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We seem to be feeling a lot of pressure connected with responsibilities that seem unclear.  How much responsibility do we have for the others.  How far do we go in protecting people from themselves.  These are questions that are very difficult to answer. 

Primarily, our responsibility lies with setting a good example.  I honestly think that setting a good example is the hardest help to provide.  You have to follow your own values and stick to them. You have to hold yourself to the same values that you expect from others.

We live in a world where all of our actions affect other people. So when we violate this trust, it falls back on ourselves. 

Our lives push us to resolve our own imbalances. When we resolve our inner imbalance, we then learn more about ourselves. We also learn about the others.

Most people have common hopes and desires. It is important to see that we are not so different from the others. People feel it when you are communicating with them on a level field and when you see them as more alike than different.

It occurred to me the other day that one of the reasons that I am feeling more joyful is that I am a lot more present in the moment. It is amazing how relaxing it is to brush your teeth and comb your hair with your full attention. Our minds are so over-burdened by excess information that it is nearly impossible to focus on the moment.

By being present, you enjoy what you are doing. Your mind isn’t travelling all over the place. It is just right there doing one thing at a time. It is enjoying the little things in life. You can eat your breakfast with full attention. Enjoy the taste of the fruit and the aroma of the coffee. It has a very calming effect on the body.

In a world that is moving at break neck pace, this ability to stay in the moment becomes one of our greatest commodities and can contribute substantially to our happiness. It takes practice, like everything else, but it is a habit worth obtaining. You can even call it meditation.

Our lives are filled with noise coming from every form of communication; internet, television, telephone and other things keep our minds in a state of constant clutter. The speed with which we need to process the information has reached unattainable levels. We are walking around with a lot of waste occupying our minds.

There is a critical need to dial back the chatter. Clear the mind of unnecessary debris and spend some time reviewing your priorities. Spend some quiet time with your loved ones without all the distractions. Many people are uncomfortable with silence. They can’t use it in a constructive way. . They ruminate about problems and perceived injustices rather than relaxing the mind and body.

It’s important to give yourself the gift of peace and quiet. You have to fight for it these days. There is always some encroaching element that seems out of our control. It is not true. You have to make a conscious effort to set aside this time. It’s priceless and necessary for healthy living.

Going forward, make the effort to change your habits. By changing yourself, you change everything.

It seems that many of our actions are directed by doing what conventional wisdom dictates. We think that there is a perfect way of handling a situation that will guarantee the perfect outcome.

Call me suspicious, but every situation is not cut from the same cloth. Sometimes you have to see what is there and also what is missing. By observing these things you may find that each and every situation has some common threads but are really quite different.

The best way to get a reasonable outcome is to apply reason. This is more difficult than you realize. To be reasonable requires understanding. Understanding a situation and all of its many aspects is usually obtained through experience. As Hippocrates said, “Life is short. Art is long. Experience gained with much pain. Judgement highly difficult.”

We, as modern people, rarely give much thought to our actions. We move along thinking very little about what price we pay for our actions. We pay for what we want and we pay for what we don’t want. It is a good idea to know what you want out of life.

When it comes to expectation; I would say expect a lot from yourself.

Under the best circumstances, life is a taxing affair. Even when we are well prepared and possess health and wealth, it does not free us from the trials and tribulations of everyday living. It may often seem tiresome to deal with the day to day but we are not free to abandon our responsibilities no matter how trying we find them to be. We must forge on with some degree of optimism and purpose.

Often we find that our resolve becomes weak and we feel encroached upon but these are the issues of daily living. We must work through them methodically and with a little bit of lightness and care. Eventually, the load will lighten and we can continue with our more optimistic endeavors.

Being human isn’t easy and as we age we are often called upon to show resolve. We have to see things through to their end and begin anew. Nothing to it…we are designed for these tasks. The human being is amazingly flexible and perseverant.

Always give it your best. It will pay off in the end.

When you play a fair game, things are likely to break in your favor. It may seem sometimes that this isn’t the case but experience dictates it to be so. It is always tempting to take the short cut but everything has a price. Taking the long road insures that you will be prepared for all of the relative situations that come along. You won’t be caught flat footed.

Today’s society deals heavily in getting immediate satisfaction. I get it. Sometimes it feels good. But, for the more importance decisions in life it is better to take the long road. There is a saying in astrological circles, that “what you achieve in the right way will be a source of happiness and will be maintained.” Again, I can verify this to be true through my own experience.

Perhaps younger people need more time to identify what the right way is. You get this through trial and error. But life is short, so it pays to get the answers sooner rather than later. Peace of mind is highly under-rated. But, if you can achieve it, it will add years of healthy living to your life.

The world is a complicated place. There are two types of people in the world; simplifiers and complicators. Whenever possible, surround yourself with simplifiers. No one has all the answers. Life is about learning and we can learn from everyone. Don’t take yourself too seriously but remember life is serious.

If you are feeling extremely frustrated, I can only sympathize. It seems that most of the population is suffering some kind of ego bruising experience that doesn’t seem like it is ever going to be over. The misery just keeps hanging over us like a dark cloud.

How can we shake this feeling of doubt and frustration? Partly, it is in our control to surround ourselves with as many positive vibrations as possible. Do something good for yourself. Create a diversion for a short time just to keep from growing too impatient. Don’t surround yourself with a bunch of sad sacks. Seek out people who vibrate higher.

Brighter days are ahead. Keep your positive attitude and don’t be influenced by the naysayers. As long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other, you are going to arrive. It is just that the effort seems much more difficult than it should be.

That is the great thing about astrology, it is always changing. Just when you think that you can’t take any more aggravation another astrological aspect swings along to make you consider the situation from a whole new angle. And what do you know? All is well again.

Don’t over think the whys of your situation. Everyone has to deal with their albatross now and again.

Money is the commodity of exchange and money can go a long way in getting you the things that you want and need. People work for money and will honor your wishes in order to obtain it. But when it comes to respect and friendship this can’t be purchased with money. It has to be earned the old fashioned way.

People respect people who have values. People respect people who are consistent. Values are what lasting friendships are made of and we usually like people who have our values. Those are the people that we are attracted to.

Most of us have good and bad values. It depends a lot on how we were brought up. We are always testing our values as we would like them to serve us in the most beneficial way. Sometimes we find that our values are misdirected and not effective in helping us through the twists and turns of daily living.

We can learn better values by trial and error and also by observing people who display compassionate good values. They have human values as well as material values.

Values have everything to do with our ethics. Ethics are our internal workings. They are manifested in everything that we do. No one can tell you what your ethics should be but they define your life in a major way. Your ethics are between you and your God.

Remember that we get old too soon and smart too late. Whatever actions we take always have consequences.

Staying in the moment is a great task. It isn’t easy when other things are calling to you. You find yourself chasing the next great idea, place or thing. Always there is something before you that you want to reach out and grab. This is especially anxiety provoking and requires greater contemplation.

Why not just enjoy exactly what you are doing at any given time. Don’t be looking too far ahead. Stay completely engrossed in what you doing, saying and feeling. Try to engage with what is before you. Don’t allow insignificant chatter to lure you away from the present moment.

It is tiring and somewhat unrewarding to constantly be searching for new uncharted territory. After all, you will arrive there simply by staying in the moment. Being in the moment is an active pursuit. Everything is changing before your very eyes. You don’t have to do anything in the moment. Things just come and go.

I am feeling more centered as I write this piece. After a few moments, my mind is slowing and becoming more aware of what is happening around me. I am not frantically searching for stimulus that has no relevant meaning in the here and now.

Be joyful in the moment and allow the future to act in its own time. Take care of the present. The past, present and future co-exist. Don’t look to far ahead. See the middle distance.

As Dr. Suess said, “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

I am sure that a lot of our anxiety comes from fear, resentment and a feeling of unfair treatment. But, life isn’t fair. You have to work with what you have and use it to your advantage.

Often, we become our own enemy by allowing our ego to dictate our behavior. We should be able to keep the ego in check so that it doesn’t cause any damage. In the beginning, managing the ego is an exhausting task. At every turn, there is the urge to let it dominate our actions. Our actions should be a reflection of who we truly are and not a reaction to life’s events.

Our character and our purpose are what make us unique. We also have to have drive. There are different types of drive; power drive, emotional drive, intellectual drive, material drive. These are the things that put us on the road to a meaningful and satisfying life.

Above all, we have to have patience. Patience is the only virtue. You won’t get anywhere without it. There are always set-backs and these have to be absorbed and moderated by our personality. Patience will get you there.

Don’t take things personally. No one is out to get you. Everyone has advantages and disadvantages. Actually, for every advantage is a disadvantage. It is a double edged sword. That is why it is important to have a purpose and to know what you want and what you don’t want. You pay for both.

What truly belongs to you cannot be taken away.