In each and every moment - every thought, every word and every deed - you declare yourself, that is, you add to the body of evidence which points to your central orientation. No matter how religious, kind-hearted, sweet-natured or altruistic you may feel you are, this evidence proves unequivocally whether you are fundamentally centered in …
Tag: gregg hake
Respect Yourself
"He that respects himself is safe from others; he wears a coat of mail that none can pierce." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow There is no greater loss than the loss of self-respect. Without it you cannot respect others; you merely envy them or use their relative success as a reason for never reaching for yours. …
Civilized? A Jamaican Perspective
When Mahatma Gandhi was asked what he thought of Western civilization, he was reported to have said: "I think it would be a good idea." Thumbing through the last five centuries, I am inclined to agree. Consider this slice of history from the Jamaican perspective, for example. Jamaica, or Xaymaca as it was called by …
Your Inmost Concern
"To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right." - Confucius As much as I …
Career Advice
One of the most important pieces of advice I received when I was striking off on my own was to get a broad base of experience before I made any hard and fast decisions about my career. I was not one who knew from birth what I would do and in many ways I am …
Personal Growth
In my experience I've found my most significant personal growth opportunities came when I was least expecting them. Moreover, they often came when I was at my busiest. Either God is sadistic or there is a principle hidden from sight that could usefully be uncovered and brought to light through a focused consideration. I suspect …
Thoughtlessness to Neurosis
An article entitled "Healthy, Meet Delicious" in the New York Times on American dietary habits caught my eye and interest yesterday. I liked it because it encapsulated to a certain degree my approach to eating and indeed living, but also because of the author's mention of a spectrum - from thoughtlessness to neurosis - along …
Meticulous Forbearance
Forbearance by Ralph Waldo Emerson Hast thou named all the birds without a gun? Loved the wood-rose, and left it on its stalk? At rich men's tables eaten bread and pulse? Unarmed, faced danger with a heart of trust? And loved so well a high behavior, In man or maid, that thou from speech refrained, …
Forbearance
Forbearance by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Gently I took that which ungently came, And without scorn forgave:--Do thou the same. A wrong done to thee think a cat's-eye spark Thou wouldst not see, were not thine own heart dark Thine own keen sense of wrong that thirsts for sin, Fear that--the spark self-kindled from within, Which …
Kindness and Compassion
A core human compulsion is longing to belong. We love to define ourselves by our associations - religious beliefs, political persuasions, socio-economic status, race, color, favorite sports teams, age and more - yet that which connects also divides. There are, however, a few qualities which have universal appeal. Two I can think of are kindness …
Gregory Hake 