Live by "Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds"

Still trying!

Doing well with the good words and good deeds. the good thoughts are much more challenging for me. Having an OCD makes it feel like it’s impossible to achieve.

In his book “The Four Agreements,” Don Miguel Ruiz distills the essence of Toltec wisdom into four principles for living a life of value:

1. Be impeccable with your word.
2. Don’t take anything personally.
3. Don’t make assumptions.
4. Always do your best.

Very simple…and amazing thoughts to live by…

Good thoughts are like good seeds. The more that you plant in good soil, the better the harvest in time. I took a class 8 or 9 years ago called the 15 minute miracle, which was just 15 minutes a day of a written appreciation journal. The teacher had a specific format, and I followed it. Less than a year later, I was married, bought my first house, and fulfilled a decade long dream of telecommuting to my job every day from far away. I’ve practiced appreciation in different ways, but this is one of the best forms I know to live by good thoughts.

outliving philosophical diatribes and functioning in a balanced and just way. dropping in the ocean and filling life with joy, discovery and wonder. helping two to breath again while choking, interupting pedestrian catastrophe on roads, falling in love, paiting landscapes and leaving them in sacred locals in foreign cities, being myself in difficult circumstances, being positive.

I am not a Zoroastrian, as my ancestors were and a handful of present-day Iranians still are. But, I’ve always admired their code for both its simplicity and its surprisingly deep implications, especially when considered within their belief structure. You don’t need to take such a fundamentally dualistic approach to the Universe as they do to appreciate the fact that simply taking a positive frame of mind can project postive results in your life, or that by speaking well of (and to) others spreads good will. Nor does one need to believe in a conflict between Ahura-Mazda and Ahriman to see that performing good deeds out of heartfelt sincerity can plant the seeds for further happiness to flourish. It’s all rather obvious, actually.

But, I must say that I admire the dedication to ethics and the inherent positivity.

I also admire the optimistic outlook towards life, the world, and especially humanity.

For them, it’s all in terms of a cosmic and spiritual struggle. I accept it as a means of spiritual and personal development.