Success Manifesto

I received the following in an email from my good friend Angela Borges
awhile ago. I do not know where it originates from, but find it very inspiring
and have had it hanging on my wall for almost three years: Dance like no one’s
watching… Your life will always be filled with challenges. It’s best to admit
this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. Here is a quote from Alfred D.
Souza. He said, “For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to
begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to
be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a
debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these
obstacles were my life.” Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment
that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special,
special enough to spend your time…and remember that time waits for no one…So
stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you
lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you start work, until you
retire, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or
home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until
fall, until winter, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on,
until you die. Decide that there is no better time than right now to be
happy…Happiness is a journey, not a destination. Therefore: Work like you don’t
need money, Love like you’ve never been hurt, And dance like no one’s watching.

Posted by Sheena Lindahl at 08:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I received the following in an email from my good friend Angela Borges
awhile ago. I do not know where it originates from, but find it very inspiring
and have had it hanging on my wall for almost three years: Dance like no one’s
watching… Your life will always be filled with challenges. It’s best to admit
this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. Here is a quote from Alfred D.
Souza. He said, “For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to
begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to
be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a
debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these
obstacles were my life.” Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment
that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special,
special enough to spend your time…and remember that time waits for no one…So
stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you
lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you start work, until you
retire, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or
home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until
fall, until winter, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on,
until you die. Decide that there is no better time than right now to be
happy…Happiness is a journey, not a destination. Therefore: Work like you don’t
need money, Love like you’ve never been hurt, And dance like no one’s watching.

Posted by Sheena Lindahl at 08:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

What causes us to connect with, to
love, other human being? What is it that attracts us to one person but not
another? It certainly is nothing logical, although we try to rationalize it in
our heads. “I like him because he makes me laugh; I like her because she’s so
much like me; We’re best friends because we’ve known each other for so long.”
But then what happens when the person you feel this “connection” with is someone
who, for all logical, reasons is someone you shouldn’t like? Or vice-versa. I
have had experiences where I have met extremely interesting people who are
interested in many of the same things that I am, but as much as I wanted to, I
could not build that feeling of connection. It wasn’t that I didn’t like them.
There was just no “chemistry”. And I have met people that, even in a very short
period of time, I have developed a very deep connection with. I would really
love to know what creates and sustains these bonds. Are we attracted to
particular people for a reason? I read somewhere a theory that while we
communicate on a worldly level, unbeknownst to our egos our souls are at the
same time communicating, and this determines our level of attraction. I suppose
this is possible. And then, to take this question one step further, once we are
attracted to another person, what determines whether this will be a romantic or
more friendly attraction?

Posted by Sheena Lindahl at 10:01 PM | Permalink

What causes us to connect with, to
love, other human being? What is it that attracts us to one person but not
another? It certainly is nothing logical, although we try to rationalize it in
our heads. “I like him because he makes me laugh; I like her because she’s so
much like me; We’re best friends because we’ve known each other for so long.”
But then what happens when the person you feel this “connection” with is someone
who, for all logical, reasons is someone you shouldn’t like? Or vice-versa. I
have had experiences where I have met extremely interesting people who are
interested in many of the same things that I am, but as much as I wanted to, I
could not build that feeling of connection. It wasn’t that I didn’t like them.
There was just no “chemistry”. And I have met people that, even in a very short
period of time, I have developed a very deep connection with. I would really
love to know what creates and sustains these bonds. Are we attracted to
particular people for a reason? I read somewhere a theory that while we
communicate on a worldly level, unbeknownst to our egos our souls are at the
same time communicating, and this determines our level of attraction. I suppose
this is possible. And then, to take this question one step further, once we are
attracted to another person, what determines whether this will be a romantic or
more friendly attraction?

Posted by Sheena Lindahl at 10:01 PM | Permalink

“It is better to strive in one’s own
dharma than to succeed in the dharma of another. Nothing is ever lost in
following one’s own dharma, but competition in another’s dharma breeds fear and
insecurity.” –The Bhagavad-Gita Fear, insecurity, jealousy…The types of
feelings we like to hide and pretend do not exist. But how many of us are able
to totally conquer these negative and disempowering feelings? As I was reading
The Bhagavad-Gita, the truth of the quote above struck me. Dharma is a duty or
universal law holding everything together in unity. So what I understand the
quote to be saying is that when you follow your own unique path and measures of
success, then you will be leading toward fulfillment. And it is when you stray
from your path and onto someone else’s that you wind up with these negative
emotions. I have found this to be a good way to keep myself on track. When I do
begin to feel any of the emotions above, then I know that I have strayed from my
mission. If I were being true to my mission, then there would be no reason to
use these negative measures of my success.

Posted by Sheena Lindahl at 09:37 PM | Permalink

“It is better to strive in one’s own
dharma than to succeed in the dharma of another. Nothing is ever lost in
following one’s own dharma, but competition in another’s dharma breeds fear and
insecurity.” –The Bhagavad-Gita Fear, insecurity, jealousy…The types of
feelings we like to hide and pretend do not exist. But how many of us are able
to totally conquer these negative and disempowering feelings? As I was reading
The Bhagavad-Gita, the truth of the quote above struck me. Dharma is a duty or
universal law holding everything together in unity. So what I understand the
quote to be saying is that when you follow your own unique path and measures of
success, then you will be leading toward fulfillment. And it is when you stray
from your path and onto someone else’s that you wind up with these negative
emotions. I have found this to be a good way to keep myself on track. When I do
begin to feel any of the emotions above, then I know that I have strayed from my
mission. If I were being true to my mission, then there would be no reason to
use these negative measures of my success.

Posted by Sheena Lindahl at 09:37 PM | Permalink