Olympians LOP

Posted to Facebook Aug. 2nd.
I am once again drawn into the energy of the Olympics and have been tuning into the broadcasts from London.  This year I have been hearing interesting talk about training.  They go into the details of the amount of time and energy it takes, and what their bodies have to do to get to this level of competition.  And, they are also often commenting on the mental and emotional training that is being done.  These athletes practice deliberate thoughts and emotions.

They are talking about the athletes' abilities to: focus and stay present in the moment, not look too far ahead in the race; not slip into doubt about their ability; rehearse their routine over and over in the mind so their mind and body believe they have done this routine hundreds of times before; shut off the voices in their brain that distract them, and let their body do what they have trained it to do; stay calm under pressure; believe.

At this level of competition it is often fractions of a second that determines the medallists from the last place competitors, and so we know they all have immense physical ability.  These athletes, and their coaches, know that it is the training they have done mentally and emotionally that will often make the difference.

So, if it is good enough for them, perhaps it is good enough for us?  No I am not trying to shave a fraction of a second off anything I am doing today, but I am wanting to: stay calm; focus on what I am doing in any moment; imagine things unfolding they way I want them to; quiet the voices that distract me; and believe in who I really am.

The Olympians know that deliberate thoughts and emotions are worth it for them to achieve their dreams -- for them to express who they really are.  Maybe their dreams seem far fetched to us, but are our desires any less important?  Are our daily gold performances, of us showing up as who we really are, any less inspiring? 

LOP is believing we are all Olympians.

A LOP Translation of Proverbs

I believe that at the core, at the basis, of all religions/methodologies/belief systems, there are similar desires, we just have different ways of saying the same thing.  If we take the time to think about the message behind the words we would probably be able to find our own words to express the same message.

To use The Good News Bible as an example, Proverbs Chapter 11 Verse 5 says, "Honesty makes a good man's life easier, but a wicked man will cause his own downfall."  What that means to me, or the way I would say that is, "In honesty there is freedom, in fear there is overwhelment and suffocation." 

Here are a few more examples:
GNB Proverbs 11:6 -- Righteousness rescues the honest man, but someone who can't be trusted is trapped by his own greed.
LOP -- Faith will carry us through times when we don't know what else to do; but someone in fear will see things to fear everywhere they go.

GNB Proverbs 12:15 -- Stupid people always think they are right.  Wise people listen to advice.
LOP -- Fearful people feel they need to guard what they believe.  Confident people are open to hear what others believe.

GNB Proverbs 12:27 -- If you are lazy, you will never get what you are after, but if you work hard you will get a fortune.
LOP -- A life lived unsure about who you really are, will be a life without success.  A life clear about who you really are creates fortunes.

LOP is about finding the words that are on the upward spiral of life.

I Don't Know

Posted to Facebook Aug. 1st.
One summer, as a very young girl, I was playing in the garden and came across a worm.  I felt so bad for it, that it was doomed to an existence in the dark, cold, suffocating dirt.  I could not imagine a more miserable life.

I wanted to help it, give it the opportunity to experience all that I enjoy; open air, sunshine, and warmth.  I did not think I would be able to just walk away and leave it there to suffer in the cold and dark.  So, I overturned a bucket in the sunshine and set the worm on top of it so that it too could revel in all that is good about a warm summer day.  I then went on with my day feeling good about myself because I had helped another creature.

A couple hours later I came to check on my new friend, the one I had rescued, and there it laid . . . on top of the bucket . . . shrivelled and dead.  I was in disbelief, and so upset.  How could that be?  I had done for it what I thought it would like, what was best for it, what I preferred, and what I had ended up doing was killing it.  Out of my best intentions I had created the exact opposite of what I wanted.

I learned that day that I don't know what is best for others.  And even when I am sure I know, I don't know.  And even when I cannot fathom why they may prefer what I abhor, I still don't know.