First and foremost, I would like to greet everyone a happy new year wherever part of the world the members here. This year 2020 is really challenging and affected the whole world because of this virus called corona virus and seems the worst year I have experience in my whole life. Despite of this, I still believe that the Almighty waste nothing of what is going on in the world. There is always good to every situation even in bad times. I battle and struggle in my life, in fact my life in retrospect, was and is full of bad rather than good. However, I try my best to see the bright side rather than the good side. Many times, my mind is telling me "No body understand, Nobody cares, Nobody listen, Nobody notices. These feelings that I have and the burden that carry is just too heavy. I feel like I am beyond repair.God does not waste anything even the bad thing. I try sort of anything, but it is just doesn't work for me. However, faith in God has greatly affected me gives me hope. It just then come to my mind that sometimes we need darkness in life so we can see the bright light. I always remind myself and to anyone else b
that He has the best interest for us. He knows what He is doing. Let Him work in our lives by trusting Him, giving our hearts and desires.
I used to give say about what I do in terms of relationship towards my family members because that is the way I can relate to it. It is so vague and sometimes hypocritical to say that "let us do good works" or "let us love one another" or "let us be a blessing to each other" and we do not do what we say. And sometimes, and many times, someone will bash us of not being consistent to what we say and do. And I experienced that even without any intention to hurt someone else. We all not perfect.
Yes, each person has issues in life especially now that it is so overwhelming. A lot of people in the world lost jobs or any means of living. Over the news yesterday, a woman was trying to commit suicide because of postpartum depression, his husband leave her with a 7 month baby. In 3 consecutive days, there are killing of children ages 1 and 3 by the father because of mental problem cause by hardship in life.
Having different issues in life and seeking to live beyond that, we tend to seek help, and having self-help book for us are always available. However, are they they give us answers that we need? Indeed, some are useful, some are not too useful and some are not.
Self-help books, philosophy, spirituality, motivational, counseling books are written from the point of view of the author, some are based on science and research and some are just purely point of view. With that in mind, how can we know that that point of view are useful, and that we are not focusing on something that isn't going to bring benefits? I really love to read motivational books, spiritual books though sometimes i become skeptical and this leads the idea to balance what could really help my pwn self development. It is good to be true, and so enticing that those ideas is working in us as it works to others and try to something to live by. However, the problem is, one person's idea don't always add up to the set of rules you should abide by for the rest of your days. We're all different and that one size never fits all. I do believe that the best idea and give you food for thought, helping you to expand the theory in your own way. I believe that the information of different idea or thought have different interpretation depending on the point of view and how you connect with the idea.
Some ideas I read from different sources of self help books, I found out that there are some that worked well, however some didn't resonate at all. That only shows that the information, ideas, life's philosophy and other words of wisdom that I read and study from different sources might have claim to have answers in life's greatest mysteries, perhaps, some fall short of the mark, depending on your own view.
I read your (Mystic) view and all you have written these days. I do appreciate the effort you put into. One of the thing that I have learned in the different self books that I have read, is that, to do a selfless good deed. An small act of kindness can improve your self-esteem. Again, I can relate to this, I get a factor of feeling-good for doing something nice for another person by helping them them out in some way, and that is a selfless way because we are putting our own time and effort. In either way, small or big acts of kindness, is always encouraged. Because, we are not only helping someone and putting smile on their faces, however, it also boost someone's self esteem as a result. Being kind of having good deed could be anything. To be specific, it could be just a listener, could just of of giving encouragement and gives positive outlook in life if someone is negative or feeling down, or it could be respecting the parents, even if my mother or father hurt my feelings to the point of cursing me. Or not to bash someone's belief or retaliate to someone about your belief because you value relationship and just understand differences for the sake of not hurting someone and just let someone say negative or bashing. In fact, the Bible describe Love in I Corinthian 13:4-8, that Love is... kind. Love respects, respects differences. I try not to retaliate of the pain I read here because I am teaching myself to be respectful to you and be kind because I do believe that is true love. It is just the same in the family, the more I get connected to them and help them in any ways, I feel more happier. Love is to connect in the heart and build harmonious relationship and in achieving that, is to respect differences and I learn to accept the differences of my family members even people here and embrace the people here. It simply means learn to agree even of we disagree.
Another way that I have learn is to learn to talk to myself kindly. And not only to myself but to others. This social anxiety we get due to negativity from family, surrounding and from news have greatly affected my mental health. Negative way of talking can quickly erode our self esteem and force us to negative mindset that which controls our lives. I do believe i can relate to this. Being intolerant to other religious beliefs creates division to relationship. I can relate to this because, when I was working before, different beliefs we possess. Some are Muslim, some are Catholic, some are not Catholic, and some are Buddhism. We come to the point of sharing our beliefs, and we have different beliefs. Though, I am not a Seventh day adventist, there are certain food that I do not eat like there are sea foods, i also not to mix different food combination, though and also try to observe shabbat. Also, I do not eat blood, but mostly catholic do. I do not drink wine, but i drink fruit wine. It is just examples.
Another, is I learn to focus on the things that I need to be grateful than to be complained about. I have what ifs in life. I have regrets too. However, I try to focus myself to the things that I need to be grateful. Sometimes, we take forgranted the things and people we have around us and realize and think if they are not there anymore. Even, if a little we/i have, I am grateful. I say, thank you, Lord for giving another day for it is another hope. Thank you that I have a family. And so in doing, Thank you, Mystic, for your thoughts and efforts you have shared. In some sort, it challenges me. Imagine, I need to read history about the Bible to connect from old testament to new testament. If only we could go back in time, then we fully understand.
For previous weeks, I was reading a lot until evening, though my niece and nephews have their final exam, mentoring them, helping their assignments, follow up how their grades, their investigatory projects and so on and so fort, i learn to connect more to my family and it is an amazing experience money cannot buy. In fact, I really prioritize relationship.
Another thing that I learn that really works for me is to learn our languages enhances our relationship. Have we stopped and think that perhaps we should treat other people as they wanted to be treated instead rather than to assume that we should treat other people as they wanted us to be treated. I have read that one of the biggest mistake we can make a relationship is to assume that your partner wants things the same way as you, and they will respond to a certain events inthe same way as you do.We are all different and so we have different likes and dislikes. We respond differently to situations and that means thinking about how someone respond, rather than how you would respond. And i learn that there are 5main love languages. Accordingly, by learning others how they wanted to be treated and now how you would want to be treated you can have a better communication and have a better relationship overall. For me it works to my family relationship especially to brother-sisters relationship. For niece/ nephews -aunt relationship, it is more of guidance and showing things what I did that works for me in relation to studies that have worked for me. In relation, i guess it will really work if we know how we wanted to be treated. Did you know that based on studies, at age 14 up to adult, someone does not want to tell them what to do, rather let them do what they want to do and explore or let them discover things by themselves what works for them and allow them to make mistake?
My mind right now is exhausted. My brain is hurt reading and studying, figure out how to make a living this pandemic. I need to have some quite time. Hope everyone have a prosperous new year.