愛、生活、人生系列

Keeping Balance Maintaining a balanced life is becoming increasingly more important for our personal health and well-being in a fast-paced, modern world. We live in a world full of different beliefs and opinions, so one person’s answer to one question could be completely different to the other person. The Internet, particularly social media, advertises all sorts of information on exercise and nutrition. If we can find a sport or training programs we enjoy, we need to stick to it. Consistency helps us lead to the most positive impact on our life balance. Everyone’s bodies and minds respond in different ways; the most important thing is that we are getting the right balance. In other words, it’s crucial that we find the balance that we enjoy. Being healthy doesn’t happen overnight, but each little change we make is a step in the right direction. We should keep it simple, and be kind to ourselves. Everyone responds to exercise and diet differently, however, there are a number of steps we can take that are sure to help us keep a great balanced lifestyle. • Take care and look after ourselves: In order to achieve a balanced lifestyle, we must make sure we are healthy. Our body needs plenty of rest, exercise and healthy food. It’s important to take some time out from a busy day to enjoy activities and unwind by reading or meditating. • Be organized: It’s important to keep a clear plan in advance, allowing time for our tasks and making room for activities we enjoy. Being organized can help reduce stress and improve our life balance. • Set goals: Achieving goals can help us assist with gaining a positive mindset. Our goals can cover anything from our jobs, our finances or our fitness goals. • Eat right: Our body needs healthy foods and nutrients to create new cells, clean toxins and function properly. Ensuring we eat right can help improve our diet and life balance. • Improve our mood: It’s not just exercise that can lead to improvement of our mood. Healthy habits, such as social connections, can, too, keep the mind active. No one is born with the ability to ride a skateboard, surf or even stand on their tiptoes. Unlike other mammals, human beings have no balance at birth, and no capacity to walk or even stand. As we get older, we may notice that some people are really good at keeping their balance. They can dance well, jump ropes and do somersaults. But they were not born with this ability. Instead, it takes time and practice. Balance is a skill. The more we practice, the better we become. As we know, babies are born nearsighted, and able to see only about 10 to 12 inches away. No wonder, for many people, walking in the dark means risking a fall because the brain is receiving so little visual information about the environment. Besides, when babies try to stand, their brains would process the signals to their feet, legs and hands in order to help them balance. But, yet, there are still some gestures for babies to lose their balance. Therefore, we all need to learn the skills and practice more to keep balance. As people get older, their balance often decline due to age-related changes to their muscle and vision, as well as other causes. This increases their risk of falling. In fact, falls are a leading cause of physical injuries for adults of over 65 years old. Nowadays, people not only should work on balance and flexibility, but also have to maintain and protect their mental health. More and more, we are hearing high-profile (知名度高的) people talk about the mind-body connection, or how mental health issues affect their physical health.      We do have to maintain the balance between our mental and physical health. Actually, our minds and bodies are interconnected. There are some kinds of things that we might throw our mental and physical health connection off-balance. For example, people living in a stressful environment have a higher likelihood of developing cardiac issues, like heart attacks. Others who have respiratory (呼吸系統) issues tend to have more anxiety and pressure. Chronic illness, injuries, financial stress, and bad relationships all let us reach the scales of the off-balance zone. Here are some of the warning signs that our mental-physical connection can be unbalanced: 1.    Forgetting birthdays, anniversaries or important appointments 2.    Not being able to finish tasks 3.    Becoming easily distracted 4.    Not finding enjoyment in things we usually like 5.    Difficulty eating Getting stuck in negative thoughts over stressful situations also impacts our physical health. We may recognize these symptoms, like headaches, when mental burdens begin to feel like physical weights. Being able to set negativity aside and to keep moving forward is an important skill for a person’s both mental and physical health. There are a few things that we can still take away any imbalance. These include: 1.    Get moving for, at least, half an hour a day, five days a week. This could be walking, biking, swimming or any physical activity. 2.    If we want to drink alcohol, we keep the consumption moderate. 3.    Eat foods that are good for us, and avoid food with too much caffeine. 4.    Practice some kinds of mindfulness for 10 minutes each day. Furthermore, good relationships are important for our mental wellbeing. They can: 1.    Help us build a sense of belonging and self-worth. 2.    Give us an opportunity to share positive experiences. 3.    Provide emotional support and allow us to support others. Except for that, research shows that learning new skills improve our mental wellbeing, too. When we learn new things, we start to connect with others, and perform acts of giving and kindness. We then create positive feelings and a sense of reward. We might want to volunteer in our local community, such as helping at a school, hospital or care home, and express gratitude to our friends or someone they have done for us. We, thus, are willing to spend time with friends or relatives who need support or company. Then, we learn to pay more attention to the present moment, including our thoughts and feelings, our bodies and the world around us.  We practice mindfulness more, and are, much easier, able to positively change the way we feel about life and face the challenges before us. Powered by Firstory Hosting

心動不如行動       俗話說：「心動不如行動，沒有行動，就沒有成功。」沒錯！與其經常立志，不如天天努力。所有行動的來源，是起心動念，成敗來自行動。心動和成功，只有一步之遙，而關鍵在於我們是否懂得行動，那麼，何不腳踏實地，從現在做起……？萬事始於心動，成於行動，行動是成功的階梯，目標越準，行動越快，成就就越大。心動是想法，有想法，才能成大業。明確目標、計劃和方法，運用得當，就是成就大事的基礎。只有行動，才能將心動的想法，轉變為現實，進而實現自己的宏偉的目標和理想。 　    常常，我們擁有心動的夢想，就不敢怠慢。越大的夢想，我們就越焦慮，越有壓力，得失心越重，食寢難安，所以，平凡就好。但是，如有夢想，怎麼辦呢？光說不練，是沒有用的，只有靠自己的行動，才能去實現夢想。終日所思，不如須臾之所學。我們終日所思、所慮，一定要馬上投到行動中去做。因為，只有行動，才能真正達到目的。       「語言是花苞，行動才是果實。」我們總是把心動掛在嘴巴，但卻不對心動實施行動，這是我們最大的敗筆。的確！許多事情，光是想，是不會成功的，重要的是，要付出努力。世界有名的窈窕淑女—奧黛麗．赫本，從小熱愛芭蕾，但因家境窮困，而無法學習，但她卻不放棄，努力練跳，最後，成為鼎鼎大名的國際巨星。也許，我們總是只會心動，但如果不行動，就永遠不能成功。一件有意義的事，應該馬上動身。只要相信自己，永不放棄，我們的夢想，就不是空想！行動是大於心動的。但是，儘管行動了，最後仍失敗，怎麼辦？其實，我們也不要放棄，至少我們奮鬥過了。凡走過的，都會留下痕跡，都是經驗，都刻骨銘心啊！       「做事要從心流露，也就是要從感動出發。」受到美國資本主義的影響，我們所謂的成功學，代表金錢、名聲、權力、豪宅及名車等，但其實，這是一種被催眠的價值觀。這些東西都與生命無關，人死後，能夠留下來的，只有精神。如果人們都只去追求那些與生命無關的東西，我們就找不到熱情，壓力也越來越大，生命漸漸耗竭，到最後，身心俱疲。心靈承受不了壓力時，人們會求助於心理醫師，但現代心理學無法使人們找到熱情，醫師也只有開藥給病人吃，但是，吃藥是不可能解決精神問題的。讓生命豐富的方法，是東方古老的經典：《道德經》。《道德經》中的「道」，意指生命的過程跟循環，一顆種子從發芽、生根、茁壯、開花、結果，到最後又回到種子的狀態。「德」是表示實踐，直接從心裡流露。        有感動，才有熱情，才會行動。我們做事，要從心流露，從感動出發。每一刻，我們都投入這此時此刻的感動，然後，去完成它。有了感動以後，我們就可以找到熱情。無條件的熱愛，可化成日日夜夜的行動，讓我們每天都發光發熱。現代人，在生活中的感動片刻太少，或是，有感動卻不去完成，我們就會失去生活的品質和幸福。感動是一種修煉，投入的這一刻，就會有感動。所謂投入，不一定是流淚、激動，而是專注地面對這一刻的人事物，拿掉過去、未來的想法，此刻從心流露。然後，每一天，我們都有一點點的成長，去實踐感動，找到熱情。一個人如果找到他真正的感動，就會投入工作，像做藝術品一樣，帶有一種動人的氛圍，及精神的感染力，我們也會被他投入工作的身影所感動。賈伯斯就是找到真正工作的例子，他對工作的熱情，讓他發光發熱，感染與他共事的人們。賈伯斯曾說：「生命短暫，不要浪費時間，活在別人的陰影裡；不要被教條所惑，盲從教條，等於活在別人的思考中；不要讓他人的噪音，壓過自己的心聲。最重要的是，要有勇氣，跟著自己的內心與直覺。求知若渴，虛心若愚。」我們的生命，歸屬於天命，有跡可循，最明顯的，就是自由與踏實的感受。當我們從事自己熱愛又擅長的工作時，我們才能活出真實的自己。舞蹈家瑪莎．葛蘭姆(Martha Graham)說：「一個人真正開始跳舞之前，要花十年的時間，學習基本功；真正的創意，需要技巧、紀律和訓練。唯有不斷地訓練，才能達到最佳狀態。」我們因有心動，有熱情，才有行動，再加上訓練，假以時日，就會成功。 Powered by Firstory Hosting

認真負責 在這個世界上，我們每個人都有不同的優點或專長，但卻也很難找到十全十美的人，原因是，每一個人，難免都有一點點缺點。不過，只要我們全心全力的為事情付出，即使做得不盡完美，但我們已經無私地奉獻了自己，盡力完成事情了，又有什麼好埋怨的呢？只要肯努力認真，負責盡職，就是最美的，最值得令人尊敬的。在這個社會上，有小部分的人，或許不夠完美，沒有天資聰穎或表現傑出，但是，他們默默地在努力付出，認真負責。也有小部分的人，天生就有一些障礙，但是，他們也無私地為工作、生活付出，日子一樣過得很快樂。可見，即使是有障礙的人，只要肯努力付出、認真打拚，負責盡職，也能散發出生命的光芒的。 想想，每個人，不管年齡大小，無論職位高低，都有自己的舞台，每個人都背負著不同的使命，來到這個世上，在人生的旅途上，在自己的工作崗位上，努力不懈。只要我們用盡心力，做好每一件事，就能事半功倍，得到不同的收穫與報酬。認真負責的態度，是決定一切事情成敗的關鍵，只要我們夠認真，肯負責，我們不僅可以得到別人的肯定，也能讓自己，凡事都能迎刃而解。      認真，是一種自我要求，更是職場人士必備的成功要素。也就是說，無論從事什麼職業，我們都要盡職負責地對待自己的工作。在工作的過程中，盡自己最大的努力，來求得不斷的進步。認真做事的人，即使不能當領導，也會是很好的幕僚。認真做事，必能獲得主管的信賴與付託。在學校，認真讀書，就是最好的學生；認真教書，就是最好的老師。在社會上，認真待人，我們就是最好的朋友。然後，認真生活，我們才有最好的人生。例如，我們對家居環境的整齊清潔，都很認真的處理。對兒女的培育教養，也很認真的樹立典範。對生活不奢侈浪費，胡作非為，凡事都處理得井井有條，規規矩矩。我們如能如此認真，那就是最好的人生了。      認真，是人生成功立業的根本，同樣地，責任也是人生很重要的態度。負責的定義是承擔責任，實現承諾、完成任務，即便有疏失，也能擔當後果、盡力改善。每個人都應該有責任感，對事情負責、對別人負責，更要對自己負責。要掌握負責的定義，成為一個有責任感的人，可以從負責任的態度，開始學習。首先，負責任的態度，是確實執行該做的事、盡力完成每項任務。例如，剛進入公司的麵包師傅，負責的工作，是烘培出一個個美味的麵包。累積經歷與年資後，公司賦予他店長的職位，然後，隨著身份由麵包師傅變成店長，要負責的，就不僅是要做出好吃的麵包而已，更要承擔起營運管理的責任。其次，負責任的態度，是在任務沒有執行妥善時，能勇敢承擔後果，並改善。人生中不可能每件事情都完美，總會遇到結果不理想的時候，也難免會有意外或阻礙。這時候，負責任就是勇敢道歉，立即改善，解決問題，並承擔後果。負責任的人，能力將越來越強。因為，負責盡職，是對待每件事情，都能處理妥當。這樣負責任的態度，不但能督促自己進步，將事情處理得更圓滿，還能讓我們盡最大的努力，力求改善，記取教訓，使下次做到更好。我們為人處事，真的要認真負責啊！ Powered by Firstory Hosting

愛或恐懼       我們的情緒，是愛與恐懼嗎？其實，我們只有一種情緒：是愛，沒有恐懼。那為什麼我們會有愛與恐懼的情緒呢？那是因為，我們在形成當下的事件的想法時，不是基於顯見的真理，而是以想像的真理，來思考當下的事件。       一頭獅子，突然衝出來大吼，我們嚇呆了，因為我們想像有被抓傷的危險。山路轉了個彎，我們駛向路肩，窗外是三千呎深的懸崖，我們嚇壞了，因為我們想像一轉錯彎，就會死掉。觀眾等著我們發表重要的演說，我們不知所措，因為我們想像難得有機會上台，卻可能讓大家失望而被嘲笑。這一切都是基於我們想像的真理，想像這個「不好的」、「不快樂的」、前方有重重「艱難險阻的」，或是其他什麼的。當然，感到恐懼，並不是什麼問題。在面對改變時，我們是可以預期克服恐懼的，沒有什麼好或不好，很正常，我們都是這樣被教導的，好像恐懼是存在，是真實的。       而真實的真理是，沒有恐懼這種東西。我們只有一種情緒，那就是愛。宇宙裡只有一種情緒，一種能量，我們稱為「愛」。除了愛，無它，恐懼是愛的流露。如果我們不愛自己，就不會為自己擔憂，不會害怕任何東西，不會在乎遭遇到任何事，甚至不在乎是否活著。「求生本能」是愛最自然的表現方式。同樣地，如果我們不愛他人，不愛國家，就不會為他人擔憂，為國家擔憂，害怕會發生什麼事。恐懼和愛是同一件事，只是說法不同而已。愛只有一種，恐懼則以各種形式呈現，包括：害怕、孤單、匱乏、自卑、冷漠、傷感、痛苦、焦慮、憂愁、煩惱、惶恐、鬱悶、不悅、憤怒、緊張、退卻、失落、埋怨、怨恨、失望、絕望等。心靈的本質是愛，並且始終處於愛中，這是心靈的自然狀態。愛與恐懼無法並存，心靈感受到恐懼時，表示愛出了問題。當我們感到恐懼的時候，直覺地，我們會試圖控制恐懼，設法消除恐懼所帶來的不舒服感，而且急於找答案、解決問題。然而，當我們依據眼之所見、耳之所聞，及自己的判斷時，我們不但無法解決問題，反而使問題更隱晦，難以化解。例如，家人最能在生活中看到我的各種毛病，也常常指出我的缺失。這些指點與糾正，會讓我覺得受到指責，感到不舒服，而這不舒服的感覺，是恐懼的一種形式。於是，我試圖控制恐懼，希望家人盡快閉嘴。我常用的方式，包括：(1)辯解，認為家人所指情況，並非事實，誤解了我；(2)反擊，指出家人也有類似的毛病，沒資格批評我；(3)憤怒，以生氣喝止家人，要求立刻停止對我的攻擊。上述用來控制恐懼的方式，都是基於眼前的情境，因此，解決問題的方法，就是辯解、反擊、憤怒。然而，事實並非如此，讓我感到恐懼的真正原因，是心靈的罪咎感。如果我不明究理，試圖控制恐懼，直接予以反應，只會強化我的罪咎感與恐懼，使問題愈演愈烈。       那麼，要如何面對恐懼、化解恐懼呢？因為恐懼根本就不存在，我們是無法駕馭恐懼的，唯有愛，駕馭得了恐懼。所以，當我們感到恐懼時，我們要提醒自己， (1)先洞察這就是恐懼；(2)恐懼源於缺乏愛；(3)缺乏愛的唯一方法，就是補充愛。印度哲人說：「如果喜歡花，就去當園丁。做自己喜歡的事時，沒有恐懼，沒有比較，也沒有野心，只有愛 。」焦慮多半是有原因的，不管是擔心明天的考試、拚業績、還是家人生病，推根究底，通常能找出一個或幾個理由，讓我們知道自己在緊張什麼。倘若仔細分析，我們就可羅列一些癥兆出來。比如，我們「怕自己無法在截止日前，完成預定工作」，但這不是真的恐懼，怕發現自己沒有想的那麼好，害怕面對自己，知道自己會失望而感到恐懼，這種情緒叫做「憂慮」。「憂慮」是一種主動的心理狀態，而「恐懼」則是一種被動的生理反應。小時候溺過水的人，學潛水時，第一次下水，整個頭泡在水裡，就開始恐慌，這是真正的恐懼，因為恐懼是「生物的直覺反應」，必然是「被動」的狀況，是「違反趨吉避凶的生理需求」。相信有鬼的人，如果把鬼當成會害人的壞東西，是會對鬼有所恐懼的。至於不相信有鬼的人，是不可能「怕」鬼的。我們怕不怕鬼，基本上，是受到文化環境形塑的。台灣的旅行團，到歐洲旅行，有人在奧地利的旅館「被鬼壓床」，這種形式的鬼魂，在奧地利是完全不存在的。相信有鬼，而且從小住在亞洲的華人，到了奧地利，是看不到歐洲的吸血鬼跟殭屍的。世界上到底有沒有鬼，鬼是長什麼樣子，其實是我們可以透過邏輯思考找到答案的。就像我們對蛇，也有不同的感受，極度怕蛇的人，就算面對的是無毒，而且牙齒已經拔掉的寵物蛇，也會心驚肉顫，但喜歡蛇的山友，即使在荒野中，看到劇毒的蛇，也會饒富興味地在近距離，欣賞造物主創造的美麗作品。      怕鬼的人，必須相信鬼是真的。同樣的，信神的人，需要相信神是真的，怕蛇的人，需要相信蛇會趁著我們半夜，睡眼惺忪上廁所的時候，從馬桶裡爬出來，怕「共匪」的人，必須相信一不小心投票選錯人，共匪就會打過來。「相信是真的」，才是構成恐懼的條件。我們每個人，都有可能為自己找到很棒的方法，來面對恐懼。例如，有人去收驚；有人跟自己說：「鬼片拍來，就是要嚇人的」，然後，找機會到片場，看化妝師如何把一個普通人，化妝成恐怖的鬼。怕黑的人，可以把黑暗的環境變亮，變溫暖，也可以去黑夜觀星，享受黑夜的美好，也可以單獨走黑暗的巷弄、練「合氣道」防身。怕溺水的人，可以請教練學習游泳、換氣，在水裡自救。所有的恐懼，也都可以去預想最壞的情況，並且接受，就不會感到恐懼了。      美國心理學家佛洛姆，強調愛應有四個元素，愛是照顧、責任、尊重與了解。(1)照顧：我們要看到愛的行為表現中，口口聲聲的愛中，是否有照顧的行為，是否有照顧到對方的需求，「愛乃是我們對所愛的生命及其成長的積極照顧」。善於照顧的人，是不吝嗇於付出行動來愛人的。(2)責任：負責是一種發自內心的自願行為，負責任，表示把對方視為自己重要的存在，意味著看到對方的需求，我們是願意為對方付出時間與心力的。(3)尊重：如果負責缺乏了尊重，愛容易成為支配和佔有，帶著尊重的付出，會看到每個人的差異化，尊重其獨特性。(4)了解：如果照顧的愛，缺乏了解，愛可能會變成強迫。了解是需要時間與耐心，去與眼前的人溝通與對話。願意了解的人，會給予我們時間，去傾聽我們的情緒與價值觀。照顧、責任、尊重和了解是互相依賴且連結的。     了解了愛之後，如果我們沒有人可以愛，我們最應該愛的，就是自己，無條件的愛自己，照顧與關懷自己的需求、對自己有責任感、尊重自己，花大量時間與自己相處，了解自己是誰、了解自己的身心。愛是一門藝術，是一門技術與能力，愛創造的是更完整的自己，更健康的關係，更接納與支持的社會。 Powered by Firstory Hosting

幽默的好處       當處在一個看似緊張的場合中，突然一句幽默的話，真的會劃破沉靜的氣氛，讓大家感受到會心的一笑，真好。其實，笑是我們在體驗幽默中，很常見的一種表現。幽默除了能幫助個體舒緩焦慮的情緒，釋放身體的緊張外，適當利用幽默的方式，來回應錯誤行為，也可增加團體的團結，促進融洽的氣氛。研究指出，幽默引發的笑，是能降低壓力賀爾蒙(皮質醇)，對我們的肌肉骨骼、心血管、免疫系統等，都可產生有益的影響，還有，幽默對心跳、血壓、睡眠狀況等，也都會有好轉的現象。再者，幽默感能使人產生正向的情緒，直接維護我們的心理健康，提升幸福感。幽默更有助於建立社會關係，與社會支持，學者們一致認為，幽默感越佳的人，越能有社交能力及人際吸引力，也越能感受到更多令自己滿意的社會關係。      幽默的話語，令人噗哧一笑，不僅讓我們自身感到愉悅，也能幫助我們在日常生活中，甚至面對壓力時，用更正向的心態，來迎接挑戰!人們常說，「笑一笑，十年少」。雖然有點誇張，但近年來，有越來越多的科學證據表明，大笑的確能給身心帶來許多益處。笑真的是開心愉快的標誌，因為，假笑或是強顏歡笑，其實是很難的，開懷大笑後的那種放鬆感，無異於一次痛快的體育鍛煉，它可以放鬆僵硬的肌肉，更能讓大腦釋放內啡肽(endorphins)的化學物質，讓人感覺渾身暖洋洋。大笑的確會加強我們的免疫系統，同時，還能催生更多抵禦疾病的抗體和細胞。研究表明，和親戚或朋友在一起分享笑話時，不但讓大家更具安全感，且笑聲的傳染力，更意味著友善、熱情與包容。如果沒有歡聲的笑語，這個世界，就將變得不那麼友好了啊。       其實，偶爾開開自己的玩笑，適當自嘲一下，也不錯，因為那會讓我們更有人緣、更快樂，原因如下： 1. 能擁抱真實的自己       放不下所謂的「偶像包袱」嗎？為了維持形象，活成別人心目中的樣子嗎？那真的會讓自己活得好累。沒有人是完美的，我們如能誠實地接受自己，接納自己的缺點，就可以幽自己一默。只有當我們有足夠的自信心時，我們才能坦然地開自己的玩笑，接納自己的不完美，面對真實的自我。 2. 提升自信心 對自己有所懷疑，其實並沒有不好。懂得「自嘲」幽默的人，通常較樂觀，能以正向心態，面對生活中的各種困難及尷尬，也較能正視自己的缺點，學會改進。開自己玩笑的幽默，代表著對自己有一定自信心，生活也就不會太僵化了。 3. 別人可能會更喜歡我們，因為我們很真 即使我們並非有意，當我們取笑別人時，很可能會傷害到對方，但如果我們是開自己的玩笑，不僅自己有笑容，也會讓周圍的人，一起大笑，別人會覺得我們既真實又可愛，氣氛也就不會太緊張或冷場。 4. 分享自己曾做過的蠢事 人人都曾做過蠢事，有些事回想起來，甚至會覺得自己很好笑，而這些都是我們可以和別人分享的玩笑話。我們如能接受自己的全部，包括優缺點，就能自在地「自嘲」自己，生活也會更快樂。       幽默不是開玩笑，或隨口說說。想要引起共鳴，我們本身就應該自然而然地流露出幽默感。我們都希望人生有意義。然而，有時工作與生活太認真、太辛苦了，使人變得庸俗，備感壓力。偶爾，我們發揮一點幽默感，不僅可以助興，消除一板一眼的嚴肅感，也可以讓人生的意義，浮現出來。與同事、夥伴、家人、朋友相處時，常常任何出乎意料的事，都可能讓情況發生變化，提高警覺。但，這時，如能在適當時機，幽默一下，其培養出來的默契與關係，就顯得令人彌足珍貴了。       帶著健康的幽默感，是用理智的視角，伴隨著同理心，有人性，與別人互動，產生共鳴的。有趣的是，發揮幽默感，並不是輕忽正經事，相反地，它會更讓我們即使面對嚴肅的事情時，依然淡定地，繼續前進。       我的幽默感，來自我們全家大小事。我現在和先生住在一起，他姓蔡，我叫他蔡先生，他是個很拘謹的人，但也確實很好笑。我的兒子已婚，我叫他小蔡先生，他生了一男一女，老大Charlie，5歲，老二 Ivy，3歲，媳婦是黃小姐，他們全家，就住在我們家隔壁，每天我們也都有超好笑的事發生，哈哈哈哈哈···，每天，我笑都笑不完啦！  Powered by Firstory Hosting

Good Morality The old morality, with roots in religion, speaks of respect, service to others, sacrifice, resistance to temptation, and moderation in the pursuit of pleasure. Now, we see that the new morality celebrates self-centeredness and self-indulgence. There are current examples we can find everywhere, including campuses at schools, for children’s wrong behavior as follows: 1. Juvenile crime: More than half of all serious crimes in the United States are now committed by youths 10 to 17 years of age. 2. Disrespect for authority: Children and teenagers defy their teachers, even swear at them. Violence continues to mount. Each year, more than 100,000 teachers and hundreds of students are assaulted in school. 3. Children’s cruelty to each other: We’re seeing just children’s meanness. 4. Cheating: Students are cheating on tests, but get good grades as a result. 5. Drugs and drinking: The number of teenage alcoholics is estimated to be 2.5 million in US. 6. Teenage sex: One in five teens has had intercourse by age 15. Half of all illegitimate babies in US are now born to teenage mothers. 7. Theft: Student shoplifters don’t seem to care when they get caught. They don’t think they’ve done anything wrong. In fact, we should help children a) learn to think for themselves, b) take on responsibilities, and c) develop a positive self-image. Actually, the same approaches that help children grow morally also help our family members manage their conflicts constructively and enjoy a greater measure of happiness.        We have some good ideas about getting children to behave and become fair-minded: 1.        Give them choices: Our child doesn’t want to stop playing and have dinner, so we ask: “Would you like to come to dinner now, or go to bed?” 2.        Offer challenges: “Let’s see if you can get to the table by the time I count to ten: One, two, three,…” etc. 3.        Use stories to teach good behavior. 4.        Call time-outs: When children are misbehaving, we need to give them 10 minutes to calm down by having them stop what they’re doing. 5.        Spanking may help: One study found that parents who occasionally spank their children do not nag or yell at them as much as parents who never spank. Moreover, spanking may succeed in controlling a particular behavior. 6.        Be sure to teach good manners: We have to show children good manners, and give them plenty of praise when they remember their manners. 7.        Have them help with the household chores. 8.        Teach them to develop a sense of what’s fair. 9.        Make rules and be sure to enforce them. 10.    When our children are behaving well, we point out to them how much we like it. Almost everybody, including children and adults, has to learn to become independent-minded. Everyone in the school, from the principal down to the students and the staff, cooks and janitors, must pledge to follow the established behavioral rules, and be compassionate and caring towards others. In other words, it won’t work unless it’s practiced at all times and by all people. Moral values are the foundation of people’s characters. Genuinely, we might say that, nowadays, strong and undeterred individuals have been shaped by their moral values, thoughts, and beliefs. It’s also really very important that as a decent person in society, we must invest time and effort in our moral growth. The vital moral values are respect, honesty, compassion, kindness, gratitude, cooperation and generosity. Respect is a vital moral value that all people have to learn, regardless of their age, religion, nationality, beliefs, or points of view. As a matter of fact, every person must be taught from a young age to respect every religion, race, culture, and lifestyle in society. Then, “Honesty is the best policy.” Being true to our parents, teachers, relatives, friends and others, definitely, help us to form a good personality trait and reputation. Compassion is defined as the feeling of love and concern for others. If parents taught compassion to their children from an early age, there would be significantly less hunger, conflict, homelessness, and unhappiness in the real world. The significance of kindness through empathy, acceptance, justice, pleasant gestures, and thoughtfulness is happy enough that it could also imply doing good without expecting good in return. Next, gratitude is the willingness to express appreciation for what we have. And it all starts with happiness. So, it is very grateful for what we have in life to cultivate contentment and thankfulness. Cooperation is the act of assisting others in the pursuit of a common objective. The first step toward developing a spirit of cooperation is to collaborate at home. A family should practice collaboration by doing domestic chores together and listening to one another’s difficulties. Besides, healthy competition can encourage people to cooperate in order to be successful as a society. Last but not least, Generosity is developing a nice and socially responsible person since our childhood. A generous child will be willing to offer his or her time and assistance to others, regardless of the circumstances. We should learn to lend a helping hand to those in need in and outside the classroom at any time.       All in all, we consider moral traits are so important for us because morality can benefit us in our whole lives. Moral traits have social values. If we know a person is honest and compassionate that we can associate with that person safely, and then, we can begin a fruitful relationship with them. Furthermore, from an adaptive perspective, moral traits signal to us that we can increase our wealth and improve our health in the long run. Powered by Firstory Hosting

自助者天助之God Helps Those Who Help Themselves      有些事，不是因為看到希望，才去堅持，而是因為堅持，才看到希望。只有當我們自己本身願意去努力時，上天才能提供機會，幫助我們。人生中永遠有想不到的難題，往往當下也未必能馬上找到解方。重點是，一定要先從自己能做些什麼開始。現今，是社群媒體當道的年代，要讓「自助」發出聲量，一切，就要先從自己想辦法，幫助自己開始。把心思專注在「自助」上，我們才會發現，不但，少了很多負面情緒，更在不知不覺中，為往後的峰迴路轉，埋下種子。有了自助和人助，最後才能期待天助。      每個領域，都有很擅長者，甚至具有天賦者，根本就是老天爺賞飯吃。但是，絕大部分的人，都是透過努力，克服一關又一關，才能養成看起來毫不費力的功力的。跨越挑戰的魄力與勇氣，是自己要先給自己的。常言道：自助、人助、天助，當我們願意先從幫助自己開始，之後，周遭的人，才會看到我們的決心，才更瞭解如何幫助我們。成功是屬於有意願的人的。只有我們自己，才是命運的主人，改變命運的機會，就掌握在我們自己的手裡。 　 　 首先，優秀的品行，是我們事業發展的基礎。如果我們擁有良好的職業道德，品行優秀、有良好的行為習慣，肯自動自發、敬業、忠誠，我們一定魅力無窮。其次，觀念制勝，成敗得失，均在一念間。觀念是一種思想，是我們無形之中的行事準則，有什麼樣的觀念，往往就決定我們的行動方向。要想成功，我們就必須樹立自己正確的觀念，用正確的觀念，指導一生。再者，積極的心態，會使人每天如沐春風、鬥志昂揚。最後，養成良好習慣，可成就美好事業。我們反覆的行為，形成習慣，而習慣又反過來塑造我們獨特的個性。哲人曾說：「種下一種行為，收獲一種習慣；種下一種習慣，收獲一種個性；種下一種個性，收獲一種命運。」好的習慣，會使我們內心，湧動一股奮發向上的力量，而這種力量，就會成就我們輝煌的人生。班傑明．富蘭克林說：「珍惜時間，可以使生命變得更有價值。」歌德說：「絕不能讓最要緊的事，受最不要緊的事擺布。」我們要養成珍惜時間的好習慣，因為，時間就是金錢，時間就是生命。真的，自助者，天助也！只有自己幫助自己，自己認識自己、提升自己、改變自己，如此，我們才能改變自己的命運，成就自己的事業。   Powered by Firstory Hosting

Interpersonal Relationships      Understanding the importance of social connections, and how to maintain them is the key to creating meaningful interpersonal relationships that follow us through life’s ups and downs. Interpersonal relationships are the emotional bonds we create with the people around us. This refers to both our close relationships with family members, friends, romantic partners, and our more surface-level interactions with acquaintances and coworkers. Any time when we interact with someone, we’re creating an interpersonal relationship, whether it lasts for only a few minutes or our whole lives. Everyone has different personality, so no relationship is the same. And personal connections ebb and flow based on individual needs and levels of commitment. Maybe we don’t talk to a childhood best friend anymore because of distance. Or, we’re close with a work colleague because we’ve bonded over a shared experience. This is a natural part of the relationship lifecycle. In modern times, we, actually, rely on cooperation with others to fulfill our lives not only to necessarily survive, but also to live happily and emotionally. Connections with others have a host of benefits. They include: 1.    Feelings of well-being and happiness 2.    A sense of belonging 3.    A positive effect on how we manage stress 4.    Access to new perspectives and ideas 5.    Enhanced resilience in times of crisis, such as a job loss, or the death of a loved one 6.    Improved self-esteem In fact, throughout our lives, except for our family members and siblings, we make friends and maintain friendships from time to time, such as the relationships we develop at school, or others according to shared experiences and interests. But no matter how we meet, a good friend offers comfort, support, and companionship. Here are six ways to cultivate healthy and successful relationships: 1. Learn to listen It demonstrates respect and care for the other’s feelings, opinions, and interests. As an active listener, we’re more mindful in our interactions, engaging fully with what the other person says.  2. Express openness A healthy relationship requires sharing opinions, experiences, and emotions. Being open in our personal relationships requires sincerity. 3. Communicate often We need to use communication very often to share our life experiences, expectations, and understandings with our friends. 4. Be respectful We don’t have to agree with our friends about everything. But we should demonstrate that we value their interests and thoughts, even when they differ from ours.  5. Offer empathy Empathy and compassion help us connect with our friends, and let us understand their experiences. 6. Set boundaries Boundaries define what we’re willing to accept in a relationship based on our expectations and limitations. Boundaries also mean that we care about each other’s comfort levels, and respect each other. However, sometimes, despite our best efforts, a relationship isn’t meant to be. Feeling sad is a natural and understandable response to losing a friend, no matter how it happens. Interpersonal relationships are complex. Only some of the people we meet will have the privilege of becoming close to us, and that’s perfectly normal. Everyone has something unique to offer, and being open and welcoming to new social interactions will still enrich our life in rare ways. It’s important to give us and our friends enough time to think and settle down. Besides, we don’t complain the situations but stay positive to handle as well as to improve things, once something wrong happens among friends. We have to talk to our friends about expectations and boundaries, and then, wait calmly for the outcome. To sum up, if the situation is not good enough, we talk it out to our friends, express ourselves fully, gain support from our friends, stay positive toward it, give more room and space to figure out, and, at last, solve the problems. Eventually, we need to, patiently, take time to the results. If things still haven’t managed to sort it out, at least, we won’t regret not making efforts.   Powered by Firstory Hosting

感動的心      我們人因為是「有情眾生」，內心有感情，所以，很容易為了一個人、一句話、一件事而深受感動，甚至讀一本好書，欣賞一部感性的影片，我們也都會忍不住感動流淚。感動是情感的流露，是人際關係的潤滑劑。一個容易感動的人，生命是有意義的。在團體中，如果主管經常因下屬的勤勞而感動；下屬也會常感受到主管的愛護，必然上下一團和氣。在家庭裏，父母如能常讓子女感動；為人子女的，也會想方設法地讓父母感動。有了感動，彼此就能敬上愛下，和樂相處。人與人之間的互動，感動是不可少的。在我們的日常生活中，無論是朋友、同事或鄰居，如能時時因說話、做事而感動，因禮貌、謙虛而感動，則對於別人所做的，我們就能歡喜感受，對於自己所做的，我們也能時時感動。感動是一種心靈的感覺，它很少張揚於外。感動不會大喜大悲，不會哭天搶地，更不會大吵大鬧，但，感動很微妙，一句話，一個心思，一個動作，一個眼神，或一幅場景，都常常會讓我們感動不已的。   原來，在我們的內心中，自由自在的那份和諧，竟然是感動。而，當我們抓住了和諧的感動時，世界便開始變美好了。我們很難想像，在我們的生命裡，沒有感動，那將是多麽蒼白而空洞啊！現今，在物慾橫流，人人擋也擋不住的當代，談感動似乎是很奢侈的。相對地，寂寞卻是一種真實而深刻的心情，孤立於萬丈紅塵之中，無以分析，無以組合，無法解釋，無以驅趕，它是龐大得無處可容，又細微得無處不入。然而，就在滾滾紅塵，奔波匆忙，漸漸疲憊麻木時，有些細小的事，總能幫我們喚醒內心深處一些沈睡已久的東西，那就是生命中的感動。有了感動，我們就不會感到寂寞孤獨，因為那份感動，是長在心底的一盆不熄的火焰，永遠抗拒絕著結冰。 　   那麽，請問感動來自哪裡呢？感動是一種怎樣的牽引呢？答案是，感動是我們對現實世界的關愛。在公車上，為一位老者讓座；在公寓門口，為一位孕婦開門；攙扶一位盲者過馬路；在車流的長龍中，停下來，給等候多時的車子，讓出空間；冒雨替不在家的鄰居，收回衣物；扶起倒地的幼兒……等等，這些舉手之勞，樸實不經意的舉動，滲透出來的情感，卻處處讓我們充滿感動。感動是人生中的一道風景，讓人在欣賞與品味中，深受愛的啟迪。有了真心的感動，儘管在風霜雪雨的日子裡，我們都不會感到寒意。於是，我們隨手之勞的一紙短信，一張賀卡，一個問候，一個祝福，都能滋潤人的心靈，陶冶人的靈魂，讓人用心去領悟生命的意義。我們知道，感動不只是一種幸福的感覺，而且是一種難以言傳的體會。只要能真正充滿熱情地面對生命，我們就會有一種無限的充實感和快樂感。感動可以點亮我們每一個日子，使我們每一天的生活，都鮮活生動、充實豐盈；感動可以激盪整個世界，讓宇宙、地球都變得熱情飛揚、平和安詳。      每天，我們踏著綠絨絨的草坪，呼吸著清新的空氣，享受暖暖的陽光，聽聽潺潺地溪水聲，在真實的寂靜中，我們捧讀自己的心靈，在自由的天地中，我們放鬆自己，那麼，幸福的感覺，就不知不覺地在汩汩流淌了。這樣的時刻，是舒心、愜意的。我們如能珍視自己所擁有的一切善良、純真和美好，無論是甜蜜，還是苦澀，在時間的篩子過濾後，我們即能享受令人感動的溫馨和美麗。生活是需要感動的，這樣的感動，不僅是愛情，也來自友情、親情，更來自於彼此間的心心相惜，時刻牽掛。以前，也許我們從來都沒有覺得感動是如此的重要，總認為，生活就是那麼一回事，一切的一切，都歸於黄土，化為烏有。也許是因為看淡了生離死别，覺得人生再無奈，也不過是世間的傷別。但，可就在一瞬間、一個送自種香蕉的小動作，就可讓我們深深地明白，原來，生活是需要感動去支撑，去維持的。只有那樣，我們的心才不會孤寂，我們才能感覺到被愛。我們只有伸出自己的雙手，才會給自己和别人，握手的機會。是感動和感恩，讓一切都變得美好了。我們不一定擁有足够的財富，但，付出和被感動的快樂，却讓我們擁有無數的關愛與問候。是啊，老天是公平的，祂為我們關上門的時候，也會為我們開一扇窗的。打開僅有的窗户，我們同樣可以擁有陽光，擁有空氣，擁有美景，擁有屬於我們自己的美好世界。 Powered by Firstory Hosting

Controllable vs. Uncontrollable Things In life, there are a lot of things that happen to us that we cannot control. Having said that, we don’t need the rest of our life to be negatively impacted as a result. Today, we talk about why it’s important to focus more on things we can control during tough times, rather than focusing on what we cannot. In the following, we have two examples to show the controllable achievements in the world: 江天霖(T. L. Chiang)，台灣鋼琴家；白祐帆(Dylan Pai). 國際標準舞老師，英國國際舞蹈教師協會IDTA認證教師。 如果很喜歡、很喜歡，那就放手去做吧！透過音樂的自我實踐，江天霖正在彈奏著超越文字語言的訊息，用旋律渲染一次次的感動，只要與音樂連結，都能是他的舞台。江天霖說，因為我熱愛音樂，所以，不管多苦多難，我都願意。      記得小時候，很多人的家裡，都會放一台鋼琴，但多半是父母希望自己的小孩，能從音樂領域中，有所啟發；江天霖正好相反，小時候是個電視兒童，對任何聲音都充滿好奇，雖然家中有鋼琴，但一開始是哥哥在彈，後來，他是吵著跟媽媽說他想學。自發性地彈琴，讓江天霖從小就跟音樂當好朋友。如果人生有兩條路可以選擇，一條是很平穩舒適的，一條是充滿荊棘艱困的，而音樂正是那條非常困難的路，我們願不願意選擇走下去呢？江天霖說，他願意。他很小就觸碰著這些上上下下的音符記號，音樂已從他的興趣喜好，轉變成「責任」了。來自音樂班的地獄訓練，他就得學會自我管理、自己盯進度，並面對同儕的競爭。這當然會很累囉！但為何可以堅持呢？因為是自發的喜愛，所以堅持。音樂是一種超越文字語言的訊息，除了家人，更是我們最熟悉的陪伴。對江天霖來說，不管是低潮，還是瓶頸，都是開心的時刻，因為音樂可以廢寢忘食，更可以自我療癒，感到幸福。      白祐帆說，我從未想過，舞蹈竟然能讓我的人生，有如此大的轉變。對我來說，跳舞是一種渴望。兒時身處在鄉村的傳統家庭中，也沒想過找舞蹈教室學舞，但看到電視，聽到音樂，身體就開始舞動了。在我大三升大四的時候，我來到人生的轉捩點：研究所還是跳舞？數不清的練習、上課，還有一場場的比賽，早已一步步讓我走向專業舞者的路了。但是，如果我要考研究所，就必須全力投入，才能進入我想要的學校，這也意味著我無法兼顧舞蹈。親戚朋友說：「好好讀書，找個好工作，穩定的成長，不是很好嗎？」「教跳舞會不會餓死啊？！」      儘管我從小就有跳舞的渴望，但這跟有無天份，完全是兩碼子事。我不是天生的舞者，從小就姿勢不良。在舞蹈，永遠沒有做的夠多的時候。當自己感覺已經做了很多時，看看鏡子，看看自己錄下的跳舞片段，還差的遠呢！這是我們必須接受的事實。我們要不斷地突破自己，才會進步。白祐帆說，有很多人，想學鋼琴、跳舞，都說自己沒有音樂細胞，身體不協調等等，因為太多的擔心而止步，但學了之後，往往證明這些都不是真的。記住，我們永遠不要害怕去嘗試新的事物，因為，我們絕對可以超越時空，廢寢忘食的。       The fact is, we can do controllable things to expect the uncontrollable outcome. The universe is, actually, always full of potentials and possibilities. Look at this, in our today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to get caught up in the things we can’t control. For example, we obsess over the weather, our jobs, and other people’s opinions of us, etc. Really, there’s nothing we can do to control the weather, so worrying about it won’t make the storm go away. The same goes for our jobs and other people’s opinions. Of course, that’s easier said than done. But, the point is, there’s no way in worrying about something we can’t change and control. We can only know the controllable things, and take action to improve the situations. We can just focus on our attitudes, our affections and our actions to do the controllable things. Bad things happen to everyone every day, but how we choose to react them defines us. If we can see the silver lining in every cloud, we would be better equipped to deal with whatever life throws to us. Life is, no doubt, full of hardships, however, how we learn and grow from those problems matters. We can become stronger and wiser by looking for the positive things that we are able to control. The following are some of the most common outlets we can use to control in order to deal with things that are out of their control: Talking to a friend or family member Writing down thoughts in a journal Seeing a therapist Working out Running or going for a jog Yoga Meditating Organizing or cleaning Watching a movie or TV show Hanging out with friends Breathing exercises Eating out Cooking It’s necessary to find a balance between taking care of the things we have to, and taking care of ourselves. Handling things beyond our power (uncontrollable) can be challenging. The truth is, things we can’t control would be also parts of our lives. Therefore, we need to learn to cope with the uncontrollable things, and live happier, more fulfilling lives. Happiness or a positive disposition is a choice. Our attitudes are the kinds of energy that we project to the world. Thus, going into a difficult situation with a positive attitude increases the likelihood of finding a path through a possible solution. Next are our affections. One of the best way to reduce the stress we are feeling is to increase the amount of connectedness we feel in our lives to other trusted and safe people. Just being able to talk to a friend or colleague who can safely handle our feelings is enormously powerful. Last but not least, we can control our actions. Our future is dictated by our disciplined actions in the form of what we do each day, the habits we develop and what we strive for with purposes. By way of our attitudes, our affections and our actions, we can handle our controllable things, and even expect the great amounts of good uncontrollable things happened in our lives soon. Powered by Firstory Hosting

說話       莫言說：「真正厲害的人，從來不說難聽的話，因為人心不需要聽真話，只需要聽好聽的話，所以，我們要學著做一個有溫度且睿智的人。」懂得如何說話，是一門人生的藝術，若是不會說話，不僅會得罪人，更會禍從口出，而承擔說錯話的嚴重後果。那麼，如何讓自己學會說話呢？其實，不過是：「與貧者談講利益，與富者談找品味，與陌生者談測細節，與弱者談留面子，與男人談重邏輯，與女人談重感受，與孩子談重賞識，與智者談開門見山，與貴者談因勢利導。」因此，見什麼人，說什麼話，就是一種生存之道，更是讓自己在複雜的人際關係中，不受傷害，在各種關係中，如魚得水的根本。一個真正聰明的人，一定是一個有德行，懂禮貌的人，說話聲音不會很大，講話有理有據，邏輯清晰，不會太冷漠，也不會指鹿為馬，阿諛奉承，而是懂得如何去欣賞別人優點的人。柏拉圖說：「智者說話，是因為他們有話要說。愚者說話，是因為他們想說。」傻瓜用嘴講話，聰明人用腦講話，智慧者用心講話。說話一定要有節制和思考，不要不留餘地，不要講太滿，一旦出口，是很難收回來的。而且，有時候，話說到一半就好，看穿不說穿，這才是真會說話，懂得適時讓自己閉嘴，更是一輩子的修行。海明威說：「一個人要學會說話，需兩年，學會閉嘴，卻要用一生。」     每個人，每一天都要說話。不管每一次開口說話的目的為何，通常我們都希望，聽我們說話的人，能夠聽進去我們講的話。但是，不幸的是，我們常常會覺得，對方很容易沒把我們的話「聽進去」。這既會讓我們感到灰心，更會讓我們憤怒，因為對方沒把我們的話「聽進去」，我們被忽視了，也沒被尊重。      不過，我們有沒有認真想過，當我們說話的時候，還有誰也是我們的忠實聽眾呢？其實就是自己啊！寫日記的時候，我們唯一的讀者，就是我們本人，不管我們寫什麼，只要我們爽就好，裡頭的內容，我們沒有要公開，我們對自己負責就好。上傳文章的時候，我們是第一個讀者，裡面的文字，因為會隨著網路，傳到各地，所以我們就會慎言。書寫文字是這樣，同樣的，說話也是一樣。如果，我們就是自己一輩子的忠實聽眾，那麼，平常在說話的時候，我們真的都聽到自己說的話了嗎？我們聽了自己的話後，是什麼感覺呢？覺得爽嗎？愉悅嗎？常常，我們跟長者說話，他們都會說：「妳的嘴怎麼那麼甜？」對待長者，我們是很尊敬的，既不是刻意地諂媚，也不是卑微地討好，所以，他們很喜歡聽。     事實上，我們自己腦中的想法，就是會影響到我們自己的行為和語言，尤其是語言，因為話太容易說出口了，所以，我們通常來不及思考，就脫口而出了。尤其是，那些習慣出現的口頭禪或用詞，都很容易洩露出自己真實的樣貌。只是我們自己很難覺察到而已。如果不認真聆聽自己所說的話，我們通常不會發現，自己平常的表達習慣，到底出了什麼問題。練習用正面語言來表述想法，是很棒的，利人又利己。說話的時候，如果我們能夠用大腦多想一下，儘量使用正向的語句，話中不要問句，不要反問，不要帶那麼多的刺，那會有多悅聽啊！口語表達的改變，聽在我們自己的耳朵裡，舒服許多，別人也會喜歡的。     再者，我們總習慣笑臉對外，臭臉對内，樂於讚美他人，吝於欣賞家人。看到別人優點，就數落家人缺點。脾氣忍於外，卻發於內，口氣温柔對外，對内就十分粗暴。這一切的一切，是因為我們認為，家人之所以是家人，理所當然應承受這些，而不以為忤。尤其是對枕邊人的態度，更是如此，視為其出氣包，垃圾筒，實在不應該。現在，我們真的要把每天向家人說一句好聽的話，當做是一天必做的功課吧！相對於辛苦的考試！工作！學語言！說句好聽的話，完全不費力氣，不用熬夜，不用絞盡腦汁想創意，不用看別人臉色，是最廉價的付出，最輕鬆的負擔，但却是最無價、珍貴的，而廉價免費的東西，大家最不珍惜。我們千萬不要去看家人的任何缺點，而不經大腦的脱口而出！學習說正向的詞句吧！古德云：「自利利他真實義」，凡事先把自己整頓好，先度己，才能度他，利他，立他。好好珍惜家人，論業，願，家人都是我們付出的第一人選。善待家人，是最值得的投資，投資绝不虧本，絕不虧損，而且是複利乘數效果。說聲「你的頭髮很好看」，「你的動作很帥」，「妳的這套衣服很搭」，「妳的表情很美」，「今天的菜好好吃」等等！世界上最好聽的音波，就從家開始揚起吧！       然而，又有人說，我們人都喜歡聽好聽的話，不喜歡聽不好聽的言語，但是，真正對自己有幫助的話，卻是「忠言逆耳、良藥苦口的話」。我們究竟要如何判斷好聽或不好聽的話呢？當我們心存正念的時候，說出來的話，都是中肯、正向、好聽的，即使別人有錯，我們也要和顏悅色的解釋說明，而不是姑息敷衍。相同地，我們也不是只愛聽好話，當自己有意、無意犯了錯時，如果有人指點我們，我們也要心存感恩，不要不高興，還怪罪對方。別人願意告訴我們，是我們的福氣，當有一天，別人連說我們，都不想說，自己就要檢討了喔！思想，會影響個性。個性，會影響言行。言行，會影響命運。我們是當局者迷，旁觀者清，別人給我們的建議，不論好壞，先反省，有則改之，無則勉之。成功的人，都是會把別人好的建言，當作座右銘，努力過一生的。     Powered by Firstory Hosting

Being Honest with Yourself via Podcast Honesty is a fundamental principle that most of us have been taught from a young age. We are told that honesty is the best policy and that we should always tell the truth. However, despite this, many of us still struggle with being honest with ourselves. We pretend that everything is fine, when sometimes it isn’t. We do this to protect our ego or social status, even when it starts to create a personal or social cost to ourselves. Living dishonestly with ourselves can disconnect us from ourselves and others. We might not even realize that we are not being honest with ourselves until we experience negative emotions like anxiety, anger, or sadness. These emotions are a sign that we are not living the way we want to live or being true to ourselves. They may attach themselves to small arguments or irritations that are merely a symptom of a deeper need for change. It takes courage to be honest with ourselves. Being honest with ourselves means being willing to upset someone else, letting go of certainty, embracing the unknown and making new choices that disrupt the status quo. However, if we truly want to be proud of ourselves, we need to be true to ourselves. If we want to be the best leader, be part of a great team, or run an outstanding business, it all starts with being honest with ourselves. Being honest with ourselves doesn’t mean having all the answers. The first step is to acknowledge that feelings of anger, frustration, sadness, or anxiety keep coming back and that something isn’t right. It’s time to be honest with ourselves that something needs to change.  When we are honest with ourselves, we become more self-aware. We start to understand our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors more clearly. We can identify our strengths and weaknesses and work on improving them. Self-awareness is essential for personal growth, and it starts with being honest with ourselves. When we are honest with ourselves, we make better decisions. We can evaluate situations objectively and make choices that align with our values and goals. Honesty helps us avoid making decisions based on fear, ego, or societal pressure. When we are honest with ourselves, we build trust with ourselves and others. When we are truthful about our thoughts, feelings, and actions, we create a foundation of trust that others can rely on. Honesty is essential for building healthy relationships, both personally and professionally. When we are honest with ourselves, we open ourselves up to personal growth. We can identify areas where we need to improve and work on developing new skills and habits. Honesty helps us take responsibility for our lives and empowers us to make positive changes.  Creating Podcasts help us become more fearless, gain clarity, increase self-reliance and build healthier relationships. The first step is to do some honest self-reflection. To simply acknowledge on our Podcasts that something needs changes due to not right emotions and feelings. Then, via Podcasts, we see things directly from our hearts. We express our true ways of thinking toward us as well as our listeners. Last but not least, we can be even more incredible, impactful and inspirational speakers through listeners’ points of view when we simply start our Podcasts from the depth of our true hearts. Powered by Firstory Hosting

Thinking Too Much想太多 “We think too much and feel too little” by Charlie Chaplin. 我們總是想太多，卻太少去感受--查理·卓別林。 Spoken by the great man, Charlie Chaplin, these words couldn’t hold more truth for the modern age. We live in a world where the visual objects dominate, and physicality is the only definition of reality. The world has gone mad as we’ve all become entrapped within our heads. The tools we use for our thoughts are only the material ways of living. That is, the average person today has much less social interaction and contact than the prior generations because of the technology of smartphones and social media. People are becoming so concerned with their images in the eyes of others over personal uniqueness and experiences. Gradually, we form all our own thoughts in expectation of situations to harshly judge ourselves and others (想太多) such as, “What if I don’t reach on time?” “What if I do this?” “What if this happens?” “I hope this doesn’t happen.” “I hope the people here aren’t like this.” “I’m so stupid for saying that” and “why did I do that?” …. etc. But, think of that, how about our own internal thoughts in dealing with these different situations? Very often, we are restrained by the chains of our own thoughtful thinking. In fact, there are really so many various ways in which we entrap ourselves within our thoughts, and yet, we don’t see any other ways of living in a lot of cases. We, then, try to ask ourselves. Why do we enjoy movies? Why do we play video games? Why do we read books? And why do we listen to music? Why are these what we choose to do for enjoyment? Actually, when we watch a movie or read a book, we are no longer trapped within our heads. We are no longer concerned about what might happen tomorrow. We even no longer care whether someone likes us or not. We won’t worry so much of our days and tomorrow. Imagine that, when we approach an event or situation in our life with loads of pre-formed thoughts, ideas, worries, and opinions, we just feel anxious and lots of passive emotions. Yes, it’s better to let go of our worries, but we all know that it’s not so easy. When we are tormented by constant anxious thoughts, how many of us can get rid of these doubts or anxieties in our normal life? Now, if we can do 5-10-minute meditations every day to listen to our inner voice, we won’t think too much. It can work in terms of calming our internal dialogues. Habit is something created from our instincts or influenced by others in our lives. Our lives today work or exist because of these habits. We always think that we need strong determination to adapt or change habits as we are all victims of failing to try new or changing habits. But, the reality is not because we don’t have determination; it’s something where we are not trying to understand how it works. When a circumstance comes, we usually overthink too much on it. It’s natural to overthink a situation going to happen in the future, and this overthink could keep growing and becoming uncontrollable. Then, it, definitely, impacts our productivity and emotional strength. In this case, we can either stop thinking about it, or challenge our thoughts by asking more positive, realistic ways to look at the situation. In other words, we can train our minds to control and look at the life from a more balanced, less fearful perspective. Thinking too much is really useless at any situations in our daily lives. The most important thing is that there’s always more room in our life for pleasure, joy, and love, especially if worrisome thoughts have been taking up too much space. As psychologists suggest, “If overthinking is paired with worry, anxiety, and depressing thoughts, using joy can be a great antidote.” We can make time to engage with our favorite activities whether it’s going for a walk or calling a friend or not. Nobody is perfect, and everyone is susceptible to worries and fears. That means overthinking is not a weakness. However, we need to find and try a different tool to enjoy our lives instead of thinking too much. 不要想太多 Powered by Firstory Hosting

有錢又有閒：熱情      有熱情就有錢：金錢是一種力量，讓人獨立自主，不用伸手，不用靠別人。我們夠不夠想要，只要我們夠想要，且相信自己能做到，每個人都一定可以做自己喜歡的工作、興趣，過自己想要的生活，就算過程中真的遇到困難，因為真的想要，我們就會想辦法去解決，沒有資源也會想辦法去開創。《牧羊少年奇幻之旅》一書中說：「當你真心渴望某樣東西時，整個宇宙都會聯合起來，幫助你完成。」那麼，我們夠不夠想要的這份心，就是熱情。找到熱情的方法有三個步驟，1. 選擇，並廣泛的探索：大量的去試、去闖，真心的和各式各樣的人交友、交流，開創自己的可能性。例如，去參加讀書會、聽講座，開始料理，進行戶外活動，看一本不同領域的書等。仔細觀察，做這些事時，帶給我們的感覺是什麼，感到振奮有動力嗎？如果是，那就是熱情了。 2. 驗證熱情：試問自己：「假如現在我已經有50億的資產，家人、朋友和親戚，也都衣食無缺，我還願意做這件事嗎？」符合自身價值觀的熱情，是受到內在驅力所使的，即使我們已豐衣足食，依然會感覺重要、享受在其中。或者，再試問自己：「遇到挑戰時，我還願不願意繼續嘗試、投入呢？」其實，學習本身，就是一種最基本的挑戰，如果我們願意自學，克服困難，那就是我們的熱情所在了。 3. 培養熱情：熱情不是空降的天賦，並不是找到了，就成功了。很多人都只是蜻蜓點水，沒有足夠的投入，及培養夠長的時間，結果，常常，熱情一下子就不在了。因此，當我們花越多精力去付出與投入，我們的熱情，就會讓我們越做越有興趣，越來越熱愛這件事情，並努力思考突破，做出自己的成績來。      有熱情就有錢：再者，我們每次的消費，都對應到我們的需求，及背後我們想追求的熱情、感受等，而這些我們想獲得的感覺，會讓我們更想花錢去買此種感覺。所以，有熱情，就會有錢，就想賺錢，就能慢慢聚焦自己的理想生活樣貌。我們要訓練自己的直覺，透過冥想、自由書寫、獨處和做白日夢，聆聽內心的選擇。當我們嘗試的越多，就會越有機會，看見更多的可能性，對於自己未來想成為的模樣，也會漸漸有個雛形。持續努力著，我們就會成為自己喜歡的樣子。不要讓金錢成為畢生唯一的追尋，而是在我們人生的旅程中，讓它成為帶來快樂與自我實現的工具。錢很好，請讓金錢為我們做很多自己想做的事，實現許多自己的願望與夢想吧！      有熱情就有閒：會讓人有熱情的事，往往是需要花時間來培養的。每當我們多接觸一個新的技能或領域時，我們就會學得越多，懂得越廣，相關的能力和知識，就會越來越強，收穫和成果也會跟著變多，自然地，我們會更有自信與成就感，而這一切，都跟我們熱愛這件事有關。熱情是經過時間和體驗，培養出來的。在剛接觸新事物時，我們如帶著熱情的態度，和正面的心態，透過持續的行動，我們可以好好地把它培養起來。熱情絕對是可以培養的，而改變也永遠不會太遲！帶著好奇和勇氣，嘗試培養更多的熱情，我們會驚訝地發現，自己累積了好多的經驗和學習，人生變得更豐富了！     有熱情就絕對有閒。著名舞蹈改革家瑪莎．葛蘭姆(Martha Graham)說：「一個人真正開始跳舞之前，要花十年的時間，學習基本功；真正的創意，其實需要技巧、紀律和訓練，天賦才能，也是如此。唯有不斷訓練，才能達到最佳狀態。」天賦需要鞭策，需要有意識、有方向的操練，以追求更高的突破目標。熱情的 心理狀態，其實跟生理年齡沒有必然關係，而是跟我們如何定義自己的生命有關。 麥克阿瑟(Douglas MacArthur)說：「當你有信念時，就年輕，當你有疑慮時，就老了；當你有自信時，就年輕，當你恐懼時，就老了；當你有希望時，就年輕，當你絕望時，就老了。」「在每個人心中，都有一個錄音房，只要它收到的是美麗、希望、喜悅和勇氣的訊息，你就是年輕的；而當你的心中，佈滿悲觀與憤世嫉俗的冰雪，那麼你就將老去。」熱情用錢燒完之後，還剩下什麼呢？那是對一件事情的堅持，是時間，是信念，是執著，而時間是我們會不會走下去的重點。有熱情，就絕對有閒，有時間。 Powered by Firstory Hosting

Good Luck Charms      Scientifically speaking, luck, as a supernatural force affecting our lives, doesn’t hold water. Events are random and can’t be controlled by charms, rituals, or superstitions. However, the belief in luck can significantly influence our perceptions and behavior. Research shows that believing in good luck can boost optimism, leading to better moods and increasing perseverance, ultimately fostering success. It is not the existence of luck, but our perception of it that makes the difference. In order to understand the power of good luck charms, we first delve into the psychology of luck. Studies suggest that the belief in luck is not merely a product of superstition, but can actually influence perception, behavior, and outcomes. Feeling lucky can bolster confidence, improving performance in tasks ranging from sports to cognitive tests. Renowned psychologist Richard Wiseman found that people who consider themselves lucky tend to be more open to new experiences, more optimistic, and more attentive to opportunities. Essentially, by expecting good fortune, they’re more likely to notice and seize upon opportunities that others might overlook. Psychologists suggest that lucky charms might work through a psychological phenomenon known as the “placebo effect”. In essence, if we believe that a particular object brings good luck, our belief can subconsciously influence our actions and attitudes in a positive way. For instance, Psychological Science found that participants who brought their good luck charms to a memory test significantly outperformed those who didn’t. The key was not the charm itself, but the boosted self-confidence and decreased anxiety the charm provided. When we believe we’re lucky or have a lucky charm, we’re more likely to notice positive outcomes. We tend to focus on information that confirms our pre-existing beliefs while overlooking information that doesn’t. Therefore, when something good happens, we attribute it to our good luck charms, reinforcing our belief in their power. Furthermore, the belief in good luck charms can create a self-fulfilling prophecy, where our expectations subtly change our behavior to make the expected outcome more likely. For example, believing we’re lucky might make us more willing to take risks, leading to new opportunities that we perceive as “good luck”. Lucky charms, rituals, and beliefs can influence our attitudes, behavior, and perceptions, leading to positive outcomes in life. In this sense, good luck charms do work. They function as tools of self-belief, confidence boosters, and psychological supports, and that’s where their true magic lies. Psychologist Lysann Damisch of the University of Koln, Germany, is the one who believes that good luck charms may indeed be effective. She decided to test this idea in a series of experiments. The first two experiments were similar. In one, Damisch had a group of volunteers to put golf balls about four feet into the hole. But before they attempted this, she told about half of them that they were playing with a “lucky” ball, while the others just got a regular golf ball. Similarly, in the second experiment, the volunteers attempted a difficult game; but before they did, half were told: “I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you.” In other words, in each study, only some of the volunteers had their superstitious thinking sparked, while the others simply performed the task. And the results were the same in both tests. Those “feeling lucky” did much better than those who did not have magic on their side. So, good luck charms really improve performance. Damisch ran a couple of more experiments to test her ideas about confidence, expectations and persistence. She again had volunteers to perform difficult tasks. And again, she made only some of the volunteers “lucky”. She also measured the volunteers’ confidence and effectiveness; their expectations for their performance; and how long they persevered before giving up. The results were positive. Those with their personal lucky charms in their possession were much more confident in their performance. This confidence in turn caused the people to set higher personal goals and expectations and to persist longer at the task. However, in fact, nothing is magical about it. It is belief that makes people have more luck. Good luck charms do have “magical” powers if we put our faith to them. The point is, we believe they always work throughout our whole lives.  Powered by Firstory Hosting

鬆弛感      我們常常立志要成為早睡早起的晨型人，但卻迷戀夜晚的靜謐，而忍不住熬夜，總是感到複雜又矛盾……！到底該早睡早起，還是累了才就寢？看似只是與作息、自律的問題，在更深層的叩問後，我們豁然明白，這其實是關乎我們看待時間的態度。社群與網路上，隨處常說：「成功人士都是自律的人！」「自律的程度，決定你人生的高度。」確實，自律固然重要，但自我約束僅是一種意識，不是鐵則，並非代表我們得完成所有的待辦事項，才是自律的展現。同樣地，鬆弛感是允許一切事情的發生，盡力後的隨遇而安。我們要活得真實懇切，發自內心回應每一個經歷與決定，要能在鬆緊自由中，成為真正的自己。      快慢有致的善用時間，張弛有度的掌握生活步調，是一種平衡的藝術。我們允許一切如其所是，允許自己晚睡，允許自己迷路，允許自己偷懶任性，偶爾的偏離，並不會影響我們朝終點前進。雲朵不會因為送走日落而傷神，群星也不曾因為月缺就停止閃爍，我們不會因為一天的賴床，而永遠錯失了日出。在情緒起伏的浪潮之中，我們允許自己先上岸小憩，整理好自己，等待下一個潮起， 我們就能再度啟程，往舒心自在的方向駛去。      讀書時，我們被課業壓得喘不過氣，生怕學歷端不上檯面。出社會後，我們在一個比一個優秀的同事之間，戰戰兢兢，擔憂自己離升遷、加薪愈來愈遙遠。我們似乎把緊繃訓練成本能，時刻苛求自己，無奈地對生活妥協，總是不放過自己。「緊繃感」讓我們一天24小時似乎都不夠用，時刻處於「戰鬥」狀態，身心都充滿疲憊。鬆弛感不是放棄努力的躺平，不是什麼都不在乎，不是無所事事的悠閒，而是盡力之後，對追求的隨遇而安，是無所畏懼活出自在心安、堅持自己的本性。然而，要想獲得鬆弛的狀態，一定要經過「緊繃」的階段。我們看到別人展現出來的鬆弛感，其背後是數十年如一日的努力。只有長期地努力和自律，才能成為一個厲害的人，獲得鬆弛感。      不管何時，鋼琴家郎朗只要坐在鋼琴前，就能游刃有餘地彈奏。郎朗這樣敘述自己：「我每天肯定要保持兩小時練琴，不是基本，就是不間斷，再怎麼累，我也會練，綜藝錄到兩點我也得練一小時，半夜也得練一會。你必須做到這樣，要不然很危險」。當一個人想用盡全力實現自己的目標，或是特別想改變生活的某一方面時，他一定是「緊繃」的。正是日復一日的訓練，才使得郎朗無論到哪裡、無論什麼時候，只要有一架鋼琴，就能帶來一段令人驚艷的表演。鬆弛感需要足夠的實力和心力去支撐。有足夠的能力和閱歷，才會在面對問題的時候，不慌不忙，處理事情時，全力以赴，哪怕最後結果不盡如人意，也能坦然接受。      鬆弛的人，溫柔且有力量，改變不舒服的生活，消解不舒服的情緒，捨棄不舒服的關係，放下不必要的負擔，無所畏懼地堅守本心，活得舒服坦然，就是由內而外的鬆弛感。鬆弛感，這三個字，看起來雲淡風輕，真正做到，卻不容易。鬆弛感不是對自己放鬆要求，降低目標，讓自己在做事的過程中舒服；真正的鬆弛感，是把精力都專注於當下，無論結果好壞，不抱怨也不畏懼，心平氣和地面對。鬆弛感的本質，是對自己的篤定，「泰山崩於前，而色不變，猛虎躑於後，而魂不驚」，這種篤定和信念，來自強大的自我；鬆弛感的表現，是穩定的情緒，如涓涓細流一般，不疾不徐。無論生活、職場，還是親密關係，我們都可以保持鬆弛感，活在一片屬於自己的人生曠野。 Powered by Firstory Hosting

 《塔木德Talmud》     《塔木德Talmud》記載：上帝給與光明，金錢散發溫暖。身體依靠心而生存，心則依靠錢包而生存。錢不是罪惡，也不是詛咒，它是給予人們的一種祝福與智慧。錢是美好的象徵，是上帝給我們的禮物。錢雖非盡善盡美，但它代表意外發生的可能性小，不只滿足生活的需求，也滿足安全的需要。錢對於任何人來說，都是平等的，它沒有高低貴賤的差別。錢在誰的口袋都一樣是錢，不會到了另一個人的口袋，就不是錢了。猶太人注重金錢，認為金錢是上帝，無比神聖，但是在賺取金錢時，他們把金錢，當成是普通的東西，和紙張、石頭一樣，不覺得金錢有燙手的感覺。猶太人說，想要賺錢，絕對不能給自己心理負擔，且應該十分從容地，冷靜地對待它，這樣，才不會患得患失，敢賺敢花。     發財的秘訣，僅只「勤儉」兩字。努力掙錢是行動，設法省錢是智慧。巨大的財富需要努力才能得到，但同時也要杜絕漏洞，才能聚積。很多猶太人老闆，對任何開支都是精打細算的，盡量降低成本，減少費用，他們總是說：「要把一塊錢當兩塊錢來使用。如果在一個地方，錯用了一塊錢，並不只是損失一塊錢，而是損失兩塊錢。」猶太商人不管多富有，絕不會隨意揮霍錢財，在宴請賓客時，以吃飽吃好為主。不講究排場，亂花錢。在生活中，也儘量以積蓄錢財為主，不用光吃光，手頭空空。猶太人不會把自己的收入，花在欲望上，因為，有很多慾望，是永遠不能滿足的。猶太人的經營原則是：沒錢的時候借，等有錢了，就可以還，不敢借錢，是永遠不會發財的。摳錢只會讓人變得越來越窮，並不是說摳錢是錯誤的，問題是，一味地摳錢，該花錢的時候，因太吝嗇而不敢花，因小失大，這會沾上貧窮的機因，沒能有發財的機會，而且連思惟也貧窮了。敢賺錢，有富人的思惟，才能成為富翁。一個人的思惟和氣度，決定他將來是否可以擁有財富，富人的思維，是創造財富，自然慷慨與大度。賺錢是一個智慧的遊戲，想要成為富人，不但要有智慧，而且還要勇於付諸行動。猶太人說，生活要過得幸福和開心，日子一定要有享受的感覺，不要怕花錢。相反地，要大把大把地花錢，裝飾考究，吃高級豪華飯店，豐盛美味，且不時地哈哈大笑，愜意滿足，才顯得出富商的胸懷和自信，氣定神閒、從容不迫。     猶太人也認同節儉，但不是過度節儉。猶太人的節儉精神，和他們享受生活並不矛盾。在猶太人看來，為了賺取更多的利潤，就必須節省不必要的支出。但他們也深知賺取財富，是為了更好的生活。幽默是人類才有的不凡智慧。猶太人常說：「笑是百藥中最佳的良藥。」真正有幽默感的人，能夠樂觀面對一切，但大多數的人在面臨困難、進退維谷之時，總是焦急萬分，無法幽默起來，只有強人例外。真正被逼得走投無路的人，是沒有辦法放鬆自己心情的，惟有膽識過人的人，才能用幽默來面對危機。幽默是一種藥，人服了之後，就會冷靜，可險中求生，反敗為勝，可見幽默地效用是很大的。猶太民族歷經磨難，但他們面對困境時，卻常常抱著積極樂觀的態度，因為，樂觀者押中大獎的機會，永遠會多一些。     莎士比亞有句名言：「不要把錢借給別人，否則你會人財兩空。也不要向別人借錢，借來的錢會使你忘記節儉。」猶太人的名言是：借錢給別人，等於是花錢買敵人。猶太人認為，我們可以用其他方式接濟朋友，但不要借錢給他。借錢給他人，就等於是掏錢為自己買一個敵人，將以失去友情當作利息，既花錢，又傷神傷心，是世界上最虧本的生意。人生是會犯錯的，不犯任何錯誤的人，也一事無成。昨天或今日的失敗，並不意味著最後的結局，善用失敗與錯誤的教訓，才是自我教育和提高成功機會的最好教材。人生最可憐的，是無所事事，而最愉快的，是為生活而忙碌，人必須經常思考新事物，否則就會變成機器。我們無法左右命運，但也不要被命運所左右，要相信自己。智慧是搶不走的財富，知識固然重要，但它是用來磨練智慧的，智慧是終其一生，永遠相伴相隨的財富。富人的富有，不僅僅是他們手裡擁有大量的現金，也是他們擁有一個賺錢的頭腦，足夠的智慧。      猶太人喜歡勤奮工作，一分鐘都不可以放棄，因為要經商，就必須有大量的時間，否則無法成功，成功是經過長期艱苦的付出，才能得到的。時間是這個世界上最寶貴的東西，它不像金錢和寶物，丟了可以再找到，或者再賺回來，時間是只要浪費了，就永遠不會回來的。用金錢買時間是智慧，時間觀就是我們人生觀的核心，我們有甚麼樣的時間觀，就有甚麼樣的人生價值觀。智者會去思索怎樣安排時間，駕馭時間，在有限的生命時光中，創造最有價值的人生。人有兩個耳朵，一張嘴，就是要人凡事多做少說。首先要要求自己，然後再要求別人。凡事先從自己檢討起，每個人都有自己的特色，都與眾不同。每個人都是尊貴的，都是神按照自己的形像塑造的。每一個人的命運，都是自己創造的，冷靜思考，付諸行動，努力工作，好好休息，敢賺敢花，享受人生。      猶太人的精明，看起來很神奇，其實，不過是換個角度，思考問題而已。每件事總有正反兩面，我們經常看到的，只是其中的一面，卻忽略了其他面，如能從別人忽略的地方看問題，不要拘泥在慣性思惟的舊路裡，往往就有出其不意的想法。財富是創意、資金和管理的結合，而擁有好想法和創意，是最重要的，它會讓看起來似乎不可能的事，變成可能。 《塔木德》是1000多年來由2000多位猶太學者集體編撰而成的，它是一部集宗教、律法、處世和經商法則的偉大經典。世界知名的猶太裔億萬富翁，像鋼鐵大王洛克斐勒、哥倫比亞廣播公司的威廉‧斐里、杜邦的歐文‧夏皮羅、聯邦廣播公司的倫納德‧戈登森等等，都是這本經典的受益者。對於猶太人的財富，有此一說：「全世界的錢都在美國人的口袋裡，而美國人的錢卻在猶太人的口袋裡。」猶太人如此的優秀，讓世界為之震驚，尤其最讓世人折服的，是他們驚人的財富和超凡的賺錢能力。《塔木德》說：「無論誰研習《塔木德》，只要你用心去研習，均值得受到褒獎，而且整個世界都將受惠於他，他會被人當作朋友，當作一個可以尊敬的人，一個崇敬上帝的人，他將變得謙恭、公正、虔誠、正直、富有信仰，他將能遠離罪惡，接近美德。通過他，整個世界就有聰慧、忠告、智性和力量。賺錢吧！吃麵包吧！喝酒吧！和心愛的女人共浴愛河吧！你的行為已經得到上帝的恩准。」猶太人的思想是開放的，他們甚至沒有國家、種族和地域等的限制。他們為了自己的生存和發展，走遍世界各個角落，當機運到來時，他們就利用自己的技能，在沒有資本、工具，也沒有金錢的情況下，卻還能運用經濟上的自由，沿著社會階梯，向上攀登。猶太人是最會賺錢的民族。錢不是罪惡，也不是詛咒，它是給予人們的一種祝福與智慧。 Powered by Firstory Hosting

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind 心理學家發現，我們每個人每一天，有超過85%的動作及想法，都跟潛意識有關，潛意識包含了我們對事物的價值觀，判斷力及心情。潛意識是來自我們從小的生活環境，父母對孩子說的每一句話。我們發現，很多小孩就是父母的縮影，他們走路的姿勢，說話的方式，金錢管理的概念，甚至找配偶的類型等，都受到父母的影響。雖然我們沒有判斷潛意識及價值觀，但是當我們對自己的生活不滿意時，我們就會想辦法去改變環境，改變自己。其實，最重要的，是要改變我們自己潛意識中最深層的價值觀。也就是說，我們心中有什麼情緒或感覺：貪心、懶惰、勤勞、成功、有錢、熱忱等，我們都會表現在日常行為當中。所以，每一天，我們都要跟自己說：「我是最幸運的、我很快樂、我很積極、我的工作是幸福的、我的婚姻是美滿的、我能財富自由。」時間久了，我們真的能為自己改變未來的命運。       生命應該要實現抱負的，而不該只是為了求生存而已。世界上，有很多男男女女，為了求生存，深陷在日常的瑣碎事務中，無法細細品味活著的美好。其實只要透過方法，我們就能改變現況，因為，我們每個人的內在，都有一股無窮的力量，懂得去釋放它、運用它，我們就能達到心想事成。墨菲博士所提倡「潛意識的力量」的運動，就是這個理念。要如何祈禱，才能奏效嗎？為何上帝都聽不到我們的禱告呢？想想，在緊急、危險或有困難的時候，在病中，或死亡隨伺在側時，我們的祈禱，自然湧現。看一看電視新聞，世界各地每天都有人在為得不治之症的孩子祈禱、在為國與國之間的和平祈禱、在為深陷礦坑的工人祈禱，他們都一直不間斷地祈禱。而如果有人祈禱，得到回應，就會成為報紙的頭條新聞。事實上，讓祈禱奏效的，不是我們相信什麼，而是潛意識回應了我們心中的想法，這就是信念法則。不論是佛教徒、基督徒、穆斯林、猶太人，儘管各自的信仰有極大差異，他們的祈禱，都有可能得到回應，那不是什麼教條、宗教、教派、儀式、公式、咒語、祭拜或祭品等，而純粹是當事人對他所祈禱的事物，抱持強烈的信念所致。   生命的法則就是信念法則，信念則是心中的念頭。一個人怎麼想、怎麼感受、怎麼相信，他的身、心和周遭狀態，亦復如是。如果能夠了解自己在做什麼、為什麼這麼做，就能幫助我們實現在生活中。祈禱得到回應，就是心願得以實現。潛意識的奇蹟力量，是偉大而永恆的，這個力量可以癒合我們的身心創傷，可以讓受到恐懼的心，重獲自由，也可以把我們從貧困、失敗、痛苦、匱乏和挫折中，解放出來。潛意識是一間專屬於我們自己的暗房，它可沖洗出我們外在生活的林林總總，它是我們健康、幸福、快樂、財富的來源，我們只要讓潛意識想著真實、美好與高興的事物，那麼，我們的生活，就都是真實、美好與高興的。   潛意識的力量無遠弗屆，它不僅影響我們的行為、情緒和思維，還能創造我們的現實。當我們專注於積極正面的事物時，我們就會吸引更多積極正面的事物，進入我們的生命中。相反地，當我們專注於消極負面的事物時，我們也會吸引負面的事物。所以，如果我們想創造理想的生活，就必須先從改變我們的思維開始。改變思維模式，是需要時間的，但只要我們堅持不懈，一直積極樂觀進取，不退縮，一定會看到效果的。潛意識的力量是巨大的，它可以治癒我們的身心疾病，幫助我們緩解疼痛，增強免疫力，提高抵抗力，治癒各種疾病，包括癌症、憂鬱症、皮膚病等。當我們使用冥想、正念及自我暗示時，我們就是在讓潛意識的力量，治癒自己。再者，我們如能改變對金錢的信念，還可學到利用潛意識來吸引金錢，實現財富自由。首先，我們要設定一個明確的財務目標，要對自己有信心，相信自己能夠實現目標。然後，我們不能只是空想，還要採取行動，按照計劃，一步步地努力。只要我們有耐心，持之以恆地努力，一直堅持，最終一定能實現目標的。       潛意識掌控著我們的生理，如心跳、呼吸、血液循環等，它不眠不休的工作，即便是我們入睡後，它依然持續的運作，執行我們的信念。在平常健康的時候，我們很難意識到身體有多完美。唯有生病時，我們才驚覺，健康是多麽的珍貴。我們的身體狀況，反應著心理狀態，疾病的源頭，即來自於心智。因此，要恢復健康，就要改變心智。現今的醫學，已證實情緒會影響我們的健康，當我們生病看醫生時，醫生也常叮嚀我們要多休息、放鬆，不要有太大的壓力。我們擔憂、焦慮和恐懼的情緒，都會干擾生理的運作。我們的心智若無法保持和諧，腦中負面、邪惡、破壞的想法，就會激發恨意或怨氣，然後，它們在潛意識中發炎、潰爛，最終表現在身體上。想想看，當我們割傷身體，或不小心受到傷害時，身體會原諒我們的粗心，啟動修復機制。身體不會責怪我們，它就是療癒。所以，在我們的信念中，只要寬恕自己與別人，我們就能療癒身心，療癒世界。       神的「相信」，不是指相信外在的權威或儀式、配方等，「信者必得飽足」指的是我們的信念。歷史上，因信念產生的神奇療癒案例，比比皆是，不論是在聖地、或神職人員儀式下發生的奇蹟，都是人們潛意識強大的期待，投射在現實世界使然。神水、護身符或乩童等，都不具神奇魔力，但它們都有強烈的暗示，讓相信的人，可以發揮信念的力量，去自我療癒。輕鬆堅定的相信，信心十足的感受，當下即已實現心願，這就是潛意識超強的力量。       According to Joseph Murphy, the author of The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, we can train our subconscious to the point where it will feel compelled to facilitate what we need or want to accomplish. It doesn’t matter what it is, so long as it’s for our own good and does no direct harm to others—whether it’s health, success, wealth, meeting the right male or female partner, overcoming fear, seeking or dispensing forgiveness, developing good habits and discarding bad habits, etc.       Many may doubt that whether it is really that powerful or not, and yet Murphy, in his book, gives many real-life examples of those who did get what they prayed for. For example, a widow, with three children and no means of support, prays for finding such a means. A short time later, she runs into a former boss on the street, and he offers her a well-paying job. He is even willing to lend her enough money to get back on her feet before her first paycheck. Another elderly woman is losing her memory but prays that it will be fully restored. Before long, her memory comes back, and she is able to remember everything. Yet another older woman, who has lost her husband a few years ago, asks her subconscious to bring into her life the right male partner with whom she will spend the rest of her life. She soon meets such a man and they are happily married.       The idea is: when we pray for something in the right spirit, our subconscious will grant our wishes. Thus, in the case of the elderly woman who was seeking a male partner, her subconscious may have enabled her to communicate the man she was soon to meet. On the other hand, we may be facing a decision that leaves us wondering how we should decide. For example, should we accept a new high-paying job that requires us to move to a different part of the country? We don’t know if it will be worthy of the effort for us to accept it. This happened to the author. Murphy meditated on this decision for some time. Eventually, his subconscious told him not to accept it. As it turned out, the company that made the offer later went bankrupt, so he was glad that he hadn’t accepted.       It doesn’t matter what religion we profess or whether we profess any religion at all. We can be Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, or none of these. However, our subconscious mind will still respond. In fact, spiritual masters of all religious persuasions have been said to be able to work “miracles.” In the Bible, for example, Jesus was said to have worked miracles; thus, when a blind man asked him to help him see, Jesus restored his sight. Murphy explains that it was the man’s subconscious mind which allowed him to regain his vision. Jesus merely facilitated the healing.      Now let’s talk about the power of our subconscious mind to help us overcome our fear of failure, or our fear of giving a speech before a large audience. Yes, even these debilitating fears can be overcome when we train our subconscious mind to surmount them. In a quiet place, we can calm ourselves, relax, and visualize what we are praying for. If it’s our wish to do well on an upcoming exam, we picture ourselves in the exam room and write down all the right answers. We’re feeling so good about all we know, and we hand in our test to the teacher. Later, we’re congratulated by our teachers and friends. How proud they are of us! And while we’re meditating, we can repeat to ourselves: “I have studied hard and know all the answers that I may be tested on. I feel very confident about this material. When taking the exam, I’m full of gratitude that I prepared so well and am actually enjoying being able to answer well all the items and questions that are on the test.” The above is only the model. We would do well to choose our own words. The important thing is to have faith in our ability to overcome any fear of failure. Also we can NOT include any negative feelings or possibilities, such as “I am not going to fail this exam. I am not going to look at the test and forget everything I ever learned.” By focusing on the negatives, we actually feed their possibilities. We have to use the present—not the future—tense, as if we are already on our way to fulfill our request. Furthermore, as Murphy notes, it’s better to pray our wishes several times a day, with the best times being early in the morning as soon as we awaken, and at night just before we fall asleep. At these times, we’re not fully conscious, so the subconscious mind would fulfill what we’re praying for. To sum up, the power of our subconscious mind is very strong and powerful. We only need to make a wish, and simply believe that it would come true in no time.  Powered by Firstory Hosting

矛盾的人生      人是矛盾的。同一件事，既是對，又是錯、既是喜，又是悲，這不是矛盾，是什麼呢？是一體兩面嗎？還是存在著更多你我看不到的多層次。一個人能否同時樂觀，亦同時悲觀呢？我們是否可以看見大自然的風光明媚，便發自內心地高興，但是，到了日落西山，卻又感慨萬分呢？我們是否能將極小樂事，無限放大，活在快樂的時空中，但卻也同時將極小問題，無限擴大，痛苦不堪呢？人因為矛盾，所以害怕選擇，不懂得選擇，最後只會覺得當初選擇錯誤，進而後悔。其實，我們當初的選擇，不就是當時最好的選擇嗎？既然作了最適當的決定，那還後悔什麼呢？還不是因為矛盾在作祟啊！因為矛盾，所以會「愛之深，責之切」，面對最親的人，如家人、愛人、最要好的朋友等，我們的態度往往最差，最容易發脾氣。因為愛他們，所以我們責備他們。因為愛他們，所以我們才會真情流露，表現出最醜陋的一面，但是，那又是多麼的矛盾啊！小時候，我們想著快點長大，長大了，卻又想回到童年般的無邪。看見愛吃的東西，我們非吃不可，吃了又擔心、又怕胖。明明告訴自己累了，該早點睡，到了床邊，卻又睡不著。     Anyway，矛盾是必然的，因為，這就是人生。我們就是要學會接受必然。矛盾本身不是錯，也沒有問題，即便有錯，也不算錯，因為我們怎會知道自己手中拿的，是最尖銳的矛，還是最堅固的盾呢？中國人常說「心想事成」，但是，為什麼往往事與願違呢？人的思想，為何總是矛盾呢？例如，我們希望國家富強，但我們又擔心富強了，會被貪官中飽私囊。我們希望自己的親戚，生活條件好，但又不希望他們的生活條件，超過自己，好矛盾喔！許多時候，我們很難做決定，主要原因是內心的矛盾，熊掌與魚，如何兼得，實在矛盾。當不同的價值觀，從不同的方向拉扯時，我們就會產生糾結，內心充滿矛盾。所謂的價值觀，是我們看重甚麼，不看重甚麼。我們每個人都有一套不成文的價值體系，由許多價值觀組成，當兩種價值觀打架時，就產生矛盾了。 1. 如果選擇A，我得到的是甚麼？失去的是甚麼？ 2. 如果選擇B，我得到的是甚麼？失去的又是甚麼？ 3. 選擇A與選擇B，從長遠看，得與失哪個較大？哪個能幫助我們更多？哪個能幫助我們擁有更好的未來？      當內心有矛盾時，我們是很難做出決定的，如果必須做一個選擇，我們會根據自己覺得較重要的價值觀，來做出決定。要做到這點，我們必須誠實面對自己，清楚知道自己到底看重的是甚麼，免得自我蒙蔽和欺騙。好的決定，不一定意味著路好走，不過，心與行會比較和諧，讓人從矛盾中獲得篤定和意義。反之，顧及淺短價值觀，捨本求次，內心張力會大，對自己更會有背叛感。所以，「君子慎始」，做出不容易做到的決定時，要珍惜它，因為挑戰意味著機會，讓自己發掘潛力，創建今天及未來。      人類因為活在相對的時間與空間中，自然在一生裡，會不斷遇到矛盾與似是而非的理論與見解。常聽人問，學歷重要嗎?為了拿一個學歷，被操得不成人形，是正確的選擇嗎?有誰知道畢業後，就業市場會如何呢? 覺得學歷重要的人，會認為有知識就有權力，可得到社會上所有的好處，先取得學歷，成為上流人士，才是替未來作發展的王道。然而，覺得學歷沒那麼重要的人，就會認為學歷比不上實力，沒有實力，只會說理論，反而讓人看不起，老老實實地做事賺錢就好，未來是一個注重專業實務的年代，找個好工作，以後再混個學歷不遲。這兩者聽起來，好像都很有道理，選擇任何一方，就會同時失去另一方的許多可能。問題是，我們根本不可能知道，機會與際遇，會是在什麼情況下出現，於是，我們只能告訴自己，選自己所愛，愛自己所選，一切就交給上天。然而，如果我們投入心血所付出的努力，沒有得到同等的回報時，我們要如何自處呢? 面對這種心態上的兩難，孔子說：「知其不可而為之」，不管結果如何，只要心安理得，做自己該做的事，結果就交給上天了。人如果認真的觀察自己，一定會發現自己身上住著兩種相反的人格，一是不斷地肯定自己，一是不停地反嘲自己。於是，聰明的人，身上總有兩種思想模式，兩套理論，遇到值得前進的目標時，就建構全力投入的理論，認真去做。如果遇到不可預料的困境時，就要知道去解構原來的價值體系，用相反的理論，回頭來安慰自己。因此，我們會看到有些人，對生活積極肯定、支持與慰藉，但同時，在日常生活中，又處處挖苦、諷刺、取笑與調侃，這似乎是人格的分裂，但其實這才是融合矛盾於同一的真實。能真正取笑它的，也才能真正讚美它! 威權與民主是一體的兩面，是威權造就了民主，也因民主覺悟了威權。學歷與實力是二律背反，沒有學歷就強調實力，沒有實力只好聲明學歷。生存與死亡是相反相成，活得快樂就害怕死亡，活得痛苦就渴望解脫。在我們有限的頭腦裡，我們是活在相對的世界中的，只能靠不斷的建構與解構，我們才能在矛盾中，尋求內在的協調統一。   Powered by Firstory Hosting

Go Backpacking      In recent years, new backpacking routes have opened up some of the most scenic places on earth to backpackers and hikers. There’s world-class backpacking everywhere: Bolivia, Japan and Morocco to name a few. Actually, backpacking is a great way to get fresh air and experience nature on foot. While people have long traveled the world on foot, the late 18th-century Romantic artists and poets celebrated walking as recreation for Europeans. Earlier walkers simply traveled overland or followed traditional routes. These early backpackers sought connection with nature, adventure and beautiful places. Today, we praise that spending extended time in the wilderness has a powerful impact on well-being. Exposure to nature really boosts creativity, generosity and happiness. Indeed, our walking pace lets us tune in to the natural world. We, then, only take in the scenery, listen for elusive wildlife and try to spot trail-side plants that we’d never see from a car window. In other words, we just need to take it step by step, and try to have a good time. That’s all. Nowadays, hiking and backpacking have become two of the country’s most popular outdoor activities. In broad terms, hiking is the activity of walking, or using mobility aids, in nature. Backpacking is a multiple-day hike where people carry their overnight essentials in a pack. Backpacking typically involves heavier loads compared to day hiking because people need to carry more gear, such as a shelter or tent, sleeping bag and pad, and multiple days of food. Backpacking normally involves walking to destinations that aren’t accessible by vehicles. Therefore, backpackers often venture into more remote areas and backcountry. When we go backpacking, first of all, we commonly find some favorite beginner-friendly destinations, such as the White Mountains, the Grand Canyon, and Yosemite National Park in America, etc. Secondly, a well-fitted backpack and comfortable boots are top priorities on our gear list. There’s always extra gear, like some shirts and spare shoes. Then, a battery-powered satellite device, such as a SPOT beacon (衛星追蹤器), can provide peace of mind and potentially life-saving access to emergency services. Learning and planning ahead of a backpacking trip is essential to ensure safety, and maximize the enjoyment of a backpacking trip. The skills and the know-how are crucial to staying safe and having a great overnight in the backcountry. Relatively speaking, a backpacking trip is an inexpensive vacation alternative. With no premiums for flights or hotel rooms, we can easily stay within budget and have the experience of a lifetime. Moreover, not surprisingly, we might probably lose cell service the further we go away from the cities. With bright screens and constant noise permeating all aspects of civilized life, it’s nice to shut off everything and truly experience nature without our smartphones or laptops sometimes. Besides, the changing seasons influence when specific regions reach peak season for backpacking. During the summer season, northern regions and higher-elevation locations tend to be more cool and popular. From late fall to early spring, southern, low-elevation trails with warm climates become favorite hiking and backpacking destinations. Through traveling, we learn that people of all cultures share basically the same hopes and aspirations that we have. The outside appearances are often vastly different among people. Some cultures are outgoing, and others are more reserved and stoic; but all cultures love their children, are proud of their heritage, and want to improve conditions for their families. Through traveling, our preconceptions are challenged and we will see other, perhaps better, ways of accomplishing positive things. Often, behind our borders, the bad stories are the ones we hear, and the good ones go unreported. It is because the world seems focused on negative things. We, thus, not only need to see for ourselves, but also need to be informal ambassadors for what is good in us and our country. Instead of building walls and barriers to understanding, we should be searching for common ground, celebrating our differences and encouraging humankind to be more tolerant of each other. Learning about this world, through traveling, gives us freedom over those who would use fears to cynically and selfishly influence and control us. Becoming a better person requires being open to knowledge and willingness to change. If we can go to faraway places and get outside of the comfortable zones that we build around ourselves, we will become more informed. That is good for us and the planet. Freedom is something that we get from traveling. Acquiring the knowledge to examine our circumstances and to take action is freedom. Traveling, going hiking and backpacking allow us to have such freedom for broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things all over the world.    Powered by Firstory Hosting