Enjoy The Rain: Accepting Praise Or Compliments

Opening To Positive Commentary

A nice gentle rain can be refreshing and nurturing in times of drought. Praise and compliments can be thought of as our rain as well.

Think about a time when someone offered you praise. How did you feel?

Were you joyful that you helped someone? Proud of the task you completed? Or maybe no particular response at all. 

Perhaps you held a door open for someone with full arms, instrumental in finishing a team project, or maybe you helped someone carry a package up a flight of stairs.

These are some of the situations when someone could offer you a warm ‘thank you’.

Consider what was your intention to help at that particular time and then how did you ‘feel’ when acknowledged?

Oftentimes we respond with ‘no problem’ or ‘sure thing’. Although these are acknowledgements they're not positive acknowledgements. They’re bland, with no love, compassion, or gratitude behind them. 

These types of responses diminish the value of the other person's praise and your actions.

Sometimes when we receive praise we’re not sure how to respond, it’s not something we’re taught how to do in society. 

But let’s look at a few reasons as to why we might not respond more wholeheartedly.

• Ego is one of the main reasons. We know we did a kind act for someone but we often hide our gratitude under the guise of ‘no big deal’ when inside we’re happy that we could help.

• We’ve minimized the importance of helping someone else in a time of need. Most of life is built around small events not large. 

• Maybe we feel unworthy to receive praise. Perhaps you might think that it’s a part of your job or responsibilities to help others, like in a retail environment.  

How we return praise for acknowledgment is very important to a positive mindset.

Consider a small child who has that toy table with those little shapes, square, circle, triangle, and star, that they push through the corresponding hole. What is their expression when they match the shape and hole? It’s one of joy and excitement. What do you say to them with this monumental accomplishment? You clap, and very happily respond with ‘good job, I knew you could do it’! This boosts their confidence. 

Or maybe you have a dog who likes to play fetch. Again, how do you respond when they return the stick or toy? They’re so happy, their tails wagging vigorously, and are more likely to repeat this behavior.

So how do we accept praise gracefully and with openness? 

We can begin by valuing the other person's opinion and intention. This would be considered ‘Right Thought’ one of the Eight Noble Truths. The person's intention is to reward you verbally for your effort and assistance. It’s offered with sincere gratitude. This person saw the kindness in you and you helped them. This too, is one of the Eight Noble Truths, Right Effort. 

Think about when you offered praise to someone what were your intentions. You offered them praise and it wasn't malicious or deceitful. It was genuine and from the heart.

And remember, how you felt when you offered praise, is how they’re feeling towards you at this moment.

So when someone genuinely offers you praise, know that it’s coming from a place of gratitude and let it rain and nourish you as well.

I’d love to hear your comments, so please feel free to do so below.

I wish you all peace and ease,

Vladimir

Blue Lotus Mindfulness and Meditation Center is a registered 501(c)(3) religious organization.

Filling Your Vessel

Refilling Your Vessel With Joy

What is your vessel? Why does it need to be filled? What does it mean to be replenished? These are all wonderful questions.

Your vessel is you, all of you, everything inside you from organs, toenails, to a single blood cell. But it's not only your physical vessel but your spiritual and mental wellbeing.

Take a look around you, look at all the toxicity that we are exposed to on a daily basis. For example, the media. Several months ago I turned on a news channel, I typically will read an article instead of watch a live broadcast.

My first observation was how very loud the hosts were. This loudness right away cultivates an environment that's toxic, regardless of network or story.

Whom do you follow on social media? Do they promote a positive influence? Do they promote the wholesomeness that you want as a person? Or are they lashing out at someone else? Do they give you body positive affirmations or do you find yourself comparing to them. This is toxicity as well.

Consider movies and violent video games. Certainly there are many video games out there that are extremely violent.

All of these things add up to a toxic environment. A toxic environment we invite into ourselves. This steady inflow of negativity is what is taking us from our joy. Drop by drop making your vessel more toxic.

We are ourselves might not become violent but it certainly can lead to us becoming disconnected, becoming disengaged with the world around us. And if we keep exposing ourselves to these toxic environments we do not get to see that the beauty around us because we are feeling empty inside. As a result, you begin to lose the the true joy of what life has to offer.

Joy is like rain that waters the flowers during a drought, allowing us connect to people, not just the plants, but dogs, cats, and birds, all life.

Joy cultivates compassion and empathy towards others.

But how can we replenish our vessel and cultivate joy?

1. Disconnect. You can turn off your cell phone or computer so you won't be bombarded with irrelevant news and social media updates which are distractions from joy. If you have a landline this might be the better option for those necessary calls.

2. Games and entertainment. Be mindful of purchasing violent games and movies. Overexposure leads to desensitization. You may think that these are computer generated code or actors but humans have this ability to feel the emotions of imagery. Look at The Lion King or Frozen or Bambi. They're not real beings and we feel sorry for them or grow to love them. Now imagine constant exposure to the violence in entertainment media. They empty your vessel of joy.

3. Get back to nature. Take a 15 - 20 minute walk. Get out of your house or office. Walk in the park, or trail, a clear lake. No matter where you are in nature look at the smallest little details. Walk up to that tree and look at the bark. Feel the bark. Listen to the birds. Find a patch of grass that's no one's using, listen and observe. If you are on the beach, look at the amazing colors, all the different colors in the sand. The whites, blacks, and sometimes greens.

4. Boundaries. Minimize contact with negative and sarcastic people they're going to bring you down certainly you know if you will have to interact with them at work set the boundaries can you set those healthy boundaries you're going to have more positivity around you and if it persists you know they're always negative always negative always sarcastic just kindly remind that let the positive positively blossom in you cut the positive it also works with family boundaries with your family

5. Meditation. Thirty minutes a day is all you will need. You will experience relieving decompression even after your first sitting. But at this point the practices is still immature so give it a few weeks and you will notice a positive change because remember you have been living in a toxic environment for a very long time. So it will take time to replenish the joy.

We are what we consume, from what we eat, drink, read, watch, play, and listen to. Be mindful of what you allow in.

Wishing you peace and wellbeing,

Vladimir

Blue Lotus Mindfulness and Meditation Center is a registered 501(c)(3) religious organization.

Realizations From A Walking Meditation

Taking Time To Enjoy Nature

Each day, weather permitting, I enjoy a mindful walk. Removing myself from the confines of my home offers me the mindful opportunity to strengthen the connection I have with the natural world we all are a part of. This connection is vital to maintaining a mindfulness practice. 

Observing the small changes that occur over the course of the day are sometimes hard to notice. Leaves on trees grow at a slow pace, animal tracks are hard to distinguish as well, the fragrance of blooming flowers can be hard to discern as well depending on the breeze. But every now and then there is a large enough change that is readily seen, even from a distance.

Today, I had the fortune to find this large feather. It's from a Turkey Vulture. They come to roost every night on some of the trees nearby. Looking this feather with openness and curiosity I begin to wonder where this feather has been? What has it seen while it was still attached to this magnificent birds wing while in flight? Or even what it has witnessed when it had landed doing the necessary function that a Turkey Vulture does for our ecosystem.

As I let my mind flow freely, I then let my thoughts move to what we need in order to function and what we can let go. What am I holding onto that I no longer need? 

Perhaps this feather was bothersome to this individual bird and as a result not able to soar has high and far as it was able and let this feather go. It clearly had no need of this feather any longer as I do not see a Turkey Vulture walking on the ground.

Concepts, notions, and ideas can hold us back from achieving what we are capable of doing or seeing the best in people. For example, when you say to yourself 'I am no good at that task'. You promoting the notion that you are incapable of learning or improving. Or the idea that people cannot change is very limiting and does not take into account the adaptability that any one individual possess. 

Greed, anger, jealousy, and ego are only some of the ailments that hold us back as well as each of these further perpetuates suffering of self and others. Each one of these ailments may be viewed as a smoldering coal from the previous night's campfire waiting to burst into flames for destruction.

When we are mindful of ourselves and surroundings we are opening up to what the world truly teaches. When we are observant we begin to understand that letting go is important if we want to soar. It relieves us of the unnecessary burden of attachment. Whereas holding on to what no longer serves us is the baggage that keeps us from flight. 

Here, in this wonderful example nature has given, the loss of a single feather, we can learn the importance of letting go of what does not serve us in growth, lovingkindness, compassion, and empathy.

What are some of the observations or realizations you have experienced on a walking meditation?

Feel free to comment below.

Wishing you peace and ease.

Vladimir

Blue Lotus Mindfulness and Meditation Center is a registered 501(c)(3) religious organization.