extraordinary level of success you know you can achieve. I also imagine that you worry about falling short of achieving the ultimate success you can see, taste, and smell. If you feel that way, you’re on the threshold of perhaps the greatest opportunity of your life. You’re about to make a discovery that will remove the barrier between you and your ultimate success. I can make that promise to you because long before I helped other people enhance their own abundance, love, and creativity, I was my own best customer. From the moment of discovery until now, I have used the method I describe in this book to make all my own wishes and dreams come true.

Buy it NOW by going to http://tinyurl.com/thebigleap

Reinvent Yourself in Midlife

Do you like your life the way it is? Would you like to change some, or all of it? Well, here’s good news: You can be whatever you want to be. You can re-invent yourself. I know because I did!

You may have a whole lifetime to undo or re-invent, but if you are determined, and ready to put in the effort, anything is possible. You can have a new you!

Here are 7 steps to a new, improved, re-invented you!

1) Make two detailed lists comprising: (a) all the things you like about yourself and want to keep, (b) all the things you don’t like about yourself and want to change. Examine both lists and ask yourself why you like what you like, and why you want to change what you want to change. Write out your answers as two separate statements. Keep these statements where you can see, and read them everyday.

2) Work on your “Want-to-Keep” list everyday. Keep on doing what you’ve been doing, and you’ll keep on getting what you’ve been getting! Also, work on your “Want-to-Change” list everyday, but in a different way. Take each item on this second list and re-state it as a goal. Remember your goals must be Specific (clear and unambiguous), Measurable (a specific weight, time, sum of money etc), Attainable (within your stated time frame and resources), Realistic (in your eyes) and Tangible (something you can perceive with your senses, not “imagine” with your mind!)

3) From your “Want-to-Change” list, identify your 3 most important goals, the ones that will make the most impact on your life, and bring about the new you. Write out a day-by-day, step-by-step plan for attaining each of these goals.

4) Identify possible pitfalls or obstacles to your plan. Set up contingency plans to circumvent these hurdles. Do not stop at them. No one can stop you from reaching those goals but you.

5) Take action on your plan. Work those goals! Even a small step on your plan each day will move you closer to the new you! If you fall behind, or fall out altogether, just think of the lovely new life you stand to gain if you would just try. Imagine what it would look and feel like to be the new you. Know in your heart that it is possible, but it is also up to you. You owe it to yourself to get back up and on with the program. Only time, patience and action separate you from your goal.

6) Reward yourself for progress. Forgive yourself for slip-ups. Then move on. No time for Pity Parties!

7) Stay motivated. Think on your reasons for wanting to make the change. Visualize the outcome of your goals, vividly. Hang out with people who encourage you to keep at it. Stay away from negative people, at least till you “get there!” Read motivational books, employ a coach to help you stay on track. Enlist a supportive friend, to rejoice with you at each success, and encourage you at each challenge.

That’s it! Re-inventing yourself will never be easy. You are going against patterns that may have been established for years. It will take determination, effort and patience, but it is possible, and ultimately rewarding.

I went through a process of re-invention a few years ago. I went from an overweight, unhealthy, plain-dressed, unfulfilled, job-holder, to a slim, trim, healthy, trendy, self-employed, fulfilled entrepreneur. Instead of holding a job, I now do my life’s work. I am working my own goals, and getting the results I desire. I am still not all that I want to be. But I am closer to my goals than to my starting point. No one will ever be “picture-perfect” in this life. But “fulfilled and satisfied” is the name of the game for me! And I sure am glad I had the courage to try.

People and circumstances will oppose you, saying, “It isn’t possible”, or, “Why can’t you just be satisfied with what you’ve got?” (The answer to that is, “Because I’m no ordinary person!”) But if you think your dreams are worth the effort, and you are willing to do what it takes, you can have whatever you want.

Dreams still do come true. And you don’t require a fairy god-mother! Setting and working your goals is how it works in the real world. So be bold, take action and enjoy the new you!

Copyright 2005 Oma Edoja

This article may be reprinted, but only if left as is, and must include the author’s bio below.

Oma Edoja is a published writer, motivational speaker and infopreneur. She works with those trying to take their lives to the next level, helping them set goals and stay on track. Would you like to re-invent your life? Oma is here to help you. She can be reached at proact04@yahoo.co.uk , and her blog: http://omaslounge.blogspot.com Contact Oma for a complimentary goal-setting session, checklist and motivation